With death comes new life

[Shade Magus]

Snap-hiss.

The sound echoed through out the night as the single green lightsaber was ignited and cast a soft glow across the Dune sea on Tatooine. The wielder was just on the outside of Mos Espa as he jumped into the air and completed a backflip. He landed and moved back and forth, sparring against his shadow.

The wind blew over the large dunes and sand flew past him. A sandstorm was brewing and would arrive within the next day or two. A big one and at these times, he was glad he had been raised on the desolete planet for most of his younger years. Had he not, he would not have guessed the nature of the change in wind and shrugged it off as nothing. But because he knew, he knew he had time to plan. He knew that it didn't really matter since he planned on being off planet by sunset the following day.

Or maybe that would be sunset today, the lightsaber's master thought as he glanced over at the horizon before bringing the blade into a forward stance. He held the green weapon outstretched behind him, and his legs mirrored the opposite. He held his free hand in front of him as if to beckon an opponent to him. The man took a step forward and cut a diagonal slash across the evening air and instead of stopping there, he put his free hand down and used his body's momentum to continue into a cartwheel. He came up fromt the little acrobatic trick and smiled as the sand he had kicked up started to come down. The Jedi reached out into the fathomless pit that was the Force and grabbed ahold of each and every individual grain and held them suspended in the air.

Maybe it wasn't to late to teach this old dog a few new tricks. But then again I don't think I'd have been able to do it with out Rognan, Shade thought. He twisted the grains around in the air and bunched them together infront of him and looked at the small ball it created. He cocked his head to the side and looked at it curiously. It was amazing that such a crude element could seem so elegant when one wanted it to be.

Suddenly a shriek rang throughout the night and Shade turned his head sharply. The noise had come from a small moisture farm not far from him. In fact he had stopped by there earlier before coming out here to see if they had had some water to spare. It was hassle because it seemed the normally peaceful people of these outlyign planets were being affected by the heavy anti-Force movement that was being pushed in the inner core. It seemed for the most part that the family hadn't really cared, especially after him offering a few credits. The youngest son however was a completely different story. It seemed he was the most influential and Shade being there was really unnerving him.

Well...might as well go see what's up. Maybe my helping will show him that the Jedi can be trusted. Shade thought as he moved forward. As an afterthought, he looked back over his shoulder and a small canteen flew over towards him. Clipping the pommel of his lightsaber to his utility belt, Shade reached into the Force and used it to increase his speed as he rushed over to the small farm hoping that there would be some way to help.

[Shade Magus]

Shade reached the small moisture farm just in time to see the older father starting for his landspeeder. He rushed over to the man and put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with Jedi," the younger son said as he stepped between Shade and his father. He also had a long blaster and a look of determination upon his face.

"Look I'm just trying to help...," he started but was cut off once more.

"You want to help? Then get lost. Jedi only succeed in bringing trouble along with them. If you hadn't come then the Raiders wouldn't have come and Lita would still be here," he stated rather sharply.

"Raiders?" He asked and looked to the father for confermation. "You can't be serious? Just the two of you with those blasters? You'll be dead before you can even get within firing range."

"And you think you could do better?"

"I do."

The boy looked at him for a moment before the father cut in. "For heaven's sake Tiet, we could use his help and you know it." He turned to Shade and nodded towards the back of the speeder. "We have the room if you could help us Master Jedi."

Shade nodded and walked over to the speeder and hopped in. "I'll help in whatever way I can."

[Shade Magus]

An hour later, the speeder was on its way with Shade, the father and the younger brother in it. The Jedi could feel the families turmoil through the Force and tried to send waves of reassurance, but it seemed that Tiet just would not be responsive to them. He decided to just sit back and wait out the ride in a meditative state.

As they neared the end of thier ride, Shade was jerked awake as the speeder came to an abrupt hault. He looked over the pair in the front to find that they were close to a drop off and there appeared to be something below them.

"They are down there," Arda, the father said. "This is the closest camp of thiers so she would be with them."

Shade nodded and hopped out of the speeder and Tiet turned to look at him. "What are you doing? You can't just get out here. You want to ruin our location?"

Shade sighed and turned back to the young man. "Look. There are down there and probably already know that we are here. They may not have the most nieghborly attitude, but they aren't stupid. You want to know if they are down there, then fine. I'll go and find out. You go and drive around and bit to try and confuse them and check back here every hour and I'll be back within two."

