LESSONS OF THE DUNES

Tatooine, Jedi temple.

"I remember these ancient walls." Purred A'yark, running her bandaged hand across the stone walls. "The dragon has desecrated this holy place for too long."

"A'yark." Breathed one of the tribal elders, his voice heavy with emotion. "Do you remember...

"Yes." She replied, turning to her warriors. "Check every part of the temple. We must make sure the beast hasn't done any permanent damage."

While A'yark oversaw the restoration of the temple, Brutali walked through the temple. The sandstone floors were smooth beneath her boots, and the walls, although scarred by the dragon's rough hide brushing against it, was marked by hieroglyphics. Images depicting mighty battles against both humanoid and monstrous, various Tatooine wildlife and the unmistakable etching of a warrior wielding a lightsaber. Brutali ran her fingers over the carvings. All around her, the Tuskens were shoveling the excess sand out of the many smaller chambers, while others dug up artefacts, the like of which Brutali had never seen before.

"These items haven't been seen since the rise of the empire." RA-7 explained, watching the tuskens placing the items on shelves carved into the stone. Carried over his shoulder, the droid studied each item with a scan. "These are relics. From the old Jedi order."

"Do you think there's other stuff like this?" She asked.

"Possibly. We find surviving jedi, we find more relics." 

"Brutali!!" Barked A'yark's voice, echoing from a separate chamber. "Bring the pearl here."

Brutali looked at the pearl in her hand, before following the Tusken's voice. Glowing crystals illuminated the corridors and passageways, and one corridor had an incline leading up to a higher level. The dragon clearly never touched this area, as it was relatively pristine, and the beast's stink hadn't sunk into the stone. She found the matriarch in a small chamber, where she was dusting off a small device. About the size of a mudhorn egg, it was a metal orb, with a faded, old jedi order symbol on it.

"What's that thing?" Brutali asked, curious.

"It is a device Sharad Hett's son invented." A'yark replied, placing it on a smooth stone table in the center of the chamber. Wiping off the residual dust, she then looked at Brutali. "Tell me, child... Do you know what powers lightsabers?"

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Kyber crystals, though I've only seen red ones."

"Kyber crystals are not naturally red. They are the result of dark side machinations, corrupting or "bleeding" a normal Kyber crystal." She explained, watching Brutali gaze at her lightsaber. "While not confirmed, I have heard that they can be purified."

"So... what's this thingy do?" Brutali asked, tracing the markings on the device with her fingers. 

"This polishes Krayt dragon pearls." A'yark purred, opening it and pouring a handful of rough desert sand in. She saw Brutali's slightly confused look and continued. "A'sharad Hett used a Dragon's pearl to power his lightsaber. I'm going to show you how to do the same." 

With a nod from A'yark, Brutali placed the fist-sized pearl into the device and A'yark locked it shut and pressed a small button to make it hum to life. Inside, the rough sand begun lashing back and forth across the pearl. The Tusken then moved behind Brutali and removed RA-7 from her back, placing him on a smaller stone slab.

"ooh." Brutali chirped Suddenly. "What do I need a new crystal for?"

"Red lightsabers represent evil, hate and rage." A'yark replied. "No true Jedi would ever wield one."

"And the bleeding process requires a crystal taken from a Jedi." RA-7 added, his large red photoreceptors illuminating his face. "For every red lightsaber, is a dead Jedi."

Brutali's eyes went wide as she yanked her stolen inquisitor lightsaber from her hip, favoring it with a venomous glare as she set it on the table.

"So which asshole owned this one?"

RA-7 went quiet for a few seconds as he scanned it. "It was the weapon of a female Palliduvan named Iskat. She was killed 14 years ago by Darth Vader."

Brutali hissed at that name. "Fuckers..."

"The Sith know no loyalty or friendship." A'yark stated, looking at the lightsaber. "Disassemble this weapon. Carefully."

