Chapter 127

'The Jedi healer is coming.' It said.

Puzzled Chati looked at the Uram and tuned in the Force.

'Do you mean my friend Ian. He is over there', She said and pointed to the clearing where Ian, Lorann and Wedge were feeding some young Urams with fallen nuts.

The adult Uram shook its head.

'The female Jedi healer.'

'Oh, Ian's sister, Shaayla-Car, you mean. I didn't know you know her too.'

'We met her with three other Jedi. The ones who always come with you and the boy and another very powerful Jedi Knight.'

'Oh, that must be Ben, I mean Jedi master Luke Skywalker. He is a very good friend of Shaayla-Car.'

'We want to speak to the Jedi healer alone. The boy should not see us.'

'You mean, the secret we have agree we shouldn't talk about?"T'

The huge bird nodded.

'Then we'd better leave. You also want to keep it secret, don't you?' She asked.

'Yes, that's better.'

Chati frowned and thought.

'If Shaayla-Car is coming here, then Luke is with her and it also might be that my father has come back to Tyr. He surely wants me to prepare our evening meal, as my brothers always makes a mess in the kitchen.'

She looked at the Uram again.

'I tell the others we need to leave.' She said.

The adult Urma made a bow and flew up, hiding itself in the dense canopy of a large nut tree. Chati went over to the others.

"Master Antilles, I want to go home. I sense that my father has come back to Tyr with Ben and Shaayla-Car. He certainly has invited them to share our evening meal," She said

Wedge looked at his padawan and nodded.

"You're right, Chati. Luke and Shaayla-Car are already on their way to the nut forest." He said.

"Then we'd better leave right now, master," Chati said hurriedly.

Lorann looked up as he heard Chati's words. He shook his head.

"I want to feed this young Uram, Chati. The others took more time to eat and this young one hadn't an opportunity to get his share. They are very hungry today."

Ian had also looked up. He turned to look at the path that marked the entrance to the nut wood.

"Hey Wedge, we have visitors. Look!" He said.

Lorann looked in the direction of the path. Luke and Liane were walking up together calmly to the nut wood. The young Uram nibbled at his finger and Lorann held his other hand with some three nuts to the young bird's beak. Gleefully it took one of the nuts and bit the fruit in two, swallowed it and reached for the next nut.

"Be careful," Lorann warned, "You don't have to hurry. Those two are friends of the Urams, for they are also part of the Living Force. They won't do any harm to you." He said, but the young bird grabbed the third nut, flew up and vanished among the leaves high-up in the nut tree. Disappointed Lorann watched it go.

Meanwhile Luke and Liane had reached the clearing and Wedge and Ian walked over to them and brought the Jedi salutation as a greeting.

"Are we disturbing you?" Liane asked, sensing Lorann's disappointed feelings. "You were feeding a young Uram, weren't you, Lorann?"

Lorann looked at Liane and his disappointed feelings disappeared as he looked at her.

"It will come back tomorrow, miss. It's one of the smallest. The larger ones are very greedy, so I always have to feed them first. When those are gone I have more time to spend with the smaller ones. If you have time, maybe the smaller ones will come back." He said and looked up to the tree top.

Wedge and Ian beckoned Lorann and Chati.

"Come on, you two. We're going back to Cantamaga," Wedge said "Chati has other chores to do. Lorann, you can help her, don't you, or you can show master Kamalin that third drawing you made." Wedge said and gently pushed his padawan and Lorann to the edge of the clearing.

'Ian and I will see you later, Luke. don't we?' He said

'Toallin has invited us to stay overnight, Wedge. We'll see in the governor's private part.' Luke answered.

The two Jedi Knight left the clearing and were about to leave the nut woods, when the rushing of of wings was heard again. The large adult Uram landed in the middle of the clearing. Lorann had heard the rushing of the bird turned around and look at the Uram with wide eyes. He grabbed Ian at the sleeves of his cassock.

"Master Kenobi, look, there is the big Uram which heal those wounds after its great-great-grandson atta... " He exclaimed elated, but Chati quickly put her hand over his mouth.

"Hush," She whispered "Get going. It's coming for Shaayla-Car and Ben. You haven't forgotten what we agreed upon, have you, Lorann."

