Chapter 7

Setting: The past.

"Is this gonna be about how I rescued you?", Arvind eagerly questioned.

Jacen stifled a snort. Tenel Ka paused, her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes squinted in confusion.

Arvind gripped the edges of the wooden table he was leaning on. "Remember, when I found you guys at the mountain pass?"

"Well…not exactly…", Tenel Ka began slowly.

Arvind plowed on excitedly. "I remember it like it was yesterday!" Jacen shot him a glance and muttered, "It was yesterday."

Arvind took no notice. "It was late at night, and the weather was bad. Auntie and Uncle were worried about the visibility. They said it could be dangerous. I told them not to worry - I was going with Brother Talvi."

He took a breath and proudly added, "It was my first patrol, Tenel Ka!" Tenel Ka graced him with a warm smile and patted his arm. Arvind flashed Jacen a smug look, then continued.

"Anyways, Brother Talvi told Auntie I was finally old enough to go. We put on our heavy layers and snow boots. I went to the kitchen store to get hot chocolate for me and Brother Talvi. Brother Talvi loooves hot chocolate!"

Arvind giggled. "Sometimes I think all he drinks is hot chocolate, and all he eats is biscuits." He paused to take a quick drink from his still-steaming cup. "When we left the village, we knew we had to patrol by the landing strip further away. We knew you were coming, Tenel Ka, and we didn't want to miss you."

Jacen rolled his eyes at his exclusion. Arvind continued. "The weather was worse than we thought, but we saw your ship land. I spotted you through my macrobinoculars!"

He turned to Jacen and said, "You forgot to turn the landing light off before you left the ship."

Jacen felt his face flush. "Eh...I wanted you to see us when we arrived."

Arvind sighed and shook his head like an adult admonishing a child. "Anyways, things got hairy when you got to the bridge over the frozen river. From where we were standing, it's hard to see the bridge."

Arvind lowered his voice dramatically. "…And then…suddenly I knew something bad was about to happen. I saw a sniper! Way up high on the mountaintop! I had to do something! I…"

Jacen scoffed and interjected. "You saw the sniper, all the way back from the village?! The sniper was on our side of the mountain."

Arvind paused. "I just knew. The Forces were warning me." He waived his hand abstractly, as if to emphasize what he had felt.

Jacen waited for moment, then replied slowly through clenched teeth. "First of all, it's the Force. Second, you're not a Jedi. You can't feel the…"

"Right, right," said Arvind breezily, cutting him off. "Well, once we saw Tenel Ka fall down, we rushed over." He gave Tenel Ka a grave look. "It was good of me to bring the med-pack, wasn't it, Tenel Ka?"

Tenel Ka was bemused. "Do you always carry a med-pack on patrols?", she asked. Arvind halted. "Well, no…"

"Then how did you have it this time?", Jacen demanded. His look dared Arvind to take the credit. Arvind tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and again waived his hands, mimicking a Jedi gesturing with the Force.

This time, Tenel Ka suppressed a laugh. Arvind pouted. "Well, Brother Talvi told me to bring it in my pack, so I did bring it, at least!"

Jacen smiled testily. "And I suppose Brother Talvi knew ahead of time it would be needed?"

Arvind, with his eyes still closed and hands still raised, said gravely. "Brother Talvi knows many things…"

Tenel Ka broke in. "Well, however it happened, it was a good thing we had the med-pack after all." She gave a tight smile and touched the bandage on her other shoulder.

Arvind pulled a sweet biscuit out of his trouser pocket and crunched into it, spraying crumbs. "And dhat," he said through a mouthful, "ish how I saved the day!"

Jacen gently bumped Arvind on the head. "We already told you not to talk with your mouth full. Can we get back to Tenel Ka's story now?"

"Alright, alright," Arvind grumbled, finishing the biscuit. "Hey, it's cold in here", he complained. "I thought you fixed the heater!"

There was indeed a noticeable chill in the room. Even Tenel Ka, who was covered under the blanket, give a slight shiver. Noticing her gesture of discomfort, Jacen immediately crossed over to the electrical device. "What the…", he muttered.

Arvind hopped off his chair and trundled over to inspect the machine. He took a peek inside the casing. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he turned to Jacen, nonplussed. Jacen avoided his glance and tried to cover the entangled mess of wiring from Tenel Ka's view.

"What seems to be the problem?" Tenel Ka called from her bed. Jacen, knowing full well he had rushed the repair, hid his guilty expression by stroking his chin. I've got no idea how this thing works, Jacen thought. "Err, let me just get the voltmeter really quick…" he began.

