Anakin's Quest Read online

  "When did you first learn what was inside of you?"

  Luke gave a soft laugh.

  "My Jedi Master sent me into a cave."

  "And you saw what was in you?" Anakin asked hopefully.

  "Yes... "

  "Then I want to go into that cave too," Anakin said. "I want to see

  what I have in me-whether I'll choose the dark side or the light."

  "That cave is on Dagobah," Luke said, sounding surprised.

  "Then take me there, Uncle Luke," Anakin said.

  "I need to know." Luke frowned. "I'm not sure that cave will tell you

  anything you can't find out here."

  But Anakin was convinced now; he needed to go to Dagobah.

  "I don't think my dreams about turning to the dark side will go away

  until I go into that cave," he said.

  "But I can't take you there," Luke said softly. "I have too many other

  students, too many other jobs to do for the New Republic."

  "Then get me an X-wing," Anakin said. "I'll fly there myself if I have

  to."

  This brought a rich chuckle from Luke.

  "I don't think you'll need to do that," he said. "I'll give it some

  thought and we'll see what we can work out. Meanwhile, contact your parents

  and find out what they have to say."

  Luke Skywalker stood.

  "And now, it's getting late. Try to get some sleep," he said.

  "Old Peckhum will be here early in the morning, and I'd like you and

  Tahiri to help with unloading the supplies."

  Artoo-Detoo made a few encouraging beeps and whistles.

  Anakin smiled.

  "Will you help us unload the ship too, Artoo?"

  Artoo beeped once to mean yes.

  "Good night," Luke said, placing a hand lightly on Anakin's shoulder.

  "I wish you a dreamless sleep."

  Morning dawned bright and clear, without a trace of the previous

  evening's mist. The Lightning Rod, a rickety old supply shuttle, was just

  touching down when Tahiri and Anakin reached the landing field. The two

  youngest Jedi trainees trotted out to meet the ship. Tahiri enjoyed feeling

  the stubbly grass against her bare feet and the wind blowing through her

  loose blond hair. She could see that Anakin felt better than he had last

  night, though he still seemed a bit worried. She could tell he was looking

  forward to unloading the shuttle as much as she was. It seemed to surprise

  everyone but Master Skywalker that Tahiri and Anakin always loved to be

  given a work assignment.

  It didn't seem at all odd to Tahiri, though. What could be more

  interesting and fun than putting their Jedi powers to practical use?

  Watching the Lightning Rod's exit ramp lower to the ground, Tahiri giggled.

  "We'd better hurry and get the supplies unloaded. The ship looks like

  it could fall apart any minute." Anakin seemed to give this serious

  thought. He closed his ice blue eyes for a minute and then looked at

  Tahiri.

  "The Lightning Rod is a sound ship," he said. "It may look rickety,

  but old Peckhum keeps it in good repair."

  There was a loud thunk from inside the ship. The cargo hatch opened,

  and with a grinding wheeze another ramp came down. Tahiri arched an eyebrow

  at Anakin.

  "Sure sounds rickety to me."

  Anakin understood machines in a way Tahiri found almost spooky. Maybe

  it was because he had learned how to solve puzzles at an early age-and

  machines had so many pieces that fit together to make them work, it was

  almost like a puzzle.

  Anakin shrugged.

  "I can feel it. Trust me: this ship could make the Kessel Run right

  now if she had to."

  More clanking sounds came from inside the ship. Probably the pilot

  shutting down some equipment. Probably. Tahiri chuckled.

  "Okay, I believe you." She rolled her eyes. "You and your machines."

  As if in answer to her call, she heard a series of whistles and beeps

  coming from behind her.

  "Good morning, Artoo," Anakin said. "Glad you could make it."

  Tahiri turned to see the little silver, blue, and white droid rolling

  across the landing field toward them.

  "Oh, good," she said. "You can keep track of the cargo list while

  Anakin and I unload."

  Just then a long-haired man in a rumpled jumpsuit thumped down the

  cargo ramp.

  "Hi, Peckhum," Anakin said.

  Artoo-Detoo warbled a hello.

  "Good morning, Peckhum," Tahiri added.

  "Well, if it isn't young Anakin Solo," the old spacer said, "and my

  favorite R2 unit in all the galaxy."

  Artoo made an embarrassed-sounding bleep at Peckhum's compliment.

  "And good morning to you, too, little Tahiri," the pilot said.

  "How was your flight? Is the cargo ready to unload?" Tahiri asked. She

  had grown up with the quiet, mysterious Sand People on Tatooine, and since

  leaving there, she loved to talk. "Did you bring anything unusual?" she

  rushed on. "Master Skywalker assigned us to help you in any way we can.

  We'll stay as long as you need us. Will that be okay?"

  Peckhum gave a loud belly laugh, "Yep, that'll do just fine. Why don't

  we get started with this unloading."