Focusing her mind, Brutali used telekinesis to take the weapon from A'yark's hand and levitated it. Her hands now free, A'yark turned her attention to another Tusken which entered, and passed her a small metal bowl. The whirr of the device and the sharp smell of the bowl's unknown contents reached Brutali's senses, but the Zabrak ignored them. The crescent-shaped handguard came off first, allowing the main hilt to separate from the controls and power cell, and exposing its energy core. The crimson red glow showed her the weapon's Sith-made power source, and Brutali gently gripped it with two fingers, ignoring the crystal's unnatural warmth as she pulled both red crystals free.

"Is the pearl ready?" She asked A'yark, glancing to the polisher. 

Placing the bowl on the stone, A'yark grabbed Brutali's wrist and laid the girl's palm against the polisher's smooth surface.

"What do you feel?" The tusken asked. "Focus your mind and tell me what you feel coming from the pearl."

"I... I feel nothing." Closing her eyes, Brutali focused her energetic mind onto the pearl. Suddenly, she felt something, a flicker of sentience.

"I feel it!" She chirped, shifting from one foot to the other in delight.

"All lightsaber crystals have a flicker of sentience within them." A'yark stated. "To use it in your weapon, you must attune it."

A'yark then opened the device and grabbed the pearl. It had been buffed to a stunning, glassy shine by the sand and as it was placed in Brutali's hand, the young Zabrak could feel the flicker now as it rested against her smooth skin.

Brutali sat down and crossed her legs, making the pearl levitate in front of her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she slowly let the breath back out. She focused her attention on the pearl and zoned out completely. Once she was certain Brutali was no longer listening, A'yark turned her attention to RA-7.

"Do you have any information about her I should know?" She asked, the droid's large red photoreceptors focused on her.

"Some on the Holocron and the datatape." he replied. 

____________________________________________________________________

two days later.

Attuning the dragon pearl to her mind was easily the most trying thing Brutali had ever had to do. Brutali was never the most patient individual and sitting in silent meditation for several days was almost unbearable. Yet A'yark took notice that once Brutali set her mind to something, she would stubbornly see it through. She offered the zabrak some food, but RA-7 stopped her. The droid was clearly used to Brutali's stubborn nature.

The pearl shuddering in her telekinetic grip is what finally woke Brutali from her meditation. She caught it as it fell into her lap and saw that it now possessed a glossy purple hue.

"It's ready!" She barked, holding it between her fingers. With one hand, she called the other components from the stone table over to herself, making them hover towards her.

"Once attuned, the pearl will only generate one blade, child." A'yark purred, placing an old-republic pommel cap next to her. "You'll need this." 

With a delicate wave of her hands, Brutali made the pearl hover in front of her face among the other components. The pearl slipped into the energy gate, and the components snapped back into place. In place of the second blade emitter, Brutali attached the pommel cap to the opposite end of the weapon.

"My first lightsaber." Brutali chirped, grabbing her newly created weapon as she grinned Giddily. She ignored the leftover components as she gripped the weapon, testing its weight in her hands.

A'yark gently took the weapon from the young Zabrak. Her bandaged hands gripping the weapon's hilt, her thumb flicked the activation switch, and the blade sprang forth, igniting with a fearsome roar and giving off a fiery purple glow. It bathed the chamber in vibrant amethyst light. Still kneeling on the stone floor, Brutali's eyes were enchanted by the blade, though she was faintly aware that the chamber was filling with other Tuskens.

"In honour of the Jedi. By the will for the force..." A'yark declared, the lightsaber humming through the air as she knighted Brutali. "I dub you a Jedi."

Deactivating the lightsaber to the sound of cheering Tuskens, A'yark returned it to Brutali as she stood up. Gripping her new weapon, Brutali glanced to the red crystals sitting on the stone table.

"What do we do with those?" She asked, pointing to them.

"Until such a time comes that they can be dealt with, they'll be kept hidden." A'yark stated, scooping the crystals up. She then turned to the other Tuskens and spoke in a clear voice. "Send out runners far and wide. Let all the clans of Hett know, that it is time to come home."

