A.N: IMPORTANT NOTE IN THE END, PLEASE READ! Happy Force Friday, everyone! What did you guys get?! I got nothing because I'm stuck in school! Grrr…. Well I'll get something this weekend.

Mogor: That may be hard but will do.

I don't own Star Wars.

Chapter 34: The Nomads

Demira and Ezra got a bit antsy, Demira the most. She even leaned forward a little as if she was getting ready to spring.

When the Nomad soldiers came after them, Depa and her group stopped. Chief placed himself in front of Depa but the women quickly pushed him away, putting a hand on his bare chest and making sure he stood by her side. The Chief looked at Depa, a bit worried. She said, "No provocation."

Kanan put a hand on Demira's shoulder, and she looked to her left, to him. He shook his head. Demira nodded, and leaned back, relaxing.

The Nomad soldiers came and stood in a line, like a wall, to block the visiting group from seeing their establishment. As they all stood tall with spears aimed at the group, everyone got a look at them now. Like Kanan and Demira had seen earlier in the day, they wore their kilts with cloth tide tight on the waist and loose woven sleeveless shirts. Their headdress caps making them look taller, and the color of their cloths blending them into the plain. All of them looked at the group skeptically, especially Hera and Ahsoka. They've never seen people like them before.

From behind the group of men, a man stepped out to be between the men and the strangers. He wore more clothing than any one of the other Nomads. He had bage-white skirt-like cloth that went do his knees. He had two blue sashes that went across his chest, making an X-mark. To finish he wore a light green robe made out of light material. In his hands, he held a staff. A large stick that started small on the bottom and ended at the top wider and with a circle carved from the tip. He had really long hair that grew only from the back of his scalp and tied into a braid down to the balls of his feet. The rest of his head was shaved off.

The lead Nomad faced Depa's group, eyeing them with wary eyes. He looked at the Chief, a look of recognition crossing his face. He began with a dark tone, "Lumpe lu nga txan?"

"Pehem ra nga fpil?" The Chief replied with a harsh tone of his own.

"Ftang…." Depa warned.

"What was that about?" Zeb asked.

Demira answered. "That man is Chief Urak of this nomadic group. We've faced him many times in battle. Well, Chief has. I only ever catch glimpses before Depa leads me away."

The Chief took a deep breath and began by introducing his companions Urak. When the Chief pointed to Hera and Ahsoka, Urak's frowned deepened. He said something to the Chief in their language to which Chief responded.

"Can you translate?" Ezra asked Demira.

"Urak is asking if they are stranger from off world. Chief says yes, and that they are here to take their people back. They were taken captive unfairly. Urak says he only took them because he worried they would be hunted or killed by the wild animals." Demira growled, "I don't believe that." The Chief said something to Urak. "And Chief doesn't believe it either."

Urak replied harshly, making his nomads behind him raise their spears higher. The Chief said something in return just as rude, making Depa have to step forward and put a hand on his chest to stop him. "What happened?" Sabine asked.

"Urak asks why we always end up fighting. Chief said it is because the Nomads in the past have been deceptive."

Then Urak said something else, something that made Chief, Depa, and Demira look at him confused. Demira said, "Urak says we should ask your people he took for proof. He's…. he's giving them to us."

Urak ordered two of his men to go and back to the village. They did and on their return, they brought the missing members of Ahsoka's repair team. By then, the other men, women, children, and elders of the village began to walk over and see what was going on. When the repair team got to Depa's group, the people of the village had formed a semicircle around their warrior men and their Chief.

"I don't understand…" Demira began.

"What?" Ezra asked.

"The people, the children, the elders. They are there. They are… there."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They leave their weak to die? Why are they taking care of them?"

Ezra had moved his head up above the bushes to get a better look. Demira was right. Even the sick and elderly were there. Were the rumors not true?

One of the warrior men spotted Ezra peaking and gave a screech like yelp. He pointed to where the rest of the Ghost crew was hiding, making everyone on both sides turn to look. Ezra ducked back below, saying "Whoops…."

Sabine and Zeb slapped him upside the head, both saying, "Nice going, Ezra."