Lorann looked startled at Chati, before he saw the looks of the two Jedi.

"We shouldn't tell anyone about what happened, Lorann." Ian said calmly. "Now Luke and Shaayla-Car surely wonder what you're talking about."

Luke and Liane who had heard Lorann's exclamation after he had recognized the adult Uram looked at Loran.

"We don't, we already sensed that what we heard, and what Lorann's father saw, wasn't what really has happened." Liane said friendly.

Luke looked at Wedge and Ian.

"You have been protecting the Urams, haven't you?" Luke asked.

"We have. Deliberately, Luke," Ian answered, "The Urams need to be protected for they have suffered a lot of losses. We have heard what Oltomyran has told Shaayla-Car."

"Chati, Lorann, come back, but stay at the edge of the clearing with master Antilles and Tama-Hin," Liane said

Reluctantly and with great hesitation, the two young Quelans walked back to the edge of the clearing. Wedge positioned himself beside Chati, and Ian placed both his hands on Lorann's shoulders. Lorann looked up at Ian.

"Who is Oltomyran, master Kenobi?" Lorann asked and then he looked at the large adult Uram. "Is that the name of the adult Uram?"

"Yes, Lorann. He is Oltomyran. He is the leader of the Urams. On a former visit he has told Shaayla-Car that he is very worried and feeling sad about what is going on with the nut trees," Ian said.

Liane had walked up to the adult Uram and made a bow.

'I'm glad and honored to meet you again, Oltomyran' She said using the Force to communicate.

Chati looked at Wedge Antilles

'She can also talk to him, master,' She asked him.

'You should tell her later, that he talked to you too, young padawan,' Wedge answered.

'Yes, master, before we were about to leave, he said that he was expecting the female Jedi healer again. I understood that he meant Shaayla-Car, master,'

Wedge put his hand on Chati's shoulder.

'Now listen, Chati, for I'm sure that you hear why Oltomyran and Shaayla-Car meet again.'

The large bird answered Liane's bow with a similar greeting.

'Welcome in this nut wood again, Jedi healer.' Oltomyran said. 'You have come back to help us healing our fallen friends?'

'Oltomyran, please tell me, have you healed Lorann when he was attacked while he was wearing the jacket on of the harvest men wore when they were chopping down the trees ?' Liane asked.

'We had to, Jedi healer. We're healers, like you. The attack was a mistake of our offspring, a young Uram which thought he saw an enemy entering these woods again. All adult Urams are healers of the nut trees. We always heal tree wounds of broken branches. We healed the boy's wounds who is a friend of us Urams.' Oltomyran said in his deep voice.

'Thank you, Oltomyran, for your honesty. We all appreciate what you did for the boy.' Liane said friendly 'I'll bring good news for you and all the other Urams. The governors of the Quelans and the members of the Harvest Council have decided that the nut tree may not be chopped down any more. It will be forbidden. The nuts which are growing in the trees belong to the Urams. The Quelans will only harvest the fallen nuts, like they have done before.'

'Will the old wise leader return. The one who feels his union with us?' Oltomyran asked.

'Yes, he will accompany the former leader and his sons who, out of ignorance, have caused damage to this forest, to harvest the first yield of fallen nuts. Will you tell the Urams not to attack them, for they will be unarmed. My friend and Jedi master Luke Skywalker and I will be joining them.' Liane said.

Oltomyran was silent for a long time.

'You promised to help. You're indeed a healer. You have healed our sorrows, our worries, our sadness. We will rejoice what we have heard.' He finally stammered.

'As you are also a healer, Oltomyran, I want to help you to heal one of your fallen friends. Not all of them, but I want to show you, how the chopped nut trees can be brought back to life.'

Liane pointed at a tree stump

'The Urams can heal tree wounds of fallen branches. Have the Urams heal the fallen trees?'

'We have done that, but we failed.'

'Please, Oltomyran, will you show me what the Urams have done to heal the fallen trees.' Liane insisted.

The adult Uram walked over to a fallen tree and began to gather the greasy paste from the feather of its huge wings. With a helpless gesture he spread the paste on the end of the tree where the stem had been broken of the roots. Liane walked over and pointed at the stump of the roots.

