Rites

"Rites"

"Rites" is the seventh short story of the 2017 anthologyFrom a Certain Point of View. The story was written byJohn Jackson Miller and focuses on theTusken RaiderA'Koba.

Plot summary[]

"Rites" is told from the point of view of a youngTusken Raider namedA'Koba. A'Koba and his cousinsA'Vor andA'Vor's twin take part in a rite of passage which involves killing a juvenilekrayt dragon. Armed with adurasteel spear doused withsand bat venom, A'Koba manages to kill the creature, completing his and his cousins' rite of passage; making them adults. While A'Koba is jubilant, the elderly chieftainA'Yark reminds him that he only killed a juvenile. A'Yark also chastises A'Vor and his brother for their poor grasp of thegaderffii stick. When A'Koba boasts he can kill the Krayt dragon's adult parents, A'Yark responds that when she became chief long ago, the clan had been brought so low that theiryounglings had been forced to killlogra in the rites of adulthood.

While a confident A'Koba wants to lead a hunt tonight, the older A'Yark advises caution and warns that there are "magicks" in the desert. A'Yark relents but instructs A'Koba to report to her before striking anything. The following day, A'Koba and the brothers track theastromech droidR2-D2 as he travels through a valley along the south-eastern limb of theJundland Wastes. They also trackLuke Skywalker andC-3PO'sX-34 landspeeder as it follows R2-D2 in pursuit. While A'Koba is confident, A'Yark warns that this place is the lair of a powerful "shaman," whom they avoid. A'Yark claims that theair answers him.

While A'Yark remains with thebanthas, A'Koba and the cousins ambush Luke and C-3PO, knocking the youngfarmer to the ground. While rifling through Luke's belongings, they are startled by a high-pitch screech. A'Koba and the cousins see a cloaked figure, whom they realize is the "shaman," and flee. After reuniting with A'Yark, A'Koba proposes returning to the gorge with reinforcements. The older and wiser A'Yark advises caution but allows A'Koba and the cousins to gather reinforcements as part of a rite of leadership. In private, A'Yark ponders on the raiding and pillaging lifestyle of the Tusken Raiders.

Development[]

John Jackson Miller considers "Rites" to be a thematic sequel to his prior novelKenobi, which is set in theStar Wars Legends continuity; A'Yark was first introduced inKenobi.^[3]

Media[]

Collected in[]

• From a Certain Point of View
• From a Certain Point of View audiobook

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]