The Golden Globe

by Nancy Richardson

  that worried about her. People who cared what happened to her.

  "Anakin," Tahiri began in a firm voice. "I'm going to take the blame

  for you."

  Anakin stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. "How can you

  even think I'd let you do that, Tahiri?"

  "Listen to me," Tahiri said, staring up into Anakin's eyes. "I don't

  have any family. No one cares if I get sent back home. But there are a lot

  of people counting on you to be a great Jedi Knight like your uncle. Don't

  you see, I didn't even know what a Jedi was a few weeks ago. It doesn't

  matter if I'm returned to Tatooine. I don't have a destiny to fulfill."

  "What you're saying isn't true," Anakin interrupted her. "It's true

  that I would be ashamed if I was sent back home, but we don't know for sure

  that that will happen. I believe in my heart that I'm meant to be a Jedi

  Knight. But so are you. Tionne and Uncle Luke wouldn't have brought you to

  Yavin 4 if you weren't strong in the Force. And even if you aren't that

  important to the Sand People, you're important to me. I'm your family now.

  I care about what happens to you. And there is no way I would let you take

  the blame for what we did together. We're a team."

  Tahiri smiled. Then the two friends turned to follow Artoo through the

  jungle. Neither knew at that moment for sure whether they were headed

  toward or away from the academy. Giant Massassi trees surrounded them. They

  could see woolamanders and runyips darting through the jungle. They were

  unsure if they were lost, but Artoo kept rolling forward, Ikrit still

  perched on his dome.

  "He seems to know where he's going," Tahiri said. Anakin shrugged. He

  hoped Tahiri was right. They had been walking in the jungle for an hour. It

  was past midnight.

  "We just can't get kicked out of the academy," Tahiri said to her

  friend as they walked beneath the giant Massassi trees. "If that happens we

  will never get to return to the palace. And we'll never learn about the

  golden globe. Something is very wrong inside that globe, Anakin," Tahiri

  said softly. "And we've got to figure out what it is."

  Anakin was quiet.

  "I don't mean to interrupt your thoughts, Anakin," Tahiri said a bit

  sarcastically, "but just in case we are actually close to the academy, I

  think we should figure out just what we are going to tell your Uncle Luke."

  "If we tell him the truth, we'll be in big trouble," Anakin said.

  "Those aren't the same words you used in the palace," Tahiri countered

  thoughtfully. "When I asked you what would happen if we were discovered

  near the golden globe, you said that a feeling of dread and the voice

  inside your head had told you that `everything will be lost.' What exactly

  does that mean?" Tahiri asked.

  "I think it means that we have to keep the golden globe a secret or

  whatever we saw inside of it will be destroyed," Anakin explained.

  "Okay, let's tell Luke that we went for a walk and got lost," Tahiri

  suggested.

  It wasn't a great excuse, but it was true-they had gotten lost trying

  to return to the Great Temple. In the end, they'd still broken one of

  Luke's rules, but it wouldn't be as bad as telling him they'd gone into an

  old palace. The old palaces were falling apart; Luke would be angry that

  she and Anakin had gone into one. And he might also ask what was inside the

  palace. Given Anakin's strong feelings and the voice in his head, it didn't

  seem wise to tell Luke everything they had seen. Anakin agreed they should

  use Tahiri's excuse. It was the only way to follow the warnings in his head

  and heart without directly lying. But Anakin knew that if Luke asked him

  for the whole truth, he would have to give it-regardless of the outcome. He

  simply couldn't lie to his uncle. The group reached a narrow wooden bridge

  that crossed the river. On the other side loomed the Great Temple.

  "Wish I'd known about this bridge before I got into that raft and

  almost drowned," Tahiri grumbled. "Either way, I guess we're home," she

  said in a soft, scared voice.

  Slowly Tahiri, Anakin, and Artoo crossed the bridge. Ikrit had

  disappeared.

  "Look who is waiting by the door," Anakin warned.

  Luke Skywalker's black jumpsuit had faded into the night, but his face

  was easy to see. It was a tired and unhappy face. And it wore a scowl.

  Anakin, Tahiri, and Artoo moved toward the Jedi Knight.

  "Where have you been?" Luke Skywalker asked Anakin and Tahiri in a

  stern voice. He had been waiting on the front steps of the Great Temple for

  his students to return.

  "We have been searching the academy and the jungle for both of you.

