that worried about her. People who cared what happened to her.
"Anakin," Tahiri began in a firm voice. "I'm going to take the blame
for you."
Anakin stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. "How can you
even think I'd let you do that, Tahiri?"
"Listen to me," Tahiri said, staring up into Anakin's eyes. "I don't
have any family. No one cares if I get sent back home. But there are a lot
of people counting on you to be a great Jedi Knight like your uncle. Don't
you see, I didn't even know what a Jedi was a few weeks ago. It doesn't
matter if I'm returned to Tatooine. I don't have a destiny to fulfill."
"What you're saying isn't true," Anakin interrupted her. "It's true
that I would be ashamed if I was sent back home, but we don't know for sure
that that will happen. I believe in my heart that I'm meant to be a Jedi
Knight. But so are you. Tionne and Uncle Luke wouldn't have brought you to
Yavin 4 if you weren't strong in the Force. And even if you aren't that
important to the Sand People, you're important to me. I'm your family now.
I care about what happens to you. And there is no way I would let you take
the blame for what we did together. We're a team."
Tahiri smiled. Then the two friends turned to follow Artoo through the
jungle. Neither knew at that moment for sure whether they were headed
toward or away from the academy. Giant Massassi trees surrounded them. They
could see woolamanders and runyips darting through the jungle. They were
unsure if they were lost, but Artoo kept rolling forward, Ikrit still
perched on his dome.
"He seems to know where he's going," Tahiri said. Anakin shrugged. He
hoped Tahiri was right. They had been walking in the jungle for an hour. It
was past midnight.
"We just can't get kicked out of the academy," Tahiri said to her
friend as they walked beneath the giant Massassi trees. "If that happens we
will never get to return to the palace. And we'll never learn about the
golden globe. Something is very wrong inside that globe, Anakin," Tahiri
said softly. "And we've got to figure out what it is."
Anakin was quiet.
"I don't mean to interrupt your thoughts, Anakin," Tahiri said a bit
sarcastically, "but just in case we are actually close to the academy, I
think we should figure out just what we are going to tell your Uncle Luke."
"If we tell him the truth, we'll be in big trouble," Anakin said.
"Those aren't the same words you used in the palace," Tahiri countered
thoughtfully. "When I asked you what would happen if we were discovered
near the golden globe, you said that a feeling of dread and the voice
inside your head had told you that `everything will be lost.' What exactly
does that mean?" Tahiri asked.
"I think it means that we have to keep the golden globe a secret or
whatever we saw inside of it will be destroyed," Anakin explained.
"Okay, let's tell Luke that we went for a walk and got lost," Tahiri
suggested.
It wasn't a great excuse, but it was true-they had gotten lost trying
to return to the Great Temple. In the end, they'd still broken one of
Luke's rules, but it wouldn't be as bad as telling him they'd gone into an
old palace. The old palaces were falling apart; Luke would be angry that
she and Anakin had gone into one. And he might also ask what was inside the
palace. Given Anakin's strong feelings and the voice in his head, it didn't
seem wise to tell Luke everything they had seen. Anakin agreed they should
use Tahiri's excuse. It was the only way to follow the warnings in his head
and heart without directly lying. But Anakin knew that if Luke asked him
for the whole truth, he would have to give it-regardless of the outcome. He
simply couldn't lie to his uncle. The group reached a narrow wooden bridge
that crossed the river. On the other side loomed the Great Temple.
"Wish I'd known about this bridge before I got into that raft and
almost drowned," Tahiri grumbled. "Either way, I guess we're home," she
said in a soft, scared voice.
Slowly Tahiri, Anakin, and Artoo crossed the bridge. Ikrit had
disappeared.
"Look who is waiting by the door," Anakin warned.
Luke Skywalker's black jumpsuit had faded into the night, but his face
was easy to see. It was a tired and unhappy face. And it wore a scowl.
Anakin, Tahiri, and Artoo moved toward the Jedi Knight.
"Where have you been?" Luke Skywalker asked Anakin and Tahiri in a
stern voice. He had been waiting on the front steps of the Great Temple for
his students to return.
"We have been searching the academy and the jungle for both of you.