Some of the Tuskens left. While much progress had been made in repairing their home during the two days of Brutali's attunement, many of the tribe continued work on their home. A'yark then turned her attention back to Brutali. The young Zabrak was staring intensely at her new weapon.

"A'yark." The monotone voice made the Tusken turn to look at RA-7. The droid had turned its attention to her and with its good arm, motioned to Brutali. "Should Brutali be given some new clothes? The black body sleeve is damaged and absorbs too much heat on this planet."

Brutali glanced up when she heard her name, watching as A'yark nodded sagely. The tusken then turned to the young Zabrak. "Go with A'koba." She motioned to another Tusken. "He will give you some proper clothes and treat your injuries."

Brutali looked at the male Tusken, watching as it grunted at her in their guttural, barking language. She nodded and rose to her feet to follow him, passing her lightsaber to RA-7. Once she was gone, A'yark turned her attention back to the strange, viscous substance in the metal bowl. The droid was silent, leaving the Tusken to her own thoughts. When the droid did finally speak, A'yark had almost forgotten he was there.

"Brutali isn't the only Jedi you've seen recently, is she?" He asked, making A'yark pause the stirring. "Imperial records show that the empire believes that there is another Jedi on this planet."

"There is." She replied, sprinkling something into the potion. It hissed fiercely and she glanced up. "An old man. He lives on the edge of the jundland wastes, bordering with the salt flats."

"An old, and therefore experienced Jedi..." RA-7's circuits hummed with excitement. "Did you ever learn his name?"

"Yes. I have spoken to him occasionally." She nodded, turning her full attention to the droid. "He said his name was Ben Kenobi."

If RA-7's unmoving insectoid face could show emotion, it would've been a mix of excitement and astonishment. "Jedi master Obi-wan Kenobi."

"You've heard of him?"

"Absolutely." The droid replied. "He's a veteran from Clone wars and regarded as one of the most powerful and skilled of their number."

"If what you say is true..." A'yark turned her attention to Brutali's return. The young Zabrak had the dried blood cleaned from her body, and she was now wearing tusken-esque garb. Hugging her body, it concealed most of her skin apart from her head and fingers. "He could most certainly train you."

"Do you know where he is?" Asked Brutali, her face lighting up.

A'yark nodded. "Yes. He said he'd keep to himself if our tribe kept other tribes away from the salt flats."

"Can you take me there?" Brutali chirped, springing up straight. "Please?"

"Patience, child." A'yark soothed. "In due time, but there is one more thing we must do."

Brutali fidgeted on the spot and confusion flitted across her face as she watched A'yark pick up the bowl and beckon her over to a smooth flat stone serving as a chair. Brutali could see the bowl's viscous black contents. It had a potent, slightly acidic smell.

"What's that stuff?" She asked, sniffing it.

"Sharad Hett's master was a fearsome and Noble zabrak, who once told us that when your kind complete a mighty deed as a coming-of-age ritual, they mark their faces with ceremonial Tattoos." A'yark stated, producing some small tools. "You killed two Krayt dragons in two days. You have earnt these."

"You ever done this before?" Brutali asked. 

"As chieftain of this tribe, it is my duty to do it whenever anyone completes their mighty deed." Dipping a small needle into the liquid, she stood next to Brutali. "This may sting a bit."

With a nod from Brutali, A'yark gently prodded the needle into the flesh on Brutali's chin. The zabrak tensed up at the stinging of the substance, but gritted her teeth and did her best to ignore it. She gripped RA-7's shiny metal hand for comfort.

 A'yark started on Brutali's chin, with a pair of inky black strips going from her lips to the base of her jaw. A'yark's skilled and experienced hand meant that the lines were sleek and smooth, perfectly symmetrical. The next tattoos started from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, ending in a hooked point towards her mouth. The final markings started at the pair of horns just above her eyebrows, wrapping around to the back of her head, where they crossed and descended down the back of her neck, stopping between her shoulder-blades. The stinging quickly died down, and Brutali reached up to gingerly prod at her tattoos.

