Mira Tosh: Topless Jedi

    As the young Jedi knight piloted her scout ship toward her destination, she recalled her meeting with the venerable Jedi Master known throughout the Core worlds as Master Yoda.  She had gone to see him when her nights began becoming punctuated with dark dreams.  Dreams that disturbed her greatly.  She felt if anyone could help her to interpret what it was she was experiencing, it would be Master Yoda.

    "Enter, young one," murmured the small, gnome-like creature.  His gravelly voice was moderately pitched, yet still held a timber of authority.  "Pleased to see you, I am."  His face showed the weathered years of his immensely long lifespan, and his eyes displayed the depth of his knowledge and experience.  His smile was serene and affectionate.

    "Master Yoda," replied the knight as she bowed her head in deference to Yoda's rank and wisdom.  The woman's complexion was a bright crimson.  Her face was accented with large white patches around her eyes stretching from above her brows down to her cheekbones.  Atop her head were gray and white striped horns that ran down either side of her head and ended in long striped tentacles that draped her shoulders like a fleshy boa.  A third, thicker tentacle sprouted from the back of her head and hung between her shoulder blades.

    "Please," urged the Jedi master, "be seated."  The young Jedi knight nervously took her seat before the master.  Master Yoda himself was seated upon a small dais that allowed him to maintain eye contact with whomever was seated before him.  He eyed the young Togruta carefully.  "With your beliefs regarding clothing I do not agree," sighed the master.  "However, respect them I do.  Be at ease.  Disturb us no one will."

    Mira Tosh released a breath she hadn't realized that she held.  She bowed deeper before her master.  "Thank you, Master Yoda."  With that, she proceeded to remove her cloak, exposing her body to the open air.  Recently, she had taken to wearing a loin cloth made of Rycrit hide in addition to her robe to further comply with Core system laws.  However, this she did not remove as she would have had to stand to do so, and she felt to stand now after being invited to sit would be disrespectful to Master Yoda.  Still, she felt much better having her torso and legs exposed, as if the robe she wore were suffocating her skin.

    Seeing that the young Jedi knight was comfortable, Yoda nodded his satisfaction.  "And now, something to speak to me about you have, hm?"

    Now that she was here, Mira was having difficulty finding the words to explain her predicament.  Sensing her ambivalence, Yoda prompted her.  "Troubles you something does?"

    "I've...been having dreams for several days, now," she managed.

    Yoda nodded as if he expected her to say just that.  "Darkness inhabits these dreams, yes?  Disturbing images, hm?"

    "Yes, Master," said Mira, expelling the confirmation with intense relief.  "I see visions of vast armies.  They each stand atop a ridge flanking a deep valley.  On one side, I see clone troopers by the tens of thousands.  So many they extend to the horizon.  On the other, I see the droid armies of the Separatists along with the peoples of the planetary systems who have joined them.  I cannot see them clearly, but I know that's who they are."

    "A great toll this war takes on us all, young Mira," explained Yoda.  "Becoming sensitive to the disturbances in the Force caused by conflict and hate you are."

    Mira shook her head slightly.  "No, Master, there's more.  In the center of the valley, I see the Jedi Order."  She closed her eyes as if to fix the image in her mind.  "The Council, the masters, the knights and their padawans, even the younglings.  All are down in the valley which is held in shadow.  Even so, the Jedi seem to glow with a fierce light that battles the darkness.  With each dream, however, the light grows dimmer."

    Yoda stroked his chin thoughtfully.  "More have you to tell me?"

    Mira held her breath momentarily.  "I see a dark, hooded figure floating above everything.  So large, he practically fills the sky.  Each arm outstretched over the armies, as if he were controlling them like puppets.  I cannot see his face.  It is deep in shadow.  But...I can tell that the face is...disfigured, grotesque."  She visibly shivered.  "That is when the dream ends."

    "Mmm," rumbled Yoda in the back of his throat still stroking his chin and occasionally tugging at the hairs there.  He looked up at the Togruta Jedi seated before him, her deep red skin glowing in the ambient light.  The traditional head jewelry of the Togruta that she wore sparkled as she fidgeted in her seat.  Then, as if coming to a momentous conclusion, Yoda stood up on the dais upon which he had been sitting.  Mira scrambled to stand as well out of respect.  "An important assignment for you I have," he said gravely.  "Require much fortitude it will.  Return to the Core systems you will not."

    Mira stared at Yoda for several moments.  "Am I being dismissed from the Order, Master?" she asked meekly.

    Yoda shook his head sadly and hopped down from the dais.  "No, but much to learn, you still have.  Require the most sincere commitment it will, and unfortunately, solitude from the rest of the Jedi Order.  Very important that you succeed it is.  Give this mission to you I would not if faith in you I had none."  He nodded and smiled reassuringly.  "To your ship you must go.  To the Outer Rim you must fly.  Give you your mission I will once on your way you are."

    As she left Yoda's room, Mira Tosh had not seen the brooding look that fell upon the Jedi Master's face.  Once the door had closed behind her, Yoda began to pace about the room.  "Most disturbing this is," he said quietly to himself.  "The future Mira Tosh has seen, yes.  Precautions to be taken there are."

    Mira Tosh returned to the hangar where her ship was berthed.  It was a hyperdrive capable scout that had been given to her when she was first assigned to the Outer Rim Territories.  Her visit with Master Yoda had at once elated and terrified her.  She knew that she shouldn't feel that way about the Jedi Master, but his renown as a high ranking member of the Jedi Order was legendary.  In spite of his diminutive stature, she always felt dwarfed in his presence.  Mira climbed up the gang ramp into her ship.  Inside the cockpit, her loyal utility droid T3-K1 waited patiently.

    "Fire up the converters, Kay-Wuhn," called Mira Tosh.  "We're leaving the Core.  Set a course for the Outer Rim."  The little droid beeped his acknowledgment and plugged a data port into the computer terminal in the rear of the cockpit.  With a satisfying hum, the ship's engines came to life.  Mira discarded her robe and sat before the steering column.  With a few deft movements across the control panel, the thrusters roared and slowly began to lift the scout ship upwards.  Adjusting her orientation, Mira proceeded to head off-planet.  It was only a matter of minutes before she had left the stratosphere and cleared the heavy traffic lanes around Coruscant.  T3-K1 then initiated the hyperdrive, and the ship slingshot forward into space at light speed.