You are in deep trouble." Anakin bowed his head. He was afraid that he was
about to be kicked out of the academy for breaking one of Luke's rules. If
that happened, he knew, he and Tahiri would never be able to return to the
golden globe.
"We went for a walk and then the storm came up and we got lost."
Anakin heard Tahiri say.
"You got lost?" Luke repeated in disbelief. Artoo beeped softly. Luke
stared at the droid. "Artoo, you're telling me that you had to guide these
students back to the academy?"
Anakin and Tahiri looked at each other in surprise. Artoo was helping
them! Tahiri met Luke's eyes with her large green ones.
"Yes, we got lost. We were so frightened," she said. Tahiri looked
like she was going to cry.
Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry that you were lost, but there is no
excuse for sneaking out of the academy. I should punish you both," Luke
said sadly.
"Please give us another chance, Uncle Luke," Anakin begged. "We will
never sneak away again," he promised.
"Please, Master Luke, don't punish Anakin. It was all my fault,"
Tahiri cried. Tahiri ignored Anakin's look of confusion and kept talking.
"I just had to go out to see the jungle. I've never seen a jungle before.
I've never seen so much water. I talked Anakin into coming with me because
I was afraid to go there alone."
Luke looked at the young girl. He could understand her desire to see
the jungle-he had grown up on the desert planet of Tatooine, too. But that
was still no excuse.
"Uncle Luke, it's my fault, too," Anakin said softly. His eyes met
Luke's. "I chose to go with Tahiri. I'm responsible for my choices."
Tahiri couldn't help letting a small smile cross her lips. Anakin had
finally said he was responsible for his choices. It wasn't that she was
happy that he was sharing the blame; she'd expected Anakin to do that. It
was that he had taken a step toward understanding that he had the power to
make his own choices. That meant he had the power to choose to use the
Force for good. Anakin didn't have to be like his grandfather Darth Vader
if he didn't choose to be.
Luke turned toward Tahiri. He had seen her smile. Luke was surprised
to see that the young girl also understood that Anakin had difficulty
recognizing that he could make his own choices.
Luke, Leia, and Han had known for some time that the boy believed he
might turn out to be like his grandfather. Perhaps, L
uke thought, Leia
shouldn't have named her son Anakin. After all, Anakin Skywalker was a
difficult man to come to understand. This had been true even for Luke. So
much wisdom in a child so young, Luke thought as he stared at Tahiri.
The girl was a mess. Her hair was full of leaves and small twigs. Her
orange jumpsuit was soaked through. And her bare feet were covered with
mud. But so much wisdom, Luke thought in amazement. Luke Skywalker closed
his eyes. He knew in his heart that Anakin Solo was meant to be a powerful
Jedi. He would serve the light side of the Force well, once he understood
completely that Darth Vader's choices had nothing to do with his own.
And the younger one, Tahiri, continued to surprise Luke. On Tatooine
he had thought she was strong in the Force. But he had not imagined the
extent of the strength and power that lay deep within her. There was also a
strange connection between the two students. Alone they were powerful. But
together they could make a stronger unit than many adult Jedi teams. Luke
felt that Tahiri and Anakin were meant to train together, that perhaps in
the future they would serve the Force as a team. Luke Skywalker opened his
eyes and stared at his students. He could not end their chance to become
Jedi because of one foolish action.
"This can never happen again," he warned them. "Now go to your rooms
and sleep. We will discuss this further tomorrow."
Anakin, Tahiri, and Artoo moved slowly into the Temple.
"Where's Ikrit?" Tahiri whispered to her friend. "I don't know. I
guess he ran off into the jungle," Anakin whispered back.
That night Anakin couldn't sleep. What did all of it mean? he
wondered. What was he and Tahiri's destiny? How could they figure out the
secret of the golden globe? And what was that strange voice that spoke
sometimes in his head? Why did it tell him that he couldn't share his
secrets with Uncle Luke? Anakin's thoughts were interrupted by a scratching
at the stones of his window. He turned1 and saw Ikrit.
"Hey, friend, how'd you find me?" Anakin asked the little white
creature as he motioned it inside his room. Ikrit leapt onto his bed and
began to snuggle under the covers. "Hey, that's not your bed," Anakin said
to the creature. "If you want to stay that's fine, but not in my bed!"
