Chapter 122

"Maybe I should take over the leadership of the harvesters again," Manall said. "I'll have to think about it, governor."

Toallin turned to Luke.

"Luke, are you going back to Myr immediately, or will you stay until Kamalin and I have discussed this."

"You have send Cornell home to his family to await the outcome of your discussion with Kamalin. He also has work to do on Myr, Toallin, so I'll wait to give him a transport back."

"I'll have some guest rooms ready for you and Shaayla-Car who isn't your Jedi apprentice any more, right?"

"She never was, Toallin. I understand that Leia has explained everything."

"She has, Luke. I'm still in your debt for the continued help you and the others will give us to get our way of life back in Ribana."

"There is absolutely no question of debt, Toallin. I promised you and Mugin to bring justice to your community. As long as Ribana hasn't been restored that promise still stands." Luke answered.

"Then I'm going back to Cantamaga to make arrangements for your stay, Luke. May I invite all four Jedi, master Manall, Lorann and my daughter to share a meal with me and my two sons."

"Father, shall I come with you and prepare the meal, so you can talk with master Kamalin?"

"Does your Jedi master agree, Chati?"

Chati looked at Wedge Antilles who nodded.

"Lorann, you also can come with my father and me. I know that harvest boys learn to prepare their own meals at a young age, so your help will be welcome, for Talann and Ronan often mess up what I want them to do."

After Toallin and the two young Quelans have left. Wedge looked at Shaayla-Car.

"Thank you, Shaayla-Car, for telling us that master Cornell wanted to see Lorann for himself."

"I sensed his great agitation when he came over to the Falcon, asking Han to bring him to Tyr." Liane said. "What his two eldest sons had set in motion was no small feat."

"They are as pigheaded as their father, Shaayla-Car," Manall commented. "And I fear they also will never change. This probably isn't a last attempt to keep my youngest grandson from becoming a Jedi Knight. Even master Kamailin has acknowledge that Lorann uses the Force while he is running as fast as he can. I'm glad that the boy has a good chore at the moment making the drawings for the Council of the Elder. All who sees what he has done say that it is unbelievable, except again for his father."

In his running and making those drawings, master Manall, you can be certain that Lorann uses his Force skills," Ian said.

"Yes, master Kenobi, I know, and it feels good that he comes more and more aware of the Living Force around him."

Luke looked at Ian.

"Tama-Hin, you promised you wouldn't teach Lorann any Force use like we do."

"Lorann has a kind of natural talent, Luke. When Lorann and I joined Wedge and Chati in the nut woods I immediately felt how he made himself part of everything that surrounded him. That's why the Urams have accepted his presence too." Ian answered.

"I would love to see those nut woods, don't you Luke, or have you already been there on one of your former visit to Tyr." Liane said.

"No I haven't, and as we will stay at least one day now, I think it's a good idea. Wedge, Tama-Hin may we ask you two to lead the way."

"You two should certainly will meet the Urams, master Skywalker. I'm sure they will recognize you as a Jedi Knight, as they also will Shaayla-Car."

The four Jedi left Manall's house and Wedge and Ian accompanied Luke and Liane along the path that led to the nut woods just outside Cantamaga. As they entered Liane looked up to the canopies of the huge trees.

'They are watching us, Luke,' She said. 'I sense their curiosity, but they also seem alerted by our arrival here.'

Luke nodded, looking around and taking in all of the surrounding area, when a rustle of flying wings were heard. Wedge raised his hand and they all stopped. In front of them an adult Uram had come down from the trees.

'Welcome Jedi Masters,' Liane heard the bird say. 'Especial welcome to a great Jedi healer. We're honored by your visit, we have felt your presence here several time and we hoped you would visit us.'

'He is talking in the ways of the Jedi, Luke,' Liane said surprised.

'We all hear him, Shaayla-Car. Step ahead of us, for it's especially welcoming you.' Luke answered

Liane looked at Luke who gave her a slight push.

