The lead alien stood up even as the others continued to chant. It's skin changed to a thin emerald and it's hair back to white as it creeped closer, keeping it's eyes carefully averted it spoke softly and held out it's three fingered hand, palm up. In it's hand was a tiny silver dot.
Ben hessitated but the being bounced it's hand a few times in a wordless, universal sign for "take it".
As soon as Ben plucked the tiny dot from the being's icy cold palm the being touched itself behind the surprisingly human-like ear and pointed at Ben's ear then repeted the gesture. Curious, Ben pressed the dot to the spot just behind his earlobe.
"Welcome to Aaronia, sacred ones." The lead alien said, startling Ben and Rey both by speaking in the galactic common tongue.
"You speak common?" Rey gasped.
The being turned shocked eyes toward her, "No, Mother, we speak Aaronian. The device we gave to your mate allows it to hear in the language it is most fluent in." It glanced from Rey to Ben then back to Rey. "How can you hear through this one's ears? Is this something your species does naturally?"
"It is very hard to explain, but as far as I know we're the only ones who can do that." Rey said, extinguishing her staff, which automatically retracted to half it's size.
"How intriguing!" The alien sounded excited. "Please, come," It motioned towards the woods behind their TIEs. "Back to our village, we must speak more. There is much to discuss!"
Ben shook his head and put his weapon away, "We can't. We have to get back to our ship."
"Please, you must." The being begged. "The fate of all Aaronia hangs in the balance."
'The ship can wait.' Rey inserted into his mind. 'This sounds important.'
"Alright," Ben capitulated. "We'll accompany you to your village."
"Our name is Ko'da." The leader introduced itself.
"I'm Rey, this is my husband, Ben." Rey smiled warmly up at Ko'da as the tall, thin alien's skin changed back into a diamond-like clear sparkle.
"Husband? We are not familiar with this term." Ko'da frowned, causing rainbow sparkles to dance across Rey's face.
"Uhm… my mate." She said apologetically.
"Ah, yes. We understand now." Ko'da turned to it's followers, "Rise, mates, the fated ones have agreed to hear our pleas."
'Fated ones?' Ben's mindvoice carried a tone of surprise.
"Fated ones?" Rey asked aloud.
"In truth, little Mother, we were truly only expecting one, but we are delighted to have been sent two." Ko'da answered happily.
The other aliens rose, their skins and hair changing to match Ko'da's.
"You keep calling me 'Mother,' may I ask why?" Rey said politely as she and Ben followed Ko'da through the thick jungle.
"You are gravid, are you not, Mother?" Ko'da smiled, glittering in the gathering darkness.
"Sort of, we call it 'pregnant' though." Rey was so curious she wanted to ask the Aaronian a million questions, but could feel it wasn't quite the right time for that.
"Pregnant," It repeted, obviously curious as well. "Does that mean that your species does not deposit it's eggs in a communal clutch?"
"No, we females carry the eggs inside until they hatch." She rubbed her belly.
"How curious!" Ko'da sounded intrigued. "Your mate is not pregnant, though, is it not also a female?"
Ben snorted.
"No," Rey grinned. "Our species is 'Human' and humans come in two varieties, male and female." She explained. "Ben is a male, I am a female. Only females can produce young."
"That's…" Ko'da seemed a little lost for words. "If only half your species can reproduce, why does the other half exist?"
"Mostly just to cause trouble I think." She winked at Ben. "But aside from that a female needs a male to mate with, we cannot reproduce on our own."
"No?" Ko'da was shocked. "How inconvenient!"
"Your species doesn't require mating for reproduction?" Rey asked even while wondering how the conversation had strayed into such odd territory.
"No. When the time is right we all become gravid for a short time and then deposit our eggs in the sacred temple." It explained. "That is where we are taking you."
Ben decided now was the perfect time to get the conversation back on track. "You called us 'the fated ones' earlier," He asked, "Why?"
