Halcyon 🪐⋆｡°✩ Paul Arteides ✩⋆｡°🪐 / A Star Wars Story

7.

Through the slanted frame, Sidra saw where the sand met the sky. It continued to rise and fall in the shapes of hills and the dips of slants. But instead of seeing the MENG MMS-013, which she had seen in files and holograms in the library, she saw a disturbance in the sand.

Ahsoka must have seen the way Sidra's forehead creased with the arch of her eyebrows. The Togruta craned her neck to look through the window beside her, and saw the sand that flew into the air. 

As if shifting through the grain, something was creating a path over the dunes and into the dips. It was large enough to see even from the ornithopter's window, making it difficult for the Padawans to keep it to themselves.

'What's that?' Sidra asked aloud.

Anakin and Obi-wan turned from the windshield. They saw the back of Ahsoka's blue and white striped head, and followed Sidra's gaze that joined her friends at the window. The Jedi moved in sync as they looked to their left to look out the windshield once more. There, they too saw the clouds of sand that flew on the horizon, and the co-pilot Harkonnen joined the stare.

'Maker, we've got a worm,' the man announced, and Glossu joined in his concern.

Sidra took it upon herself to unbuckle her seatbelt. With a quick call to the Force, she powered her legs to keep her steady in the moving vessel. She stumbled once she reached the other side of the hull and slammed her hand against the wall to keep her steady. She barely noticed Ashoka's stare on her side as the sight of a sandworm in the wild captivated her.

'Sir, we've got rats, as well.'

Ahsoka and Sidra whipped their gazes to the cockpit. They heard the frantic flipping of switches and pressing of buttons from the co-pilot. With that came Glossu's voice talking into a microphone. 

He spat a rush of orders to a drop ship as well as the harvester, which was in the direct line of the in-pursuit sandworm.

'I want them dead! Kill them all!' Glossu yelled, making Master Obi-wan jump in his place. 'I want every rat dead once that worm arrives!'

'Haven't you done enough killing?!' Anakin burst, but was ignored.

Anakin could see the figures emerge from the sand and attack the floor soldiers. They almost materialised from their undetected hiding places and swarmed the armed Harkonnen. Despite their lack of blasters or guns, the Fremen appeared to be picking the soldiers off one by one.

'Looks like one of them has a launcher,' Obi-wan commented with a mix of awe and haste. His pointed finger made the Harkonnen look to the Fremen that had a large weapon on their shoulder. While other warriors attacked the soldiers, the launcher wielder lowered to one knee and took aim at the harvester.

'The dropship is five minutes away-'

'That's not good enough! I've got a worm in range and rats on MY harvester!'

Sidra was getting irritated with Glossu raging and the lack of action from her Masters. The way they stayed behind the pilot seats with useless comments was frustrating. And it seemed that she wasn't alone in feeling this way, because Ahsoka unbuckled her seatbelt and rose from her seat.

'Drop us down there!' Ahsoka demanded. 'You'll lose your harvester before the worm gets here! Drop us!'

Obi-wan and Anakin whipped around with wide eyes. Anakin should have expected as such, but Obi-wan was grim to see Sidra push her stabilising hand off the wall and stand beside Ahsoka. The Padawans were straight-faced, and their hands that reached for their utility belts (which they added to their still suits) said they were prepared for battle.