The Life Debt
"Moya', son. We need to have a talk."
Moya' looked up from the workbench with a look of surprise. He hadn't heard his uncle come into the room. "Have I done something wrong?"
Chyornayakoshka smiled at his nephew. "No, no, boy. It is nothing like that. Moya', I know you have never thought of me as your father. I always liked to believe that it was out of loyalty to your real father and not because I have not been good to you. When your aunt and I stood with your parents for your naming ceremony we promised to take you as our son if anything ever happened to your parents. Of course, none of us ever thought that would really happen. Not a day goes by that I do not think of them. You know why, Moya'? It is because of you. I know you don't remember much about them, but they live on in you. Every day you do something, or say something, it reminds me of them. They would be very proud of the Wookiee you have become. I know I am proud to have you as a son."
A feeling of guild swept over Moya' as he realized he hurt his uncle. "You have been very good to me. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me. For giving me a place to live and letting me apprentice in your shop. Unc..., er, well I admit that it is hard to call you "Father." But it isn't because I don't think of you that way. I feel horrible that I can't remember my own father. I look at that holocube and think "yes, that is him" but I don't remember anything about him. You are the only father I have ever known. I am sorry if I have hurt you."
"Son, I was not trying to get an apology out of you. Moya', we have something very serious we need to discuss. I know that after your initiation you have been planning to leave Kashyyyk. I know that you feel you owe a life debt and that you want to repay it by joining the Rebellion."
Surprised, Moya' let his jaw drop slightly as he realized that his plans were not quite as secret as he thought.
"Don't be so surprised, boy. Remember, this is a small village. Everyone knows everyone's business. You have been talking to people about life debts. You have asked others about Chewbacca's smugglers network and you are always talking about the Rebellion. It doesn't take a genious to figure out what you have been planning."
Moya' stared at the bowcaster on the bench in front of him. A look of disappointment came over his face as he realized that all of his planning would be for nothing. Instead of the excitement of joining the Rebellion and fighting for freedom, he would spend his life in this workshop making bowcasters...
"Now, I know better than to try to stop you." Moya' looked up in surprise. "But, if this is what you are really going to do we need to plan it out. I will not let you leave home unprepared. We will have a lot of arrangements to make if you are going to do this."
"So, you are really going to let me go? Just like that? No arguments?"
"Moya', once you have completed your apprenticeship and have had your Hrrtayyk ceremony you are your own Wookiee. It will not be my place to tell you how to live your life. I just have to hope that your aunt and I have prepared you for living on your own. And, believe me, if you chose to leave Kashyyyk that life is not going to be easy."
"Well, with the blockade and the slave raids it isn't safe here either."
"I am not just talking about your physical safety. I think you understand that life as a rebel will not be a safe one. What I don't think you have considered is what life away from your home, and away from other Wookiees, is going to be like. You will be living among aliens who live differently than we do. They actually live on the surface of their planets. And, many of them will not like you because you are a Wookiee. You do understand that, don't you?"
Moya' looked at his uncle. "Well, I know the Trandoshans don't like us, but ..."
"Moya'. It is not a nice galaxy out there. We live an isolated life here in our little village. But, if you think a city like Rwookrrorro is big and confusing you are going to be overwhelmed by what you find on other planets. I want you to be sure this is what you really want to do."
"I think it is what I have to do, Uncle."
"Well, you can't just 'think' it is what you should do. You have to be sure. Because, Moya', there is one thing I don't think you have considered when you were making your plans. Once you leave Kashyyyk you cannot come back until after the war is over. It is just too dangerous. Chewbacca's network works well for getting Wookiees off of Kashyyyk, and for getting valuable supplies delivered in spite of the blockade, but they cannot help you get back home. And, while I know you think smugglers are OK people because of Chewbacca, you must understand that most of them are not trustworthy. They would just as soon take your money and sell you to the Empire than deliver you safely home. Boy, this is a one-way trip. You have to be certain."
A look of indecision washed over Moya's face. He avoided looking at his uncle and fiddled with the projectile feed mechanism he was installing in the bowcaster. His uncle was right, he had not considered it a one-way trip. He thought he would be home for the next Life Day to drink jaar with his family and friends. The thought that Chewbacca's network was not intergalactic had never even dawned on him.
