Reflection Saga:
Part 9
*snickers* Told ya that I still had a few surprises, didn't I! Ha ha!
*****
"Ugh..." Rentha moaned. "What the devil?" She looked around, spying Fulageo on her left and Mace and Yaro on her right. Looking up, she saw that all four of them were hanging on a tree limb at least ten feet off the ground by their wrists. Ropes tied their arms to the tree's biggest branch, dangling them like piñatas.
"Nice of you to join the party," Fulageo mumbled.
"Well, I couldn't let you three have all the fun." Rentha looked down at the ground. "That's a mighty long way down."
"Thanks for informing us of the obvious."
"Oh shut up." Then she noticed her utility belt and blasters were gone. "Hey! Someone took my stuff!"
"Yeah," Yaro said, having just awoken. "My lightsaber is missing as well."
Mace groaned. "Oh, my neck." Then he started to wriggle around, trying to reach his back with his foot. "What a time to get an itch! Ow!"
Suddenly, Rentha's body began to itch as well. "I think it's contagious, Mace. Now I itch."
Yaro tried to scratch his back like Mace had done. "Ow! It doesn't itch; it bites!"
Suddenly, Rentha saw a small dot crawl across her chest. A dot about an inch big and a bright red. "Aah!" She screamed. "Ants! BIG ants!" Her whole body began to sting all over, and she couldn't do a thing about it. The ant that had been on her chest was now on her torso, gnawing through her shirt to bite her stomach. "Ow! Stupid bugs!"
"Ow! Ow!" Yaro cried out. "Let me try something! Ow!" Turning his gaze to the tree limb, Yaro stared at it hard, whispering under his breath. Suddenly, the whip-like branches above them began to sweep towards them, brushing away the ants. Once they were all gone, everyone sighed with relief.
"Can ya have the tree put us down?" Mace asked, frowning from the stings on his body. The ants had left, but their bites remained.
Yaro nodded. "I think so, but..."
"But what, Jedi?" Fulageo growled.
"It's gonna be a long drop, if I have the tree put us down."
Rentha looked down at the ground again. Even though she had the brawns of a bounty hunter, that didn't mean she had to like heights even the slightest bit. "Oh no...that will definitely hurt."
Yaro smirked cockily. "Well, we could always wait for our little, red friends to come back."
"Put us down Yaro!" Rentha screeched.
"Okay, no need to shout and tell Sidious we're here! Never get any thanks..." Yaro started to mumble under his breath as the tree limb bent over as far as it could. The snapping of the wood as it bowed rang in Rentha's ears. When the branch they were on was about seven feet above solid ground, Yaro said, "Last stop; ants, jungles, evil Sith Lords. Everyone off on three. Three...two...one!"
The ropes suddenly slid towards the end, stripping the branch off its leaves as the group fell to the ground. Fulageo, graceful as he was, landed feet first and caught Rentha in his arms. "Thank you," she said.
"No problem, partner."
Yaro did a perfect back flip onto the ground, landing on top of a tree stump. Mace, however, wasn't as lucky; he landed rear-end-first into the nest of the ants. "Ow! OW! OW! OW! They're eating me alive!" He yelped.
Everyone but Yaro laughed at the sight of the boy scratching at his rear, desperately trying to remove the pesky ants. Walking up to the boy, Yaro pulled down a tree limb and brushed the insects off of Mace. When Mace tried to stomp out the nest, Yaro instantly grabbed his leg. "Don't!" The Jedi said sternly. "They have the right of way; they are only defending their home."
Mace frowned, but left the ants alone as they crawled back into their nest. Looking around, he said, "So...what now?"
Rentha took in their surroundings: it was a huge rainforest. If she had thought she had been high up in the tree, she had been wrong. The trees were simply enormous, growing hundreds of feet tall. Little light leaked through the trees' canopies. Ferns cushioned the ground all over; it was like walking on clouds. The occasional bird squawked, insects chirped, and (only once) a loud roar sounded out, making the entire group jump.
"That does not sound good," Fulageo mumbled.
