Summary:
An accident reveals an old deception, and Darth Vader must make a decision that will change not only his life.
Chapter 27
Yoda
The flight to Dagobah was uneventful. After entering hyperspace, everybody assembled in the Falcon's main cabin. Han passed the time catching up with Chewie and Leia, the latter keeping an eye on Anakin who, in turn, spent time getting to know his son better. Both Luke and Anakin were a bit apprehensive of what Yoda would have to say, but avoided the subject of the old Jedi Master during the trip. To his own surprise, Anakin found that he missed both C-3PO and R2-D2. The droids had been sent ahead with Lando on the Tydirium since Luke insisted that Dagobah was no place for a droid. R2-D2 reluctantly agreed with his young Master. Although the little astrodroid was loath to leave his companions without his protection, he seemed rather glad that he did not have to go to this place again. This, and Luke's comment of course, served to pique everybody's curiosity about the Jedi Master's world. Luke, however, refused to answer any questions.
"You'll see", he commented. "Anyway, Dagobah will not be what you'll expect. Or Yoda", the young Jedi smiled.
"You certainly had expectations when you first went there, didn't you?" Anakin asked.
"Yes, and I was thoroughly disabused of them." Luke's gaze took on an unfocused quality as he remembered. "Ben told me Yoda was a great warrior."
Now it was Anakin's turn to smile. "Wars not make one great", he quoted and shook his head. "That's Yoda for you."
"A pacifist, hmm?" Han threw in.
"Certainly. But..." Anakin raised a finger in warning. "Don't let him fool you. He's a pacifist, but also a master tactician. In battle, he has no scruples whatsoever. He may not look it, but he could beat me in a lightsaber duel any day. Blindfolded and with one arm tied behind his back."
Han whistled. "That's high praise. But are you sure he's still that good? Even Jedi get older, or so I've been told."
"True", Anakin smiled. "Yoda was already old when I was a child. But I have no doubt he is still as vital as he was back then."
Han nodded. "So he's from a long lived species. Anything else you two want to surprise us poor Force blind with?"
"You'll see", was Luke's cryptic remark that ended the discussion for the time being. At that moment, the alarm sounded, signaling the Falcon's approach on the Dagobah system.
"Well", Han said, standing up, "you won't keep us in the dark much longer. Can hardly wait to meet your friend."
"I should come with you", Luke announced, getting up from his seat.
What? Don't you trust me to land this bucket anymore, kid?"
Luke grinned at his Correllian friend. "Remind me to tell you about my first landing here some time."
Han looked doubtful, but lead the way into the cockpit.
No sooner where both men seated when the ship dropped out of hyperspace.
"Starting landing cycle", Han announced, throwing the appropriate switches.
"Forget the automatic cycle", Luke told him. "You'll have to set her down manually."
Muttering something under his breath that sounded like "Now he tells me", Solo took command of the controls again, steering the Falcon through the upper layers of Dagobah's atmosphere. "Just tell me where to put her down alright."
The young Jedi gave him the coordinates, and Solo checked his readings and shook his head. "Kid, there's nothing there but mud and dirt. You want me to land in a swamp?"
"Just try and find a dry spot. I'd hate to have to haul the Falcon out of a bog."
"Right." Han looked straight at Luke. "So your Jedi Master lives in a mudhole."
A small smile played on Luke's lips. "Don't let him hear you say that. He's rather proud of his home."
Solo shrugged. "To each his own, I guess."
Together they landed the Millenium Falcon on a comparatively dry clearing not far from the bog where Luke had crash-landed his X-Wing on his first visit to the planet.
Warm, humid air carrying earthy smells wafted into the ship when Han lowered the ramp. Small animals could be heard scurrying in the undergrowth. A bird flew up from a nearby tree, screeching its protest against the intrusion.
The Corellian carefully stepped down onto the soft, springy ground. Luke was close behind him.
"Are you going to stand there all day, Solo?" Anakin called from the top of the ramp. The Jedi seemed eager to see the old master again. Or perhaps he just wanted to get it over with, much like a dreaded exam. Han made way for Luke and the others. Luke immediately took the lead, showing the way to the ancient Jedi Master's hut. The rest of the group trooped along after him, with Han and Jix bringing up the rear.
They did not have to go far; Yoda was already waiting for them. The small Jedi leaned on his gimer stick, a stern look on his wrinkled green face.
"Friends you have brought, more than expected." He looked up at Chewbacca. The tall Wookiee towered over everybody else. "Eat outside, we must. Not fit into my home, some of them will." Yoda nodded sagely.
"Master Yoda, I...", Luke began, but the Jedi Master cut him short:
"Add more water and roots to the soup, I must, or hungry you will stay."
That said, Yoda turned and entered the hut, leaving a slightly flustered Luke and his bemused family and friends.
"Hmmm. So that's Yoda", Han offered. "He likes to keep you off balance, doesn't he?"
Luke grinned, feeling more than a little sheepish. "He's a great teacher, though."
"That he is, and a powerful Jedi", Anakin chimed in.
"What are we going to do now?" Leia asked.