    Once she had left Coruscant, Master Yoda had relayed his recorded instructions to Mira's utility droid.  It was Kay-Wuhn who had announced to Mira that a message was awaiting her.  By the time she was well underway into hyperspace toward the Outer Rim Territories, she had found the holorecording and was surprised when Master Yoda, Master Windu and Master Shaak Ti appeared on the floor before her.

    "Communicate this way we must since awkwardness your appearance causes amongst the Council," commented Master Yoda's image dryly.  Mira wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a smirk on Master Shaak Ti's face.  "Discussed your mission with the Council I have.  Agreed we all are on the importance of your visions.  The seed of preservation, you will be."

    "You must not let anyone know that you are a Jedi," added Master Windu.  "Fortunately, you have not been in the field long enough for too many to know who you are."

    "Once you reach your first destination, you must stay there until you feel you have learned all you need to learn," continued Master Shaak Ti.

    "From there, your guide will be the Force.  Follow where it leads you," finished Master Yoda.

    "I will remember you to the Tosh clan, young one," said Master Shaak Ti with a slight bow of her head.

    "May the Force be with you," chorused the three Jedi Masters.

    Suddenly, the holorecording flickered until it revealed Master Yoda standing alone before her.  He had told her that she was to go to the planet Askaj and meet a friend of his there.  On Askaj, she was to stay with Master Yoda's acquaintance until she felt the time was right to move one.  From there, she would wander.  Going only where the Force guided her.  At the same time, she was still a Jedi knight.  She must aid those who are in need wherever she goes yet without drawing too much attention to herself.

    Mira Tosh heaved a heavy sigh.  "Well, Kay-Wuhn, looks likes it's going to be just you and I."  The small utility droid chirruped its affirmation.  "Set course for Askaj."  The little droid complied with its master's wishes and input new coordinates into the computer.  The scout ship automatically dropped out of hyperspace into a clear area, reoriented itself toward its new coordinates, and finally reentered hyperspace once more.

* * *

    Mama Gaela was the premier Tomuon cloth weaver of her tribe.  A position of such importance allowed her to meet with dignitaries from planets across the galaxy.  It was rumored that even Senator Palpatine of Coruscant wore robes of fine Tomuon cloth, though not one of Mama Gaela's designs.  Mama Gaela's access to the interplanetary elite allowed her to make the acquaintance of a surprisingly unique individual.  A Jedi Master who stood not much taller than some of her displayed weavings.  When she received word that a young Jedi would be coming to stay with her, Mama Gaela was more than happy to open her home to a Jedi.  Their reputation was well known throughout the Outer Rim Territories.  What she hadn't expected was someone who tended to wear even less than the Moon Lady's dancers did.

    Mama Gaela peered into the sectioned off area of her hut that served as a guest room.  The Jedi was still seated in the center of the floor without a stitch of clothing, meditating.  Her gray and white striped lekku were draped artfully about her shoulders.  The bright desert sun filtered through the weave of the hut's outer walls, illuminating her russet colored skin.  As if sensing her presence, the Jedi's eyes opened.

    "Is there something I may do for you, Mama Gaela?" asked Mira Tosh.

    "Come," beckoned the heavyset weaver.  "Drink tea with me."

    Mira Tosh smiled and gracefully arose from the lotus position she had been seated in without the aid of her arms.  Mama Gaela shook her head and smirked.  "Child, you make me feel old...er," she commented dryly.

    "You are only as old as your heart wills you to be," replied Mira.

    Mama Gaela laughed heartily.  "Tomuon droppings!  I'll give you Jedi this much.  You may be the great heroes of the galaxy, but you sure do know how to shovel it."  She grinned her pearl white teeth at Mira before retiring to the galley.  Mira followed behind only after donning her Rycrit hide loin cloth and the woven Tomuon cloth breastband that Mama Gaela had made for her.

    As she prepared the tea setting, Mama Gaela glanced back and nodded appreciatively at her own handiwork.  "I see the band I wove for you fits you well."

    Mira Tosh nodded.  "It takes some getting used to something that's so restrictive, but the cloth is quite comfortable."

    "Of course," snorted Mama Gaela.  "You think the richest beings of the Core systems would pay so dearly for uncomfortable cloth?  Mind you, it felt odd making a breast band for only one pair of breasts."

    Mira couldn't help but giggle.  Mama Gaela was frank to the point of rudeness, yet she chastised Mira vehemently the first time walked outside the hut naked and scandalized her community.  Some of the local youths had been hanging around her hut on the off chance that they might catch the Jedi unclothed once more.

    "Besides not having six breasts as the Moon Lady intended," continued a familiar complaint, "you're much too skinny.  You should eat more."

    "Some species are, unfortunately, not as blessed as the Askajians are," said Mira diplomatically.

    Another snort of laughter escape the weaver.  "It's never a straight answer from you Jedi, is it?  Why not say a thing is a thing if that's all it is?  Why speak in riddles?"  Mama Gaela poured out cold water into cups laden with spices.  Drinking hot beverages in the desert was madness, so the Askajians had found strong, sweet tasting herbs which steeped quickly in cold water.  She brought the cups and water pitcher over to a designated seating area where several cushions had been laid out upon the floor.

    "Often we find that things aren't as simple as they first appear," explained Mira taking a seat on one of the cushions.  She thought of an analogy that Mama Gaela would understand.  "Much like finding a clear pool of water on the desert plains and finding it is only a mirage."

    "Is that what you are, Jedi Tosh?  A mirage?"

    Mira shrugged her shoulders before accepting the tea cup that Mama Gaela held out to her.  "Of a kind.  I don't wish to stay here too long.  Eventually, I must move on."

    "And when will that be?" asked Mama Gaela as she flopped heavily into another cushion without spilling so much as a drop of her tea.

    Mira looked pensive.  "I don't know.  That's why I meditate.  The Force is to be my guide, but right now it isn't telling me anything."

    Mama Gaela grunted.  "It seems to me, that it's telling you to stay put."  She took a large gulp from her cup and refilled it.  "You should stop hiding in your room, and get out there and do something.  Take your mind off your troubles."

    "Like what?" asked Mira somewhat confused.

    "I could use a hand tending my herd," said Mama Gaela slyly.  Like most Askajians, Mama Gaela had a herd of Tomuon in her possession.  Not only was their wool the source of material for her expensive weavings, but their milk, meat, fat, and offal provided other important resources.  The Askajian tribes were nomadic, moving as their herds needed new grazing.  Since arriving on Askaj, Mira had moved with Mama Gaela's tribe several times.  Her ship and her utility droid had been left hidden in a cave near where she had first landed.  Idly, she wondered how her little droid was faring.

