The Untold Saga, Part II: Jedi Seclusion- UPDATED!

[Cara Drume]

Okay, no redirecting with links this time. I'm posting it directly to this site now.
(Note: to understand this one, please read Part One: Jedi Relic)



Chapter One

Tatooine. Known as the dustball of the Outer Rim…of the galaxy. Though it had gained fame from a native farmboy turned Alliance hero and Jedi Master, it hadn’t changed much since the boy had left. There wasn’t much of a tourism market to speak of; the harsh climate kept most far from its borders when they could help it. It was still one of the most notorious breeding places for such underground crime lords such as the long-dead Jabba the Hutt. The citizens were still made up mostly of scavengers, nomads, pirates, and others who didn’t wish to attract attention to themselves. For most, this knowledge alone was enough to keep the more respectable- or cowardly –types for away from the Outer Rim. The mere mention of the desert planet was enough to make them shudder.
For Shay and Kaia Windrider, however, Tatooine was home. It had been home for most of Shay’s nineteen years and all of Kaia’s fourteen. Neither felt any joy at returning home, however. They had been living by themselves for close to five nears now, and it was only by chance they had left at all. While shopping in the Mos Eisley square looking for bargains, Kaia came across a beaten-up old astromech droid and a lightsaber. She bought them against Shay’s advice, and while repairing the Artoo unit, she discovered a very old hologram of the droid’s pervious owner…none other than Jedi Master Luke Skywalker himself. The Jedi was rumored to have died some twenty years before, but another, more recent hologram proved those suspicions wrong. Kaia eventually talked her brother into searching for the missing Jedi, and thus far their search had taken them to Bespin, Coruscant, and into the sights of a very strange person called Varren who claimed to have Force powers. He was looking for an old Jedi relic- a lightsaber –that supposedly had special powers. It turned out this was the exact same lightsaber Kaia now owned. He threatened to keep them there until they gave it up, but quite to the siblings’ surprise, he let them go. Kaia was suspicious as to his motives, but wasn’t about to argue with someone with a lightsaber.
Now, they were returning once again to Tatooine. Shay was not happy about this. He felt it a complete waste of time. It didn’t help any that under the right circumstances, they never would have had to leave in the first place.
As the Windriders’ ship, the Sandstorm, came out of hyperspace, Shay gave a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair for a second. “Home sweet home.” He shook his head. “I should have let you talk me into buying a protocol droid so we could understand that little tub,” he groused, giving the astromech a sour look. “Maybe we wouldn’t have wasted so much time.”
Artoo Detoo turned his dome toward the young man and blurted out a raspberry to show that he wasn’t crazy about Shay, either. He had done nothing but grumble at him and hadn’t voice so much as a ‘thank-you’ for Artoo’s hard work.
“I wouldn’t call it wasted time. If nothing else, at least we learned we’re not the only ones who know Skywalker is alive,” Kaia reminded.
“Think he’s alive,” corrected Shay. “You’ve heard how long it’s been since the astromech has seen his old master. A lot can happen in six years.”
“You sound like you hope he’s dead.” Kaia eyed her brother worriedly
“I don’t know…I just don’t like the idea of tangling with a Jedi.”3.
“You didn’t seem afraid of Varren.”
Shay paused for a minute. No, he wasn’t afraid of Varren, but he couldn’t tell his sister why; at least for now. “Okay, so where’d the droid say his master was? Somwhere in the Dune Sea?”
Kaia let the matter drop. “Past the Dune Sea. About fourteen clicks to the southwest of Anchorhead”
Shay nodded and angled the ship into the atmosphere. “Got it. Hey, are you sure we’ll find him?”
Kaia glanced down at the eager little robot rocking lightly back and forth. “Well…that depends on this little guy. How ‘bout it, Artoo? Think you can find your old master?”
Artoo whistled confidently, making Kaia smile. “See? We’ll find him. Maybe we won’t even have to look that far.”
Shay wasn’t so sure. Worry rather than excitement was his feeling at the moment. For Kaia, it was simply the chance to return lost property; and a chance to speak with the last of the Jedi Masters. Kaia all but idolized the Jedi, regardless of what had been said about them in the past two decades. For Shay, on the other hand, there was only one reason his wanted to find the Jedi as much- if not more – than Kaia. He was trying to keep his word to someone. He’d promised that someone that once he found Skyhwalker, he’d send word to him. In turn, that someone would teach Shay how to use a certain kind of powers so he could protect his sister.
It was ironic that the someone who was going to teach Shay how to protect Kaia was also the same someone that the grils was frightened of and was sure was an enemy of Luke’s. Shay couldn’t even tell Kaia who it was because he was sure she wouldn’t understand.
As far as Kaia was concerned, Varren was evil.
As far as Shay was concerned, Varren could very well be the only way he could get the powers he wanted and needed to keep Kaia safe.