Anakin pulled up the hood of his cloak, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and settled into a comfortable stance. "We wait. Yoda will be back when he is ready to meet us."
"You've known him for a while, yes?" Jix asked the former Sith Lord.
Anakin nodded. "Yoda was on the Jedi council when I first came to Coruscant. He used to teach the younger initiates. Many masters sought his opinion, and his voice carried a lot of weight in the council." He looked directly at Luke, then at Han. "Yoda can see farther through the Force than anyone I have ever met, perhaps with the exception of Palpatine. Certainly farther than Obi-Wan could, or I.." He fell silent, contemplating once again the grievous mistake he had made in following the Emperor. How short-sighted had he been!
The others also settled down one by one to wait for Yoda's return, and with his thoughts returning to his past, Anakin missed the thoughtful look that crossed Han Solo's face.
-
Tomas Piett could not sit still anymore. Five days had passed since Veers and Jixton had left for Tattooine, already a day more than they had allowed for the search for Darth Vader. Still there was no communication whatsoever from the two men. While intellectually Piett knew that this was not necessarily a bad sign - any number of things could be the cause of this mission taking longer than expected - he could not help to grow more worried by the hour. Having a constantly chattering Gungan for a liaison officer with the Rebel High Command did not help things either. Frankly, Jar Jar Binks was getting on the Admiral's nerves. Already he had had to rescue the alien from his own clumsiness a number of times, and he had the sneaking suspicion that Binks' job was to drive him into a nervous breakdown. There was no way imaginable that an individual as inept as Binks appeared to be could rise to the rank of General in any army! No, Piett was convinced that there was more to Jar Jar Binks than met the eye.
Right now, the Gungan was at his elbow again, happily chattering away as usual. Piett had learned to tune Binks out during the past few days. Fortunately, Binks didn't seem to mind. Neither did he ever seem insulted when he was interrupted, which was fast becoming a rather common occurrence.
Piett abruptly stopped his pacing, causing the tall Gungan to bump into him, and turned to face Captain Durreen.
"Ready my shuttle, Captain, and advise Rebel High Command that I request a conference at their earliest convenience", he ordered.
"Yes, Admiral. About time, too, if I may say so", Durreen replied and signaled a petty officer to carry out Piett's order.
Before Piett could take Durreen to task for his cheek – it seemed that some of the Rebels' insubordinate behavior was rubbing off on the regular crew – Binks spoke up.
"Yousa goin' over to Home One, Admiral?"
"I am indeed, General", Piett answered tersely.
"Meesa understand." Binks shook his head so vigorously that his long, floppy ears were flying. "Yousa bein' worried for days. But dis not wise, Admiral, not wise, no."
Piett turned around stiffly and looked up into the alien's benign face.
"General Binks", he hissed with barely contained anger, "my CO, his nephew, and my closest friend are missing. I hardly expect you to understand that. In fact, I do not believe you capable of understanding how I feel. But I refuse to sit on my hands and do nothing when I have the means to mount a rescue team."
"Dis still not wise, Admiral. Many still not trustin' you. High command will never ever let you send out men for a search. General Madine be tinkin' dis a trick, and Milady will, too." Binks nodded to emphasize his point. "Yousa good man, Admiral, but they don't know yousa. Not really, no."
Again, Binks seemed not to have noticed the insult, or it didn't bother him at all. Piett was growing ever more irritated with the Gungan. He pulled himself together, determined not to show anymore of his anger in front of the crew than he already had.
"Be that as it may, General, but I'm still going. You will excuse me." With a curt nod towards the Gungan, Admiral Piett turned on his heel and stalked off the bridge.
A pot with strange smelling stew and a stack of plates and spoons levitated out of the small hut, followed by the small, wrinkled form of Yoda.
"Eat we will now. Good food. Come, come." Yoda gestured towards a fallen tree that could serve as a table. The eating utensils gracefully lowered themselves onto the log.
Chewie sniffed the air and growled something. Taking his cue from the Wookiee, Solo nodded and said:"Listen, we really don't want to impose on you." The stew smelled strange indeed, even more so than some of the things Lando used to cook. Han Solo knew better than to distrust his partner's judgement in all things culinary.
"Impose, you do not. Guests I rarely have", the Jedi Master cackled. Passing Anakin, who had not moved from his spot, he struck his gimer stick against the ex-Siths knee. "You, help with the plates you can", he instructed, somewhat gruffly.
Anakin smiled. "Yes, Master Yoda." At least Yoda seemed willing to accept him, too, at his table. Maybe they could even talk.
"Hmmmph."
"That is absolutely out of the question."
Mon Mothma held up her hand to silence Crix Madine; the General was outraged at Pietts announcement to send out a search and rescue team. Mothma shared his sentiment, but wished to phrase it somewhat more diplomatically.
"I am sorry, Admiral"' she began. "While I sympathise with your situation, I must stress that we are at a critical point in our preparations and cannot allow anyone to leave the fleet right now. We, too, have cause to worry about friends still missing from our force, but any search must wait until after the attack."
