Episode IX The Legacy of the Sith

The Lost Hope of Ben Solo

"Yeah," Ben replied. "Why not? Darren, though he's small, has more courage than all of you put together. It was his idea to come out into the woods for this, remember. You all were scared to do it."

Ben put his hand on Darren's shoulder. Darren smiled back at Ben in the dark, although no one saw it. This was the young Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, and grandson of Anakin Skywalker.

"Of course," Tanut said, "that could just mean he's just more stupid than the rest of us."

"Maybe, but I haven't ever heard of you capturing a sand panther in the woods and letting it go," Ben replied. "But I think we've come far enough. Let's get to business."

The five of them stopped as Tanut dropped his pack which made a muted thud on the dry leaves. He unclasped the top flap, opened it up, and pulled out a rounded canister with tawny-colored powder in it.

The other four looked on eagerly.

"The best spice you can find on Kaller," Tanut said proudly.

"I bet it isn't as good as the kind we have on Corellia," Darren stated.

Ben leaned in toward Darren and whispered, "You might want to tone it down, Shorts."

"What quality is it?" Sakiah asked, hiding her naivete and trying to sound knowledgeable.

"How about Gree spice?" Tanut said as he rotated the canister in his hands.

They all looked on eagerly as Tanut spooned the powder into a shallow spice burner to pass around. This procedure enamored them all so much that they did not notice the breaking twigs behind them.  Seven dark figures approached from within the blackness. 

They passed the spice burner around and each took in a breath of the smoke, not imagining that they were being surrounded. Puffs of smoke rose in the air, followed by coughs, and laughter, and another crack of a twig. 

Ben looked up, but could not see into the woods clearly enough to make anything out. "What was that?" he asked.

At that moment, a loud, metallic buzzing noise hummed from nearby. The kids each stood up and drew their lightsabers. The spice burner fell to the wet detritus. They stood back to back and ignited their weapons, green and blue lightsaber blades lighting up their faces.

"Who's out there?" Sakiah called out.

A gruff voice could be heard from the woods. "Throw down your weapons."

The Padawans looked toward the direction of the voice. Darren stepped toward it; but Ben put a hand on his shoulder, cautioning him. "Come out and show yourselves," Ben called out.

A male Weequay, with short chin horns, walked out of the woods into the light of the lightsabers, the brown tough skin of his face stretching to make a stiff grimace.

"You," Tanut said. "He's the one I bought the spice from."

"Put down your weapons," the Weequay said again.

"Never," replied Sakiah, standing tall and defiantly.

The Weequay nodded his head toward the humming noise. A light turned on to illuminate more of the woods. Another Weequay was holding up a bright powered torch with one hand, and a blaster in his other. Two other men were nearby, their faces scarred and sinister. Two female humanoids were with them, one blue with brown hair and the other pale white and bald. Each had blasters pointed at the Padawans. A green female Rodian, with large black eyes, was set a little further back with a rectangular buzzing machine resting on the ground. She knelt over it, with one hand on the top and another hand on her blaster.