'You're the Jedi healer he means, Shaayla-Car.'

Liane took two steps and to her surprise the bird made a deep bow with its head.

'Welcome, Jedi healer whose talent goes back to Shaayla Sunrider. I am Oltomyran. I'm the leader of these Urams.' It said and it bowed even deeper.

'You know that the daughter of Nomi Sunrider is my ancestral relative?' Liane asked surprised.

'We have. You also have a fine relative living who is also developing his healing skills as a Jedi Knight.' The bird said in a deep voice.

'My brother Tama-Hin. You've already met him here more than once.'

'Yes, but it's your talent that will become important again. You're the last great Jedi healer and we're lucky to have an encounter with you. We need your help.'

'What do you expect of me, master Oltomyran?' Liane asked impressed.

'We're not a master, but we want to learn from you and the other Jedi. We hope that you will come back to these woods often, so you can tell us more about healing. Many trees have fallen because they have been chopped down. We have felt how they screamed, but we couldn't heal their wounds.'

'I understand what you mean, Oltomyran. It's the harvest men who have done the killing of the trees, haven't they.'

'Yes, they come and chop down our friends to get the nuts which grow high up among their leaves. Those men shouldn't do that, for among the vegetation under trees there are many fallen nuts, we can't pick up. We only eat the nuts in the trees, but when they come and chop down the trees we won't have enough nuts for food.'

'Is that why you and the harvest men have become enemies?' Liane asked.

'Yes, we attack them if they enter these woods, for we don't want that our friends will die, for once they lay broken on the ground we can't heal them and they die and become overgrown with greens.'

'The harvest men also eat the nuts for food. They are healthy and tasteful.' Liane said carefully.

'We understand. We gladly want to share the fallen nuts, they once reaped. We never attacked them when they came, but that changed when they began to let our friends die to get the nuts.'

'I understand what you mean, Oltomyran. You have my promise that I will see that no more of the trees will be chopped down.' Liane said and made a formal Jedi salutation to underscore her promise. 'I will seek a way to convince the harvest men to use the old way to reap the nuts, Oltomyran. Thank you for telling us what's going wrong here for so long. We will make it stop.'

'Before you go, Jedi healer, where are those two young of you. Tell them they will always be welcome, even if none of you will be there. We love them, for they give us the nuts that are fallen and with so many of our nut growing friends chopped down there is a looming shortage of nut trees where nuts still grow, for it takes years for a nut tree to have nuts. We thank you for coming and listening.'

'I thank you, for explaining what has been hurting you. We will seek a solution, we promise. Liane said.

The large bird bow, spread its wings and flew up to the canopy. Liane watched it go, before she turned to the others.

"There has been a change in the way the harvest men have been reaping the nuts. Who will know about that?" She asked and looked at her friends.

"We have heard your talk with the bird, Shaayla-Car," Wedge said and looked at Ian.

"We have seen how master Manall entered, after Cornell and his men wanted to get Chati and Lorann out of these woods, using violence. After he and Kamalin had managed to send them off Manall was greeted by two adult Urams which eat the nuts he had taken up from the ground. Lorann was elated when he saw what his grandfather did. Manall told us that those two Urams have been his friends for years." Ian said.

"And Manall once has been the leader of the harvest men, hasn't he?" Liane asked. "Could it be that under his leadership there weren't any trees chopped down."

"We should ask him," Luke said "For what the Uram asked you, Shaayla-Car, is reasonable. They can't eat the fallen nut and are dependent on the nuts in the trees, but if the trees are chopped down by the harvest men the Urams may die too, and they know what would happen to them. That's why they are so violent and seen as dangerous predators."

"Let's see master Manall, he probably can tell us more. We have to get back to his house, for Toallin has also invited him to join us all for a meal."

Luke and Liane stood on the terrace of their shared guest room. Luke had his arm around her. Liane had put her arm around his waist. They enjoyed the view over Cantamaga as Toallin had given them the separate guest room in one of the six towers which are part of the administration building.