[Cara Drume]

Shay set down the ship not far from the edge of the Dune Sea and shaded his eyes as he, his sister, and the barreled droid disembarked. He’d already forgotten how strong the Twin Suns could be. His eyes readjusted quickly, however. After all, he had lived practically his whole life on this planet. He double-checked to make sure his blaster was stuffed into his waistband (for lack of a holster) and the safety was on to avoid any unpleasant accidents. Then he looked over at Kaia, who had her carrysack slung over one shoulder and a hydration pack over the other. Artoo-Detoo wasn’t far behind, whistling and beeping and turning his dome to look at the surroundings. Shay nodded at the droid. “Okay, navigator. Your turn. Find the Jedi.”
Artoo gave a beep that seemed to be saying to slow down.
Kaia almost stuck her thumbnail in her mouth, a childish habit she had not yet outgrown, but instead opted for chewing her lip. “Hey, give him a break. Maybe he doesn’t even know where we are. Do you, Artoo? You recognize this place?”
The droid whistled an affirmative.
“Good. So can you find where you last saw Luke from here?”
There was a short pause before the robot beeped several times before turning a little to the northwest. With that, he took off and his threads began the steady whine they gave when going through sand.
Kaia looked at her brother and shrugged. “Guess we follow him now.” She walked off at a steady pace right behind the droid.
Shay gave one last sigh before looking around and following his sister and the droid. Something told him it was going to be along morning.

Though the party had set down in the desert in early morning before it got too hot, they were still walking steadily along by midmorning, and the heat was starting to get old. Thankfully, Artoo noticed that his human companions were becoming fatigued and he pulled into the shade of a towering cliff off to the left so they could rest.
Kaia wiped the accumulating sweat from her forehead and took a long swig from the hydration pack. “Whew. I’d forgotten how hot it is when you’re outside.” She handed the liquid over to her brother.
Shay took several large gulps before coming up for air and panting. He wanted to dump the water over his head, but it would evaporate so fast it wouldn’t be worth it, and his sweat was doing a fair job on its own.
Artoo turned to Kaia and gave an apologetic tootle.
Kaia patted the droid’s dome. “It’s okay, Artoo. Nobody can help the heat.”
Shay checked his chronometer, which was difficult to read. The sun distorted the numbers, making the boy squint. “We’ve been walking for almost three hours straight. How much farther will it be?”
Artoo beeped out some numbers, but neither could understand droidspeak, so they were left to scratch their heads and guess.
“I hope it’s before midday,” grumbled Shay. “If we’re not there ion another hour, we’re going back shade and staying there ‘till late afternoon, then heading back to the ship. Jedi or no Jedi, I’m not staying out here in the hottest part of the day.”
Artoo turned to the young man and gave him several burbles and razzes, as if to tell him he was crazy for thinking it would take that long.
“It won’t take that long, will it Artoo?” asked Kaia hopefully.
The little droid whistled a definite no.
Kaia smiled. “Well, it can’t be much farther, then.”
Shay stared at the sand and kicked at a rock. “Assuming he hasn’t moved since then,” he muttered.
Kaia’s smile faded as she looked at her brother. “Do you have to be so negative?”
Shay shrugged. “There’s a big difference between being negative and being realistic. How many people do you know that have stayed in one spot for five years?”
“How many people do you know that’ve stayed in one spot for fifteen years?” Kaia retorted.
“Well…good point.” Shay sighed. “We’d better get moving.”

