Chapter Text
There were still ten minutes left until class. Ves scanned her sparse notes, checking she had all the necessary materials.
She didn't know any of the other students, but that put her at ease: she didn't have to chat with anyone, and no one would disturb her. The classroom wasn't crowded; small groups of students were chatting quietly here and there, a few were reading.
When she returned her attention to her desk, she noticed the teacher was already taking his seat. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to begin; he began scrolling through the monitor beneath his hands.
Ves turned on the one at her desk and checked the name: Professor Noora Equus.
She chuckled to herself: what a curious name!
She glanced at the biography: born on Alderaan, he had attended the School of Xenolinguistics, and then came to Coruscant to specialize in Robotics. His thesis, "Dignity and Evolution of Android Culture," had caused a stir in the academic world and attracted media attention for a while. Precisely for this reason, he had had his share of trouble with the law, a staunch supporter of droid rights, and had participated in and organized numerous demonstrations on and off campus.
"A rebellious type!" Ves muttered to himself, smiling.
To his eyes, he seemed like an ordinary man: he wore a gray jacket and pants, the unofficial uniform of all professors, dark hair, short and neatly combed, and a light tan on his face and hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen: please take your seats."
He paused, giving the students time to sit and settle in.
"I welcome you to my course. It's nice to see so many of you still want to learn the minor languages of the Galaxy."
He picked up a small holocom from the desk and took a step.
"Ask yourselves why you study the minor languages. All in all, Galactic Standard is spoken everywhere worth going. And surely a lifetime won't be enough to visit every sector of the Galaxy and actually speak all these languages. So why? Why do we study them?
Pause.
"There's no right or wrong answer. I'm really interested in knowing why you're here."
"Because I have one exam left to finish the year!" exclaimed a boy's voice behind her.
She didn't even bother turning around, but a few people chuckled.
The professor smiled, nodding.
"Of course, there's that necessity too, right?"
"I'm here because I want to get into the Academy. Knowing languages is important for my future career," replied a girl.
"No one's here to meet the rebel professor? I'm almost offended," exclaimed Equus, feigning scandal.
This time, only the girls chuckled. Ves smiled too.
"Listen. I'll tell you what a boy answered me a couple of years ago. This boy was very smart and turned out to be the best student I've ever had. At least so far."
He moved to the front of the desk.
"He replied: 'Because the future is always in motion. Those who are our enemies today could one day be our allies. And those who are our friends now will tomorrow be our fiercest opponents.' What do you think he meant?"
There was a murmur in the room, but no one dared to answer.
He moved further, moving to the edge of the dais. He pressed a button on the holocom: a treble voice, a woman or perhaps a child, began to sing in an unknown language, a delicate and poignant song.
When it was finished, it lasted only a few seconds, and the professor continued speaking.
"This is a Yalarian lullaby."
"And where is it?" asked the boy who had spoken before.
"Yalara? It's the most remote system in the entire Galaxy. You might wonder why this lullaby is so important. You see, little is known about this planet; it's wild, devoid of significant raw materials, a cold and dark world, their star is fading. The population is sparse, and the few who are born leave the system to reach nearby planets where they can have a future. I was there several years ago, along with a small group of archaeologists and geologists: I studied their culture and spoke with their people. Almost all of them were old. But they were happy to have foreigners; no one visited their planet, and they thought the Republic had forgotten about them."
"Did you stay there long?"
"A galactic standard year. I collected as much linguistic and historical material as I could. My colleagues recovered ancient artifacts, remains of animals extinct for centuries. When we left, it was very emotional. Some of the young people came with us; they wanted to reach Naboo, Alderaan, Coruscant; they wanted to study."
There was a murmur. Ves turned to a couple of colleagues. One of them, sensing her perplexity, leaned toward her.
"The student he mentioned earlier is Yalar."
Equus continued.
"This lullaby began as a resistance song. Millennia ago, Yalara was one of the most important centers of the Old Republic. But when the Sith broke away from the Jedi Order, Yalara became a contested territory between the various Sith factions. When the Sith disappeared, it was abandoned. It took several decades for Yalara to return to the Republic, but by then it was a world in ruins and was cut off from trade routes."
There was a heavy silence. The professor turned the audio back on and returned to his desk.
"We have a duty to remember the Extinct Cultures, to keep them alive and study them, to continue speaking their languages. And if we stop speaking, then we can sing."