"You are not a moisture farmer, a bounty hunter, a miner, a spice runner, or a spy. So what are you, really?"
"I am a Jedi."
A murmur came over the crowd of Sand People, or Kumumgah as they had called themselves. They began to whisper to each other in hushed tones, but the chieftain banged their stick on the ground again and all of them stiffened immediately.
The Force has many, many possible powers that we can learn from, Kenobi had once told Reva. Some say that there is an infinite number of skills that can be drawn from it.
The chieftain growled with annoyance.
"Where is K'Sharad? I need them immediately!"
"K'Sharad is with the other uli-ah, War Leader."
The Tusken language did not specify whether the subject was a woman or man.
K'Sharad could either be some sort of nurse, or perhaps an executioner waiting to show off his shiny new cycler rifle.
I suppose I'll just have to wait and see where my fate leads me, Reva thought to herself.
"Bring them here. Do not waste my time!"
Immediately, the nearest Sand Person nodded and bowed their head, running out as fast as their legs could take them.
Finally the chieftain turned back towards Reva. She shuddered as they approached her, getting close enough to reach out and grab her chin. She resisted slightly, but the chieftain turned her face towards them until all she could see was their mask. Reva breathed heavily as the chieftain examined her from up close.
Behind their visor, she could see the faint of something shiny. Where there should have been a left eye, she could only see something red glinting back at her.
"Look at me in the face, child. Do you see that I am talking to you?"
"Yes."
"I suppose you think I am stupid? That I don't know a real Jedi from a fake one when I see them?"
"No...no..."
"When I was still an uli-ah, I caught a bad infection and had to use my own hook to gouge out my left eye. My eye had gone rotten with sickness and the poison nearly spread to the rest of my brain if I did not act quickly to amputate it. I had no choice but to replace it with the last gift my partner gave me before they were killed, a pure red crystal the color of freshly drawn blood. Since then, every moisture farmer who leeches off of my land and steals my water has mocked me for it, calling me Plug-Eye. Do you also think that I am weak and laughable?"
Reva shook her head.
"I am a Jedi, I am telling the truth about that!"
"How can I know that you will not harm us? Are you better than a bounty hunter?"
"I was an Inquisitor, not a bounty hunter! Although I suppose they are more or less the same type of profession."
"They are indeed." The chieftain let go of her and steeped back with a note of disdain. Reva gritted her teeth.
Finally, she heard the sounds of footsteps trudging quickly through the sand, signifying the underling's return. The chieftain stepped back and allowed them to step closer to Reva. The underling had brought yet another Sand Person, this one who was about the same height as Reva herself. Their clothes looked different from the rest, and Reva did not see any weapon on them.
"K'Sharad is here, War Leader. They are ready to answer your questions."
K'Sharad stared at Reva. Reva stared back at them, but she was afraid to peer too closely at their goggles for fear that they might also have a red eye concealed inside.
"K'Sharad, we have here a Jedi who claims that she can speak Kunumgah even though she has never learned it before. How is this possible?"
K'Sharad stared at Reva quizzically, cocking their head slightly to the side as if in deep thought.
Perhaps K'Sharad is a woman, she thought to herself. Only women know how to really read people in a way that leaves you feeling uncomfortable.
As an Inquisitor, she knew this better than anyone else. She began to shift uncomfortably, feeling as if she had already been caught and found out. K'Sharad continued to stare at her for an uncomfortably long period. Reva began to feel sweat beading on her forehead and dripping down her neck.
Never mind, she thought grumpily. He must be a man. Nobody else would waste so much of everybody's precious time.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, K'Sharad spoke.
"Yes," the said slowly. Their mouth filter was slightly different, causing their voice to come out as slightly less metallic-sounding than that of the chieftain. "She is telling the truth. There was a Jedi like her once, the one we call Revaan," they nodded. "He came, attempting to negotiate with our people in our language. Only he was not so capable as her, and was forced to rely on a droid to communicate."
With that, K'Sharad concluded their speech. The chieftain nodded, signaling that they could now return to their place.
"So, it is true then," the chieftain said, turning back to Reva. "You are not some spy from another competing clan sent to destroy us?"
Reva shook her head.
"What good would that do me?"
