Chapter Thirteen

"I knew we were like sisters when we met and she is she really is my sister. Hey, what do you mean royal? I love having a sister but this royal thing is… " Nyla exclaimed.

"Nyla, I don't think you will ever have to deal with the royal thing. The Pyotr overthrow was extremely violent and they show no signs of wanting to go back. Resetting up a monarchy would be a long and dangerous process. You realize you will not be able to tell anyone. I am not suppose to tell you, there is still a price on your head but you are grown and with your visiting Delī there could be a problem if someone discovers the connection to Pyotr." Moth warned her.

"I am going to have to tell her, we make too many observations about how much we are alike to be safe. Andrew, her husband is always calling her your highness because she loves to dress up and is so bossy. Is our mother still alive, is she safe?" Nyla asked realizing what this could mean.

"No, I heard she was discovered and…" Moth started but Nyla interrupted.

"Why wasn't she protected?" Nyla asked.

"The overthrow was swift and powerful, by the time we heard about it the family was gone, except…" Moth didn't want to say more because of Nyla's facial expression.

"My sister and I and Drew have a price on our heads, if they hurt my sister they will be in for a surprise." Nyla fumed.

"Nyla, this is why the Order cuts family ties, the fear of loss leads to the Darkside. Bury your feeling deep inside so no one senses them to use against you. Remember everyone eventually returns to the Force, you have to be prepared to let them go when the time comes." Moth counseled his former Padawan.

"Returning is one thing, being sent would be quite another." Nyla stormed.

oOo

Nyla postponed her mission while she made a quick trip to Naboo. Delī was finishing working on a patient when she saw Nyla come down the hall, walking like something was wrong. "What has happened, I didn't expect you here for several months?"

"I have to talk to you, now, can we go somewhere private, extremely private." Nyla demanded.

"Yes, I was going to be off shortly, I will just tell Administrator Ettoré I am leaving early." A confused Delī disappeared into the hospital administrator's office and came out taking off her coat. As they entered the park outside the hospital Delī stopped. "I have never seen you like this what is wrong?" Delī asked starting to worry at her friend's strange mood.

Nyla pulled her over to a secluded bench in the park and said softly. "I ran into my Master and he saw the drawing of Drew. I started telling Moth about Drew calling me 'Moma 2' and how close he is to me." Nyla soften her voice even more. "Moth told me how I came to be raised by the Jedi, and that I have a sister." Nyla whispered the information so no one could possibly hear. "No one knows where or who she is but he secretly felt as I do…"

"We do … it's me. Why were we separated? Why were you taken away?" Delī fumed quietly.

"I wasn't…we were, neither of us is from Naboo." Nyla informed her sister.

"That explains it… I do not have the elevated magnesium levels of the Naboo. I thought it was just …you really are my sister." Nyla could tell Delī was building up to a squeal and had to be stopped or everyone in ten blocks would know their secret.

"Delī, listen!" Nyla said sternly, averting the blowup. "We have a price on our heads, as does Drew."

"My child has a price on his head! Who put a price on my child's head." Delī said under her breath, steaming mad.

"We are from Pyotr, have you ever heard of it?" Nyla started the explanation.

"Yes, there was a Lady that lived down the street from us when I was little, I overheard my parents say, she was from Pyotr, it was a great secret they only whispered about to themselves. Was she our Mother?" Delī said stunned.

"I don't think so, I can't see her risking being that close to one of us and Moth said she was rumored to have been killed?" Nyla answered. "Our mother was the widow of the youngest son of the royal family of Pyotr. A political party overthrew the throne and hunted down the heirs. You, me and Drew are all that is left of the royal family. We can't go around talking about how much we resemble each other or go on about Drew calling me Moma 2. If the wrong people find out…I don't even want to think about it."

"I have to tell Andrew! Should I tell Andrew, our son is at risk? Yes! I have to tell…I know, I will tell him to be careful. Hey! This is unreal…" Delī realized there was a bond opening up between the two, more than had been there before.

"I know it seems as if the discovering we are related and in danger has heightened the bond. I have also been practicing some of the things Yoda showed me." Nyla giggled.

"The little green guy, I thought he was a student?" Delī asked confused.

"He is a student in some things but he knows more about using the Force than most." Nyla explained. "I really need to go. I have delayed my mission to come here and really confused Juri. I can't tell her or anyone else but I had to see… tell you. I have a sister." Both busted out laughing in unison. They hugged and parted.

As they started to leave the Naboo space Nyla heard a familiar voice in her head. / Hello! Is this working? I told Andrew. He said he would have to stop calling me Your Highness even though now it fit. /

"Are you all right? You are acting really strange." Juri asked.

