If there is a bright center to the Galaxy, this is the farthest planet from it. It's a desert planet on the outer rim in a binary star system and it is the subject of my first Cheddar Academy Exploration Challenge. Details on the Challenge and other Padawans that have completed the Challenge can be found at the URL below.
http://www.darthsanddroids.net/academy/challenges.php?challenge=8
As a Cheddar Padawan, I don't have access to some of the more advanced things such as starships. Instead in order to travel I have to procure flights in whatever means I can. In this case I hitched a ride on a large freighter which was headed for a moon near the planet. They weren't willing to drop me off on Tatooine directly, so when I was overhead I simply jumped in an escape pod and launched myself to the planet surface. Here is a view of the belly of the freighter as I jettisoned into space.
When I landed (euphamism for slammed into the sand) on Tatooine and emerged from the escape pod, I was greeted by a fellow Cheddar Monk, Ken Obi. He had followed his Cheddar Senses to my landing zone knowing I would need some assistance in finding a settlement. I was very pleased that he was there. The landscape is quite barren and harsh and for a Cheddar Padawan with a busy mind, the thought of finding civilization was daunting and quite frankly, somewhat frightening. Ken Obi and I walked through the desert landscape for what seemed like countless hours until we came across a large tracked vehicle. Master Obi gave me a demonstration of how the Cheddar could be used to influence the weak of mind by convincing the vehicle owner to take us to Mos Espa, one of the local settlements. Here is a picture of him wielding his powers of persuasion.
It didn't take long for me to realize that the barren landscape of the planet and its lack of Cheddar noise afforded me a quiet mind for the first time. I discovered that I could feel the power of the Cheddar coursing through me like raging river. I was somewhat nervous that my mind's serenity would pass when we approached civilization. To my great pleasure, I discovered that once my mind had been quieted it was easy to keep it that way even in the bustling city of Mos Espa. The first thing I did was duck down a side street and have Master Obi take a picture of me levitating a ball. Such a simple thing should have been easy, but with a noisy mind, I would quickly lose control. Here though, I managed to keep the ball in a near perfect stasis with almost no effort at all.
From there I went to check into the local hotel. The proprietor of J'abbas Palace, Shimmy was a kind, modest woman. She gave me some information about the area and even gave me a room upgrade to a suite. She apparently has a great deal of respect for Cheddar Monks.
Shimmy
J'abbas Palace Exterior
J'abbas Palace Courtyard
Master Obi had to leave to attend to more pressing matters offworld, so I settled myself in. After some time of meditating on the future, completing my manipulation challenges and drawing up plans for my laser sword, I decided to head out on the town (a mistake I would later regret). I headed over to a seedy little cantina called the Wretched Hive. I should have known by the name what I would be in for, but something seemed to be calling to me.
The Wretched Hive
When I entered the cantina, I immediately felt an uneasy tension coming from many of the patrons. A few even fled out the back door at the mere sight of me. Others just watched me with a sense of caution. It was as if most of the cantina recognized me. While I am used to having people find my face familiar (happens when you are the progeny of a clone), I have never had this much uneasiness at my presence. Suddenly, out of the dark recesses of the cantina, a Twi'lek by the name of Bob For Tuna approached me. He was insisting on calling me Bubba, but I had no idea to whom he was referring. I, after all, had never met Bob, nor been to Tatooine in the past, however I clearly had to look like this Bubba character. My only guess is that Bubba caused trouble in this cantina in the past.
I explained to Mr. Tuna that I wasn't Bubba and that due to the fact that my father was a former Clone Trooper that it was easily understood how I could be mistaken for someone else, especially if he too was a descendent of a clone. When he declared his belief that I was not Bubba, the tension in the room lifted like a fog when the noonday sun strikes. Mr. Tuna introduced me to a few of the patrons of the cantina; IGA D'ate, Hans Olo and Wom Prat. All but Mr. Tuna refused pictures, but they were willing to sit down to a plate of sly noodles with me.
Bob For Tuna
After we finished eating, I took that picture of Mr. Tuna. It was then that I was attacked. When I came back to, I was laying on a dusty street, everything on my person stolen to include my holo camera. My hand-me-down laser sword, which was checked in on the freighter had not yet been delivered to my room and I had no way (or so I thought) of dealing with those ruffians and getting my gear back. Instead, I headed back to my hotel room for the night. My sleep was restless and my dreams, more like visions really, were of mine and my father's past. I got a glimpse into some of the darkness I felt inside of me, but was unsure how to interpret it. That, however is a story for a different time.
I awoke to a knock on my door. It was the delivery of my luggage, along with a fine for illegally jettisoning an escape pod (I will have to try the Cheddar Mind Trick to fix that one). I grabbed my laser sword and headed out to retrieve my goods. My night's sleep seemed to unlock a different, but immense power. I could tap into the thoughts, very clearly, of all of the life on the planet. It didn't take long to locate Mr. Tuna and his friends. They were out in the desert taking pictures with my holo cam and laughing at how easily they duped me. Anger welled up inside of me as I marched out into the June wastelands.
When I found Bob and his friends using my holo cam to take pictures of the binary sunset I erupted into anger. I felt electricity coursing through me as I stepped directly in front of the camera lense taking them all by surprise. The two pictures below were the final two that Bob and his friends will ever take, and also the last two that could be taken from my holo cam as it was destroyed by the power of the Dark Cheddar Lightning. I was surprised that I could even salvage the images that had been captured to that point.
Binary Sunset
Dark Cheddar Lightning
After I had successfully recovered my goods, without the use of my laser sword, I headed back to town. My holo cam was, for all intents and purposes, rendered useless. I went to the hotel lobby and purchased a disposable holo cam. The photographic effect of these cheap cameras is terrible, making the images look little better than 3D Cartoons. But at least I could photograph the rest of my exploration. I decided to head back to the escape pod which landed me on Tatooine and await the inevitable rescue its beacon would bring. I took the long way and got some interesting photos along the way. Please enjoy them as you will. Oh, and for those concerned. Much meditation and consultation with the Cheddar Masters has helped me free myself from my past and from the Dark Cheddar that plagued me.
Escape Pod
Interesting Homestead
Tracked Sand Vehicle
Pit of Despair
Lizard Graveyard
Coming Soon - Endor's Sanctuary Moon
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