'Can you cover the top of the root stump. The whole top of it?' Liane asked softly while she walked over to the tree stump and reached out to the Force.

The bird nodded and after while the whole top was covered with the layer of greasy bird paste.

Liane kneeled next to the tree stump and held her hands above it. From her fingers the blue light of the Force appeared. It penetrated the greasy paste and the chopped wound. The stump became surrounded with the blue light.

Liane looked back at her brother. Ian understood what she wanted and walked over. He kneeled on the opposite side of the stump. He stretched out his hands and gently touched Liane's fingers and the dense, and deep blue of Force light penetrated inside the stump.

Oltomyran looked at the two Jedi Knight and suddenly he made a sound and pointed with the tip of its wing to the edges of the root stump where a small green bud became visible.

Liane and Ian released themselves from their Force trance and looked at the Uram. Liane rose.

My brother and I have used our Force healing skills to empower the Force in the greasy paste from your wings as it influence the tree stump. The Urams need to be patient to heal as much of the root stumps this way, and the Urams will see your nut friends to thrive again. In time they will provide food again for the Urams.'

'Jedi healers, you have saved our friends.' Olotmyran said and bowed deep for Liane and Ian. 'We will tell all adults Urams to cover all the tree stumps with grease from our wings.'

'The greasy paste has the healing power the root stumps need, Oltomyran, and your tree friends will feel and feed with its power.' Liane said and stretch out her hand. Gently she let her hand caress the large wing of the Uram.

'Tell the other Urams that the Quelans want to live in peace with the Urams again.' Liane said. Oltomyran made a last deep bow, before he spread his wings and disappeared among the canopies of the nut trees. Lorann and Chati who had been watching with awe, rushed over to Ian and Liane.

"It is true that no nut tree will be chopped, Shaayla-Car?" They both exclaimed.

"Yes, The governors of Cantamaga and Ribana, the Council of the Elder, and the Harvest Council will forbid to chop the nut trees.

Chati looked at Lorann.

"So it is possible to change our traditional ways of life," They both exclaimed.

Lorann looked at Liane.

"You could talk to him ... Olto...?"

"Oltomyran, Lorann," Liane said, "He is the wise old leader of the Urams. We will all leave now and while we're on our way back you must tell Luke and me what really happened when you wore the old harvest man's jacket. Like master Antilles and my brother the story is safe with us, as we don't want the Quelans and the Urams start fighting each other again. Oltomyran wants to be a friend. He used his healing skills to cure your wounds. The Urams want to be friends with the Quelans and don't want to fight with them."

"Will my father and my brothers really gather fallen nuts from now on, miss Shaayla-Car?"

"That is the ruling of the Harvest Council, Lorann?" Liane said.

"They surely won't like that," The boy said.

While Liane and Ian had been showing the leader of the Urams, Oltomyran, how the greasy paste the Urams produce could trigger the growing power of the root stumps, Toallin conferred with Kamalin.

"It's good you've come back to soon, Toallin. A two men's leadership is always more convincing than one man's only. I didn't encounter any problems, but I always like it to consult on matters that might turn up." Kamalin said.

Toallin laughed.

"You and Woldrin have done well all the years while my brother and me live in exile on Palomintar Six." He said. "You and Woldrin are getting along very well. It will be a good suggestion on the governor's part of this community that you and Woldrin take the responsibility about the aludium crystals the Grann brothers want to sell for the benefit of the Quelan community. You and Woldrin should do the consultations and take care of the profit and the products we might need to buy. My brother and me will delegate all responsibility to you and Woldrin as soon as our community is back to Myr. Woldrin is already preparing the necessary administration around the selling of those aludium crystals."

"Thank you, Toallin, for your trust in us, but forgive me, what has happened on Myr during the hearing of the Harvest Council?" the Quelan schoolmaster asked.

"Thanks again to our Jedi friends, in the case, Shaayla-Car Kenobi, the Harvest Council and Mugin and me have decided that no nut trees may be chopped in the nut forest to harvest the nuts."

"Cornell and Wollin won't agree with that, I assume," Kamalin said.