"Every other clan knows that the People of the chieftain have an advantage over them," the chieftain sneered. "They all wish to catch me at my weakest. Us Kumumgah may share the same ancestors, but that doesn't make us any closer than we are with the Jawas. Our enemies will do anything to seize even a little bit of power from us."
Reva breathed out. "No, I have never interacted with them," she admitted truthfully.
"But we found you near the land of the moisture farmers," one of the underlings interjected. "How can we know if you are trustworthy?"
"What does it matter if I was found near their land?" Reva asked wearily. "I'm not one of them!"
"Yes, but you were not found near just any moisture farm," the chieftain hissed. "You were found near the Skywaalkers. The last living relatives of the Kterskt," they growled.
"The Krterskt? What is that?" Reva asked confused.
The other Sand People snorted. Reva stared at them, waiting for someone to explain. Finally, K'Sharad turned back towards her and fixed her with a long look.
"You claim to be a Jedi, but you know nothing of your own people?" K'Sharad asked, incredulous. "Does the name of Anakin Skywaalker mean nothing to you?"
Reva froze, feeling her blood stop moving in her veins.
"One of your kind murdered a Tusken tribe a long time ago," K'Sharad said coolly, as if they were just relaying the daily news to her. "He slaughtered the entire camp all by himself. Since then, several tribes gather each year to make various sacrifices and offerings to him. Others believe in human sacrifice. Some believe that by slaying the krayt dragon that lives in the Gafsa Canyon and bringing its pearl to the site of the massacre, they will finally be able to put our dead kin to peace."
Reva's jaw dropped.
She had known of Vader's horrible deeds, long before she had met him again. But all this time, she had thought that she was the only witness to the atrocities he committed as Anakin.
"If you have lived on Tatooine for any significant amount of time, you must have come across the B'Thazoshe bridge. To the settlers, it is simply another canyon to race through. To us, who are born from the sands of Tatooine, it is a sacred place and landmark. We must fire our slugthrowers every time before we pass through it," the chieftain murmured solemnly. "Failure to do so will result in horrific consequences. As you can see, the previous tribe occupying the nearby canyon has been completely exterminated. Thus, we now fire it in remembrance of them...and as a warning to future generations, those who are still at risk of encountering the Kterskt. I believe those who speak Basic have their own word for it," the chieftain snarled.
Reva nodded again, more slowly this time. Now that she was becoming more comfortable with her Force Translation powers, she could understand what the word meant.
Danger.
"Now, we ourselves have been dealing with a new threat," the chieftain said slowly. "We were concerned about your presence, but now I think we can focus attention on the larger risk. As War Chief, I would like to ask for your cooperation in helping us to eliminate it."
"What is it?" Reva asked immediately. "I can kill whoever it is that you want me to."
K'Sharad and the chieftain both turned to look at each other with what seemed like intrigue or confusion. Their glance lasted a few seconds, then finally they nodded at each other and turned back to face her.
"We have heard that Jedi are capable of slaying krayt dragons," the chieftain said. "Are you up for the task?"
Reva breathed in heavily, feeling the sand whip through her hair as she sat atop her newly assigned bantha.
Slay the krayt dragon occupying Laguna Caves, she replayed the chieftain's words in her head. Then give us its pearl. Immediately.
Reva snorted.
She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly why the chieftain was so concerned with the dragon's pearl, even while the dragon itself was massacring banthas and terrorizing hapless Sand People. The pearl (or pearls if one was lucky enough) held indescribable value. She didn't care to know exactly what people did with it. Maybe they carved statues out of it, or played Hutball with it, or scraped bits off the surface to mix into womprat stew. Either way, she had never cared much for shiny baubles. Even if it could fetch a great deal of credits, she had no current desire for money.
"There," K'Sharad pointed out to her. "That is the dragon's lair."
Reva squinted.
In the distance, she could faintly see an outcropping of rocks, from which an enormous cavern emerged. At the moment, they stopped, concealed behind a massive stone structure. The sand swirled, rising higher and then falling yet again like a dry and unforgiving rain. Today, the winds were strong and the dragon was already awake. It would not be an easy fight.
When she was younger, she had heard that krayt dragons varied from species to species in terms of size and physiology. She hoped dearly that they would not be dealing with the flying kind.
"Is it absolutely necessary to kill it? Can't we just feed it to something else?"
