Chapter 6

Dorran Kaine

"I must admit, Yoda, I'm rather surprised you've agreed to talk with me."

"Curious, I was, as to what you wanted."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it was nothing in particular. I just thought it would be wonderful to spend some time with you. It's not every day you get to partake of the wisdom of a Jedi Master as venerable as yourself."

"Time, a great teacher is."

"With time and knowledge, true wisdom can be found."

Yoda walked with smooth strides beside the tall elegance of Dorran Kaine. The politician moved with a quiet grace that brought an unexpected smile to Yoda's face. With each step, the pair traveled farther down the dirt pathway leading to the pond which was lit by the warm orange glow of Prime Sun's setting light. Yoda regarded Kaine with an upturned gaze from the corner of his left eye, admiring the man's quiet demeanor. Nothing was unkempt. The dark brown armorweave cloak was the finest in the galaxy. Tall black boots glinted under the sun's gaze. Yoda turned his gaze forward and shook his head quietly.

"I understand you ran into some trouble here recently." Kaine's baritone was a musical accompaniment to the mellifluous chirping of the nocturnal insects, slowly rising from their daylong slumber.

"Hardly trouble, he was," Yoda chuckled. "Deepened my mystery, he did, but trouble, he was not."

"Now that's surprising."

"That no trouble he was?"

"No, not at all. I have always known that there are none who can hope to stand up to you, Master Yoda." Kaine looked down at the Jedi Master with an admiring smile. "No…what's surprising is the sound of your laugh. You seemed so troubled when last we met. And I understand from Gandol that you haven't quite been yourself these last few days."

Yoda stopped and watched the politician continue for several steps before he too, came to a halt. Yoda brought his hand to his chin as he formed a contemplative frown on his face. "Hmm…Indeed. Smiled, I have not, in some time. Interesting it is, that make me smile, you can."

Kaine smiled with a bowed head. "I could certainly not hope to take credit for your pleasure, Master Jedi. But if I have played any role in bringing even a small smile to your face, then I am honored."

Yoda tore his gaze from the dark-skinned Korun diplomat and stared out at Migruna III's distant mountains, framed by the orange and purple sky. His breath caught at the sight of Migruna III at sundown. Wisps of clouds painted with the dark hues of dusk were scattered across the sky. Yoda closed his eyes, smiling. "A good idea, this walk was," he whispered.

They continued their walk down the darkening path.

"What have you done with your victim?"

Yoda cast a sidelong upward glance at Kaine but didn't halt. "My victim, hmm? An interesting choice of words, you make."

"Oh I meant no offense, Master Yoda!" Kaine's face whitened and he appeared to struggle to find his next words.

"Apologize, you need not."

"Did you kill him, Master Yoda?"

Yoda froze and faced the diplomat. Tilting his head skyward, eyes closed, the Jedi Master breathed deeply, clenching his fists. Kaine stopped and regarded Yoda with a pained expression on his face. Yoda lowered his head slowly and opened his eyes, with a fierce expression fixed on his companion. "Insulting, your question is."

"Again, I am sorry, Master Yoda. Surely, you know that I wouldn't presume to judge you even if I could. It seems to me, from what I've heard, that you would have been supremely justified had you done the deed."

"Kill him, I did not." Yoda forced his voice through tightened lips.

"It was an unseemly question, and I apologize."

Yoda nodded. With a deep breath, he unclenched his fist and forced a weak smile. "Accepted, your apology is. Some leeway, I should give, to Migruna III's chief investor." The smile grew more genuine.

The Korun looked at Yoda warily before composing a large smile of his own. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

Yoda nodded and resumed his walk. Kaine hung behind and stared at the sky before rejoining Yoda. They walked together as the sounds of nocturnal creatures rose from the woods. Rustling rodents and whistling bats started their nightly ballet of predator and prey.

Arriving at the edge of the pond, Yoda moved ahead and bent low to pick up a smooth pebble from the bank. He watched as Kaine joined him in reverent silence. Yoda smiled, arching a brow as he turned his attention to the smooth pond that reflected the emerging stars above.

