Chapter Four
Master Yoda
Sitting at the helm of the luxury yacht he used to escape from the Sith Scholars years ago, Jac stared transfixed at the blaze of blue hyperspace whisking by the ship.
"Dad?" Sam asked, filling the silence that enveloped the ship for some time. Jac realized both he and Sam were quite numb from the past week's events.
"Yes, son?" Jac responded.
"What is Tatooine like? Gotta be hot with two suns, right?" the boy said, Jac noticing Sam tossed the holocron from one hand to the other absentmindedly. Such an incredible secret, such awesome power that cube contained.
"Ah…yes, it's a desert world," Jac said, remembering the uncomfortable heat of Tatooine for the short time he, Dia, and Lail stayed, in the guise of Max Rebo groupies. He wondered how people got used to living in such a place.
"I can't wait to destroy Sidious," Sam said quietly. "This Obi-Wan can help?"
"Oh yes, he is a factor. I know," Jac said. "I only recently put the pieces together. But you'll see the truth when you shake his hand."
"If he'll shake my hand," Sam chuckled. "Didn't you blow up his hut?"
Jac laughed at the memory, the first legitimate laugh he'd experienced in days. He shared a smile with his son.
"Yes, yes…but it was an ugly hut anyway," Jac said. "A hovel, really. I did him a favor."
He glanced at his son's hands, now merely holding the holocron in his lap. Jac, very strong in the Force, with the gift of foresight, and his now dead wife Callie, a former Jedi of mild talent, passed on an interesting trait to their son: Sam could read the history of people and things by merely touching them. And while he could not control this as a young child, breaking down in confused fits and eventually needing to wear gloves most of the time, he could now control the power with ease, turning it on and off when necessary.
While Jac and Callie experienced the secrets of the holocron together, Sam told them the history of the object, prompting Jac to eventually take his son into the interesting, and rather amusing, realm of the holocron. Jac grinned again, remembering the properness of Obi-Wan Kenobi, wondering what he would think of the eccentric holocron gatekeeper.
"We'll be there after one more jump," Jac said, taking a deep breath. While he knew his plan would succeed, had seen it in his visions, he nevertheless felt the weight of the tasks ahead, the magnitude of the momentous things to come.
That evening, on the edge of the Jundland Wastes, Obi-Wan lie next to Mayli in the dark, both tired from a busy day of work.
"I just hope we are doing the right thing," he said, Mayli snuggling in against him. "I wish I could speak to Master Yoda. Did he have some plan?"
"Oh sweetheart, I wish we could see him, but that part of space is crawling with Imperials now," Mayli said. "When I took Zella two years ago, we barely got out unnoticed. And I'm afraid someone would see us heading there, drawing attention to him."
Obi-Wan just nodded. He hadn't spoken to Yoda since the year of Zella's birth, when they'd communicated over the Rebel comms, which needed to be destroyed upon the Empire learning the code. Mayli visited a year later to ensure Yoda of everyone's safety, as Obi-Wan and her continued to fret over his possible panic at once again being alienated from the galaxy. But Mayli returned from that trip disheartened, afraid she'd offended the little Jedi Master, who made her promise not to return. Obi-Wan took an entire day to assure her that Yoda worried for her safety, did not dislike her. Still, he wondered often about Yoda, Mayli claiming even she could feel the press of the Dark Side on Dagobah.
Mayli sighed. "What's to come, Ben? Last time I spoke to anyone in the Rebellion, things seemed to be crumbling."
"I don't know. I came here to watch over Luke," he laughed softly. "And then you came along, and Zella, and everything changed." He nodded again. "I've done my work. Trained a Jedi. Now we need to get to a safe place, maybe rebuild the order."
"Ben?"
Mayli's hesitance, her sudden tension bleeding into the Force, alarmed him. "Yes, darling?"
"Something is going to happen."
"I know."
He held onto her tighter, as if his very life depended on it.
Outside their bedroom door, Zella leaned her ear away. She's been passing by on her way to the living room to fetch her data pad, and the overheard mention of Master Yoda caught her attention.
Quietly returning to her room, she sat on the bed, thinking. She long suspected her father chose Tatooine for purposes other than "it seemed like a good place to hide." But who was this Luke? Zella searched her mind, realizing she knew three Lukes on Tatooine.
Ol' Man Luke Bo worked at Jabba's Palace, head of gaming. He'd been friends with her parents when they both worked for Jabba, and as late a year ago, the family dined with him. Luke, old and kind, seemed content to spend the rest of his years serving the Hutt.
Hmmm…ah, yes, there was Luke Skywalker, who lived with his aunt and uncle on the Lars homestead not too far from here. Sandy-haired and a few years older, Zella remembered him helping out at the machine shop in Tosche Station, where Mayli often bought parts. Zella talked to Luke for a bit, found him cute if not a little goofy. But his enthusiasm for engineering showed, and Zella remembered the young man questioning Mayli about her ship and her adventures across the galaxy.