Ikrit snuggled down farther, its large floppy ears resting on Anakin's
pillow.
"Great, just great," Anakin muttered. "Now I've lost my bed to a furry
jungle creature."
"Watch who you call a jungle creature," a scratchy voice said. It was
the same strange voice that Anakin had been hearing in his head. Only this
time it came from the being in his bed.
"You spoke!" Anakin said in surprise.
"I thought you wanted to know where the strange voice in your head was
coming from," Ikrit replied, its blue eyes boring into Anakin's. "Well,
here it is."
Anakin moved over to the edge of his bed and sat down. Tahiri is never
going to believe this, he thought.
"Yes she will," Ikrit replied.
"You read my thoughts," Anakin cried.
"Right again," Ikrit said with a snickering laugh.
"Who are you, and why have you been talking to me inside my head?"
Anakin demanded. "And why were you sleeping by the golden globe? Do you
know what the globe is?"
"If you stop asking questions I will tell you everything I know,"
Ikrit replied.
Anakin fell silent.
"My name is Ikrit. I am an ancient Jedi Master. I came to Yavin 4 four
hundred years ago to study the ruins of the Massassi temples. I discovered
the golden globe. There is a curse that surrounds the globe. A curse that I
cannot break. So I curled up at the base of the globe to wait for the
people who could break it. Those people are you and your friend Tahiri."
Ikrit stopped speaking and snuggled beneath the covers of Anakin's bed.
"I have a lot of questions," Anakin said slowly.
"Then ask them," Ikrit replied.
"Why Tahiri and me?" Anakin began.
"Because you are the ones who can break the curse. That is why I
brought you to the Palace of the Woolamander. And I was right about you
both, because together your strength in the Force allowed you to unlock the
door that led to the golden globe," Ikrit replied.
"What is the globe?" Anakin asked. "I cannot tell you that, for I do
not know for certain-although I have my ideas. I can only say that the
spirits of thousands depend on your finding the answer to that question,"
Ikrit answered. "And I only know that because I feel it, deep within my old
bones."
"But what about the curse, then? What exactly is it?" Anakin asked.
Ikrit shook his head again. "I do not know or I would have tried to
break it. That is a question you must answer for yourself."
"Why can't I ask my uncle Luke for help? After all, he's a Jedi
Master," Anakin said.
"He is an adult. An adult cannot break the curse or I would have done
it myself," Ikrit said with a scowl. "If you tell Luke Skywalker, the.
golden globe will explode into a million pieces of crystal and everything
will be lost," Ikrit warned. "I know this, too, only from a feeling. A
deep, terrible, unmistakable feeling of dread."
"What will be lost?" Anakin cried..
"You know the answer to that," the Jedi Master said softly.
"The children Tahiri and I saw and heard inside the globe," Anakin
whispered. "The children will be lost. But what children? Who are they, and
how can Tahiri and I possibly save them?"
Ikrit shook his head. "I grow impatient with you, young Anakin. I
would not have led you and Tahiri to the Palace of the Woolamander if you
did not have the power to understand and break the curse. That means you
also have the power to save the children. The only question I have for you
is this: Will you answer the call? Will you attempt to break the curse and
save the children?"
Anakin met Ikrit's large eyes. He knew that he had to talk to Tahiri
about this. He had to tell her everything Ikrit had said to him. They would
make this decision together-as a team. But Anakin already knew what that
decision would be: He and Tahiri would help. What else could they do? He
knew that it would take all of their combined strength and the power of the
Force to solve the mystery of the golden globe and save those trapped
inside its crystal.
Anakin heard Luke Skywalker's words from that first school assembly.
"The Jedi Code: A Jedi's promise must be the most serious, the deepest
of his or her life. A Jedi seeks not adventure or excitement, for a Jedi is
passive, calm, and at peace. A Jedi knows that anger, fear, and aggression
lead to the dark side. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense,
never for attack. There is no `try,' only `do.' Believe and you succeed.
Above all else, know that control of the Force comes only from
concentration and training."
Yes, there could be no other decision but to work as a team with
Tahiri and break the curse, Anakin thought.
"Then m
ay the Force be with you and Tahiri, young Anakin," Ikrit said
softly. "For you have chosen a difficult path."