"Impressed, I am." The Jedi Master's voice was scarcely above a whisper. "Respect, you do, quiet moments."

Kaine nodded.

Yoda threw the pebble across the pond with a flick of his wrist. The stone skipped repeatedly, creating ripples that spread with each passing moment. Yoda eyed the stone's path as its progress slowed.

A touch of the Force, and it danced across to the other embankment. Yoda smiled as the first of the generated waves lapped the shore. With a firm face, he nodded and turned slowly to gaze up a Kaine with expectant eyes. Kaine looked puzzled as his eyes flicked from Yoda to the pond and back. Yoda glanced at the water and tilted his head toward the pond, smiling softly. Yoda's eyes widened as Kaine looked back at the once-still water and seemed to finally take notice of the ripples flowing from one end of the pond to the next. Edges of circles crashed into other circles as wave fronts collapsed and strengthened in seemingly random patterns. Kaine's face relaxed and he nodded.

"Amazing how much chaos one little stone can bring," Kaine smiled.

"Or beauty," Yoda replied as he walked to a large boulder and climbed atop it. He sat and pulled a knee up under his chin.

"You know, if you had killed that creature, there would be no consequence."

"Oh…?" Yoda raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the Jedi are special under the law, aren't they? The Jedi can execute with impunity. The law has allowed this since that conflict the Jedi had with that group of darksiders, has it not?"

"More than mere 'conflict', the Sith War was. On the brink of extinction, the Jedi Order was. Gave us tools to fight and win, that law did."

"Of course, of course! I was merely pointing out that even today, if a Jedi were to abuse his position, he could legally kill just about anyone he wanted to with no repercussions."

"Of the dark side, such actions would be. Discover him, we would, and stop him."

"But how would you know? With all the far-flung worlds you Jedi visit, how could you possibly sense the actions of one or two Jedi who have gone astray?"

"Sense the dark side, we can."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Kaine placed his hands behind his back and pursed his lips in a contemplative frown. "If this hypothetical wayward Jedi were to hide himself from you, what would you do then?"

Yoda looked out at the water, his eyes suddenly stinging. "The cadrinium, for what use it, do you?" Closing his eyes, Yoda pulled the Force into him and drove energy throughout his body. The tired pain slid away, and he opened his eyes to smile at Kaine.

Kaine watched Yoda intently, then slid slowly away from the bank. "Aside from the very expensive jewelry that I use it to make? Well, it actually has some rather interesting energy focusing properties, not unlike the crystals you use in your lightsabers. I'm working on a project or two to harness that quality and hopefully make me very, very rich."

"Interesting. A large project, this must be, if so much cadrinium you require."

"Oh…it's a long-term project, you understand. I doubt I'll perfect it in my lifetime. But, who knows? Maybe in a century or two, my family can reap the benefits. For now, I'll be happy to have a working prototype."

"What deadlines then, spoke of you did with Gandol?"

"Ahhh…you overheard that did you? You don't miss much. Well, I'm afraid, Master Yoda that's somewhat classified." He smiled wryly, looking out at the water as the ripples finally died and the pond became perfectly still. "Looks like your disruption finally went away."

"Hmm…?" Yoda looked out at the water and sighed. "Yes. Return to normal, all things do."

"You never answered my question, Master Yoda. What did you do with the creature?"

"Oh?" With a distracted air, Yoda regarded the Korun. "Took him to Coruscant, Master Arlo did. Investigate his death further, the Jedi Healers will."

"Perhaps that will shed some light on what happened to him."

"Hope so, I do." Yoda stood on the rock and stared up at the plethora of stars peppering the dark sky. "It's late," he whispered and jumped down unto the ground. "Return home, we shall. Get some sleep, I will. Doctor's orders, they are."

Yoda walked back toward the path and Kaine joined him. "Do you know what you would need to do if you wanted to make an everlasting impression on that pond, Yoda?"

"Hmmm…?"

"Use a much larger rock!"

The pair laughed quietly and continued on the path together.Chapter 6 continued


Fire.

Screams.