    "I can help you with the herding," said Mira.  "I can even help with milking and shearing, but I will not slaughter any living creature."

    "Hmph," grunted Mama Gaela rather disappointedly.  "For a Jedi warrior, you seem to have a low tolerance for blood."

    "It's not that," cautioned Mira.  "The Force is created by all living things.  Life energy makes it grow.  As such, I can feel when the ending of a life diminishes the Force.  I can feel when a creature dies.  Could you kill another living creature if you could feel its death deep within you."

    Mama Gaela stared at the Togruta from some time.  "No," she said quietly.  "No, I suppose not."  Mama Gaela tipped out the herbs from her cup into a nearby bowl.  The herbs were difficult to come by, and could be steeped several times before they become flavorless.  Thus, the Askajians tended to dry out used tea herbs and store them for later enjoyment.

    "Tell me about your homeworld," remarked Mama Gaela in a sudden change of subject.  "What's it like there?"

    "On Shili?" asked Mira with a blink of surprise.  She gathered her thoughts.  "Well, it very different from Askaj.  Much of Shili is grassland.  The turu-grass can grow as tall as a meter high.  In the hill country, there are great forests with leaves so large they can blot out the sky.  It rains a lot in the hill country."

    "It's no wonder you're so skinny, then," said Mama Gaela.  "Do you know why Askajians are so fat?"  Mira shook her head.  "Water.  Water is a very scarce resource on Askaj.  So our people have developed over eons a way to store water within our bodies.  I must admit, I was shocked at how often you drank when we first met, and how often still you relieved yourself, wasting precious water.  But, now I know.  On your homeworld, water is everywhere.  You don't need ways to store it like Askajians do."  She tilted her head and studied Mira for a moment.  "So, I suppose a dry world like Askaj can be uncomfortable for you," offered Mama Gaela.

    "It can be," admitted Mira Tosh, "but I've spent a lot of time on Ryloth.  That world is even more desolate than some of the desert plains on Askaj, and many of the creatures there are vicious.  The Twi'lek must live in fortified caves to protect themselves and their livestock."

    "Why don't they just move to someplace where the beasties can't get them?" asked Mama Gaela.  It was a fair question coming from a nomadic tribeswoman.

    "There's only so much of the planet that's habitable," explained Mira.  "They don't have day and night like Askaj or Shili or even Coruscant.  One side of the planet always faces away from the sun.  They call it the Nightlands.  It's bitter cold there.  Nothing could survive the subzero temperatures.  The other side of that planet is always beneath the sun.  Boiling hot with heat storms that can reach up to three hundred degrees centigrade.  The only places where life can be sustained are the twilight borderlands that rest between to day side and the night side."

    "And life thrives on this planet?" asked Mama Gaela doubtfully.

    "Life is more tenacious than most people think," said Mira with a smile.

    "Ha!" bellowed Mama Gaela with a grin while thumping her thigh with an open palm.  "So, now I get a straight answer out of you."

* * *

    The Tomuon were beginning to grow quite shaggy, which meant that it was time shear them.  Mira found that she had quite a knack for calming the animals with her Jedi mind abilities.  The trick was to gently insert a feeling a comfort into the creature's mind while at the same time allowing the animal to feel that it had come to feel that way all on its own.  Even with such mindless beasts as this, instinct has a natural aversion to external intrusion.  As she calmed them, Mira used a pair of hand shears to trim down their woolly coats.  Part of the skill in shearing was to maintain a continuous bolt of wool which could be laid out like a sheet once the entire animal had been trimmed.  While Mira had the deft hands to shear the Tomuons without causing them injury, she found the skill of maintaining a continuous sheet of cut wool eluded her.  Still, she did a thorough job, and even Mama Gaela had to admit that the shearing got done in half the time that it normally took.

    The peace of Tomuon shearing was interrupted by the sounds of two Askajians arguing belligerently.  "By the Moon Lady," exclaimed Mama Gaela dejectedly.  "Not this again."

    "What's wrong?" inquired Mira.  She had just managed to cut a complete bolt of wool and was pleased with her accomplishment.

    "Malick is arguing with the chieftain of the Cliffoot tribe again," grumbled Mama Gaela.  "I told that old fool that I'm not going to move to another tribe."

    "Why would he want you to move to another tribe?" asked Mira.  She stood next to Mama Gaela and watched the two elderly Askajian males bicker heatedly back and forth.

    Mama Gaela looked up in surprise at Mira before nodding her understanding.  "I forget you are a stranger here.  The skills of a weaver bring a tribe much recognition and prestige.  Tribes have been known to go to war over the ability to boast hosting a finely skilled weaver.  Usually, when another chieftain petitions our leader for my services, they accept his dismissal with grace, if with disappointment.  The Cliffoot chieftain is as aggressive as a Tomuon bull in mating season.  He thinks he can bully his way to whatever he wants."

    "Why can't both tribes share a weaver?" asked Mira

    Mama Gaela looked up at the Jedi as if she had grown a second head.  "In order for a weaver to be successful, she must have stability.  You can't have stability flitting back and forth between two tribes that may not even migrate together."

    Mira nodded her understanding.  She watched the two chieftains stand almost toe to toe yelling at one another.  "Is there nothing you can do to help the situation?"

    Mama Gaela shook her head sadly.  "It is forbidden for me to interfere.  In truth, despite my high standing in the community, I'm really not much different than a Tomuon.  I get led about on a short tether and can have no say about where I go."  Mama Gaela thought for a moment.  "On the other hand, Jedi are known as the great mediators of the galaxy, are they not?"

    "Usually, we must be asked to mediate a dispute," cautioned Mira.

    "Well, I'm asking you," snapped Mama Gaela.  "I do not want to be the source of a tribal war, and believe me, that Cliffoot idiot would do just that."

    Mira nodded.  "We are supposed to be protectors of the peace," admitted Mira.  "Very well, I will do what I can."  She quietly walked over to the arguing chieftains.  The Cliffoot chieftain saw her approaching first.

    "What kind of creature is this?" exclaimed the chieftain with distaste.

    "Mind your manners, Ingus," snapped Malick.  "She is a foreign envoy here to study our culture.  She doesn't need to meet a lout like you and bring a poor opinion of us to her people."

    "Good morning, gentlemen," greeted Mira.  "You seem to be at some kind of an impasse.  I have some small skill in mediation.  Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

    "I don't need any help from offworld scum," snarled Ingus thrusting out his double chin in stubborn defiance.  "I am Ingus, chieftain of the Cliffoot, and I require no one's help in settling my affairs."

