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Dragontamers
This story has to start with a summary of the events preceding it (Another Sky 1). After the fall of the Emperor, Luke Skywalker acquired – from an Imperial Research Institute – twenty-four stasis boxes containing clones of himself. The clones, grown to the equivalent of seven-year-old boys in body but totally blank in mind at the time Luke freed them, were raised by Luke on a friendly planet called Irfogan. Luke considered it extremely important that all of them eventually develop into individual characters. To accomplish this, he sent his sons to different planets in groups of three and four.
The twin suns of Tatooine blasted the dunes with relentless heat. Pome Balladr, the best Dragontamer in the Galaxy, actually enjoyed it. He was a Tiffon, short for his species, which put him just a notch above ten feet, most of it muscle and exoskeleton. He was whistling appreciatively as he looked at the vast expanse of sand, but his good mood vanished quickly when he turned towards his charges.
Three identical blonde boys trudged in the sand behind him. ‘Standard Humans,’ Pome thought, ‘all soft, bare skin, fragile bones.’ And, as if it wasn’t difficult enough to tell Humans from each other, these three had to be perfectly identical, all the way down to their home-spun Tatooine garb and floppy hats.
" I need to know which one is which, " Pome told them, his translator repeating his whistles in Standard. He got three introductions in perfect unison, which made his translator creak and hum uselessly.
"Ye gods," Pome hissed. He pointed to the nearest boy. " Your name?"
"Tan Skywalker."
"And yours?"
"Dar, and he’s Keri."
Pome shook his impressive head. " From now on, Tan speaks only. You three always think the same?" he asked.
Tan, Jedi-trained to obedience, immediately accepted the order. " We are Force-users, our minds are as one, unless we deliberately cut off each other."
The Tiffon clicked with disgust. " If the twenty-four of you are as one, twenty-three of you are unnecessary in this life."
"Basically, you are right," Tan answered smoothly. " That is why our Father and Master sent us to different planets, to develop individuality. He figured our different experiences would lead to different personalities."
Pome made a thin sound before whistling and the translator announced: " Laughter. Maybe he was hoping the Krayt Dragon would eat you. I thought Standard Human women couldn’t have large litters?"
"Actually, we are clones, " Tan explained. " Results of an Imperial experiment. The first successful attempt to clone a Jedi. "
"Clones!" Pome whistled in astonishment. " Like the famous Stormtroopers?"
The three boys grinned and Tan stated:
"Only heaps better. Ta, that is our Father, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, the Obi-Wan, is great genetic material. He’s strong in the Force, both wise and gentle, a splendid warrior, a great pilot, a wonderful teacher."
"Has he no faults at all?"" Pome asked.
"One," Tan sighed. " Even after years of nagging from Aunt Leia, he is still a carnivore. He is the only one on the whole planet who eats meat."
Pome shrugged. "He can be my guest. I love meat. So does the Krayt dragon. We better get moving."
"Krayt dragons nest on high, rocky plains," Pome explained to the boys. " The young ones can be tamed, the old are impossible. So, we are going to look for a mother, and start with her newlings."
"Is she going to let us?" Keri interrupted.
"She has to be killed," Pome went on. "Then we take the small ones and raise them by hand."
"Ta used to hunt womprats," Tan remarked.
"When he was young," Dar added
"And lived around here," Keri continued. "Of course, he was not a Jedi then." The three boys exchanged a quick glance and an even quicker thought, something Pome could not read – fortunately.
He showed the boys the great dragonkiller harpoon and several tranquilizer dart-shooters. They practiced with the weapons eagerly and impressed Pome with their skill and perseverance. By nightfall, they approached the dragon’s nest.
"I expected a cave, you know, a lair," Keri said, looking into the binoculars.
"When you’re as big as a Krayt dragon, you don’t need to hide in caves." Pome pointed at the rocks. "The dragon has a keen sense of smell, but her eyesight and hearing isn’t very good. We are safe from her till morning, if we don’t move around too much. She will start flying when the suns come up, looking for food. Then we can kill her. Now we make camp, just move slowly. Don’t light any lamps."
Keri and Dar unrolled a blanket and spread it on the ground. Tan was just standing there, motionless, his eyes half-closed. Pome wondered what kind of trance it was and asked Dar about it.
"He’s just reading the dragon," Dar answered, as if reading dragons' minds was the most natural thing to do. " He’ll share when he’s done. "
" Oh," Pome said, still puzzled.