"It's good to know that Leia has explained what has happened and why we made use of a distraction. Toallin really doesn't seen to care that we didn't tell the truth. He and Manall even admired the alliance ring you gave me," Liane mused.

"They have accepted you as my fiancée, as you introduced yourself to Cornell," Luke grinned, and Toallin hasn't referred to what he has heard from his wife, but he understands."

"And he brought us here, saying that he was sure we'd appreciate it if we could stay here to together." Liane chuckled.

She looked at the room, which was richly furnished with a beautiful four-poster bed, decorated with woodcarvings of branches and leaves along all four posts and the canopy itself. The bed itself had a soft mattress, sheets, various pillows, and a duvet filled with nagawa wool. There were even green curtains, decorated with the same branches and leaves as on the posts, hanging on the three open sides of the bed, which could be drawn shut. At the foot of the bed stood a large crate which could be used as storage for one's belongings. It could be closed with a padlock of which the key was attached in the lock. It was decorated in the same way as the four poster bed.

The wood carvings also returned in the coffee table which stood opposite the bed flanked with several couches with pillows to make oneself very comfortable and enjoy the outside view through two broad terrace doors. The floor was covered with a huge rug and along the walls some sideboards also decorated with the same wood carving.

The room itself was decorated in lovely colors between all nuances of green.

"This must be a very special room, don't you think, Luke?" She said.

"Sure it is, Shaayla-Car. There certainly is a story behind it, but it's very generous of Toallin to let us stay here together for the night."

"I have never seen a room like this before. Do you think it will be an idea to furnish our bedroom at Irithim this way?" She asked teasingly, "Or do you prefer to put eighty nagawa fleeces on the floor to sleep on."

"I prefer a naughty pixie at my side who will tell me every night some lovely stories." Luke whispered in her ear.

"So you're not interested in nicely decorated furniture?"

"I'm only interested in one thing, lovely fairy. To hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you."

"That's wish I can fulfill easily, master Skywalker, as I will fully surrender myself to your special Jedi treatment," Liane chuckled again.

"So, you still want to please an naive and ignorant farm boy," Luke laughed and pulled her close "I promise that I will surrender myself to your special Force healer treatment, Shaayla-Car, and I will enjoy it."

Liane looked up at him and they both laughed.

"By the way, Luke, I haven't told you that Leia will ask the governors to have at least seven days break between the returning of the second group and the arrival of the third group."

"When did she tell you that?"

"When you were getting the Astræga. Have you ever realized how concerned she is about you, Luke? She made me feel, that she feels the need to protect you somehow. She didn't ask me explicitly but I sensed her worries about what has happened between you Eminil."

"She talk about Eminil with you?" Luke asked and Liane sensed it made him feel uncomfortable.

"Luke, you told me that it was Han who has asked Leia to tell you what had happened to Padmé. So it's obvious that she knows how painful Han's words must have been for her too."

"Has she told what happened on Hoth?"

"No, I answered her that you have told me about it when we were heading back to Tyr."

"I have never told her the details, my love. I only could share them with you, because you're the only one who fully understands what I've been going through when Leia told me that I could never take any responsibility for my daughter, because by that time she must have been dead for years."

"Don't feel uncomfortable about what Leia has told me. Most of what she said, I knew, Luke. We don't have secrets for each other and Leia knows. It has been a burden for her too to realize that she has to tell you that devastating news."

Luke nodded pensively.

"She probably have also told you that later on I have dated several other women," He said a bit annoyed.

"Luke, my dearest, of course you once thought you could forget what Eminil had done, but her unexpected disappearance has severely damaged your confidence to trust other friendships, or whatever you want to call them.

After the Civil War had ended you were one of its heroes. Through out the galaxy a lot of women must have been dreaming about you. And some of them have sought to become friends with you, proud to tell others that they had a Jedi Knight as a friend.

