Chapter 36- The Search and Finding Yoda
Vader sat in his hyperbaric chamber feeling the helmet being lowered in place on his head. Vader hated looking at himself in a mirror. It always felt like a cruel, sick joke the Force was playing on him when he saw the battered and ruined shell of what was once Anakin Skywalker. He always wondered what Padme would have thought of his damaged face. Would she have been repulsed that he was no longer handsome? Vader turned as soon as the helmet was in place to see Admiral Piett. How much had Piett seen of Vader's face? Granted, the burn marks weren't there any longer, but there was still some burns and a yellowed bruise on the back of Vader's head.
"Yes, Admiral?" Vader asked, brushing from his mind all thoughts of what he had once been and Padme. Now was the time to think of his angel's children. Vader had no idea where Luke was, but Lena was a different matter. He could still feel her through the Force.
"Our ships have sighted the Millennium Falcon, lord. but it has entered an asteroid field and we cannot risk-" Piett started to say before Vader cut him off.
"Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses," Vader said ominously.
"Yes, lord," Piett bowed as the hyperbaric chamber sealed. Vader squeezed his hands where the leather on his gloves squeaked. What kind of fool had his girl put her trust in to fly into an asteroid field? Vader could throttle that pilot for endangering his little one. Vader was certain that his daughter hadn't gone willingly into the asteroid field. With all the faults of the Jedi Order, Vader always admired the idea that Lena had learned to not be as reckless as he had been when he had been Anakin Skywalker.
The cave was dark and foggy and a certain smell pervaded the ship that Lena didn't even want to know what it was and something felt wrong in the Force. "I'm gonna shut down everything, but the emergency power systems," Han said, going through the cockpit.
"Sir, I'm almost afraid to ask, but does that include shutting me down, too?" Threepio asked nervously.
"No, I need you to talk to the Falcon. Find out what's wrong with the hyperdrive," Han said, as the cockpit got darker. Chewbacca growled as the ship suddenly moved. Lena looked at Leia and they both looked at Han, who looked as nervous as they felt.
"Sir, it's quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable," Threepio commented unhelpfully.
"Not entirely stable? I'm glad you're here to tell us these things. Chewie, Lena, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive," Han said angrily to Chewbacca and Lena.
"Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior. I was only trying to do my job," Threepio said as Lena pulled his golden arm.
Lena left with Chewbacca to where the port was to plug in Threepio. "What did I say, Your Highness?" Threepio asked miserably as Lena opened the port in Threepio's chest and plugged it in.
"All you said was what nobody wanted to hear, Threepio. But now, we need you to talk to the ship and find out what's wrong," Lena said as she sat down at the dejarik table and waited.
Night fell on Dagobah in a big hurry. Talon sat in front of the ship's heater, wrinkling his nose at the rations that he had in front of him. One thing the Rebel Alliance did religiously was serve awful food. Also Talon's Force-sharpened senses was starting to pick up animal sounds and they were the animals that were carnivores. Talon hoped that if Yoda was there that his old master would step on it and arrive.
Talon looked up at Luke as he brought supplies from his x-wing. "Ready for some power?" Luke asked Artoo breathlessly, who beeped in response.
"O.K. Let's see now. Put that in there. And there you go," Luke said, turning on the lantern and plugging cords into Artoo.
"Luke, here's dinner," Talon said, handing his nephew a meal.
"Thanks, Uncle," Luke said, wrinkling his nose as he looked at the congealed mess on his plastic plate.
"You are welcome. Now what?" Talon asked as he took a bite, followed by a long drink of water.
"Now all I gotta do is find this Yoda, if he even exists," Luke said, before sitting down.
"Oh, believe me, boy, he exists," Talon said, finishing the last bite.
"Did you know him, Uncle?" Luke asked.
"Every Jedi and Padawan knew Yoda. Yoda and a man named Mace Windue were the heads of the Jedi Order. If you were a Padawan, you didn't get into the Jedi temple without being examined by those two and the Jedi Council when we were babies. Yoda was the only one who didn't look like a Jedi and he would use that to teach lessons. I learned that lesson when I was five years old," Talon said with a brief smile at the memory and a wince at the feel of Yoda's gimer stick on his knees.
"This is really a strange place to find a Jedi master," Luke said.
"Not really, boy. Knowing Yoda like I do, this place makes perfect sense. Once you meet him, you'll understand why," Talon said, squeezing Luke's shoulder in a fatherly gesture.