"There is a sarlacc pit somewhere in the Dunesea nearby. But if they were to encounter each other, the dragon would be more likely to eat it instead of the other way around. We have already been trying to eliminate the dragon for weeks," K'Sharad informed her. "This is not its natural habitat. Our world is eat or be eaten, yes, but the area is only meant to support a small canyon dragon at best. We do not have nearly enough animals to satisfy a greater krayt. And it is much too close to our current dwellings. Our clan is starting to feel the stress of its insatiable appetite on the local ecosystem."
Reva nodded. "So, what can I do?" she asked bluntly. "You want me to shoot it? Stab it?"
"Stabbing will do nothing to it," K'Sharad replied. "It's skin is thicker than a mountain. Its venom is so acidic that one spit will melt your armor, then your skin, then your bones."
"All at once?" Reva asked doubtfully.
"Yes."
Reva huffed. K'Sharad did not have a sense of humor. That most likely made them a man.
"So it has no discernible weakness, I guess."
"Pretty much."
Reva climbed back down from her bantha, scattering aside the dusty sand as her feet landed on the ground. She began to pace around from their lookout point. K'Sharad did not descend from their bantha.
"So, are we just going to just stand here and watch?"
K'Sharad continued to sit still. "You may go on," they said simply. "I am required to stay and report back if anything disastrous occurs."
Reva huffed. "Why can't anyone else come with me?" She demanded, her tone coming out more whiny than she intended.
K'Sharad just shrugged and remained silent. Clearly, they would be of no use to her.
Reva turned back, looking around her for anything in the nearby environment that might inspire more confidence. All she could see was sand and rocks. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what she had heard in stories about bounty hunters that dealt with exotic species.
If only I was a Mandalorian, she thought to herself. Having a jetpack and flamethrower would certainly help right now.
"Can I bring my bantha with me?" she asked.
"You may," K'Sharad replied graciously. Reva twisted her mouth in annoyance. She wished that they would get angry instead. It would be better to have someone else who was as frustrated over the situation as her.
"I thought Tuskens were supposed to have some kind of special bond with their banthas," she remarked. "Don't you guys normally forbid that sort of thing?"
"It is true that once a bantha and its rider have bonded, they are not allowed to give rides to any other person," K'Sharad replied, sounding a bit irritated. "However, this bantha's rider already perished a while ago. So it doesn't really matter what happens to it anymore."
Reva's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
K'Sharad shrugged. "Normally, it is our tradition to leave banthas whose riders have died in the tribal graveyard with their partners," she murmured. "They don't survive very long on their own anyway, due to the pain and depression of losing a rider bond. But A'Yark is too weak to abandon it."
"Who?"
"A'Yark," K'Sharad replied. "Our War Chief."
So that was the name of the chieftain with the hooked gaffi stick and red crystal eye that she had spoken to.
"Well, why not put it out of its misery? It seems cruel to let the poor animal continue to suffer," Reva blinked.
"It reminds A'Yark too much of his sister," K'Sharad said hollowly. "That's why he cannot kill it."
"His sister?" Reva snorted. "What species was she, a Hutt?" she asked sarcastically.
"No, a human," K'Sharad snapped. "Her name was K'Sheek. Yark, the tribal chieftain before our generation, adopted her and treated her as his own daughter. He raised her with A'Yark and trained her in our ways, until she eventually married a Kumumgah man. They had a daughter together and lived as a happy family for several years. She disappeared a couple years ago in a sandstorm after giving birth to my younger brother."
Reva fell silent.
"I may be my tribe's Storyteller, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a person," K'Sharad continued, their body language now very clearly displaying anger. "If you continue to provoke me, I do not have to keep answering to you. I can stab you or choose to leave anytime I want."
"I-"
"You haven't even called me the right name once, you know. None of my people have ever set foot at Fort Tusken or participated in the raids there. We have always been and remain the Kumumgah of the Dunesea. And while it is completely taboo for us to reveal what species we are, I can personally tell you that there has never been a Hutt Sand Person."
"I'm sorry," Reva mumbled remorsefully.
"Don't be," K'Sharad said simply. "Just stop asking ignorant questions and finish what you started. That will do me a lot more good."
Reva nodded, closing her mouth.