"Look...you want to go get yourself killed, then that is fine, but don't think you are going to pull Lita down with you. I'm going down there," Tiet was saying as he started to shut down the speeder and get out.

"No!" Shade said as he forceably shoved the man back down in his seat. "You aren't. You are going to do what I said and that's it. If your sister is still alive then I will bring her back. Is that understood?"

Tiet looked over to his father for guidance and the old man just nodded. "He is right son. Let him do his part and we will do ours."

He looked like he had been slapped in the face when he turned back to face the Jedi. "Fine...you want to go down there then that's your business. But if you aren't back up here within two hour then I'm coming down. Understand?"

"Fine, but hopefully that won't be needed," Shade said as he turned back towards the cliff and walked over to start his trek downwards.

[Shade Magus]

The Force flowed outwards from Shade as he made his way towards the Raiders campground. She was down there alright. But so was something else. Something, more elusive. Whenever he tried to reach out for it with the Force it seemed to shrink back and he had to go looking for it. It was almost as if whatever was down there had been trained in the ways of the Force, but as far as he knew, there hadn't been a Force sensative Tusken Raider since before the Galactic Civil War.

Hmm...looks like this might be a harder than I originally thought. There seems to be something else afoot here, the Jedi thought as he made his way around a few rocks. Some threatened to move and give his position away, but he held them in place with the Force. Wish I was better at manipulating sounds, cause maybe then I could just mask my approach entirely. Luckily I can atleast sense where everyone is...

His thoughts trailed off as he felt something new. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on ends as his danger senses tingled. He looked around, but couldn't find anything. Then he heard the all to familiar sound of a lightsaber being activated and he twisted around on the balls of his feet. There, in front of him, stood a younger looking Tusken Raider and he was holding a fully ignite lightsaber. The soft blue glow of the weapon gave off an eerie glow as he moved it and finally pointed to him.

"Jedi...I'm glad you have come. I have waited patiently for you. Now I can face you and become a true Jedi Knight by defeating you in a test of skills."

"Wha..what are you talking about? Who are you? And how did you get that lightsaber?"

"This lightsaber has been passed down in my tribe for generations now. I am the last to be trained. I am the gaurdian of this tribe and you will not harm them like you did our cousins."

"What are you talking about? I've never harmed a Tusken Raider in my life."

"Not you, but we remember the Jedi. Before the big war a Jedi came and slaughtered an entire tribe and we will not let another do that."

"What? But a Jedi would..." His voice trailed off as he remembered a story from his history lessons. There was a Jedi that did that. A Jedi that has long been dead. Anakin Skywalker. These people remember that? Man...talk about holding a grudge.

"Look that was a long time ago and that Jedi has long since payed his dues. There is no Jedi now alive that would harm you," Shade tried to explain.

"Really? Well Jedi, prove it."

"How?"

"Defeat me without harming me and we will no longer hold ill will to the Jedi," the Raider said as he drew a figure eight in the air and brought the blue weapon up into a high gaurd stance before lunging forward as Shade.

[Shade Magus]

Shade pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it as he did a backflip off of the rock he was standing on and landed on one underneath him. He landed in a forward stance with his lightsaber held at a diagonal angle in front of him. He watched as the Raider slowly straightened himself into a standing position.

"You had me at a disadvantage Jedi. Why didn't you attack?"

"I told you I didn't want to fight."

"Well...maybe. Or prehaps you are just trying to lull my senses into trusting you and bringing you back into my tribe's camp."

"No I'm not doi...," he said as his voice trailed off and he brought his blade up to block a downward slash from his opponent. He pushed the Raider back and jumped down to the next rock. "Can we please talk?!"

"We will talk if you win."

"If you win?" Shade asked suspiciously.

The Tusken regarded him curiously. "You will die," he said before lunging at Shade once more. The Jedi decided that this time he would stand his ground and brought up his saber to block the attack. He then pushed the Raider back and went on his own attack. His blows came fast and furiously. He attacked high and then low. Surprisingly the Tusken blocked each and every blow. He kept up with Shade no matter what.

What is this guy's deal? He's had more than just hand me down training to keep up with me. But from whom? Before he coudl answer his own thought, a flash of red blasted out of the corner of his eyes. He looked and Tiet had apparently decided to use Shade as a diversion and was now opening fire down upon the tribe.