"Harvest Council ruling, Kamalin, and the Council of the Elders and Mugin and me will make it Quelan ruling too after the second group will return to Tyr. It's amazing what Jedi Shaayla-Car can do. She is a very gifted Jedi Knight, not only as a Jedi healer, but she also is able to visualize future events and saw those visualizations to Cornell and his men in case Cornell would insist to harvest the nuts the way he had developed."

Toallin took time to give Kamalin a very detailed account of what had happened to Myr. Kamalin listened interestingly and nodded every now and then.

"So Roshann became chairman of the council?" He asked.

"Yes, because Wollin had brought in a complaint against Cornell's sons too. Roshann chose three members among the harvest men to be a council members and master Manall. Cornell objected, but Roshann told him that master Manall still is a respected harvest man. Well, the outcome of the hearing wasn't surprising me, Kamalin. After Luke had been asked to tell the council about Lorann's future prospect, Shaayla-Car's words which became visualized in the minds of Cornell and his men showed them the consequences of their strategy. Not much later many other harvest men and also attending Quelans saw images of how Quelans and Urams could divide the nut harvest in a better way. Some harvest men said that what they saw was the old way master Manall had always used. Cornell objected, saying the yield of the harvest surplus had improved the Quelan's way of living and he was right, but with the discovery of the aludium crystals our community will do even better, I hope."

"And master Manall has taken on the leadership of the harvest men again?" Kamalin asked.

"Yes, but he wants to share the leadership with Cornell, Roshann and Wollin. In the future he also want to teach Filann and Cemall how they will become responsible leaders.

"We won't miss the yield of the harvest surplus, Toallin. While we were living on Tyr on harvest surplus could be sold. Yes, in the past it has brought our community relief, when the traders paid in credits, but I remember that some of them just exchanged our yield against some other goods they had as cargo." Kamalin remarked.

"I have to confess, old friend, that in the past, before we were sent into exile, Mugin and I not always have taken responsibility for what Cornell and his men were doing on Tyr. Had I known that he had been chopping nut trees I certainly would have asked him to tell us the reason. That also counts for the yield of the nut surplus," Toallin said and he began to laugh.

"That reminds me, I promise Shaayla-Car to tell her about the furniture in the guest room tower. Do you remember?"

Now Kamalin also started to laughed.

"You and me were quiet upset when we discovered that furniture after we had arrived with our fellow Quelans on Tyr. Just before you and Mugin went back to Myr to make an attempt to free our younger Quelans, you asked Cornell to account for that furniture. As it turned out, it was payment for one of the sales of the surplus nuts. Because Cornell didn't know what to do with it, he had simply stored the furniture for the time being. After you had returned to Myr, Woldrin and I decided that Udine and Carmona and the children would use the towers until a private section of the administration building was ready. What are you planning to do with that furniture now?" He said.

"I haven't thought about it, yet, Kamalin, but I have an idea. When all the Quelans will be back in Ribana the towers will get back their original destination: to store the nut harvest before the yield can be brought to Ribana to fulfill our own needs."

"Luke and Shaayla-Car are staying in the guest room tower again tonight," Kamalin asked with a wink.

"Yes, especially Shaayla-Car loves it and I must say she is right. Woldrin and you, have done a good job by taking care of the interior and the furniture as a kind of reminder of what was not intended with the sale of the surplus nuts." Toallin said chuckling. "Well the room now serves as a kind of warm welcome to some very special friends. Maybe you should join me tonight when I will tell Shaayla-Car and Luke the narrative behind the tower and their accommodation. You can add the part I don't know about, because my brother and me were doing slave labor on Myr."

Ian had taken Wedge, Luke and Shaayla-Car to his guest room in the domed ceiling of the administration building. Lorann had gone back to his drawing chores and Chati was instructing her brothers to help her preparing a meal. Although they all had been invited to join Toallin and the rest of his family immediately, the four Jedi had express to spend some time together and join the governor's family at the evening meal.

On their way back to Cantamaga Lorann and Chati had taken turns trying to tell Luke and Liane what had happened on the day one of the young Uram had attacked Lorann, because the boy had been wearing a jacket that once had belonged to a former harvest man. It had turned into a rather incoherent story, and Wedge had eventually told the two young Quelans that he and Ian would finish up their story.