She turned back around, focusing her attention back on the krayt dragon and its lair. After a few seconds, she stood back up and began to walk towards it.
"Do you have a plan?" K'Sharad asked dispassionately.
"Not really."
"No plan?"
"I work better on impulse," Reva said.
"Then you will get killed."
"I know," Reva said.
"You don't have any weapons, any explosives or firearms. You have no reliable means of killing it."
"I'm aware," Reva shrugged.
"You do know that I won't help you," K'Sharad said slowly. "If you die, it's not my job to drag you out. I'm not responsible for your life."
"Then you can go ahead and bury my bantha in the tribal graveyard, where it belongs," Reva said calmly. "Do not worry about me. I always come out on top."
With that, she hopped back onto her bantha and began to ride towards Laguna Caves. It seemed reluctant to move, but Reva continued to spur it on. Eventually, within a few minutes they arrived a few feet outside of the entrance. Reva descended from the bantha and patted its side, thanking it silently.
A thump from behind let her know that K'Sharad had followed her. "I told you, don't follow me," Reva said. "I can handle this myself."
"You should be more grateful that I did," K'Sharad said, a hint of aggression in their voice. Definitely a man, Reva wanted to roll her eyes. "I have no obligation to even help you."
"So don't," Reva challenged.
"My personal morals prevent me from leaving."
Reva reached over and pulled out Ahsoka's lightsabers. "What would A'Yark say if he was here?"
K'Sharad paused, then tightened their grip on their gaffi stick. Their gadderffi had spikes running all along the top and glistened with what she assumed was sand bat venom. "He would say, Don't stand there and look useless. And get me that pearl."
"Then let's do what A'Yark would want us to," Reva replied calmly. "Do you have a rifle?"
K'Sharad hesitated, before walking over to their bantha and rummaging in a coarseweave sack. They pulled out and handed an old Czerka Tusken Cycler to her. "Be careful," they warned her. "You can hurt yourself if you don't know what you're doing."
"Okay," Reva said. "How do I use it?"
K'Sharad explained slowly, stepping behind her and moving close to her waist so they could grab her arms and demonstrate how to point and manipulate the firearm properly. After a couple minutes, Reva nodded and signaled for them to move away. "Thank you," she said. "Now, I'm going to shoot. So get ready."
"Ready for what?" K'Sharad asked, confused.
Reva fired indiscriminately, watching as the bullet bounced off the rocky ceiling of the cavern and caused the stalactites to tremble slightly.
A loud rumble and roar thundered from within the dark depths of the cave.
"What have you done?" K'Sharad growled, paralyzed with fear.
"I told you, I work better on impulse," Reva said. "Now, get on your bantha and start riding," she commanded.
"Where?" K'Sharad despaired.
"Anywhere! As long as it's far away from here," Reva replied.
K'Sharad leapt into the air and scrambled up their bantha's back as quickly as possibly, yelling and kicking at it with their boots. Immediately, the animal sprang to life and started to bray, sprinting as fast as it could. Her own bantha stirred slightly beside her, but she held on firmly to its saddle. Reva turned back around and pointed her rifle at the looming void. All she could hear was a faint rumble as the ground began to shake and the sand sprayed from side to side.
Within seconds, a pair of two yellow eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by a gaping maw of sharp teeth. Reva narrowed her eyes and foused her scope, allowing the Force to flow through her. Without hesitating, she pulled the trigger. It immediately cut into her finger, drawing blood, but she did not let that make her flinch or let go. It was imperative for her to pull off this shot successfully. The bullet flew straight and struck the creature in its right eye. Blue blood exploded across its face and flowed down its nostrils, causing it to howl and scream furiously. Reva shot again, but the bullet was too far left and glanced across the dragon's scaly skin. The dragon growled and dove underground, submerging itself beneath the sands. Quickly, Reva grabbed onto her bantha's saddle and hopped on.
"Move," she growled.
Her bantha sprang to life sudden, kicking up dust behind it as it lunged forwards. The krayt dragon emerged from the sand with a loud roar, just feet away from them. Reva directed the bantha to swerve sideways, narrowly avoiding the dragon as it lunged for them.
Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have wings, she noted. But this one is a swimmer. And that just might be worse.
She soon became aware of a bantha galloping beside hers. Reva turned, finding herself face to face with K'Sharad.