"No!" He shouted as if his cry would be heard. He turned back to the Tusken and found that he was no longer standing there. Great...If I don't stop him before he reaches those two, he'll kill them both.

[Shade Magus]

Shade jumped from rock to rock and used the Force to enhance his leg muscles so that he would cover ground more quickly. He had to cut off the Tusken and stop this kid from firing upon the tribe. It was going to be hard as he could see a few of the Tuskens already taking up arms and returning fire.

Great kid. What have you done? Shade thought angrily. You are just going to end up getting yourself and others killed.

He neared the camp almost right on the heels of the Raider with the blue lightsaber. He came to a stop in the middle of a group that was already returning fire and threw his hand out towards them. A few fell back to the ground and then thier weapons flew from them to him. He twisted his body and used the Force to toss them far enough away that they wouldn't be a threat for right now. He could feel thier fear and hatred, through the Force, at being unarmed when protecting thier tribe. He felt something behind him and brought his green blade around and deflected a bolt from the child that was apparently aimed at the newly unarmed Raiders.

"No one is dying while I can do something about it," he stated as he deflected two more bolts. This time they came from the Tusken Raiders themselves. Looks like I'm alone in that idea too.

The Jedi stepped forward and catapaulted over the group and cut all thier weapons in half as he flew over them. He landed and turned as his danger sense told him to bring his lightsaber up to defend. Once he did, he was staring once again at the lightsaber wielding Tusken Raider.

"Well, well. Seems you have succeeded in helping your friends up there. Looks like you aren't as sincere as you said."

"I'm not responsible for them. They are only here to rescue the girl you took from them."

"You can't put your thoughts into my head Jedi. I know we did not take any human from anyone."

"What?" Shade asked as he moved to his left in time for the blue blade to cut through the air where he had just been standing. He spun his green lightsaber around and sliced downwards at the Raiders weapon hand. The Tusken looked up at him, his face unreadable, as Shade's lightsaber cut through his own. Finally he stood up and gave a slight bow.

"You have won Jedi. My life is forfiet, as is my tribe. I offer thier and my own life to you," he said before kneeling before Shade as if to be executed.

Shade sighed and disengaged his lightsaber as he twisted it back around and hooked it to his belt. He looked up at the speeder where Tiet and his father were still shooting down on the tribe. He glanced at thier weapons and they flew out of the two men's hands. They came down to him and he placed them in the ground. He could feel the younger man's anger at him as he jumped out of the speeder and rushed through the crowd to the Jedi.

"What's the big idea? Your leaving us and yourself open for these things to attack us. Are you..." He trailed off as Shade glanced at him.

"Will you shut up and look around you. They aren't going to attack anymore and I don't think they are the ones that took your sister."

"If not them then who?"

The Tusken Shade had been fighting looked up and cleared his throat. "I could be of service if you were to spare my tribe."

Shade looked at him and motioned for him to rise. "No one is dying here. But we would be grateful if you could help."

The Tusken looked from Shade to Tiet and back to Shade as he stood. "I can and will, but where I am going only one can go. I can't take any other with me."

Shade nodded. "Fine. I'll go," he said cutting off any response the Tiet had. "Just lead the way."

"Of course, but your people must leave before we do. I can not risk any harm coming to my tribe."

Shade looked at the father that had recently joined them and nodded. "Go back to the farm and I will return with your daughter as soon as I can."

From the look on his face, anyone could tell the father wasn't happy, but Shade could tell he trusted the Jedi. "Very well. Come along Tiet."

"But we can't ju-"

Shade couldn't take it and turned to face the boy and let him have it. "Look what your actions have done. You almost got your father and yourself killed and for nothing. If your sister had been here she could have died to. You need to learn to use that thing on your head! You keep this up and your life will be a short lived one!"

He could tell the boy was mad for having been yelled at, but that was the least of Shade's problems now. Arda put his hand on his son's shoulder and pulled him away, fearful that his son's life would be forfiet if he kept up the arguement.

Once they were gone, Shade turned back to the Tusken Raiders and nodded. "Ok...I think we are ready."

[Shade Magus]

Karedett, the Tusken Raider who fought Shade, led the Shade through the Dune Sea by way of Dewback. He had learned much from the Raider since coming here. First and formost, there was apparently a Jedi by the name of Sharad Hett had once lived among them. This same tribe from the looks of it.