Arvind, however, needed no such help from the voltmeter. Without a word to Tenel Ka about the absolute disarray inside the heater, he knelt and began to patiently take apart the wires Jacen had hastily clipped together. Then he quickly organized the wires by the color of their coating and spliced together matching wires. Jacen watched open-mouthed at Arvind's efficiency.

Within minutes, Arvind had cleaned up the mess and, his little tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, neatly put the wiring back together correctly. Then he took a small screwdriver from his pocket and bolted the casing back on.

Despite noting Jacen's guilty expression, Arvind surprisingly did not press the advantage. "No problem, Tenel Ka!" he called. "We've got it covered."

That was…gracious, Jacen wondered in surprise. Arvind usually never missed a chance to wind him up, nor did he even pass up an opportunity to win Tenel Ka's attention.

He followed Arvind back to Tenel Ka's bed in silence. Once they had taken their seats, they gestured to Tenel Ka to start her story.

Tenel Ka took a deep breath and began…

There once were two boys, Myles and Karan. They went to the same school and were inseparable friends. People used to say that they often thought Myles and Karan were brothers, even though there was no direct relation. The duo were loved by all the parents, teachers, and students of the school, known for their sense of humor, the practical jokes they played, and their tight bond. It was as picture-perfect as one could imagine.

However, the two boys came from very different backgrounds. Karan was born into privilege. His father owned the largest corporation in the city and lavished his attention on his son. He would boast that although Karan was his only child, he would one day bring them more respect and prestige than 10 sons could. His father said that Karan would one day own the corporation and expand the business not just to other cities, but expand it over the entire planet. Karan, from the time he was born, knew that he was destined to be wealthy and important. He had an excellent mind, was loved by all, and had a glittering career ahead.

Myles, on the other hand, came from a rougher part of the city. His father was a tailor, and his mother was a homemaker. His parents came from a farming village in the countryside. They had come to the big city with big dreams and much ambition. But their lack of education and farming background prevented them from getting more respectable jobs, which in the city were kept for those born into well-established families. However, they were kind and patient people with simple family-based values. They raised Myles to be hard-working and rich in character. Myles's father tailored fancy suits and dresses for the city's elite and made friends with many of his wealthy customers through his generosity and kind manner. These connections helped him secure a place in a top school for his son, where he hoped Myles could improve his lot in life. His wealthy friends supported Myles's education by offering their aid for uniforms, books, and fees.

As Myles and Karan wore the same clothes and were treated the same by teachers, Karan never knew about his friend's poor background. Time went on and once both friends graduated, they went their separate ways. Karan was immediately offered a high position in his father's company, which he proudly accepted. He left the district and only visited sparingly. Myles returned to the district where his parents were, to look for work. Although he had a good education, he faced the same prejudice that parents had when they first came to the city. His last name carried no weight among the city employers and he so struggled, taking odd jobs to make ends meet. However, his strength of character helped him maintain the same good humor, decency, and positive outlook from his school days.

The two friends kept in touch over the HoloNet. After some years, it so happened that Karan, now a famous head of the company, planned to visit the district to handle the corporation's deals with the local government. He contacted Myles and asked him to be his host during his stay. Myles found himself in a difficult situation. He knew Karan needed a fine place to stay, and fine vehicle to take him around town. He knew these were things he could not afford. All he had was how own near-empty apartment and an old, damaged speeder from his parents. Myles also knew that Karan was raised in privilege, and never grew to see value in people and things from a lesser background. Karan was not a bad man, but immature in these matters of life. Myles knew Karan's shortcomings could damage their friendship if he ever came to know the truth about Myles...

Jacen reflected as Tenel Ka paused to take a drink from her cup. He felt slightly confused at this point in the story. "They were best friends, weren't they, Tenel Ka?" he questioned. "Why would Myles think Karan would react that way if he knew the truth?"

Tenel Ka began to respond, but it was Arvind who answered first. "Karan couldn't have understood", he said wisely. "Karan lived his whole life thinking everyone was like him. He believed everyone had good clothes, plenty of money, and rich parents."

"Still," Jacen responded. "Just because he was privileged doesn't mean he couldn't empathize with others." Tenel Ka took a moment before replying. "Yes, Jacen, Karan could indeed learn to empathize…but for some people, empathy takes practice. It takes them time to learn how other people feel, just because they haven't experienced it themselves."

