High Heavens (Star Wars - Luke Skywalker)

V - Master Kenobi

Once again, Mara traveled through the night, stopping only a few times to take shelter from sandstorms or to sleep (although she didn't sleep long). She walked, and she walked, and she walked. Even though she once lived on Tatooine, she had to face the fact that it wasn't the easiest planet to navigate. Each gust of wind would blow away the already sparse tracks, leaving her with little idea of which way to go. Luke had said Mos Eisley was a few miles north. Hopefully north was the direction she'd been going in.

She was walking through a valley once again, and instructed R2 to wait for her below as she climbed to the top for a better vantage point. It worked well enough the first time, after all. Once she reached the top, she couldn't help but smile at the outline of a space port in the near-distance.

But before going back down to R2, she took a moment to admire the view she had. Even Mara, a native of Alderaan - a planet universally known for its beauty - had to admit that Tatooine was, in its own way, pretty. The twin sun were lazily rising, setting a soft, purplish haze over the sky and sand. As she stared, she remembered the time when the Tatooine sunrise would be the one she'd wake up to almost everyday, during the year she'd been M.I.A. from the Rebellion.

Then again, it wasn't much more than a dust-ball.

Her thoughts were very rudely interrupted by a familiar battle cry and a hard object striking the back of her head.

She let out a cry as she stumbled forward, the pain blossoming in her head. She could only see shapes for a few dizzying seconds. When her vision cleared, she whipped around to see a startling being in a gauze mask. It towered over her, shaking its spear in the sky and letting out a loud howl of triumph. It was a Tusken Raider, she realizes, and it wasn't alone, either. There were four altogether, all advancing on her.

She was too surprised to notice where she was putting her feet until she was tumbling down the valley wall, rolling over a dozen sharp rocks. She landed on her back with a thump, moaning in pain again. Before she could fully orient herself, she was rolling out of the way of a Tusken that tried to crush her head with his spear, the weapon hitting the ground only inches away from her face.

Scrambling to her feet, Mara grappled for her blaster, only to have it knocked out of her hand by the time she could aim it.

A spear rushed towards her head in the corner of her vision, and she ducked, hearing it pass over her with a whoosh. Snatching a heavy rock from the ground, she hurled it at the nearest Raider. While it doubled over with a bark of pain and anger, she grabbed the spear in its hands, planting her foot on its chest and pulling the weapon from him. She backed away, whirling the spear violently, keeping all the Raiders at arm's length. She might be outnumbered, but she was not going anywhere without a fight.

She was about to swing when a sudden, bone-chilling cry boomed throughout the valley, seeming to vibrate the very pebbles on the ground - and she didn't have to be a genius to know it definitely was not another Tusken Raider. Her attackers cried out to each other in alarm, and then scattered, over the valley, around corners, disappearing completely. Mara, on the other hand, rushed to her blaster, grabbing it and pointing it towards the cloaked figure that moved towards her.

"You can put that down, my dear," the man said, Mara realizing he was human. He pulled down his hood, saying, "I'm not going to hurt you." He was old and weathered, all of his hair gray, but he didn't appear very frail. Strong for his age.

Mara cautiously lowered her weapon but didn't drop it. "Thanks," she said, a bit stiffly.

"You're quite welcome, but I can't say it was much of a feat. Tusken Raiders are very easily startled." He gave Mara a nod of respect. "You, on the other hand; that was quite the impressive fight you put up. Most people would have been lucky to run away in one piece."