A.N: Hey guys! So Legends of the Lasat episode was so freakin epic because music, animation, and of course my favorite…. Lasats.

Starlight Moon Midnight: You'll find out soon, and yeah hopefully the Tribe will understand.

DeviLSPR: We'll find out soon.

I don't own Star Wars

Chapter 20: The Tribe

As I was pushed towards the man with the staff, everyone crowded around the high rock ledged where the men and I stood. Their eyes shifted back between the man with the staff and then to me. They were waiting to see a reaction. Oh I hope it's not a bad one. He looked at me, his eyes shifting as if to take every detail of me from head to toe. Keeping a scowl on his face as his eyes staid glue to me, he said something in his language to which one of the men, the lead of the group, responded. A small conversation went on between them for a short minute. But I managed to catch a few familiar words I've heard Demira say before. They even mentioned Demira once, and my head perked to the side slightly in reaction.

Finally, after a few minutes, the man began to speak to me, "They say you speak the basic as you call it. If it's true, then you're not from this planet." I was stunned at how well he spoke. There was no hesitation to pick words and he had seemed to know a lot of them. He was much better then Demira, to be honest. I responded, "Yes, I'm not from here."

"Then where are you from?"

"I…. I'm not from one place…. I just move around." I didn't hesitate because I was trying to find the best way to explain. I hesitated because he looked at me wary. Had I already done something wrong, or was he just being suspicious?

"A Traveler. Why have you come to our world?" He asked, acting unconvinced by this claim.

"I was in a ship and it crash landed here. I met Demira soon after and she said your Tribe may be able to assist me on finding a way out of here."

The Shaman blinked several times. What did I say? He said, "If it hasn't been made clear to you yet by Demira, then you should know that there are no ships here. Our Tribe is…. primitive as you would call it." He said the last bit with malice, as if he hated to say it at all. Well he didn't have to if he didn't want to. I'm not the one calling the people primitive out right.

I picked my words carefully. "Demira did say that you don't have such advancements, but there must be somewhere on this planet I can go to get help. I mean, according to some cave paintings, you aren't at all disconnected with what's out there-"

"Cave painting? That little Oofa!" he yelled, slamming the end of his staff into the ground. "She took you through the tunnels of the mountain, didn't she? She knows that's not a place for just anyone—"

"Bruton." Someone behind him yelled. Everyone looked up at a rock ledge that stood higher then the one we were on. When I tilted my head to the side to see who was coming down the ramp towards us, I suddenly felt… less tense for a slight second. A well muscled man, wearing nothing above his waist but a black furred cape hanging behind him, walked down gracefully to us. Black tattoos were painted all around his arms and chest. A drape of black cloth covered him around the waist, showing his sturdy bare legs and feet. A skull acted like a crown over his forehead with a crystal embedded in the middle. I could see his hair decorated with bits of bone. As he came up to stand next to the man, Bruton, he said, "Demira knows she's not allowed without permission but she must have a good reason."

We weren't allowed in the caves? Was that why Demira got scared when she tried to touch the painting? "We do." I said in defense, grabbing Bruton and the other man's attention. "We were forced underground by an avalanche. There was nothing we could do to avoid it."

The tattooed man looked at me with calm but shifty eyes. Even though he was trying to see if I was telling the truth, there was still a welcoming atmosphere to him. His blue eyes stared at mine and for some reason my breath hitched. Hearing what I said, he turned to Bruton. "You see, my friend, there was nothing they could do." Bruton just gave me a scowl. What's his problem? The other man waved hand across him, and the men surrounding me stepped back. Then he came up to stand in front of me, putting a hand on his chest and said, "I am Chief Kerchec, leader of the Zuri Tribe." This is the Chief that Demira was talking about. I then looked at the crowed surrounding us. Zuri Tribe…. Kerchec motioned to Bruton. "This is our Shaman, Shaman Bruton. Excuse him. He can be very skeptical about strangers not from this planet."

"I have a right to be." Bruton hissed. "You know better then I do why."

Kerchec slightly lost his calming demeanor and gave a glare towards Bruton. Then he regained is smile and looked at me. "We just haven't had anyone come visit for a long time."

