Chapter Twelve
"Yoda, you never even told anyone where your home planet was before, why now?" Moth asked amazed at the sight of the lacy bridges and beautiful lake and meadow blooming with white flowers.
"Learned trust you, I could." Yoda answered beaming at the thought of showing his Master his home.
"We have been together for over ten years and you just now trust me." Moth asked in disbelief.
"Trust you with my life, I do. Now trust you with Dagobah's life." Yoda explained. Just then people started peaking out from the bushes, many variations of Yoda, young and old male and female. Finally the ones Yoda was looking for came into view and he ran to them, "Father, Mother." The older man bear hugged the son he had thought he had lost to the stars long ago and only put him down because his wife was clamoring for her turn. She wasn't strong enough to pick him up but her hug was as tight as her husband's was. "Thought never to see you again." She said. "Missed you, I did."
Yoda enjoyed the attention more than he had expected he would. Finally, he extracted himself and introduced his Master to his people and especially his parents. "My Master, this is. Teaching me many things about the Energy of Life, he is. Others 'offworlders' can use the Energy of Life as we do and for some things we haven't. Knew would be Yona's time, I did. Wouldn't miss, Ceremony of Lights." Just them Yoda saw a heavy Yona come down the path and ran to see her. Yona was surprised to see him and burst in tears. Yoda refrained from picking her up and spinning her around, as he wanted because of her conditions. "Miss your Ceremony of Lights, I would not."
"Thought you were dead, eaten by that furry thing, worried me, you did. Less hairy this one is." Yona said looking over Yoda's shoulder at Moth.
Yoda took that as a hint to introduce her to Moth. "Yona, My master this is. Teaches as Yaren did. Master Moth, my sister, twin she is. Uncle, Yoda will be."
Moth, who was over six feet, squatted down to meet the concerned little mother. It was evident she asked Yoda a question through the Force to which he smiled and nodded, so she stepped forward and cautiously offered Moth her hand. Moth gently took the hand and softly said. "Honored I am, to meet you and allowed to visit Yoda's home planet. Very secretive about where he is from, now I see why. Lovely place this is." Moth said trying to imitated Yoda's speech pattern, he thought of all the times he had scolded Nyla for imitating Yoda and wished he had tried it himself now.
Yav stepped forward and asked very fatherly. "Much trouble has Yoda been in?"
Moth smiled and said. "No trouble has your son been in. Very brave he is. Saved many lives, protected me many times. Honored to be his teacher, I am. Proud you can be, of son you raised."
Now came Yara's turn. "Eaten well has he. Looks thin, he does."
Moth smiled and assured her. "Yoda, found bulbs and roots on many planets that he could eat and carries a supply with him where ever he goes." Yara was concerned at the words many planets but couldn't bring herself to ask.
Coming creaking down the path on a walking stick was Yamer, she called out. "What's fuss about?"
Yoda ran over and hugged the older woman. "Stop that! Break my bones, you will." She said flogging him. "Who! Yoda! Been gone long time, you have. Well, who is this?" She asked a little to loud, looking at Moth.
"My teacher, Master Moth." Yoda answered.
"This long to get away from that fuzzy thing, it took you?" Yamer asked.
"No. Yamer, I am learning to be a Great Jedi Knight." Yoda informed his grandmother.
"What's this?" Yamer said pulling Yoda's lightsaber out, igniting it and sending everyone running, including Moth.
Yoda retrieved it seconds before she lost her head over the matter. "Dangerous that is, Yoda will take it." Then turning back to Moth.
"Master Moth, tomorrow is Yona's birthing, in three days naming ceremony, would like to stay until over?" Yoda asked his Master.
"Sure, we couldn't miss this, a very special time it is for a family to have a baby." Moth responded. "You said, they would come tomorrow, did the Force tell you when they would come?" Moth asked
"Twins, All Yendell will have, one boy one girl, always born on the day of the Ceremony of Lights. All Yendell conceived same day, born same day. All names start with Y. Yamer, Mother of all in the Root, says lack of imagination, Father of all in the Root have to name sprouts." Yoda explained the complexities of Yendell life.
"Sounds like you get your sense of humor from Yamer." Moth told his Padawan.
Yoda stood up straighter and thought about Moths statement them smiled. "Wait till you hear Yendell jokes." He said snickering.
Moth realized what he had suspected was true, Yoda was young for his species and that all Yendell had the ability to use the Force or Energy of Life as they called it. He also discovered first hand that the Yendell used a Force image shield that convince unwanted visitors the planet was a swamp infested with various dangerous life forms. Yoda showed him how they constructed the bridges by telekinesis and the people planet wide were connected as one family by blood and thought. 'No wonder Yoda said there was no war or fighting on his planet.' Now he realized why Yoda picked up on things Force related so easily, most of it he already knew and just had to modify or perfect. 'I wondered what would happen if the Yendell were trained in the Jedi arts as a species.' He also discovered their remarkable sense of humor and abilities to play practical jokes. 'I suspect they could scare the daylights out of unwanted visitors to the planet.' As a species they lived close to the land no factories or farming, no one lived better or worst than their neighbor did.
