Star Wars - Kenobi

in quickly erected—and just as quickly dismantled—huts constructed of canvas and bantha ribs.
    A’Yark had made a gambit based on the suns themselves. Whatever their failings, the skybrothers’ movements were reliable. The accursed shadows told the wise Tusken much: not just the time of day, but also the time of year with great accuracy. And near this day in past years A’Yark had seen travelers making pilgrimages to the northwest, like kreetles drawn to a corpse.
    Was it some sort of rite? A curious raider had followed once, reporting back a great gathering where settlers paid homage to their bloated Hutt gods with games and spirits. It was vile foolishness to A’Yark, who nonetheless saw an opportunity. As larger vehicles began traversing the desert, taking supplies northwest, A’Yark had inferred that the next fête day was near. An opportunity to find the oasis lightly defended.
    The Tuskens had infiltrated the compound in pairs, hiding behind the barn buildings. The structures were large enough to screen the movements of many. And A’Yark had brought many, indeed. All the warriors had come: the aged, the injured—even son A’Deen, on his first hunt. Only the women and children tending the banthas had remained behind.
    From a surveillance perch atop one of the barns, A’Yark had seen the Airshaper and Hairy Face in the main building. Alone, or close enough. It was perfect.
    Perfect—until the first landspeeder had appeared from the northwest, early and unbidden. A’Yark had recognized the newcomer as the settler vehicle that had arrived first during the assault on the farm, days earlier. Two landspeeders followed behind, including the shining vehicle of the Smiling One. Undeterred, A’Yark had leapt from the rooftop and started the charge. The Tuskens still had superior numbers and surprise.
    They had caught all their enemies at once. Warriors streamed across the livestock yard toward—and into—the buildings. A’Yark hooted. There was no need for a command. The others knew.
    Find the Airshaper—and kill the rest!
    “Tusken!” Orrin pulled his blaster from his shoulder holster. He’d only worn it to impress the Devaronian investors. Now he fired it into the doorway of the Claim. The rifle-toting warrior ducked back inside and began returning fire.
    The Devaronians stood mystified, perhaps thinking the event was a frontier entertainment staged by Orrin. That ended when one of them took a rifle blast to the chest. Orrin screamed for the others to get down with him, using his vehicle for cover. To his right, Zedd and Mullen drew their blasters; to his left, Veeka and Jabe hid behind the wrecked Sportster. A savage in the compound was a sobering sight, to be sure. Orange fire painted the approach to the building.
    “Hold your fire!” From his position along the outside wall near the doorway, Ben pointed at Bohmer. The Rodian, knife still in his back, was clawing at the dust, trying to pull himself forward, even as the blaster bolts blazed above him.
    Orrin gawked at Ben. Hold fire, now?
    But Ben was already on the move. Whipping off his cape, the man spread it like a net and hurled it toward the doorway in one swirling motion. The Tusken’s rifle bolts followed it upward. Ben dived downward, tumbling across the narrow field of fire. Reaching Bohmer’s side, Ben took hold of the Rodian and heaved. A second later, both figures were huddled against the synstone wall, just to the left of the open doorway. The Tusken blazed away again, raking the place where Bohmer had fallen.
    Hiding behind her downed landspeeder with Kallie, Annileen yelled to Orrin, “Don’t shoot! You’ll hit Ben!”
    Orrin sent her a plaintive look. Veeka and Jabe had retrieved their weapons from her vehicle and were firing wildly. It was clear from the ruckus that the Tusken in the store was definitely not alone. There was no telling anyone to cease fire, not now. Ben seemed to know he was on his own, too, as he struggled to drag the bleeding Rodian back away from the firing zone and toward the nearest garage bay.
    “There’s more!” Mullen yelled, pointing southeast. More Tuskens appeared around the corner of the store, gaderffii raised. One charged Zedd, smashing the massive farmhand in the rib cage. Orrin brought the exposed attacker down with a blaster bolt and yelled for Mullen and Zedd to fall back. They’d been successfully outflanked. The Sand People were striking from inside the store and from around