"We will talk more about this. And, boy, not a word to your Aunt. She would have a fit if she knew I was talking to you about this. Let's not upset her until we are sure it is what you are going to do. Tomorrow, we will go together to talk to the elders. I think you need to discuss life debts with them so that you fully understand how it works. Now, finish that bowcaster and go to bed."
***
As Moya' and his uncle approached the Mother Tree, he began to feel a twinge of nervousness. He has been in the presence of the elders for years as a schoolboy, but this was the first time he had gone for a audience. Although he hated to admit it to himself, he realized that it was very reassuring to have his uncle at his side.
The two Wookiees enter the council building and sat in the waiting area. Moya' sat as quietly as he could, tying little strands of his fur in knots to distract himself from the knots in his stomach.
"Moyakoshkakyrit, son of the Koshka clan, we will see you now." The council leader stood at the door looking at Moya' and his uncle.
Moya' stood and followed his uncle into the council chamber trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. The Wookiees bowed respectfully before taking their seats on the cushions placed on the floor before the council members. Moya' examined the council noticing for the first time just how old they really were. Their coats were primarily gray rather than the prominant black and white markings common to Koshkas. Moya' found himself wondering just how many seasons these Wookiees had seen.
"I am Chyornayakoshka, of the Koshka clan, and this is my nephew-son, Moyakoshkakyrit, son of the Koshka clan." In reality the introductions were unnecessary. Both Wookiees had lived in the village for nearly all of their lives. The elders knew who they were. But, in the presence of elders the formalities were considerd a sign of respect. "The boy believes that he owes a life debt and I have brought him to you in hopes that you can teach him about our ways."
"Ah, the life debt of young Moyakoshkakyrit. I have been wondering when we would see you here before us." The elder smiled with a grin that confirmed to Moya' that, indeed, there were really no secrets in the small aboreal village. "Before you tell us your story, I will tell you more about life debts and the Wookiee Way. You must understand that a life debt is a very personal thing, my son. It is a decision left to each Wookiee to decide if a debt is owed and how to repay that debt. It is am obligation to repay the actions of another, but it is not a servitude. A Wookiee with a life debt is still a Wookiee who is free to come and go as he pleases. And, once a Wookiee feels that his debt is repaid, he is no longer honor bound to the subject of his life debt. Do you understand these things, young Moya'?"
Moya' forced himself to look the elder in the eye. "Yes, sir. I understand."
"OK, young Moyakoshkakyrit. Explain to us why and to whom you believe you owe a lifedebt."
"Well, you know what happened to my village ... by birth village, I mean. I admit that I was too young to remember what really happened. I was only 7 and just a toddler then. But I have heard the story many times from the adults who brought the children to live here."
"And it is to these adults that you feel indebted?"
"Er, no ..." Moya' paused. It had never dawned on him that he might owe the adults who also escaped from his village. He had always considered them to be recipients of the sacrifice just as he had been. "Elder, it is to those who gave their lives and their freedom so that we could escape. To my parents, to my sister, and to the others who were lost. Those are the Wookiees that I owe my life debt to. I understand that without their actions I would have probably been a housepet and plaything for some imperial household. I owe not only my life and my freedom, but my very identity as a Wookiee to them."
Another council member, a very old female with long flowing gray hair spoke up. "Well, it is obvious that you have thought hard about this, young Wookiee. But you do understand that it is the duty of the entire village to protect the young, don't you? The fact that your village protected you does not in itself incur a life debt."
"Yes elder, I understand that there is no obligation for a pre-Hrrtayyk Wookiee to owe a life debt. But I cannot stop thinking that one is owed nevertheless. I have done a great deal of reading about what happens to Wookiees who are taken by the slavers. I know that those adults who did not die in the battle suffered horribly in the mines. And, I have had to face the grim reality that none of them could possibly still be alive after all this time. But, elder, the most horrible thing I have read is not what happens to the Wookiees in the mines. It is what happens to the very young who are taken. To be kept as a pet and denied our culture -- it is a fate worse than hard labor I think. As I have grown older I have realized just what it means to me to be a Wookiee. If I had been a pet, I would not be Moya'. I would be something other than a Wookiee. And that, elder, is why I believe I owe this debt."
