The Ryyk Maker
Moya' wandered home from school along his usual path. He stopped to watch the blacksmith making ryyk blades.
"Wyaaaaa, Moyakoshkakyrit. Ruh ruh?" The large Wookiee smiled at the boy as he greeted him and asked how he was doing.
"Wyogg, ur oh. I am well, thank you uncle." The smith was not Moya's blood uncle, but as a friend of the family he was an honor uncle and addressed as such. Moya' settled himself on a stool near the anvil and watched Grrachinar work.
"So, when I am a warrior do you think I should master the ryyk or the bowcaster?" The question made the older Wookiee smile.
"Moya', not every Wookiee has to be a warrior. What kind of society would we have if there were no craftsmen, no teachers, no doctors? Did you ever stop to think about that?"
Moya' carefully avoided eye contact, kicking his feet against the stool. "I think ryyks are cool. You must be a very brave Wookiee to rush in to battle with a ryyk."
Grrachinar lifted the blade and examined it. He placed it back into the forge for reheating. Moya' instinctively stood and pumped the billows. The older Wookiee gave a nod of thanks to the boy and picked up a handle he had been working on.
"You know, without craftsman like myself and your uncle there would be no Wookiee warriors. It takes a great deal of skill to make a weapon. I hear that you are turning into quite a bowcaster maker yourself."
The young Wookiee smiled and said, "Well, I just assemble them. Uncle Chyorny won't let me make any of the parts, yet."
"And why do you think that is, Moya'?"
"Because he doesn't trust me?"
"No, if he didn't trust you he would not be letting you work as his apprentice. Moya', think. What is it that makes the difference between a good bowcaster and a great bowcaster?"
Moya' thought a bit, and replied. "Well, the blaster power handlers are the most important part. If they aren't of the best quality the weapon won't do much damage. Oh, and the blaster rifle barrel has to be rifled just right or the quarrel will lose velocity. And if the projectile feed mechanism doesn't function properly, the weapon will jam. Also, if you don't use a good scope the targeting is all wrong."
"So, why do you think he makes the parts and you assemble the bowcasters?"
"Because he is a master artisan and master weaponsmith."
"And, how do you think he earned those titles?"
"Through hard work and practice," Moya' responded as if he was answering the elders at the school tree. They had this discussion all the time. The older Wookiee would lecture him a little further about the importance of craftsmen in Wookiee society, and then they would move on to another topic.
Grrachinar pulled the glowing blade from the fire with his tongs and placed it back on the anvil. "Come over here, Moya'. Put on an apron."
Moya' looked surprised. OK, this had never happened before. He grabbed a thick leather apron from a peg on the wall and put it on as he padded over to the blacksmith.
"OK, hold the tongs like this with your left hand. And the hammer like this with your right." The elder Wookiee helped the boy get the right grip. "You have seen me do this a hundred times. Bring the hammer down on the blade as hard as you can on that rough spot there. Don't be shy, you won't break it."
Moya' pounded on the blade with the hammer several times, imitating the technique he had watched so often.
"Excellent. You are a natural. Now, examine the blade and tell me if you think that spot is done."
The boy held the blade up and eyed it. "No, it is still not smooth enough there." Moya' placed the blade back on the anvil and repeated the process. Finally, the blade passed inspection and was placed in a bucket of water to cool.
"So, is history still your favorite subject, Moya'?"
"Oh, yes. Today the elders were telling us about Yarua."
"Was he a great warrior?" Grrachinar hid a slight smile as he asked the question.
Moya' looked puzzled. Surely everyone knew who Yarua was. "No, he was a senator." The young Wookiee paused as he recognized the trap his friend had set for him. "No, he was not a warrior. He was our last representive in the senate of the Old Republic."
"Well, tell me about how this non-Warrior became a great Wookiee then." The smith set down his tool and examined the ryyk handle. "Get me the sanding stone, will you?"
Moya' walked across the shop and retrieved the stone as requested. "I didn't know that Yarua was involved in the trade treaties with Alderaan. Did you know that he was friends with Bail Organa's father? You know, Princess Leia's grandfather." He handed the sanding stone to Grrachinar and took his customary spot on the stool.
"It seems that the Alderaanians like a lot of our foods and crafts. Yarua helped negotiate a treaty to trade our goods for metal and other materials. Of course, this was before he was a senator. By the time he was representing Kashyyyk on Coruscant the trouble with the Trandoshans had already started up again."
"Moya', when you tell a story you need to focus it. This is how our lessons are taught and our history is passed on. What is the post important part of Yarua's story? Is it who his friends were or that the Trandoshans were raiding?"
"No, it is that he worked to teach people of other species about the Wookiees and our ways. He used diplomacy and education to further the status of Kashyyyk in the Republic."
"And why do you think he did that?"
"Um, well ... I guess so we could be at peace with other planets."
"Exactly, it was so our warriors would not have to fight. What do you think of that, Moya'?"
***
"Moya? Are you in here somewhere? Moya'?" It was not a Wookiee voice, but that of a human. Still, the pronunciation of the name was nearly perfect. The human moved through the Wookiee Cultural Center calling for his friend, the curator.
Startled out of his daydream, Moya' replied, "In here Imcus. In the hall of arms and armor. I was putting the ryyk blades up on the wall." Moya' smiled at the blade and thought of his old friend. He had been right, education was as powerful tool as any weapon.