    Mira shrugged diplomatically.  "As you say.  Yet, even the greatest monarchs of the Core defer to other points of view when things seem to...stagnate."

    "Mind you own business, woman, and I'll handle mine," threatened Ingus.

    During this altercation between the Jedi and the Cliffoot chieftain, Malick was stroking his chins in thought.  "I am inclined to agree with Ingus on this," he said, though his words were more genteel than Ingus' boisterous stance.  After a pause, he added, "Were I even to consider accepting your help, exactly what could you possibly suggest to solve our mutual problem?"

    Mira smiled inwardly.  Malick was obviously a shrew negotiator.  With that statement, he had as much as accepted Mira's help without seeming to in front of his rival.  "What is the nature of the problem?" she asked though in truth she already knew.

    "Ingus wants Mama Gaela to join his clan as their weaver," explained Malick.

    "It is my right to do so!" screamed Ingus.

    "If I understand, correctly," said Mira with a stern look, "it is Malick's right to refuse.  You must accept his refusal."

    "I will not!" growled Ingus taking a step toward the Togruta.  "He has had the services of Mama Gaela for too long.  He should allow another tribe to benefit from her skill!"

    Mira could see that it was going to be difficult dealing with Ingus.  He was bellicose in the extreme.  He tended to use a hammer where a stylus was of better use.  "You cannot impose you will upon free thinking people simply because they do not give you what you wish."  She bent down and plucked from the ground a stalk of grass and a small, dry twig.  "Your thinking must be flexible like this blade of grass."  She flexed the grass into a parabolic arc.  "You must be able to adjust to changing circumstances.  If your thinking is too rigid, like this twig," she attempted to bend the twig in the same fashion that she had bent the grass, and the twig snapped into two pieces, "you will not be able to gain anything for your clan."

    Mira looked up at Ingus' furrowed brow and could tell immediately that he hadn't understood her.  Men of Ingus' type tended to bluster all the more when they are confused or unknowledgeable.  She braced herself for a tirade.  "Tomuon turds!" shouted Ingus.  "I don't know what kind of fertilizer you're selling, offworlder, but it stinks all the same."

    Malick ignored Ingus' rudeness.  "I consider myself a flexible man," he offered.  "I might be willing to accept advice that is reasonable."  His stance with arms crossing his chest said that he wasn't interested, but his eyes were intent on the Jedi.

    "Perhaps, your clan can provide Ingus with a skilled weaver in another fashion, provided that Mama Gaela is open to the idea," offered Mira.

    Ingus' head snapped to attention.  "What?  What was that?"

    "What is your idea, Mira Tosh?" asked Malick.

    Mira looked pointedly at Ingus.  "Your clan will provide two younglings.  Each with an aptitude for weaving, but not any training.  They will learn their craft from Mama Gaela.  After four turns of the seasons, they will return to you as skilled weavers.  You will have earned two weavers."

    For the first time since she had met him, Ingus actually stopped to think about what he had heard.  In the silence, Mira could hear the gruff calls and shuffling hooves of the Tomuon herd behind her.  For a while, Mira began to believe that Ingus would turn down the offer.  Finally, he opened his mouth and uttered in an uncharacteristically calm manner, "Why two?"

    Malick nodded.  "A good question.  Why should he gain two weavers."

    Mira studied the two chieftains.  They were both thinking about what advantages each chieftain's own clan would receive in this bargain.  "There is no guarantee that, should you send one youngling, he or she would attain the skill that would be a credit to his or her clan.  By sending two youngling, you increase the chance of success."

    "Her," remarked Malick.  "Men do not weave."

    "Why not more than two?" asked Ingus greedily, his eyes twinkling with the possibilities.

    "Because Mama Gaela is a master weaver," responded Mira, "and her time and skill are of great value.  She will be required to set aside time to teach, but she must still have time to weave her own creations for her clan as well as rest."  An errant breeze blew sand into the air for a few moments before quieting down once more.  "Would such an arrangement be agreeable to you?"  Ingus' eyes darted about him.  He seemed to be searching for something.  "Master Ingus?"

    "Erm, yes, now that I have thought about it thoroughly," stammered Ingus, "I believe that this is an acceptable arrangement."

    "Provided that Mama Gaela also agrees," cautioned Mira.  "Her input into this agreement is also of great importance."

    "Er, yes, yes, of course," said Ingus rather nervously.

    Mira wasn't sure, but there was something about Ingus' behavior that unsettled her.  Contrary to his prior demeanor, he seemed to be unnaturally agreeable.  Still, he was willing to avoid a conflict between the two clans, and that was the important thing.  "I shall talk with Mama Gaela and find out how she feels about this solution."  Mira Tosh walked back toward the weaver who has been keeping herself busy with milking one of the Tomuon cows.  The portly weaver was squatting down on her haunches as she tugged on the Tomuon's teats, collecting the thick, heavy milk in a hollowed out gourd.

    "So, Jedi," began Mama Gaela as Mira walked up to her, "were you able to straighten out that mess."

    "I proposed a solution," said Mira, "but it requires your approval."

    Mama Gaela glanced up at Mira.  "I told you, I have no say in these matters."

    "With the solution I proposed, your cooperation is necessary," explained Mira.

    Mama Gaela stopped milking the Tomuon.  The beast looked back at the weaver wondering what the hold up was.  "What have you done, Jedi?" snarled Mama Gaela grumpily.

    Mira took a slow, cleansing breath and forged ahead.  "To prevent the clans from going to war, I proposed that you take in apprentices from the Cliffoot clan and teach them to weave skillfully."

    Mama Gaela looked as if she were about to have an apoplectic fit.  "You did what!?  Where in the name of the Moon Lady did you get that idea from?"

    "From the Jedi Order," said Mira.  "When a Jedi reaches a certain level, the Council determines that he or she is fit to teach an initiate.  We call these initiates padawans.  Padawans learn through experience and guidance provided by their masters."

    "I'm no teacher," grumped Mama Gaela.  "I can't suffer fools and children."

    "These will be students," said Mira patiently, "eager to learn the craft.  Then, of course, there are the bragging rights."

    Mama Gaela's face shifted to an expression of confusion.  "Bragging rights?  About what?"

    "Supposing you do teach these apprentices to become great weavers," offered Mira, "who do you think will get the credit for helping them to reach their potential?  People will look to a weaver and say, 'We have a great weaver, taught her craft by the renown Mama Gaela.'"

    Mama Gaela eyed Mira Tosh very closely.  "And you expect me to buy into that nonsense."