Finally Tan moved, turning towards them. "She fed her children and is going to sleep now. Her mind is very narrow: she thinks of food, and of her little ones. She is very fond of them. I'd say she - loves them as much as Ta loves us, you know."
"Uh, Master Pome, we wanted to ask - what happens to the little ones, after we tame them?" Keri inquired.
"They will be sold to whoever wants a tame Krayt dragon," Pome said. "On many planets, owning a dragon is a sign of great wealth and prestige. Now, eat your rations and go to sleep. We have a dragon to kill and a great rock to climb tomorrow."
The boys settled down on the blanket, covered themselves with their ponchos, but none of them slept. They were silently communicating, as Force-users can, sharing thoughts and feelings.
...I miss Ta so much - those little dragons will miss their mother... it will hurt us to sense their pain... don’t we miss Ta horribly... and I don’t think it’s all right to keep a living, feeling being just to show off wealth and gain prestige. I don’t want to kill a mother, dragon or human or anything... we had no mother, only Aunt Leia, and even Ta had no mother, only his Aunt Beru... such a nice aunt, Ta loved her so much... but Ta sent us here to learn how to tame a Krayt dragon... I’m sure this is not what he had in mind - taming a grown dragon, that’s a task for a Jedi, not killing one... killing is easy and yields nothing but a corpse... so what do you want to do?...what would Ta want us to do?...hey, I don’t want to disappoint him... so do what you want, and if you are wrong, face it later... what about Master Pome?... he’s gonna be royally pi... annoyed... we can’t please everybody... It’s a pity, I love to please people... feels good, when they are happy... so what? I’m still not going to kill a dragon that just sits there and warms her babies... so, it’s a decision... I’m with you... so am I... Tan, you talk to her... and we’ll handle Pome.
Morning came with the rising suns. Pome told the boys to prepare the weapons and the tranq darts, while he sat with the binoculars, waiting for the dragon to emerge.
It was a magnificent sight. The huge, black beast rose slowly, spreading gigantic leathery wings. She circled over her nest a couple of times, then turned and headed straight towards the group.
"Gods of All Rimworlds!" Pome gasped. "She is attacking!" He grabbed the harpoon gun and took aim. The dragon came closer, flying steadily, her neck outstretched. When she was close enough to see her bright yellow eyes, Pome pulled the trigger – and absolutely nothing happened.
"We are dead!" he cried. "You didn’t load my gun! She is going to eat us all!"
Only then did Pome see Tan, walking quietly towards the dragon. Scrambling for his harpoons, Pome screamed at him to turn back, but the boy went on, dropping to one knee when the dragon was almost on him.
The magnificent monster landed noiselessly, looking at the young Jedi, sniffing at him.
"The boy is dragon fodder," Pome sighed, not daring to move. Behind him, Keri whispered to Dar: "If Tan gets a ride, I’ll kill him."
Pome stared at them. "What ride? He’s dead. I can’t even get a shot at the beast, your brother is in my way - "
"You are not going to shoot," Dar said softly.
"Our brother is safe. You need not worry," Keri added in the same low, steady voice.
Pome risked another look at the dragon and Tan. The boy was standing there, the dragon licking at his face with her forked tongue. Tan stroked the narrow head, and slowly walked away. The dragon flapped her wings and rose, stirring up wind and sand as she flew.
Keri grinned at Tan. "It was awfully nice of you not to ride her - I would’ve been really envious."
"She didn’t exactly offer me a ride," Tan stated. "All she understood was that we are neither threat, nor a treat – not enemies and not dinner."
"Weren’t you supposed to be my assistants?" Pome hissed angrily. "I am paid to deliver those baby dragons! Your soft hearts will cost me my professional reputation!"
The boys considered the problem. "Maybe we should - " they started in unison, nearly shorting out Pome’s translator. "One at a time!" Pome shouted.
"Let me," Tan offered. "We could find an older dragon for you - what if you’d be able to bring in a full grown, tame dragon?"
Pome shook his head. "That would be the greatest miracle - and I would certainly forgive you then, but how?"
"She knew about a female," Tan began, "who is getting too old to hunt. If we can locate her, we can offer her food, and tame her for real."
"She will eat you before you can work your wizardry on her," Pome argued.
"There are three of us," Dar said confidently.
"All right," Pome nodded finally. "Your Father never said I had to bring each and every one of you back alive."
Tan chuckled. "Well, Ta only told us to come back in reasonably large pieces.