I am no better than those women you have met, darling, when I realized that the only Jedi Knight paid attention to me and even gave me the Jedi pendant as a token of his friendship."

Now Luke started to laugh.

"You're absolutely right, for I know a nice young woman who has been dreaming of me, and it isn't you," He said with a grin. "And now you want to know who she is, don't you?"

He looked teasingly at Liane .

"That nice young woman even has confessed that I was her hero." He added. "She had a holo image of me which she was carrying with her, wherever she went, dreaming how it would be to be a Jedi Knight, even how to become one herself."

"Chati!?" Liane exclaimed and began to laugh.

"You guessed right, but you never told me that you also admired me and considered me as your friend after I gave you the Jedi pendant." Luke said grinning. "Maybe I should have proposed to you much earlier, maybe even on Wegoyy. Might have prevented a lot of trouble."

Liane shook her head.

"I don't think that I would have understood, Luke, I might have thought that you were mocking me, but tell me how do you know that your Chati's hero."

"When I met her on Tyr she has shown me around. She a very talkative Quelan woman and I sensed her pride when she realized that her all time hero stood before her, talked to her and listen to what she was telling him. She showed me that holo image she had taken with her after she and the other were forced to leave Ribana. It was crumpled, so I asked Han to use his equipment in the Falcon to make another holo image of me on a more solid foil sheet. I have never seen a happier woman, Shaayla-Car, when I gave it to her."

"How did she get that first holo image of you?" Liane asked inquisitive.

"You're not getting jealous, are you, naughty pixie, for if you are, I won't tell you more," Luke teased.

"I sense that you have enjoyed her attention, haven't you?"

"Of course, why not. I love to drag the attention of nice women. You just said it yourself: I'm your hero too, for even you have been dreaming of me, or not?"

Liane blushed.

"Eh, ... yes, sometimes ... many times, but where did Chati get her first holo image of you? You're trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"Give me a kiss, Shaayla-Car Kenobi, otherwise I won't tell you," Luke said.

"First you give me answer on what I asked."

Luke shook his head.

"I won't, for I love that inquisitive look in your eyes, when you're expecting to hear something you don't know."

"You're teasing me," Liane concluded.

"I am, and I love the frown on your forehead when you realize I'm teasing you." Luke continued, "Give me a kiss, Shaayla-Car Kenobi, for I long to feel your lips on mine."

"You're irresistible and unbearable in this mood, master Skywalker," Liane said as she put her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad, I can kiss you now whenever I want, my love, and I don't care if anyone sees us, for everyone may know that you're the love of my life and my all time hero," She said as she gave him an affectionate kiss.

Luke did not hold back and answered her kiss, holding her tightly in his arms.

'Your kiss holds many promises for tonight, or ... maybe ... earlier? '

'We are asked to join the others, Luke. We can't let them wait for us.'

'Later then in this beautiful bedroom?'

'Sounds extra exciting. We will shut those curtains on all sides and imagine we're on a clearing in some dense wood,'

'I love that fantasy, my love. It will remind us of that hidden clearing behind the southern hills near the vineyard. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, Chati got her holo image of me as a frame freeze from the holo net after the Rebel Alliance had destroyed the first Death Star.'

"And now we are going down to join Wedge, your brother, Toallin and master Kamalin, for I have been told that Lorann's drawings are on display for all the Quelans in the main hall of the administration building. I want to have a close look at them." Luke said.

Wollin looked at Cornell's two sons.

"Are you two aware that you won't get away with what you have done?" He asked sternly

"Father always says that he doesn't want Lorann to become a Jedi Knight, master Wollin," Filann answered

"That's your father's problem, boy, not yours. If your younger brother has the skills needed to become a Jedi Knight then it's a matter of consultation between your father and master Skywalker."

"Would you allow Kalinn to become a Jedi Knight, if you knew she had those skills." Cemall asked.

