A Place to Lay Our Heads

[Tell Cho]

«Welcome, your Majesty.»

Tell Cho nodded, his frown deepening as he surveyed the settlement his people now called home, nestled in the mountains four kilometers from the Jedi encampment. Most of the Gossam here were lean, and carried blasters and other weapons against the natives that still stalked the area and the wildlife that was surprisingly prolific.

"Speak Basic," he said. "More than myself and a few others will need to communicate with those who do not know our tongue."

He looked further than the makeshift landing pad, and saw that the terraced farming plans were proceeding on schedule, and many of the buildings were being carved out of the stone of the mountains, and caves were being widened and aired out, with shafts cut in to allow light.

"Yourr Majesti," Ma Jun, the engineer in charge of building their new village, grappled with the unfamiliar cadences of Galactic Basic. "Things prrosheed onn schedule."

"We need not take the stylings of foreign powers, Ma Jun," Cho said, getting tired of the constant use of 'Your Majesty'. "Use our terms if you all insist on making me a Gossam King."

Ma Jun bowed, and continued.

"Leeving quu-arters arre prrepparred for one huundrred annd feefty morre, Cho-zhu."

"So few? There are thousands of us waiting. There are two hundred working in the Jedi camp now alone. And then there are the ships still in orbit."

Ma Jun's head bobbed in the Gossam manner of shrugging.

"We have onne hunndrred and feefty worrkerrs heere. And Cho-zhu geefted soldierrs forr prrotection. Thees ees what we worrk weeth."

Cho nodded as they entered a mostly finished dorm carved out of a cave. Many were still operating the drills and widening the spaces while others dragged in cots and blankets, and were preparing each room for occupancy.

Ma Jun indicated that his rooms were ahead and above. Even though he felt a bit guilty that he was receiving special attention whilst most would be living in cramped conditions, he was thankful that he wouldn't be dealing with large groups of people even within his sleeping quarters. The size of his sleeping quarters and the cot and blankets within made him rethink in amusement the definition of special treatment; aside from being somewhat separate from the rest of the rooms, it wasn't much larger or different than any other living space in the complex.

"We have asked Jedi for aid with farming supplies and feed for the huoyen, since they have a more functional port and vehicles for transport. They have not responded yet, but an answer should be forthcoming."

Ma Jun nodded, bowed, and left. Tell Cho sat down on his cot and closed his eyes, meditating for the first time in days.

[Zem Vymes]

This is what passed for diplomacy in a strange time.

He'd once been a General, as it were, commanding legions of troops and courting favor of entire star systems. Of course those times strained the very threads of what made a Jedi, and a retreat to a more austere existence was a fitting respite. Still, for a sect that once counted itself as the guardians of peace and justice, he found it a curious thing that his latest diplomatic overtures were carried out not by starship, but on foot.

The trek up the mountains was only four kilometers, but it was hard country. Vymes suddenly remembered his days on the run with Loklorien s'Ilancy, when clearing the distance was a matter of life and death. He was so much younger then, and the toil that broken trails exacted on a body was better taken on younger knees. When he nearly thought himself too tired to continue, he cleared the mountain pass that led to the Gossam village. From here, it was all downhill.

Echoing the Jedi camp, the Gossam settlement was hardscrabble and in a constant buzz of construction. The Alliance had made overtures of aid, same as they had with the Jedi. Even still, it would be some time before either camp could properly be called home. That didn't stop the spirited effort, and for that, Vymes smiled.

Suddenly, a hoist carrying a bundle of pipes gave way with a snap of cable. Zem felt the tipping point in the force before it happened, and he was quick to turn, hands out as he commanded his invisible ally to stay the murderous inevitability of gravity before the pipes fell across a foreman and a half dozen workers. Feeling their weight, Zem wrangled the tons of durasteel as if they were a bundle of sticks, and gently placed them on the ground, clear of any mishap.

[Tell Cho]

The area was soon blanketed with trumpeting calls back and forth between the Gossam there and nearby as they set to work binding the pipes together and got another dozen Gossam to prepare it for lifting.

"Jiedai? Jiedai!" one said, and the group began to crowd Zem, chirping and speaking quickly. They only stopped when another came up from behind and spoke quickly to them. They scattered, most leaving the Jedi with a thankful touch. Finally the late comer was left.

"Ma Jun eez mai neim," the Gossam said, bowing formally. "Yoo are Jiedai, yes? Yoo must speek with Cho-zhu. Follow mi. Follow mi."

