Development of a Philosophy: Part 2 (Padawan Erifia)

The sandy desert of Tatooine blew around me. It was hot on top of the building, but I found solace in my cloak. What little solace there was to be had.

I had to kill people. It was against the code. It was against the force’s will. Master Gerith didn’t even consider speaking with the Tusken. He immediately went to combat. Jedi were supposed to do everything they could before drawing a saber.

I held my scope watching the pass. I could see it as clear as if I was standing there. I had to do what my master told me to. Even if it went against the code, and… I don’t understand. Why?

I looked down at Master Gerith as he was watching ahead. He looked up to me. We met eyes, and stared at each other for a second. It was an awkward staring. I felt ashamed to be with him.

I brought my attention back to the scopes and I saw the first signs of Tusken. A scout; if I shot him this would all go wrong. He took off the other way, and in a half hour a patrol of them came from the pass.

I watched them in my scope. I had to wait for them to get further away from the pass. They could run and hide if they knew we were there. I looked down to Master Gerith, he looked up to me.

He knew they were there. He wanted me to shoot them. He wanted me to kill them. From what the Mayor said, the Tusken just took technology and knocked anyone who got in their way out. None of them killed anyone.

Stealing shouldn’t be a crime punishable by death. I brought my head back around and looked at them. They were coming. Not knowing what was going to meet them when they came into town.

The closer they got the more I didn’t want to hurt them. I looked down at Master Gerith again, he blinked when he noticed me looking at him and he turned down, looking ahead. He was angry with me.

I pulled away from my gun. I wasn’t going to shoot them. I grabbed it off the roof, and snuck down the ladder, he noticed I was standing there, and not in the spot he had designated for me to be. The code said for me to obey my master, the code said not to kill people. What happens when one and the other disagree?

It was up to me. When the code is wrong, it is my choice. If I get kicked out of the temple, then I get kicked out of the temple. I couldn’t stand by and watch the code contradict itself.

The Tusken came forward, I watched them come closer and closer, and they all held their guns ready when they saw Master Gerith. They began to speak in their language. The closer they got the tenser Master Gerith became, he looked over at me. Pleading for me to shoot them.

They looked at me. Then back to him. He didn’t move as they moved towards him, they struck the side of his head and he fell down. I grabbed my saber, and I held it, not letting it extend, they came towards me.

“Please!” I said, “Please… I don’t want to hurt you. The town just wants you to leave them alone. They don’t hurt you, why steal from them? Don’t you have everything you need out there?”

The leader bean to hoop and holler. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I felt scared, and I began to shake. He struck one of the ones with him, and the rest backed away from me. He knelt down to me, and I jumped.

“Please,” I said, “Don’t attack the town anymore. I don’t want to hurt you…” I said tears streaking down my eyes.

He spoke in the Tusken Langauge. I didn’t understand what he was saying, “I can’t understand,” I said, “Can you understand me?” I asked.

He nodded, “Will you please stop stealing from the town, they wanted me to hurt you, and you didn’t do anything wrong, you just needed some things?” He nodded.

I gently reached outwards, my hand hoping to meet his in some peace pact. His met mine and we shook. I knew they weren’t bad. I knew it. He roared and hooted, and the tusken people all rushed away. I ran to Master Gerith.

I dropped to my knees, and I cradled his head in my arms. He spoke, and it scared me so I jumped, “Erifia, what have you learned?”

I bit my lips, I was so scared, so shaken, so sad, and so upset, it wasn’t clear to me what I learned. All that was clear was the tears rolling down my cheek.

“Erifia, focus, let those emotions free…”

I leapt onto him, and laid on him, my sobs absorbed by his neck. I squeezed his shirt, and the muscles in my hand began to become sore from the anger, and my whole body shook in fear.

“Erifia, let it all out…”

I did.

“Now, Erifia, tell me, what did you learn?”

“That the code needs to be broken to uphold itself. That the code is just a set of rules that sometimes need to be broken to achieve the greater good.”

“Never forget that,” he said.

I nodded weakly into his shoulder.

If you’ll excuse me, I need a hug,

Please give me a hug,
Erifia Apoc