    Mira smiled.  "I presented it a touch dramatically, perhaps, but it is true nonetheless."

    "And you expect me to just give away my secrets, is that it?"

    Mira shook her head.  "You're just teaching them to weave.  They will have to find their own style.  It would certainly not be much good if all they could do was copy you, poorly."

    "Or do so well that they'd put me out of business, I expect," commented Mama Gaela dryly.

    Mira hesitated for a moment.  "Well, there is that possibility, yes.  I didn't want you to think that I was trying to subvert your accomplishments."

    "If you're gong to negotiate, Jedi," declared Mama Gaela, "you need to present all the facts whether they are advantageous or not."  She punctuated each word by poking Mira forcefully in the shoulder with an index finger.  "Otherwise, people will think that you have a stake in the outcome."

    Mira grimaced as she rubbed the sore spot where Mama Gaela had poked her.  "I see," see replied contritely.  "You are quite right, but you needn't have poked me in the shoulder like that."

    "That's to make the lesson stick, child," said Mama Gaela rather pleased with herself.  "I'm sure Master Yoda has told you that you still have much to learn."

    Mira lowered her head.  "Indeed he did.  I thank you for the reminder."  She looked up once more at the matronly figure and smiled.  "Both verbal and...," she rubbed her shoulder again, "otherwise."

    "Pah!" breathed Mama Gaela explosively.  "Don't complain about a little pain, girl.  You're a Jedi.  You've a lot of pain ahead of you in your life.  Best get used to it."  Mira studied Mama Gaela thoughtfully.  She was beginning to understand why she and Master Yoda were friends.  "Now, go tell those two numbwits that I agree to your proposal."

* * *

    While the days on Askaj were long, hot and dusty, the nights were quite cool.  Though her Twi'lek mentors had trained her to use meditation to force the mind and body not to acknowledge heat or cold, the truth was Mira hadn't quite mastered her resistance to much colder temperatures.  With guilty pleasure, Mira wrapped up in the heavy Tomuon wool blanket as she rested in her quarters within Mama Gaela's tent.  Even so, she could only attain a fitful sleep.

    Mira awoke suddenly with a feeling of dread surrounding her that was almost palpable.  Though confused at first, it was the long years of Jedi instruction that made her realized that her Force heightened senses were detecting something wrong.  Mira cast off her blanket and, out of respect for her host, donned her loincloth and breast band.  Upon stepping into the common room, Mira needed no heightened sense to tell her that something untoward had happened.  Many of the small furnishings and decorative items that had been carefully place in the common room were scattered.  A small vase that had been made by an artist on Tatooine lay shattered on the sandy floor.  A small stool that Mama Gaela used to milk the Tomuon was overturned.  A potted cactus that had been placed on top of the stool had been upset and the cactus had been trodden into the dirt by a heavy footfall.  Yet, the most telling evidence of foul play was the curtain that separated Mama Gaela's private room from the rest of the tent.  The fabric had been roughly cut with a sharp knife.  Several pieces were missing, no doubt used as very efficient bonds for a subdued Mama Gaela.

    A brief flash of anger reflected in Mira Tosh's eye.  Slowly she took several calming breaths.  Anger was not helpful in the least.  Indeed many a Jedi had fallen to the Dark Side by simply not controlling their passions.  Mira thought the situation over carefully.  Since bonds were cut from the curtain, it meant that the kidnappers intended Mama Gaela no physical harm.  With a sardonic smile Mira was certain that Mama Gaela did not share the same view of her captures.  Without a moment's hesitation, Mira dashed back into her room and moved toward a pile of woolen fabric pieces.  Quickly, she pulled these off of a small box that was sealed with an electronic encryption lock.  Mira placed both thumbs on either side of the lock.  After a few moments, an audible beep followed by a click informed Mira that the lock had been disengaged.  Carefully opening the box, the dim moonlight which filtered into the tent showed two cylindrical rods colored in a matte black finish and trimmed on either end with brushed metal.  They were the only possessions that were considered essential to a Jedi.  Mira picked up the two lightsabers.  Folded beneath the Jedi weapons was a tooled leather belt with holsters designed to carry Mira's lightsabers.  Mira hesitated.  She wasn't supposed to draw attention to herself.  No one save Mama Gaela was supposed to know that she was a Jedi.  Everyone had assumed that she was a visiting diplomat from the Core systems, and Mira hadn't dissuaded those assumptions.  Now, however, Mama Gaela was in danger, and Mira needed to take control of the situation before a real clan war was started.

    As she thought that, she knew for certain that Ingus was behind Mama Gaela's disappearance.  His quick conciliation to Mira's proposal, and his unusual behavior lent credence to her deduction.  Fastening the belt about her waist and holstering her lightsabers, Mira quickly donned the traditional hooded robe of the Jedi, primarily to keep off the cold desert night air, but also to hide her lightsabers.   Mira stealthily exited the weaver's tent and crept through the sleeping community in search of the clan's chieftain.  Malick's tent wasn't difficult to find, in deference to his status and responsibilities as clan leader, Malick's tent was easily three times as large Mama Gaela's.  In it were housed not only the chieftain's living quarters, but also a small audience chamber and private meeting rooms.  As luck would have it, lamp light still poured forth between the Tomuon hide flaps which served as doorways to the central room of the dwelling.  A pair of very hefty looking guards were posted on either side of the entrance.  Each guard held a thick wooden staff that was shod in iron on either end.  As Mira approached, both guards stood at the ready, blocking the entrance with their staffs.

    "Halt!" bellowed one of the guards.  "What business have you here?  Speak quickly!"

    Mira pulled back her hood.  "I am here on urgent business with Chieftain Malick," she explained.  "I must see him right away."

    "Huh!" grunted the sentry.  "You offworlders have a lot of nerve.  It's the middle of the night!  See him in the morning."

    Mira Tosh sighed.  She hated using the Jedi Mind Trick on people.  It always felt like she was taking something away from those on whom she used it.  Plus, it seem like such a dirty trick.  However, now was not the time to quibble over moral conscience.  She waved her hand before the sentries while projecting her will upon their minds.  "You will allow me to see Chieftain Malick."

    The sentries seemed confused at first.  Then, one smiled brightly saying, "If you wish to see Chieftain Malick, step lively please."  The two guards pulled their staffs away from the entrance flaps of the tent.

