Chapter Eleven
Dagobah
Four weeks following the Imperial inspection on Jabba's palace, Mayli slipped from the cantina to the compost shed to check on the comm device. She'd signaled her intentions to Obi-Wan, who entertained a large group of sentients with his bottle-twirling skills, Solla off for the evening.
The couple received a transmission from Senator Organa the week before, assuring them of the security of the system, his best technicians working to keep the channels heavily encrypted and private. With this assurance, Mayli thought it a good time to put her plan into motion.
Squeezing into the tiny room, smiling a little as she noticed her baby bump a bit more prominent than the last time she entered the small space, she sat down and grabbed the device.
"Dragon, Bird here. I feel it would be appropriate for a certain green friend to have a device. Daddy O hesitates, but from what I know of this friend, he would be a valuable member of our business enterprise." She sent the message.
She waited a while, and when no response came, she returned to the cantina.
Obi-Wan looked in prime form this evening, smiling at the customers, doing amazing tricks to the continued astonishment of the audience. Several new folks were present as an air race sponsored by Jabba would begin in a few days only ten kilometers away. Mayli watched his tip jar fill quickly and smiled, knowing their next step, with the new room up and shelves built, would be furnishings for the baby. She drew up plans for a crib and even began salvaging a few pieces of wood. They also needed blankets and clothing and…
Mayli shook her head and took a drink of the fresh juice Obi-Wan squeezed for her. So much to think about, but they still had several weeks to go. Obi-Wan spoke of not working at the bar anymore, especially once Mayli could fly again. She knew he actually looked forward to taking care of the baby at home, but watching him now she knew he'd also miss bartending. He'd become quite good and always seemed happy doing the work.
Mayli again slipped away for the compost shed, thrilled to see she had a return message.
"I couldn't agree more, Bird," Senator Organa said. "Green Friend would be invaluable to our future ventures. Please deliver. Should have one or two more following, as most of the associates are connected. More info to follow. In meantime, please give my regards to Green Friend. I miss him." A pause. "Thank you, Bird. And please be on the lookout for a package."
Package? Odd. She shrugged, replaced the device in its spot, and returned to the bar.
She waited until the ride home early morning, following Obi-Wan's shift, to tell him about giving Yoda a device.
Obi-Wan sighed heavily. "Yes, Yoda would be a perfect leader for the rebellion. But…he was very injured, damaged in his fight with Palpatine."
"Yes, but not his mind, Ben," Mayli argued. "An organized rebellion would need both warriors and strategists. And Yoda is a symbol for the Jedi and…"
"I just don't know…"
"You want to talk with him, right?" she asked, confused.
"Oh yes. More than anything. But…"
"Are you afraid of what he'll think of me?" Mayli asked, trying to sound matter-of-fact, not hurt. "That you failed the Code?"
A long pause followed. "Yes," he said quietly. "But not you, Mayli. Just…well, embracing attachment saved me. I touched the Dark Side, the holocron, my anger…I don't know. And I would need to tell Master Yoda these things." He didn't speak for a long time, the sounds of the Womp Rat One filling the space. "I'm just afraid. I thought I would never speak with him again, honestly."
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side, Ben," Mayli said, deepening her voice to mock his, and to her delight, Obi-Wan laughed hard, almost doubled over in his seat.
"Oh my sweet darling, you never cease to bring me joy," he said, leaning over to kiss her.
Two days later, Mayli sat alone in the cock pit, studying a map of the galactic south and the Rimma Trade Route. While Dagobah remained a system not too far off the beaten path, the star could only be accessed through rather dubious hyperspace traces. After careful calculations, she made a series of small jumps, finally ending up in the Dagobah system. She headed toward the only terrestrial planet in the system, and took a moment to regard the green and brown orb in front of her.
"Hmmm…how am I going to find Yoda?" she said aloud, turning to the droid, still inactivated in the corner. She shook her head, thinking she might need to activate it occasionally, for conversation at least.
