Worth: A Star Wars Story (ON TEMP HIATUS)

41. Against All Odds

We had been invited in as an honor guard of sorts for Talen to watch the construction of the Tusken lightsaber. Each tribe had donated a piece. The Reqte had supplied the gaffi stick portion, the Dunes the metal, and the Canyons had supplied the tools. It wasn't Kamman who carved the saber either. He handed the tools to the young shaman, who took them without protest or hesitation.

It didn't turn out as much of a gaffi stick as it had a spear. The wood hadn't been knotted enough for a club, and soon he had the whole body carved as the older Shaman worked on carving down the pearl. The fragments that flaked off were taken by each tribe as the female shaman divided them into equal piles. There had to be some use for them, though I wasn't sure exactly what it could be. The young shaman laid out the parts before him and sat down in the dirt as the pearl was laid down in front of him as well. That was about the time when the whole area went silent. I saw small lines being etched in the sand before the pieces of the staff trembled and began to lift into the air, unsteadily at first before great ease brought them together, snapping each piece into place before settling down in the sand, prompting the young Tusken to rise and take it in his hand. He gave it a spin, and the bluish-green blade shot forth as the metal tip fell away.

"A lightsaber pike," Talen blinked as the Tuskens rejoiced around the young Shaman. "That design is ancient..."

"These people's knowledge of the Force is ancient," Rath nodded. "They've probably forgotten as much as we Jedi know. It's always a treasure to watch them.

Robin elbowed me and gestured to the Tusken child with his chin, "You should be honored. Outsiders aren't usually allowed to see this sort of stuff."

I turned to Robin as he motioned for me to follow him out of the hut, and we soon found ourselves back out under the desert suns. He stretched, and I heard his back pop. "I'm assuming that we've been given permission to go ahead and send transports in, then?"

"Yep," Robin looked over at me and pulled off his helmet, running his hands through his long hair and tucking the cloth wrapped helmet up under his arm. "Don't know how you lot stand it on Coruscant. It's so stuffy. The air doesn't even taste real."

"You really do prefer it out here, huh?" I chuckled, and Robin grinned at me.

"Kriffing right," he nodded with a laugh. He paused for a moment before looking back at me, "Listen... There's more to life than just living your days on Coruscant, you know."

"Not like I can change that."

"Maybe not, but... I've heard some whispers back when we resupply on Coruscant sometimes that the war might be ending, soon. Ever considered what you'd do then?"

Truth was, I hadn't. The war ending seemed like such  a distant prospect that the thought of even looking around for something else to do outside of being a soldier was a concept that was foreign as could be to me. "Where were you hearing that noise?"

"Don't ignore my question, Captain," Robin looked at m again, eyes locking onto my face. "Honestly. Ever given it thought?"

"Not really."

"Mm," I saw him nod and look back out over Reqte Plateau with a quiet hum. "I mean... Fair enough."

"You?"

"Staying with General Rath, if he lets me. Living this life out here with the Tuskens, going from planet to planet, seeing all these new people, new places, colors like nothing I'd seen on Kamino... Can't go back to a life of sitting around at some desk in an office. Don't know how you boys stand it."

"Pathfinder's life for you then, eh?"

"So long as he'll let me, yeah."

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