"You!" Reva gasped.
"I thought I told you to not to do anything stupid!" They yelled. "Watch out!" Reva barely had time to react before they grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off. K'Sharad lifted her as easily as if their arms were made of durasteel and deposited her onto the saddle.
"Hey!" Reva exclaimed, annoyed. Her bantha tried to chase after them, but gave up and stood still aimlessly. K'Sharad's bantha continued to run, increasing the distance between them. "Turn back! I need to get back to there," she panted.
"Forget it, you're going to wind up dead!"
Reva narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, I won't."
With that, she wriggled out of K'Sharad's grip and leaped through the air. Before K'Sharad could stop her, she landed on the ground in a blast of sand and started running back towards her bantha.
"Stop!" K'Sharad yelled after her desperately, but it was too late. Reva sprinted towards her bantha and hopped into its saddle, spurring it into action just seconds before the Krayt dragon arrived and rose to strike. Yanking its bridle, she steered it away and barely avoided another attack.
As she turned around, she could see the krayt dragon more clearly now. It was fully blind in its right eye, and could not see her unless it turned its head fully around. But it could probably still smell and hear her. Reva shouted loudly, causing it to twist its neck around. Immediately, as it snapped its jaw at her and began to spray venom at her. She blocked it with the Force, creating a shield that blocked the acid. It immediately sloughed off it and dissolved the sand around her, causing it to foam and bubble like an Ebla beer.
"Go!" Reva urged her bantha. It obeyed and lunged towards the dragon. Reva grabbed Ahsoka's lightsaber, igniting it and tossing it at the beast's good eye. It spun rapidly in the air with a bit of help from the Force, landing straight into the krayt dragon's eye. The dragon screeched as the laser immediately burned its face, blinding it again. But that did not stop the dragon. Instead, it howled furiously and dove back down into the sand. Reva grunted and used the Force to retrieve her lightsaber, making it fly right back into her hand. "Quickly now," she urged her bantha.
The animal sprinted forwards, running for its life. She caught up to K'Sharad, who was still sitting on top of their bantha shaking their head.
"So what's the next step to your foolish plan?" K'Sharad asked.
"I don't know, I only really have one idea," Reva admitted.
"And what is that?"
"It involves climbing on top."
K'Sharad groaned.
"Command your bantha to sit real still," Reva said. "And get off now."
With some reluctance, K'Sharad ordered their bantha to stay in place while they dismounted.
"Hurry up!" Reva urged, gesturing at K'Sharad to come over and clamber onto the saddle behind her. "Now!" Her bantha took off, carrying both of them. K'Sharad's bantha waited helplessly.
"When are we going to start running away from the acid-breathing, aggravated krayt dragon?" K'Sharad yelled over the sound of dust flying around them.
Reva sensed a slight dip in the sand, which meant the dragon was right underneath them. "Now!" she commanded. "Jump!"
Confused, K'Sharad watched as Reva leaped into the air at the exact instant that the dragon burst from the sand with a loud roar. She immediately landed on its neck, disorienting and confusing it. Her bantha managed to swerve away as Reva grabbed hard onto the dragon's horn, straddling it.
The dragon roared, now incensed and confused. It started to spit venom, but it could not reach up to its own head. Reva held on for dear life as the dragon attempted to fling her off its back. It screamed and suddenly plunged back into the sand, taking her down with it.
K'Sharad gasped, but the rumbling waves in the dunes meant that the dragon could emerge anywhere nearby and attack. They grabbed the reins of their bantha's bridle and slapped them hard. They moved just seconds before the dragon rose back out of the sand.
This time, the krayt dragon emerged with several lightsaber wounds in its neck. Reva, still holding onto a horn for dear life, used her lightsaber to carve cuts into it. With a cry, K'Sharad yelled out and leaped forwards. When the dragon sank down, K'Sharad rose to meet it and jumped forwards with their gaffi pointed downwards. Reva let out a small shout of surprise as K'Sharad next to her, driving their gaffi stick hard downwards into the dragon's neck. The dragon howled, surprised by the sudden attack. K'Sharad leapt forwards and grabbed ahold of the other horn just seconds before it attempted to shake both of them off its head.
"I can't hold it off by myself," K'Sharad said. "Let's end the mission and turn back. I will tell A'Yark that you already perished."
