Chapter 108
AN: I just wanted to say thank you to the loyal readers who continue with this story and keep leaving such wonderful reviews.
With the final bit of sunlight disappearing, a familiar figure clad in black appeared at where the Rebels were waiting.
Ari smiled and checked her chrono. "Thirty eight standard minutes," she remarked. She was already on her feet, having sensed him when he was a short distance away. She had motioned to the other Rebels to put on their packs as well so they were all ready when he appeared.
"I told you I would be here," Luke remarked with a small smile. That is how he often looked. He used to have a carefree smile, but he no longer had that since he was no longer carefree. However, she could tell that he was happy to see the group, as well as a bit relieved. Some things had not gone as planned, but they could still make their plan work.
"We are ready," Bren spoke as he walked over to Ari and Luke.
Luke nodded. "Follow me, it is not far," he instructed. The Rebels all nodded. They had questions but they did not ask at the moment. They seemed to know that their questions would be answered soon if they just remained patient for a little bit longer.
Even though they all were wearing boots, they did not make a lot of noise as they moved down the path. Luke was leading them followed by Ari while Bren led the rest of the Rebels.
"So are the others alright?" she asked.
"They are. We found Leia. Almost by accident. Chewie made the mistake to grab a piece of meat he found and we got caught in a net. We were attacked by these small furry creatures that, nearest we can tell, are called Ewoks. They seem to think that Threepio is a god of some sort."
"Threepio?" Ari covered her mouth with her hand to try to keep the laughter from spilling out and was only mildly successful, a small laugh escaping.
"Yes. The rest of us were tied up and they took us back to their village. They live in treehouses high above the forest floor. It is a very complex system. Once we arrived there, we found that we were going to be used as a feast in Threepio's honor."
Ari was silent at this, just giving him a look that carried a few different feelings such as disgust, surprise and even some humor. She still thought that Threepio being viewed as a god was funny. His nervous nature did not radiate the confidence that she was sure most gods would need. "So what happened?" she asked.
"Leia appeared then. She lost control of her speeder bike and had to bail. She managed to get the trooper though. Anyway, one of the Ewoks found her and brought her back to the village."
"The Force works in strange ways," Ari remarked. "Was she the one that freed you?"
"No. They just kept building the fires. I told Threepio to translate to them and tell them that if they did not release us, he would use his magic."
"His magic?"
"Well, a god should have some," Luke managed to joke. "They didn't stop though, so I used the Force to lift him in the throne they had him sit on. After they saw that, they couldn't wait to cut us loose."
"That is good. I do not think that R2 would have tasted very good," she agreed, joking as well.
"We plan on asking them for help later. If not, at least we have a place to stay for the night. That is why I came to get you."
"I am glad you did."
After that, they fell silent and all that could be heard were the night time sounds of the forest moon and the occasional footstep from a Rebel, stepping on one of the dry sticks that littered the ground.
When they reached the Ewok village, the Rebels all stopped and looked up. The village was quite high in the trees and was fairly complex, just as Luke had said. Though the lighting was dim, most coming from torches placed near the huts and walkways, Ari could still see small, furry creatures moving around.
"They are expecting us," Luke remarked then went to a rope ladder that was hanging from a walkway. He glanced at all the Rebels, as if to be sure they were all there before he started to climb the ladder. He did so in an almost graceful manner, moving up the rungs without trouble.
After he was almost halfway up, Bren followed after him. While he was not an old man, compared to the Jedi, he was slow and clumsy. Once he had also reached the halfway point and Luke was at the top, Ari started to climb up as well. She soon realized why Bren was having so many problems. The pack was heavy and was weighing her down. However, she continued, focusing one rung at a time. She felt the shift in weight when Bren reached the top and then another change as another Rebel started to climb up behind her.
When she reached the top, she saw a hand reach out to her and she took it, the extra pull helped her step up onto the last rung and then onto the somewhat stable walkway. She looked to see who it was, and smiled at Luke who was still holding her hand. "Thanks," she murmered to him.
He just gave a nod and gave her hand a squeeze before slowly letting go. However, even though he was watching to make sure the rest of the Rebels climbed up, he kept glancing over at her. She could feel that and glanced over at him from the corner of her eye. He clearly was troubled about something. She did not think it was the upcoming battle. They had been in many since they joined the Rebellion. She wondered if it had to do with Vader. He seemed certain that he was close. Was he?
When all the Rebels were on the walkway, Luke glanced to where many of the Ewoks were gathering. "There is some food and a few places to sleep," he motioned to a hut. "It will be an early morning even no matter if they decide to help us or not. The meeting will start any moment now."
"Excuse me, Sir, but shouldn't we be there as well?" Cal asked.