"I just had a feeling Delī was in trouble and had to get to her, to see she was all right." Nyla said which was correct to some extent. "She was OK, it was a false alarm."

"If you thought she was in trouble wouldn't you have needed this?" Juri held up Nyla's lightsaber. "And back up…me?"

"Busted! It wasn't that kind of trouble. I really can't explain, I haven't fully comprehended it completely, yet. I just need you to trust me on this." Nyla tried to explain the unexplainable.

oOo

Yoda, we have a new assignment to pick up a youngling. I think you may be familiar with this planet, Kashyyyk, a spice trader's second son a young boy named Yobocca." Moth watched the expression on Yoda's face when he realized who they were going to see. He hadn't seen Tarbocca for almost four years, Naish had just learned she was expecting again and wasn't happy. Now he was going to pick up the child to become a Jedi.

On arriving at Kashyyyk Yoda was the first one out of the ship. Chabocca met him at the bottom of the ramp, scooped Yoda up, threw him about twenty feet into the air, caught him by the leg, shook him then threw him back up in the air and caught him in a big Wookie hug.

"I hope this isn't the traditional greeting on Kashyyyk?" Moth asked Yoda from the top of the ramp.

"No, only Yoda greeted." Yoda said trying to extract himself from the excited Wookie. "Tarbocca's older son, this is, Chabocca. Chabocca put Yoda down, Master asking questions." Yoda demanded. Once on the ground Yoda had to arrange his robes, which were wrapped up around his waist. He had just gotten situated when Tarbocca came running up and picked him up, held him over his head and looked him over, braying a greeting all the time. Naish came up and scolded both of them for acting up in front of the Jedi Master.

Tarbocca set Yoda down and tried to act more dignified for a Wookie. Bray: "Happy to met Yoda's Master again, he is." Yoda translated.

"You were the …a…Wookie Yoda was traveling with when we met on Klondan?" Moth asked Tarbocca trying to make conversation while Chabocca grabbed Yoda and Wookie hugged him again.

Naish brayed and Chabocca almost dropped Yoda in his haste to answer her. Naish turned around and called Yobocca who came running around the corner of the spaceport and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Moth. Yobocca brayed: "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. He is so hairless."

Moth bent down and showed Yobocca he had hair in his head and face and pulled up his sleeves and showed him his arms had hair on them. "See I have hair, just not as much as you, not like Yoda who has hardly any hair." Moth said pointing to Yoda.

Yoda walked over to Yobocca and showed him the figurine he had carried with him all these years. "This is your father, your mother, Chabocca and me, like to keep it would you." Yobocca nodded with delight and smiled.

Tarbocca insisted they stay for a few days and visit allowing Chabocca, Yobocca and Yoda to go on an adventure like the old days. Moth stayed behind to visit with the parents and many of the community leaders that came by to meet the Jedi Master and inquire about the Jedi training process. They told him they would prefer a training facility on Kashyyyk to sending their children away. Most Wookies are extremely family oriented so the thought of sending their children away for good was very repugnant only the thought of him being with Yoda made it bearable to Tarbocca and Naish. They requested that Yobocca be allowed to return to Kashyyyk to assist in its defense after he was trained and the Council agreed to the request. Chabocca only wished he were young enough to go instead.

Yoda, Chabocca and Yobocca came back from his great adventure only a little worst for the wear, but Yoda was overjoyed to be back on Kashyyyk with Chabocca. "Went below into the valley below the trees, many animals, we discovered, wild and dangerous, great fun hiding and exploring, good practice for mind tricks, it is." Yoda gasped in excitement.

"I forget sometimes you are still young for your species, Yoda." Moth told Yoda. "You approve of him taking the boys below into danger?" Moth asked Tarbocca and Naish.

Bray: "Yoda always bring them back safe." Tarbocca brayed. "Besides prepare them for marriage, Wookie women more dangerous." Tarbocca leaned toward Moth and brayed softly.

"I heard that. I'll make you think more dangerous." Naish brayed angrily to which Tarbocca turned to Moth and his look said. 'See!'

When it same time to leave Naish warned Yobocca. "Be a good Jedi. Mind the Masters. Remember, you are a Wookie, act like one."

Moth smiled, he had heard almost the same speech from every parent as they said goodbye to their child. "Yobocca would you like to sit up front with Yoda when we take off?" Yobocca nodded and brayed with excitement. The trip was his first off Kashyyyk so he was excited to be traveling through space. Naish sent him something to eat on the trip she had smelt Yoda's cooking before and didn't want Yobocca sick on the trip.