"I heard. Demira told me about… Trader Rack, if I'm saying it right. But the cave paintings…. they depicted that you—"

"Ah, ah!" the Shaman interjected. "There is a reason only the Chief and I are allowed there. Nothing from there must be mentioned. All the Tribe needs to know is that there are others out there and we should learn from their mistakes."

"Mistakes?" I repeated. And why were they keeping knowledge from their people?

The Chief put a hand on my shoulder, seeing my distressed look. "We don't get involved in wars we can't fight. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." I nodded. The duel of lightsabers. But that still didn't answer the question if they knew what Jedi were. If Demira and the Tribe couldn't know, did the Shaman and Chief know? I wasn't going to ask though. The last thing I wanted to do was bring up the Jedi and have them speculate who I am.

I looked around at the people around me, and then at the village which sat quiet now with the river flowing by smoothly. If a war came here, would this place still be the same? "It is peaceful."

"And we like to keep it that way." The Shaman hissed. "But now you came along asking for help that can't be given. A complete waste of time."

The Chief ignored him and let go of his hand on my shoulder, telling me, "I hear you are in need of a ship, but I'm sorry. You will not find one here." Hearing how honest he was, I relaxed but my shoulders slightly slumped in defeat. It was too much to hope these people could help even with their style of life. But now where will I go? As if to answer my question, the Chief said, "We'd be happy to offer you safe refuge here." What?

I looked at him wide eyed. Even the Shaman was just as surprised. I heard a couple of gasps come from the crowed around me. It suddenly dawned on me that some of these people could understand what we had been conversing this whole time.

The Shaman waved his hands around, the staff going back and forth as he said, "Vin! Vin! No, she mustn't stay. She is an outsider, and outsiders bring nothing but trouble."

The Chief said something to the Shaman in their language and suddenly a small argument broke out. No, don't turn against each other like this because of me. "Please stop." I insisted. The Chief and the Shaman quickly became quiet and looked at me. "He-he's right. I shouldn't stay. If you can not help me then I must go. I will only lead the Imperials here."

"Imperials?" The Chief repeated.

Demira said the last time they had contact with anyone from outside the planet was five years ago. "The Republic is gone, an Empire took over. The Separatists no longer exist."

"The war is over? What happened for all this to come by?" The Chief asked.

The elimination of the Jedi Order. "The—the Republic was deemed untrustworthy." My face fell in shame.

The Chief looked at me in concern and asked, "And these…. Imperials… are they a threat?"

"Of course they have to be." The Shaman hissed. "What else? The Republic, an Empire, they are all the same."

"No." I said in defense.

"Really? So is this Empire not made up of soldiers set to follow one rule and destroy those who defy them." Yes. Though they think what they are doing is right, Imperials always end up hurting others. I nodded. "So was the Republic" The Shaman concluded.

"It wasn't the quota to hurt people." I defended.

"But many lives were taken."

"Not on purpose on our part."

"You didn't want to, but lives were taken anyway by the other side. And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't chosen to fight back."

I opened my mouth again to argue, but this time nothing came out. He was right. I pretty much agreed the same… somewhat. It was a mistake to go to war, though I don't say it as harshly as he is saying it now. "Yes." I agreed.

The Chief tried to change the subject by saying, "Let's not dwell on something in the past." The Chief then came around so that he stood in the way to block my view of the Shaman. "I'm sure you did not intend to bring the Imperials here. You seem to side with the Republic by the sound of it. Rack said most of the best people came from there."

"He used the word very loosely, I bet." I said.

This made the Chief smile and chuckle. I smiled, but I was taken aback almost by his reaction. He was just…. something….. humorous for the most part. "But we can at least trust you and anyone worth trusting deserves our gratitude by staying here hidden. And those Imperials sound very bad, so it's better you stay with us so they don't find you. At least until you can find a way to get back to where you came from. Besides you brought Demira home safely, you deserve more then just the safety of the Tribe." He looked at the Shaman who was giving him nothing but a glare. The Chief held his head high.

I looked around at the crowed. They are very honorable in their way of showing thanks. Also, the Imperials weren't clever enough to find this place hidden behind the waterfall. Lastly, I did promise Demira I would see her after this…. And I want to stay long enough to make sure she's ok. "I accept your gratitude."