Fifteen minutes later, Artoo gave an alarm.
“What is it, Artoo?” asked Kaia.
Artoo turned his done repeatedly toward a small outcropping about ten meters off to the right. The very hint of a roof peeked over the top of the ridge. Some sort of build, probably a desert dwelling, was very close.
Kaia raised her eyebrows. “Just over that ridge, huh?”
Artoo beeped a happy confirmation.
Kaia smiled and turned to her brother. “We’re almost there,” she announced.
“If it’s the right place.”
Kaia’s smile faded She gave a short groan. “Will you cut that out? I though you said you were going to be more supportive of the idea.”
Shay sighed for what had to be the umpteenth time that morning. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just kind of uneasy.”
“About what?”
“We’re looking for someone who’s been out of contact with everyone- including his family –for almost two decades. He could be dangerous.”
“Now who’s being paranoid?” Kaia rolled her eyes.
Shay blew air from his nostrils. “I’m not, I’m just…Oh, forget it. Come on. We might as well get it over with. But if we have to do any climbing. You’d better help carry that droid.”
Artoo grumbled to himself. If he’d had a mouth, he probably would have told Shay that he wasn’t exactly an ideal companion either. That young man was being such a grouch lately and was so reluctant about the whole thing that if Artoo had had a choice, he would have left him back on Bespin.
There was no need for Shay’s reminder to his sister to carry the droid. The switchback trail leading up the side of the canyon, though old, was well maintained and smooth enough to even Artoo could navigate it without much difficulty.
As they ascended, so did the twin suns. Late morning was crawling into midday, and by then the heat would be unbearable. They were all right for now, since the suns were on the other side of the ridge, but once they reached the top, the heat would return with a vengeance.
Kaia was surprised when they reached the top. Instead of more canyons and such it was a large, flat tableland accessible two ways; either the flat way which led into endless desert, or the ‘shortcut’ they had taken up the canyon. The house itself, its outer coverings cracked with long exposure to the harsh elements, bore no evidence of being habited at all, save the recent repair job and the animal enclosure that housed an eopie. The animal snorted in surprise an eyed the new arrivals suspiciously.
Artoo whistled and squealed like mad, making another round of 360-degreee spins.
Kaia stared at the house, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.
Artoo let out another string of happy whistles.
:”The girl finally released her smile. “We made it. I can’t believe kit!”
Shay was not so enthusiastic. Somehow he expected a hermited Jedi to be living in a place like this. He squinted against the glare. “Okay, so we found the place. Now what?”
“See if he’s home, I guess,” Kaia said slowly. She walked up to the metal door and froze for a very long time. A sudden sense of anxiety came over her as she did so. What if this was the wrong place or he wasn’t home? Then what would they do?
“Well?” prompted Shay. “This was your idea. Don’t freeze up now.”
Kaia nodded and closed her eyes before giving a few staccato taps of the thick door.
There was an almost unbearable pause before the door slid open and someone peered out.
It was a man, garbed in rather shabby moisture farmer apparel. He appeared to be between forty and sixty, but it was difficult to tell under the thick, short beard. The hair on both his head and his face had once been light brown, but it was currently blended with streaks of gray and white. The aforesaid beard also hid many of the wrinkles, if there were any besides the slight crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes.
It was his eyes that really caught Kaia’s attention. They were clear and very clue…not dark blue, but light blue. Some would call them crystal-blue or ice-blue or even electric blue. They had somewhat of a sad look to them.
Kaia couldn’t hide her disappointment. Wrong house!
However different the man might be from Kaia’s expectations, he was very much surprised to have visitors. “Can I help you with something?” His voice was clear, but had a bit of a scratch on the lower tones; like a younger man with a slight cold.
Kaia was suddenly, uncharacteristically shy. “Ah…excuse us please, but…we…we’re looking for someone.”
The man smiled. “Who are you looking for?”
Kaia moistened her lip. “Um…Luke Skywalker.”
The man’s smile faded. He seemed disturbed. “May I ask why?”
“We have a couple things that belong to him; a droid and a lightsaber.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up. That got his attention. “Really?”
Kaia nodded, motioning to the little droid. “He‘s right over here Artoo?”
Artoo rolled forward with a confused beep that changed into a wild squeal at the sight of the houses’ owner. He whistled a mile a minute and came quite close.
The man smiled, crouching in front of the droid. “Well, hello. I haven’t seen you for a while. Where did you get this droid?”
“The Mos Eisley Marketplace. A vendor was selling him along with this.” Kaia pulled out the lightsaber and held it up for the man to inspect.
The same look that had come over the man’s face as when they had mentioned Skywalker returned. He was completely dumbstruck and confused. “How…how is this possible?” he asked when he could speak. He held up to the lightsaber and gave it a very close inspection, holding it up to the light, running his fingers up and down the grip, fingering a small nick in the side. He handed it back to Kaia with an open mouth.
Kaia raised her eyebrows. “You recognize it?”
“Yes. Not by sight, But by description.”
“Description? Who described it for you?”
“The man you’re looking for.”
Kaia did n double0-take her jaw dropping. Hope returned. ‘Luke Skywalker? So you’ve met him?”
The man nodded. “I’ve known Skywalker for years.”
The girl couldn’t slow the words that tumbled out of her mouth. ‘Really? He’s still alive after all? Do you know where he is? How long would kit take to get there?”
The man held up his palm. “Slow down; one question at a time. I haven’t even told you my name yet.”
Both Shay and Kaia looked up expectantly.
The wind, which had been blowing in a light breeze the entire time, picked up and began to blow sand about on the desert floor. The man looked up distractedly, frowned, and sighed. “Sekul; Reklaw Sekul. But you had better get under cover. A storm’s coming and it doesn’t look good.”
Shay shielded his eyes and looked around in surprise. He hadn’t even noticed the wind before now. Its speed increased with every passing second.
Kaia frowned. “Are you sure?” That question was followed by a yelp as a handful of sand blew directly into her eyes. A shower of sand blew against Artoo’s dome, and he whined.
Sekul ushered them in. “Inside, quick!”
Shay made no objection and quickly jogged in, trying to calm his sister down. He didn’t mind that Artoo had rolled ahead of them and was inside well before anyone else. He didn’t even mind that the door was closed behind them. His first concern was to prevent Kaia from rubbing her eyes and making the sand scratch them.

[Cara Drume]