"Not yet," Reva hissed back.
The dragon screeched and plunged forwards, diving into the sand. This time, it took both Reva and K'Sharad with it.
K'Sharad spluttered, thankful for the mask covering their face. Reva was less fortunate. Without a grille to cover her mouth, she had to hold her breath and keep her mouth closed as suddenly her world was swallowed up by darkness and they dove through miles of dry, gritty sand.
I guess I now know what a sandwhale feels like, she thought to herself drily.
The krayt dragon blindly flailed forwards, tunneling underground for what felt like minutes but was probably a matter of seconds. When it remerged, Reva could see now that they were several miles away, headed for some stone structures.
That's much better, Reva thought to herself. This looks like Beggar's Canyon. Lots more to work with here.
"Do you know what podracing is, K'Sharad?" Reva yelled to her companion, who was also hanging on for dear life off of the dragon's other horn.
"Sandpeople are forbidden from participating in races!" K'Sharad snarled.
"Well, this is just like one!" Reva replied. "Hold on tight and lean to the right when I instruct you!"
K'Sharad helplessly held on and waited as the krayt dragon continued to lunge forwards. Once they approached a tall stone structure, Reva shouted. "Now!" Immediately, she jumped and dangled her body completely off the dragon. K'Sharad did the same, and the dragon's neck was twisted to the side. It immediately crashed into a tall stone structure. Reva jumped into the air, barely avoiding getting smashed between the dragon's head and the rocks. K'Sharad panted, feeling adrenaline course through their veins.
"That was just the first one," Reva said. "We're going to smash through every rock formation in this valley."
"We'll die first!" K'Sharad shouted.
Reva ignored them. "Now, to the left!" Together, the two of them leaned to the left and twisted the dragon's head again, steering it right into the side of the ravine. It howled a bloodcurdling scream that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. Reva continued to call the shots, instructing K'Sharad to keep aiming the dragon towards every stone structure.
"It's going back underground," Reva warned K'Sharad. "Hold your breath!"
Just as she had predicted, the dragon rose into the air and then dove back down. K'Sharad and Reva held on, feeling the sand grind down their skin and leave harsh cuts on their skin. The dragon re-emerged and re-submerged itself several times, not relenting for more than a couple seconds at a time. Reva learned to pay attention to its rhythm and time its re-emergences with her breaths.
Finally, they started to get somewhere. Reva could see that they were in the Dunesea.
"K'Sharad!" she yelled. "Where is that sarlacc pit you mentioned?"
"What?"
"Tell me, now!" she shouted.
K'Sharad sighed.
"That way," they pointed.
"Help me steer, then!" Together, the two of them began to lean in the direction that K'Sharad had just pointed.
When the dragon dove and reemerged, they were now approaching a dip in the sands. Reva wiped the sand out of her eyes and squinted ahead at the sand basin.
"We're not very far from it," she shouted out to K'Sharad.
"I know!" K'Sharad huffed, annoyed.
"I need you to distract it for me, though," Reva said.
"And how am I going to do that?"
"Use your stick," Reva nodded.
K'Sharad rolled their eyes and grabbed with both hands onto their stick, tugging hard to pull it out of the dragon's scaly neck. It came out with some slight resistance. K'Sharad then rolled over and stood up, barely keeping their balance as the dragon twisted from side to side. With a grunt, they lifted the gaffi stick into the air like a spear. Right as the disoriented dragon opened its mouth to roar, K'Sharad jammed it inside of its tongue.
The dragon frothed at the mouth and howled, immediately flipping onto its belly. K'Sharad was thrown off and landed several feet away in the sand basin. As they watched, Reva leaped into the air, disappearing out of sight. As the dragon landed on its back, sand exploded everywhere in a massive wave. The krayt dragon screeched. Its cry caused the entire Dunesea to reverberate with it, feeling as if they were experiencing an earthquake. K'Sharad covered their ears again, groaning. K'Sharad covered their head with their arms and braced for the worst.
The ground started to rumble, as if the krayt dragon's scream was still echoing through it. Then finally, the sarlacc emerged from its pit. Reva managed to jump off and run out of the way as its tentacles reached forwards and ensnared the loud prey waiting just outside of its hole.