"Or very inviting, for that matter," Yaro agreed. "But that does not matter. To find Yaddle and stop Darth Sidious, we must go through it."
Rentha nodded. "Then let's go my companions." Spying a semi-clear path, the group walked in a straight line to whatever awaited them.
*****
"What the!?" Rentha, who had been several feet in front of the others, yelled. Yaro, Fulageo, and Mace quickly came to her aide, finding her in a small clearing. Mace cried out.
There was a head; the head of a human male on stake. From the looks of it, he had been there for a long time, maybe a few months. Flies buzzed around the skull, picking at the rotting flesh. Yaro tried his best not to become sick, suddenly glad he had fed the last of his provisions to his daughter.
Mace started to step backwards, clearly terrified. "That-that-that- that's the man who I was telling you about! The man who escaped, and was heard screaming here! We should leave!" He turned to leave, but was stopped by Fulageo's arms.
"Now, just hold on junior! You're staying with us...or you can go out in this forest and end up like your friend over there."
Yaro nodded. "He's right, Mace. If you get lost here, I doubt you'll find your way without meeting whoever killed this prisoner." He glanced up and down the pole, looking for any evidence of who might have done this.
Suddenly, there was a great screeching, hooting, and chatter filling the air. Before even Yaro could react, immensely heavy nets were tossed on top of them from the trees overhead. Although he struggled, Yaro could not toss of the net, or reach his lightsaber to cut it open.
A male person walked into the clearing. He was humanoid, with dark blue skin and black hair. His ears were almost exact copies of Yaro's, except they were pierced all the way from the lobe to the tip with heavy- looking bronze and copper earrings, some of which looked like they had been made of gears, ships, or droids. He wore an extensive, furred cape and a loincloth of the same material, but not much else. A metal, utility belt that Yaro recognized to be Rentha's hung on the man's hips. On it was Mace and Yaro's lightsabers, along with Fulageo and Rentha's blasters. Many more of the same species came out, both female and male. From the way they respectfully stayed away from the man who had approached Yaro and the others, he was clearly their leader.
Hoping desperately that the man knew Basic, Yaro said loudly and slowly, "Hello! Who...are...you?"
The man snorted, and squatted to look Yaro in the face. He seemed confused, and then stood up and yelled out something to someone in the back. A female, a teenager it seemed, walked slowly up to the leader and chattered up to him.
Pointing to Yaro, the leader barked something at the girl roughly. The girl nodded, and then cleared her throat, sitting on her knees in front of the group. In perfect Basic, she said, "Hello, strangers. I am Aoife, and this," pointing to the man behind her, "is my father and chief, Versalo. Welcome!"
Yaro only let his mouth gape, and from the silence behind him, so did his friends. "H-Hello, Aoife. Um...why have we been captured? Could you let us go?"
Aoife looked back up at Versalo and chattered a few words in her language. Versalo thought, then hooted back at his translator. Yaro had a bad feeling that meant "no."
The young girl looked back at Yaro. "He said no, unless you tell us who you are, why you are here, and what you want."
"Well, alright: I am Yaro, a Jedi Knight, the Human man with silver hair is Fulageo, the Twi'lek is Rentha, and the boy is my Padawan, Mace Windu. We are here to find another Jedi, and we want-"
"To be let out!" Rentha interrupted. Mace and Fulageo nodded in agreement.
"Jedi?" Aoife's face was a first confused, then beamed with happiness as she spoke again with Versalo, this time with gusto. Versalo, too, looked stunned. Then he smiled and yelled at the top of his voice, sounding extremely happy. Two men came forward, lifting the heavy net off of them. Yaro stood up, slightly bewildered. "What is that all about?"
Aoife smiled brightly. "We have been waiting for the Jedi, for a very long time! But first!" She clapped, and almost instantly the group was lifted onto the shoulders of some of the taller males. "Come! We will care for you in our village!"
Yaro looked over at his friends, who shrugged. Perplexed, he said, "Let's just see what they want to do with us, first." He looked upwards at the ceiling of trees, his eyes occasionally smarting when struck with a ray of light. He sighed; it seemed whenever he came within an inch of rescuing Yaddle, she was snatched away from him and hidden even farther off then before.
