7 A Wookiee’s Uncle

Another morning arrived on Achto and a roughly weathered Wookiee stretched as he roared across the sea trying to ease the stabbing ache in his heart. The loose stones around him seemed to be startled away with each vibration and agonizing tone of his voice. Chewbacca had barely slept at his post in front the dark cave where his senses last captured her scent; night had fallen and he decided to form a plan to proceed in the daylight. He'd sensed this part of the island was largely controlled by a darker force and wisps of smoke from his campfire filtered over him like a light fog. Gazing out into the distant horizon, the Wookiee greeted the rising sun with a new hope that he would do everything he could to find his Rey.  The loyalty of his species always propelled him to stick his big hairy neck out for his honor family and Rey was undoubtedly family. The creepy cave still seemed to be shrouded with a veil of uncertain doom; even in the morning light. Chewie opted to stay outside of it until he better understood it.

The morning dew kissed the chocolate colored Wookiee as he longed for the aid of his Jedi friend in trouble. Remembering Rey shook loose the notion that another force user could very well be the answer to his cave mystery or at least help steer the course of this mission. The morning sounds of the island served to help him meditate on the matter. A big grin broke out across Chewbacca's face and he suddenly knew exactly who was born for this. The decorated Veteran Rebel knew that the ideal candidate should be family because he trusted no one else in the galaxy but family. His very own nephew, Lowbacca was barely half his age and already becoming a legend but only to those that knew him. Wookiees like him were literally born only once a century. This young Wookiee had got to study briefly with Luke Skywalker before the school was burned in anger by his other "hairless" nephew, Ben Solo.

Luckily, before ever meeting the conflicted Padawan, Lowbacca had been summoned back to his home planet to help with a technical mapping update for the entire world of Kashyyyk, still mostly a wild uncharted mutant forest. The ginger stained Wookiee avoided meeting the same fate as Luke's other students, but still desired to be formally trained as a Jedi. After the rise of the First Order, his merits on his home planet had caught the eye of another lesser-known Jedi, Leia Organa.

The General had privately trained Lowbacca to be a Jedi but also as a secret agent for extra sensitive missions for the Resistance. Uncle Chewie knew nothing of Lowbacca's secret missions but Leia had told him stories of their training in the dangerous forests of Kashyyyk. Hardly anyone knew of Lowbacca because Leia insisted his Jedi abilities be kept under lock and key -like a secret weapon. Without another moment of hesitation, Chewie knew who he had to call and he got up to stretch again. Thrilled to have the opportunity to see his nephew and the hope he held for Rey; mixed well within his Wookiee-sized heart as he made unbelievable time towards the Millennium Falcon. The island seemed tremble with rolling stone and echoes of a newly inspired Chewbacca, who'd insisted on a few battle cries as he ran.

BB-8 was busy zapping Porgs off of the main console; feeling completely alone for the first time since he'd first got separated from Poe on Jakku..years ago. Chewie and Rey seemed to have ditched him last night, leaving him with guard detail and filling all his little compartments completely full with worries. At first he'd felt as brave as R2, his favorite Rebel hero, but the long night was too unsettling to bear alone so the lonely droid had a moment of weakness. In the middle of the dark night, the Astromech droid called his old friend, Poe and sent him some coordinates, just in case. Disobedience among droids was uncommon, but Rey had always made him feel more like a humanoid. Not wanting to sabotage the secret mission failed to outweigh the love he had for his friends. BB-8 wished the brave R2D2 was with him now; he was feeling outnumbered by the persistent Porgs and surely missed the crusty sarcasm and jokes of the old droid. R2D2 felt he must to stay at the base and keep things running smoothly in the aftermath of Leia's death. BB-8 was also pretty sure R2 thought Finn would blow up the whole place by accident or something. A commotion outside the door of the Falcon caught his attention so the little droid rolled out cautiously into the island sunlight. BB-8 was scooped up immediately into a sweaty Wookiee embrace; Chewbacca did his best not to crush the poor droid.