"This place gives me the creeps. Still, there's something familiar about this place. I don't know. I feel like-" Luke started to say looking around.
"Feel like what?" A rusty voice croaked. Luke and Talon whipped out their blaster and lightsaber.
"Like we're being watched!" Luke said sharply.
"Away put your weapons. I mean you no harm," Talon lowered his lightsaber and felt a surge of relief. It was his old master! Yoda lowered his arm and looked at Luke and Talon, with a sleepy, moronic look on his face. Talon then knew what his master was going to do. This test was the same one used at the temple to teach younglings how to treat others. Luke's reaction to Yoda acting dumb would determine if Yoda would teach him. All Talon had to do was sit back and not say that this was Yoda.
"I am wondering, why are you here?" Yoda asked, looking at Luke.
"We're looking for someone," Luke said, lowering his blaster as Talon clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt.
"Looking? Found someone you have, I would say, hmmm?" Yoda asked, laughing. Talon chuckled dryly. Yoda had apparently become a dry wit in his exile. Looking at his nephew, Talon could see that Luke found that funny too.
"Right," Luke said in a dry tone.
"Help you and your friend, I can. Yes, mmmm," Yoda said, nodding his head.
"I don't think so. I'm looking for a great warrior," Luke said.
"Ah! A great warrior. Ha ha ha! Wars not make one great," Yoda said.
"He has a point, Luke," Talon said. Yoda had fought in the Clone Wars, but no one rarely ever thought of the battles the old Jedi had fought.
Yoda made his way to where Luke had laid his rations and picked up the piece. "Put that down! Hey! That's my dinner!" Luke exclaimed as Yoda took a bite. Luke took the piece out of Yoda's hand and closed up the rations as Yoda coughed, spitting out the food.
"How you and your friend get so big eating food of this kind?" Yoda asked in disapproval as he glared at first Luke and then Talon, making Talon feel like he was five again and feeling Yoda's disappointment when he had eaten too much in the Jedi cafeteria and not left something for the other Padawans.
"Listen, friend, we didn't mean to land in that puddle. And if we could get our ship out we would. But we can't, so why don't you-" Luke started to say as he tossed the piece Yoda had eaten aside. Yoda then interrupted.
"Awww! Cannot get your ship out! Hee, hee, hee!" Yoda laughed as he started to empty out the crate where Luke's rations had been and tossed everything behind him. Talon moved out of the way to avoid being hit in the face by a power pack.
"Hey! Get out of there!" Luke ordered irritably as he stood.
"Ah! No! Ohh!" Yoda exclaimed as Luke pulled an object out of Yoda's claws.
"Hey, you could have broken this. Don't do that," Luke said as Yoda continued to toss items.
"Oh!" Yoda exclaimed turning, a lamp in his claws. Yoda started to laugh dryly.
"Oh, you're making a mess," Luke said, looking around unhappily at the objects Yoda had thrown. Then he noticed the lamp. "Hey, give me that!" Luke exclaimed, making a grab for the lamp.
"Mine, or I will help you not," Yoda said stubbornly.
"We don't want your help. We want my lamp back. I'm gonna need it to get out of this slimy mudhole," Luke groused.
"Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is-" Yoda started to say, looking positively insulted as Artoo grabbed the lamp with his retractor claw. Yoda grunted as he and the droid had a tug-of-war.
"Artoo, let him have it," Talon ordered the droid as Yoda picked up his gimer stick and started to hit the droid.
"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!," Yoda shouted.
"Artoo!" Talon said sharply. The droid then released the lamp, earning one more rap with the gimer stick and a chuckle from Yoda.
"Now, will you move along, little fellow? Me and my uncle've got a lot of work to do," Luke said with barely concealed annoyance.
"No! No, no! Stay and help you I will... find your friend," Yoda said.
"We're not looking for a friend. We're looking for a Jedi master," Luke said impatiently.
Yoda's face turned to that of awe. "Oh. Jedi master. Yoda. You seek Yoda," Yoda said with a breathless voice.
"You know him?" Luke asked in surprise as he knelt in front of Yoda. Does he know him! Talon thought dryly.
Mmmm. Take you to him I will. Yes, yes, but now we must eat. Come. Good food. Come. Come, come," Yoda ordered as he moved way ahead of them and motioned them to follow.
"Artoo, stay and watch after the camp," Luke said to the droid as he and Talon stood and followed the Jedi to wherever he was leading them. Talon wondered how long it would be before Yoda revealed himself, but it shouldn't be that much longer.