Agony roared above the din as migru children burned…

Flames erupted in every corner of Prime Village. Bending trees fell, delivering their fruit to the charred ground for the last time. Migru women cried out desperately for their lost children as the inferno engulfed their cowering frames…

The emerald beam of particle energy stopped…

Migruna III continued to burn…

Yoda! Help us!

Yoda! Where are you?

Yoda…

"Yoda!"

His eyes flew open as he jolted up in his cot. His sweat-drenched hair clung to his skin as his wide-eyed stare darted about the room. The drumbeat in his chest ached. Yoda lifted a hand to his brow to smooth his hair when he noticed the uncontrollable quivering of his hand. Transfixed, he stared at the random vibrations. The urge to accept his state grew overwhelming.

"No!" His voice echoed in the large room, but Yoda barely heard it.

Closing his eyes, he envisioned his hand in the Force. Once shrouded in the balmy blue of the light side of the Force, he reeled inwardly at the red flames he saw covering his skin, obscuring everything. Drawing his brow tight in concentration, the Jedi Master whispered to the air, and the light side of the Force rushed into him like a mineral spring. Power swirled and floated about him. Smiling, Yoda swam in the calming energies as they washed away the terror that threatened to sweep him away. Yoda opened his eyes.

His hand was still.

Nodding, he brought the hand to his brow, smoothed his matted hair, and sighed. He looked to his left and noticed Rizza's face, etched with concern, her mouth agape. Forcing a smile, Yoda extended his hand to her and she joined him on the bed. She sat beside him, her steady breathing a center of calm. Yoda looked out through the open doorway and relished the sight of the morning suns bathing Prime Village's trees. Closing his eyes, he smiled at the sound of the whistles and chirps of the birds leaving their nests.

"Another dream?"

Yoda kept his eyes closed as his smile evaporated. His throat felt parched and cracked. Painfully, he swallowed before speaking with a raspy voice. "Yes. More insistent, they become."

"Considered, have you, that protect Migruna, you cannot?"

Yoda winced. He opened his eyes, squinting against the light. Twisting around slowly on the cot, Yoda pulled his legs under him and struggled to his feet. Setting his jaw, he drew his hands behind his back and walked to the doorway, his eyes fixed on the cloudless sky. He looked at the wooden archway, seamlessly enmeshed with the tree it was built into, focusing on the tiny imperfections that ran throughout. Reaching out, he placed his hand tentatively on the tree and brushed his palm against a gnarled knot in the wood.

"Ancient, I feel. For centuries, a Jedi I have been. Known, I have not, why chosen for me, this path was." His hand lingered on the circle of dark wood, surrounded by the healthy tree as he hung his head. His voice grew muffled behind his arm. "Understand now, I do, why forbid attachments, the Jedi do."

He listened distantly to Rizza's footsteps against the wood floor. Warm currents flowed through him as he felt her hand rest gently on his shoulder. With great effort, he raised his head and looked into her eyes. She looked up at where his hand was rooted to the knot of wood. With a smile, she placed hers on his. Yoda marveled at how seamlessly her brown skin melted into the color of the tree.

"Pain, attachments bring," she whispered into his ear. "Let go of them, we must, if hope to find peace we do."

Yoda nodded and hung his head again.

"Have each other, we do Yoda. Nothing more, do we need."


"Fine we will be, Yoda! Go!" His friend's face was joyous as he spoke. Yoda smiled. "And with you, my daughter take!"

Yoda chuckled and grasped Gandol on both shoulders. "A great friend, you are. In one week, return I will."

"I'm sorry, Master Yoda, but we really must get going." Dorran Kaine's face seemed full of concern as he glanced at Yoda and then at Rizza. "I appreciate you agreeing to come with me, but I cannot stay any longer."

Yoda hung his head, smiling as he glanced up at Gandol and he released his hold on his friend's shoulders. "Impatient, the young are, hmmm…?"

"Train him well, you must," Gandol laughed.

"Miss you, I will, father," Rizza announced as she pecked Gandol gently on the cheek. A soft tear rolled down her cheek.

