New Hope (Talarian)

Larraine Anima Renui stood at the doorway of her mother’s small hut, letting the evening breeze wash over her. The two blazing suns of Tatooine were setting, sliding down one behind the other, dipping below the horizon.

Lara smiled, and leaned against the jamb. The wind slammed the open door against the wall outside, sending a spray of small stone chips everywhere. Lara winced as one of the larger ones landed on her then bounced off, leaving a small scrape where it had collided.

She turned and went inside, into the cooler darkness of the stone house that served the two women so well. Lara’s mother was bent over the open fire which served as not only their heat but as their stove.

The woman turned, her work-worn face bright red from the heat. “Getting down now?”

Lara nodded silently, and went over to the table. Sitting down, she shrugged the long brown cape she wore off her shoulders and onto the chair.

Mrs. Renui set a steaming bowl of stew down in front of the girl. “Hot tonight.” the woman remarked. Lara nodded. “Thank you mom.”

Lara Renui was not ugly, rather the exact opposite. She was beautiful, with long brown hair falling smoothly down her back, and soft blue eyes gazing out of a slightly tanned face.

Lara slowly ate a bite of the stew. The delicious concoction slid down her throat, but the flavor had no power over her tonight. The girl pushed it away, and stood.

“I’m going on a walk mom.” Lara said. Mrs. Renui nodded, and Lara turned, and was gone.

Walking down the ravine, her blaster tucked into her belt, just in case the Sand People got rambunctious, and her cape pulled securely around her, Lara breathed deep the scent of the scant shrubbery that grew from the rock walls.

A slight movement ahead attracted her attention. It was a scuttling little brown hooded figure. A Jawa or a Sand Person? She thought. Another scuttled across the path, making deep chittering noises in it’s throat. Jawa. She determined.

Turning to the bare rock wall, she grabbed several brush tendrils, and pulled herself up, getting a secure foot-hold in the ravine wall.

Getting to the top, where the wind was blowing even more fiercely, she pulled her cape hood up to cover her face, so that the dust would be diverted before it reached her. Going across the desert plain, a small brown figure, that could be mistaken for a Tusken Raider if not seen well, she walked through curtains of dust. Finally, the wind storm seemed to die down, and the young girl turned back.

She was going past a small rock ledge that jutted out from the uniform dirt landscape, when she heard a small cough. Turning, she peered into the darkness that the setting sun had left underneath the ledge. She made a small movement, as if motioning whoever it was out, but put her other hand underneath her cape, towards her blaster…just in case.

A moment later, a tall, brown haired, bearded man came out. He was smiling uncertainly, and was wearing a rough woolen shirt, with trousers of the same materiel. Over his broad shoulders was an almost-black cape that hung down straight to his black boots, and the cape’s hood was drawn almost completely over his head.

“Oh!” Lara exclaimed, then she smiled. The man seemed a bit surprised that the young girl would do this, but only nodded. “Nice day.” he remarked.

Lara nodded.

The man nodded too, then looked toward the horizon, where the last sliver of Tatoo II was showing above the desert. “Almost time to be getting home, eh?” Lara nodded again.

“Well…nice to meet you.” the man said, and moved as if to go.

Lara stopped him, saying, “I have never seen you before. When did you come to Tatooine?”

The man listened, and then stood there for a moment, trying to figure it out. “I’ve lived here about 2 months.” he answered. “You?”

“All my life” Lara answered. “what is your name?” Lara asked, looking at him inquisitively.

“Obi Wan.” the man answered simply. “Or Ben, whichever suits you better.”

Lara nodded. “I’m Lara.” she said. Obi Wan nodded. “Pretty. Where do you live?”

Lara pointed behind her, towards the ravine and her house. Obi Wan smiled. “Mind if I accompany you? My home is in that general direction as well…and the Sand People are bound to be out.” Lara nodded, and the two set off in silence.

When they got into the ravine, Obi Wan spoke again. “I don’t think I ever got your last name.”

“Renui.” Lara said. Obi Wan stopped dead. “Renui? Oh.” Lara couldn’t see his expression very well, but he didn’t seem pleased exactly.

Lara continued, and Obi Wan followed. When they came to the small hut, Lara pushed the door open, and stepped in, motioning Obi Wan to come in. He did, and Lara went to her mother. When Mrs. Renui turned, and saw the man, a look of rage contracted her thin face, and she picked up a bowl. “Out! Out of my house!”

Mrs. Renui threw it at him, and Obi Wan ducked as the heavy clay bowl came whistling towards his head. Lara grabbed her mother’s arm, but the woman shook her off, and picked up a cane, twirling it above her head. “You…you…Jedi! Get out of my house!”

“Now ma’am…I was just…walking your daughter home so she wouldn’t get hurt.” the man said, trying to explain.

“Hush up! You…you…ignorant man…responsible for my husband’s death…as well as my son’s!” Mrs. Renui yelled.

“Now ma’am…I wasn’t…OW!” Obi Wan yelled as the woman hit him with the cane. He grabbed it and tried to get it away. “Agh!” he yelled, as Mrs. Renui kicked him and pushed him out the door. She slammed the door shut and locked it.

Lara, through all this, had been watching, shocked. Mrs. Renui turned back toward the middle of the house, muttering to herself. “That ignorant killer…”

Lara went over and touched her mother’s arm. When the woman turned, Lara said, “why did you yell at him?”

“Because he was responsible for your father and brother’s deaths…not reining in that young apprentice of his more firmly. Never throw in your lot with a Jedi Lara…it’ll only get you into trouble.”

Lara didn’t forget her mother’s warning. However, neither did she forget the mysterious ‘Jedi’ her mother had thrown out of their house.