As K'Sharad watched, the sarlacc hauled the krayt dragon forwards.
I don't believe it. No sarlacc has ever encountered a krayt dragon and won.
The sounds of a struggle could be heard. K'Sharad blinked and uncovered their eyes, peeking between their gloved fingers. The krayt dragon was wriggling, but it had not submerged itself. Now, it began to fight for dominance with the sarlacc. Venom against venom, temporarily immobilized by the sarlacc's tentacles, the krayt dragon blindly operating on pure instinct. After some time, the exhausted krayt dragon barely managed to emerge from the pit.
Now, a figure could be seen moving about, raising their lightsabers into the air. K'Sharad watched as Reva cried out, bringing her lightsabers down onto the blind dragon's stomach with as much force as she could.
K'Sharad scrambled to their feet frantically, running forwards. The krayt dragon was still struggling as Reva attempted to slice through its unprotected belly. K'Sharad rushed over, immediately yelling to get her attention. She turned, her hair now wild as strands that had escaped from her braid whipped about her face in the wind.
As Reva watched, K'Sharad grabbed one of the lightsabers from her and started stabbing the dragon right where they knew its heart must be as hard as they could.
"Wait, no!" Reva screamed.
The dragon moaned and suddenly twisted its head, opening its jaws and starting to vomit more acid. K'Sharad barely had a half-second to look up before Reva tackled and full-body slammed into them at full force. The two of them rolled into the sand, a tangle of limbs and confusion. By the time they had stopped rolling and looked back over, the dragon had stopped moving.
"Looks like that sarlacc did a number on it," K'Sharad said gruffly as Reva pushed them off and stood up, re-igniting her lightsaber.
"Like hell it did," Reva hissed. "Now come. We have a prize to claim."
Reva and K'Sharad reapproached the dragon, carefully checking to ensure that it was then. Reigniting the lightsabers, they continued to cut, slashing through its belly so they could expose its gizzards.
"Here," Reva said absentmindedly. K'Sharad looked down to see what she was holding out to them. It was the melted remains of K'Sharad's gaffi stick that the dragon had spit out.
Stunned, K'Sharad looked down at the stick in incredulity. They immediately turned around and began to grab fistfuls of sand, pouring it over their gaffi stick to neutralize the acid covering it. They then used their sleeve to wipe it off.
Reva continued to cut up her prize. There, buried inside the gizzards of the dragon was something spherical and shiny. She dug her hand inside, not caring about the blood covering it. Her prize was a precious krayt pearl that weighed about the same amount as a brick, just large enough to fit in the palm of her hand.
"It's small," she said, with some mild disappointment. K'Sharad looked over and stopped cleaning their gaffi stick.
"Krayt dragon pearls are formed when a dragon swallows a rock containing kyber crystal," they informed her. "The potency of the pearl has nothing to do with the size of the rock itself, rather the kyber crystal inside."
Reva paused. "This is made of kyber?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," K'Sharad confirmed.
Reva remained quiet for a few moments. Then finally, she held the pearl out to them. "Here," she grunted apathetically. "Give this is to A'Yark."
K'Sharad blinked. "Are you sure?" they asked. "Do you not want it?"
Reva shrugged. "What does it matter what I want?" she retorted irritably. "Just take your stupid pearl and tell your chief that I slew the dragon," she jutted her chin out at them.
"Alright...shall I go back to get our banthas, then?"
"No, I'll walk with you," Reva replied. "But don't expect any more favors for me from now on."
"Duly noted," K'Sharad muttered. "Well, a simple thank you wouldn't hurt."
Reva flushed slightly.
"Thank you for coming back to save me," she said stiffly. "You really should have left me to die, though."
"Maybe I just wanted to watch," K'Sharad said sardonically. "Also, thank you for not letting my mother's bantha die."
Reva kept her mouth closed.
The long, long walk through the Dunesea back to Laguna Caves was just as awkward as she expected. The bantha ride was even more so, but thankfully they arrived back at the Sand People Enclave before it was nighttime. Now that she was awake to see it, Reva marveled at the sprawling mass of coarseweave tents and fortified sand structures. She could faintly hear the guard massiffs barking.
"What are you going to do about your gaffi stick?" Reva asked curiously.
"Make myself a new one," they replied. "Is that not what you Jedi do with your lightsabers?"