"Think, you would, that return you will not!" Gandol laughed boisterously as he grabbed Rizza around the waist and hugged her tightly. "Go. This shipment, protect and help Migruna, you will."

"Yes, father."

"See you on the ship, I will." Yoda smiled. "Ahead of me, go. Mr. Kaine, help."

"Yes, Yoda." Yoda raised a brow with a crooked smile. Rizza appeared embarrassed. "Master Yoda." Yoda and Gandol chuckled loudly as Rizza and Kaine turned and walked up the ramp into the cargo vessel.

"Requested protection before, he never has," Gandol whispered to Yoda as they watched Rizza and Kaine disappear into the ship. He turned to Yoda, his wrinkled face contorted with concern. "Careful, you must be, Yoda. Sense, I do, that troubled you are."

Yoda looked at his friend and swallowed hard against the constriction in his throat. His eyes stung with forming tears. He looked away and back up at the ship, his gaze running along the disjointed contours of the metal coffin that would keep him safe in the cold darkness of space. There would be no beauty, save Rizza, on this trip. But he would remain alive, no less. Frowning, he turned back to Gandol.

"Leave here, you must."

"What?" Gandol's eyes widened. "About your dream, this is?"

"Yes. Unknown to me, this danger is. Unclear of its source, I am. But sense, I do, that protect you, I cannot."

Gandol nodded and placed his hands on Yoda's shoulders. "Understand your concern, I do. But leave, I will not. Shhh! Heard you, I did. Speak no more of this, we will! To the will of the Force, my fate, I leave. Do so as well, you should."

Yoda frowned. "Believe in the Force, you do not."

Gandol smiled. "True. But have to believe in it, I do not, to accept that it exists. More importantly, believe in it, you do. Trust your own teachings, you should, Yoda." Gandol's face suddenly grew tight. "Or lost, you will become."

"Thank you, my friend."

"Go! Train my daughter! Respect for her elders, she must learn!"

Yoda laughed quietly as he turned to the ship. "Return to you, I will."

"Of course, Yoda! Expect less, I do not."

Yoda walked briskly up the ramp, his eyes taking in the dark interior of the ship. He paused briefly at the top and glanced back at the vista of Migruna III. He placed his hand on the cold metal surface of the ship's arch and recoiled immediately. Shaken slightly, he breathed in the morning air of his home planet. Closing his eyes, he smiled as a gentle wind blew across his face, rustling his perfectly coifed hair. As the wind died slowly away, Yoda leaned his face forward, trying to maintain contact with the fading touch of Migruna III. Finally he opened his eyes and noticed that Gandol had already left.

He stood on the metal floor, alone.

"Are you coming, Master Yoda?"

The melodious baritone brought a different smile to Yoda's face. He glanced briefly at the distant mountains and sighed.

"Yes, Mr. Kaine. Join you, I shall."

"I never had a doubt."


Exhaustion.

Yoda's glazed eyes lost focus on the bowl of pungent bending-tree stew that steamed on the metal table. He watched distantly as his numb fingers, seemingly of their own volition, contorted around the chrome spoon and dipped it into the putrid broth. With growing fascination, Yoda noted the spoon rise out of the soup, full of the green-brown liquid and clumps of softened wood. As the spoon approached his unresponsive mouth, Yoda marveled as it paused briefly as his lips, then teeth, and finally his jaws opened to accommodate the nourishment. As his mouth closed around the spoon and the stew stirred inside his mouth, Yoda frowned at the realization that he couldn't taste it at all. The entire process was for naught. Closing his eyes, Yoda noted sourly that the spoon had recommenced the journey to the bowl.

Seized by sudden fury, Yoda tightened his fingers around the spoon, gripping the handle in a tight fist.

Yoda howled and hurled the spoon against the far wall. Turning his enraged glare to the steaming bowl, Yoda envisioned the bowl joining the spoon in violent fashion and rasped as he opened himself to the Force to make his focus a reality.

Nothing.

Yoda drew his brows together and stared at the bowl more intently, focusing his considerable powers on the tiny container of stew. Infuriatingly, it continued to steam as causally as before. As blood pounded against his ears, Yoda thought back to the time he had halted a ship's uncontrolled descent with the Force. It had only required his focus and it was done. He had been calm then.