The girl knew very little about her father and brother. Her father had come home a few times, but it had always been extremely hurried…get in, get out. She did not even remember her brother, who was about 7 years older than herself.

Lara had once heard her father call her the ‘make-up child’, but what Lara was ‘making up’ for, she never knew.

Lara was pondering these points, and walking along the ravine, away from the house. She was walking along, when, about 10 feet ahead, she saw a light brown figure go running across the path. Pulling her blaster out, Lara looked all around.

Just then, she heard the unmistakable sound of a trundling Bantha. She turned to run back up the path, she saw about 10 Sand People had sneaked up behind her. Turning back around, she saw another 15 approaching her from the front.

Pointing her blaster at the one who seemed to be the leader, Lara attempted to hold them at bay, she backed up towards the wall, intending to clamber her way up. But looking up, there were more.

Lara was now getting frantic, and wanted to scream. The Sand people were getting closer and closer, and as one launched itself at her, Lara put her hands up to cover her face. But the man never reached her. Instead, it was pulled backwards, and thrown against the opposite wall, as a brown figure hurtled down from above it.

Soon, the Sand People were scuttling away, and Lara approached the brown person. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sand People run away so fast.” a voice came from the depths of the hood, and then the hood was pulled back, revealing Obi Wan’s face.

Lara smiled. “Thanks.” Obi Wan nodded. “Your welcome. I just gave you my entire back in graceful service.” he joked, straightening.

Lara laughed. “thank you also for your back.’ she signed.

Obi Wan laughed as well. “Would your mother thank me?” ‘probably not.’ “Figures. Well…better be getting home.” Lara nodded, but Obi Wan just stood there, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“It would be wise for you to go before mama comes to investigate.” Lara said.

Obi Wan nodded. “Bye.” glancing around, he jumped up to the top of the ravine and walked away.

Lara put her blaster away loosely, then headed back home.

Two days later, Lara was heading toward the Lars’ farm, where she got water, when she heard the whine of a cruiser engine. A moment later, a cruiser filled with Storm Troopers whizzed by.

Lara raised her hand, waving at them, then they were gone, towards the general direction of her home.

Once she had gotten a cask of water, she headed back toward the house. Wandering along, lugging the heavy metal canister, Lara felt quite tired, since she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before.

She had to sit down and rest, leaning against the smooth rock ledge where she had first met Obi Wan, the canister at her feet. Just as she was getting ready to start off again, a shadow fell over her.

Opening her eyes, she saw Obi Wan standing in front of her, grinning. “Hello again. Tell me, do you plan to meet me, or does it just happen?” he asked.

“I think it just happens.” Lara answered mischievously. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Obi Wan laughed. “Tell me, do you know where those Storm Troopers were going? They seemed on a mission.”

“No. They’ve stopped by our house a few times.” Lara bent to get the canister, but Obi Wan got there before her.

“Allow me.” he said, with a gentlemanly bow, and he picked it up.

Lara smiled. “I don’t know what my mother will say…but OK.” she then walked, side by side with Obi Wan towards Lara’s home.

Lara was watching a thin string of smoke that was rising up towards the sky. “Wonder what that is?” she asked, pointing.

Obi Wan shrugged, as best he could. The canister nearly fell, but the man managed to keep it in his arms. “Don’t fall…” he muttered.

When the two came to the edge of ravine, Obi Wan set the canister down, slid down, then had her roll it down so he could catch it. When Lara jumped down, and turned, she froze.

There, at the end of the ravine, was a burning house. It was Lara’s. Lara was frozen for only a moment, then she whispered, “mom.” then was off at a run, towards the burning house.

Obi Wan carefully cleared off a place on the messy bench for Lara to sit. His house was a bit messy, but Lara didn’t even notice. She had lived to long amongst the squalor of poverty.

Lara had been to late to save her mother. Or anything. Everything was gone, except for a small metal chest Lara had never seen before. It was marked with her father’s name- Renner Renui.

She had been a bit stricken…her mother being the only parent she had known really. But suddenly she woke out of the trance-like state she had been in since seeing the last burning ember fall from the blackened beams.

She went over to the chest, which seemed to have no visible opening mechanism. “I wonder how you open it?”

Obi Wan knelt down on the floor beside it. “It’s a Jedi chest.” he pushed some near-invisible something, then a bit of the sheeting fell away in his hand. Lara bent towards the small control pad that was revealed. “What is it?”

“Umm…a control pad?” Obi Wan asked.

“I know…but how do you work it?” Lara said, trying to work out the complicated pad.

Obi Wan pushed one button, and the top lifted. Lara shook her head. “No fair.”

Obi Wan laughed, then Lara put her hand into the chest. A moment later, she pulled out a long brown cape, wrapped around something. She put her hand in again, and pulled out something that resembled a blaster in weight, but not in shape. It was about ½ a foot long, with 3 buttons running up the side.

Obi Wan smiled and sat back. “A light saber.” Lara pushed one of the buttons and a long blue laser beam shot up out of it.

“Wow.” she pushed the button again, which made the laser disappear. Lara then picked up the cape and…whatever it was.

Slowly unwrapping the cape, she saw a book sort of thing sitting there, in the middle of it. She lifted it up. Inside were pictures- pictures of a Jamar Renui, and of her father. “Jamar?”

“Your brother, obviously.” Obi Wan said, turning the page. “Your father.” Obi Wan tapped the picture with his forefinger. “I knew him. Good man…good Jedi.”

Lara looked at him. “JedI?”

“Your father. He was a JedI.” Obi Wan answered,looking at her oddly. "You didn't know that?"

Lara shook her head. "Mother never told me much about him."