Urak looked at the hidden figure in the tree line ahead before looking at the Chief with a look of betrayal. Depa was quick to say something to him in their language which put the Nomad Chief at ease. Depa then looked back at the hidden group.

Kanan stood up with his hands in the air. "Let's go. Make them know we're not a threat."

Everyone walked out, weapons holstered and hands up, as they went to Depa and the others. When they got there, Depa went up to Demira and put a hand on her to make sure she relaxed as the girl faced the Nomads. She got no reaction. Demira just stared the Nomads down. Expecting them to do something. When Ezra and the others got to Hera and Ahsoka, Ezra said, "Sorry.

Hera crossed her arms and said, "It's not your fault but you should have been more careful. I don't think their leader is going to trust us now that he saw you guys hiding."

"It's not that I don't trust you," said a voice from the Nomad group. Everyone turned now to Chief Urak who stood tall and proud and with a smirk, "But I do ask that you remain truthful from now on."

"Of… course…." Hera managed to say through her shock. Urak spoke basic….. how?

Ezra whispered to Sabine next to him, "Plot twist…."

"Chief Urak?" Depa asked.

Urak said, "I learned your language when I was young. I also learned about people, your people, who lived among the stars. Many from the Plains Tribe learned with me and they, in turn, teach our people."

Urak motioned the repair team to move forward. They all went up to Ahsoka. The Togruta asked, "Are you all ok?"

"Yes," Responded a repair, women. "They didn't want to hurt us. They saved us."

Demira heard this and gasped in surprise, "What?"

A repair man said, "He said hew knew we came form off world which is why he came to help us from a creature that attacked the ship."

Depa concluded, "That's why we saw signs of a fight by the Cargo ship. The Nomads were protecting you from the creature."

"It was some sort of like… feline… monster—"

"An Iuchi," Urak explained. "It's strong enough to use its claws to tear through rock."

"So you knew it would tear through the ship's walls…" Chief finished.

Urak said, "I did not know you spoke basic."

"The Zuri Tribe learned in my younger years as well."

Kanan asked Urak, "Trader Rack. Was he your teacher?"

Urak's eyes lit up. "You know him?"

"Of him," Kanan said.

Depa said, "He has not come by in the last sixteen full seasons, hasn't he?"

Urak sighed. "No, he hasn't. I believe I know why." He pointed to the repair team. "They said you are all part of a Rebellion. A rebellion to fight an Empire. An empire that replaced the republic. The reason behind the Jedi's downfall. We knew of Trader Rack's powers. The All Mother was strong within him." Chief looked at Urak with a skeptical look. How was Urak, a Nomad, able to talk about the All Mother in such a way that he understood? Urak then said, "There are still people out there fighting for the good. I respect that. You are all welcome here."

Demira shook her head, unable to comprehend what the lead Nomad was getting at. Noticing Demira's rigidness and look of confusion, Depa said to Urak, "We thank you for your kindness. Ayoe zene luno." She then turned to everyone. "Let's go…"

As the off worlders turned around to leave, Urak said, "You speak our language well."

"I had a good teacher," Depa said as she put an arm around Demira's shoulder and had her walk by her side. Urak walked intently as Demira was moved away. The girl looked back at him in wonder, and he did the same to her. Demira was thinking on how the Nomads, all of them, had not once stepped up for a fight. Urak though was thinking something else…. She was part of the Zuri Tribe, yet she looked Nomad. Who was she?

The repair team was on the Cargo Ship's surface fixing the dents made by the attack of the Iuchi. Sabine and Ezra were walking around with boxes of tools and screws to bring to everyone. The two were whispering together when Zeb came and said, "What are you two lovebirds talkin' bout?"

"Lovebirds?" Ezra asked, amused at the idea.

Sabine elbowed Ezra on the side and said, "Not lovebirds…." Then she looked at Zeb. "We were talking about the Nomads. They weren't like the Tribe said about them."

"Rumors aren't always true. We fell for it." The three of them looked down sadly. They were better than this."

"Well," Ezra said, "I guess we're not the only ones. I mean, I bet Demira and the Chief are beating themselves up right now."