"That depends, boy, on what her future prospects would be. I don't think that becoming a Jedi Knight is worse or better than becoming a good harvestman. You need special skills for both. And now listen, guys.

Your father has put me in charge while he is on Tyr. I don't want you to be proud of what you have done, for that is not the custom of a harvestman. You are both going to the community building at the foothills. I will stay with you and order all my men to get back to Ribana. I will take enough food and drink for the three of us. You can make yourselves useful by continuing with the repairs and restorations. I expect you to take up those jobs immediately and show that you possess more virtue than wickedness. As soon as your father is back, we will call together the senior harvest men, who will decide what happens to you. If I were you, I would prepare for the worst, boys, and by that I mean the decision might be that you could be cast out of the group of harvest men. Take everything you need for your stay in the community building and follow me."

Filann and Cemall looked at each other.

"It was your idea, Filann," Cemall whispered.

"You handed Lorann that jacket, brother," Filann hished.

Wollin turned around.

"And it is your younger brother who is the victim of what you planned."

"What will happen, master Wollin, if nothing has happened to Lorann?" Cemall asked

"Sounds impossible, boy, for we all know that the Urams have a very keen memory. So when they have seen that jacket one of us harvest men has ever worn they will attack. Your brother is a small boy and was unarmed, so it wouldn't surprise me if they haven't killed him."

"Those Jedi were probably with him. They have good weapons, they will have attacked the Urams and killed those birds instead." Filann whispered to his brother. "Those Urams are no match for the Jedi. We have seen what those lightsabers can do. If the harvest men would have lightsabers the Urams in the nut woods would be extinct in no time."

Wollin who had caught Filann's whispered words turned around with a furious look in his eyes.

"You're even more foolish, then I thought you were, for now I know that you're thinking about stealing the lightsabers of those who have spent a lot of effort on our project, and have ensured that the liberation of Ribana after they handed over the intruder to his superiors. "

"We have done nothing wrong, master Wollin. Like us, Lorann has to be forced to keep to the rules of the harvest men, like all of us have to do. That means that he has be to forced to become a harvest men, forced marry your daughter Kalinn and are forced to set up his own household, like I have been forced to married master Pohinn's daughter, Sumall," Finall said shirty.

Wollin refused to respond to Filann's remark, but he had listen carefully to the shirty words Filann had spoken.

'That oldest boy speaks of forced measures, as if he is opposing what is our traditional way of life. Will Lorann indeed interpret his marriage with Kalinn as something he is forced to do. That would make my daughter unhappy. Why did that boy say that he sees his own marriage as being forced. I have to talk with Cornell. Maybe we should discuss this in a Harvest Council.' Wollin thought while he ordered the two brothers to walk at a certain distance between them ahead of him.

Toallin and Kamalin were sitting in Toallin's office, where they had summoned Cornell and his wife Tronama.

"We don't want to get into the details you have told us yesterday again, Cornell." Kamalin said and looked at Cornell's wife.

"Do you understand that what your sons have done, certainly has impact on our community, Tronama Radilan?"

"My sons are still young adults, master Kamalin, they only wanted to help their father," Tronama answered.

"Your eldest son Filann is a married man, since he has become responsible for Sumall the youngest daughter of Pohinn," Kamalin answered, "And Cemall isn't behaving as we expect of an adult Quelan. We expect that adult community members behave as is expected of them and not behave as murderers."

"They haven't murdered anyone, master Kamalin, my husband told me that nothing has happened to Lorann."

"That's not for you to decide, Tronama. Your husband has told us that they deliberately have given Lorann a jacket that has been worn by one of the harvest men who once wore it, entering the nut wood regularly. The Urams recognize the clothes the harvest men wear and always attack them. Lorann was wearing that particular jacket, but thanks to the presence of two Jedi Knight, nothing has happened to him. Toallin Fonaldris, our elected governor, has told me that his daughter Chati and Lorann have been feeding the Urams with the fallen nuts, as they have done for some weeks."