The Gossam led the Jedi through the village, a meandering walk that required long arcs around areas under heavy construction. They took walkways alongside sheer cliff-faces, where dwellings and buildings were being carved from the mountains themselves; they stepped lightly over busy bridges, some made of durasteel, but most made of stone and wood, little more than simple platforms over abysses; in the distance and some ways below them were terraced farms, with relatively few Gossam tending them; and other terraces had small herds of huoyen, a long necked creature with shaggy, warm looking fur and four legs ending in sloping feet that resembled hooves.

Ma Jun said little to the Jedi, but spoke often with other Gossam while they walked, pointing and gesturing and trumpeting and whistling. Finally, they reached a large arched doorway built into the side of one of the mountains.

"Cho-zhu eez inside," the Gossam said, seeming to remember that it was polite to engage a guest in talk. Inside the doors was a massive dorm, with dozens of rooms all furnished with cots and blankets and many had heaters within as well. A veranda off to the side held a fire pit, over which was suspended a large pot, steaming with soup. Dozens of Gossam were gathered around eating. The Jedi and his guide passed through the large and spacious first floor and took a flight of stairs near the back of the dorm up to a smaller floor, where a single set of rooms virtually identical to those below was situated.

Sitting on the cot, sleeping, was an older Gossam. Ma Jun approached him quietly, and touched him and pulled away, as if afraid. The Gossam awoke and took in the sight of Zem and Ma Jun. He said a few words to Ma Jun, who bowed deeply before scurrying away, and then turned to the Jedi.

"I am Tell Cho," he said, in much better Basic than Ma Jun's. "And I welcome you here."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem gave a bow, watching his erstwhile guide scamper off before returning his attention to the Gossam's de facto leader. Hands clasped before him, he smiled.

"It is good to see your progress, Master Cho. Tales of Gossam industriousness do not go unfounded."

It wasn't Vymes' first experience of Gossam ingenuity, but as with so many memories of the Clone Wars, it was best to leave the dead buried, and to look to the future with hopeful embrace.

"Are your people well situated in terms of tools, aid and the like? The Jedi may still be meager for what goods can be traded, but we have no shortage of work ethic."

[Tell Cho]

Tell Cho nodded.

"In terms of labor, of supplies of stone and metals, and weaponry and protection, the Gossam are sufficient," he said. "But we do not have a starport, or vehicles for transportation of some perishable goods of which there is some need."

He stood, leaning on his cane a bit, and gestured to the Jedi before making his way to a balcony, rudely cut with the mountain's stone as a railing. It provided a good view of much of the village, and in the distance could be seen the Jedi encampment.

"Our herds of huoyen are adapting to the climate. But we have little feed for them. Also, certain tools and materials are needed which we cannot make here: drills and their heads, oil and fuel. We are making due with hand-tools and some water-driven machinery, but our progress without some more modern implements will be slow. We have water, but it is highly mineralized. There is need of salt and other minerals to help process it into potable drinking water and to make it fit for irrigation and bathing."

The Gossam regarded the Jedi thoughtfully.

"There have been some attempts to settle back into the old ways, with some Gossam trying to establish themselves and exploit their neighbors and workers. I have kept a market economy from taking root here until our developing ways are set and the culture can differentiate itself from the past. But the avarice and cruelty which pushed us into our current position is entrenched, even now, though slavery's evil did undo some of it. There is no hoarding of materials or food, no asking for payment for a service here as yet, while so much is yet to be done."

He let out a long breath meditatively, allowing the Force to ease his anxieties.

"The Gossam will continue our policy of aid to the Jedi in whatever ways we can," he said. "Our engineers - few Gossam here are not at least passable with mathematics, sciences, and architecture - will continue to work on your own settlement, and when our farming output has stabilized, we will send our excess to you. As well as any other necessary materials we can spare. Is this agreeable?"

[Zem Vymes]

Zem admired Master Cho's ambitious plan to right the Gossam's ways. It would be no small task to change behaviors so rooted to one's culture. But just as no single man was beyond redemption, no group of men were either. The Jedi Master dutifully took stock of Cho's needs, already having an idea of how to be able to assist their neighbors with what they had available. For anything more, they would have to petition the Alliance.

"We have mechanics who may be able to assist with your machining needs. As for other amenities, I can't guarantee what we have, but we'll certainly share any excess. Do you require any medicine or healing? We have the capacity in abundant supply."

[Tell Cho]

"Physicians would be welcome," Cho assented, noting that there were in fact no Gossam healers of any kind in the three thousand or so Gossam he had freed since he had begun his most ambitious work. "Amenities are not necessary. Hardship, in the right circumstances, breeds virtue, and even more than feed for our cattle, cultural virtue is what my people need most."