    That was shamefully easy, thought Mira.  She would find a way to make up for it later.  Mira passed into the main audience room to find Malick and a few other Askajian males in a conference.  The men were seated around a small bonfire at the room's center.  The tent's ceiling was twice the height that that of most tents in the clan.  At the apex, an oculus allowed the smoke from the fire to safely exit the tent.  Upon entering, conversation stopped and all eyes were directed at her.  Selfconsciously, Mira could feel the hostility in their gazes.  She had apparently interrupted a gathering of grave importance.  Chieftain Malick stood and walked over to where Mira was standing.  However when he spoke, he raised his voice for all in the room to hear.

    "Mira Tosh, we are in the middle of a very important conference," announced Malick.  "I realize that you are an outsider to our way of life, but you simply cannot disrupt the workings of government simply to satisfy you curiosity."  Malick eyed Mira suspiciously.  "How did you get by the guards, anyway?  If those idiots are napping on the job, so help me..."

    Mira decided to forestall any further speculation on Malick's part.  "Chieftain Malick," responded Mira, "there is a matter of great urgency about which I must speak with you."

    Malick glanced back at the assemblage in the center of the audience chamber.  "If it involves our clan, then you must speak to all of us."

    Mira hadn't counted on this.  She was hoping to draw Malick off alone and speaking to him in that fashion.  Speaking before an assembled group may incite the very clan war she had hoped to prevent.  "But...," she began hesitantly.

    "All of us," repeated Malick emphatically, his face stern and businesslike.  "Or you shall quit this dwelling immediately."

    Mira sighed resignedly.  "As you wish, but I caution not to act rashly regarding what I have to say."

    "Mira Tosh, seated before you are the assembled elders of our clan," said Malick with no little pride.  "Guild, trade, and service leaders join me every seventh day to discuss matters within the clan.  We never act rashly, nor do we act without consensus."

    Mira looked over the group of men whose sizes ranged along a wide variety of corpulence.  "I understand, Chieftain Malick," said Mira with a nod toward the assembled.

    "Now, come by the fire and make yourself comfortable," said Malick cheerfully.  He was apparently proud to have this foreign emmisary view Askajian government in action.  Before she could stop him, Malick had taken the liberty of trying to remove Mira's robe.  As the fabric pulled back over her shoulders, a sudden hiss could be heard from the group of men.  "A Jedi!" one of them exclaimed.  Malick glanced down at the waist of Mira Tosh and saw the distinctive weapons of the famed Jedi Order.  "Mira Tosh," exclaimed Malick with wonder, "is this true?  Are you a Jedi?"

    Mira closed her eyes.  She entertained the idea of claiming the weapons having been purchased and were merely for show, but eventually tossed that aside.  There was no real point to lying to these people.  They deserved to know the truth.  Mira turned to Chieftain Malick.  "Yes.  I am a Jedi knight."  Her admission started an avalanche of murmurs from the elders.

    Malick stood before everyone looking as if he were lost.  "I do not understand.  Why is a Jedi here hiding amongst my clan?"

    "Please," cautioned Mira, "you must not tell anyone that I am a Jedi.  It could mean your very lives were anyone to find out.  I am on a very special mission."  This, while not the whole truth, was not a direct lie either.  "I was sent here by one of the masters to check on an old friend of his."

    More murmurs erupted from the assembled.  Malick looked as if he had been struck.  "Mama Gaela?  Mama Gaela is a friend of a Jedi master?"  He turned away lost in though for a few moments.  "Ha!" he barked while shaking his head, his jowls jiggling with every movement.  "Why am I even surprised.  I am forever underestimating that woman.  Of course she knows a Jedi.  As a master weaver, she deals with offworlders of the highest caliber all the time."  Malick returned his gaze to Mira.  "So, how may we be of assistance to you Jedi Mira."

    "Please," insisted Mira, "just call me Mira Tosh.  I implore you, it's best that you never call me a Jedi."

    "As you will, Mira Tosh," said Malick with a smile that reached his eyes, as if he were privy to the galaxy's greatest practical joke.  "Now, about what do you wish to speak with us."

    Mira Tosh steeled herself.  "Mama Gaela has gone missing."  Alarmed whisperins ran through the elders.  "Judging by the damage done within her tent, I believe she was taken by force."

    Malick's expression went from pleased to enraged in the blink of an eye.  "Ingus!  That coward!  So, he not only flouts the laws of our clan, but the laws imposed upon all clans!  Well, we shall not allow this to continue.  We must put it to the vote."  He turned to the elders seated about the fire.  "Whether we should go to war against the Cliffoot or not."

    This was the moment that Mira had dreaded.  If ever there was a time for a Jedi to mediate, it was now.  "Before you cast your votes," interjected Mira Tosh, "there are some things which you should consider."

    "Speak, Mira," urged Malick.

    Mira turned to face each of the elders in turn.  "Consider these things.  The people of the Cliffoot may very well not be aware of the danger in which their chieftain has placed them.  By going to war, you could very well be punishing the innocent more so than the guilty.  Consider also that although Ingus may be selfish and cowardly in his actions, he is by no means stupid.  I doubt very much that Mama Gaela would be with the Cliffoot clan.  He would have her safely hidden away so as to rob you of any definitive proof that he had actually done the act of which are accusing him."

    Around the bonfire, several gray heads were nodding slowly as Mira spoke.  Malick stroked his chins as was his habit when deep in thought.  "Your arguments seem to preclude the need for a vote, Mira Tosh."

    Mira shook her head.  "I can only advise.  I cannot make your decision for you."

    "Then, what is the question to which we seek an answer?" asked the chieftain.

    "You must decide whether to go to war against the Cliffoot clan, or..."  Mira paused dramatically.  "Let me find Mama Gaela and bring her back."

    "Then, we shall vote," announced Malick.  He signaled a nearby servant who brought in a small tray holding two stone cups, one white, one black.  "Gentlemen, place your markers.  Black cup means we war against the Cliffoot.  White cup means we allow our distinguished friend to assist us."

    Each of the craft leaders held a stone marker inscribed with the symbol of his guild or craft.  As the servant brought the tray around to each man, that leader would place his marker in the appropriate cup.  Mira was inwardly relieved to note that, save for two, all of the markers fell into the white stone cup.

    Marick nodded and turned to Mira.  "It is not often where I am not required to cast a vote, Mira Tosh.  Usually, the assembled required a tie breaking vote which is mine to cast.  However, today, you have the confidence of a strong majority."

    "I will do my best to bring your weaver back to you," said Mira Tosh with a solemn bow to the assembled leaders of the clan.