Luke looked at Ian and Wedge.

"So Lorann has been attacked, because he wore that former harvest man's jacket those brothers had given him," He said.

"Yes, but it didn't end as serious as it looked. Lorann had two deep cuts, one on his arm and one on his leg. Wedge and I immediately defended Lorann and when Wedge asked me to bring Lorann to a safe spot, Wedge and Chati used their lightsabers to continue defending Lorann and me.

Wedge and Chati joined Lorann and me, and Chati took off Lorann's pants and the jacket. She became furious when Lorann told her that it was the jacket of one of the harvest men of Cornell's group which his older brothers had given him. I looked at Lorann's wounds and told him I would heal his wounds after I could have brought him to Manall's house. I asked Chati to look for the leaves she had used to stem the bleeding of Nori's wound.

She stayed with Loran, when all of a sudden a large adult Uram landed behind the stack of tree stems where I had brought Lorann. Chati ignited her lightsaber and stood before Lorann, but then the Uram started talking to her. She used her Force skills to communicate with it and the Uram made clear that it had been an accident, for the young Uram, which had attacked the boy hadn't recognize him. The adult Uram asked Chati if Lorann would allow it to come closer.

Wedge and I were closely watching what was going on. Lorann accepted the help of the adult Uram and it put on layers of that greasy paste on Lorann's wounds. Next it told Chati to hand Lorann the leaves that stem bleeding to wipe off the greasy paste.

To the amazement of all of us the wounds were gone and the skin not even had a scratch.

The young Uram which had attacked Lorann had prostrated itself next to Lorann. It was crying, but it felt relieved when Lorann told it that he wasn't angry or scared.

Before we left the nut wood we decided it would be better if we wouldn't tell what happened, because Wedge and I suspected a serious repercussion if Lorann's father would know that a Uram had wounded his son. We wanted to avoid that Cornell would gather a group of harvest men to raid the Urams, as we had seen when Leia, Manall and Kamalin had to intervene when Cornell became outraged when Mugin told that Lorann and Chati had gone into the nut woods with us several times." Ian said.

"When was that," Luke asked.

"After the first group had returned to Tyr," Ian said again.

"The Force has shown me images of those raid, Tama-Hin. Under the guise of harvesting nuts, Cornell and a group went to the nut forest to kill Urams." Liane said.

"but the tears in Lorann's pants and the jacket could have revealed what had happened. Still Cornell saw a jacket with no tear." Luke said pensively.

"Chati's work. The jacket Cornell inspected was the one Udine had bought on the market of Cantamaga for her eldest son oTalann. Chati has brought the jacket, Lorann was wearing and his pants to a Quelan women who is famous for doing repairs." Wedge said and looked at his friend and former Jedi master.

"Luke, we had to cover up what happened to avoid a disaster among the Urams." Wedge said.

"And another confrontation between the harvest men and the Jedi," Liane concluded, looking at Luke. "I understand, Luke, that you want to know what has happened, but we must also take into account what could have occurred had this become public. If Wedge and Ian had defended the Urams, Cornell and his men would certainly have turned against the Jedi, because Cornell doesn't believe in the Force and hates the Urams, because he doesn't want to understand their point of view about the nuts in the trees. It could have been a serious setback if you wanted to convince Cornell of Lorann's Force abilities and the boy's future as a Jedi Knight, in the future. You heard what Filann said during the Harvest Council hearing and what Cornell confirmed shortly afterward."

"You're right, darling. I only wanted to be sure that Wedge and Tama-Hin have been aware, of what you just have said. They made a right decision. I only hope that Lorann and Chati will really be silent about all this. For both it is a great experience. Their use of the Force is growing, especially Lorann's understanding of his own Force use.

Tama-Hin, I want you to talk to Lorann and convince him that from now on he absolutely must not reveal anything about this incident, certainly not accidentally, as happened this afternoon. Wedge, I don't need to tell you what you expect from Chati." Luke said and laughed. "Chati is a wonderful padawan who has many hidden talents. Her quick thinking and insight in many unknown situations reveals how she will make use of the Force once she will be a Jedi Knight. Do you still have the intention to go to Corellia with her after Ribana will be the Quelan community again."