Forcing his brow to relax, Yoda breathed deeply as he opened himself again to the Force. Like a cold hand reaching into his back and grabbing hold of his spine, realization dawned.

Gone, it is! his mind screamed. Feel the Force, I cannot!

Looking up from the bowl in panic, Yoda's wide-eyed stare darted erratically about the converted cargo hold as if searching frantically for the lost connection. An eternity of loss. Yoda's eyes finally locked on Rizza's concerned gaze from across the table. He could see her lips moving as if she were trying to communicate with him, but he could hear nothing. He glanced to his right and saw the equally concerned face of Dorran Kaine, who was also speaking wordlessly but urgently to him. Kaine's sudden strong grip on his arm brought the world into sudden, deafening clarity.

"Yoda! What is it?"

"Your face, pale it is! Frightened you look!"

Dropping his head, Yoda closed his eyes as he dragged his unwilling hands together, clasping them upon the table. Concentrating with all the skill he knew, the Jedi Master reached out for the Force. Like a static-filled holotransmission, Yoda felt stuttering twinges—connections that faded as quickly as they formed. Slowly he opened his eyes and found that his face was wet with tears. He brought a trembling hand to his face to wipe his eyes. Suddenly conscious of the concerned stares and startled questions coming from his companions, Yoda redirected his hand to the bridge of his nose and gently massaged the corners on his eyes.

"Fine, I am." Yoda was acutely aware that his voice was gravelly and tight. Confident he had wiped away any sign of his torment, he lowered his hand and looked Rizza in the eyes. Concentrating on making his voice smooth, Yoda swallowed hard, but it brought his dry throat no comfort. He pursed his lips tightly before continuing. "Tired, I must be. Rest I need. Yes…rest."

Rizza walked to his side and placed an arm around his shoulder. Yoda looked up at her and wondered at the adoration he saw in her face. Slowly, she placed her hand around his head and pulled him to her breast. Yoda felt his body relax into her warm embrace, and the tension he felt slipped away. As his muscles loosened, Rizza's hold on him tightened, until he felt completely wrapped and bound in her love.

"Rest with me, you can."

"It would seem that the meal is complete." The strong baritone echoed in the brightly lit dining area. Yoda opened his eyes and sat up. He started to respond, but Kaine raised a hand with smile. "No need to apologize, Master Jedi. I am quite sure you are under pressures I cannot fathom. We have two more days of hyperspace travel ahead of us. Why don't you and your padawan retire for the night? I will be happy to wake you both whenever you like."

"More than just a padawan, I am!" Rizza's sudden outburst caused both men to look at her askance. Her face was tight, and Yoda could see her straining to control her irritation.

"Of course, of course, Rizza!" Dorran Kaine stood regally and bowed low enough that his head almost touched the elegant chrome-plated table. "I assure you, I meant no offense. You are clearly Master Yoda's companion and friend. I should have been more careful with my choice of words."

Rizza's shoulders instantly relaxed, and she seemed to force a smile to her lips.

With an uncomfortable cough, Yoda forced a smile, frustrated with the effort it took. "More than gracious, you are, Mister Kaine. Rest, we will."

"Please, Master Yoda. I would be honored if you would call me Dorran." His smile was infectious, and Yoda couldn't help but smile in return.

"Very well, Dorran."

Struggling to his feet, Yoda placed his hands on the table and paused to observe his gnarled fingers. He frowned. For the first time in a century, Yoda noticed the dark splotches on the back of his hands. He had been dismayed the first time he saw the growing signs of age. For a week he had run around in a stupor, distracted by the idea that he was growing old. It was a youngling who had reminded him that with the Force as an ally, age only brought wisdom, not weakness.

For years he had ignored the protestations of his body. There was nothing that he couldn't do. He was the most powerful Jedi alive, and with the Force as his constant companion, there were no limits on what he could achieve. When his body objected, he simply poured more power into it. When something seemed impossible, he merely focused harder. As the memory of the youngling's words floated to the surface of his mind, he smiled weakly.

