If you want to read more chapters ahead from here you can visit my Patre-on.
[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]
https://patreon.com/kelly_over
____________
"I don't know," Harry said frowning thoughtfully as he put his new plates and things down in a small cupboard. He'd have to renew the spells in a day or so just like everything else in here, but until they began to revert they would be as useful as everything else had transfigured in the past few days. He still couldn't change something else into food though. "I think we need some kind of starting point, um, like that stone that's supposed to translate all those languages. I saw it on a history show once when the Dursleys were all out."
"Rosetta stone, and that's a good idea. There are spells that can help you figure out someone's intent or emotions but I don't know if they would work on aliens though."Lily said. "Maybe if we could find some kind of textbook or something we could figure something out by trying to match the printed word with the sounds we hear from the locals..."
"That sounds really, really hard, and kind of haphazard." Harry frowned. "But it gives me an idea. I bet they have something like primary school or the like, where they teach kids right? Let's see if we can find something like that."
Unfortunately that was harder than it sounded. For one thing, there was no such thing as a school for young kids here, though they found what was obviously a class on engineering: a large group of the locals and a few other races standing around a large machine while someone pointed out parts on it and two more worked on repairing it. For another, a lot of the population seemed to be enslaved to the rest, including some of the aliens who were obviously not locals. As such, their educational level was nil. It wasn't just the women, slavery seemed to be a main staple of the planet's economy.
"Why is that, do you think?" Harry asked softly, staring down at what was one of the richest looking areas they had so far explored. As usual he was hidden under several dozen spells, all of them intent on hiding his presence.
"I don't know, maybe this planet doesn't have any other resources it could use as capital. The locals are pretty good looking after all." Lily teased, having noticed her son blush a few times when faced with some of the local girls his own age or a little older dressed in their skimpy clothing. But then she went on more seriously. "I don't like it, or what it says about the universe in general that such a thing is accepted, but there's nothing we can do about it. And we still haven't figured out a way around the language barrier."
Harry frowned in turn, but then paused as he noticed something. Below him a group of slaves both old and young were being led toward one of the large mansions built into the rock all around them. One of the youngest was a blue color they hadn't seen before among the locals, whose skin colors seemed to range from white, to yellow to green for the most part.
But that wasn't what had caused Harry to stop speaking. That was the fact she was staring directly up at Lily! At first Harry thought it was him, and quickly checked himself, but found all his spells still in place. None of the other locals up to this point had done anything to indicate they even felt Lily's presence, but the young girl, despite being pulled along now, continued to stare. "Mum… that girl, she can see you!"
"Who?" Lily gasped, then looked in the direction Harry was pointing. "Hmmm… could she be a magic user? Magic users would be able to see me. Maybe they are just incredibly rare here, or perhaps they just aren't organized."
"I don't know, but I think we just found a way to start learning the local language." Harry grinned. "Just have to come up with a way to let her see me, and no one else…"
Elsewhere in the mountain a small cruiser was arriving. It was a Consular class out of the Corellian Star System, which was known as much for its bizarre nature as for the fact its denizens composed some of the best, and most combative, spacers in the entire Republic. The Consular however was not a merchant or combat ship, though it could serve those roles. No, it was known primarily as a diplomatic ship, and this one was painted the red of neutrality as was usual on those missions. But the Consular class was also predominantly used by the Jedi Order, as was the case with this one.
Some called the Jedi troublemakers, some called them a quasi-religious order devoted to meddling with things that they shouldn't. Others thought that they were troubleshooters of the Republic, and respected or loathed them for it, while still more looked up to them as a source of honor and dignity in the galaxy. It really depended on what planet you were on and what the Jedi were there to do really, just like normal police in many ways.
On this planet it caused some looks of consternation and anger from the rest of the spacers in the massive hangar bay high up the mountain, and more than one of them hurried away rapidly. Most of them however simply went about their business, those closest nodding to the two men who were walking down the gangplank of the ship. Whether that was because they had nothing to fear from them or because they knew that running would attract the Jedi's attention none could say.
"Master Tholme, I still don't understand why this one smuggling operation is of such import that it would require two Jedi to look into it, especially on a planet like Ryloth." Said the younger male turning to the older obviously continuing a conversation that must've started inside the ship. He was a wild haired young man, with the traditional apprentice knot falling down one side of his face, but with black, lanky hair falling down all around to his shoulders as well. He had a bright yellow bar of some kind of tattoo straight across his nose, a sign of the particular subset of humanity he represented, the Kiffar.
_____________
If you want to read more chapters ahead from here you can visit my Patre-on.
[P] [A] [T] [R] [E] [O] [N]
https://patreon.com/kelly_over