Chapter Two

It was difficult to get Kaia to open her eyes, but with the help of the bearded stranger, Shay finally convinced her to open them so they could be rinsed out. He was surprised at how gentle the man was, yet also firm in his instructions. Soon Kaia, thought rather red-eyed, could finally keep her eyes open. She squinted at Reklaw as he turned to them. He looked embarrassed. “Sorry for the mess,” he said, apologetically looking around the hut. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
IT really wasn’t that messy. There was precious little in the small building to begin with. A short stack of old-looking datapads sat on the small table in the living area…the only table at all. Two benches- or sleeping shelves, it was difficult to tell which –were set into either side wall; and one was cluttered with rumpled blankets. A worktable in the corner was the only interesting-looking pieces of furniture in the entire house, for it held a myriad of parts and a set of delicate tools, which Reklaw was quick to conceal before turning around once again. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Shay shook his head, but Kaia nodded vigorously. She was parched. Once her thirst had been quenched, she looked at the man with curiosity. “You said you know Luke Skywalker?”
Reklaw sat down in the chair opposite one of the benches. His expression took on that troubled look again. “Yes…for a long time.”
Kaia tried not to look too hopeful. “D-do you know where he is?”
The man nodded.
The girl lowered her cup, chewing on her lower lip. “Well…do you think…you could take us to him?”
Reklaw glanced grimly out the window. “Not any time soon, I’m afraid.”
Kaia cringed. Though the wind was constantly whistling around them and the sting of the dust was still in her eyes, she’d almost forgotten about the storm in her rising spirits.
Shay straightened, remembering something. “Our ship! The jawas-“
“Not even the hardiest Bantha would go out in that,” assured Reklaw. “Don’t worry. As long as you aren’t picky about a few extra scratches, your ship should be fine.”
Shay let out a quick sigh of relief.
“Since you’re likely to be here for a while, would it be too much trouble to ask your names?” inquired Reklaw.
“I guess not,” said Shay with a shrug. “Shay Windrider; this is my sister, Kaia.”
“Windrider?” Reklaw’s eyes widened a bit and he sat up a little straighter. “So you’re not too far from home. Tell me, which settlement are you from? Bestine? Anchorhead?”
“Mos Eisley.”
“Ah, the space port.”
“In the loosest sense of the word,” muttered Shay.
Reklaw actually laughed. “I know what you mean. I’ve been there myself a few times. Well, at least you didn’t have to travel far.”
Shay snorted, rolled his eyes, and would say no more.
The reaction made Reklaw frown and look at Kaia for an explanation.
Kaia shrank back with a slight blush. “Ahh…not exactly. You might say we got kinda…sidetracked.”
“There’s an understatement!” Shay rolled his eyes.
“How sidetracked?” Reklaw wanted to know.
“Ahh…our navicomputer was acting up. See, we asked Artoo to tell us the planet he’d last seen Skywalker, but the wrong planet popped up…Bespin.”
Reklaw started at the mention of the planet. “Really?”
Kaia nodded. “This guy called Lando Calrissian claimed to have known him once, but hadn’t heard from him in a while.”
The man looked down fro a moment, as if troubled. He grunted acknowledgement that he wasn’t surprised.
Though confused by Reklaw‘s ever-changing expressions, Kaia went on. “So Calrissian. Pointed us to someone he said had been in contact with Skywalker more recently than he had; that lead us to Coruscant, and Han Solo.”
Now Reklaw really looked startled. “Han Solo?” he echoed.
Kaia mistakenly too Reklaw’s reaction for amazement at the mention of the famous smuggler. “Yeah. Actually, we got close to having Security called on us ‘cause he thought we were spying on him. But we told him who we were looking for and he couldn’t tell us, but his daughter mentioned a protocol droid that might be able to translate Artoo’s story. He did, so that’s how we got back here…” Kaia’s voice drifted off. She didn’t want to tell this stranger of their encounter with Varren. There was no way of knowing his true intentions.
Reklaw leaned forward with interest. ‘You say Han Solo had a daughter? Was her name Jaina?”
Now it was Kaia’s turn to be surprised. “Yes…but how did you know?”
Reklaw gave a sad smile. “Skywalker spoke of his niece several times…she was just a toddler when he’d last seen her. She’s in her twenties now, isn’t she?”
“Right.”
“Did they mention anything of a Leia Organa Solo?”
Kaia frowned. “No…why?”
Reklaw stared into space for a moment before shaking the feeling off and shrugging. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
Shay peered at the man, squinting. “It sounds like you know Skywalker pretty well.”
“Quite well.”
“Do you speak often?”
“Most of the time, yes.”
When was the last time you spoke to him?”
“Yesterday.”
Shay looked thoughtful. “Do you know exactly where he is?”
Reklaw hesitated before nodding once.
At this Kaia straightened in her seat. “How far is it?”
The bearded man looked away second. “No far…but I wouldn’t recommend stopping by.”
Kaia’s features sank. “Why not?”
Reklaw was still staring at the wall. “He’s very…disturbed. He’s not likely to welcome visitors.”
Shay frowned. “He a hermit or something?”
“You might say that.” Reklaw gave a rather crooked smile.
“Agoraphobic?”
“Hardly.”
“Just antisocial, then?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. He really doesn’t dislike people…just doesn’t relate well to them.”
“I guess…” Shay shrugged. “He talks to you, anyway.”
Another crooked smile spread macros Reklaw’s tired features.
Kaia drained the rest of the water from her cup and set the earthenware implement in the table. She had something on her mind that had been nagging her ever since she’d seen the last holo of Luke. “Did he ever tell you why he left in the first place…why he let everyone think he was dead?”
Reklaw’s eyes angled downward and he lowered his voice. “It was best for everyone involved that he left.”
“Why?” Kaia wanted to know.
“Did he do something?” asked Shay.
Reklaw shook his head and became silent. As the minutes passed and no one made any move to continue the conversation, both siblings realized that Reklaw wasn’t likely to say any more on the subject.

Shay was surprised at how easy it was to trust this man. Reklaw was very friendly and courteous and tried to make both of them feel as much at home as possible. He even welcomed the droid, who was becoming increasingly frustrated for some reason. He’d whistle wildly and go from one person to the other and look repeatedly at Reklaw, but since there was no protocol droid around, his ramblings went well noticed, but not understood. The only acknowledgement Reklaw gave was a smile and chuckle at Artoo’s antics.
Despite this, however, Shay was wrestling with whether or not to trust the stranger. If he was friends with Skywalker, then he was not to be trusted. On the other hand, he (Reklaw) himself wasn’t Skywalker…and he’d made no move to do anything to either Shay or Kaia…and besides, they had nowhere else to go in the raging sandstorm.
As the hours wore on, Kaia was becoming more and more familiar with Reklaw, sharing jokes and even a few reminiscences. She was, however, obviously frustrated at being ‘trapped’ in this place and at Reklaw’s reluctant to tell them more about Skywalker.
Some time after a plain but filling dinner, Reklaw gave another glance out the window, giving a heavy sigh. “It looks like this storm is going to last all night.”
“All night?” echoed Shay in alarm. That didn’t sound good.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Then…we really need to be going,” he said, jumping to his feet.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you,” said Reklaw in warning tones. “You know how dangerous Tatooine can be after dark. Kit’s ten times as dangerous during a sandstorm.”
Kaia sighed. “So what do you do?”
Reklaw raised his eyebrows. “You’re welcome to stay her until the storm passes.”
Shay’s eyes narrowed. “No. We can’t do that.”
“Bu Shay, you know how dangerous it is during a sandstorm,” reminded Kaia. “We could get lost a separated, not to mention completely sandlogged.” She made a face.
“Kaia,” began Shay in his ‘big brother’ voice.
“It’s up to you,” Reklaw broke in, “but I wouldn’t recommend going outside during a storm like that.” He thingyed an ear toward the noisy window for emphasis.
Shay groaned. As much as he hated to admit it, his sister and the bearded man were both right. It would be sheer foolishness to go out in that weather. So their only safe choice was to stay here overnight. The prospect wasn’t very encouraging, but it was better than the alternative of getting lost in the dark in a storm. His shoulders went limp and he collapsed onto the window seat with a resigned sigh. “Okay. We’ll stay.”
Reklaw nodded in agreement. “Very well. I’ll go with you to find your ship in the morning.” With that, he went off to get some blankets to prepare two makeshift beds.

