Chapter Nine

Yoda decided it would be better to surprise the Knanadin's than to call ahead and have them walking the floors waiting for Jocna. As the arrived at Talan he called down and asked for Commissioner Thayne to meet them at the spaceport.

"Master Yoda, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. I…" He said then saw the young boy come out wearing one of Maure's robes cut down to fit him.

"Hello!" Jocna said boldly. "I've come to see my parents. My name is Jocna."

"Yes, I know I'm glad to meet you. How did you find him so quickly." Thayne asked Yoda.

"Got away from Killum, he did. Was left behind when Killum fled. Now to parents we would like to take him." Yoda explained.

"Yes, by all means let's go." Thayne said and led the way.

They all marveled as the boy bounced ahead of the group, singing and skipping along the trails. Taking paths without being told which way his parents lived. He rounded the last turn and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the house and the lady out front working in the flowers. He could smell the flowers she had always smelled like. He took a deep breath and just stood watching her for a minute.

"Jocna, don't you want to go say, Hello?" Maure asked.

"Yes, I just wanted to remember a little longer more before I go over." He said smiling.

Just then Iona looked up and saw the Wookie, then Maure, then Jocna. "Hinl!" She shouted.

Hinl came running out of the house with a large stick expecting to find something attacking his wife. When he saw what she was looking at he dropped his stick and ran after her. They ran up to Jocna dropped to their knees and hugged him. They showered him with kisses and he soaked up all the love he had missed for so long. This time Hinl wasn't worried about the Jedi and the commissioner seeing him cry, these were tears of joy and he was not ashamed to be seen doing such an unmanly thing.

Finally, he pulled himself away and asked. "How did you find him, I thought the chances were slim?" Hinl asked hugging everyone even picking up Yoda and hugging him under protest.

Yoda rearranged his robes when Hinl set him down, sighed and said. "Saved himself, he did we just found him and brought him back."

Hinl almost giddily said. "Saved himself?"

"Ahh! It was nothing I just sang Moder's song to him and gave him a headache and he let me go." Jocna said carefully leaving out all the bad reactions Killum had to him. Both parents were glad for that kindness.

Iona knew that as hostess she should invite the Jedi in and serve them something for their assistance to her family but she could hardly bare to turn loose of him, to stand and walk to the house would be torture.

Maure realizing why she was torn smiled and said. "I know this is a very emotional time for you. Just enjoy your time with your son, we understand."

Finally, Iona and Hinl turned loose of the child they had waited so long to see again and escorted the Jedi to their home. Everyone laughed as Jocna explored the house looking for thing he remembered and bringing things to them and saying, "This is the bear I went to sleep with but I took it out of my bag and forgot it when it was time to go." "This is the canine we had, his name is Pete." He wooled Pete and threw a ball for him. "Hey that is the room I slept in and this is the chair you rocked me to sleep in and sang me the song about the minock and the wampa."

Iona said, "You must stay for dinner it's the least we can do for what you have given us back." She rushed into the cookery without waiting for an answer and started setting the table. Maure went in and started assisting her but Tanacca could tell having a Wookie in her cookery was more than Iona was prepared to deal with at this time so she stayed in the company room with the men.

Soon the table was covered with dishes, glasses, silverware a pot of stew and several loaves if bread. Iona pulled a high stool up to the table for Yoda and sat Tanacca between him and Maure since she was still leery of the Wookie. Hinl thanked the Force for the return of their son and everyone started passing bowels and bread around. Yoda was thankful that it was a stew more to his liking than most people's cooking. Jocna gobbled down three bowels of the stew and finished his desert. Maure was helping with the dishes while Iona paced back and forward looking at her son between drying bowels. Iona squealed. "I can hardly believe we have our son back, he's really here for good."

"Moder, I… I can't stay here. You would't be safe if I stayed here. Killum'll come lookin' for me someday and if I'm here, he'll hurt you and Faver. I have ta go with Yoda. I've dreamed about goin' to the Temple all my life." Jocna said. "I need ta go learn about how ta use the Force not like Killum wanted but like the Jedi so for good."

Iona pulled her apron up over her face and started crying. Jocna slid off his chair and ran over to her and hugged her. She dropped the apron, pulled him up into her lap and sat rocking him and crying softly. Jocna said. "It's OK Moder the baby in your tummy will be here soon and she is not strong in the Force. She will be with you and you won't be sad any more."

Hinl's head snapped at the mention of the baby. "Iona are you really…?"

"I don't know I've been so worried about Jocna I haven't thought about … Yes! I'm a… Yes! I could be." Iona stammered, having to discuss such personal thing in front of guest.

"Yep! You are." Jocna said boldly. "Her name is Yara after Yoda's mother." Jocna announced to Yoda's surprise.

"Yara, that's a lovely name." Iona said.

"Master Yoda could we keep Jocna here overnight and you take him in the morning?" Hinl asked.

"Yes. Happy to return and pick him up tomorrow, we will be. Now allow you to visit, we will." Yoda said and the Jedi excusing themselves and left.

oOo

The next morning Yoda and Maure arrived to pick up Jocna and found a much more relieved family. The visit had relieved their minds and hearts about their son situation and this time it was his decision to go. Maure brought the papers for the parents to sign and they did so willingly not under an air of deception as before. Jocna hugged and kissed his parents goodbye and told them he would be back to see them again. He waved as he bounced along holding Maure's hand singing the song he loved. "All around the mollberry bush the minock chased the wampa."