*****
The group took Yaro and the others to their home; a ground-set village, with domed homes made of various tree limbs, glued together with mud and tied to the ground with ropes made from the guts of animals. Children rushed to meet their fathers, while the women just stood in front of their huts. From the stares they were getting, Yaro guessed that news of Jedi coming was very important to them. Their weapons were given back to them, and Yaro could feel that Fulageo and Rentha felt safe again, now that they had their weapons within their grasp. Grasping his lightsaber's hilt, he almost felt the same way. Almost.
"Aoife!" He called down to the translator. "Why are we being brought here?"
She beamed up at him. "We, the Aeetosians, have been waiting for so long for the Jedi to come for us! To save us from the clutches of Darth Sidious, and return our planet, our freedom, and our dignity to us!"
Before he could ask any more questions, Yaro and his friends were set carefully on the ground. Versalo smiled at them, and then began to speak. Aoife stood to his side, translating as the chief talked. "We would like to thank these Jedi for coming, for coming to set us free again! Let us celebrate their arrival with food, drinks, dancing, and music!" Both Aoife and Versalo clapped their hands together, and almost instantly a huge pile of fruits, vegetables, and what seemed to be a flat kind of bread. Just looking at it made Yaro's mouth begin to water, not to mention the smell. But he shook his head, clearing the image of himself gorging to his heart's delight out of his head. "But wait! What do you mean? We don't understand at all!"
Aoife consulted to her father, who looked frustrated now. He sighed, and began to speak in the native language as Aoife deciphered his words. "Twelve years ago, our planet was peaceful. The crops were good, the weather kind, and many children were born. But then, a Sith named Darth Sidious came and claimed us. Of course, we fought...but we lost all of our warriors. We have been his slaves since then. I, Aoife, was even captured by him and made his servant, which is how I know Basic. But we were sure that the Jedi would come for us, and now you have come!"
Yaro was instantly filled with pity and guilt. "I'm so, so sorry, Aoife, but we have not come to set you free."
The girl jerked back. "What?"
"I said we didn't come here to rescue the Aeetosians. We...or rather, I...came here looking for a Jedi friend of mine, who is being held by Sidious. Her name is Yaddle. I miss her horribly." He added miserably.
Although stunned, Aoife explained everything to her father. He grunted out of surprise, and then his face became very grim. Yaro was sorry that he couldn't help these people. "I'm so sorry...," he repeated sadly. He hung his head. "I really am."
Versalo walked up, crouched down, and looked straight into Yaro's eyes. He grunted and chirped a few words. Though he didn't understand them, Yaro felt comforted by the sound of the man's words.
"He says he is sorry that one of your clan is in that horrible place. He knows how it feels to have a loved one there, for I was there for almost a year." Aoife listened to her father's words for a moment. "He asks if you love the Jedi in the prison."
Yaro nodded. "She...she had my child in that prison. I can still feel her pain," he whispered softly. Aoife retransmitted the words to Versalo, who smiled sadly. He spoke again; sadly, mournfully, as if he had known Yaddle and Yaro their whole lives.
"My father asks how he can help you, to help you retrieve your loved one."
Yaro's mouth dropped. "W-What?"
"We want to help you find this 'Yaddle'. You seem to care for this woman greatly."
Yaro smiled back, not sure what to say, think, or do. "Thank you...so much." He felt like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. "You are so kind. I promise, if, no, when we find Sidious and destroy him, I will restore your freedom."
Aoife translated this back to her father, who looked like he was going to explode with happiness. With a sweep of his arm, he bear-hugged the entire group with all his might. "Too...tight!" Yaro yelped, unable to breath. Chuckling, Versalo set them back on the ground and then gestured to the ground.
"Let us eat!" Aoife said loudly. Turning to Yaro and the others, she said, "My father says you may spend the night here, if you wish."