The dragon was there, a wary, cunning presence in the boy’s mind, easy to contact but very hard to communicate with. Pome kept his weapons loaded and ready. His every instinct told him this was not going to be a smooth operation, even if the three young Humans were miracle workers. The wind kept changing, bringing their scent to the dragon.
"She is not very hungry," Tan reported, " – but she is very suspicious. I’m going to try to project images of a pleasant future to her - living in a protected place, being fed well - but she...
"I hope to hell you know what you’re doing," Pome interrupted. "Nobody’s called me a coward yet, but I’m getting cold feet. Tranqs aren’t too good for a dragon this size."
She was indeed huge, as she rose from her slumber to peer at them over the rocks, walking with the ungainly gait of a creature used to flying. Tan kept going closer to her, keeping the fragile mind-contact, telling himself that he was "doing", not "trying."
Suddenly, the dragon cried out, spreading her wings, and Tan lost his concentration and his confidence all at once. He took a hurried step back, fear overriding his training, and his terror touched the minds of his brothers. Pome raised his harpoon gun, as the dragon rose into the air. It was Keri who managed to keep his control.
"Calm," he said, in a perfect imitation of his father’s voice, projecting the composed lightsider attitude to his brothers. Their reaction was instantaneous. Tan stopped moving and Dar held Pome back just before he could shoot. Yet the dragon swooped down on them, although Tan could read her clearly now. She had no intention to attack, she merely wanted to take a closer look at them. She landed with a sweep of her gigantic wings, her spiked tail knocked Pome down, the harpoon gun fired as his long frame hit the ground. The shot missed the dragon – the harpoon flew towards Tan. The boy moved lightning-fast, but couldn’t avoid the harpoon completely. It sliced into his face, slashing the skin over his cheekbone, sliding down onto his chest, drawing blood. Pome scrambled for a second shot, but Dar was on him, holding him down.
"She is not attacking," Tan said, blood pouring down his face. "Keep calm."
The dragon sniffed at them, one by one. Her forked tongue tasted Tan’s blood and she finally made up her mind about the creatures’ identity: they were food. Keri was the first one to read her and act – he pushed Tan away from the huge reptile’s head. The dragon turned slowly, showing her teeth.
"Tan!" Dar screamed, "It’s too late!"
"It’s never too late!" Tan cried.
Pome made his own decision. He fired at the narrowest point of the neck, his perfect shot nearly severing the dragon’s head. The beast thrashed, dying, her tail beat on Pome brutally. The dragontamer collapsed, screaming.
Tears mixed with the blood on Tan’s face.
"We failed."
Dar knelt down beside Pome. "He is alive, but barely." He put his hands on either side of Pome’s face. "I can’t heal him - his wounds are too deep."
Tan staggered to Pome’s side. He had no idea how serious his own injuries were, but Pome’s wounds needed immediate attention. "I’ll do it," he told Dar with confidence, kneeling down. "You’re overestimating his injuries."
Dar looked at Keri and shook his head. Tan was already in the healer’s position, his hands on Pome’s temples. Drawing deeply on the Force, he charted Pome’s wounds and infused the torn body with the strength he had borrowed from the life force of the Galaxy. Pome’s body relaxed, and his mangled flesh and chitin mended in minutes. Stunned, amazed, he rose.
It was Tan who remained on the ground. He collapsed on his side, the drying blood vivid crimson on his ashen face. Blood soaked the front of his clothes.
Pome tore open the boy’s shirt, and exposed the long, deep cut on Tan’s chest. The blade of the harpoon had sliced through the ribs. The blood came from the lungs. Pome’s whistle didn’t need translation. Dar and Keri looked at each other, breathless, stunned. They both knelt down by Tan, touching him.
"Are you going to die?" Dar asked.
Tan’s bloodless lips twisted in a smile. "Are you - letting me?"
Dar was almost as pale as his injured brother. It was Keri who understood him.
"Get the hell away from here," he hissed. "I’ll do it."
Dar ran.
Keri held Tan, forcing himself to achieve the supreme calm that opened the lightsider’s way to the Force. It came, and he held on to it, only to lose it in a moment of doubt, and he almost panicked, sensing the same terror in Dar, the anticipation of failure and guilt. A weak mental touch reached him from Tan.
‘Keri - I can’t hold back the pain much longer - heal me or kill me, please - ’
In that moment, Keri was alone, but no longer frightened. The calm that enveloped him was stable, as firm as the ground he felt under his knees. Failure or success was irrelevant: only the task mattered, only what he had to do – he would see the results when he was done with it. He understood now what his Father had told him many times: that trying was a process with success or failure as the possible outcome. He had to do – mindlessly, determinedly - blindly, on faith, in the Force and in himself.