He paused and turned to the entrance of the rooms, where another Gossam appeared, followed by three younger Gossam. Formally, they bowed to both Cho and the Jedi. Cho returned the bow.

"My mate, and our children," he explained while they dropped their bags by the cots and bowed again before they left. "She was the first I freed, and taking her as my spouse along with some services rendered to her owner dropped the price to an amount I could afford. Despite the lack of affection between us, it was a good decision."

Cho gestured to the door where his family had just exited.

"Would you care for something to eat? We have little other than basic stews and soups, but it is palatable at the very least."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem watched Cho's family enter, bowing to reciprocate their greeting. Their way was curious, and the Jedi Master inwardly wondered if this was Gossam nature, or of a cause more close to heart.

He considered Cho's request to take a meal in his company. It was a great honor to sup with a host, and reflected poorly if you did not accept such graces. Zem held his hands palms upward before the Gossam ruler.

"I have simple tastes, and am honored by your hospitality."

[Tell Cho]

Cho snorted in a manner most unkingly, but led the way down the stairs, and back into main foyer of the dorm. The day was waning, and it was even more full of Gossam.

"I wish also to speak of the Empire with you," he said, once they had sat themselves down on a bench in a corner of the veranda. Cho's status and the presence of the Jedi gave them a reasonably clear area for a few feet around them. "If they do not attempt to contact me and make overtures, I will be surprised. Castell is still firmly in their control, and the vast majority of my people are still enslaved by them. It is something I cannot quite predict, what they will offer and what they will ask for."

He looked at the Jedi searchingly for a moment.

"The Jedi would be right to be wary of such an event, for though I was once a servant of the Galaxy, I am now a servant of my people, and though there is no love between myself and the Empire," he huffed a short laugh, wondering if the death sentence and such were still in effect, "I cannot say with certainty they will not offer something of great value to me."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem sat across from his counterpart as they discussed more pertinent business. As Cho explained his dilemma, the human crossed his arms where he sat, his head down slightly as he listened.

"It sounds like you're prepared to listen to them."

His eyes raised to meet Tell's.

"I don't envy you. You're bartering for emancipation. That's a prize to be treasured. In your heart, then, what cost would you say is too great to pay?"

[Tell Cho]

Cho laughed a bit grimly.

"Of course I will listen," he said, nodding in thanks as the Gossam cook's helpers brought them bowls of stew and utensils before backing away. "One must listen to the thief's demands before assenting to or denying them, and must be prepared for the consequences of either. But there are things which the Empire will not offer. True emancipation, of the like that I desire for my folk, will not be on their agenda. Some limited autonomy, perhaps, but there will be a military presence, and many many spies."

He shook his head.

"I expect them to offer me Castell. Limited autonomy, as I have said. The ability to govern my people and our planet. We will not be allowed a military or defense forces. And there will be an advisor with many many servants and soldiers. This is based on my experience with Corporate Sector and Imperial diplomacy in the past. But the Empire has many intelligent diplomats, who may begin with small - to them - concessions. Offer me freely some of my people, enough to make life here difficult without much more space and infrastructure. Then an offer for Gossam advisors in engineering and banking on non-human worlds in return for ships and supplies. This offer would be made not only to me, but to the Gossam; many would take such employment, leaving me with a fractured base of support, as no longer their emancipation at my expense and life here would be viewed as a hardship worth taking."

The Gossam king ate of some of his stew, and continued:

"They would see my attempts at change, and would leave me little recourse towards completing that goal without a base of influence within the Empire. Only then would an intelligent diplomat offer me Castell and Imperial recognition of my title, and control of my people."

He ate some more, and glanced at the Jedi.

"It is not being unknowing of the price I am unwilling to pay, master Jedi, that worries me. It is those small, easy steps towards capitulation that worry me. I have committed myself to this cause, and those small offers, first of freedom of many of my people and then of avenues within the Empire to free more, would greatly aid me in my quest. At that point, where I have taken the bait and become used to the power my people have granted me, will Imperial domination be such a great price?"

He shook his head, and let go of his anxieties once more.

"It has not yet occurred, and circumstances may change things greatly. But it is something we must be prepared for - Imperial offers which may seem to offer more advantages than problems. I say we, and I mean we. The Jedi will be a cause and target of great curiosity and scrutiny for the Empire and Alliance both I fear. Undoubtedly they will want information. I hope to keep things from becoming untenable by only allowing the Empire to negotiate with myself, and bar access to my people - but that will only do so much. I will keep the Jedi informed as to the Empire, and my choices regarding them, this much I promise."