Yaro bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Aoife." Mace, Fulageo, and Rentha did the same. Then they feasted for hours, until Yaro felt he was going to bust. Looking over at Mace, who was still devouring his food by the handful, he said, "You'd best not eat so fast, or you'll have an upset stomach, not to mention hiccups."
Nodding, Mace slowed down, but only a little. "Yes Master." Even when Rentha and Fulageo had finished, they waited for their hosts to finish. But when it began to grow dark and the stars creeped into the sky, Yaro decided to retire to bed. Bowing again to Aoife and Versalo, he said, "It is far past my usual bedtime!"
Aoife nodded. "Yes, you must need your rest. Good night, Master Yaro."
Yaro smiled again, then walked into the hut that Aoife had indicated for him and his comrades to sleep in, sitting down on the furry bed. Although the ground was rough, there were more than enough pelts to mask it and keep him warm. Sleep began to take him, closing his eyelids against his will. He smiled softly. Tomorrow, I will find Yaddle..., he thought softly as he drifted into dreams. Then take her in my arms, and hold her as tight as I possibly can...I'll take her back to Coruscant, with Yiara in my arms...yeah...
*****
"Master Yaro?" A voice was calling out to Yaro, pulling him out of sleep.
"Wha?" Yaro looked up into the eyes of Mace Windu. "Mace? What time is it?"
"It's still a little while till sunrise, I think. Versalo said if we're gonna attack Sidious' fortress, we had best do it as early as possible."
"Oh...yeah...let me get dressed," he mumbled. Mace nodded and walked outside. I hate mornings! Yaro cursed in his mind. As soon as he had dressed, he pushed open the door. Seeing Versalo, in battle armor made from metal scraps, he walked over. "Chief Versalo! Good morning!" That was a lie, Yaro thought.
Versalo, although he hadn't understood a single word, understood the feeling and clapped Yaro on the back heartily, laughing. Yaro chuckled, wishing he had a good cup of Java Juice to wake him up or at least get him going faster.
"Ya ready yet, Jedi?" Yaro turned around and saw Fulageo and Rentha. They had armor on just like Versalo's, but more fitted to their form.
"Ready and willing, just not awake," Yaro said, trying to sound cheerful.
"I take it that Jedi don't do mornings?"
"Not this one. Where's Mace?"
"I'm right here!" Mace emerged from their small hut, dressed in robes a lot like Yaro's, save his coat was a light tan instead of crimson. He wore no scarf, and two sets of shirts under the coat, the first one was brown and the latter white. A leather belt hung on his waist, with his lightsaber hanging on it. His knee-high boots were also leather.
Seeing the confused looks from his friends, he said, "Some of the women thought I should wear something else other than that dirty shirt of mine." Picking at the wool shirts, he added, "They're really comfortable, I'll say that!"
"Ah." Turning back to Versalo and Aoife, he said, "Are we ready? Do you have a plan?"
Aoife nodded, and pulled out a scroll made from tree bark. Spreading it out, she said, "If Mace's information is right, the prison cells are all underground. Mace will guide us to them. We will release the prisoners, then go upwards into the fortress and track down Sidious." Looking down at Yaro, she said, "We are very, very confident of this plan."
Yaro checked over the map a few times and nodded. "That sounds good." Turning to his friends, he said, "What do you say?"
Rentha and Fulageo looked at each other. They smiled and said in unison, "We'll do it." Mace gave Yaro a bright smile. "I'm ready to risk my life, Master Yaro!"
Yaro smiled. He knew he could rely on them. Turning back to Aoife, he said, "Tell Versalo we'll do it!"
Once he had heard this, Versalo put his hands together around his mouth and hooted a few times. All the men and women, all dressed in battle armor and armed with both spears and blasters they must have stolen, leaped from the huts. Versalo waved his arm to the forest, barked out an order, and marched into the forest. Yaro, his friends, Aoife, and the village followed him, watching the sun begin to rise in the horizon. Yaro felt hope rise into his heart again, simply knowing that in less than a day, Yaddle would be safe again and in his arms once again.