Guiding the Womp Rat down, she began to fly over the planet-wide bog, using her sensors to find some form of life other than swamp critters.
Back on Tatooine, Obi-Wan carefully measured out the citrus flavoring in the drink he concocted, letting out a groan of frustration when the liquid turned the wrong shade of orange.
A slow night at the cantina, both Solla and Obi-Wan on duty, the usual suspects surrounded the bar, Jabba gone to bed early due to a cold. Obi-Wan, slightly bored with nobody to entertain with his Force enhanced bartending skills, began to work on an original drink.
"Benny, you are wasting quite a bit of liquor there," Solla said, leaning up against the counter, arms folded, watching him work. "What are you doing?"
"I want to make a new drink, name it after Mayli. I want it to look like her hair and taste like her," he said, studying their inventory, pulling a few bottles off the shelf.
"Taste like her?" Gradie asked snidely, raising an eyebrow. "That's getting a bit private there, Ben. I mean, a woman's…"
"Don't even," hissed Solla at Gradie before Obi-Wan could say anything. She threw a wet towel in his face.
Obi-Wan sighed. "I just want it to taste good and look good. Mayli shines like the suns and her kisses," he said, emphasizing the last word. "Taste sweet."
Drag feigned gagging. "Benny man, you're going to make us sick with all this sugar you're spooning us."
"I think it's nice, you rotten boys. He loves his woman, the mother of his baby," Solla said, then rolled her eyes and headed down the bar.
Obi-Wan followed, hoping to engage Solla in some private conversation, curious about her since he spent the afternoon in her home weeks before.
"Solla, may I ask a question?" he said. She nodded. "Who were those women in the holopic hanging near your bed?"
"Nosey man, aren't you?" she asked, not unkindly. "My sisters. I was the middle child. My oldest sister, Zella, raised us when my parents died." She looked at the counter, sad in her memory. "I don't remember them, but I do remember Zella, loving, funny, always made sure we had enough. Wanted to name one of my babies after her."
"Babies?" he asked, again marveling at the normalcy of Solla's life, Force sensitive yet unnoticed by the Jedi. How many others?
"I got pregnant three times. The first time, my husband and I were so thrilled. But I miscarried, late too. Far enough along to know it was a girl. Could have been a Zella," she said, staring at the counter, absentmindedly drying the same glass over and over. "Same with other two. All girls. All gone. Wasn't meant to be."
Obi-Wan didn't respond, watching Solla lost in thought. How horrible, to lose a child. He couldn't imagine; he now looked so forward to his and Mayli's baby arriving, he occasionally felt like leaping up and down like a youngling excited over dessert.
"I'm sorry," he said, knowing the words really meant nothing when something of that magnitude occurred.
She shrugged, seeming to come out of her trance. "You get used to lose. Lost Zella to a fever right before I married. Had her own husband and kids, moisture farm. He actually moved away to his homeworld after. Fondor. But he loved Zella. Everyone did. She was so funny, sharp, taught me to cook, and encouraged me to go into business." Solla sighed. "Then I lost the babies. Lost my husband ten years ago. You get used to lose, but…you don't have to like it."
Obi-Wan nodded, knowing he'd somehow gotten used to the idea of having lost almost everyone and everything he held dear. But thinking of Mayli, he knew other things came along.
Solla laughed. "Zella taught me to quilt and do needlework, but I think I've gotten better than she ever was. But the thing is, Benny, she wouldn't have cared. She would have wanted me to be better. That's just the type of person she was, always wanting others to be happy, always raising up other people. You would've liked her."
"She sounds wonderful," Obi-Wan said, glad to have a more complete picture of Solla.
"Yo, Ben. Beer," called Gradie.
Solla waved him away, and Obi-Wan served his friends before going back to work to create "The Mayli."
Mayli crinkled her nose, studying her surroundings. The stench emanating from the slime made her gag at first. How anyone could live here was beyond her. She would need to tell Obi-Wan he definitely got the better exile planet.