"If nothing has happened to Lorann, than you can't accuse my eldest sons of being his murderers, master Kamalin." Tronoma said defiantly.

"Your husband seemed to have been quite upset, not to say furious at Filann and Cemall, after he realize what might have happened to Lorann. He immediately has left the other continent and came back to Tyr unexpectedly to see for himself if Lorann was unharmed, wounded or even dead.

We don't think that your husband's rash action does suggest the opinion that he dismissed the act of his two adult sons as a somewhat sick joke.

Master Skywalker and Jedi Knight Shaayla-Car Kenobi have stated that your husband was in great fear when he stormed into the Millennium Falcon and begged Han Solo to bring him back to Tyr immediately." Kamalin said, emphasizing the way Cornell had entered the Millennium Falcon.

Tronama Radilan, we have the impression that you and possible also your husband doesn't take this case seriously.

We will await what measures the harvest men themselves will take against your sons, but if it is dismissed, because Lorann is unharmed, than your two sons will fall under the rulings of this Quelan community which are of higher authority in matters like this.

We will respect any measure harvest men will take on first hand, but if the Council of the Elders and our elected governors doesn't agree with the Harvest Council's measures, your sons will be brought before the Council of the Elders.

We hope that you both will see the seriousness of what they have done, although we understand that Filann and Cemall are your sons." Kamalin rose to clarify that the meeting was over.

"Master Kamalin, I want to go back to Myr," Cornell said.

"You will be brought back late tomorrow with the Astræga, master Skywalker's space ship. Our governor Toallin Fonaldris has indicated that he will join the flight to Myr to interrogate your sons personally in the presence of his brother and master Skywalker and Shaayla-Car Kenobi."

Cornell and his wife left. Toallin and Kamalin looked at each other.

"They don't accept that what those guys have done are very serious, Kamalin, " Toallin said. "I only can hope that the harvest men council will decide otherwise and condemn their deed. It's onbelievable. Because Cornell doesn't want Lorann to become a Jedi Knight, his eldest son had taken the law into their own hands, so that Lorann would comply with his father's wishes. The more I think about what is happening in our community, the more I think that my daughter is right. It's time that our old-fashion traditional way of life no longer will prevent our youngster to be lock up in a way of life they don't want.

Ribana and this community has to change, Kamalin. Certainly when our community will be a hub in interstellar information exchange. Well, I'm going to tell Luke and Shaayls-Car I will join them on the flight back to Myr."

Kamalin smiled.

"For a Jedi Knight like I know him, Luke Skywalker is currently acting more like a man madly in love with the woman of his choice. They make a beautiful couple together, as Shaayla-Car also clearly shows that she is overjoyed with her master Skywalker."

Toallin laughed

"That is why I gladly want to grant them one more day together here on Tyr, without my wife Udine watching them to find another reason to gossip. Enough misery has already arisen because they felt they had to put their promises to us first and want to continue to do so, instead of thinking of themselves and their happiness. Did you notice that Shaayla-Car is wearing his alliance ring. So they are very serious about their future plans. I hope that they will decide to marry in Ribana among our community. That is why I gave them the tower guest room which is seldom used, to spend the night together," Toallin said grinning.

"Why don't you ask them about their marriage plan? We all have been young, governor, young and in love." Kamalin answered.

Manall looked at the two Jedi Knights who had come over to his house.

"Welcome, I thought I could expect you, before you would go back to Tyr." He said. "Yesterday evening, during the meal at Toallin's I hadn't the opportunity to ask you about your visit to the nut wood. What have you experienced?" The old harvest man asked, as if he knew.

"We have communicated with the leader of the Urams, master Manall," Liane said. "He recognized me as a Jedi healer and asked me advice about the healing of the nut woods. The harvest men are chopping down to gather the nuts which are growing high up in those trees. We have listened to his sad words, for once a nut tree has been chopped down it dies. He told that the Urams are dependent of the nut trees for they can't eat any fallen nuts."