***** ~This is the part where you go read Part 10! You know...the 10th part of this insane little fic...just go already, why are you still reading this!? (
*****
"Ugh..." Rentha moaned. "What the devil?" She looked around, spying Fulageo on her left and Mace and Yaro on her right. Looking up, she saw that all four of them were hanging on a tree limb at least ten feet off the ground by their wrists. Ropes tied their arms to the tree's biggest branch, dangling them like piñatas.
"Nice of you to join the party," Fulageo mumbled.
"Well, I couldn't let you three have all the fun." Rentha looked down at the ground. "That's a mighty long way down."
"Thanks for informing us of the obvious."
"Oh shut up." Then she noticed her utility belt and blasters were gone. "Hey! Someone took my stuff!"
"Yeah," Yaro said, having just awoken. "My lightsaber is missing as well."
Mace groaned. "Oh, my neck." Then he started to wriggle around, trying to reach his back with his foot. "What a time to get an itch! Ow!"
Suddenly, Rentha's body began to itch as well. "I think it's contagious, Mace. Now I itch."
Yaro tried to scratch his back like Mace had done. "Ow! It doesn't itch; it bites!"
Suddenly, Rentha saw a small dot crawl across her chest. A dot about an inch big and a bright red. "Aah!" She screamed. "Ants! BIG ants!" Her whole body began to sting all over, and she couldn't do a thing about it. The ant that had been on her chest was now on her torso, gnawing through her shirt to bite her stomach. "Ow! Stupid bugs!"
"Ow! Ow!" Yaro cried out. "Let me try something! Ow!" Turning his gaze to the tree limb, Yaro stared at it hard, whispering under his breath. Suddenly, the whip-like branches above them began to sweep towards them, brushing away the ants. Once they were all gone, everyone sighed with relief.
"Can ya have the tree put us down?" Mace asked, frowning from the stings on his body. The ants had left, but their bites remained.
Yaro nodded. "I think so, but..."
"But what, Jedi?" Fulageo growled.
"It's gonna be a long drop, if I have the tree put us down."
Rentha looked down at the ground again. Even though she had the brawns of a bounty hunter, that didn't mean she had to like heights even the slightest bit. "Oh no...that will definitely hurt."
Yaro smirked cockily. "Well, we could always wait for our little, red friends to come back."
"Put us down Yaro!" Rentha screeched.
"Okay, no need to shout and tell Sidious we're here! Never get any thanks..." Yaro started to mumble under his breath as the tree limb bent over as far as it could. The snapping of the wood as it bowed rang in Rentha's ears. When the branch they were on was about seven feet above solid ground, Yaro said, "Last stop; ants, jungles, evil Sith Lords. Everyone off on three. Three...two...one!"
The ropes suddenly slid towards the end, stripping the branch off its leaves as the group fell to the ground. Fulageo, graceful as he was, landed feet first and caught Rentha in his arms. "Thank you," she said.
"No problem, partner."
Yaro did a perfect back flip onto the ground, landing on top of a tree stump. Mace, however, wasn't as lucky; he landed rear-end-first into the nest of the ants. "Ow! OW! OW! OW! They're eating me alive!" He yelped.
Everyone but Yaro laughed at the sight of the boy scratching at his rear, desperately trying to remove the pesky ants. Walking up to the boy, Yaro pulled down a tree limb and brushed the insects off of Mace. When Mace tried to stomp out the nest, Yaro instantly grabbed his leg. "Don't!" The Jedi said sternly. "They have the right of way; they are only defending their home."
Mace frowned, but left the ants alone as they crawled back into their nest. Looking around, he said, "So...what now?"
Rentha took in their surroundings: it was a huge rainforest. If she had thought she had been high up in the tree, she had been wrong. The trees were simply enormous, growing hundreds of feet tall. Little light leaked through the trees' canopies. Ferns cushioned the ground all over; it was like walking on clouds. The occasional bird squawked, insects chirped, and (only once) a loud roar sounded out, making the entire group jump.
"That does not sound good," Fulageo mumbled.
"Or very inviting, for that matter," Yaro agreed. "But that does not matter. To find Yaddle and stop Darth Sidious, we must go through it."