Kaia slept like a regular log throughout the night. Shay fought to stay awake so he could make sure nothing would happen, but sleep over took him and he was out before he could protest.
Their host was evidently an early riser, for the moment Kaia stirred awake and tried to remember where she was, the little hut was silent. She frowned and looked around the room. Nothing was out of place. Shay was on the opposite wall, sprawled out across the shelf and his large frame dangling precariously over edge. Everything was as it had been the previous night. Only…Reklaw was nowhere to be seen or heard. The only sound in the house was Shay’s soft snoring. Not even the wind was blowing-
Kaia sat bolt upright and strained her ears. Yes, the wind had stopped. Not even a breeze disturbed the peaceful dawn. That meant she could awaken Shay so they could go back to their ship. But then what? Kaia frowned. Unless things changed, it didn’t look like Reklaw would be very willing to cooperate in showing them where Skywalker was. If that was the case, then Shay might just give up and go home. In the meantime, however-
In the meantime, where was Reklaw? Kaia had neither heard nor seen hide nor hair of him since she’d awakened. Shay could be awakened later. Besides, the way he was perched on the window seat, startling him would not be a good idea. Shay was grumpy enough in the morning without being dumped onto a hard floor.
The girl tossed back the blanket and slid to the floor, padding silently past her brother and tiptoeing out the front door.
Reklaw was outside, all right. He stood motionless with his hands clasped behind his back and his face angled toward the rising suns. He breathed deeply, as if enjoying the morning. Kaia felt mood at disturbing him. She stood there and waited. She knew she could well be waiting for a long time, but was prepared for it. It wasn’t as if she was in an especially big hurry.
As it turned out, Kaia didn’t have to wait long at all. Within several minutes Reklaw had snapped out of his peaceful contemplation and turned around to give her a pleasant look. “Good morning. I hope you and your brother slept well.”
Kaia opened her mouth to answer when an especially loud snore from Shay drifted out to meet them. Reklaw smiled and gave a short laugh. Kaia blushed. “Very well; thank you.”
“Good. If you like, I can go with you and your brother on the way back to your ship.”
“Um, well...that could be kinda…hard.”
“Why?”
‘My brother isn’t exactly the trusting type.”
Reklaw nodded. “I noticed.”
Kaia looked sheepish. ‘He’s also very protective of me.”
The man seemed amused. “That, I also noticed.”
Kaia, embarrassed, buried her neck in her shoulders. “Sorry.”
“No, that’s all right. He’s your brother. Protecting you is his job…” Reklaw’s voice drifted off and again took on that distracted look. A minute passed before he shook it off and made his way back toward the house. “Come on. You’d better get back before your brother wakes up and discovers you’re gone.”
“Yeah…you’re probably right.” Kaia cast a wistful glance back at the house before following Reklaw back inside.
It was strange, but even though Kaia had known Reklaw for just one day, she already felt like he was an old friend. There was also the feeling that he was holding something back concerning Skywalker. It would do no good to push, however, and the last thing Kaia wanted to do was alienate their only possible link to the missing Master. So, for now, at least, she decided not to say anymore about it.

Shay was still asleep by the time Kaia and Reklaw returned, so Kaia lightly tapped him on the shoulder. “Shay?” she whispered. “Shay!”
“Wha-? Whoa!” Thump! The result was very unpleasant for Shay, but not surprising. Startled at his sudden awakening, Shay sat up too fast, lost his balance, and tumbled off the sleeping shelf onto the hard floor. A muffled groan came from the pile of tangled arms, legs, and blankets. Shay stirred and dizzily sat up.
Kaia swallowed. “Sorry. You okay?”
Shay nodded, rubbing the back of his head. “I think so.” An enormous yawn all but split his face open. “What’s up?”
“W-well…Reklaw offered to help us find our ship.”
As expected, Shay’s expression soured. He glanced warily at the bearded man, who seemed almost amused at Shay’s slapstick performance. “Really?”
Reklaw shrugged. “If it’s all right.”
Shay wadded up the rumpled blanket and tossed it back on the shelf. “Why?”
Reklaw seemed thoughtful. “I’m not really sure…there’s a few more questions I’d like to ask.”
Shay gave a humorless smile. ‘Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”
Kaia glanced nervously from Shay to Reklaw, wondering what would happen. She wasn’t afraid of a confrontation, but rather Shay’s overall coldness toward a man who had, as yet, done nothing to indicate he meant them any harm.
Shay sighed and almost rolled his eyes. “I guess. We’ll go right after breakfast.”
Kaia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. “Despite Shay’s independence and pride, his sense of direction really wasn’t very good, and she was in no hurry to get lost in the middle of the desert.