With the Force as an ally… His smile faded as the words echoed in his mind. He refocused his gaze on his putrid-green crackled skin, covered with unsightly blemishes and riddled with veins. What am I, if no connection to the Force, I have?

"Come old man, rest you need. To bed we should go."


"Master Yoda, I see you're up. Wonderful! Care to join me?"

Yoda looked out the transparisteel viewport, taking in the sight of roiling blue clouds of energy that so resembled the familiar blue aura surrounding many Force-users when observed in the Force. Not for the first time, Yoda gazed awestruck by the majesty of the blue and white energy and wondered if there was a connection.

Yoda sighed and opened himself to the Force. As had been the case in the cabin he and Rizza slept in, Yoda could feel the Force again, but it was muted. Where he had been able to enjoy the symphonic harmony of the galaxy in the Force, now the Jedi Master could only hear distant echoes, as if standing outside the music hall. Breathing deeply, he reminded himself that it had to be psychosomatic. Whatever this problem was, he reasoned, it didn't seem to be bothering Rizza. And it also seemed to be concentrated in the dining area. Yoda resolved to avoid returning there, if possible.

Clenching his fists, Yoda stepped into the cabin as he glanced around the pilot station. Like most cargo vessels, the room was designed with function rather than form in mind. Although it was small and cramped by human standards, Yoda found the space almost cozy. Glancing up at Kaine, Yoda forced a reassuring smile, then navigated his way into the copilot chair. He grinned in spite of himself as he heard the gentle chuckle from Kaine as Yoda struggled to mount the smooth seat cushions. Finally seated, Yoda smiled unabashedly.

"Like climbing a mountain, getting in these chairs can be!"

Kaine laughed. "I supposed I never considered that." Yoda noticed Kaine's smile fade, and a look of concern spread across the diplomat's face. "How are you feeling, Yoda? Did the rest help?"

Yoda placed a contemplative finger on his lips as he gripped his chin, thinking. "Feel better, I do, if your question that is. Help, the rest did. But return to normal, I have not."

"I see. Is there anything I can do?"

Yoda smiled. "Tell me, you can, why protection for this shipment you need."

Kaine watched Yoda intently for several moments as if considering whether to try and continue the conversation that Yoda had clearly tried to stop. Finally, Kaine looked out the viewport with a smile. "Well, I'm afraid it isn't terribly interesting at all, Master Yoda. My prototype is complete, and I am at the testing phase. This last shipment of cadrinium is intended to meet the design requirements for a possible larger model should we prove successful."

"I see."

"Ordinarily, I would not require protection, of course, because the storage location for the cadrinium is quite well fortified and hidden. However, we will be visiting the prototype at Geonosis first, and that area is known to be ripe with bounty hunters and pirates. The Geonosians have come to despise the bounty hunters in particular, given their adverse impact on Geonosian trade."

"Geonosians, great builders they are, if serves me well, my memory does."

"Oh yes, indeed! I have to admit that while the basic design is mine, they are the true architects of my prototype. I hope to work with them again in the future. They are the perfect amalgam of intellectual fortitude and respectful discretion."

"A wise businessman, you appear to be. Careful, one should always be, with whom he associates."

"So true. I find that my aptitude for politics is deeply rooted in my ability to associate with just the right people."

"Wonder, I do, why join the Senate, you have not."

"Well…until recently, I thought that was not an avenue available to me." He cast a sidelong glance at Yoda. Seeming to consider his next words carefully, he continued. "I felt that circumstances were not conducive to me being able to rise to a position of authority."

Yoda regarded Kaine with a smile. "Feel, I do, that if joined the Senate you did, Chancellor you would become in less than a decade."

"Well, a decade might not seem like a long time to you, Master Yoda, but when you have far more years behind you than you have ahead of you like myself…well…a decade is a lifetime." Yoda nodded. "But I can always hope that someone in my family might one day take that position."

"The luxury of hope in children, I will never have." Yoda pulled his feet up on the chair and rested his chin on his knees. His gaze grew distant as his eyes again searched the clouds of hyperspace. "Much like children, though, my padawans are."