Rentha nodded. "Then let's go my companions." Spying a semi-clear path, the group walked in a straight line to whatever awaited them.
*****
"What the!?" Rentha, who had been several feet in front of the others, yelled. Yaro, Fulageo, and Mace quickly came to her aide, finding her in a small clearing. Mace cried out.
There was a head; the head of a human male on stake. From the looks of it, he had been there for a long time, maybe a few months. Flies buzzed around the skull, picking at the rotting flesh. Yaro tried his best not to become sick, suddenly glad he had fed the last of his provisions to his daughter.
Mace started to step backwards, clearly terrified. "That-that-that- that's the man who I was telling you about! The man who escaped, and was heard screaming here! We should leave!" He turned to leave, but was stopped by Fulageo's arms.
"Now, just hold on junior! You're staying with us...or you can go out in this forest and end up like your friend over there."
Yaro nodded. "He's right, Mace. If you get lost here, I doubt you'll find your way without meeting whoever killed this prisoner." He glanced up and down the pole, looking for any evidence of who might have done this.
Suddenly, there was a great screeching, hooting, and chatter filling the air. Before even Yaro could react, immensely heavy nets were tossed on top of them from the trees overhead. Although he struggled, Yaro could not toss of the net, or reach his lightsaber to cut it open.
A male person walked into the clearing. He was humanoid, with dark blue skin and black hair. His ears were almost exact copies of Yaro's, except they were pierced all the way from the lobe to the tip with heavy- looking bronze and copper earrings, some of which looked like they had been made of gears, ships, or droids. He wore an extensive, furred cape and a loincloth of the same material, but not much else. A metal, utility belt that Yaro recognized to be Rentha's hung on the man's hips. On it was Mace and Yaro's lightsabers, along with Fulageo and Rentha's blasters. Many more of the same species came out, both female and male. From the way they respectfully stayed away from the man who had approached Yaro and the others, he was clearly their leader.
Hoping desperately that the man knew Basic, Yaro said loudly and slowly, "Hello! Who...are...you?"
The man snorted, and squatted to look Yaro in the face. He seemed confused, and then stood up and yelled out something to someone in the back. A female, a teenager it seemed, walked slowly up to the leader and chattered up to him.
Pointing to Yaro, the leader barked something at the girl roughly. The girl nodded, and then cleared her throat, sitting on her knees in front of the group. In perfect Basic, she said, "Hello, strangers. I am Aoife, and this," pointing to the man behind her, "is my father and chief, Versalo. Welcome!"
Yaro only let his mouth gape, and from the silence behind him, so did his friends. "H-Hello, Aoife. Um...why have we been captured? Could you let us go?"
Aoife looked back up at Versalo and chattered a few words in her language. Versalo thought, then hooted back at his translator. Yaro had a bad feeling that meant "no."
The young girl looked back at Yaro. "He said no, unless you tell us who you are, why you are here, and what you want."
"Well, alright: I am Yaro, a Jedi Knight, the Human man with silver hair is Fulageo, the Twi'lek is Rentha, and the boy is my Padawan, Mace Windu. We are here to find another Jedi, and we want-"
"To be let out!" Rentha interrupted. Mace and Fulageo nodded in agreement.
"Jedi?" Aoife's face was a first confused, then beamed with happiness as she spoke again with Versalo, this time with gusto. Versalo, too, looked stunned. Then he smiled and yelled at the top of his voice, sounding extremely happy. Two men came forward, lifting the heavy net off of them. Yaro stood up, slightly bewildered. "What is that all about?"
Aoife smiled brightly. "We have been waiting for the Jedi, for a very long time! But first!" She clapped, and almost instantly the group was lifted onto the shoulders of some of the taller males. "Come! We will care for you in our village!"
Yaro looked over at his friends, who shrugged. Perplexed, he said, "Let's just see what they want to do with us, first." He looked upwards at the ceiling of trees, his eyes occasionally smarting when struck with a ray of light. He sighed; it seemed whenever he came within an inch of rescuing Yaddle, she was snatched away from him and hidden even farther off then before.