Oh, and also Luke Darklighter, one of the younger cousins of the large and wealthy Darklighter clan. Zella remembered the young Luke being in the same mathematics class she took in town when she was seven. He'd pulled her long hair, so when he went to leave after lessons that afternoon, she used the Force to trip him in front of the rest of the children, causing laughter on their part and embarrassment on his. Of course, Zella received a lecture on appropriate use of the Force from her father that evening when she gleefully told her parents what she'd done over the dinner table. Still, the memory made her happy, that stupid, snobby Darklighter boy.
"I came here to watch over Luke," her father said. Which Luke? Were there others? She imagined Ol' Man Luke Bo being some sort of diplomat in hiding, but that seemed a bit of a stretch. And the Darkligher jerk was Zella's age, did not exist when her father arrived. So what about Luke Skywalker? She wished she knew his age, only that he was a couple years older. And where were his parents? No other Skywalkers lived around these parts. Hmmm…
Her thoughts came again to Master Yoda, the tiny Jedi Master, and her memory brought her back to the day she spent with him on Dagobah, a day that opened her eyes to what being a Jedi truly meant for her.
Two Years Ago
Zella stood at the bottom of the ramp of the Nebula Flame, clutching her pack tightly to her chest, staring apprehensively at the landscape in front of her. Dagobah stank of the Dark Side, Zella having not encountered that spectrum of the Force too often. Still, she felt it dense in the air here.
"Okay, baby," came her mother's soft, reassuring voice from behind her, calming Zella instantly. "His hut is just over that ridge. I'll be here waiting. I love you."
"Love you too," Zella said, taking a deep breath and marching confidently toward Master Yoda's home.
The confident walk soon became a slow trudge as she made her way through the muck of the swamp. Coming over a hill, the Nebula Flame soon disappeared from sight, but Zella kept her mother's Force signature ever on the forefront of her mind. Scanning the area before her, she could not see anything resembling a home.
"Ahhh…arrived the Kenobi child has," came a small gravelly voice, and Zella spun to her left to see a little green big-eared creature perched on a rock, wearing the brown robes of a Jedi, similar to her father on most occasions.
"Master Yoda…I am Zella Rey Kenobi," she said, surprising herself by not stammering, although her heart leapt at seeing the ancient Jedi her father spoke of with such reverence. "I come from Tatooine, from my father, to meet you. I know you made my mother promise not to visit again, but I begged them to allow me to see you, introduce myself."
"Hmmm…and come with gifts you have. Food, perhaps," he said, jumping down and pawing at her pack with his tiny hands. He stopped, his gaze falling on the lightsaber clipped to her belt. "Training you, Obi-Wan has. A lightsaber you built."
"Yes," Zella said, setting down her pack, removing the hilt, and igniting the blades. She watched Master Yoda's eyes go wide.
"A unique lightsaber, like one I've never seen," he said. "Know the Force, you do?"
"Yes," Zella said eagerly.
"Tell me you will," Yoda said, gesturing to a rock nearby.
The two sat for the next two hours, Zella telling Yoda about her training, about Tatooine and her family's home, about her other lessons, even about the eopies. Master Yoda smiled warmly at her and seemed especially pleased when she brought out a picnic lunch for them.
"And…well…I made you something," Zella said, pulling out a small quilt she'd made, using fabric she inherited from Solla. "I don't know what colors you like. Dad didn't seem to know…so, I thought, since it's dark here…and wet…I would bring you the sun. Well, two suns. Mom and dad's friend Solla made me one similar when I was born. This one isn't as good as hers, she was an artist…like, really amazing and I enjoy drawing and sewing and sculpting but she…" Zella stopped, realizing she was rambling quickly like some Mos Espa teen and not a dignified Jedi.
Yoda ran his small fingers across the quilt, bringing it up to his face. "A special gift, Jedi Kenobi. Thank you."
Zella beamed. The wind blew, and she again felt the Dark Side, this time rustling through the breeze. She turned in the direction of the wind.
"What's over there?" she asked, suddenly transfixed.
"Ready to see I am afraid you are not," Yoda said, his usual light and musical tone growing serious.
Zella rose. "The Dark Side. That area…this is why you hide here."
"Mmm hmm."
"I've only felt the Dark Side a few times, but dad knows it. Says he felt it when he fought the Sith. Like Dooku and Darth Vader."
"Darth Vader?" Yoda asked, looking at her curiously. "Speak of Vader your father has?"
"Yes. Vader killed his friends…Mace and Anakin and the younglings at the Temple," she said.
"Hmmm," Yoda hummed. "Walk in that direction we will."
The duo moved slowly across the swamp until they came to a cave shrouded by vines. Zella's head began to ache with the impact of the Dark Side.
"Happened long ago something terrible did," Yoda said. "Come here I do. Speak with the Force. Visions I see." He studied her carefully. "Trained you well Obi-Wan has, giving hope to the galaxy, hope to the future of the Jedi. But know the Dark Side you do not. Walk inside, for a moment."
He gestured toward the entrance. Zella swallowed hard, her limbs feeling weak, but she walked slowly in the cave nonetheless.