Arvind snorted. "I can tell you about that, all right. Once Brother Talvi took us to visit a village far away. It wasn't even a village…they had so much more than we did. When I talked to the other kids, they made fun of my clothes." He sniffed in displeasure. "When we got home, I told Brother Talvi I hated them. But Brother Talvi told me they weren't bad people. They had just never met people like us before."

Jacen frowned, thinking hard. He found it hard to see how Karan could be such good friends with Myles and yet be so short-sighted that he couldn't understand him or learn of his background. "Why…why didn't Myles ever tell Karan the truth? When they were still in school?"

"Well, what do you think, Arvind?", Tenel Ka said. She looked at the little boy questioningly.

Arvind replied promptly. "The next time I met the kids from the other village, it was a few months later. Brother Talvi took us again on the same trip. This time, some kids were a bit nicer. They didn't talk about my clothes." He plucked at his sleeve self-consciously. "They actually let me play games with them. By the time we had to leave, I actually made some friends. But I could tell even still, there were other kids that didn't want to be friends. Some people are just like that."

"Did it bother you, Arvind?", Jacen asked. "That not everyone wanted to be friends with you still?"

Arvind shook his head. "Nah. And I don't think they're bad people. They just need more time, probably."

Jacen hmmed to himself. "What happened next, Tenel Ka? I want to hear the rest of the story."

Tenel Ka nodded. "I thought you might", she said. She put her cup down and began where she left off…

But Myles was a man of great understanding and resolve. He told Karan how happy he was to have him come. Then he made arrangements to rent an expensive apartment and an upgraded speeder for a few days. It would cost him a month's salary, and his savings were insufficient. When he went home that night to his bare apartment, he set his sights on what he had to sell. All there was there was a rickety bed, a small food dispenser, and an old table. However, in his cupboard was a loving gift from his parents. An aged, yet valuable antique watch passed down from his father's father. Myles didn't even wear it. He kept it as a precious reminder of the people of his parents' village, his ancestors. He frowned in hesitation. It had been with him since his school days, but he knew that his friendships and relationships meant the world to him…

"Don't tell me he-", Jacen interrupted anxiously.

"Shhh!", Arvind said. He was leaning forward, transfixed on the story.

When Karan finally arrived, he stayed with Myles at the expensive apartment and was driven in a good speeder. He enjoyed the time with Myles and never suspected a thing. The two had a wonderful time, reminiscing over their school days and the good times they shared. It warmed Myles's heart to see his friend in such good spirits, and affirmed his decision to have Karan stay with him. When it was time to leave, the friendship between the two was stronger than ever. Karan left after signing a successful deal with the city government and increased his company's profits greatly. With this deal, he had achieved his own father's dreams and ambitions. Myles went back home to his own apartment that day, full of pride and happiness. The time he had spent with Karan had washed away any doubts and misgivings he may have had. He knew in his heart that he had made the right decision…

Tenel Ka leaned back, a small smile on her face.

The boys stared at her, wearing different expressions. Arvind was nodding in understanding. Jacen, however, was still frowning, lost in thought.

Tenel Ka took in his expression and wondered what he had taken from the story. Then she turned and shared a knowing look with Arvind. He giggled, causing Jacen to look up suddenly. "What?", he mumbled.

Arvind shook his head, grinning at the private exchange. "Look, the snow has stopped!" He pointed to the window to distract Jacen. It indeed had stopped snowing, deep into the night. The three had lost track of time during Tenel Ka's story, as the warm, steady heat from the little heater had lulled their senses.

Arvind suddenly jumped up, looking guilty. "Uh oh, I gotta rush back! Auntie and Uncle are gonna be so mad I'm late!" He made as if to run out the door, but Jacen snagged his sleeve as he went by. "Hold your wampas!", Jacen exclaimed. He turned to Tenel Ka and explained, "I better take Arvind back, Tenel Ka. It's too late for him to go by himself." Tenel Ka nodded her consent.

Arvind scoffed. "I know my way around the village better than anyone! Let me tell you about the time-"

"-But that is a story for another time", Tenel Ka cut him off gently. "Go on, Arvind. Let Jacen take you back." Arvind's customary pout returned, but he shrugged in agreement. However, Jacen suspected it was only to earn Tenel Ka's approval.

*Break*

The two had not walked for more than five minutes, bundled up against the cold before they encountered a disturbance.

"Do you hear that?" Arvind whispered. Jacen cocked his head, turning his ear towards the village store. "Sounds like someone's tidying up in there," he replied.