*****
The group took Yaro and the others to their home; a ground-set village, with domed homes made of various tree limbs, glued together with mud and tied to the ground with ropes made from the guts of animals. Children rushed to meet their fathers, while the women just stood in front of their huts. From the stares they were getting, Yaro guessed that news of Jedi coming was very important to them. Their weapons were given back to them, and Yaro could feel that Fulageo and Rentha felt safe again, now that they had their weapons within their grasp. Grasping his lightsaber's hilt, he almost felt the same way. Almost.
"Aoife!" He called down to the translator. "Why are we being brought here?"
She beamed up at him. "We, the Aeetosians, have been waiting for so long for the Jedi to come for us! To save us from the clutches of Darth Sidious, and return our planet, our freedom, and our dignity to us!"
Before he could ask any more questions, Yaro and his friends were set carefully on the ground. Versalo smiled at them, and then began to speak. Aoife stood to his side, translating as the chief talked. "We would like to thank these Jedi for coming, for coming to set us free again! Let us celebrate their arrival with food, drinks, dancing, and music!" Both Aoife and Versalo clapped their hands together, and almost instantly a huge pile of fruits, vegetables, and what seemed to be a flat kind of bread. Just looking at it made Yaro's mouth begin to water, not to mention the smell. But he shook his head, clearing the image of himself gorging to his heart's delight out of his head. "But wait! What do you mean? We don't understand at all!"
Aoife consulted to her father, who looked frustrated now. He sighed, and began to speak in the native language as Aoife deciphered his words. "Twelve years ago, our planet was peaceful. The crops were good, the weather kind, and many children were born. But then, a Sith named Darth Sidious came and claimed us. Of course, we fought...but we lost all of our warriors. We have been his slaves since then. I, Aoife, was even captured by him and made his servant, which is how I know Basic. But we were sure that the Jedi would come for us, and now you have come!"
Yaro was instantly filled with pity and guilt. "I'm so, so sorry, Aoife, but we have not come to set you free."
The girl jerked back. "What?"
"I said we didn't come here to rescue the Aeetosians. We...or rather, I...came here looking for a Jedi friend of mine, who is being held by Sidious. Her name is Yaddle. I miss her horribly." He added miserably.
Although stunned, Aoife explained everything to her father. He grunted out of surprise, and then his face became very grim. Yaro was sorry that he couldn't help these people. "I'm so sorry...," he repeated sadly. He hung his head. "I really am."
Versalo walked up, crouched down, and looked straight into Yaro's eyes. He grunted and chirped a few words. Though he didn't understand them, Yaro felt comforted by the sound of the man's words.
"He says he is sorry that one of your clan is in that horrible place. He knows how it feels to have a loved one there, for I was there for almost a year." Aoife listened to her father's words for a moment. "He asks if you love the Jedi in the prison."
Yaro nodded. "She...she had my child in that prison. I can still feel her pain," he whispered softly. Aoife retransmitted the words to Versalo, who smiled sadly. He spoke again; sadly, mournfully, as if he had known Yaddle and Yaro their whole lives.
"My father asks how he can help you, to help you retrieve your loved one."
Yaro's mouth dropped. "W-What?"
"We want to help you find this 'Yaddle'. You seem to care for this woman greatly."
Yaro smiled back, not sure what to say, think, or do. "Thank you...so much." He felt like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. "You are so kind. I promise, if, no, when we find Sidious and destroy him, I will restore your freedom."
Aoife translated this back to her father, who looked like he was going to explode with happiness. With a sweep of his arm, he bear-hugged the entire group with all his might. "Too...tight!" Yaro yelped, unable to breath. Chuckling, Versalo set them back on the ground and then gestured to the ground.
"Let us eat!" Aoife said loudly. Turning to Yaro and the others, she said, "My father says you may spend the night here, if you wish."