"I need an environment without too many new impressions, Luke. It is not for nothing that master Kamalin is calling Chati a 'lady daredevil'. She really needs to learn to concentrate on the moment and not let herself be distracted with all kind of impressions that pique her curiosity."

Luke chuckled.

"I know what you mean, Wedge. I have more or less experience something similar with a certain Force user," He said and looked at Liane who raised her eyebrows.

"You've never called me a 'lady daredevil', master Skywalker?"

"I, more than once, have called you reckless, or thoughtless, as you didn't consider the consequences of your actions." Luke said chuckling.

"Hasn't it been master Yoda who call you a reckless youth, for having your mind on the future and longing for adventures, when you first met him." Liane retorted laughing.

"You've never heard him saying that about me, Shaayla-Car Kenobi." Luke said.

"That's right, for it had been you who told me, but you don't know what Ben Kenobi has told me about you, after master Yoda succumbed to your plea and Ben's wish to start your training to become a Jedi Knight."

"You may tell me tonight, my love. I'm eager to hear what secrets you know about me, for I've got my Jedi training years before we met." Luke parried, looking at Wedge and Ian with a wink.

A knock on the door interrupted their mutual teasing each other and Chati entered.

"My father wonders if you're all hungry. I have tried to make something special but I'm not good as a cook as my mother." She said.

"We're joining you, Chati Fonaldris and your family." Ian said and the four Jedi Knight followed the young Quelan padawan to the governor's private home.

Manall walked upon the ramp of the Millennium Falcon where Han stood waiting.

"I managed to clear most of the mess, master Manall. Chewie has found an old table and some chairs. I'll show you." Han said and walked through one of the passageways behind the control room. He slid a door aside and showed Manall the space.

The harvest man look up with a smile.

"Nice place, general Solo. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Who do you want to speak first, master Manall?"

Manall looked thoughtfully.

"I think it will be wise to talk to Cemall first. He isn't as thoughtless as his older brother."

"Very well. I'll warn Chewie to bring the guy here. If you might need help: push the button under the edge of the table."

"May be I should leave the door open, general Solo. There is no other way to leave your ship then through the control room I have seen. I don't expect Cemall to make an attempt to flee. The rulings of the Harvest Council are very strict."

"Well I'm busy near the ramp, so I can intervene."

Manall took a seat at the table, and few minutes later Chewbacca brought Cemall to the room. Manall pointed to one of the chairs.

"Take a seat, Cemall. It's time for you and me to have a talk, don't you think." Manal said.

Cemall shrugged and sat on one of the chair, looking at his grandfather defiantly.

"Do I really have to gather fallen nuts?" He asked.

"Opposing a ruling of the Harvest Council can have severe precautions, Cemall. You certainly what I'm talking about."

"I have done nothing wrong. I gave Lorann that old harvest men's jacket, for he envied Filann and me, after father has given us a harvest men's jacket when we reached the age of seventeen. If he has been so stupid to wear it when he was going to join Chati Fonaldris to feed those Urams, it's his responsibility, not mine." The young harvest man said in an uncooperative tone.

"How often did you wear that jacket when your father and the other went into the nut forest to harvest the nut from the trees, or worse to chase and kill the Urams." Manall said.

"We didn't chase or kill them. We only defended ourselves when we were chopping the nut trees. Yes, some of those vicious birds were killed, but we didn't that deliberately."

"And you always wore the jacket your father gave you when you've become seventeen?"

"Yes, always."

"And the Urams never attacked you, so your jacket never got tears, and you never got wounded. Sounds odd, Cemall." Manall said.

"I always shoot before those birds could attack."

"Oh, you did the killing?"

"Not always. I took care that I could work at a spot where the Urams couldn't come?"

"So, you never worked on the clearing, where in the past hundred of nut trees were growing. Where did you hide, Cemall, further into the woods?"

Cemall looked at his grandfather

"You have seen what we have done?"

"Of course, I have, more than once. It's a pity that I haven't realized much earlier what was happening in the nut woods. I saw the clearing and the devastation your father and his man have caused, after we have to settled ourselves in Cantamage with all the Quelans from Ribana."

