[Junior Jedi Knights] - 02(23)

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Tahiri cried.

Before Luke Skywalker could answer, Sannah appeared in the doorway in an orange academy jumpsuit. Tahiri leapt toward her new friend and enfolded her in a hug.

“You were right-she is strong in the Force,” Luke Skywalker said. He embraced the three Jedi candidates before he strode from the room and left them alone. Anakin turned toward Sannah.

“Welcome to the academy,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” Sannah replied with an enormous smile. “Thank you for bringing me here. I’ve got to go see the Jedi Knight Tionne now,” she explained. “She’s going to show me where my room is and tell me more about the academy.”

Sannah turned to leave Anakin’s room.

“By the way,” she said over her shoulder. “I didn’t mention the carvings in the lower tunnel to Master Luke. Your secret is safe with me.” Anakin and Tahiri exchanged a relieved look.

“Let’s get back to work,” Anakin said when Sannah had left. He pulled out the papers and started writing symbols down in the place he’d left off. A few more lines and he’d be finished. Then he and Tahiri could begin matching symbols to letters. Once they knew what letter each symbol stood for, they could match them to the words carved in the Palace of the Woolamander. Then, perhaps, they could solve the riddle that enshrouded the globe.

It was hard work. Matching symbols to letters, letters to words. Anakin felt his eyesight beginning to blur. Hours passed and night blanketed the Great Temple. Anakin and Tahiri hadn’t slept since they’d returned to the Jedi academy. Anakin had written down the symbols from deep within Sistra. He’d written down Aragon’s words. But so far, they weren’t having any luck matching symbols to letters. It just didn’t make any sense. No matter what they tried, they ended up with gibberish.

“We have to get some sleep,” Anakin finally stated. “Let’s try one more time,”

Tahiri coaxed.

“We’ve got to be doing something wrong.” She stared at the lines before her tired eyes. Then tried to insert letters for symbols from left to right, in the pattern of Basic. She even tried to scramble the symbols, replacing first and third letters to see if they made more sense. Nothing.

“We’re missing something,” Tahiri grumbled.

“It’s no use,” Anakin sighed. “The Massassi were a different race than we are. They used symbols, but that doesn’t mean that each stood for one letter like it does in Basic. There’s an infinite number of possibilities to translate. It’s going to take us weeks, months, maybe years!” he cried in exasperation.

Anakin was so caught up in his frustration that he didn’t hear the door to his room quietly open.

“I can’t sleep,” Sannah whispered from the entrance.

Anakin’s head snapped up and Tahiri whirled around to face the door.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Sannah apologized. “It’s just that it’s hard to sleep in a new place…”

“It’s okay, Sannah,” Tahiri said gently as she helped Anakin gather the crumpled papers before them. One sheet dropped from her grasp and wafted gently through the air. She watched as it floated-a white bird borne on the winds of chance.

The paper landed, faceup, by Sannah’s bare feet. Sannah bent over and picked up the sheet. She moved forward to hand it back to Tahiri.

“What is this?” she asked.

“It’s just something Aragon told us,” Anakin explained as he reached for the paper. Sannah drew it back toward her and curiously studied the scribblings of Basic.

Finally, a look of understanding spread across her fine features. Sannah read out loud the words “Peace to all.” Then, she giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Tahiri asked. “It’s just that I’ve never seen Basic written so strangely,” Sannah replied.

“What do you mean?” Anakin asked intently. “Well, you’ve lined the letters up so that Aragon ‘s words run from left to right,” Sannah explained. “But on Yavin 8, we spell our words from top to bottom.”

Sannah crouched by Anakin and took the writing tool from his hand. She turned the sheet over and scribbled one word of Aragon’s message down. Then she held the sheet up for Anakin and Tahiri. P E A C E the letters read. Anakin’s ice blue eyes met Tahiri’s blazing green ones. The message they exchanged was clear-This is it!

“I’ll walk you back to your room and sit with you until you fall asleep,” Tahiri offered Sannah as she took the paper from the girl and casually passed it down to Anakin. Then she took Sannah’s hand.