The quiet rustlings of a multitude of tiny beings filled the moist air. Life continued on in its infinite variety on the small, swampy planet. Here death only led to regeneration as the molds and fungi quickly turned fallen matter into soil, nuturing new life from the old. It was here that the last remnants of an old religion held fast until it, too, could grow anew.
In a clearing beneath the canopy of gargantuan trees a small mud hut sat as if it had been rooted there from the beginnings of time. A warm yellow light glowed from under the door and out of a single open window. Outside of this homely domocile, a diminuative, green being sat upon a rotting log, his eyes closed in meditation, a faint smile upon his face.
A blue glowing visage appeared next to him, slowly growing from a faint glimmer until it coalesced into the form of an aged man. The figure wore comfortable, if shabby, robes that echoed the dress of the being in repose next to him.
"Master Yoda?" the ghost greeted the humble creature.
Yoda opened his eyes and smiled at the spectre. "Yes, I am here. Waiting for you a long time, I have been."
The figure shrugged his faint shoulders. "The transition took a little longer than I thought, Master. Time passes differently when one is within the Force."
"Heh. Aged you, it did, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Look as good as I, you do not." Yoda chuckled.
Obi-Wan smiled, "No, Master. I do not, though it was all that blasted sun that did this, not the Force."
Yoda shifted his position and his face became more serious. "Qui-Gon's training has served you well."
"Yes, Master. Though I can no longer find him within the Force to speak with him, thank him." Obi-Wan's tone was tinged with melancholy. "It seems his mission is complete and he is truly gone."
"Hrm. Sad news, that is, although happy for Master Qui-Gon, I am." the aged Master nodded his head.
A silence fell between them for a moment, each remembering the long-gone Jedi that taught them of the Wills and the path to immortality, be it immortality only from a certain point of view as Obi-Wan's presence proved.
"Come to me now, you have. Why is this, Obi-Wan?"
The glowing form of the Jedi Master shifted uncomfortably, "I felt you should know what our efforts have wrought. Luke is growing stronger in the Force. He continues to train, even without my aid."
Yoda nodded his head, his brow furrowing deeply. "Yes. Watch him often, I do. Headstrong, like his father. Concerned for the future of this boy, I am."
"He works hard, Master. I gave him little in the way of tools to work with, yet he progresses quickly." Obi-Wan smiled, thoughts of Luke's steady progress flashing through his mind.
"Go to him. Send him to me, you must. Much yet to learn, he has, before he faces his father." Yoda's voice betrayed his anxiousness to contribute to galactic goings on once again.
Obi-Wan made a calming motion with his transparent hand. "Yes, when the time is right, I will appear to him, but we must not rush things."
The comment only furthered the aged Master's agitation. "Time? Too much time, already, has been wasted. The boy should come now, continue his training under more experienced eyes."
The flash of a hurt look passed over Obi-Wan's face at the jab, but he quickly brushed the old wounds of his failures aside and continued. "He needs to understand the world a little better first, Master. He grew up on a farm on Tatooine under the guiding hand of his family. There is much niavete in him."
"Hrmph. Makes him vulnerable to the Dark side, that does. Perhaps mistaken we were in sending you both to the desert planet." Yoda settled further into his seat and poked at the log with his gimmer stick.
"Master?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzled by the comment.
Yoda reached out as if to putting a comforting hand on his visitor's arm, but pulled it back when he remembered there was nothing solid to touch. "If another Jedi had survived, send the boy with them, I would have. You have had enough suffering for such a short life."
"What's done is done, Master." Obi-Wan sighed, as a graceful smile passed over his lips. "We cannot change the past and we do not yet know that we made a mistake. Luke was raised in a strict but loving household. He will react to the world in a different way than a youngling who was Temple raised."
"Hrmph. Enjoy that thought, I do not. The tradition of the Jedi, he will not be able to uphold." Yoda's voice quickly turned stern once more as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Perhaps the galaxy is ready for a new kind of Jedi." Obi-Wan offered gently, expecting the coming rebuke.
"Oh. A new kind of Jedi? Attached, you have become to this boy." Yoda pointed a finger at the ghostly Jedi beside him. "Child of your Padawan he is and you feel responsible for him. Hmm?"
Obi-Wan reflected for a moment before meeting the old Master's eyes with new strength. "Yes, Master, I have become attached to him. How could I not? He is so like Anakin in his energy. He shines so brightly within the Force that it could blind you. And he is a good young man with a strong heart."
Yoda looked hurt at the rejection of his chiding. He voice was unsure now. "Did the Jedi before you teach you nothing? Throw all their discipline aside, would you?"
"No, Master Yoda. Not at all." Obi-Wan reassured him as he stood and walked around a little before continuing. The movement helped to ground him in the present and let the words come more easily. "The galaxy has changed, I can see that now more clearly than ever before. I believe Anakin may be bringing about the Balance in ways we never could have forseen. There are forces at work that we can only imagine and I believe his children may hold the key to all of this."
"Hrmph. Perhaps right, you are." Yoda relented the point, filing the information away for later meditation.
Silence fell between them once more before Yoda's ears perked up and he smiled.
"Know this, did you, that Qui-Gon once thought you the Chosen One?"
"Me, Master? Surely not." The idea itself was not surprising. His Master was always on the look out for the child of prophecy, but to think that Qui-Gon believed him to be that child was unlikely considering the difficult start to their relationship.
Yoda nodded sagely. "Mmmm. Yes. Knew you had a large part to play in our fates, he did. Foresee this destiny though, none of us could."
"Even if we had, i wonder if it would have been right to stop it?" Obi-Wan mused aloud.
Shaking his head emphatically, Yoda cut his companion's point short. "Speaking of such possibilities, unneccesary it is, Obi-Wan. The Force will allows us to see or not. Our place to change the past it is not. It is to the future that we must look."
Agreeing easily, the ghostly Master nodded. "And we will do as we must, Master Yoda. It is up to the will of the Force now. All we can do is play our parts."
"Mmm. Wise you have become, Obi-Wan Kenobi. A great Jedi Master, you truly are." Yoda watched as the Jedi's form began to fade, but knew that he, like his rebellious Master before him, would return soon, that they may continue to watch the future unfold together.
"Thank you, my little friend." Obi-Wan grinned broadly even as the last of his gossamer form slipped away with the breeze.
"Hrmph. Little friend!" Yoda's face showed shock that soon faded into a smile as he nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you are welcome. My friend."