Inheritance
22.
Whoa. This is intense.
I feel a lot better now that Ruru - that's the nice Feorian woman who reminds me kinda of ol' Jira in the marketplace in Mos Espa – now that she gave me some of her remedy and sang the jabuur-weki song for me a few times.
It used to live in a forest place all full of mome raths and other stuff, Jub birds and bander-somethings, so I don't think it's very happy about being here in Outer Gola where it's all frozen. Maybe that's why it's so mad and all.
Speaking of which, Master's in a funny mood now. He told me it was a prudent idea to meet Lorra's brother and see more about the cave and stuff. Like he wasn't mad anymore. And the Feorians gave him this chubazzi blanket thing, that they made specially for Master Qui-Gon because he freed them. 'Cept Obi-Wan will prob'ly just give it to the Archives. That's what happens every time we end up with something really good. 'Cause of "no possessions" and stuff. I wish I coulda given Master Qui-Gon something, too, to tell him thank you. I shoulda made him a japor snippet like the one I carved for Padme, only I didn't think Jedi needed luck. I guess I was wrong.
When Master Qui-Gon came to Tatooine it was like a dream I had was suddenly coming true, like the whole thing was too good to even be real. And when he died it felt like waking up, like it wasn't gonna come true after all. I didn't know what was going to happen to me then. But Master promised that he would teach me, and that I would be a Jedi. He promised. Obi-Wan isn't exactly a dream come true - no offense. He's more like real life, the way it surprises you, like you would never have thought of that happening but it does anyway. And it's sorta better than what you dreamed. Maybe.
Anyway, Lorra and me went to his house after supper, which I no way was gonna eat except for maybe just a little bit of bread, and I got to meet his brother. Yonso is really, really tall and skinny and kinda clumsy the way he moves, sorta like JarJar used to be. Only I think Yonso might be a whole lot smarter than JarJar - no offense. I just mean, Yonso's wicked smart, the way he says stuff and the other Feorians really look up to him. All the young, smart ones I mean.
I'm gonna be like him when I grow up.
Him and his friends and Lorra and me had a secret meeting, in the house when nobody else was there. And Lorra said that I was a Jedi Knight. So then they were all kinda impressed and let me stay for the meeting. And I guess Lorra got to stay too 'cause now he's like my Padawan.
I really like the Feorians.
They get it. They say that what's the point of being free if you don't have a choice? Some of them don't want to live on Gola anymore, not with the other Feorians. Yonso wants to go to universe-city, which sounds like a school or something, like maybe the pilot academy over by Anchorhead only bigger and stuff. Sorta like the Temple except with less rules and you don't call the teachers master. Yonso says that he calls no man master.
I like him a lot, too.
But some of the other guys, the old geezer ones I mean, don't like him so much. They think he's going to corrupt the youth. That's like what Master Obi-Wan said about Garen Muln, that he's a malign influence 'cause he told me all those funny stories. I'm kinda glad I didn't mention all the ones he told me. Some of them were pretty wizard, especially the one where Master tried to do a mind trick on Madame Nu and got in hoocha big trouble for it. I guess Master Yoda actually made him cry, that's what Master Muln said, but it's hard to believe.
Yonso wouldn't have cared what Master Yoda thought or anything. He's tough. He's like that spacer that used to come into Watto's shop, the one that told me about the angels on Iego and all. Watto used get nervous about selling him parts that we scavenged without permission and all, 'cause of the intersystem security patrols and stuff, but that guy always said he didn't give a flaming kriff about no damn regulations.
He had a blaster, not a lightsaber, but he was rugged.
So then Yonso and his friends took us to their secret cave and here we are now. It's totally intense. There's this place in the ground where a giant rock is all stuck like it fell outta space here, and it looks like it's just jammed into the ground, but underneath way deep in the shadow there's this opening and you can crawl in there.
And guess what? This whole place is full of crystals. Master says there's a special planet with crystal caves and all and we have to go there when I make my first lightsaber. I wonder if this is kinda the same. The Force feels really weird down here and I think maybe I shoulda brought Master with me, if I could get Yonso and these guys to like him. They're pretty suspicious about Master Windu 'cause he was hanging out with the chieftain and he's old and all. But Master's about the same age as Yonso, really, and he's really smart too, even though he's sorta the opposite, always going on about tradition and stuff.
I don't know.
Lorra's tugging on my clothes, the new Feorian ones they gave me that itch. "What?"
"This is the jabuur-weki's lair," he whispers, with his eyes all bugging out. "They come here all the time! We should go back."
"You go back," I tell him. I'm a Jedi, and Jedi are never scared. I want to see what's so important down here.
So I drag Lorra along with me and follow the Feorian guys deeper and deeper into the cave. Hopefully the jabuur-weki isn't here right now.
So then we have to squeeze through this other opening and there's another cave, really super bigger and there's even more crystals down here. And the Feorians have some rickety scaffolds set up, and some tools and stuff. I think they're mining. Maybe these crystals are worth something, like buried treasure. That would be wizard, 'cause money can solve a whole lotta problems. When I won the podrace, I got a bunch of money. Enough to help mom a whole lot even if Watto wouldn't let her buy her own freedom. What a pizzhmah.So I guess being rich doesn't really solve all the galaxy's problems. That's what lightsabers are for, I guess.
"Promise!" Yonso says, all loud. "Swear that thou will tell none of this."
Whoa. He's pretty serious. "What about my master?" I mean, I also promised that I would never lie to him or anything. And he promised the same thing to me.
He makes this rude snorting sound in his throat. "Thou art a Jedi, and yet you are not free? We call no man master."
My stomach feels kinda twisty again, like I might be sick. Yonso is staring at me really hard, waiting for my answer, like all the Councilors did in the Temple that first night, when they made me take all their tests. I think Yonso's testing me now. Master would say that I should not compromise my honor. But sometimes Obi-Wan says things that are true but only depending how you look at it. So… maybe I could do the same? 'Cause that's okay for a Jedi. It's not really lying.
"I promise I won't tell him anything about this place," I say. That's pretty good. I think Master would be proud. See?
"Good," Yonso says. "Those who broke this oath have all perished. The jabuur-weki has taken their souls for betraying its secret. Now come."
So then we go even deeper, but all I can think about is his words and my stomach is really jiggery all of a sudden. Even though I'm a Jedi.