After a plain breakfast, which Reklaw offered to prepare but Shay declined, humans and droid set off to find the Sandstorm. The took little with them aside from basic supplies, but Kaia thought she saw something concealed under Reklaw’s cloak. She excused it as a blaster for protection. That wasn’t so unusual. Everyone on Tatooine carried a blaster if they expected to live very long.
As the party hiked across the rocky canyon, it became quite evident to Shay that Kaia did not want to leave just yet. She asked question after question about the mysterious personage of Skywalker; only a few of which Reklaw could or was willing to answer. This closed-mouthness didn’t deter Kaia in the least. She wouldn’t let up until Reklaw appeared physically fatigued from so many questions. Shay wondered how he could listen so long and so patiently in the first place. Just hearing the constant gab made Shay’s head spin. His sister could talk the ears off a Bantha- wherever they were.
Artoo was grumbling to himself as they went along. He seemed to be frustrated, even agitated about something. Either it was the fact Shay was willing to give up so easily, or he knew something that the teens didn’t, and had no way of telling them. Whatever it was, there was one very unhappy droid trailing behind the humans.
Some three hours into the march, Shay’s data pad gave a quiet beep. He glanced down at it before grunting and nodding in satisfaction. “Not much further now,” he announced. For the first time since the beginning of the entire trip, he actually seemed to be in a good mood.
This faded an hour later when it became apparent something was wrong. Shay looked around, squinting and shading his eyes against the harsh glare. He checked the datapad again, frowned, and tapped it impatiently. “That can’t be right,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Kaia wanted to know.
“The shop. I can’t find it. According to the datapad, we should be right in front of it…” Shay gave a deep frown and looked to all sides to indicate his point.
“It the correct information?” inquired Reklaw.
“Yeah, I put it in right after we left and double-checked it against the positioning system in the ship,” replied Shay.
“Are you sure the positioning systems in your ship are accurate?”
“Positive; I programmed in the info from all the known star maps and topo maps I could find.”
Kaia bit her lip, beginning to understand why her brother was so uneasy. The feeling was contagious, and she picked up on it immediately. She didn’t say anything just yet, however. Negative comments would only make the situation worse, and things could still improve.
“Datapads can sometimes be a little off; especially if they’re old,” reminded Reklaw quietly. “It’s probably just a miscalculation on the computers’ part.”
“Not by this much,” protested Shay.”
“He’s right, they’re almost never off by more than ten meters,” agreed Kaia.
“And if we’re that close, we should have been able to see it by now.” Shay’s frown deepened. “Something’s wrong.”
All were silent for a long time, looking in every conceivable direction and straining their eyes in the intense heat. No on said anything.
Suddenly, Artoo gave an alarm, startling them all. He squealed and rocked like a hyperactive Jawa gone completely bonkers.
Kaia peered over at the droid, fearing he’d gone crazy. “What is it, Artoo?” Her gaze traveled over to where he was ‘pointing’ with his dome. That she saw made her heart sink to her boots. “Oh, no…”
“What?” What’d you find?” asked Shay hopefully. Maybe she’d found the ship! But then again, judging from her tone of voice and downcast expression, that probably wasn’t the case.
Kaia wordlessly pointed to the sand. Several large depressions that looked suspiciously like the footpads of landing gear graced the dusty ground. The picture was almost completely marred by humanoid-type footprints, tracks which had to have been made by some enormous animal, and skid marks from something very large and very heavy being dragged. These odd markings led far off into gritty unknown, fading and blurring into the shimmering horizon.
Shay’s knees felt weak. They trembled before giving way altogether and sending the young man to the sand. His hands formed into right, angry fists at his sides and his face boiled with contained rage. He shook his head just a few inches to either side. ‘I don’t believe it…someone…stole…our ship!”
“But who?” asked Kaia, completely bewildered. “Who would want to take the Sandstorm?”
Reklaw, who had been quiet and almost completely expressionless during this time, was carefully inspecting the large animal tracks. He’d recognize those tracks anywhere. With a grim nod, he motioned to them. ”Look. Bantha tracks.” His shoulders slumped and he slowly shook his head. “Sandpeople.”

[Steverus Zac]

Undercover,

Impressive. You have a naturally flowing voice to your writing. I suspect you have been writing for a while because you show a level of skill in balancing dialog with narration. The introductory passage flows nicely into the story. The details you add in for characterization on the protagonist sister and brother are well done. These things add life and depth to characters and turn them from two-dimensional figures into interesting people and also importantly: make them relatable to the reader. If you really enjoy writing (and it seems so from the writing level in this story), then keep it up. You have talent.

[Cara Drume]

Gee, thanks...I've been seriously writing stories for about seven years...since I was thirteen. I've written and completed over nine stories, all told; mostly horse stories and children's fantasy. I hope to be published someday...and this FanFiction is a good way to get it out of my system.

Unfortunately since we'll be moving, I won;t be posting any more until we know for sure where we're going and the computers are unpacked. This is very annoying since I've gotten to about the sixth or seventh chapter on this particular story. :-( Ugh!

But thank you for the compliment! If you like my FanFiction, maybe someday you can hop over to my website and check out my other stories (hint, hint!)

[Cara Drume]

YES! I'm baaack! broken link fixed, Chapter Three coming soon!