Yobocca was a little homesick at first but soon perked up as he started his lessons. He enjoyed the class work and loved the creche. He roomed with a young boy named Rhys from Corellia and they became friends. Rhys had to translate for some of the children, who didn't understand Wookie but most could at least translate the expressions and all learned quickly to 'let the Wookie win'. Rhys and Yobocca picked up from the older kids, Tae and Jae, the habit of slipping out in the middle of the night and going swimming in the Lake room but drying off a Wookie in the middle of the night is not an easy job. All the Masters just had to follow the wet footprints to the room of the guilty party and the Wookie fur in the filter also gave it away. That was the end of that adventure but there were many more to come.

oOo

"Moth, Yoda, I have been asked to extend a request for you to stay on Coruscant and work with the twins, Tae and Jae." Master Loren asked. "It appeared they had become partial to Yoda and play tricks on everyone else, they still refused to tell anyone which one of them was which. The Council was concerned they may have to send the boys back to their parents."

"Play tricks on Yoda, they do. Yoda just trick back. Glad to assist, I am." Yoda said. "Go see boys now, I will."

Moth had intended to go for a visit to Verrell but this threw it off again. He went to the apartment and called to let Taryn know he wouldn't be coming for a while.

oOo

"Up to mischievous, you have been." Yoda mock scolded the boys.

"Why can't you be our t'cher?" Tae and Jae asked in unison.

"Yoda Padawan not teacher. Master Von head of creche. Must obey Master." Yoda tried to reason with the unreasoning younglings.

"You little why you not in creche wif us?" They asked.

"Yoda, little not young, older than Master Von." Yoda informed the boys.

"Ooh, you old. Why you not Mather?" They asked.

"Yoda's people live longer, they do, stay young longer, got late start on Jedi training." Yoda explained. "Yoda know Force not know people."

"They want us to go to diff'ent c'asses." Tae and Jae said in unison.

"Learn you must. Requires going to different classes. Learn twice as much you will." Yoda finally hit the reason they could understand.

Tae went with Master Von and Jae went with Master Parr. At the end of the day the Masters asked. "What did you learn today?"

"I learn to spare wif the trainin' saber and to med…a…tate to calm your self." Both boys told their Masters. Even though only one sparred and one practiced meditation and they hadn't seen each other all day.

oOo

"How is our problem children coming along." Master Poof asked.

"It's became evident that the Force link didn't shut down between them, ever." Master Von told Master Poof. "This is a completely new problem and I'm not sure our standard rules are going to be applicable in this situation. We are going to have to make new rules for them."

"Many headaches these boys have given you in the creche." Yoda agreed with Master Von.

"You know them better than anyone, do you have any suggestions about what can we do to corral them?" Master Poof asked Yoda.

"Put in class together with older younglings, harder work keep busy. Stay together not play tricks on Masters." Yoda said humbly. "Know rules about family, boys go beyond rules, so rules not apply."

"Beyond rules?" Master Poof asked.

"Boys Force connected, distance not break connection. Give up let stay together." Yoda answered.

Master Poof added. "The whole Council will have to approve that, it has never been done. I will ask though."

"First time for everything." Yoda told them.

oOo

Yoda joined in the class with the younglings for a few days to get the boys accustom to the new harder classes. Moth and Yoda knew most of the younglings in class since they worked bringing the new recruits to the Temple so it was like a reunion every day. The Masters used Yoda as a teaching tool. "Yoda show the younglings how to parry a blow."

Yoda picked one of the younglings; a shy girl usually overlooked and tossed her a training saber. "Come up, Rasya, show boys how parry, to do." Rasya looked terrified to be up in front of the class but Yoda eased her into it. "Tall you are for a Mon Calamari, strong and fast Jedi you will make. Whip all boys I suspect." Rasya smiled at that thought and bounced up beside Yoda, ready to learn. "Now ignite lightsaber trainer, stand like this, like scaring a bear, good now lightsaber up, tap my blade, circle make with blade, tap other side of blade, good, now do faster, tap blades other side tap blades, excellent student does Master Von agree?"

"Yes, Yoda, she has done well and Yoda has done well instructing the class. Do you agree younglings?" Master Von asked.

"Yes, can Yoda come back and teach us tomorrow?" The class asked in unison.

"Master Moth may have another assignment for him but when he is in the Temple, he may come and assist the class anytime he wants to."

"Yeh, yeh" everyone cheered.

oOo

AN: Loose ends this chapter was. Don't miss Monday's post the fun really begins. If you also read Jeiel, she posted on Surreptitious she has been busy beta-ing for me.