of them had had a decent meal for weeks.
The next day, Jaina murmured something noncommittal and looked dubiously
at the list that Em Teedee had downloaded to her datapad. Jacen and
Tenel Ka sat near her in Lowie's spacious room, which had been hollowed
out from part of a massive wroshyr tree. Lowie disconnected the lead
wires from the diagnostics panel, tucked them back into Em Teedee's
casing, and closed it with a snap.
While Jaina and Lowie worked together to catalog the Shadow Chaser's
ills, Chewbacca had taken the opportunity to go to the other side of the
planet to visit the rest of his family, whom he had not seen in some
time.
A few leftover spatters of rain from another brief shower dripped
outside the open window. Sirra sat with them, her patchy fur standing on
end. She didn't want to be alone, apparently, but she didn't participate
much in the conversation either.
"Take a look at this, Lowie," Jaina said, holding up the datapad.
The Wookiee studied the list of ruined components with a thoughtful
growl. Jacen and Tenel Ka crowded in to get a look as well.
Jacen flashed his sister a mischievous grin.
"Hard to believe that an itty-bitty ion storm could cause so much
damage, huh?"
Jaina sent him a withering look. "If that furry pet of yours hadn't
chewed all the circuits-"
"Hey, that's not fair! I'd never even seen her before we left Yavin 4."
Jacen removed the fluffy creature from the temporary cage he had made
for her and her babies. The little eight-legged rodent seemed very
pleased with her soft new nest. "She didn't mean to cause any
trouble-did you, Ion?"
He held the fluffy ball close to his face and stroked her with one
finger. The tiny creature made a faint cooing sound. Jacen would set the
rodent free when they returned to Yavin 4, but for now he would take
good care of her.
"The fault was not Jacen's," Tenel Ka said in a mild voice. "And blaming
the creature serves no purpose."
Jaina shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah, I know.
I'm sorry. Just don't let Chewie catch sight of that pesky little thing
when he gets back tonight." Lowie handed the datapad back to Jaina with
a confident bark. "Master Lowbacca believes that we can obtain most of
these parts at the local fabrication facility, or create reasonable
substitutes," Em@Teedee said.
Jaina felt hopeful. "You mean the factory where your parents work?"
"Blaster bolts," Jacen said. "Are you sure?
There's a lot of stuff on that list. V;hat do they make at the factory,
anyway?"
Lowie gestured with his hands and growled an answer. Jaina could vaguely
sense what he was saying. Em Teedee said, 'The fabrication facility that
employs Master Lowbacca's parents, as well as most of the other
inhabitants of this tree city, produces a variety of sophisticated
computer equipment for use in a wide range of transportation
applications."
Jaina's interest sharpened at the idea of a factory filled with exotic
and complex systems.
"Like what?" Jacen asked, placing Ion back in her ca 'e. The little
rodent inspected her grubs, rooting around in her fuzzy nest.
After more of Lowie's growling and gesticulating, Em Teedee said, "Among
other things, the facility produces guidance control systems for
planetary control towers, navigational subsystems and backups, tactical
systems, communication encryption generators, multiphasic-"
"Hey, I think we get the idea. Thanks, Em Teedee," Jacen broke in.
Jaina tried to suppress a chuckle. Her ever-curious brother had gotten
more explanation than he had bargained for. "Lowie, is there any way we
can move the Shadow Chaser closer to your home so we can work on it more
easily? The hangar bay where we stored it is way on the other side of
the city. Not very convenient, if you know what I mean."
Lowie shook his head, but growled a suggestion. "Master Lowbacca
proposes-" Em Teedee began.
"Yeah, I think I got it," Jaina said, struggling to understand a few of
the Wookiee words. "We can pull out the damaged subsystems one or two at
a time, bring them here to Lowie's house, and work on 'em." She beamed.
"That's a great idea. So what are we waiting for?" ----------------THE
MORNING BREEZE ruffled Lowie's ginger-colored fur as he stood with his
friends outside on the treetop observation platform.
The area was broad and smooth, empty of equipment or visitors-the
perfect place for them to stretch their muscles and perform Jedi
exercises in the fresh outdoors.
The air was enriched with the scent of spring blossoms, new leaves, and
sun-warmed wood.
Beside him on the wooden platform, Sirra crouched in pensive silence,
watching the Jedi trainees as they worked through their individual
exercise routines.
Lowie tried not to make it obvious that he was keeping an eye on Sirra.