[Cara Drume]

CHAPTER THREE


Shay stared at the bearded man in confusion. “Sandpeople?” he echoed. “Hold it; why would the Tuskens want a ship?”
Reklaw shrugged. “I wish I knew.”
Shay rubbed his temples and shook his head. “That just doesn’t make sense.”
Reklaw nodded in agreement. “I know; especially with their general aversion to technology. It’s very unusual.”
Now it was Kaia’s turn to be puzzled. “But who else could it be? They’re the only ones with access to banthas.”
“Not really, corrected Reklaw. “Anyone with enough courage- or foolishness –to approach and tame a wild Bantha could conceivably use them a pack animal.”
“Oh, well that narrows it down,” said Shay sarcastically. He let out a groan. “Look, I don’t care if it was Tuskens, Jawas, or the boogieman. All I care about is getting that ship back in one piece.”
“If it was the Jawas, that’s not likely,” Kaia cringed. “So now what?”
“Find the ship. There’s nothing else to do.”
“Is there any way I could help?” asked Reklaw politely.
Shay hesitated. “Well…”
Kaia gave her brother a Look. “Come on, Shay, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
The young man looked Reklaw up and down and all but dissected his intentions before giving a reluctant nod. “All right.” He turned to the bearded man. “Think you’re up to a hike in the desert?”
Reklaw nodded. “I think so. It’s about time I got in some exercise, anyway.”
Kaia bit her lip. “What about your eopie?”
A smile crinkled the corners of Reklaw’s eyes. “I’m not worried about her. She has plenty of water and they can regularly go without food for several days.”
The girl brightened. “You mean you’re coming?”
“I’m coming.”
“Good,” grunted Shay. He gazed at the endless set of tracks and already felt exhausted. “Come on. Let’s get going. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a very long day.”



Sorry it's so short; I've got a very unhappy younger brother all but growling at me to get off the computer.

[Cara Drume]

More of Chapter Three!


‘Long day’ turned out to be an understatement on Shay’s part. Remaining in the shade of the canyon during the hot part of the day helped a little, but all knew this couldn’t last forever. Unless they found the thief or thieves in the canyon itself, which was very unlikely, there would be no chance for shade from then on until they reached a settlement. The direction they went would determine their eventual destination. Northwest led to Bestine, while a little farther East lay Mos Espa, the smaller of the two spaceports. Mos Eisley was farther north. A turn to the northeast would take them to Anchorhead. In population it was about the same size as Bestine, but its importance was a little greater in that it specialized in different types of speeders. A complete about-face to the southeast would lead directly to the long-abandoned ruins of the late Jabba the Hutt’s palace. None of them wanted to go there. It had become a popular hideout for gangsters, robbers, murderers, and other lawbreakers of the worst kind. At the moment, the road looked as if it could lead to either Bestine or Anchorhead.
All four, droid included, were very, very tired when they settled down for the night, but there was one major worry on everyone’s mine; Sandpeople. Kaia looked uneasily around after finishing a makeshift supper. It was as if she expected a Tusken to suddenly jump out of nowhere with a yell. She tried staying awake, but it didn’t last long and she fell into an uneasy sleep. Shay managed to stay awake a few hours longer. Finally he tired of watching the bearded man’s odd face in the firelight and fell to the sand with a snore.
Reklaw merely smiled and continued staring into the flickering flames. After a while he shifted his gaze upwards to stare at the stars. It was hard to believe that siblings so young- and alone, no less –could travel across the galaxy just to return some missing items. And as reluctant as Shay seemed about it, he could have easily just said ‘the heck with it’, and turned back any time.
As he considered how much the Windriders wanted to find Skywalker, especially, Kaia, Reklaw briefly considered revealing the truth about the long-lost Jedi. But no, he had made a promise. Promises must he kept, even if they had the potential to disappoint. It was a pity, though, that Reklaw had to let them down. They would probably tire of his secrecy and go home.
In the meantime, they still had to set out again the next morning to locate the stolen ship. Reklaw himself finally turned in, watching the stars far overhead in their dance.