She'd parked the ship on a giant slab of flat rock, a couple of kilometers from an area she saw what looked like a campfire from the air. After putting on her grubbiest boots and pants, she ventured out with a pack of supplies, planning not to go too far from the ship.
"Master Yoda!" she yelled into the misty swamp, only greeted by the sounds of birds and the occasional splashing of water. "Yoda? Grand Master Yoda!" She continued to call his name as she trudged through the muck, certain he knew she was there, that calling a Jedi remained unnecessary. Yet, hearing her own voice provided a bit of comfort.
Suddenly, Mayli stopped, gasping. She felt a tumbling motion in her stomach, no below, where the baby rested. A series of twitches…movement….the baby kicked! She sat down on a nearby fallen tree, overwhelmed, truly feeling the baby for the first time. Placing one hand on her stomach, the other over her mouth, she sat for a long time, focusing on the baby, filled with pure happiness. Too bad Obi-Wan wasn't there to experience the first kicks.
But someone else was. After the child calmed a bit, Mayli raised her head to see a small green creature dressed in little brown robes sitting across from her. His kind face and sparkling eyes smiled broadly at her, the points of his ears moving.
"Such happiness," he said in a soft voice. "Not in a while, haven't felt it. No…no."
"Master Yoda," she said and couldn't help but smile as well. "I…ohhhh!"
The baby began to move again, and this time, Yoda left his spot and came toward her.
"May I?" he asked.
Mayli nodded, and Yoda put his tiny hand on her stomach, closing his eyes and grinning as the child became more active. When the baby slowed down again, Mayli watched Yoda's smile disappear, and he opened his eyes, removed his hand, and looked up at her, shocked.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said plainly.
"Yes…I come from Obi-Wan. I'm Mayli," she said, noticing Yoda took a couple of steps away from her.
"The child…is Obi-Wan's?"
Mayli felt herself blushing. "Yes…we've been together for a while…"
"A while?"
"A couple of years. On Tatooine, I was a refugee like him and…"
"Abandoned the Code, Obi-Wan has," Yoda said, looking down at the ground in deep dismay. "Sad, I am."
All happiness from the baby kicking left Mayli, and she felt anger…no rage…building inside her. How dare this Yoda make her feel ashamed of being with Obi-Wan, like some dirty Mos Eisley tramp, seducing him, rather than his desert princess. Knowing her anger was fueled by a mix of real feelings and unbalanced hormones, she leaped to her feet.
"Listen, I take care of Obi-Wan, and he takes care of me. We love each other. And he hasn't abandoned your stupid Code. He is the bravest, kindest man I've ever known, and he is excited about this baby and so am I," she yelled at Yoda, who looked at her with wide eyes. Since she towered over him, she could easily kick him in his dumb, shocked face. "He worried you would be disappointed in him, and I assured him not. But now I see I was a fool, and you are some judgmental little swamp monster. Good-bye!"
And with that, she turned and walked quickly back to the ship. Dagobah proved to be a difficult planet to storm off from someone on, considering the terrain, but she retraced her previous steps well, fuming.
"Wait!" she heard Yoda call behind her, but she didn't turn around. She arrived at the ship within fifteen minutes, brought down the ramp, stormed up, and closed the hatch. But she didn't go to the cockpit. Instead, she slid down in the hallway and cried, her feelings hurt, angry that Yoda did not support Obi-Wan.
Knowing she was in no condition to fly out at the moment, she got up and went to her quarters, cleaning up and slipping into nightwear before lying on the bed. She curled up, placing both hands on her stomach, focusing once again on the baby, who moved softly once before she fell asleep.
Mayli awoke hours later, her eyes adjusting to the bedside light she'd left on. Sitting up, she gasped. Yoda sat in the chair across the room, snoring softly. Mayli grabbed one of her pillows and tossed it at him, startling him awake and knocking him from the chair to the floor. Yoda grunted.
"Get out!" she screamed. "How did you get in here, you rotten thing?! Get out of my room! Get off my ship!"
