A Mission of Learning
with Masters Yoda's help
The transporter beam placed First Officer Spock in a swamp. Shrill criechoed through the air. Looking around, Spock noticed that he was knee deen mud. Calmly, he removed himself, treading up to dry land. Pulling ouis communicator, he called up the ship, "Spock to Enterprise, come in."
No response. After a moment, he tried again, and still there was nesponse.
"Looking for someone, you are, hmmm?"
Spock's body twitched in shock. He had not heard or sensed anyone approach.
Turning toward where he thought the voice had come from, he still could seothing. "Who are you?"
Laughter greeted his statement.
A child, he thought, a lost child in this slime filled swamp.
"My home this is, slimy it is not!"
You can hear my thoughts? There was no response. Why?
"Because."
Spock was not sure what to do with this - creature. His tricorder waecording too many readings to be of much help of determining who or what was.
"Who are you?"
Laughter.
"Where are you?"
"Here." Laughing the little creature came out of the bushes. Less than eter tall, with greenish skin and long pointed ears, he was quite thight. His ears were dropping down, as if they were too heavy to hold up.
He walked hunched over a cane. "Stare you do, yes, yes. Look so old do I?
Young you are not, I see. Yes, older that you look, you are. Yes, hmmm?"
"What are you?"
"What are you?" The little thing shuffled up to him, almost touching hiegs. Spock crouched down to make eye contact.
"I am called Spock." Why did I just give him my name? What has made me likhis?
"Yes, yes. Not your full name that is, no." The little creature nodded.
"Come, you must. Come." With that, the creature began walking in the swamp.
There is no reason to follow him Spock thought to himself. Logically, I
should not follow anyone anywhere. The Captain would search for me here.
Yet his body moved forward and his heart spoke of safety and peace. Soon hhought of nothing more that trying to keep up with the little creature.
"Yoda I am, a creature am I not."
"Your pardon."
Spock sat across-legged in Yoda's home. He couldn't remember how he haotten there for a moment, as if a blanket had been thrown over his mind.
He fought it for a moment, and felt it lift.
"Strong are you with the Force, hmm. Trained is your mind."
Spock looked at him. "You are also trained by your people, are yoot?"
"A Jedi must know these things, yes."
"Jedi?"
"What you are."
Spock shook his head. "I am a Vulcan, and not what you call a Jedi."
"Jedi!" Yoda laughed. "Jedi here you could be. Strong." Yodoved aside for a moment, back to his stove. He poured a stew into erving bowl, and handed it to Spock. Spock had watched him make the stew,
making sure there was only vegetation had went into it, though Yoda hassured him that it wasn't necessary to do so. "Eat you must, yes." Spoctarted to eat it, surprised at the taste. It tasted quite good. Histened to Yoda talk, backward though it was.
"Long time there have not been Jedi. Too long. Once grand we were.
Now too few. Destroyed the Temple, they did. Killed apprentices, yes."
His voice was forlorn, and his ears drooped down. "Too many were lost.
b One /b was lost."
"Who was this one who was lost?"
Yoda looked at the Vulcan closely. "The Chosen. He the one whell. Took down his master with him." Yoda seemed even more depressed ae continued. "Chosen one hunted Jedi he did. Killed too many. A fenly now alive. Too few, I fear, for what comes."
Spock was intrigued, despite himself. He knew that he should brying to contact the ship, but something inside him, sad and lonely as ias, reached out and wanted him to stay. Finally, he decided that for itake, he would stay. Yoda seemed to be looking right at him, at who has, not the outer shell. The little master nodded after a moment.
"Strong you are, yet divided. Tell me, what says your heart, hmm?"
Spock closed his eyes, trying to break the spell that Yoda's eyeeemed to weave. He tried not to answer the other, but his heart spoke.
"I want . . . It says that this is path I . . . could take. It wants . . .
to stay, but it longs for the stars of home, my homeland . . . , so faway. My friends . . . amongst the stars . . .so beautiful . . . seautiful . . . so quiet."
"Your heart you must listening to more, yes," the Jedi said softly.
"Ignore it, you do, hmm, yes."
Spock turned away, looking through the window at the rain. "I am a
Vulcan. The mind rules. Not the heart and it's illogical whims," he sailmost bitterly. "It is as Surak teaches us."
"Surak, or Sarek?"
Spock whirled. "How did . . .?"
Yoda smiled. "You will. Not now, no, not now. Now, the stars calou."
Spock was confused. "How do you . . ." The transporter beam caughim before he could finish.
Yoda shook his head at the empty space. "Strong, yes, not ready, yoere, too young."
". . . know that?" Spock finished as the transporter released him.
He blinked, realizing where he was, and quickly got to his feet.
"Are ye alright, Mr. Spock?"
"Yes," he answered the engineer. "Yes, quite alright."
"The cap'n wants to sae ye. We were worried about ye. If'n ye don'ind mae askn', what were ye doing?"