    Swiftly, Mira Tosh left Malick's tent.  She would need to travel fast and light, so she stopped by Mama Gaela's tent momentarily to leave her cloak behind.  Regretting the loss of warmth with a slight shiver, Mira placed her focus on tracking those who had taken Mama Gaela from her home by force.  Using all the skills she had learned as a child on Shili, as a Jedi and as a student of the clotheless Twi'lek clan, Mira soon picked up the trail heading into the desert.  Despite efforts to cover their tracks, Mira was still able to glean the telltale signs of humanoid passage, one of whom was making it very difficult for the others to erase their disturbance of the desert sands and the surrounding scrub plants.

    Askaj's single moon was slightly gibbous and lit the night with it's pale fire.  An errant breeze pulled the chilled night air across Mira Tosh's skin raising chill bumps along her arms and back.  As she crossed the dry, rocky expanse near a plateau, Mira could hear the calls of nocturnal hunters in search of a meal.  Presently, Mira came upon a savanna of tall scrub grass that reminded her so much of the turu-grass that grew on her homeworld.  Patches of it had been mowed down by the voracious appetites of the Tomuon who grazed there.  The trail she followed seemed to cut through the tall grass.  From a child, Mira had always had the natural born talent of her species to hunt through tall grass.  In fact, the reason their lekku were stripe patterned as they were was to aid in camouflaging themselves from their prey, small rodent-like mammals called Thimiar which lived in the turu fields.  As she recalled her hunting skills, Mira Tosh quickened her pace through the scrub grass.

    Soon, the flat scrubland led to sloping dunes.  Mira remarked that the kidnappers had made very good time despite their troublesome burden.  Not far off, she could make out the rising collection of mesas that would provide excellent hiding for the kidnappers.  It also presented a danger in the form of predators who denned within such a place.  Mira decided to bide her time and tread carefully across the dunes.  The men who took Mama Gaela wanted her whole and well.  She was too valuable to harm, at least until desperation begins to set in.  Mira tried not to think of the worst case scenario, but still, it sat at the back of her mind like a distant storm cloud.

    As she walked, Mira took some time to enjoy the feel of the sand as it molded itself between her toes.  On Shili, Togruta always went barefoot as they believed that it strengthened their connection to the land.  In truth, Togruta on their homeworld wore very little in terms of obstructive clothing.  Perhaps her study on Ryloth was a natural progression of her race's nature.  It did not take long to reach the tall stone pillars which seemed to form a shadowed valley of sand and stone that displayed hues of deep blues and purples in the moonlit night.  Mira took a deep, cleansing breath, closed her eyes and eased her awareness forward out into the depths of the stone forest.  She could feel the life force of every creature within pushing back at her.  She tasted the exultation of the predators as they hunted, smelled the fear sweat of their herbivorous prey, felt the warmth of the litters of young bedded down for the night.  In the distance, she heard the discordant jangle of those beings who were not one with the land.  There, she mused, was her quarry.  Slowly she moved forward, using the Force to guide her path to avoid any dangerous nocturnal creatures, and the ultrasonic capabilities of her montrals to avoid the mesas.

    At her new pace, it took a few of hours of walking before she began to close in upon the hideout of the kidnappers.  Just ahead against a particularly large mesa, several flat boulders had conspired to come together and form a stone lean to.  From within its shelter, Mira could just make out the subtle, flickering glow of fire light.  One sentry had been posted at the entrance holding a spear and scanning the environment around the camp site.  Mira didn't want to initiate a confrontation unless it was absolutely necessary.  Carefully, she crept up on the sentry's blind side.  Once she was close enough, she reached out to his mind and implanted a suggestion that he wanted to sleep.  Nothing else was important, only sleep.  Slowly, the sentry's eyes grew heavy.  Eventually, he lowered himself onto his haunches and leaned back against a supporting stone.  After a few more minutes, Mira was rewarded with the sentry's rumbling snore.  With s smile tugging at her lips, Mira softly padded up to the entrance of the stone lean to.  The layout of the interior was much different than the outside led to believe.  Instead of a shallow triangular shaped room, there was a cave that had been cut into the base of the mesa itself.  Mira stepped forward into the cave.  In the center was a small fire made with dry kindling to keep the smoke to a minimum.  On the far side, sitting on the cave floor looking as stubborn as the Tomuon she cared for was Mama Gaela.

    "You certainly took your time, Mira Tosh," grumped Mama Gaela.

    Mira looked about the space.  "They only left one sentry to watch over you?"

    "Of course," said Mama Gaela with a snort, "I'm just a feeble old woman, after all."  This last she said with a sardonic smirk.  "Come, free my hands."

    Mira crossed the space between them and knelt down behind Mama Gaela.  The strips of fabric they used to bind Mama Gaela's hands had done some abrasive damage to  her skin.  Mira guess that had Mama Gaela not been one who work regularly with her hands, the damage would have been much worse.  The fabric had rolled in on itself to form a twisted cloth thong with a knot that was impossible to pull a loose.  She contemplated the situation carefully.

    "What's taking so long, back there?" complained Mama Gaela.

    "The knot it difficult to pry apart, and I have no blade with me," said Mira.

    "I think you Jedi rely too much on your powers, as well as those light sticks of yours," muttered Mama Gaela.  "What kind of idiot goes out without a knife?"

    Mira smiled.  She knew Mama Gaela well enough not to take insult.  Indeed, it was a fair question.  "I suppose I have been too long on Coruscant of late."  After a momentary pause she asked, "Mama Gaela, do you trust me?"

    "I trust you to get me out of here before it's time to milk my Tomuon cows," sighed Mama Gaela.  "They get irritable if you don't milk them on time.  What did you have in mind?"

    "I can bite your bonds free," offered Mira Tosh.

    Mama Gaela tried to look at the Jedi over her shoulder.  "You'll break your teeth, you silly girl."

    "I think not," assured Mira Tosh.

    "Oh, very well," groaned Mama Gaela.  "Just hurry.  I think I'm starting to lose the circulation in my fingers."

    With Mama Gaela's grudging consent, Mira Tosh leaned forward towards the binding cloth ropes.  Hooking a loop with one finger to ensure that she would be clear of Mama Gaela's flesh, Mira Tosh opened her mouth to reveal sharp, dagger-like incisors.  With a quick snap, she bit cleanly though the cloth binding, then sat back to allow Mama Gaela to revive the blood circulation in her arms.

    Mama Gaela turned and faced Mira with a suspicious look.  "Alright, how did you do that?"

    Mira looked somewhat sheepish.  "I'm reluctant to say."

    "Out with it girl," insisted Mama Gaela.