Yoda got to his feet slowly, and Mayli froze as she leaped off the bed. She'd heard about Yoda thousands of times from Obi-Wan, one of the people he admired most in the galaxy, quite possibly number one. He spoke of Yoda's power and knowledge. But this Yoda before Mayli coughed a bit and struggled to his feet. This Yoda looked hurt, physically and in spirit.
"Sorry, I am, Mayli…Kenobi," he said, finally rising and heading toward the door.
"No…Mayli Solamen. We are not married. No public records," she said, now standing in her pajamas, Yoda in the doorway. "But I am his mate, his companion." They looked at each other in silence for a long time. "How did you get in here?"
Yoda shrugged. "Jedi."
"Yeah, well Obi is a Jedi, and he respects me and my space," Mayli hissed back. "Now why don't you turn your little ass around and…"
"I see…" he hesitated, then walked over to a holopic she had on the wall in a small wooden frame she'd made. The image showed her and Obi-Wan at the cantina, both smiling broadly. She remembered Yarna taking the image about a year ago, after a late-night sabacc game with their friends. "Healthy and happy Obi-Wan is."
"Yes, he is…for the most part. But he worries a lot about the future of the Jedi. And he feels a lot of guilt."
"Guilt?" Yoda asked, looking back at her. "Feel no guilt Master Kenobi should. Guilty I am. Failed I have." He walked over to Mayli and took her hand. "Of Obi-Wan, please tell me."
Mayli brushed his hand away. She still felt anger toward Yoda, having ruined the moment of her baby's first kicks, making her feel like Obi-Wan's grand mistake. But as she backed away from the Jedi Master, she watched him sink to the floor, looking completely defeated, beginning to cry.
He looked so small and pathetic, Mayli kneeled beside him and wrapped her arms around his small body as he shook with quiet sobs. She reminded herself Yoda experienced the same horrors as Obi-Wan, but engaged in a battle with Palpatine himself, the Sith master. Obi-Wan mentioned he seemed physically drained before they parted, worried about Yoda's general health. On top of that, he lived on this world void of other sentient life, truly alone. Obi-Wan had Mayli, his work, their friends, even Sniff the Eopie. He had Luke to check on weekly from afar, something to look forward to with the baby coming. Yoda had none of that. At that moment, she forgave his initial rudeness; she had to, for Obi-Wan's sake.
"Would you like to talk with Obi-Wan?" she asked as Yoda sat back, drying his eyes with the back of his hand.
Yoda looked puzzled. "Impossible."
Mayli smiled warmly. "No. I brought a way. Senator Organa is uniting a rebellion against the Empire, and I am responsible for delivering comm devices to the southern part of the galaxy. And I have one for you. One you can use to speak directly to Obi-Wan. You already have a code name. Green Friend. I am the Bird. Obi is Daddy O, and Senator Organa is Dragon. And there are others, but you can just talk to Obi if you want. Although Senator Organa would probably like you to be more involved as a…"
"Organizing a rebellion? But gone the Jedi are," Yoda said, his eyes wide with surprise.
"No offense, Master Yoda, but non-Jedi can accomplish things as well," Mayli said, trying not to sound too snide. She now began to see perhaps where Yoda went wrong, the supposed most powerful Jedi not seeing a Sith lord right in front of him, arrogant in the power of the Jedi. She'd heard Obi-Wan speak often about their vanity leading to their ultimate destruction.
Yoda smiled up at her. "Impressed I am with you, Mayli. Found a good match Obi-Wan has."
Mayli pulled Yoda to his feet and began to lead him to the galley. "You won't be able to speak with Obi plainly…"
"Obi?" Yoda chuckled, a pleasant, cute sound.
Mayli laughed too. "Well, he's actually Ben Kenobi, but I call him Ben and Obi and sweetheart and…other things." She gestured toward the dining table, and Yoda sat. "You'll need to speak in code. But Obi-Wan wanted you to know about him…his journey, he phrased it. He didn't want to do a holo-recording since it might be sliced, so…he wanted me to tell you his story since you parted ways."