Reva nodded, feeling a bittersweetness welling up at the back of her throat.
"You know, if you put that krayt pearl inside of it, that would make it a lot more powerful."
"Well, that would be a waste of a perfectly good bartering item," K'Sharad replied. "Now hurry up, I want to eat some dinner."
Reva smiled faintly at the joke. Maybe they did have a sense of humor after all.
"Let's try this again," Vader sneered.
Luke sat at the table, trembling. His hands felt unearthly cold. His limbs were frozen and would not obey him, no matter how much he willed them to run. He recognized this sensation from when he had woken up, lying on that bed next to the medical droid.
"When I give you food, you are bow your head and thank me appropriately. Say, Thank you, Father."
"Please..."
"What was that?"
"Please...don't put me back into the carbonite, sir," he begged softly.
The masked figure went silent for a few moments. Luke slowly opened an eye, inhaling cautiously. The Sith Lord did not move for several minutes.
"Please," Luke begged. Vader stared at him quizzically. "I don't want to be like them, the people in the hallway," Luke whispered fearfully.
The Sith Lord finally moved his head.
"Why?"
"They're...scary," Luke stammered. "They look...dead."
Vader shifted, and Luke flinched, expecting the red lightsaber to come out next. But all he did was cross his arms.
"Carbonite is not lethal," he finally said. "It won't even hurt you. You can't feel it. You weren't even aware that you were in stasis when I transported you."
Luke swallowed.
"But it's...it's scary," he mumbled. "And cold. And I don't like it."
"Do you know why I have to keep using the carbonite on you, Luke?"
"Why?" Luke asked. "It's cruel. You know I hate it."
"Because you were not a good boy. You do not yet know your place."
Luke closed his eyes.
"My place is with Uncle Owen," he whispered.
"Take that back," Vader commanded.
"No," Luke said, raising his voice. "I want to be with Uncle Owen and Aunty Beru. Take me back home, now," he yelled.
"You are going to earn yourself another punishment."
"I don't care," Luke replied, trying to hide the shake in his voice. "If you ever put me back in that chamber again, I will most definitely never call you Father. And that is a promise," he added. Vader fell silent. "Are you still going to punish me now?"
Vader scowled. "I suppose not," he said finally.
Luke quietly breathed out a sigh of relief.
"However, I'm afraid I can't let you go back to that wretched planet," Vader murmured. Luke wailed. "You may not like it, Luke, but I still have plans for us. Plans that involve your sister Leia."
"Please, just leave her alone," Luke pleaded.
"Haven't you noticed that you have an Uncle and an Aunt, but no Mother? You have always wanted to know more about her. Is that not true? Do you not wish to know what happened to the woman who gave birth to you?"
Luke paled. "Why should I trust you?"
"You need not," Vader retorted. "But I think you will find that I am the only reliable source for information on her. Your Uncle told you fairytales about a spice runner and his forbidden love, because he could never understand the true story of how we met. Or the fact that we were destined for each other."
"My mommy's dead," Luke insisted weakly. "She died giving birth to me. You said so yourself."
"Indeed," Vader replied. "But haven't you ever been curious about what she was like? Wouldn't you like to see her again, just one more time?" Luke's eyes widened. "You should know something about me, Luke. I am not just any Sith Lord. I am the most powerful Sith Lord, with command over both the dead and the living. I have the ability to take life and then give it back again."
"Raising the dead?" Luke asked skeptically. "Sounds like bad juju," he said fearfully. "Uncle Owen wouldn't want me to be messing around with zombies."
"Oh, but we don't have to tell Uncle Owen about this. He won't mind."
Luke swallowed.
"All you have to do, Luke, is tell me where Leia is. Is she on Tatooine? In Unknown Space? Or somewhere within the Inner Worlds?"
Luke began to hyperventilate. He could feel his vision starting to fog up.
"Be a good boy, Luke. Tell me where she is. I know that you two can sense each other."
Sweat began to bead up on Luke's forehead.
"I...I can't tell you that," he hissed.
"That's alright, you don't have to." Vader sneered. "But just remember, I know where Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are. Do you understand?"
Luke swallowed, terrified. His throat felt as if there was a rock in it.
"Now Luke, tell me. Are you going to be a good boy or not?"