"My face feels funny." She stated, rubbing her tingling cheek.

"It'll fade in an hour or so." A'yark replied, putting the bowl aside and standing up. "We'll go to meet the jedi tomorrow. Until then, help us restore the temple."

Brutali worried her lip between her teeth but nodded. After moving RA-7 and the Holocron to the chamber that A'yark said would be hers, Brutali went to explore. The Tuskens gave her respectful nods, and since arriving they had cleared most of the passages. Brutali helped in any way she could. In the long years of the Dragon's presence, some chambers had collapsed so Brutali levitated the rubble out. The tuskens wanted her to move the boulders outside, so she set them up as barricades. She hissed between her teeth when she stepped out into the sun, and pulled her new hood over her head to shield herself from the oppressive heat. 

A series of gruff grunts called her attention to the krayt dragon corpse. It was a buzz of activity as the Tuskens dissected it, and one of them gestured to Brutali to come over.

"You want my help?" She yawned, watching the Tusken's hand gestures. She glanced over to the corpse. The Tuskens had used rope to tie some of their Banthas to the Dragon's head and were trying to drag it. "Oh. You want it's head off?"

Brutali took her lightsaber from her belt and waved it at the creature's neck. The Tusken must've understood what she said, because it nodded and stood aside. Igniting her lightsaber, she thrust its blade into the corpse's gullet, and clambered up it to drag the humming blade through its neck. Eventually, she sliced through enough tissue, and the head came loose with a wet ripping sound.

"What are you gonna do with the head?" Asked the youngster.

The Tuskens replied in their own guttural language. Unable to actually understand it, Brutali just nodded and smiled, and sat down on the top of the dragon's neck stump. The only sound was the wind whistling through the canyon and the soft slicing of the Tusken's carving up the kill. She closed her eyes and crossed her legs, filtering out all surrounding sound as she honed her mind to absolute focus. She could feel it. The life-forces of the nearby Tuskens, as well as their banthas and Massiff attack creatures. She could feel their emotions. The Tusken's delight at having their home back, the beast's primal satisfaction at being fed by their keepers, Brutali could sense it all. She pushed her focus outwards and could sense the approach of many creatures.

"SOMETHING'S COMING!" She barked, springing to her feet.

A'yark came running out of the cave a moment later. Cupping her hands on either side of her mouth, she let out a series of loud barks which echoed through the canyon. The rest of the Tuskens all ceased their activities and listened carefully, and A'yark was answered a few moments later by a similar call.

"All is well, Brutali." A'yark breathed, raising her hands placatingly. Once Brutali returned her weapon to her hip, she beckoned the young zabrak over to her. The teenager dutifully obeyed, sliding off the Dragon's head and landing next to A'yark as she continued. "These tribes all come to answer the call of the Jedi. Stay by my side, and I can make sure they see you as a friend."

Brutali stayed quiet and, just as A'yark said, more Tuskens begun arriving. Whole tribes filed into the canyon. Many of the Tuskens eyed Brutali warily, but seemed to accept her presence upon seeing her tattoos. Many of them barked to A'yark in their language, and her response seemed to impress the tuskens as they gave Brutali respectful nods.

"How many tuskens are coming here?" Brutali asked.

"Many smaller clans swore alliegence to Sharad hett." A'yark replied, seemingly disappointed by the numbers. "These are the leaders and elders of the clans of the Jundland wastes."

Carried on Brutali's back, RA-7 turned his attention away from the Tuskens as A'yark lead them into the temple. She led them into a large chamber.

"Do you want me to come in?" Asked Brutali.

"Not this time, young one." A'yark replied, blocking the door to the meeting chamber. "This is between me and the other chiefs... The rest of the day is yours."

Brutali worried her lip between her teeth before nodding. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she snapped around to look at RA-7. "Can we go open the holocrons now?!"