Yoda nodded.
"Then I can set up the comm device in your home, and we can make contact," she said.
She launched into the story as she fixed a small meal for them, noticing Yoda ate like a starving krayt dragon during mating season. She imagined quality meals to be difficult to come by on Dagobah, and she looked through her pantry as she cooked and talked, wondering how much she could leave behind for him.
When she got to the part about the Sith Scholars, Yoda questioned her at length, concerned about the prospect of more Sith in the galaxy. Mayli grimaced slightly, realizing he did not get any news on Dagobah, didn't know about the Inquisitors, much less the fact that some, like the one who led the inspection on Tatooine, were former Jedi.
Mayli talked about Obi-Wan's brush with the Dark Side through the Sith holocron, remembering Obi-Wan seemed animate about sharing everything with Yoda, even the bad. She talked about him being kidnapped and defeating the Sith by destroying their station and how one Sith, the leering Jac, remained alive. She talked about their home and Obi-Wan's work at the bar and his argument with Beru and Owen and the discovery of Anakin's crime against the Sand People. She told Yoda about Obi-Wan training every morning with his lightsaber and meditating in the garden she built for him and conversations with Qui-Gon. She spoke of their friends and Obi-Wan meeting her parents and delivering devices for the rebellion. She hesitated momentarily before telling him about the former-Jedi Inquisitor, but did, then launching in on the latest news of the galaxy, and how she saw the dreaded Darth Vader in person, from afar, but as close as she ever needed to get to him, thank you very much.
When she finished, the meal long gone, Yoda nodded, and looked up at her. "Thank you."
"What can I tell Obi-Wan of you?" she asked, beginning to clear the dishes.
"Tell him…the swamps I walk. Visit a Dark Side site to train, induce visions. Over food I fight with the local rodent population."
Mayli giggled, and Yoda gave her his joyous smile. "Glad I am Obi-Wan found you. A good woman you are. For earlier my apologies." He paused. "Lost for weeks in visions I get. Broken my body is. And Qui-Gon absent for a while. First living thing I've spoken to in years you are, Mayli."
"Well, let's change that," Mayli said cheerfully, although Yoda now made her sad.
After trudging through the swamp muck, the duo arrived at Yoda's small hut, Mayli ducking in through the door, delighted to see the cozy interior, small but perfect for the little Jedi.
Mayli took out her data pad to check the time conversion table. "Looks like we have about a standard hour or so before Obi will be near the device. I'll send a message so he knows we're waiting." She keyed in the code, the comm going live. "Daddy O, this is Bird. I am with Green Friend. Please respond. We are waiting."
She set the device on the little table and turned to Yoda, who had begun to move about the small hut, humming away. "For you I fix dinner. Repayment for delicious brunch," he said.
"Thank you, Master Yoda. I really do…" but her voice faded away, watching him prep a stew over a small fire.
He chopped up various plants and fungi, none that looked particularly appetizing. And the smell soon filled the room, making Mayli's stomach a bit weak. She saw he had some sort of fish hanging from the ceiling, and, using the Force, he brought it to him and began to debone and slice the meat. After adding it to the stew, Mayli knew it would take all her willpower to get a bite down, but she needed to, since they started out on the wrong foot.
After some time, Yoda brought bowls to the table and crawled up onto a chair, Mayli just sitting on the floor. Mayli looked down at the bowl, the greyish concoction resembling something Sniff coughed up. She took her utensil in hand, giving a smile to the waiting Yoda, who seemed to want to watch her take the first bite. Oh dear…
A pinging sound interrupted the silence. The device! Obi-Wan. Mayli dropped the spoon and picked up the comm in relief.
"Daddy O here," came Obi-Wan's voice, the delight and eagerness pouring through in his tone. "I am at the comm now. Please respond."
Mayli smiled up at Yoda, who stared at the device, his mouth hanging open. "Master Kenobi," he whispered.