"If there are too many humans, it might be overwhelming for them. We will inform you of their decision," Luke told them. The Rebels all nodded in agreement, and then started to head for the hut. There were only twelve of them, which made it possible for them all to stay in one hut.
Ari did not want to go, but could understand. If these natives were not used to humans, having so many of them could be overwhelming. She cast one last look over her shoulder at Luke then sighed and started to follow the others.
"Major, Ari," Luke spoke up. "One moment please." Sharing a quick look with one another, Bren and Ari turned back to face him. He almost faded into the shadows due to his black clothing. "I would like both of you to join us for the meeting."
Bren nodded as did Ari and Luke started to lead them to the crowded hut. They moved past some of the Ewoks, who were only about as tall as Artoo was. When they saw Luke, Bren and Ari, they moved aside slightly to allow the humans to enter the hut.
There was a bright fire in the room, lighting up the beings in the room. Ari saw at least a dozen Ewoks inside. Her gaze quickly saw C-3PO, R2-D2, Han, Leia and Chewie were there as well. The hut had pelts of animals hanging from the ceiling which was higher than what Ari had expected. She was actually able to stand up straight when inside.
Threepio was standing near what Ari could only assume was the leader of the Ewoks, for he sat in a throne. Artoo was just on the other side of the throne, near a small group of Ewoks clustered together.
"About time you two showed up," a familiar voice spoke up and Ari just flashed a small smile at the smuggler who was sitting with Leia. It was clear that even after nearly a year apart, they still had feelings for each other. The Princess, now wearing an earth toned dress, was leaning slightly against Han.
Chewie was standing near one of the walls, only having to hunch over slightly in that part of the hut, which must have been why he chose that place.
"There is still room over there," Luke motioned to a small area of the room that had a pelt laid out. Ari sank onto it, and then slid off her bag. She did not know if anyone ever got used to such packs.
Luke continued to stand even as Bren sat down beside Ari, who was stretching slightly before tucking her legs under her, getting comfortable. She did not know what this meeting would be like, but it appeared that the decision would be one that would take input from the entire tribe.
Once it seemed that everyone was assembled, Threepio started to speak. However, it was not in Basic or any other familiar sounding language she might have heard. She concluded it was probably the language of the Ewoks, who seemed very engaged in the story. As Threepio told his tale, with only one short interruption from Artoo, Ari realized he was telling the story of the Rebellion. She heard him speak of the people in the room, Leia, Han, Luke and Artoo. He also mentioned the Death Star, Cloud City and the Millenium Falcon. With those words and the sound effects he also made, Ari was able to follow basically what he was saying to the furry aliens. She also could see first hand the reaction that some of the story had on the Ewoks. Adults were holding small, very adorable Ewok babies and there were times when all of the aliens would shiver or cringe.
After what she could only assume was the mention of the battle on Tatooine, Threepio said something else though she didn't know what it meant. However, some of the Ewoks near the throne, who Ari concluded must be members of a council or elders of some sort, started to confer amongst themselves.
Soon, all the Ewoks were murmer to their neighbors and Ari saw that they all seemed to be nodding, as if in agreement.
The leader of the tribe said something from where he sat on his throne and then looked up at Threepio, adding something else. There was the sound of a drum then and Ari looked around. Leia and Han looked as perplexed as she did and when she glanced at Bren, he just shrugged. When she glanced over at Luke, while he seemed to see everything around, it was clear his thoughts were elsewhere.
"Wonderful!" Threepio announced and Ari trned her attention back to him. "We are now a part of the tribe."
A small cry went up among the Ewoks and before Ari knew what was happening, an Ewok, just slightly smaller than the other adults, flung itself around her neck and almost knocked her onto her back. She saw then felt another grab her arm and saw that Bren was also being hugged by the now very noisy Ewoks.
Ari gave a small laugh as she hugged the Ewok around her neck. "Thank you," she told him, yet he didn't let go when she said that. She looked at Bren who also seemed unable to move back slightly from the Ewok who was fascinated by his moustache.
Over the din of the crowd, Ari heard Threepio speak. "He says the scouts are going to show us the quickest way to the shield generator."
She glanced over and saw Han standing with Threepio. The smuggler turned general had an Ewok hugging his leg and she wished she had a holorecorder to capture the moment.
While it was hard to hear them over the sounds of the Ewoks talking, she could still pick up on what they were saying.
"Good how far is it?" Han asked. When Threepio seemed uncertain, Han motioned to the chief. "Ask him." As the droid turned to talk to the Ewok, Han tapped his shoulder again. "We need some fresh supplies too." As the golden droid turned to translate, Han stopped him again. "And try to get our weapons back." When Threepio went to translate that, Han grabbed his shoulder one more time and turned him back to face him. "And hurry up, will ya? I haven't got all day."