Depa was with Demira and the Chief at the edge of the landing area. They were all quiet as Depa stood cross armed. She said, "I'm not one to rub it in your face, but I do want to talk.

Hera, Kanan, and Ahsoka stood in front of the truck, far enough away to not hear what was going on but to see what was going on.

Depa continued, "I see you both are confused. I hate to see you like this. I want you to understand what you saw but the only way is to talk about it."

The Chief was the first to speak. "Only because Trader Rack trusted them to teach them what he taught us—"

"Kerchec…."

"I just don't understand how they were able to act so well and yet we've fought for them for years."

"Have you ever thought that perhaps they fight because you prompt them to? Your actions against them have always been based on rumor. Do you think if you knew them then like you do now, battles would not have broken out."

The Chief sighed and said, "Perhaps you are right. I have been quick to judge. I'm sorry Depa."

"I am not one you need to apologize. You will need to go to Urak and say that."

"I will but, I wasn't saying sorry to you because of them. I was saying sorry to you, because we did not trust you. You have always been…. Depa Billaba… the peace keeper among our people when you didn't have to be. The one time you needed to give peace our people pushed you away." The chief looked down in shame. "I pushed you away…"

Depa felt her heart jump, his words cutting deep in places she was still struggling to understand. She reached out and grabbed his hand attentively in hers. She smiled at him and said, "I forgive you, Kerchec."

Chief gave a wiry smile before his eyes darted away. Depa looked and noticed Demira had gotten lost in thought, just staring at the sky. Chief motioned his head towards her as he looked at Depa. Depa understood. Since the Cargo ship was being repaired, there was finally time to talk. Depa put her hand on the girl's shoulder and she got her to sit down on the grass with her.

The master and Padawan were quiet fro a while before Depa finally said. "We've been meaning to talk. More than just what you saw today. We will get to that. But with everything that happened yesterday. The Inquisitors."

"Depa, you've told me many times—"

"Close your eyes," Depa said, her tone much sweeter, not forced. Demira closed her eyes. "Tell me now, what did you see?"

"Masks and monsters."

"Hear?"

"Struggle."

"Feel?"

Demira hesitated on this one before saying, "Anger…. From them. Fear…. From me."

"It's ok to feel that way with them."

Demira was finally ready to say it. She opened her eyes and said, "I'm sorry Depa. I should have listened to you. I just thought they were like…."

"Like what?"

"The Nomads. We've always fought them. The times when I was able to fight the Nomads, when you couldn't stop me, I wasn't afraid. So I thought they were like the dakrsiders you fought in the Clone Wars."

Now it was time to talk about the Nomads. "After today, what do you think?"

Demira adjusted herself so that's he was no longer cross legged but sitting with her hands on her lap. "The Nomads are nothing like the Inquisitors. The Nomads….ngati…. oe ngat fko…."

Ahsoka said, to Kanan and Hera next to her as they watched, "I think Ezra is not the only Padawan still learning from their mistakes."

Kanan nodded in agreement.

Depa adjusted herself the same way. "Fko ngat nga…. Demira. Do you know understand when I tell you to listen."

"Yes. But you always tell me…. I'm sorry I forget."

Depa pulled the girl into a hug, "As your Ma'te, I will never let you forget. Don't worry."

Demira understood, but like Chief, she still felt like she failed Depa.

Zeb came by the group and said, "Rex said we should start getting ready with Depa's plan."

.

A.N: Not the most somber the most lighthearted tone, but enough to get you reading what happens next, right? So the Nomads aren't the bad guys, shocker… but wait hold up they knew Trader Rack! Now that's a plot twist!

IMPORTANT NOTE

So school is starting and though I'm usually able to update every two weeks during school, this semester is different. I have a class that is considered the hardest class in the entire animation program. I've heard stories and it doesn't sound like I'm going to have as much time writing as I used to. With that in mind, I don't want to leave you hanging for a whole semester so I will be updating ONCE every Month. Expect this story to be updated on the First Friday of every month until December. Thank you guys for sticking with me and I'll see you all on the next update. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!