"My father was the leader of the harvest man. You hadn't anything to say anymore how he had to gather the nuts."

"How old are you, Cemall?" Manall suddenly asked.

"Twenty-two. What has my age to do with these questions?"

"How long have we lived in exile in Cantamage, Cemall?"

"No idea, that doesn't interest me."

"Eight years, Cemall. You were fourteen when we had to flee Ribana and arrived at Cantamaga. At that moment you never had been in the nut woods. And when did you father became the new leader of the harvest men."

Cemall shrugged his shoulders again.

"Another seven years, before all the Quelans came to Cantamaga, Cemall. During those seven years I had to stay on Myr as your father and his men went to Tyr to harvest the nuts, that was the ruling of the Harvest Council that unanimous decided that I should step back and shouldn't join your father to Tyr for the harvest. You were a young brat of seven at that time, and I remember all to well that you still lived with your mother and your other siblings on Myr. Lorann wasn't even born by that time, for he was about four years old when we had to leave Ribana and flee to Tyr.

Cemall, you have seen the nut woods from afar for the first time when you, like Lorann, arrived in Cantamaga and you weren't still allowed to join your father and his men, because you were too young. When you reached the age of seventeen, Cemall, how often have you joined the harvest men inside the nut woods?"

"I .. I can't remember,"

"You can't remember, Cemall, but I can. Since all the Quelans of Ribana were living at Cantamaga your father and his men haven't been harvesting nuts in the nut woods, for your father asked the Council of the Elders to forbid any Quelan, or harvest men to enter the nut woods. I have heard that just after the Quelans arrived on Tyr the Urams attacked a group of young female Quelans who enter the nut woods to gather fallen nuts. The outcome of that attack was devastating. That's why the nut wood became forbidden territory for any of us Quelans. Cemall, you never has been in the nut woods, so Filann and you couldn't hand Lorann one of your own jackets, because the Urams wouldn't recognize them. Filann and you needed a jacket that once had belonged to one of the harvest men and the opportunity came when those old jackets were sold on the market in Cantamaga. That's how you got the jacket you and Filann handed to Lorann.

"You assume things, grandfather."

"No, Cemall, I know. You have never seen what devastation your father and his men have done in the nut woods during the seven years before our whole community came to Cantamaga. The accident with the young female Quelans played into the hands of your father and his men, for the ruling of the Council of Elders also became a cover up for what had been done in those prior years. Just in the beginning of the nut woods at least some fifty, but probably more, trees had been chopped down. It have become a clearing with a stack of fallen trees and tree stumps. I have been there after we came to Cantamaga. I have been there regularly, but I have never seen that any tree was chopped down while our whole community lived in Cantamaga. The fallen trees were overgrown with moss and fungi during the time I lived on Tyr. Can you tell me a reason why your father never have harvested nuts again in the way he did, when only he and the harvest men were on Tyr?"

"No idea."

"Because, Cemall, if your father had continued to chop down the nut trees the Council of the Elders would have known and, although our governors were away, I'm sure, that master Kamalin and master Woldrin and the other members of the Council of the Elders would have asked the Harvest Council to explain what had been going on in the nut woods."

"While we lived in Cantamaga we always had plenty of nuts. How do you explain that, grandfather?"

"That was the surplus of several years' of nut harvest that your father wanted to trade. It was stored in various storehouses in and around Cantamaga, awaiting transport to Myr.

Traders always landed very irregularly on the western plains on Myr, but when Myr was occupied and those Imperial stormtroopers plundered Ribana and the surrounding area, not one trader must have landed on Myr again. They did not know where your father and the Quelans from Ribana had gone. The abundance of nuts you just mentioned solved the Quelans' food supply problem all the years we lived in exile, because the surplus was distributed on the market of Cantamaga. During our exile, we ate the nuts that originally served as food for the Urams, because there was no trader to buy them. Cemall, have you ever seen or heard of a trader's spaceship landing on Tyr, on the plains behind Cantamaga? No one has ever done that, because the cloud layers make the surface invisible. That makes it too dangerous for any spaceship to attempt a landing on Tyr."