She looked expecting at Manall, who nodded.

"I have always warned my son and Wollin that they shouldn't chop those trees. They didn't listen to me. Gathering nuts from the chopped gives a better yield, than reaping fallen nuts from the ground. That's tedious work, Shaayla-Car."

"The consequence of chopping the trees is that the Urams have begun to attack the harvest men." Luke said.

"That's right, they defend their food, master Skywalker."

"The leader with whom we communicated told us that in the past the Urams never attacked the harvest men,"

"I was their leader in the past, master Skywalker, and before me my father and grandfather have been reaping the fallen nuts, but my son wanted to do it otherwise and Wollin, his friend has followed his lead. " Manall answered and sighed.

"Once all the nut woods will be chopped down, there won't be a yield any more, and also the Urams will have died." Liane said. "Master Manall we can't let that happen. The nut woods, the fallen nuts, the growing nuts in the trees, the Urams and the harvest men and other Quelans that use the nuts as their food are mutually dependent on the existence of the nut woods. Once the woods will be gone the symbiont circle between the two species will be broken and both will suffer."

"More and more I am realizing that I have accepted to easily that the Harvest Council decided I had to hand over the leadership of the harvest men to my son, Shaayla-Car. Once he went to Tyr without me to gather the nuts I haven't been aware of what he and his men had been doing to the nut woods. Have you been on the wide clearing?"

Luke and Liane nodded.

"That clearing once was an impenetrable nut wood with dozens of nut trees standing side by side along each other. When I came back here, after we had to flee Ribana and its surrounding area, I went to the nut wood again and I didn't believe my eyes. I ask my son to tell me what happened, and he gleefully admitted that he and his men were chopping down the nut trees because among the canopies of the trees the yield was larger and the work easier. I protested, but I couldn't convince him to change to my old methods."

"You once told me that you took your sonw ith you to harvest the nuts at a very young age. You probably showed him that you and your men reaped the fallen nuts."

"Of course I did, but Cornell is impatient and reaping the fallen nuts is much harder work than chopping down some tree and stealing them from the Urams."

"Master Manall, I have promised the leader of the Urams that I would find a solution for him and for the nut woods. I want to find a way to get back to the old way of harvesting nuts, not by chopping down trees, but by reaping fallen nuts. We need your experience to achieve that change, otherwise one day there won't be any nuts to harvest." Liane said determinedly.

All three were silent for a long time. Finally Manall looked at the two Jedi Knights.

"Yesterday I said in a whim that I would take back the leadership from my son. I think I have to. It won't be easy, for Cornell will not easily give up his leadership, but I will insist. If necessary I will order the Harvest Council again, a group of the oldest harvest men, similar to the Council of the Eldest, to force a leadership change. I can't let my friends the Urams down, I have a responsibility to the nut woods and those birds."

"Master Manall, you shouldn't make a rash decision," Luke warned. "You're probably meet a lot of resistance when you're telling the harvest men you will take over from your son. You also have to think of your own health."

"Thank you for you concern, master Skywalker, but ever since master Kenobi has used his healing skills to cure the wounds the Urams had, by accident, inflicted on me, I haven't felt better."

Liane looked at the harvest men in disbelieve.

"Did my brother ... " She wanted to ask, but Manall shook his head.

"No he didn't, Shaayla-Car. Your brother is too modest to reveal what he has done. I sensed his help when he had neared me. I have watched him while he wasn't aware I was awake. It was an odd experience for I saw him and yet I knew he wasn't with me at all, but I felt his presence through the Force. I accepted his help and it has done me well, very well I must say, for once on the campsite my wounds were healed."

"You certainly are a Force-user, master Manall," Liane said, "You said that my brother is too modest to tell any one what he did, but you also kept your mouth shut about your experience with him. You were connected with Tama-Hin through the Force and yet my brother has never mentioned that he felt your presence through the Force. He should have been aware of your presence in the Force."