They could both hear a creaking noise and a slight banging from inside the locked structure nearby. Arvind shook his head vigorously. "No, no one's allowed in there at this time. Brother Talvi's rules. He's very strict about safety."

Jacen felt a worm of anxiety in his stomach. He felt for the lightsaber at his belt. He had no desire to confront a thief, possibly an outsider raiding the village's stores. It had been known to happen. Talvi had told him and Tenel Ka that since the intrusion of pirates in the system, villages had been known to be attacked and raided. It was for that very reason this village had requested Jedi aid.

He thought for a moment of contacting Tenel Ka as backup. No, she's still healing. I'll handle it myself.

"Arvind," he whispered. "Stay behind me. If anything happens, you must run for help." Arvind for once nodded in silent agreement.

Jacen trekked cautiously to the wooden door at the entry. He held his breath and tried the handle. It was unlocked. How did they get the keys? Only Brother Talvi and a few others have access…

The banging noise from inside had subsided. But they could hear ominous crunching noises and faint rustling. It definitely sounded like a thief packing supplies.

His heart racing, Jacen drew his lightsaber. He would activate at it at the very last moment to avoid its ignition alerting the intruder. Beside him, Arvind had grabbed a wooden broom from a corner of the entryway. His young face was utterly focused in concentration as he held the cleaning instrument in a two-handed stance.

Stang. He reminds me of the youngsters at the Academy.

Jacen nodded to Arvind and they crept down the hallway from the front door to the inner storage room where the noises were coming from. They advanced in silence until they reached the door to the inner room. The door was slightly ajar, and a faint yellow light from inside the storage room cast shadows of moving figures in the hallway where the two were.

Jacen held his breath and gestured to Arvind. Then he kicked the door fully open with a boom, ignited his lightsaber and charged in with a yell to confuse the intruders. Arvind swept in right behind him, strafing to the right to circle the enemy. His little figure was deceptively quick.

The room was a mess! Pots lay strewn across the storage floor. Cupboards were hanging open, their contents missing. A shadowy figure was kneeling in the corner, a jug in one hand and round object in the other.

"AAAAAHHH!" the two roared in unison, descending upon the figure.

The shadow looked up and screamed back, "AAAHHHHHH!" It leapt back to avoid Arvind's flailing broom, fending him off with a large doughy biscuit.

It was Brother Talvi.

His robe was streaked with white flour. His hair was wild, and his expression confused in the extreme. The jug of hot chocolate sloshed as he waved it in Jacen's face.

Shocked, and hugely relieved, Jacen skidded to a halt. His trajectory brought his lightsaber blade too close to Talvi, nearly singeing his robe.

"Brother Talvi!" Arvind's expression had turned from concentrated intent to dawning recognition.

Jacen, his chest heaving, turned his blade off with a shhooom. He held out a hand in peace to the village elder. Arvind, however, had other ideas. He ran forward and began furiously pummeling Brother Talvi, making the elder whelp with every hit of the broomstick.

Jacen watched bemused as the larger man crouched and fended off the youngster's attacks. "How many times have I told you to control your sugar intake?! How many times do I have to take away your biscuits and your hot chocolate?!"

"Ouch, child! Ouch!" Talvi begged for mercy. He set the jug down and held back Arvind with a hand on his head. Arvind, unable to go any further, kept swinging in his exasperated anger. Jacen finally latched on to Arvind and pulled him back, taking the broom out of his grasp.

Brother Talvi grumbled and tried unsuccessfully to hide a biscuit in his voluminous sleeve. "Can't even do a simple inventory check without begin disturbed, I tell you."

Arvind snorted. "Inventory check? What kind of inventory check ends with less inventory than before the inspection?"

"Hmmph!" Talvi drew himself up in attempt to regain some dignity. He turned to Jacen to solicit sympathy. "Youngsters these days."

Jacen crossed his arms and stared at the elder with a flat expression. Talvi, recognizing that neither was willing to cut him any slack, and that his midnight snack run was at an end, meekly began cleaning up.

Jacen and Arvind watched him until the larder was properly organized. His dignity stripped, Brother Talvi kept his nose high in the air right up til the moment he marched out embarrassedly.

"I can see the biscuits in your sleeve!" Arvind called after him as he departed. "Don't even think about having any more tonight!"

Jacen flashed him a small smile. "That was some pretty good sword work with that broom, little fellow."

"Don't call me that," Arvind grumbled. But he gave Jacen an appraising look sideways. "I was just following your lead."