The Chief smiled and said, "Very well then." He then put a hand on my shoulder and waved a hand towards the men around me to part ways. As they moved out of the way, the Chief turned me to face the crowed around us. Then he asked me, "What is your name."

Like with Demira, I didn't hesitate, "Depa Billaba"

He began to speak in his language, his loud booming voice echoing through the canyon as he said, "Watu wangu, kuwa Depa Billaba!" He then went on saying more in his language, sometimes motioning towards me. The he said something that made everyone suddenly disperse. Putting a hand around my shoulder, he motioned me to turn around again, this time heading towards the ramp he came down from earlier. He said to the Shaman, "I will take her from here."

"Do remember you still have duties." And with that the Shaman marched away.

I saw the look of grief in the Chief's eyes. I need to talk to him. "You didn't have to do that, go against the better judgment," I said a he ushered me up the ramp.

"I was going with better judgment." The Chief said, "They don't understand though. It's like every new thing they see must be carefully examined to the detail. As if one misconception can endanger the Tribe."

"Your Tribe may be too cautious, but perhaps it is for the greater good."

"Maybe for just any regular stranger, but you… you went through landscapes and weather you are not used to, all that while taking care of someone you didn't know before. If anything, that tells me you are strong and selfless. People like that deserve a chance."

I smiled at him. "Very true indeed, and thank you."

"It's a pleasure…. Or not problem…. However it's said now days."

I chuckled lightly. Well, he's trying. "You're very fluent. I'm impressed. I was expecting something much less like Demira."

"Demira is only starting." He explained, we got onto the flat outcrop of rock. "Much like the older ones of the Tribe they know little but want to learn it. Many of the younger families don't really want to because they don't see the need. We don't get many visitors." He motioned me right to go up another rock to a higher ledge.

"Of course. Though the Shaman, he seems like someone who wouldn't care."

"Well, Bruton has been here even before the time Trader Rack had come along. I feel like he was more more curious in his younger days, but with age he's become less energetic. He tries to use age against me, being I'm still a young Chief and he is one of the oldest in our Tribe and more experienced."

"It's not common to have a young Chief?"

"It is common, Bruton just doesn't like it. And I did claim my Center at an early age."

"Your Center?"

"Did Demira not tell you about this?"

"No." Should she have?

Surprised at my answer, the Chief blinked once but the shrugged his shoulders absent mindedly. "Well, when a Tribe member reaches a certain age, they come to realizes what part of this great earth they feel more connected to the All Mother, our—"

"Your Deity. Demira told me of her."

The Chief nodded. "We are keen to be one with her, so we affiliate her with what she has given us. Such as certain trees that provide us shelter or food. Such as the ground we walk on or the mountains that scale above us. A Chief's center is the people, so when I claimed mine it was somewhat of a shock but not a surprise. The Chief at that time was getting old."

I looked at the way his hair had been embroidered with bets of bone and the skull mask on his forehead. "That's why you dress like this."

"You're clever. Yes, we all dress with what our center represents. It's how we make our Mark within the Tribe, it's a right of passage."

"Marks…. Demira did tell me about there being steps to coming of age. We found paintings about it." That's why I didn't get it the first time because she only told me about the the first one. "Demira said she has yet to complete the passage of becoming part of the Tribe."

"So she did tell you. Well, I want her to… but as you may well know it will be hard for her."

"Yes, but I'm sure regular children like her always get the jitters before—"

"No, no it's not…" He faltered. We got to the top of another ledge which over looked the village below. But my eyes weren't at the sight far away. I stared at the Chief wondering what he was getting at. "Did she not tell you the truth of why she may not be able to make her first passage? The reason why she ran away from the Tribe?" I shook my head no. But looks like I'm going to find out.

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A.N: TELL US! So Depa meets the Chief and Shaman, finds out a little bit about their customs as well as viewpoints. I tried not to get political, sorry if I did. And now Depa is gonna stay with the tribe for a while. Let's see how that goes. Anyway. So if The All Mother is sounding like the Force to some people, let's just say I'm inspired by Legends of the Lasat. You know me hehehe. Anyway, next we find out a little more about Demira. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!