From the story, they had picked one child from very early in life and trained him in the ways of the Force to be the gaurdian of the tribe. And apprently this Sharad Hett made an emphasis on being wary of the darkside. Even the tribe appears to have adapted and become more peaceful. Karedette is supposedly the most aggresive one of them yet, and he just wanted to see how he would hold up to a formally trained Jedi, but he doesn't know that he was formally trained. A Jedi came here and trained one and they trained another. In many ways this is the way that it is supposed to be. One Master and one Padawan.

"It won't be much longer now."

Shade looked up lost in his thoughts and nodded. They were on thier way to a tribe that was North of the moisture farm and apparently they were the ones that had taken Arda's daughter. They had just gone out a little farther so that the family would not lock onto them. They would instead find Karedette's tribe and attack them. He looked at the back of the Tusken Raiders head and reached out with the Force. He could feel the strength and calm center of the young Jedi Knight. Soon he turned his head to look back at Shade. He smiled and nodded. Karedette just turned his head and snorted.

"Karedette, how where you trained?"

"By my father. I've told you already."

"Yes, but how? What kind of lessons?"

"I do not know what kinda of training Jedi have so I can not answer that question."

Shade smiled. "Karedette. You are a Jedi. You always have been one. And if you don't mind I'd like for you to come back to Coruscant with me. There is so much we could learn from one another."

The Tusken Raider looked back and the forward and pointed his finger. Shade followed his gaze and a set a grim look to his face. "We are here. They will not welcome you and will openly be hostile towards you for being an outsider and me for bringing you into thier tribe. If you survive this then I will think about your request."

[Shade Magus]

Shade watched as the twin suns of Tatooine went down behind the horizon. He had been in the Tusken Raider's tribe for a complete day now and he was still no closer to getting the girl back. Finally Karedette walked outside to join him. The poor man had spent the past seven hours enduring trails and traditions becasue of him and Shade had dealt with his own for he had not been able to lighten the load from the poor Raider. Shade turned to him and let his arms drop down to his side. "Well?"

"They will listen if you pass a test of thier's," he said in his gutteral basic. Shade nodded, but said nothing as he could feel something was wrong.

"What's the test?"

"You must defeat thier tribes greatest warrior..."

"Well that shouldn't be to hard," Shade said as he stretched a few muscles. Then he stopped as he noticed Karedette's shoulders remained slumped. "Karedette...what's wrong?"

"You have to fight the warrior to the death."

"What? But there has to be another way! I can't just kill someone like that."

"That's the only way the elders will listen to you. I'm sorry."

"Well...who is this warrior? Maybe I can-"

"No!" Karedette said sharply. "Tradition forbids that you speak to him before the match. Now go rest. You'll need your strength."

"But-" He started, but stopped as he watched the Raider turn from him and leave. He sighed as he walked to the tent that had been provided for him. What am I going to do? I can't just kill someone in a fight like that. There has to be another way. Maybe if I could find the girl we could run, but...what would they do to Karedette should we disappear...

Shade sighed as he laid down and tried to think of something. Soon He was asleep until the suns peaked in between the flaps of his tent. He slowly got up and walked outside where he could see the tribe had gathered for the fight. He looked around for Karedette, but did not find him. Soon he was being pushed towards the middle of the circle and it was there he found his friend with his back facing him.

"Karedette. There has to be something else I can do. I can't just kill someone."

"You have no choice. You must fight," he said without turning around.

"But...I don't even know who I am supposed to be fighting," the Jedi protested.

"You will fight me."

[Shade Magus]

Shade's jaw dropped. "I have to fight you agian? To the death?"

Karedette nodded. "Those are the conditions. Once I came here I was accepted into the tribe and now I am thier greatest warrior. We must fight till one is dead."

"There's no way I'm going to fight you! I refu-" Shade stopped as he jumped to the left to dodge Karedette attacking with a gaderffii. The tusken reversed the blade and then jumped back at him with the weapon poised to take his head off.

Shade ducked and felt the weapon nick him as it went past him. "If we are to fight, then where is my weapon?"

"Your lightsaber Jedi," he yelled at Shade as he twirled the gaderffii and then lunged at him once again. Shade brought his lightsaber up and ignited the green blade. He brought a slash down and it cut the gaderffii in half. Karedette looked at it and then to Shade before dropping to his knees. "Finish it..."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"You must if you want to see the girl again. It is tradition and that is our way."

"But there has to be another way."