"Generations ago there came a visitor from the sky who foretold the fate of all Aaronia." Ko'da said quietly, leading them into the mouth of a cave, it's skin becoming luminescent enough to see by. "One day, the visitor told our ancestors, an evil would come from beyond the stars to destroy all life, everywhere. We would have no way to defend ourselves against it's evil eye, but the gods favor Aaronia, so they would send to us a mighty champion - the one upon whom all fates depend." It stepped closer to the smooth stone wall of the cavernous cave beyond the tunnel and held it's hand out to illuminate an image carved into the black stone. More and more beings crowded closer, their glowing bodies casting enough light to see the image and what appeared to be writing below it.
A large circle, the size of a TIEs cockpit with a smaller circle, like an eye - inlaid in a brilliant green stone, dominated the wall in front of them. Just below the green eye was a figure painted in white.
Inlaid across the figure were shards of jeweltoned stone, laid perpendicular to each other, red pointing upward to above the figure's head, rosey lilac lying horizontal nearly twice as wide as the figure.
"In the days preceeding the glare of destiny's wrath the chosen will appear." Ko'da read running it's glowing fingers over the inscription. "It's fiery blade a light of freedom in the gathering darkness; It's royal staff a glimmer of hope when all seems lost."
"How old is this prophecy?" Ben breathed, running a finger along the red stone that looked remarkabley like his light saber.
"A thousand generations have studied this image and been taught these words." Ko'da answered with reverence in it's crackling voice.
"A thousand generations." He whispered, his eyes fixed on the figure in the image.
"Who was this visitor from the sky?" Rey asked though the question was actually Ben's.
"This way." Ko'da lead them to another section of wall. "It's name was Je'di."
Rey gasped and lurched forward for a better view of the drawing. "I have seen this before!" She reached out and touched the age yellowed paint on the lighter side of the figure.
"You have?" Ben gaped.
Her eyes were huge in the dim light. "It's in the book I'm translating but also… in a mossaic on Luke's island." She flashed the images through his mind. "He was the first." She said confidently. "The first Jedi."
"Prophecies are tricky things." Ben warned. "There was a time when the Jedi Council believed my grandfather to be the subject of a thousands of years old prophecy…"
"What prophecy?" Rey asked almost idly while she studied the painting.
"They thought him to be the one chosen to bring balance to the force."
"Did he?" Ko'da inquired.
"No." Ben answered. "He killed nearly every Jedi in existence, all but two. It left the numbers even but didn't balance anything."
"Perhaps balance isn't about numbers." The alien said sagely. "Come, we must get you back to your ship before moonrise, but first we have gifts to help you in your fight against the great evil."
The alien lead them out of the cave and into the trunk of a massive tree that turned out to be hollow.
"A gift." Ko'da said, proferring a small wooden box.
The interior of the raw red wood box was brimming with tiny translator dots. "And this one," it held out a polished black box. "Will help you in your journies."
"What are these?" Ben asked, peering into the black box at a multitude of tiny golden dots.
"These are for talking." Ko'da said.
"Talking?"
Ko'da touched behind it's ear. "For hunting." It explained. "Can hear a whisper from far away."
"How far?" Ben was surprised at the level of technology the Aaronians possessed.
"Much farther than your ships are from here." It waved a hand dismissively.
The ships were a few kilometers away. "Not bad... with tech capabilities like this, how is it that your people have never developed space travel technologies?"
"The great evil comes from beyond the stars." Ko'da answered. "We have no wish to go there."
"Do you have ways to translate written text?" Rey asked, thinking of the Jedi Manuscripts.
"Written text… we have scholars for that, but attempts to develop technology have proven inadequate for the vaguarities of written words."
"May we return soon and bring something for your scholars to look at?" Rey asked politely.
"Of course." Ko'da answered. "But for now, you really must go. It is unsafe in the jungle once the moon has risen and the farkillers have awakened."