Pome watched him performing the same miracle that minutes earlier Tan had on him. This took much longer. Hours passed before the gash closed on Tan’s body, the split ribs knit and the flesh healed smoothly, leaving only a faint scar on the boy’s cheek and chest.
Tan was asleep.
Keri rose, breathing deeply. He was content. He felt no fatigue, just deep, restful satisfaction. He knew that it was something very important and very wonderful he had discovered, a healing talent that might be equal to the great Jedi healers of the past. There was a point when he had actually sensed death taking hold on Tan, and he could still balance the scales to his brother’s favor.
Pome whistled and clicked behind him, offering food and water, which he gratefully accepted. Among the sand dunes, Dar was coming back, his silhouette dark against the setting suns.
"Come," Keri motioned. "Sit down and eat with us. Tan will be all right by morning."
"I panicked. I knew I couldn’t do it - I’m worthless," Dar said, his voice lifeless.
"Nothing that spectacular, you were just stupid and acted pretty immature. I can ask Master Pome to tan your hide, if that would ease your guilt. Or you can mope over it till we get home and let Ta sort you out. Whatever." Keri wolfed down his food and continued. "We failed with the dragon, but that was mostly Master Pome’s mistake. Maybe you’re not cut out to be a healer, Dar, but who cares - as Aunt Leia would say, ‘we can’t, shouldn’t, all be the same’. There is one thing we did not fail in, we discovered that at some point, we are different. Ok, it’s a dubious distinction to be the first of us twenty-four to experience panic, but you know someone’s gotta do that too."
Dar just sat there, sulking.
"All right, so take your pain back to Ta, he’ll have a ball straightening you out." Keri grinned. "Let your trauma be the krayt dragon we are bringing home."
Pome whistled and clicked for a long time, about having his business all messed up, and about who was going to pay for what he had lost, but he was too amazed by what he had seen to be really angry. Besides, there was the dead krayt dragon, with valuable skin, claws, bones, all of which could be sold on the Rim for a fair amount of money, since many beings believed in the medicinal properties of "krayt powder".
The night was cold. Dar finally gave up sulking and drew close to Tan, to keep him warm. Eventually he accepted the food Keri had offered, and opened himself to the usual mental contact.
...I was afraid, that I couldn’t do it, and Tan would die because of my mistake... I was afraid too, and at first I couldn’t manage... But you’ve learned something, your aura has changed, I can feel it... I know. Tan has probably changed a lot, too. I hope he has learned to check his own condition first before he runs and heals someone else...
Tan struggled to his elbow, looking up at them.
...I guess I was caught up in the event. But it was very interesting, to be so close to dying... Was it bad?...
Not at all, at that point it would have been kinda restful and promising. -
Do you think you would’ve disappeared, like Master Yoda and Kenobi?...We’ll never know that now - I want to go home to Ta - Me too - He’ll be disappointed, if we go home early - No, all he wanted for us was to gain some measure of individuality... Did we?...
Tan nodded. ... I have a very distinctive scar on my face, I want to keep it, it’s very individual. Keri learned that he is a great healer, and you, Dar, still have a great deal of pain and guilt deep inside you... Well, I hope Ta will find all this individual enough to let us go home... I hate to be far from him...
"You are never far from me." The familiar, warm mental touch came from a few steps away. Luke Skywalker stood in front of them, wearing the plain robes of the master.
"Greetings to you, Dragontamer Pome Balladr," he said. "Greetings, my sons. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit my old homeworld. Just as miserable a dustball as I remembered. I didn’t mean to let you know I was here, but now I think you’ve been through enough 'experience' in my book."
Luke extended a hand to Dar and pulled the boy into his strong embrace. "The pain will pass. Next time, in a similar situation, your fears will not be new; you’ll recognize them, confront them and put them aside. It is good to know the worst about ourselves. And now, it’s time to sleep. We are going home tomorrow."
When the boys were sound asleep beside him, Luke Skywalker smiled at the Tatooine sky. It was a long time ago, when he had been dreaming of adventures among the stars, looking up at them.
Pome wasn’t sleeping. He was busy working on the dead dragon. "I want to have this packaged by morning. The least you can do is help me carry the stuff to my ship. And let me tell you, your sons didn’t learn much about dragon taming."
"They’ve learned enough," said the Jedi Master with utter satisfaction.
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