Too great a show of concern on his part, he figured, would probably only
annoy his sister and make her more stubborn. They had left many issues
unspoken between them, but he knew they would have to talk soon.
He flicked his golden eyes around the plat62 form and watched as Jacen
did push-ups and Jaina practiced gymnastic tumbles. Tenel Ka, limber as
ever, stood on one leg, the other pulled up high behind her, pointing
toward the sky.
Lowie bent over, placed both hands flat on the warm wood of the
platform, kicked his feet into the air, and balanced there. When Jaina
turned a cartwheel past him, he risked another look at Sirra. His brash
younger sister had spoken very little since his arrival yesterday,
though she had instinctively remained close to him. Lowie couldn't help
wondering what she was thinking. Did Sirra in any way resent him because
he had inherited Jedi potential, while she had not? Did she blame him
for Raaba's death? Did she resent the friends he had brought home with
him?
He and his sister were so different that Lowie wondered if there had
ever been a time when they understood each other completely.
Lowie was thoughtful, analytical, introspective, while Sirra was wild,
confident, outspoken. He preferred not to draw attention to himself,
while she enjoyed surprising people with her appearance-why else would
she trim the fur at her ankles, knees, wrists, and elsewhere in such a
strange patchwork style?
Sirra and Lowie had always trusted one another, though-but did she still
trust him?
Tenel Ka whirled through Lowie's field of vision, performing aerial
somersaults. He felt himself begin to lose his balance, but quickly
regained it and began doing vertical pushUPS.
"Hey, Lowie," Jacen yelled from behind him, 'can you spare a little
concentration from your exercises to teach us a few words in your
Wookiee dialect?"
Lowie grunted his assent. "Master Lowbacca says he would not be averse
to the possibility of instructing you," Em Teedee translated.
Jaina chuckled. "Gee, that's funny, Em Teedee-it sounded to me like all
he said was .
I"
'yes 'Well, I suppose that is an alternate translation," Em Teedee said,
sounding somewhat miffed. "Though it's rather unimaginative."
Lowie gave a bark of laughter and looked over at Sirra to see if she had
listened to the interchange. She returned his look for a moment, then
deliberately turned and sat with her back to him at the edge of the
platform, dangling her legs over the side, above the leafy canopy far
below. She stared down toward the unseen depths . . . where Raaba had
disappeared.
"Well then," Em Teedee said, sounding hurt now, "once you've taught the
others your dialect, Master @wbacca, I suppose you won't require my
services anymore."
"Of course we'll still need you, Em Teedee," Jaina said. "We'll never be
able to underStan every wor Lowie says."
Lowie absently grunted his agreement, still looking at Sirra's hunched
shoulders. It occurred to him that although he had come home to support
her in this difficult time, he had no idea how to do it. Clearly, his
presence alone was not enough. He wanted to try talking with her, but
what if she had problems he couldn't solve? What if he was part of the
problem, having set a dangerous example that his sister felt obligated
to follow, though it might mean her death?
Still balanced on his hands but deep in thought about Sirra, Lowie lost
his concentration and his balance again, this time with embarrassing
results. He teetered precariously for a moment, trying to regain his
equilibrium.
Em Teedee let out a squeal of surprise, then Lowie toppled over, landing
on his rear end with a loud thump.
Jaina rushed over, adding to the Wookiee's embarrassment. "Are you all
right?"
Lowie wished his friends had ignored the entire incident. To Jaina's
credit, as soon as she had determined he was unhurt, she made a hasty
retreat and became absorbed in her exercises again, studiously
pretending not to notice while Lowie picked himself up off the
platform's floorboards and dusted off his fur.
Still a bit self-conscious at his clumsiness, Lowie told Em Teedee to
shut down for a rest cycle as he ambled over and seated himself by Sirra
at the platform's edge, letting his legs swing free beside hers. He
waited for a while, hoping his withdrawn sister would say something,
since he had no idea where to begin. Watching her out of the corner of
his eye, he pondered again what had caused them to turn out so different
from each other, how two such opposites could spring from the same set
of parents.
Lowie had a strong aptitude for the Force, whereas Sirra showed neither
potential nor interest in the Jedi Knights. Lowie's quiet introspective
nature had always been a sharp contrast to her confident
outspokennessuntil recently, that is, when she'd become so quiet. And,
while Lowie could sit engrossed for hours in the intricacies of a
computer system, Sirra became restless quickly and longed for excitement
and adventure. In addition, Lowie had always prided himself in being
obedient, finding it simpler to do what was expected of him than to
expend effort on meaningless acts of rebellion against authority.