Nearly swung off the girl's back by the teenager's excited outburst, RA-7 steadied himself and scanned her. Increased heartbeat, erratic brain activity. 

"She can have Sharad Hett's quarters, now that they're cleaned." A'yark chimed in, pointing to an arched passageway. "Through the great hall, last passage on the left."

Brutali nodded and trotted down the passage into a large chamber. The krayt dragon's stench was strongest here, and the wear on the walls and floor indicated the beast clearly passed through here regularly, likely sleeping here. Several passages, marked with different runes, lined the great hall. Following A'yark's directions, she walked up an ascending, curled passage which led into a large chamber. The Tuskens had furnished it, and a crack in the wall let in light from outside. Like everything the Tuskens owned, the room was heavily spartan in appearance. The walls were even and smooth apart from a number of hieroglyphics etched into the stone, and the whole chamber was easily 5 times larger than the "room" she had on Nur. The bed was large flat stone, recently decorated with a number of Bantha pelts for her to sleep on. A second flat stone sat against the wall, likely retrieved for RA-7 so the droid wouldn't be on the floor. The door, as it was, was an ancient jedi order banner. Worn and faded by time, it nonetheless gave Brutali privacy. A flat-topped boulder sat in the center of the room as a table, and shelves had been chiseled into the wall.

She glanced over to the wall, where the holocrons had been placed on a shelf carved into the stone. Brutali removed the droid from her back and placed him on the stone chair, before sitting cross-legged opposite of him. With a wave of her hand, she called the Holocrons over to herself. She focused her mind and power into the Holocrons, and they hovered above her hands. RA-7 watched them spin in mid-air, and light begun issuing from the edges of the one Brutali stole. Brutali opened her eyes and, resting Sharad Hett's holocron aside, focused her energy to pry open the Holocron she brought with her. The room was bathed is cascading blue light and Brutali stared into the bright, azure glow. Suddenly, it flashed and shook, spooking Brutali. The young zabrak rested it on the table as the hologram of a towering figure sprung from it, making her step back.

"My name is Eeth Koth." The glowing aberration stated. It was a tall, middle-aged male zabrak. He was strong and intimidating, with gentle blue eyes that flickered with intelligence from his fearsome, chiseled face "And if you are watching this, it means that I likely was killed by the Empire."

"Eeth Koth." Parroted the droid. "He sat on the Jedi council during the clone wars, and survived order 66."

"We were betrayed by one of our own, and he hunted our order to the brink of extinction" he continued. "The emperor's vile attack dog now hunts those of us who survived."

 A picture of an ominous figure appeared, clad from head-to-toe in back, a cape billowing behind him and a number of buttons on his chest.  Brutali knew this face well. She saw it on the day she was born, and it had haunted her dreams since, etched into her mind. Her trainers often spoke in fearful whispers the wraith-like visage prowling the upper echelons of the Imperial Military.

Darth vader.

"If you are a Jedi, take up arms against this foul empire." Eeth continued, the image of the sith vanishing as his voice was strong and full of fire. "Defend the innocent of the galaxy, and free the oppressed. We are more than a monastic order. We are more than enigmatic guardians. How far we had fallen... During the high republic, we were a symbol of peace, justice and safety for all in the galaxy. Rise from the ashes, and fight for a better galaxy."

With that final commandment, Eeth vanished and the Holocron went dark. Brutali was stunned, silent as she stared at the cubic artefact on her table.

"He was a great man." 

The voice made brutali jump as she turned, A'yark was peeking in through the curtain. "He trained Sharad hett and made him powerful."

"He seemed like it. Real noble too." Brutali chirped, before becoming discordant. "Aww, but he said that the empire killed him. Fuckin' sith..."

"He may be dead, but his legacy lives on." RA-7 stated.

"What's a legacy?" Brutali asked.

"Brutali...you are the daughter of Jedi master Eeth Koth." RA-7 stated.

Brutali's face said it all. Shock. Confusion. With a sigh, A'yark prepared herself for the ordeal to come.

END_____________________