  You are in deep trouble." Anakin bowed his head. He was afraid that he was

  about to be kicked out of the academy for breaking one of Luke's rules. If

  that happened, he knew, he and Tahiri would never be able to return to the

  golden globe.

  "We went for a walk and then the storm came up and we got lost."

  Anakin heard Tahiri say.

  "You got lost?" Luke repeated in disbelief. Artoo beeped softly. Luke

  stared at the droid. "Artoo, you're telling me that you had to guide these

  students back to the academy?"

  Anakin and Tahiri looked at each other in surprise. Artoo was helping

  them! Tahiri met Luke's eyes with her large green ones.

  "Yes, we got lost. We were so frightened," she said. Tahiri looked

  like she was going to cry.

  Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry that you were lost, but there is no

  excuse for sneaking out of the academy. I should punish you both," Luke

  said sadly.

  "Please give us another chance, Uncle Luke," Anakin begged. "We will

  never sneak away again," he promised.

  "Please, Master Luke, don't punish Anakin. It was all my fault,"

  Tahiri cried. Tahiri ignored Anakin's look of confusion and kept talking.

  "I just had to go out to see the jungle. I've never seen a jungle before.

  I've never seen so much water. I talked Anakin into coming with me because

  I was afraid to go there alone."

  Luke looked at the young girl. He could understand her desire to see

  the jungle-he had grown up on the desert planet of Tatooine, too. But that

  was still no excuse.

  "Uncle Luke, it's my fault, too," Anakin said softly. His eyes met

  Luke's. "I chose to go with Tahiri. I'm responsible for my choices."

  Tahiri couldn't help letting a small smile cross her lips. Anakin had

  finally said he was responsible for his choices. It wasn't that she was

  happy that he was sharing the blame; she'd expected Anakin to do that. It

  was that he had taken a step toward understanding that he had the power to

  make his own choices. That meant he had the power to choose to use the

  Force for good. Anakin didn't have to be like his grandfather Darth Vader

  if he didn't choose to be.

  Luke turned toward Tahiri. He had seen her smile. Luke was surprised

  to see that the young girl also understood that Anakin had difficulty

  recognizing that he could make his own choices.

  Luke, Leia, and Han had known for some time that the boy believed he

  might turn out to be like his grandfather. Perhaps, L
uke thought, Leia

  shouldn't have named her son Anakin. After all, Anakin Skywalker was a

  difficult man to come to understand. This had been true even for Luke. So

  much wisdom in a child so young, Luke thought as he stared at Tahiri.

  The girl was a mess. Her hair was full of leaves and small twigs. Her

  orange jumpsuit was soaked through. And her bare feet were covered with

  mud. But so much wisdom, Luke thought in amazement. Luke Skywalker closed

  his eyes. He knew in his heart that Anakin Solo was meant to be a powerful

  Jedi. He would serve the light side of the Force well, once he understood

  completely that Darth Vader's choices had nothing to do with his own.

  And the younger one, Tahiri, continued to surprise Luke. On Tatooine

  he had thought she was strong in the Force. But he had not imagined the

  extent of the strength and power that lay deep within her. There was also a

  strange connection between the two students. Alone they were powerful. But

  together they could make a stronger unit than many adult Jedi teams. Luke

  felt that Tahiri and Anakin were meant to train together, that perhaps in

  the future they would serve the Force as a team. Luke Skywalker opened his

  eyes and stared at his students. He could not end their chance to become

  Jedi because of one foolish action.

  "This can never happen again," he warned them. "Now go to your rooms

  and sleep. We will discuss this further tomorrow."

  Anakin, Tahiri, and Artoo moved slowly into the Temple.

  "Where's Ikrit?" Tahiri whispered to her friend. "I don't know. I

  guess he ran off into the jungle," Anakin whispered back.

  That night Anakin couldn't sleep. What did all of it mean? he

  wondered. What was he and Tahiri's destiny? How could they figure out the

  secret of the golden globe? And what was that strange voice that spoke

  sometimes in his head? Why did it tell him that he couldn't share his

  secrets with Uncle Luke? Anakin's thoughts were interrupted by a scratching

  at the stones of his window. He turned1 and saw Ikrit.

  "Hey, friend, how'd you find me?" Anakin asked the little white

  creature as he motioned it inside his room. Ikrit leapt onto his bed and

  began to snuggle under the covers. "Hey, that's not your bed," Anakin said

  to the creature. "If you want to stay that's fine, but not in my bed!"