Stopping short a little ways in, she froze. Before her stood a man clad in regal, aristocratic clothing. Dark hair streaked with silver and almost black eyes, with a pale complexion, he smiled at her warmly.
"Zella Kenobi?" he said, walking toward her. He took out a small cube, holding it toward her in his palm.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice loud, filling the cave.
The man gave a mock pout. "Come now, no need to be rude, young lady," he said, pocketing the cube and bringing out a lightsaber. With a snap-hiss, a red blade ignited the dark cave. "Where is your father?"
Zella reached for her own blade, but looked down and realized it no longer hung on her belt. She looked back up desperately and gasped. Another man stood before her, also dark-haired like the one before, but this time with light eyes. He held a child in his arms, a baby with brown hair who turned to look at Zella, cooing and smiling.
"Zellie, you spoke so much of restarting the Jedi Order," he said, looking at her with loving eyes. "But I'm afraid we'll just be sacrificing our little girl. Everything, the galaxy, the New Republic, stands on shaky ground. Why seek him out? Aren't we happy here?"
"Who are you?" she repeated her former question. She looked again at the baby. Hers…she knew it. But she was thirteen…this was some man she'd never met, but she knew him to be the father. Was this the future, her future?
A mechanical breathing sound filled the space as the man and baby disappeared.
"Ah…a Kenobi! Obi-Wan preaches the Code, yet breaks it the first chance he gets," said the voice, and Zella turned to see Darth Vader, as she'd seen him on the holoscreen only this time in full, terrifying reality.
Zella knew the vision to be false. This cave played tricks on the mind. She stood up straight and tall before the Sith Lord.
"I fear you not, Lord Vader," she said. "You've met me before, when you encountered my mother on Endor. She felt sad for you, a broken man relying on machines. And I find you pathetic as well."
Vader roared and came toward her, but Zella stood firm, and the image passed directly through her. Zella stood alone in the cave, her heart racing. Of all the images, the man with the child stood out most. She'd never considered such things, been so busy with lessons and training with her father. But a child…and what did he say?…restarting the Jedi Order.
The full impact of that statement hit her. She could be the beginning, her father growing older, Master Yoda ancient and obviously in declining health. Would she be meant to return the Jedi to the galaxy? Her child as well?
"Yes…yes Zella Rey," Yoda said. "But alone you are not. Yet, through you the Force flows strong, stronger than most others. Important things to come."
"Who were those two men?" she asked.
Master Yoda just shrugged. "Lost touch with the galaxy I have. Only swamp birds, fish, and muck slugs I see…and eat." He took her hand, placing her lightsaber hilt back in her palm. "Waiting your mother is. Return we shall."
After Yoda and her mother exchanged strained greetings, and the mother and daughter left crates of supplies with Master Yoda, Zella found herself lost in thought in the co-pilot's seat as they flew away.
"We'll need to take a roundabout way home. Too much Imperial activity," her mother said, glancing over at Zella.
Zella simply nodded, and her mother grew quiet, obviously sensing Zella needed time to think. Must be odd, Zella mused, living with two Jedi.
Now, two years after this day with Yoda, Zella sat in the dark pondering the overheard conversation of her parents. What plans did Yoda have for him and her father? And again, who was this Luke her father mentioned? And her mother's words, something is going to happen. Zella felt it too. Did it have anything to do with the visions in the cave?
Zella fell onto her back and cast her data pad aside. Using meditation techniques to clear her busy mind, she eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, Sam stood on a hill top, watching the second sun of Tatooine work its way above the horizon. He turned to his father, who walked amongst the old wreckage of the hut of Obi-Wan Kenobi he blew up years ago. Nothing remained except ruins.
"Well, I guess he found another place to live," his father said, coming over to Sam. He followed his son's gaze towards the second rising sun. "Impressive, huh?"
Sam nodded. He'd never seen anything like it, having spent most of his time on Coruscant. When he left that planet, he'd mostly been with his father in the secret laboratories on the other worlds, learning about the science of the Dark Side. His mother took responsibility for the rest of his Force training, his father hopelessly bad at combat. This had been a frequent joke between them, gentle teasing he'd watched his parents engage in over the years.
"Perhaps there are records of a move, of land purchases. Most likely under Mayli's name," his father said. "Sammy, what's the nearest town?"
Sam pulled out his data pad. "Tosche Station. Formerly named Water."
"All right," Jac said, motioning for his son. "Let's head there." He walked down the hill back toward the yacht.
Sam took a deep breath, once again looking toward the suns. The beautiful orange vision comforted him a bit after the pain of the past week, and a sudden feeling a destiny, of importance of this moment, seemed to pour over him, beginning at the top of his head and spilling over his whole being. He glanced toward his retreating father, who seemed to notice nothing. Sam felt confused, as his father, very powerful in the Force, always seemed to sense everything before anyone.
Shrugging to himself, he made his way down the hill, wondering what they would find at Tosche Station.
Author's Note: Zella heads into town and runs into a familiar farm boy, also encountering a handsome young visitor to Tatooine.
Please let me know what you think of the story so far. Take care!