That's probably the first time he's acknowledged my existence,Jacen thought. He reached out and tousled the youngster's hair. "We better head back now."

Arvind nodded. "But I think deserve a treat at least, for saving the village from certain starvation. Brother Talvi could have cleaned out the place if we'd come a few minutes later."

Jace snorted but admonished him as Arvind poured two cups of steaming hot chocolate. "Hey, respect your elders."

*Break*

The two sat quietly for a moment, sipping gratefully from their steaming cups. Jacen stirred after a while. "You know, I've been thinking about that story… Myles and Karan."

"Mmm hmmm." Arvind nodded. "You asked Tenel Ka why Myles didn't tell Karan the truth."

"Yeah," Jacen replied, letting out a long breath.

Part of him couldn't believe he was sharing this with a younger child. But I feel like Arvind is different from most children. I think he understands. "It was really strange. I felt like Tenel Ka was trying to tell us something."

Arvind kept his eyes lowered, glancing casually into his cup. "Uh huh…," he said slowly.

Jacen continued. "I felt like…I felt like Tenel Ka…didn't approve of Karan. And yet, her story was not unkind to him. Myles felt his sacrifice was worth it."

"Which means Karan was someone worth sacrificing for," Arvind said wisely.

Jacen's stomach squirmed unpleasantly, despite the hot chocolate. He felt frustrated, like he was back at the Academy doing a homework on hyperspace calculations. He knew the answer to his question was out there, it just eluded him constantly.

"I don't… I don't even know how to say it." He clenched the cup in his fist. "I don't know how to say what I feel." Part of him, deep down, felt like he might cry. The truth of Tenel Ka's story was somewhere down there, already inside him. I know the significance of the story…I just can't face it yet.

"Was the story about Myles and Karan? Was it about Tenel Ka? Or was it…about….m-?" Jacen stuttered.

Arvind interrupted his musings. "-Tenel Ka told me about her arm."

Jacen stiffened, caught off guard by the change in topic. "Why would she tell y-?"

Arvind interrupted him again. "I asked about it. I wanted to know why she didn't wear a prosthetic arm. Especially when she could afford it."

He looked slightly guilty. "I was just curious. We can't really afford that kind of thing here."

Jacen turned his face away but put his hand on Arvind's shoulder to let him know it was alright.

Arvind, reassured, continued. "She told me she sometimes thinks about getting a prosthetic though."

"What?" Jacen was really startled this time. He shook his head. "You must have misheard her. Tenel Ka is probably the most independent, determined person I know. Do you know she prides herself on being able to do things with a single hand?"

Arvind, however, shook his head as well. "No," he insisted. "She told me was thinking about getting it. But not because she needed it. Because she felt like people judge her."

"Who?!" Jacen snarled. "Who could be so shallow as to judge someone who lost their arm in an accident? Who would be so unkind to treat someone like Tenel Ka unfairly?"

Arvind shied away from the outburst. Jacen's reaction had startled him.

He paused for a second, then mumbled, "Karan would." He glanced over from behind his cup to gauge Jacen's reaction.

"Karan isn't a real character," Jacen raved impatiently. He stood up and began to pace fretfully.

"Karan just exists in the story. He's a spoiled, pathetic guy who never learned to commit to people because his daddy was rich. Myles was the only good person in that story. Myles is like Tenel Ka in real life. And in real life, Karan is like…"

Jacen broke off abruptly. His head was ringing with confusion. His ears were also ringing. A stinging ray of clarity gradually pierced his brain. "Karan is like…"

The worm in his stomach had stopped squirming, and for the first time in a long time, it felt like he wasn't walking in a fog.

He sat down heavily, his cup still clenched in one hand. "Karan is like…", he continued lamely.

Arvind gently took the cup from his hand and set it down on the floor. Jacen leaned forward and slumped over, his face in his hands.

He hoped Arvind wasn't looking at him. And he was glad that they were alone.

*Break*

Tenel Ka was sound asleep. The blanket tucked around her rose and fell with her steady breathing. Her face looked worn.

Jacen sat quietly by the whirring heater, his mind a million miles away. After dropping off Arvind, he had returned to check on Tenel Ka and wasn't surprised to find her in such a state. It had been stressful for her, he knew, managing with the injury. She had struggled to move without aid, confined to bed rest until her strength returned.

She had always hidden pain well, though.

He sighed. There was so much about her that was a mystery to him. Her family background, her personality... As he reflected, he felt less connected to her than before.