  Ikrit snuggled down farther, its large floppy ears resting on Anakin's

  pillow.

  "Great, just great," Anakin muttered. "Now I've lost my bed to a furry

  jungle creature."

  "Watch who you call a jungle creature," a scratchy voice said. It was

  the same strange voice that Anakin had been hearing in his head. Only this

  time it came from the being in his bed.

  "You spoke!" Anakin said in surprise.

  "I thought you wanted to know where the strange voice in your head was

  coming from," Ikrit replied, its blue eyes boring into Anakin's. "Well,

  here it is."

  Anakin moved over to the edge of his bed and sat down. Tahiri is never

  going to believe this, he thought.

  "Yes she will," Ikrit replied.

  "You read my thoughts," Anakin cried.

  "Right again," Ikrit said with a snickering laugh.

  "Who are you, and why have you been talking to me inside my head?"

  Anakin demanded. "And why were you sleeping by the golden globe? Do you

  know what the globe is?"

  "If you stop asking questions I will tell you everything I know,"

  Ikrit replied.

  Anakin fell silent.

  "My name is Ikrit. I am an ancient Jedi Master. I came to Yavin 4 four

  hundred years ago to study the ruins of the Massassi temples. I discovered

  the golden globe. There is a curse that surrounds the globe. A curse that I

  cannot break. So I curled up at the base of the globe to wait for the

  people who could break it. Those people are you and your friend Tahiri."

  Ikrit stopped speaking and snuggled beneath the covers of Anakin's bed.

  It seemed that he was done talking.

  "I have a lot of questions," Anakin said slowly.

  "Then ask them," Ikrit replied.

  "Why Tahiri and me?" Anakin began.

  "Because you are the ones who can break the curse. That is why I

  brought you to the Palace of the Woolamander. And I was right about you

  both, because together your strength in the Force allowed you to unlock the

  door that led to the golden globe," Ikrit replied.

  "What is the globe?" Anakin asked. "I cannot tell you that, for I do

  not know for certain-although I have my ideas. I can only say that the

  spirits of thousands depend on your finding the answer to that question,"

  Ikrit answered. "And I only know that because I feel it, deep within my old

  bones."

  "But what about the curse, then? What exactly is it?" Anakin asked.

  Ikrit shook his head again. "I do not know or I would have tried to

  break it. That is a question you must answer for yourself."

  "Why can't I ask my uncle Luke for help? After all, he's a Jedi

  Master," Anakin said.

  "He is an adult. An adult cannot break the curse or I would have done

  it myself," Ikrit said with a scowl. "If you tell Luke Skywalker, the.

  golden globe will explode into a million pieces of crystal and everything

  will be lost," Ikrit warned. "I know this, too, only from a feeling. A

  deep, terrible, unmistakable feeling of dread."

  "What will be lost?" Anakin cried..

  "You know the answer to that," the Jedi Master said softly.

  "The children Tahiri and I saw and heard inside the globe," Anakin

  whispered. "The children will be lost. But what children? Who are they, and

  how can Tahiri and I possibly save them?"

  Ikrit shook his head. "I grow impatient with you, young Anakin. I

  would not have led you and Tahiri to the Palace of the Woolamander if you

  did not have the power to understand and break the curse. That means you

  also have the power to save the children. The only question I have for you

  is this: Will you answer the call? Will you attempt to break the curse and

  save the children?"

  Anakin met Ikrit's large eyes. He knew that he had to talk to Tahiri

  about this. He had to tell her everything Ikrit had said to him. They would

  make this decision together-as a team. But Anakin already knew what that

  decision would be: He and Tahiri would help. What else could they do? He

  knew that it would take all of their combined strength and the power of the

  Force to solve the mystery of the golden globe and save those trapped

  inside its crystal.

  Anakin heard Luke Skywalker's words from that first school assembly.

  "The Jedi Code: A Jedi's promise must be the most serious, the deepest

  of his or her life. A Jedi seeks not adventure or excitement, for a Jedi is

  passive, calm, and at peace. A Jedi knows that anger, fear, and aggression

  lead to the dark side. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense,

  never for attack. There is no `try,' only `do.' Believe and you succeed.

  Above all else, know that control of the Force comes only from

  concentration and training."

  Yes, there could be no other decision but to work as a team with

  Tahiri and break the curse, Anakin thought.

  "Then m
ay the Force be with you and Tahiri, young Anakin," Ikrit said

  softly. "For you have chosen a difficult path."