Yaro bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Aoife." Mace, Fulageo, and Rentha did the same. Then they feasted for hours, until Yaro felt he was going to bust. Looking over at Mace, who was still devouring his food by the handful, he said, "You'd best not eat so fast, or you'll have an upset stomach, not to mention hiccups."
Nodding, Mace slowed down, but only a little. "Yes Master." Even when Rentha and Fulageo had finished, they waited for their hosts to finish. But when it began to grow dark and the stars creeped into the sky, Yaro decided to retire to bed. Bowing again to Aoife and Versalo, he said, "It is far past my usual bedtime!"
Aoife nodded. "Yes, you must need your rest. Good night, Master Yaro."
Yaro smiled again, then walked into the hut that Aoife had indicated for him and his comrades to sleep in, sitting down on the furry bed. Although the ground was rough, there were more than enough pelts to mask it and keep him warm. Sleep began to take him, closing his eyelids against his will. He smiled softly. Tomorrow, I will find Yaddle..., he thought softly as he drifted into dreams. Then take her in my arms, and hold her as tight as I possibly can...I'll take her back to Coruscant, with Yiara in my arms...yeah...
*****
"Master Yaro?" A voice was calling out to Yaro, pulling him out of sleep.
"Wha?" Yaro looked up into the eyes of Mace Windu. "Mace? What time is it?"
"It's still a little while till sunrise, I think. Versalo said if we're gonna attack Sidious' fortress, we had best do it as early as possible."
"Oh...yeah...let me get dressed," he mumbled. Mace nodded and walked outside. I hate mornings! Yaro cursed in his mind. As soon as he had dressed, he pushed open the door. Seeing Versalo, in battle armor made from metal scraps, he walked over. "Chief Versalo! Good morning!" That was a lie, Yaro thought.
Versalo, although he hadn't understood a single word, understood the feeling and clapped Yaro on the back heartily, laughing. Yaro chuckled, wishing he had a good cup of Java Juice to wake him up or at least get him going faster.
"Ya ready yet, Jedi?" Yaro turned around and saw Fulageo and Rentha. They had armor on just like Versalo's, but more fitted to their form.
"Ready and willing, just not awake," Yaro said, trying to sound cheerful.
"I take it that Jedi don't do mornings?"
"Not this one. Where's Mace?"
"I'm right here!" Mace emerged from their small hut, dressed in robes a lot like Yaro's, save his coat was a light tan instead of crimson. He wore no scarf, and two sets of shirts under the coat, the first one was brown and the latter white. A leather belt hung on his waist, with his lightsaber hanging on it. His knee-high boots were also leather.
Seeing the confused looks from his friends, he said, "Some of the women thought I should wear something else other than that dirty shirt of mine." Picking at the wool shirts, he added, "They're really comfortable, I'll say that!"
"Ah." Turning back to Versalo and Aoife, he said, "Are we ready? Do you have a plan?"
Aoife nodded, and pulled out a scroll made from tree bark. Spreading it out, she said, "If Mace's information is right, the prison cells are all underground. Mace will guide us to them. We will release the prisoners, then go upwards into the fortress and track down Sidious." Looking down at Yaro, she said, "We are very, very confident of this plan."
Yaro checked over the map a few times and nodded. "That sounds good." Turning to his friends, he said, "What do you say?"
Rentha and Fulageo looked at each other. They smiled and said in unison, "We'll do it." Mace gave Yaro a bright smile. "I'm ready to risk my life, Master Yaro!"
Yaro smiled. He knew he could rely on them. Turning back to Aoife, he said, "Tell Versalo we'll do it!"
Once he had heard this, Versalo put his hands together around his mouth and hooted a few times. All the men and women, all dressed in battle armor and armed with both spears and blasters they must have stolen, leaped from the huts. Versalo waved his arm to the forest, barked out an order, and marched into the forest. Yaro, his friends, Aoife, and the village followed him, watching the sun begin to rise in the horizon. Yaro felt hope rise into his heart again, simply knowing that in less than a day, Yaddle would be safe again and in his arms once again.
***** ~This is the part where you go read Part 10! You know...the 10th part of this insane little fic...just go already, why are you still reading this!? (