A lot of excited droid beeps and several Wookiee explanations later, the two friends hashed out a rescue plan for Rey. Chewbacca wasn't thrilled about the coordinates of their location being sent out to Poe but he understood. At least it wasn't Finn he thought to himself. He stubbornly welcomed the thought at having an extra pilot for this mission and knew Rey would ultimately understand. He sent Poe the standby code to await further orders before jumping to the island. BB-8 began dialing the planet Kashyyyk and was able to locate Lowbacca without any difficulty. The main screen lit up on the console with the face of a younger Chewie but with awesome amber eyes and ginger colored hair that covered him from toe to snout. Chewbacca almost wept at the sight; it had been far too long since they'd been able to see one another. The exchange of Shyriiwook between the two Wookiees was like music to Chewie's soul but the Astromech droid begged to differ and briefly chirped to remind them to keep communications brief. Lowbacca had been keeping a low profile since the end of the last war and the beloved princess's death, so his longing for adventure had been brewing for some time now. Chewbacca absorbed as much love as he could from the exchange; family visits were so rare because his loyalty to Han and the Rebels always kept him so far away. Lowbacca was honored to receive the new mission even though it required him to put his scientific pursuits on hold for now. He also felt confident he could sort out their tech problems on the Falcon and reboot the lost holotape they'd found earlier.

Across the galaxy, a young Wookiee's heart began to beat wildly after the call from his Uncle. He still could sense the worry and fear in him, even with the vast space between them; Lowbacca knew the intensity this mission would require. This is what he was born to do; he truly felt the force surrounding him and it practically propelled him into motion. Waving and bidding his colleagues goodbye; Lowbacca swiftly began to pack up some supplies from his lab at the forest floor. Goodbyes were always hard for most but more difficult for Wookiees; naturally bearing a larger capacity for love. The overly excited young Jedi took the crude elevator he'd made from the lab to the canopy of the forest; to see his parents. His mother Kallabow and his father Mahraccor worked at the computer fabrication plant in the bustling city of Thikkiana which was also a major space port. Lowbacca's sister, Sirrakuk, was considerably younger than him and was usually off caring for their ornery ancient grandfather Attichitcuk (meaning "itchy" in Shryiiwook). Easily finding his parents at their home, Lowbacca kissed his mother on the cheek and squeezed her tightly as he spilled all the details. Reluctantly, he let go of the sanctuary of his mother's vice-like embrace and tried to mentally prepare himself for the words he was about to have with his father.

Mahraccor stood quietly in the corner and tried to make peace with the mission he knew was meant for his precious son. The indifference failed to intimidate the young Wookiee because he knew his father's heart. Any progress on the historical mapping of their uncharted world would have to wait, freezing the dream that Kallabow and Mahraccor had been building for their son; the entirety of their lives. The vast dangerous forests of Kashyyyk made the ones on Endor seem miniature in comparison. The silent argument finally broke between father and son; the young Wookiee vowed to return and finish what they had all started together. Kallabow had voiced her own request in hopes to keep her son more focused; she insisted that Lowbacca team up with a trusted pilot to get him there in one piece. Lowbacca's strengths were in using the force and scientific knowledge; he was a bit too reckless flying even the most basic land speeder and often crashed trying to be like his heroic Uncle Chewie. Not willing to upset his mother, Lowbacca gave his Uncle another call and somehow managed to convince the stubborn old lump of fur to send him a pilot to ferry him out to Achto.

It was now the middle of the afternoon on Achto; still no sign of Rey to be found. Chewbacca was helping BB-8 eliminate a few more Porg's nest that he was incapable of handling on his own when a notification came buzzing through on his Comm Link. Poe Dameron had finally woke up to receive his latest transmission and was still recovering from a rough night at the cantina. "Is this General Hugs?!"  Dameron joked, "Okay, okay-Chewie, I promise-I'll take a nap first." The Wookiee continued to literally chew him out in heavy short blasts of Shryiiwook and Poe was filled with a sobering joy that he was needed again.