  Peckhum transferred his cargo list into a datapad for Artoo-Detoo and

  headed toward the Great Temple to deliver some messages to Luke Skywalker.

  For the next two hours Tahiri and Anakin unloaded supplies. Each of

  them would concentrate on a crate or piece of equipment and, using the

  Force, raise it twenty or thirty centimeters off the deck - plates onto a

  floating platform called a repulsorsled. Then they steered the floating

  sleds out the hatch and down the cargo ramp. Outside, Artoo-Detoo recorded

  the cargo codes and checked the items off the list on his datapad.

  As young as she was, Tahiri had strong muscles, but she would never

  have been able to lift a single one of the cargo crates without using the

  Force. Even using the Force, the work was hard. Tahiri perspired from the

  concentration it took to lift the bulky objects onto repulsorsleds and

  steer them out of the cargo hold. At one point, Tahiri stepped on a sliver

  of wood that had broken off from one of the crates. She was so distracted

  by the sharp sting that she let the box drop back to the floor of the cargo

  hold. It missed her bare foot by only a centimeter.

  Anakin fumbled once, too. He was floating a bundle of cloth so that

  Artoo-Detoo could record the item on his list when all of a sudden some

  folds of dark material blew over him, covering his face. Anakin let go of

  the repulsorsled with a yell of surprise and backed away from it.

  Tahiri could sense his relief when she offered to float the bundle the

  rest of the way back to the Jedi academy for him. Other than those two

  minor accidents, everything went smoothly. At last Artoo-Detoo gave a

  satisfied whistle.

  "You mean we're done?" Anakin asked. Artoo-Detoo bleeped once for yes.

  "But there's still one crate left in the cargo hold," Tahiri pointed

  out. She tugged at a loose strand of her blond hair and gave Artoo an odd

  look.

  "Isn't it on the list old Peckhum gave you?"

  Artoo beeped twice. No.

  Anakin's ice blue eyes met Tahiri's.

  "I've got a strange feeling about this,
" he said. The three of them

  trooped back up the ramp into the cargo hold, and there, sure enough, was

  one large crate. Anakin closed his eyes for a moment.

  "Whatever it is, it's not a machine."

  Tahiri closed her eyes too and reached out with the Force.

  "No, it's not!" Her green eyes flew open and went wide with surprise.

  "Do you think we should wait for old Peckhum?"

  But Anakin was already unfastening the clasps on the cargo box.

  "Give me a hand with this, would you, Artoo?" Anakin said.

  Artoo reached out out a clamp and helped push up on the lid. Tahiri

  moved closer to peer inside-and then jumped back in surprise as something

  sprang out of the box.

  Anakin's mouth fell open. Artoo-Detoo gave a trill of alarm. For once,

  Tahiri was silent. Anakin could hardly believe his eyes. A boy had just

  jumped out of the shipping crate. Anakin guessed the stowaway was in his

  early teens, but he had a sturdy build and was already a full head taller

  than Anakin. Shaggy chestnut hair fell to the boy's shoulders. Large amber

  eyes with a fringe of dark lashes stared back at Anakin from a proud face.

  Anakin opened his mouth to say something but was too stunned to find

  the right words. As usual, Tahiri saved him the trouble.

  "Hi, what's your name? What planet are you from? I'm Tahiri, and this

  is my friend Anakin. What are you doing here? Do you always travel in a

  box?"

  "I am Uldir." The boy's voice squeaked when he spoke, as if it

  couldn't decide whether it was high or low. "I have decided to be a Jedi.

  Take me to Luke Skywalker."

  Anakin frowned.

  "It doesn't really work like that. I mean, I don't think anyone just

  decides to become a Jedi. But I'll take you to him."

  "And if you really plan to become a Jedi," Tahiri added, "you'd better

  start calling Luke `Master Skywalker.'"

  The shadowy hangar bay beneath the Great Temple was lit by colored

  flashes from the lightsaber lesson Luke Skywalker was teaching. The glowing

  swords were powerful Jedi weapons. Anakin hated to barge in on one of his

  uncle's lessons, but he didn't know what else to do. Uldir had insisted on

  seeing him right away.

  "Excuse me, Master Skywalker," Anakin said, entering the large,

  echoing chamber. Anakin always used his uncle's formal title when Luke was

  teaching. The Jedi Master turned off his lightsaber and looked at Anakin.

  Luke's tall, violet-feathered student stepped back to wait, still holding

  her own glowing blade.

  "I've brought someone who wants to meet you," Anakin said, indicating

  Uldir. "He came in on the Lightning Rod with old Peckhum."

  Surprise showed on Luke Skywalker's face.

  "He's a stowaway," Tahiri supplied helpfully. "His name is Uldir and

  he wants to be a a Jedi."

  Luke's eyebrows went up. If anything, he looked even more surprised

  than before.