At that thought, Lowie's eyes were drawn to the bands of close-cropped
fur on Sirra's body. It was not a style sported by any adults that Lowie
knew, and very few youth. He finally decided to ask her about it, hoping
to start a conversation somehow. Lowie blurted out the question, asking
if the style kept her cooler during warm weather.
Sirra shrugged. That was not why she did it.
A symbol of mourning, then? For Raaba?
Sirra snorted at the suggestion.
Rebellion, then?
Sirra thought for a moment before sighing in confusion, obviously at a
loss about how to explain. She thought of it as . . . a way of showing
on the outside what did not show on the inside: that she was different.
Lowie considered this, rumbling deep in his throat. He had thought it
was already clear enough that everyone was different.
Sirra shook her head and sprang to her feet on the platform. Lowie saw
at once that she was irritated, that he had misunderstood her, for his
sister walked all the way around the edge of the platform before
motioning for him to join her. N"en he did, he practically had to run to
keep pace with her.
At last Sirra spoke again, her agitation apparent in her voice. She
pointed to her shaved wrists and elbows, explaining in more detail that
she did this to show others that she was not like them.
Lowie cocked his head quizzically, trying to think of a response, but
Sirra resumed her explanation. She said that since she didn't have Force
would work in the fabrication facility. But Sirra had no wish to work
there like everyone else did.
She didn't enjoy assembling computers, and was only a mediocre
programmer. She raised a fist and barked loudly-she wanted something
much more exciting!
Lowie shook his head sternly. Wookiees could excel in engineering, in
science, in piloting- anything they wanted to. But such success did not
come easily. He nodded toward his friends to indicate how hard they were
training at the moment. Lowie and Sirra walked together for a while in
silence.
Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka finished their exercises and perched at the
edge of the platform, looking down at the beautiful tree canopy. Jacen
pointed. 'Hey, Lowie-how do you say the name for those trees?"
Lowie barked the answer-wroshyr.
After he and Sirra had skirted the trio, Lowie asked his sister what she
wanted to do with her life. Sirra groaned and shrugged uncertainly.
Lowie thought for a moment. Well, what did she like to do? he asked.
Sirra heaved a heavy sigh, spreading her hairy arms wide to encompass
the forest and the sky. She loved to be out and around, to visit new
places and learn new things. She enjoyed feeling free, the way Lowie
himself did when he'd travel alone in his skyhopper.
And Sirra liked making her own decisions, not being told what she had to
do and when.
@wie growled the names of distant cities of Kashyyyk, suggesting other
factories, other jobs. Sirra waved a hand as if to brush the idea away.
She wanted to do something important, something unusual. Her voice
suddenly sounded resentful of @wie and his Jedi friends. They had been
given a tremendous opportunity, and she wanted one for herself.
The twins and Tenel Ka took turns reaching out with the Force to make
temporary furrows in the leafy canopy below, as if a giant invisible
bird of prey were skimming over the leaves in search of its quarry.
Sirra grumbled in disgust and pointed to the Jedi trainees "racing"
their Force furrows through the leaves, crisscrossing and intertwining
them.
She would never squander talent like that, she insisted. Knowing that
she soon intended to prove her strength and bravery against a syren
plant, Sirra expressed her doubts that the young Jedi Knights would last
even five minutes down in the forest underlevels. Their Force powers
would not keep them safe, she asserted, if this was how they used them.
Lowie fixed -his sister with a challenging look, trying to explain
difficult concepts. His fhends were merely "exercising" their abilities.
Learning and practice were never wasted. He insisted that his friends
were much stronger than they appeared.
Sirra shrugged away the comment and began pacing the flat, sun-drenched
platform again. Exasperated, Lowie demanded to know how she expected him
to help her solve her problem.
Surprise registered on Sirra's face. She hadn't asked him for a
solution.
It was Lowie's turn to be perplexed. If he saw his siste r confused or
in pain, he asked, shouldn't he assume she wanted help?
Sirra's eyes narrowed. With a quick series of gruff words, she reminded
him of when he had fallen down a few minutes earlier and bruised his . .
. his dignity. Had he wanted anyone to solve his problem for him?
Lowie shook his head. Sirra raised her eyebrows, asking if now he
understood.
Lowie saw what his sister was getting at, but that had not been the same
thing. He knew she needed help.
Sirra sat down again at the platform's edge, looking out across the
wroshyr trees.
Lowie squatted beside his sister with earnest concern, and her