"Daddy O, Bird here. I am going to hand you over to Green Friend," she leaned the microphone to Yoda. "Say something," she encouraged.
"Daddy O…I…" stammered Yoda, obviously overwhelmed. "A miracle of the Force hearing your voice is."
The usual delay seemed to last forever, but soon Obi-Wan responded, his voice sounding thick, Mayli picturing him equally overwhelmed in that small hidden room in the compost shed.
"Green…Friend…I…you are well?" Obi-Wan responded.
Mayli put her hand on Yoda's shoulder. "I will let you two talk in private. But remember to keep things in code."
Yoda nodded, and Mayli slipped out the door, happy to give the two men a chance to catch up, and glad to find a way out Yoda's swamp stew.
She sat on a log at the edge of a small, muddy lake, watching bog birds fly over, occasionally diving down for a slimy fish. An eel worked its way across the surface of the water.
How had this come to be, Mayli the linking force between the last two Jedi masters? Before the fall of the Republic, Mayli just flew delivery for small businesses, and now she worked for a crime lord, played courier for a growing rebellion, and carried the child of a Jedi. She knew she wasn't anything special, just another pilot, just another woman from a middle class home in the Core. How had she come to know these extraordinary people in these dark times?
Mayli picked the muddy ground with a stick, now thinking about Yoda's exile, how different from Obi-Wan's. The small master seemed to be punishing himself for his perceived failure. A sudden cackle of laughter filled the area, coming from the hut, and Mayli felt her heart fill with joy. Master Yoda, although broken down by the chain of events that brought an end to the Jedi and the Republic, reconnected with the galaxy, with a friend. Mayli felt a warmth flow through her, proud she'd been the one to help him in his solitude.
Obi-Wan came out of the compost shed, holding the empty bucket he'd used as his front to go check on the device. He could not stop smiling, his whole being glowing from having spoken with Master Yoda. Mayli had, like usual, been right. He needed to hear his friend, and from the sounds of things, Master Yoda needed him as well.
"Ben!" a man shouted, startling Obi-Wan from his thoughts. He turned to see Wires walking toward him. "Man, I thought that dumb Gamorrean took out the compost. What you doing here?"
"Oh…the bin just got full," Obi-Wan lied. "What's up?"
"Just got back from a run to our warehouse in Kuat. There was a giant crate there, addressed to Mayli. From the Coruscant Children's Company? You two order something for the baby?" Wires asked, leading Obi-Wan to the hanger near the landing strip.
Although puzzled, Obi-Wan said quickly, "Oh…yes. Mayli saw some things she liked and…" he stopped, eyes going wide at the large crate to which Wires pointed. What in the world?
With Wires' help, Obi-Wan pried open the crate, pushing aside the packing material, then stepping back to admire the piece. A beautiful, delicately carved wooden crib stood before them, another crate resting inside. Obi-Wan opened the box to find it filled with high quality baby clothes, some looking slightly worn, others brand new, with the store labels still attached. Glancing up from the box, he saw a familiar design carved into the wood of the crib, very small, seeming to be just another of the flowered designs to the uneducated eye. But Obi-Wan knew it to be the crest of the royal family of Alderaan.
"I don't know about such things, Ben, but that is a nice looking crib," Wires said. "Your baby is going to sleep in luxury, like a little prince or princess."
Obi-Wan could only nod, stepping back again, knowing this to be the crib of a real little princess.
Talking with Master Yoda for the first time in years, a thoughtful, wonderful gift from Bail, Mayli having his child and knowing just the things he needed to be healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The light side of the Force surged through Obi-Wan, making him practically float with a giddy happiness. He felt surrounded by love, even standing there in Jabba the Hutt's hanger in the sweltering afternoon heat on Tatooine.
Author's Note: Next time, Obi-Wan's good mood leads to a playful day for the couple, and Imperial troopers on Tatooine receive a less than welcome reception.
Please review. Hope you are enjoying the story. Take care!