Piett shook his head. "I understand your situation, Madam. Believe me, I fully understand. But my decision stands. There are... other factors I need to take into consideration."
He did not need to tell Mon Mothma that the loyalty and morale of his crew, as well as his own, where among those factors. Executor had defected because Lord Vader had. And now Vader had not yet joined the Alliance. While Piett did not believe that his men would mutiny, he was concerned about their performance in the upcoming battle - their first against their former comrades. Tomas Piett was not in the habit of second-guessing himself, but he was starting to doubt his course of action.
An aide entered the conference room and urgently whispered something into Mon Mothma's ear. The elected president of the Alliance smiled.
"It seems that the question has become academic, Admiral. I was just notified that two ships have entered our sector. One has identified itself as the shuttle Tydirium, with Baron Lando Calrissian piloting. The other is a fast courier, and the pilot is General Veers. They will join us shortly to give a report."
Piett visibly relaxed at this news.
- Jixton pushed his plate away and took out a thin cigar. The stew had turned out not to be as bad as it smelled, once you got used not to look at what you ate. Lighting the cigar, Jixton glanced around the assembled beings, assessing their emotional state. Vader was tense, but tried to appear relaxed. His son mirrored him. Both kept their attention on the small, green Jedi Master. This Yoda apparently was someone of great importance to both of them. Even Vader behaved like he needed Yoda's approval. Solo, on the other hand, was watching Vader and Luke. The Correllian had eaten very little, and mostly did the same thing Jixton was doing, people watching, only less subtle. Princess Organa had slipped into the role of diplomat once more, although she knew little of the relationships between the three key persons at this strange dinner. Only Chewbacca and Yoda seemed to truly enjoy the meal. Either the Wookiee was a much better actor than Jixton gave him credit for, or Yoda's cooking had turned out to be better than Chewie expected. Yoda... Yoda was an enigma. With all his experience, Jixton could not make out what made the Jedi tick. He was calm and serene one moment, mercurial the next.
"Jixton, do you mind?"
Vader's voice cut into the agent's thoughts. The former Sith Lord was staring at Jixton's cigar, disapproval written over his features.
Jixton grinned. He refused to let Vader's irritation bother him. "Relax, Uncle Dee. We're outside, we just had an excellent meal, so quit harassing me about my smoking, will you?"
Vader frowned. But before he could say anything, Yoda cut in.
"Your uncle is he?"
"Adopted uncle." Jixton replied. "I adopted him when he gave me a job. I always liked to work in a family business."
Luke hid his grin behind his hand. He had grown to enjoy the bantering between Jixton and his father.
"Hmmmph", Yoda made. "A better choice you could have made. This one, much anger is in him."
"Master Yoda...", Anakin began, shaking his head. "I know I have made terrible mistakes. I wish to join the Alliance, Master, and help defeat Palpatine."
"Followed the dark path, you have, for a long time. No way back, there is. Forever the dark side will dominate you."
"I'm not so sure about that", Han injected. Leia regarded him with wide eyes. The smuggler seemed to have developed quite the protective streak towards Vader. Now he was even defending the Sith!
"Know so much about the Force, you do? Jedi Master you are, eh?" Yoda questioned. "For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. This one, not be trained he should have."
Han shook his head. "I may be no Jedi, but I do know that people change. And let me tell you something: I think you're a stuck up little guy who's still not over the fact that the council overruled him. Wise Jedi, eh? Let me tell you something about wise. You rejected Anakin because he was scared. Kids get scared when they leave home for the first time."
Yoda nodded. "That is why young the initiates must be. Too old Anakin was. Formed his mind already was, open for fear. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering. The path to the Dark Side it is."
"And that was reason enough for you to reject him. Fine. You tell a nine year old kid who's left his home planet on promises to get a decent home and a future with the people he admires that he's not good enough for your elitist little band. You would have turned him out on the street. Well, Yoda, if fear is the path to the Dark Side, then you did great job of paving the way for Anakin."
Having said his piece, Han settled back and watched the old Jedi's reaction. To his surprise, it was not Yoda who protested, but Anakin.
"But I was accepted, Solo. My turn to the Dark Side is not Master Yoda's fault."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. They put you with a completely inexperienced teacher, after you won a war for them. And then they burdened you with all this chosen one nonsense you told me about. The truly ideal start for a Jedi apprentice." Han's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"It was still my own choice, Solo. Not Yoda's, or Obi-Wan's", Anakin replied quietly. "I chose to follow Palpatine. I blame no-one but myself for that."
Yoda regarded both men with narrowed eyes. "Jedi your friend is not, but wisdom he possesses. Mistakes we made, too. Expect too much, we did. Listen, we did not. Help when you needed it, we did not."
Anakin cast his eyes down. "It's not like I asked for help. Not in the right place, anyway. I felt like Obi-Wan was holding me back, when all he wanted was for me to develop the control I needed to keep my powers in check. So I turned to Palpatine. I felt he understood me better. He praised my potential, when Obi-Wan criticized me. He gave me what I craved, and I walked willingly into his trap."
To be continued...