All three awoke early the next morning to try and make as much progress as they could. They were already low on water, so Shay had made up his mind that, if they either found no water or no trace of the ship by that evening, it would make no sense to go on. They couldn’t search without water. Even Reklaw saw the sense in this and apologized for not taking more water. Kaia forgave him easily, saying that none of them knew how long it was going to take to locate the ship. Shay frowned at this comment. Soon…I hope. The sooner we find the ship, the sooner we can get back to looking for Skywalker…and the sooner I can learn my powers from Varren so nothing can ever hurt Kaia again. The boy bit his tongue and continued with the cross-desert march.
Those skid marks seemed to go on forever. When sunset arrived, then dusk, then darkness, Kaia begged them to keep going; missing just one or two days might mean the difference between getting back their ship and losing it permanently. They went only another mile before all were tired enough to insist on at least a hew hours of sleep. Kaia slept reluctantly. She thought she saw a few vague shadows dancing not far away in the darkness, but she wasn’t sure.
The next morning Kaia awoke early, spotted a very familiar shape, and gave a cry. The others jumped awake, looking around alertly. Reklaw’s hand hovered near a holster on his hip. Shay had already drawn his blaster, ready for anything.
They were relieved and a bit disappointed when they saw what Kaia was pointing to. Moisture vaporators. That meant a farm couldn’t be far, and they would likely be able to get some water. Kaia grinned triumphantly. “See? I told you we’d find some water.” She and Artoo led the way.
The ground here was hard; cracked. It had once been part of an enormous, long-dead lake that had dried up ages ago. The skid marks were even more visible now, scraping deeply into the hard-packed ground.
The group did not have to walk long. Soon, a speck became visible on the horizon; most likely the settlement where the farmers lived. Most moisture farmers could be crotchety and wary of strangers, but not many would turn away a thirsty group. Kaia was counting on this.
As the speck grew larger, Reklaw got a very strange look in his eye. He was obviously uneasy. Whether he recognized this farm or didn’t like the situation, neither Shay nor Kaia could tell, but something was bothering him. He finally voiced his concerns when the homestead was only a hundred meters away. “This isn’t right,” he said softly.
“What?” asked Kaia.
“Dragging the ship so close to a settlement. Tuskens aren’t known for their boldness, and even if they’re not the culprits, wouldn’t it look rather strange to see several banthas dragging a ship across the desert?”
Shay started. Reklaw was right. The Tuskens would never so such a conspicuous thing as to give themselves away like that…neither would any self-respecting thief. It was too easy for them to be caught. “Unless…there was no one home…or the homestead is deserted.”
Kaia swallowed hard. “You don’t suppose…they killed them?”
Reklaw didn’t answer. He said nothing more until they reached the homestead. Now it was apparent that this place was empty…or had been cleared out. Decades-old smoke and blast stains mottled the exterior. Similar black stains were around the opening for the below-ground courtyard. Several pieces of scrap metal yet-untouched by the Jawas littered the ground. Most eerily of all, two unmarked stones sat half-upright not far from the desert igloo. The spaces in front of them must have been mounds at one time, but they had sunk back down into the ground. Artoo gave a quiet whistle as they passed.
Kaia felt her stomach lurch. “What happened?” she whispered.
Reklaw finally decided to break his silence. “I don’t think you want to know…come. The water reservoirs may be dry, but there is always the possibility of finding some that hasn’t been dried up.” He walked right up to one of them and passed his hand under the motion-activated spigot. A gritty, grainy sound emitted from the ancient device and some sand, then mud, and then finally cloudy water sprayed out onto Reklaw’s hand. He waited three seconds after the water had cleared before filling his hydration pack and stepping back to allow the siblings to fill theirs.
Shay was reluctant. “Wouldn’t this be considered disrespectful?” he wondered.
Reklaw shook his head. ‘I think not. It’s not as if it’s needed. Besides…I have a feeling the inhabitants wouldn’t have minded much.” He stared long and hard at the homestead, then the half-sunken graves. He bowed his head briefly in respect before leading the siblings on. “The tracks continue; so must we.”


Chapter three has a while to go yet...copying by hand is a very tedious process. I'll put up more when I can!

[Cara Drume]

More of Chapter Three!


The camp that night was very quiet and solemn. Kaia sat staring listlessly into the flames. Her thoughts were on the abandoned homestead. Who had lived there? Was it a young couple? An older couple? Siblings? How had they died? From the looks of things, they had been attacked and their homestead burned. By who, and for what reason? And, most puzzling of all, who had returned to bury them? The girl sighed and pondered these questions until sleep took her once again.
Shay’s thoughts were on Varren and his promise. They were close to Skywalker; he could almost smell it. Exactly where the Jedi Master was hiding was another question yet to be answered.
There was something else that nagged Shay to no end; when and if he ever did find Skywalker, how was he to contact Varren? The former Jedi had left no coordinates for either planets, base, or ship. There was the remote possibility that Varren had left something on the Sandstorm…but there was no way whether that was the case until they found the ship; and the was assuming no one had broken in and tampered with the records or anything else.
Shay sighed and again glanced across the flames at Reklaw. The man was tinkering with an unidentifiable something; its innards were spread across his lap and he tweaked a couple things with a tiny screwdriver and ratchet. Then he picked something shiny off of one of the delicate workings and polished it, breathing on it and gently but vigorously rubbing away the black of carbon. He blew it off, inspected it once again, and set it back into the workings. The man seemed satisfied and set about putting the whatever-it-was back together again. He barely glanced at Shay but didn’t mind the boy watching him.
Shay supposed he shouldn’t have been threatened by Reklaw. The bearded eccentric, besides being secretive, seemed utterly harmless. But then, was he a close friend of Skywalkers’ …it occurred to Shay that Varren might not like that. He might even-
Stop it, Shay ordered himself. Now he was starting to think like his sister! There was no reason for Varren to harm Reklaw. Varren wasn’t like that. And even if Varren did not approve of Reklaw, Shay was sure he’d have his reasons. The former Jedi seemed too practical to do otherwise.
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Shay once again fought with the impulse to lie down and close his eyes. He didn’t want to sleep right now.
Once again, the young man lost the battle.
Reklaw gave the boy but one glance before reassembling his instrument. It had been damaged; years ago in a run-in with some unhappy Tuskens. He had taken it apart to clean it so it would work again.
He might need it in the coming days…


Two more sections to go...

[tailonkae]

Excellent writing my friend...I love the flow of the story...keep it up...

[Cara Drume]

WHEE! A compliment! ;D
*curtsies* Thank very much, sir.

I've got two more 'sections' (posts?) to go on Chapter Three, and then one and a half more chapters before I need to take a break and copy stuff again...what I have to do is copy from old computer to paper (by hand since I ran out of printer ink), then from paper back to new computer...ugh! But it's worth it. I've written all the way to Chapter Seven but need to copy it.

The rest of Chapter Three should be up by next week.