Chyorny looked at his nephew, obviously impressed by the thought the boy had put into his statement. As he looked at the faces of the elders before him, Moya' realized that they, too, were surprised by the case he had made. One, though, still had a look of concern on his face.
"And tell me, young Moya', if your benefactors are all dead as you believe just how will you repay this debt? The ghosts of the forest do not need your protection or your service."
Moya' swallowed nervously. He knew that the next part was going to get him into trouble. The galactic civil war was happening so far away from Kashyyyk. Other then the imperial blockades, and the slave raids, Kashyyyk was isolated from the strife that was enveloping the rest of the galaxy.
"Well, elder. I want to join the rebellion. I want to help to end the blockade and the slave trade. I do not want other villages to meet the fate of my birth village. I do not want that to happen here."
Several of the elders shook their heads and looked at each other. The council leader stood abruptly, startling Moya'.
"Young son, your case for the debt is well stated, but I am not sure that you have carefully thought out your options. We will discuss this among ourselves so that we can give you the benefit of our wisdom. You should go back to your uncle's workshop and concentrate on your trade. We will contact you when we are ready for another audience."
Chyornayakoshka stood and dragged his nephew to his feet. "Thank you, elders, for giving your time to my nephew-son. I will bring him back when you require him." Chyorny and Moya' bowed to the council members and quickly left the chamber.
***
As they walked home, Moya' looked at his uncle. "Did I say something to upset them, Uncle? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, son. I think you said something right. I think that is why they reacted like that. Quite honestly, I thought they would convince you that no debt was owed and that the conversation would end there. I must admit that you made a strong case." Chyorny looked at Moya' with a glimmer of pride in his eye. "I don't think it was your life debt that disturbed the mood of the council. I think it was the manner in which you plan to repay it that they do not like."
"But why, Uncle Chyorny? It seems to me that it is time for the Wookiees to fight for their own freedom."
"Well, yes, of course we are responsible for defending our freedom, Moya'. But, that has always meant staying here and defending our villages, our families, and our clans. There are other Wookiees who, like you, have tried to make a case for us to take the fight out of the forest. I think what upset the council was hearing it from someone so young. Someone who was almost a victim of the slavers himself. Someone who has already lost his family once and doesn't want it to happen again. It will be hard for them to ignore your words, Moya'. But I think it will be some time before we are called back to the council. In the meantime, do not discuss this with anyone. Not with your friends, not with Koshakka, and most certainly not with your aunt. Is that clear, Moya'?"
***
"Moya'? Do you want the band to set up over here?"
Started out of his daydream Moya' looked up to see where Kri'teve was pointing.
"Oh, by the Museum of Fashion? Yes, there by the end of the porch would be great. I will be giving my speech from the porch of the Wookiee Cultural Center. We will want to leave plenty of room for the guests to move around and for people to enter the Center."
"So, what gave you the idea to open this museum, Moyakoshkakyrit?" Moya' smiled. The Twi'lek was one of the few non-Wookiees who had ever tried to use his full Wookiee name. "I went in earlier and looked around at the exhibits. They are really interesting. I learned a lot about your people."
"Well, thank you, Kri'teve. I don't know if I ever told you about my life debt. You see, many Wookiees gave their lives and their freedom so that the children of my village could live as free Wookiees. That is originally why I joined the Rebellion, you know. I thought that I would repay them that way. But somehow, it just didn't seem right. My mother would not have wanted that. So, I opened this museum to preserve the memories of home. I hope that maybe Wookiees who did not grow up on Kashyyyk can come here and learn more about the Wookiee Way. And I am hoping that people like you Kri'teve, the non-Wookiees, will come and gain an understanding of my people."
"Hmmm, maybe you will have to help me do one of these for the Twi'leks some day."
"I would be delighted to, Kri. But for now, you had better get the band started and I had better go over my speech one more time for the Grand Opening."