Manall stood up and walked over to a side board. He opened a locked drawer and took out a cylindrical object. Calmly he walked back and place the object on the table between them.

"You probably recognize this, don't you?" He said with a smile. "Take it, master Skywalker, ignited. You know how to wield it, don't you?"

Somewhat reluctantly Luke pick up the lightsaber and pressed the power button. A bright blue beam extended from the disk. Manall smiled, as Luke switched it off.

"I still keep it in good shape, so every now and then I charge the powercell." He said, while he took the lightsaber and locked it up in the drawer again.

"How did you get a training light saber, master Manall?" Luke asked

"You're right, master Skywwalker, this is a training lightsaber. I've got this when I was twenty years old. I have practised with it, but too irregularly to become a true padawan, so I wasn't allowed to assemble a real lightsaber. My padawanship lasted only a few yesrs.

Luke and Liane looked at the harvest man in stunned disbelief, as he seemed to be developing more and more personality in their eyes.

"Who has been your master, master Manall?" Liane asked.

"No one. I have always remained a padawan. I have told you, that I have had two Jedi friends who every now and then came to the Palomintar System to gather strength and some rest. It was before and during the tumultuous times of the Clone Wars.

Already before the war began my friends had recognized my Force skills. The youngest, Anakin Skywalker, was of my age, and he decided that he wanted to take me as his padawan, once he would have become a Jedi Knight himself. He gave me his training lightsaber. He also taught me how to wield it and promised that if I would fully commit myself to the will of the Force, he would bring me to the planet where I could assemble my own lightsaber. Because I wanted to hide my connection with the Force to my other Quelans, Anakin Skywalker taught me how to hide myself as a Force-user through surround myself with the strength of the Force. He called it Force Stealth. I practise his teaching and I have to admit that I became quite good at it. It became a natural habit of me. That's how your brother never was aware that I was awake while he cured the wounds at my back.

Unfortunately, things did not go as Anakin Skywalker had told me. Although Anakin and his friend Obi-Wan Kenobi visited me occasionally, it wasn't enough to teach me all the necessary principles of the Force. Anakin never decided that he would be my Jedi master, and suddenly he and Obi-Wan didn't return to the Palomintar system anymore.

Years on end I have sensed that Obi-Wan was still alive, until that feeling also disappeared.

Anakin Skywalker, his friend, seemed to have vanished completely for I never sensed his friendly presence every again. He probably has been killed during the Clone Wars.

What I always will remember, master Skywalker, is that your father was a very compassionate and emphatic young man who truly had dedicated himself to his task as a Jedi Knight, therefore it's unbelievable to realize that he, who once promised me to be my Jedi master, could have died at a very young age."

There was a very long period in which none of them said a word.

"Master Skywalker, after what you and Shaayla-Car have told me about your communication with the Urams I convinced that I have to take back the harvesters' leadership. I know whom you have spoken with. He is a good friend, and therefore I want to go back with you to Myr," Manall finally remarked.

"I will gladly grant you that wish, master Manall," Luke Skywalker.

"I sense some reluctance in your voice," Manall said, "but you're too kind to remind me that my son will be on board too. I don't have any problem with that."

Luke smiled.

"Then I can only say, that you're welcome on board the Astræga tomorrow afternoon, for we just heard from Toallin that he also wants to join us."

"That's good to hear," Manall said, "for his brother is also on Myr."

Liane looked at Manall thoughtfully.

"What about Lorann, master Manall. Where will he have to stay, if you're joining Luke and me?" She asked

"Since Lorann is making those drawings for Kamalin and Woldrin he always stays at night in Kamalin's house together with Chati Fonaldris. Kamalin will certainly will be taking care for Lorann while I'm away." Manall said.

"Tama-Hin Kenobi and Wedge Antilles will also keep Lorann company." Luke said.