Star Wars - Kenobi

but unable to command others. Sharad had left no successor.
    A’Yark hadn’t sought the role of war leader. There was enough to do, simply making sure the clan ate. But when no one rose, she did. It had once been her father’s tribe, after all; they had seen her ride with warriors before. And more than ever, her decimated people understood the meaning of their creed: Whoever has two hands can hold a gaderffii.
    Losses continued in the decade after Sharad’s death. A’Yark had shared in them, losing another son—and later an eye, taken by infection after a wound. The crystal that now sat in its place had been a gift from Sharad. But the greater blow was to the clan’s spirit. When a mightier band of Tuskens vanished literally overnight several years earlier, leaving just the remnants of their camp behind, her group grew increasingly timid. A’Yark had tried to revive their spirits by example and, later, by daring exploits like the morning raids. After today, though, such things wouldn’t be possible. The shaper had no more clay to spare.
    A’Yark stared back between the stone towers to the tents. Her people wandered, wraithlike, as if waiting for a final blow. There was no way to prevent such a stroke. Only seven males of warrior age remained: those she had brought from the gorge. And they lived only because their cowardice had driven them to run the fastest.
    Of all Sand People, A’Yark had no objections to arming the rest of the clan. But even with a rifle placed in the hands of every mother, elder, and youngling, the prospects were poor. The Tuskens didn’t train; all experience came from combat. They would die before they learned anything.
    No, it was pointless to resist. The clan would dissolve, its members drifting into bands where they would have no station or standing. Unless—
    A’Yark looked up, startled. Yes. When her people had been desperate before, Sharad had used his powers to give them purpose. In fact, he had brought larger groups to his side. With a similar leader, the Yark clan might become more than the rump of a once-mighty tribe. A’Yark’s group could become the nucleus of a second united front, crushing the settlers once and for all—with another Sharad.
    With “Ben.”
    If Ben was another Sharad, the Tuskens couldn’t afford to see him side with the settlers, to be sure. But what if he could be made to join the Tuskens? He would have to be compelled; he’d already shown violence to her people inside the oasis store. But compelled how?
    Ben seemed to want to protect the storekeeper, but there was no chance of using the woman for leverage. Another foray against the compound was out of the question. Humans were odd creatures, forming attachments to irrelevant beings and things. Perhaps there was someone else Ben cared for on Tatooine that he would do anything to protect.
    Even if it meant becoming a Tusken, himself.
    Eye wide open, A’Yark resolved to find out. Her exhausted body coursed again with energy and will. If a pressure point existed, A’Yark would discover it—and exploit it.
    But first, her youngest child had to be put to bed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
    BEN HAD SAID LITTLE on the way home from the gorge. Annileen had been the opposite, asking one question after another as their speeder bike moved into the lengthening shadows of the western Jundland.
    What happened in the store with Ulbreck?
    What was the name that Plug-eye—A’Yark—said to you?
    And how did you recognize it, especially when you’re new to Tatooine?
    He’d never answered, acting as if he couldn’t hear over the whine of the bike. And maybe he couldn’t. Annileen had driven slower and slower, hoping to disarm him of that excuse. It hadn’t worked. “You’re losing altitude,” he’d said.
    Well, I won’t argue that. Annileen felt the weight of the day on her shoulders as she coasted toward Ben’s hovel.
    “Here we are,” she said, activating the brakes. Earlier, near the gorge, they’d briefly debated going back to the Claim so he could pick up his eopie. But night was falling, and even with the local Tuskens seemingly at bay, it was still Tatooine. Other predators moved in the dark.
    “Thank you,” he said, climbing off the hovering bike. She looked up at his house. He’d made a little headway in cleaning up the surrounding area, but not much. “I’ll run in at dawn tomorrow to fetch Rooh,” he said. “You won’t even know I’m there.”
    Annileen climbed off the vehicle and