    Mira took a breath in preparation for her explanation.  "On my homeworld, my people are hunters.  We hunt in packs amid the turu-grass.  We hunt small creatures called Thimiar, but we don't use weapons.  We use our hands and our teeth."  With that, she showed the portly weaver her incisors.

    "By the Moon Lady!" exclaimed Mama Gaela.  "You have teeth like the canids that stalk the desert nights!  It's no wonder you asked if I trusted you."  She patted Mira on the arm and chuckled.  "At least now I know why you don't show your teeth when you smile.  Now, help me up, child, and we'll see about getting out of here."

    Mira helped Mama Gaela to her feet and started for the cave entrance.  However, before they could take more than a few steps, the two heard a commotion outside the cave.

    "You idiot!  How dare you fall asleep!  The weaver could have escaped while you lay there snoring!"

    Ingus rushed into the cave and stopped short as a saw Mira standing next to an unbound Mama Gaela.  Behind him were two more Askajians carrying spears.  "Good evening, Ingus," said Mira Tosh in genial tones.  "It is indeed a lovely night for camping out in the wilds.  However, we have been away from home much too long.  It is time we returned."

    "Interfering alien!" snarled Ingus.  He turned to his followers.  "Kill her!"

    The two armed Askajians lowered their spears in a threatening fashion and approached.  Mira's body language changed immediately.  With a firm push, she moved Mama Gaela behind her.  Mama Gaela was astonished by the change in Mira's demeanor, and was equally shocked at the strength with which Mira had push Mama Gaela aside.

    "What are you waiting for?" egged Ingus.  "Kill her, now!"

    Working with the unity of well trained fighters, both spearmen lunged forward toward Mira.  Had they continued in their actions, they would surely have gutted Mira where she stood.  However, quicker than they could advance, Mira's two lightsabers leaped eagerly into her hands and blazed to life.  With swift fluid motions, Mira slashed the spears the men were carrying so that they only held the butt end.  Both warriors stared in horror first at the lightsabers, then at the smoking wood that remained of their spears.  One Askajian turned toward Ingus.  "You didn't tell us she was a Jedi!  You're on your own!"  With that, the two spearmen collected their sentry friend and disappeared into the night.

    Ingus was literally stricken dumb with fear.  He slowly dropped to his knees.  "Please..." he squeaked miserably.  "Please, do not kill me!"

    Mira Tosh deactivated her sabers a holstered them.  "Why would you think that I would kill you," she inquired somewhat disgusted.  "Did you not see that I allowed your compatriots to leave unharmed?  Go, Ingus, and trouble Scrubrush clan no longer.  You are undone.  All the leaders of the Scrubrush clan know of your treachery, and soon, once your compatriots reach their homes, the Cliffoot clan will know of it also.  You had an opportunity to benefit from Mama Gaela's experience to the betterment of your clan, yet you chose the quick and easy path, mired in selfishness.  You were doomed to fail from the outset."

    Having said this, Mira Tosh reached for Mama Gaela's hand and led her out of the cave.

    It was quite the celebration when Mira Tosh and Mama Gaela arrived back with the clan.  A feast was proclaimed by Malick, and the youth of the clan competed in contests of skill and strength.  The Moon Dancers performed a special dance of thanks for the blessings that the Moon Lady had bestowed upon the clan by bringing back their famed weaver.  Mira was quite impressed with the grace and agility sported by the dancers despite their corpulent appearance.  Although she had been adamant about not including news of her deeds in Mama Gaela's rescue, many of the clan leaders would approach her when she was not occupied to express their heartfelt thanks.

    "Don't fret over what you cannot control," said Mama Gaela.  "You'll get wrinkles in that lovely red skin of yours."  Mira smiled at her temporary mentor and wondered not for the first time if Mama Gaela was a Jedi Master in disguise.  "There was wisdom long before there were Jedi," commented Mama Gaela tapping the side of her head.  "And before you ask, no I can't read your mind, but the young always think along similar paths.  You think this is the first such conversation I've had?"

    The Cliffoot clan was very swift in dispatching an envoy to reinforce the peace between the two clans.  Mira eventually came to learn that Ingus had been unanimously deposed as chieftain of the Cliffoot for sowing disharmony among the clans.  Along with the Cliffoot delegation were two very young, and very nervous Askajian girls.  These were brought in hopes that the original offer of having Mama Gaela train two of their potential weavers was still on the table.  Mama Gaela grumped and grumbled over the girls, making a big show of being the harsh taskmaster.  She examined their hands, looked into their eyes,and walked around them twice until the girls were almost ready to run for home.  However, they stuck their chins out stubbornly and stood their ground.

    Mama Gaela turned to the envoy with a dour look and nodded.  "They'll do."  She rounded on the youngsters again.  "But your education is lacking.  Neither of you has ever milked a Tomuon, or even so much as sheared your own wool.  That will change."  The girls looked very dismayed yet still refused to turn tail and run from this imposing figure of a weaver.  Later that night as Mama Gaela was relaxing in front of a bonfire drinking a clear liquor made from desert roots, Mira thought to inquire what Mama Gaela thought about her two new charges.

    "They have nimble fingers and quick minds," said Mama Gaela nodding happily.  "I dare say they both may surpass me someday."  She took another swig from a waterskin made from a Tomuon bladder, though the odor that wafted Mira's way assured her that water was the last thing that resided inside.

    "They're also very stubborn, I noticed," said Mira with a smirk.  "Much like their teacher."

    Mama Gaela favored her with a withering look that almost made Mira laugh out loud.  "I prefer to think of it as being self sufficient," grunted Mama Gaela.  "After all, you can't be much good if you knuckle under to the most belligerent half wit, as you yourself have seen."  Mira nodded.  She did indeed understand.  She could only hope some of that stubbornness was transfered to herself.  "So, where are you bound?"

    Mira was not surprised that Mama Gaela had broached the subject.  "I don't believe I had mentioned that I was leaving."

    "You didn't have to," offered Mama Gaela.  "Every so often, you've been looking east all evening.  If I recall correctly, east lies that fancy ship of yours."

    Mira smiled.  "I have been feeling an urging to be moving on," admitted Mira.  "I'm not sure where exactly I'm meant to go, perhaps further outward in the Rim Territories.  I'll know for certain once I'm out there."

    Mama Gaela was silent for a while.  After another drink of desert liquor, she said.  "Well, just you remember that should you ever feel the need to drop by Askaj again, my Tomuon would certainly be happy to see you."  Turned to Mira with a smirk.  "I probably wouldn't mind a visit either."

E N D