"I suppose that would be true. I am sure you rejoice in their accomplishments like any other parent. Of course, for you, it must be very difficult."

"Hmm?" Yoda turned his face to Kaine with curiosity. "Difficult? Very successful all my padawans have been. Quite proud of them, I am."

"No, you misunderstand me, Master Yoda. Of course your padawans have been successful. I would argue that you are being quite modest, even. From what I understand, your padawans rank among the very greatest of all the Jedi. Apparently accounts of their escapades litter the Jedi Archives! That is a remarkable achievement in and of itself. But for you to be able to accomplish this with your penchant for selecting, shall we say, the less talented of students, is even more impressive." Yoda smiled at the complement. "No, Master Yoda, I meant that it must be hard to outlive all of your students. Is that why you haven't taken a student in over fifty years? Well, before Rizza that is, of course."

"My own, my reasons are." Yoda returned his gaze to the viewport. Kaine continued to stare at Yoda. Yoda glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "Admit, I will, that easier, it was, to select Rizza as a padawan. Let go of attachments, the Jedi Code requires. Difficult this is, when lose attachments as often as I, you do."

"Almost seems to me that the only safe thing is to never be attached to anything."

"Safe, yes." Yoda turned in his seat so his whole body faced Kaine. "But attachments themselves, not bad things they are. Make life worth living, attachments do. Love; friendship; nationalism; all attachments, these are. Like the freedoms we protect, in them, great power there is."

"But those very freedoms are dangerous, are they not? One could use the freedom of speech for example, to create hatred and abuse. One could use the freedoms of expression to mock the very ideals we all hold so dear. Our government is powerless to stop this sort of thing."

"In freedom of choice, true power lies, Dorran. Always, there will be, those who would seek to abuse power. Keep freedom for everyone, harder to abuse, that power is. Keep freedom in the hands of only a few, and abuse it, they will. Above all, it is freedom, we Jedi respect. Order our members to avoid attachments, we can not. Teach instead, we must, the ability to let go of attachments. Teach the masses, you politicians must, to respect the freedoms they have. Our shared responsibility it is, to teach."

"I must admit, I never considered it from that point of view."

Yoda nodded and turned his attention back to the viewport. He felt Kaine's continued stare and followed his gaze to the lightsabers on his belt.

"You kept your opponent's weapon?" Kaine's eyes widened. "A trophy?"

Yoda stood and hopped off the chair. "No. A trophy, this is not. Return to check on Rizza, I will. When arrive at our destination, your report I would like." Before Kaine could respond, Yoda walked out of the cockpit area.


"Master Yoda. Rizza. We will be coming out of hyperspace very shortly, I thought you might like to be here to see my creation appear."

Moments later, Yoda and Rizza stood in the cockpit, looking out of the viewport expectantly. Yoda smiled as Rizza took his hand and squeezed gently. Despite his muted connection to the Force, Yoda acutely felt his connection with Rizza. It was weak, as all his connections in the Force were recently, but he felt it more strongly than any other.

"Coming out of hyperspace in five seconds." Kaine was grinning in obvious anticipation.

With familiar suddenness, the clouds of energy faded, only to be replaced by streaking bands white. Then, just as abruptly, the bands of light resolved into tiny pinpricks of light. But Yoda's eyes were immediately drawn to the spectacle that filled the viewport.

Hanging in space was a behemoth spheroid ship with a large parabolic antenna built into its side. The ship was nearly five times the size of the largest cargo ships Yoda had seen. Unlike most ships of that size, Yoda noticed dourly that it had no gleaming surfaces. There were no windows, and the lights seemed as muted at his connection to the Force. As their ship grew closer to the monstrosity in space, Yoda felt a growing sense of dread fill him. The silence in the cabin deepened to a palpable hush.

Yoda's voice was cracked as he whispered as much to himself as anything. "Your creation, this is?"

"Yes…." Dorran Kaine smiled proudly, as he leaned forward with admiration in his eyes. "Magnificent, isn't she?"