Spock paused as he left the room. "Why, learning, Mr. Scott. Thas what this mission is about."
with Masters Yoda's help
The transporter beam placed First Officer Spock in a swamp. Shrill criechoed through the air. Looking around, Spock noticed that he was knee deen mud. Calmly, he removed himself, treading up to dry land. Pulling ouis communicator, he called up the ship, "Spock to Enterprise, come in."
No response. After a moment, he tried again, and still there was nesponse.
"Looking for someone, you are, hmmm?"
Spock's body twitched in shock. He had not heard or sensed anyone approach.
Turning toward where he thought the voice had come from, he still could seothing. "Who are you?"
Laughter greeted his statement.
A child, he thought, a lost child in this slime filled swamp.
"My home this is, slimy it is not!"
You can hear my thoughts? There was no response. Why?
"Because."
Spock was not sure what to do with this - creature. His tricorder waecording too many readings to be of much help of determining who or what was.
"Who are you?"
Laughter.
"Where are you?"
"Here." Laughing the little creature came out of the bushes. Less than eter tall, with greenish skin and long pointed ears, he was quite thight. His ears were dropping down, as if they were too heavy to hold up.
He walked hunched over a cane. "Stare you do, yes, yes. Look so old do I?
Young you are not, I see. Yes, older that you look, you are. Yes, hmmm?"
"What are you?"
"What are you?" The little thing shuffled up to him, almost touching hiegs. Spock crouched down to make eye contact.
"I am called Spock." Why did I just give him my name? What has made me likhis?
"Yes, yes. Not your full name that is, no." The little creature nodded.
"Come, you must. Come." With that, the creature began walking in the swamp.
There is no reason to follow him Spock thought to himself. Logically, I
should not follow anyone anywhere. The Captain would search for me here.
Yet his body moved forward and his heart spoke of safety and peace. Soon hhought of nothing more that trying to keep up with the little creature.
"Yoda I am, a creature am I not."
"Your pardon."
Spock sat across-legged in Yoda's home. He couldn't remember how he haotten there for a moment, as if a blanket had been thrown over his mind.
He fought it for a moment, and felt it lift.
"Strong are you with the Force, hmm. Trained is your mind."
Spock looked at him. "You are also trained by your people, are yoot?"
"A Jedi must know these things, yes."
"Jedi?"
"What you are."
Spock shook his head. "I am a Vulcan, and not what you call a Jedi."
"Jedi!" Yoda laughed. "Jedi here you could be. Strong." Yodoved aside for a moment, back to his stove. He poured a stew into erving bowl, and handed it to Spock. Spock had watched him make the stew,
making sure there was only vegetation had went into it, though Yoda hassured him that it wasn't necessary to do so. "Eat you must, yes." Spoctarted to eat it, surprised at the taste. It tasted quite good. Histened to Yoda talk, backward though it was.
"Long time there have not been Jedi. Too long. Once grand we were.
Now too few. Destroyed the Temple, they did. Killed apprentices, yes."
His voice was forlorn, and his ears drooped down. "Too many were lost.
b One /b was lost."
"Who was this one who was lost?"
Yoda looked at the Vulcan closely. "The Chosen. He the one whell. Took down his master with him." Yoda seemed even more depressed ae continued. "Chosen one hunted Jedi he did. Killed too many. A fenly now alive. Too few, I fear, for what comes."
Spock was intrigued, despite himself. He knew that he should brying to contact the ship, but something inside him, sad and lonely as ias, reached out and wanted him to stay. Finally, he decided that for itake, he would stay. Yoda seemed to be looking right at him, at who has, not the outer shell. The little master nodded after a moment.
"Strong you are, yet divided. Tell me, what says your heart, hmm?"
Spock closed his eyes, trying to break the spell that Yoda's eyeeemed to weave. He tried not to answer the other, but his heart spoke.
"I want . . . It says that this is path I . . . could take. It wants . . .
to stay, but it longs for the stars of home, my homeland . . . , so faway. My friends . . . amongst the stars . . .so beautiful . . . seautiful . . . so quiet."
"Your heart you must listening to more, yes," the Jedi said softly.
"Ignore it, you do, hmm, yes."
Spock turned away, looking through the window at the rain. "I am a
Vulcan. The mind rules. Not the heart and it's illogical whims," he sailmost bitterly. "It is as Surak teaches us."
"Surak, or Sarek?"
Spock whirled. "How did . . .?"
Yoda smiled. "You will. Not now, no, not now. Now, the stars calou."
Spock was confused. "How do you . . ." The transporter beam caughim before he could finish.
Yoda shook his head at the empty space. "Strong, yes, not ready, yoere, too young."
". . . know that?" Spock finished as the transporter released him.
He blinked, realizing where he was, and quickly got to his feet.
"Are ye alright, Mr. Spock?"
"Yes," he answered the engineer. "Yes, quite alright."
"The cap'n wants to sae ye. We were worried about ye. If'n ye don'ind mae askn', what were ye doing?"
Spock paused as he left the room. "Why, learning, Mr. Scott. Thas what this mission is about."