  "Hello, Uldir," Luke said in a soft, serious voice. "It's not an easy

  thing to become a Jedi. But if you think you can do it, I'll test you

  later. I need to finish this lesson first, though. I'm sure you're tired

  and hungry after your journey. Anakin and Tahiri, please show our guest

  around. After he's had a chance to clean himself up a bit in one of the

  rooms, make sure he gets something to eat, and then bring him to my office.

  "

  "Can we take Artoo-Detoo with us?" Anakin asked. Luke turned on his

  lightsaber again.

  "Sure," he said. "I think I can spare him for a little while longer."

  Tahiri loved to talk. One reason Anakin made such a good friend for

  her, she thought, was that he liked to listen more than he liked to talk-

  and that was just fine with Tahiri. She told Uldir all about the Jedi

  academy. Now and then, Anakin added a few words, but Tahiri did most of the

  talking. As they took Uldir on his first tour through the Great Temple,

  Artoo-Detoo trundled along behind them.

  "This is the turbolift," Tahiri said as the lift doors opened. "We'll

  take the turbolift to the top level to the Grand Audience Chamber and see

  that first."

  Uldir snorted.

  "I know what a turbolift is. I'm from Coruscant, and every building

  there has at least one."

  Tahiri noticed that Anakin looked very interested in this piece of

  news. Even though she was stunned by Uldir's rudeness, Tahiri guessed she

  ought to try to find out more about him. The doors swished shut behind them

  and the lift zoomed upward.

  "I was raised on Tatooine. We don't have many turbolifts there,"

  Tahiri said. "Did you grow up on Coruscant?"

  Uldir nodded.

  "Coruscant and Corellia and a lot of other places-just about anywhere

  that had a New Republic military base. I've even been to Tatooine. My

  parents were pilots for the New Republic fleet," he said. "Mostly flying

  supply shuttles like that old clunker I came in on."

  The turbolift doors opened and they all stepped out into a huge room

  with a high ceiling and tan stone walls worn smooth by time. The auditorium

  was full of stone benches and had a raised platform like a stage at one

  end.

  "Are your parents dead, then?" Anakin asked in a low voice.

  Uldir flinched.

  "No, but they might as well be." His voice was full of anger and

  cracked as he spoke. "I hardly ever see them. They never stay on one planet

  for more than a few days at a time."

  Artoo-Detoo gave a sad-sounding warble that echoed through the huge

  chamber.

  Tahiri said, "My parents were killed when I was three. I never really

  knew them. I was raised by Sand People on Tatooine. They wanted me to stay

  with them, but Tionne found me and now I'm training to be a Jedi. Did you

  learn to pilot a ship?"

  "Yes," Uldir said. "My parents want me to be a shuttle pilot just like

  them-the most boring job in the galaxy! But I want a job with adventure and

  excitement. That's why I've decided to become a Jedi."

  As the tour went on, Tahiri got Uldir to talk more and more. She and

  Uldir talked about life on Tatooine. Anakin and Uldir discussed life on

  Coruscant, the capital world of the New Republic. All three talked about

  droids and which ones were their favorites. Because Uldir had trained to be

  a pilot, he liked R2 units, and Artoo-Detoo seemed to approve of that. By

  the time Tahiri and Anakin showed Uldir to his room, all of them were

  friends, and all of them were hungry.

  Tahiri giggled at Anakin's expression of surprise. They were at midday

  meal in the main dining hall at the Jedi academy, and Anakin was watching

  Uldir eat with absolute astonishment. Even Tahiri had to admit that she'd

  never seen any humanoid-even a teenager-gulp down so much food in so little

  time. A cacophony of sounds filled the dining hall. Plates and cups

  clattered. Students talked, sang, woofed, trilled, and croaked. Liquid

  sloshed in pitchers.

  The air smelled of baking pastry, fresh fruit, savory vegetables, and

  roasted meat. Tahiri was enjoying herself immensely. She and Anakin had

  long since finished their own meals, but she could still sense strong

  hunger an
d thirst in Uldir, as clearly as if he were talking to her through

  a comm speaker. Anakin must have sensed it too, because he offered a basket

  of fresh-baked bread to the stowaway, who was on his third helping of stew.

  The teen ripped off a chunk of the bread, dunked it in his stew, and

  took a huge bite. Uldir's words of thanks, spoken around the large mouthful

  of food, came out sounding something like "fank oo." Tahiri could remember

  very well what it was like to be hungry and thirsty. She had lived for nine

  years on the desert planet Tatooine, where it had seemed there was never

  quite enough to eat and especially not enough to drink. But on Yavin 4

  there was always enough. That was one of the things she loved about the

  academy.

  Tahiri picked up a wooden pitcher and refilled Uldir's mug with juice.

  She chuckled when a split second later he grabbed for the mug and drank it

  dry with noisy enthusiasm.

  "Maybe you ought to slow down a bit," Anakin suggested with a look of

  concern.