His promise seemed to echo in the Force, and he felt a bit safer in the knowledge that his decision in that respect followed its will.

"The Alliance may be our avenue for protection from this indirect Imperial menace. Though too close of a relationship may allow history to repeat itself."

[Zem Vymes]

The Gossam King certainly understood the avenues available to him and their ramifications. Vymes could only sit and listen while he ate, thinking of the old days, and the time that Jedi Knights were beholden to the intricacies of star systems and their politics. While the Dark Times had been terrible beyond description, they had at least been simple. Returning to a peace, even a perilous peace, was fraught with danger of its own sort.

"I agree. If talks are to be agreed upon and a demand for good faith is implied, they should be controlled."

Zem frowned, turning the stew over with his spoon.

"Populism is all too often hijacked to be used as a tool to oppress the very people it manipulates."

Taking a bite, the Jedi Master paused, looking at Tell with a bit of curiosity.

"The Gossam situation is delicate. I will ask you frankly, how far do you gauge their trust in you?"

[Tell Cho]

The Gossam king snorted, draining his bowl and setting it on the bench beside him.

"Their trust in me depends on a number of factors," he said, thinking deeply. "For many of those who were born into bondage, I am something of a savior. They were tasked with menial labor mostly, as they were unable to gain education or rank. For the elders, I fear they see me much as Shu Mai was seen before the Clone Wars. I bought them, and they are mine, their subsequent emancipation notwithstanding."

Cho shifted, looking out over the still bustling town-to-be.

"It is the Gossam I freed who made me King," he said, "in reaction to the corporation style governance which we embraced before. I proposed a more democratic government, but they are leery of it. They fought my attempts to limit my power, though some more manipulative souls did attempt to maneuver a court of sorts into being. This I did away with first; we are too few to need such labyrinthine institutions. No titles, no suing for my favor. Not yet, at least. Such things may come despite my actions."

[Zem Vymes]

Zem nodded in understanding.

"Ironically, people can so easily fear democracy, even as it stands to empower them. It makes it all too easy for a strong leader to become their champion or their oppressor."

Setting his spoon aside for the moment, the Jedi Master clasped his hands before him.

"We have limits to what help we can offer, Master Cho. But I can promise that the Order will be good neighbors. We would be glad to help the Gossam people take the steps necessary to live free on their own terms."

[Tell Cho]

"We never live on our own terms, Master Jedi," Cho responded, realizing he'd not learned the man's name. "We simply live as best we can with the people who surround us. The conflict comes from different points of view as to what living as best one can means."

He nodded in thanks to the Gossam child who had come up and taken his dish from him.

"The Jedi and Alliance will be welcome here," the Gossam king said as the youngling scampered back to the fire and tossed the dish and the spoon into a large tub by the fire filled with water. "Our survival depends on the good will of our peoples toward each other. As such, I do hope that there will be more visits by Jedi, especially the initiates and learners."

[Zem Vymes]

"Indeed." Vymes nodded, speaking after finishing his last bite of stew. "And call me Zem. Zem Vymes. We're neighbors. Honorifics do our friendship little value."

Tell brought up a good point, one in which Zem was all to eager to discuss.

"Point in fact, I'm glad you mentioned this. We both know that if the Jedi are to honor the sacrifices made by others, and the responsibilities their great gifts demand of them, then we cannot remain isolated amongst our own."

Deep in thought, Vymes leaned forward, propping slightly on his elbows.

"It's been a tipping point I've seen coming, but have been at times reluctant to approach. And there has been much pressure within the Order to take on a more proactive role. We are no longer an endangered species in the galaxy. Times have changed. If the spark that brings a flame is to begin, I can think of no better place than among your people."

[Tell Cho]

"You will have no small trouble convincing my people yours mean them no harm. Memories of the Clone Wars still shadow us on both sides. There is a sense, that though our circumstances are our fault alone, if not for the Jedi present on the battlefield things would have been much different for us. I am lucky, in a way, that none seem to care or know or care to know that I was once Jedi myself. It is not something I have hidden, but it is also not something I tell everyone. It is simply there."

Cho surveyed the view from the balcony. It helped him keep things in perspective somewhat, that vast vista spreading out before him like a rumpled blanket. It was a picture of the Force in its most panoramic glory.

"But we know that our fortunes are bound up with yours. We must simply work together. If it is uncomfortable at first, it will fade with time. But that is what we need most."