As Senthil followed the droid, he scanned his surroundings.

Senthil was too dried out to catch anything of significance.  Threepio led them down into the cooler low portions of the main building.  There a young man was working on equipment.  He introduced himself as Owen Lars and Anakin's step-brother.  Anakin didn't seem too keen on this relation.  Owen then introduced his girlfriend, Beru Whitesun.  As they spoke an older man in a hoverchair and injured legs appeared.  He introduced himself as Clieg.  He explained that Anakin's mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders, he'd tried to rescue her but was severely injured.

"That's horrible," Senthil exclaimed after listening to the story.  "Who are these 'Tusken Raiders'?  Why did they take Shmi?  Do you know where they might have taken her?" Senthil let the questions flow straight out of his mind, eager to help Anakin.

"Those Tuskens walk like men but they're vicious, mindless monsters," Clieg explained.  "I don't know what they want with her.  They always attack settlements like these.  I think they just like to kill sometimes.  After we attacked them they likely moved.  I don't know where they are now.  She's been gone for over three weeks."

Anakin stood up from his chair and made to leave.

"Where are you going?" Owen asked.

"To find my mother."  Anakin's anxiety and anger rolled off him in waves through the Force.

"You're mother's dead, son," Clieg said.  "Accept it."

Anakin shook his head then left.

"I'm sorry.  Thank you for your help," was all Senthil could think to say to the Lars family.  He ran after Anakin.  "Anakin, wait.  How are you going to find your mother?  You don't know where these Tusken Raiders took her."

"But I know how to find them," Anakin said, heading towards the ship.  EDI greeted them at the landing ramp.

"I took the initiative of sending out the probe droids shortly after we landed," she explained.  "My scans indicated your mother might not be here and I wanted to get any potential searching under way."

"Did you find any Tuskens?" Anakin asked, looking confused but anxious for answers.

"There's a group of small, brown-robed creatures that way," EDI said, pointing over the horizon.  "They have a large, treaded, land vehicle."

"Jawas," Anakin explained.  "They'll know where the Tuskens are.  How far?"

"I've uploaded the data into your speeder," EDI said as the bike dropped down from inside the ship.

"Thank you, EDI," Anakin said and Senthil could tell that he actually meant it.  He swept up onto the bike.  "All of you stay here."

"I'll notify you if the probes find anything more," EDI said.  Anakin nodded then took off into the setting of the first sun.

"I don't like this," Senthil said out loud.  "We're not close enough to help our masters if they need help; they told us to help Anakin, but he won't let us," Senthil said pointing after the departing Padawan.  He sighed a throaty Mon Cal sigh.  "I guess all we can do is wait...again."

"Do you believe he had a vision in the Force?" EDI asked.

"I believe he could have, but that's not the real problem.  The real problem is that I don't know the details of the vision, so I can't help him." Senthil replied breathing heavily.

"You are drying out, perhaps you should come back aboard the ship until you've moistened," EDI suggested.

"I wish people would quit worrying about my skin condition!" Senthil seethed in frustration.  "But as there's nothing else to do, I will come inside." As he walked up the ship's ramp he asked Edie "Can we use the probes to keep track of Anakin as well?"

"Only if he's in their range," EDI explained.  "It's more imperative that we find his mother."

"I could use the ship's scanners to try to keep track."

About half an hour had passed before EDI, who had powered down, perked back up.

"We've found the Sand People camp," she said.  "I've informed Anakin, he's heading there now.  We should take the ship and meet him at a safe distance outside of the camp."

"All right, finally!" Senthil exclaimed, arousing himself from a restorative Force trance in the blink of a Mon Calamari eye.  "Let's get going then.  A'raan, we're going to help Anakin, get ready." Senthil called back into the ship.

A'raan returned to the cockpit from the back, where he'd been practicing with his lightsaber, just as they were taking off.  It took only a few minutes to get to their destination and set down.  By this time the suns had already set and it was getting cool.

"It would seem Anakin has started without us," EDI said, pointing to his speeder.  "My scanners indicate that he hasn't quite reached the camp yet."

"Well then, we better hurry if we're going to catch up with him." Senthil replied eagerly.  "C'mon A'raan, let's go.  Edie, you stay with the ship and continue to monitor sensors."  Senthil set off at a brisk jog in Anakin's direction.

"Of course," EDI said.  Senthil and A'raan caught up with Anakin as he reached the edge of the camp.

"Stay here, you'll just get me caught," Anakin said upon seeing them.

"What is your plan?" Senthil asked.  "Let us know so we can at least be your lookouts...and your backup."

But Anakin was already gone, sneaking around to an outer "tent" and cutting his way inside.

Senthil wanted to vent loudly in frustration, but didn't dare prove Anakin right by making any noise.  Instead he settled for watching intently, barely whispering "What I wouldn't give for a pair of night vision macrobinocs."

Senthil saw Anakin's lightsaber flare into life and he cut a hole into what Senthil could only guess was a tent.  Anakin was inside for about 5 breathless minutes before they saw him again.  He was carrying a body but he tripped badly exited the tent and nearly knocked the whole thing over.  The Tuskens on the far side of the tent responded immediately and others ran from over by the fire.  Anakin thrust out his hand and the two tent guards were knocked to the ground so hard that necks snapped.  Anakin used the time regain his footing and his hold on his mother.

Senthil furrowed his brow at the wanton destruction of life, but out loud he said, "Hurry Anakin, get her aboard the ship before more of them come."  Senthil kept his eyes looking past Anakin to see if more of them were coming.

Anakin slowly made his way up the dune towards them on a the south side of camp lights flared on with a screeching sound.

OOC Roll for perception to see if you can tell what it is.

OOC: Natural 20, with a +12 modifier for 32.

Senthil clearly made out EDI with about 3 probe droids which were spinning around with floodlights.

"Edie must be providing a diversion to give Anakin more time to get out," Senthil said aloud.  "I hope she has an exit plan as well, or we'll be rescuing her next!"