When he turned around and saw Ari watching, Han gave a small wink and she could not help but chuckle. She could not understand why he enjoyed tormenting Threepio, but even under the joking, she was fairly certain Han liked the protocol droid.
And Ewok came over with a two fruits, most likely native to Endor, and gave one to Bren and one to Ari.
"Do you think they are safe to eat?" Ari asked Bren.
"There is only one way to find out," he responded. He looked at the piece of fruit for a moment then took a small bite. "This is very good," he remarked, sounding somewhat surprised, but pleased.
Ari was uncertain about eating a strange food, but she did not feel any malice from the Ewoks and a small one, barely old enough to be away from its mother crawled into her lap, purring. She gave a small laugh at this and took out her small vibroblade, cutting the fruit into two pieces.
"Here you go," she handed one half to the small Ewok, while taking a bite of her own. It was good, especially after the bland, strangely textured rations. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the fire, the taste of good food and for a moment, she could almost imagine that there was no war to plan for the following day.
However, that moment passed and she sighed, finishing the last bite of fruit. It was nice to imagine moments like that, but she knew that she could not linger on such thoughts. She would have to stay focused for all that would be occurring the next day, which would decide the fate of the Alliance.
She took out her canteen and took a sip. The little Ewok on her lap made a small sound and Ari looked down, seeing a very curious alien. "You like it?" she asked, giving it to the Ewok to look at.
The Ewok gave a small shout as it tipped it slightly and spilt a little water on itself. Ari took the canteen back, putting the lid on it and then smiling down at the Ewok, brushing at the water with her sleeve.
The Ewok gave a pleased, purring sound again then looked up as another Ewok came by. The little one reached out to what Ari could only assume was its mother, and the adult picked up the baby.
After speaking to the baby for a moment, the adult looked over at Ari. "Weechu jerrota," it spoke to her, patted her hand and then left, going back to rejoin a few other Ewoks.
She did not know what the Ewok had said, but it must not have been bad. She was curious though. "Threepio?" she spoke up as she got to her feet. She stepped around a few other Ewoks so she was near the droid.
"One of them just said weechu jerrota," she tried to make sure she said the words correctly. "What does that mean?"
"You were just called a friend. That is a very wonderful thing to be called. Ari smiled at this. "Thank you, Threepio."
She then glanced around the room and noticed that she and Bren were the only two humans in the hut. Luke, Leia and Han were not longer there. Frowning slightly, she glanced around the room again. Threepio was once again talking to the chief while Ewoks were around Bren, Artoo and Chewie. The wookie could have been mistake for an Ewok, if he was about three feet shorter.
However, she did not say anything to anyone as she slipped toward the doorway. They must have been outside, but she could not understand how she had missed them leaving, or why they would.
Just as she was about to emerge onto the dimmed walkway, she could see Han and Leia in the flickering flames from the torches and the stars. They were hugging each other, Ari noted then shook her head slightly. It was not just a hug, tt looked more like they were holding one another. It was certainly not an embrace that mere friends would exchange.
Luke was nowhere in the area and Ari frowned. Where could he be? She did not want to interrupt Han and Leia though. They had been apart for a year and since then, had not gotten to spend much time together.
As she moved back, some of the smoke inside the hut slipped outside and before she could stop herself, Ari let out a small sneeze.
Hearing this, both Han and Leia turned and Ari felt herself blush slightly. It was an awkward moment. Leia caught her gaze for a moment and then looked down slightly. However, in the moment that passed with their eyes locked, Ari knew. Luke had told Leia the truth about his heritage, their heritage. She knew that they were brother and sister. The conclusion that followed hit her like a speeder. He had told Leia because he was leaving and was uncertain if he would come back.
"Sorry…" Ari stammered. "I was looking for Luke…"
For a moment, neither one of the couple spoke and Ari worried they wouldn't say anything. "He left," Leia finally sighed and Han gave the Princess a small hug, seeing that she was still shaken.
Ari looked at them for a moment, but her mind was already made up. "I'll see you both soon," she told them as she slid by them on the walkway.
"Wait, where are you going?" Han asked.
"I have to catch up to Luke," she explained. "If I am not back by dawn, go ahead with the team."
She did not wait for an answer as she raced down a walkway to the ladder they had used before. She clammered down the rope rungs without the same trouble she had climbing, due to the fact that she was no longer hindered by her pack. She jumped down from the third to last rung and then glanced around. She did not see Luke, but when she opened herself to the Force she could faintly sense him. Without hesitating, she took off in that same direction though the dense foliage