"Well, it's not all that bad." Clapping the crying Jawa on the shoulder, I stand up, pushing aside several large rocks that had fallen near us. It took a few minutes to go around the massive boulder that had taken the brunt of the impact with its mighty body. And to see what had become of the rest of the canyon. "Holy shit... that's awkward."
Half the canyon was gone. The entire side where the grenade had exploded had slumped down and, apparently through a chain reaction, had pulled down the other mountain ranges that stretched for several hundred meters.
Placing a palm to my forehead, I squint, trying to see just how far the destruction extends.
Whistling, I realize that the entire path I had traversed during the chase now lay in ruins.
"Hey, it's him! That maniac! Save yourselves!"
On the other, intact side of the canyon, the surviving bandits were now hiding, pointing fingers at me and hurling curses in my direction, while some were simultaneously throwing their weapons with tears in their eyes.
Scratching the back of my head from the awkwardness and absurdity of the whole situation, I return back to the Jawa.
"Basically, everything ended well," seeing the little scavenger trying to pick the lock on my backpack, I grab him by the head, dragging him aside and lifting him slightly off the ground, "what's this, brother—thought you'd rob me? I've heard all sorts of things about you lot, but I didn't think you'd turn out to be one of them."
"!\"№;%::?"
A mixture of indescribable sounds and squeaks rained down on me while the scuffling Jawa tried to free himself from my grip.
"And the same to you..."
Releasing the shorty, I throw my backpack over my shoulder, taking one last look at the destruction I'd caused. A small mountain range, a canyon safe from the sun, had been destroyed in an instant.
"Maybe no one will even find out. The desert is big..."
"%\":;?%*\";:?!"
"Yes, yes," ruffling the indignant Jawa's head, I toss my backpack over my shoulder to settle it more comfortably, after which I confidently take a step forward, stepping over a particularly large pile of rocks, "time to continue the journey. If the beginning was this active, I dread to imagine what comes next."
Hurried footsteps sounded behind me. Overtaking me, the little Jawa began to jump in place, waving its arms and pointing somewhere toward the horizon. Its head jerked amusingly, and a pair of yellow eyes peeking out from under the dark void of the hood watched me closely, hoping I would understand.
"You want me to go with you?"
"№:%?*;!\"%№\""
"Problematic," scratching the back of my head, I glanced in the direction the shorty was so eager to go, but it looked no different from the rest. Sand and stone wasteland with rare cliffs. "Fine, to hell with it, let's go. Otherwise, you'll vanish alone."
"Um, thanks... I guess."
Thanking my small companion, I accepted a treat from her tiny hands. Well, "treat" is a relative term. It was a squashed stone leech, which a normal person would never eat in their life. Not only is this creature poisonous and causes hallucinations, but it isn't called "stone" for nothing! I would have worn down or broken all my teeth on it.
Setting the gift aside, under the mocking gaze of the Jawa, I shift along with the retreating shadow to the other side of the rock. Fortunately, I had plenty of food and didn't need to stoop to savage feeding methods where any crap would do as long as it filled the stomach.
Cleaning my pistol and checking the knife in my boot, I surveyed the endless wasteland that stretched for many kilometers. Cracks riddled the earth, and the air was so stale, dry, and heavy that it became difficult just to breathe.
There were no scents here; only the smell of my own body accompanied me through many hours of travel.
"An endless journey to nowhere... Ow! Why are you hitting me, little one?"
"!:?№%?;№\"!:;"
Erupting into a long speech, the Jawa began to point toward the merging landscape. The horrific heat, the blue sky, and the earth almost melting under the suns were turning into a blurry haze, through which even I, with my extraordinary endurance, found it hard to pass and focus.
"There's nothing there..."
"№!:%?*№!%:!"
"You aren't making my life easier," grabbing me by the arm, the Jawa dragged me after her, diligently stomping her feet and pointing a finger toward the haze, "I hope we don't die in the desert... Maybe it's better to wait for night?"
At my words, the shorty got so angry she began to jump in place, pointing now at the ground, now at the sky. I roughly understood what she was trying to get across to me. Most likely the local inhabitants become more active at night. I hadn't had occasion to wander across the salt flats before, as smart people don't do that, but I knew what might be waiting for us here.
"Holy freedom... fine, let's go. If we die, I hope it's quick."
And we continued the journey. Hard and long, at least that's how it seemed to me. With every meter traversed, the steps became harder, and the backpack began to press on my back. I wanted to drink mercilessly, but I had to save until the last, and so I had to suffer... suffer and endure. It was a horrific mess, and because of that, I became increasingly frustrated.
Closing my eyes, continuing to orient by sound, I remembered other weather conditions where it could have been worse... But the longer I walked, the more I leaned toward the idea that Tatooine is a horrific planet and even the crazy rulers of Super Earth wouldn't try to kindle the fire of freedom and democracy here.
So I trudged along, to the quiet grumbling of the little Jawa and her hurried footsteps, until I slammed my face into the steel side of a massive desert machine.
"Ow! Damn you," rubbing my forehead and nose, I tilt my head toward the sky, taking in the giant Jawa Sandcrawler with both eyes. A mighty machine with its nose elongated upward, it stood on two-meter treads, ready to overcome any obstacles in its path. The rusted sides of the steel monster looked powerful and monumental. The Sandcrawler stood proudly in the middle of the desert, and around it ran little Jawas, shouting excitedly, pointing fingers at me, and chirping something in their native language. "Well, how about that..."