If what Arvind had told him about her was true, he owed her a conversation. A conversation which he wasn't looking forward to. The guilt he had first felt when she lost her arm was still there within him. That same guilt now twisted his stomach.

I don't get…why would she change her mind about not using a prosthetic?

When Tenel Ka had shared with her friends her reason to do without, it had been a welcome relief and a small healing for him. That she was strong enough to endure, and brave enough to face the world with such a disability had him feel that things were back to normal.

She had assured him, time and time again, that life would be exactly the same for being disabled, as it was for her when she was whole.

I believed her.

Now, this unknown feeling of hers, this…vulnerability…wedged itself into his heart. He stole a glance at her, startled by a sudden loud chime from the heater as it switched modes.

He held his breath, hoping she wouldn't wake and see him there. Cautiously, he got to his feet and made for the exit. He had just made it to the door when he heard her voice.

"Why are you up so late?"

Jacen tensed, his hand on the exit panel. Yeah, looks like that conversation is coming right up….

He turned slowly. Tenel Ka was lying awake and giving him a questioning look.

"I just got back," Jacen said quietly. "I was just going to the guest room." He pressed the exit panel and door opened.

"Jacen, wait a min-" began Tenel Ka.

BOOM!They gasped as the building shook.

Loud shouts sounded from outside. Jacen ran to the window and peered out into the snow. He could see figures running past the hospital and the ominous red flare of blasterfire.

"What is it?" Tenel Ka cried. Jacen backed away from the window, panting with anxious exhilaration. He drew his lightsaber from his belt. "Pirates!" he exclaimed.

He ran to Tenel Ka's side, helping her up. She swung her feet off the bed and stood up too fast. He caught her before she tottered and nearly fell back in a heap. She's in no condition to fight, he thought frantically.

Undeterred, she waved him off. She stood up again, clenching her eyes against a sway of light-headedness. She took a few tentative steps without aid. Jacen gestured to her. "Come on, I'll take you to the guest room! You'll be safe there."

"No, I will fight," Tenel Ka said firmly. Jacen grimaced, but he didn't want to challenge her now. Sudden pounding on the window and loud screams from outside alerted them to danger.

They strode out the exit, lightsabers ignited. Outside, it was chaos.

The villagers had been caught completely off guard. Husky Togorian pirates fired indiscriminately at buildings and moving gleefully through the snow without restraint. Several buildings had been vandalized. A small home in the distance had been set on fire. The blaze burned fiercely in the night.

The two Jedi raced towards it. I hope the family made it out in time, Jacen thought desperately. The thick black fumes made it harder to see in the night.

Strangely enough, the pirates made no attempt to attack the Jedi. In fact, they seemed to be retreating. Jacen could see them loading cargo on a waiting snowspeeder.

Once it was loaded, the speeder whizzed past the Jedi, heading away from the hospital and towards the village outskirts. Hooting in triumph, the pirates on board took pot shots at the Jedi randomly.

Jacen caught some bolts on his lightsaber and flipped them back at the speeder, surprising the Togorians. They shouted in anger as the return fire nearly hit some filled brown sacks in the exposed hold.

"Looks like they were raiding the village store!" Jacen said between gritted teeth. He dodged a few more bolts, angry at the pirates' glee.

Tenel Ka was still trekking towards the burning home, protected from stray blasterfire by Jacen's lightsaber defense. Once the speeder was out of firing range, he sprinted to catch up with her.

They could make out a few villagers outside the home, coughing up smoke. Brother Talvi was there, trying to calm down a large man who was shouting frantically.

Jacen and Tenel Ka skidded to a halt. "Is everyone alright?" Jacen called out. He recognized the home now, and it made his heart thump painfully. He had just been to this house, not an hour past.

The big man was beside himself. His wife kneeled on the frozen ground in grief. Talvi stood helplessly as the Jedi approached. "I arrived too late. The pirates had already got what they came for."

"We saw them take the food away on a speeder," said Tenel Ka. She clutched at her chest, winded by her exertion.

Talvi shook his head. "They didn't come for food." He pointed emphatically to the village store in the distance. They could all see that the building, strangely enough, was untouched.

The large man who was upset lowered his thick hood to uncover his face. It was Arvind's uncle. "It wasn't food in those sacks," he managed to choke out.

Tenel Ka's expression dropped. She turned to Jacen in confusion.

Jacen had no answer for her. None that would come out anyway. He looked at Talvi in confirmation.

But it was the broken woman on the ground who answered. "They came for him…they've taken my boy...they've taken Arvind!"