"This ship, the Millennium Falcon, landed on Tyr."

"Yes, but it's pilot was a Jedi Knight, mostly Han Solo's wife Leia, or Jedi master Wedge Antilles, but not Han Solo himself. Cemall, those cloud layers cause serious interference with the scopes of a space ship. Pilots are flying blind as visual contact is impossible. Behind Cantamaga rises a mountain ridge which summits rise into the cloud layers. For a nearing space ship that's waiting for a disaster."

"So only the space ships of the Jedi Knights can come and go safely to Tyr."

"I know what you're thinking, Cemall. Let me explain. The first time two space ships landed on Tyr after eight years living in exile and without contact from outside, were the Millennium Falcon and the Astræga, Luke Skywalker's space ship. On board of the two ships were Jedi master Luke Skywalker and his sister Jedi master Leia Organa with her padawan. Those Jedi Knights managed to land safely on Tyr. About a week, maybe two an old model transport ship arrived with on board Jedi master Antilles and his padawan master Martan. Months later the Astræga piloted by master Antilles and the space ship of the Grann traders arrived. The pilot of the Grannd Traveler was Leia Organa's padawan. At the moment all three ships come and go to Tyr, but their pilot always is a Jedi Knight for they can rely on the Force to land safely.

"That Force hassle is humbug, grandfather. Those Jedi Knights are in fact excellent pilots." Cemall counter argued. "They can't do any thing special. Filann and I can do the same."

"Yes, like slipping of the wall on the edge of the plateau, because you had to show Chati Fonaldris you could lift a very heavy stone. How did you managed to stop in mid air and fly back to the plateau, Cemall. You were falling and there has been only one who prevented you from meeting your death."

Cemall's face had turned white olive and he began to tremble as the frightening memories of his fall came back in his mind. Manall looked at his grandson with pity.

"Cemall, you want to be more important than you are. You may have the age to be a harvest man, but you have never experienced a nut harvest, and you have never seen a Uram bird, and neither has your brother Filann.

You have heard what the Harvest Council has decided. Once we're back on Tyr you will go into the nut forest in normal Quelan clothes and you will gather fallen nuts from the forest floor. I will accompany you, Filann and your father. Jedi master Luke Skywalker and Jedi Knight Shaayla-Car Kenobi will be watching us and she will tell the Urams not to attack any of the Quelans who are gathering nuts from the forest floor. There are enough nuts on the forest floor to provide our community with an abundance of nuts, more than we can use, so there is a surplus we can trade. That surplus trade I have granted to Yarnick Grann and his brothers who had been a great help while your father and the others were working on our project.

Manall looked at Cemall.

"One day, Cemall, you will be a harvest men's leader yourself, but you still have a lot to learn, for leadership requires responsibility and that you have missed when you agreed with Filann to threaten Lorann. Lorann is your younger brother, you're responsible for his wellbeing too."

"How will Filann and I be set to work outside the harvest community?"

"A good opportunity has presented itself, Cemall, for Jedi Knight Shaayla-Car is continuing her work at the vineyard. You'll be her assistant for she will teach you how the grapevines have to be pruned the right way."

"So I have to take orders from a woman, a Jedi woman, who ..."

"Leave your sentence unspoken, Cemall. You will take orders from Shaayla-Car, or I'll keep you locked up for the rest of time that we're working on Myr in the cargo hold of this ship. It's your choice, so you have to do some thinking, I guess."

"Was Lorann hurt, grandfather. Father said, he was unharmed, so the Urams haven't attacked him."

"He is hurt, Cemall, not by the Urams but by you and your brother. Lorann doesn't trust you any more. He once looked up to the two of you, but after he has discovered you and Filann intended to make him scared of the Urams he has lost his trust in those who call themselves his brothers."

Manall rose and walked over to open door where the shadow of Chewbacca had been visible all the time.

"Chewbacca, will you bring my grandson back to his temporary accommodation. He has a lot to think about I presume. Goodbye, Cemall, as soon as Jedi Knight Shaayla-Car is back you will be brought to the vineyard to do something useful for our governors."

Chewbacca pushed Cemall with a grunt in the direction of the cargo hold. Manall watch them go and sighed.

To be continued...