Since the bridges would not hold him, Moth had to stay in the meadow so much of the festivities that night were brought to him, the preparation for the births were well under way. Yoda brought out two small baby beds; he had constructed during his travels to fulfill his obligation as Uncle. Everyone was surprised at the color of the woods, a dark reddish grain never seen on Dagobah and the color of prestige. Moth brought out two small soft lacy golden red scarves he had purchased for Taryn but were the perfect size for Yendell infants. Every one oohed at the colors, "Special children, these were going to be."
Early the next morning Moth was awoke, strangely refreshed, to the sound of flutes, he had heard Yoda play the flute on many occasions but this time it seemed as if every one on the planet was playing the same melody at the same time. Yav came to get Moth himself, telling him that the bridges had been modified just for him. Moth waited at the landing where two bridges intersected just outside Yav's home. Just before noon a commotion irrupted, the same commotion that always accompanies the birth of a child on any planet. The infant was brought to Yav, who was the new Father of all in the Root and he whispered a name to the infant and the infant cried to everyone's surprise. Yav smiled and whispered another name to the infant and he cooed softly. Yav announced Yin and Yona had a son first. Everyone softly cheered; then the same naming process was followed for the girl, who cooed the first time.
That night the Ceremony of Light took place when the lightning bugs hatched and the planet became one magnificent light show. Moth sat with Yoda and got to hold the infants, one fit in the palm of each hand. He thought of Taryn so far off alone and missed her. Then he smiled when it occurred to him that Yoda had just passed the biggest test he could face and was ever so much closer to becoming a knight, but he would not be able to tell the Council about it. As they sat there Yoda explained to Moth that he had 'obligations' he had to fulfill for his family and all Yendell. He was to marry and produce a family or the balance would be thrown off, with no illnesses or wars the population was stable, two parents produce two children, if he didn't return and take care of his obligations his intended bride would remain without a family. He inquired about the possibility of coming back after he had become a Master and raise his family then return to the order when his obligations had been fulfilled.
Moth asked. "How long would it take to fulfill your obligations?"
"Only one hundred of your standard years." Yoda said as if that was a just few weeks.
"A hundred standard years?" Moth waited for Yoda's nod of conformation.
Moth thought for a few minutes and said. "There is no way you are ever going to get permission to marry especially after Taryn and my situation, the Council would consider it a weakening of the rule against marriage. If you leave for one hundred years, no one that is now on the Council will be left alive when you come back, and by then my situation will be long forgotten. I have to ask how long does your species live?" Moth asked unable to comprehend that Yoda could come back after a one hundred sabbatical.
"Nine hundred standard years or so." Yoda said naively.
"Nine hundred standard years, You do understand what the word hundred means?" Moth asked shocked at what he had just heard.
"Yes, hundred years ago Sith destroyed. Padawan Yoda has been for ten years." Yoda explained he knew how long nine hundred years were.
"I would say when the time comes tell the Council you have an obligation to your species to fulfill. When your obligations has been fulfilled come back, you never know things might have changed in a hundred years. The rules could be more lenient if not you have done what you had to do to fulfill your obligations."
"Tell Council, going into seclusion, come to a higher level of understanding of the Force. When my obligations fulfilled, stronger in the Force I would be. Where better to study the Force than Dagobah." Yoda reasoned. "Not have to tell everything have to do to learn. Skip part about marriage and family. That work?"
Moth looked at his Padawan and smiled. "Works for me. I think your logic is starting to make sense, and that worries me."
Just then Yin came for his children and Moth carefully handed them to the new father. It was evident he was concerned about this stranger but he recognized the trust Yoda had in him and the twins felt safe, that carried a lot of weight with him.
Yoda excused himself for a few minutes then returned with a lovely little lady Yendell with soft yellow curls falling onto her shoulders, long for a Yendell. Her brown eyes were locked on Yoda in a sweet gaze as if she was trying to memorize his face. She smiled sweetly as he introduced her to his Master. "My teacher this is, Master Moth. Master Moth my intended, this is, Yessa. Agreed to wait she has, until I become Master to marry. Willing to deal with husband spending much time off planet. Isn't she gorgeous?"
Moth smiled and took her offered hand. "Yes, she is the loveliest Yendell I have ever seen. I am honored to meet you, Yessa. Yoda has been a magnificent student and will, I am sure, make a wonderful husband and father."
"Many memories of you, Yoda has shared with me. Admires you highly, he does. Would you excuse, please, walk in moonlight, promised he has." Yessa coed softly.
"I would never want to come between a young couple and the moonlight. I have something to do on board the ship." Moth said excusing himself and heading back to the ship, where he called Taryn on the Holo link. Taryn had evidently just awakened. "I am sorry, I should have checked the time on Verrell before I called, but I just had to hear your voice."
"Nonsense, you can call any time. I was just dreaming about you, we were walking in a meadow surrounded by white flowers and beautiful bugs that light up, a huge moon was shining down on us, it was beautiful." Taryn sighed. "I could feel my hand in yours."
Moth smiled at the description of the place in her dream and realized the bond between them was strong, he had wished she was there and could almost feel her. "I am going to work out some way of getting to Verrell soon." They didn't say much but just enjoyed the sounds or the other breathing and the sight of each other.
oOo
Moth was summoned to the Ceremony of Naming and sat legs folded near Yoda's family, when the time came Yav stood up and boldly announced. "Names of the sprouts…Moth and Myth." There was a gasp that seemed to spread around the planet and then silence.
Yamer broke the silence. "Well, about time, it is. Go back to soil, I can in peace. Lived long enough to hear name not start with Y. Brave man, Yav is, son of my root." Yamer proclaimed.
Moth looked almost as shocked as everyone else was. "I am honored to have Yoda's nephew and niece named after me. Thank you." Moth said graciously.
Yoda started the song of welcome traditionally sang to the sprouts and everyone else chimed in.
Yamer was dancing like a sprout.
"Going to regret this tomorrow, she will." Moth heard Yara say, shocked at the aged woman's joyful dancing.
(In the years to come many sprouts were given M names in honor of the strange looking 'off worlder' Moth, teacher of Yoda.)
Yoda and Yessa said a long tender goodbye. He gave her a figurine of himself he had carved in the same wood as the baby beds and she gave him a cameo of herself carved into a seashell mounted on a wooden frame. He promised to sneak a visit as often as possible. He held her face in his hand and touched their foreheads together tenderly.
Yara had the ship's storage filled to the brim with roots, bulbs and berries; her son wasn't going to go hungry for a long time. He hugged his parents and told them he was sorry he had left without saying goodbye before. He gently hugged Yamer feeling this was the last time he would see her. "Proud of you I am." She said. "Brought new name to Dagobah, you did."
As they left Dagobah Moth noticed he was strangely refreshed and invigorated. 'I wondered if it was the plants producing more than the usual amount of oxygen or the remarkable Force qualities of the planet.'
Shortly after leaving Dagobah to go pick up a Force sensitive child on Sluis van, the Council contacted them and Master Poof asked. "What happened to the two of you? There was a void in the Force as if you vanished then just now you reappeared. We thought you had been killed. What happened? Where have you been?"
Moth looked at Yoda and then told Master Poof. "We had to land on a planet to take care of a problem. There was an unusual Force disturbance there. We weren't aware we had disappeared and had startled anyone."
"When you get back register that area of space as an area to avoid. We wouldn't want anyone to get shipwrecked there and not be able to find them." Master Poof ordered.
Moth assured Poof he would. Broke the link then turned and smiled at Yoda. "How was that?"
"Solves many problems, that does." Yoda said smiling mischievously.
oOo
On arriving back at Coruscant with the latest pick-up, Moth saw Nyla's ship being prepared for departure and allowed Yoda to escort the young child to the Temple while he stopped by for a visit. Nyla and Juri were glad to see him. Juri had grown into a strong Jedi; she and Yoda had become good friends over the years. Fortunately, she hadn't discovered that Yoda had used Jedi mind tricks on her earlier or she would have spaced him, or at least tried. "Do we have time for me to go to the Temple with Yoda? It's been a long time since I got to spar with Yoda." Juri asked.
"Yes, Moth and I have some catching up to do." Nyla answered and after Juri had left she asked. "How is Taryn?"
"Good, I am going there when we leave here. I manage to sneak in a visit every so often. The Council tries to keep me too busy to get by but I am going to go anyway." Moth noticed a drawing of a small child on her wall and asked. "Is that your friend's baby, Delī was it?"
"Yes, he is so sweet, he calls me Moma 2. It is hard to believe that you could feel so close to some one from a far off part of the galaxy but it's as if we are connected or something." Nyla said smiling at the picture of the small child.
Moth looked down for a few minutes, them decided it was time. "Nyla, I have something to tell you. Are you familiar with the planet Pyotr?" Moth asked cautiously.
"I have heard of it but have never been assigned there. There was a governmental uprising quite a while back, a political party overthrew the monarchy and all the royal line was killed. Why?" Nyla asked puzzled.
"Not all the royal family was killed. The wife of the youngest prince was able to escape long enough for her to deliver a set of twins. They were spirited away by a trusted family friend and placed on separate planets, each not knowing who they were or where they were born. The second twin was delivered to the Council, she was raised and trained and is now a Jedi Knight. Even the Council does not know where the first twin was placed. Shortly after his assignment was finished the friend died, I suspect he was chosen because he had only a short time to live." Moth stopped and watched Nyla for a little while before continuing. "I suspected, I have no proof, but I think…"
"Delī is my twin!"
oOo
AN: There's two of them?
I usually post on Monday and Friday afternoons. I love comments positive or negative; positive are my favorite though. Thanks to my reviewers and lurkers.