Chapter 3 - To Surrender
DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P
Author's Note: Probably only one chapter left. Enjoy! :D And thank you all so much for the support you've given. :)
~ Amina Gila
"Oh, General Solo, somebody's coming. Oh!" Threepio's panicked voice is the first thing they hear as they step between the trees to where the squad is waiting, weapons aimed at them. With an exhausted sigh, Luke sits down on a boulder, watching as the blasters are lowered again.
"Luke! Yoda! Where's Leia?" demands Han.
"What? She's not here?" asks Luke, suddenly worried again. Where could she be now? What could have happened to her?
"Come back she did not?" frowns Yoda.
"I thought she was with you," Han protests.
"We got separated," Luke explains, exchanged a concerned glance with his best friend. "We better go look for her." Wearily, he stands up again, preparing to make the trek back into the forest.
"Find her, we must," declares Yoda, jumping to the ground. "Come." With a final command to the squad on where to wait, Han, Chewie, and the droids hurry after Luke and his child charge into the woods.
They spread out through the trees around the area they had last seen Leia, looking for any traces. Yoda runs about between the leaves, sniffing.
Just then, Luke spots something in the brush. As he steps closer and picks it up, he realizes that it's Leia's helmet. What happened to her? Looking further into the trees, he spots two blackened speeders lying near equally burned trees. He cringes, realizing she could have had the same fate, but there's no other traces of her. Through the Force, he senses that she's still alive. It's just a matter of finding her. She better not have been captured. If she was, they may never see her again, and the very thought is too painful to contemplate.
Nearby, there is some crunching and branches snapping before Yoda emerges from the brush, rolling over a nearby log. "That log had a child!" yells Yoda excitedly, picking up a tiny stick that was under it, "And it's mine!"
"I think you already have a stick," Luke groans before turning and walking over to Han with the helmet. "There's two more wrecked speeders back there. And I found this."
"I'm afraid that Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia," Threepio reports worriedly.
"I hope she's alright." Han murmurs, concern lacing his words.
Just then, Yoda comes crashing through the brush and jumps down next to Luke – only holding his original stick. Apparently, he decided to abandon that log's "child" and keep the toy he currently possesses.
Everyone stands there a moment long when Chewie suddenly growls before barking excitedly and bounding off into the trees.
"What, Chewie?" calls Han as the Wookie hurries away, "What? Chewie!" Yoda takes off after, seeming equally elated. Did they catch a hint of Leia? No, that can't be, because Artoo didn't sense it. Then what? Shrugging, Luke scrambles after them, Han and the droids right behind him.
After struggling through the undergrowth for many yards, Luke is relieved when it becomes less thick, revealing a tall pole stuck into the ground in the middle of a clearing, a piece of meat hanging from it. Without wasting a second, Chewie and Yoda bound over to it. Did they drag them all this way because they smelled meat?
"Hey, I don't get it," Han mumbles puzzledly as the duo approach the stake, "Nah, it's just a dead animal, Chewie."
"My dinner, this is!" cries Yoda, leaping into the air and landing on top of the pole. He leans down attempting to take a bite of the meat.
"We're supposed to be finding Leia, Yoda!" groans Luke, ready to facepalm as Chewie steps closer to the meat as well. Clearly, both are more focused on their stomachs than the seriousness of the situation. And that is bad news considering that there's no way the meat could naturally be there. It must be a trap.
As Yoda attempts to close his jaws on the upper portion, he promptly slides straight off the pole and lands in a heap on the ground with a frightened yelp. Rolling over, he slowly sits back up again, wide-eyed. "So embarrassing this is, that leave the planet right now, I must."
When Luke opens his mouth to reply, Chewie takes another step closer, reaching a paw out to grab the meat.
"Chewie, wa-wait! Don't!" he yells, but the warning comes too late. Just as the Wookie reaches is quarry, a net spring up out of nowhere, surrounding the group and lifting them all into the air in one big mess. Wonderful job, Chewie and Yoda.
"Nice work. Great, Chewie! Great! Always thinking with your stomach!" groans Han. "And it doesn't seem like Yoda was doing much better, even though he's supposed to be a Jedi Master," he adds a moment later.
"Sorry!" apologize Yoda, "Do it again, I will not." His childish tone takes away all of Luke's annoyance. How does he always manage to do that? He'll never tell the child, that's for certain.
"Will you take it easy?" he sighs as the others begin to squirm, sending the net spinning pointlessly in circles. "Let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing. Han, can you reach my lightsaber?"
"Yeah, sure," replies Han, struggling in an attempt to reach it. Fortunately, or not, Artoo manages to free them first, by cutting the net open despite Threepio's frantic screams and protests. With the ropes cut, gravity takes over and everyone falls on the ground in a heap.
Luke tries to untangle himself from the mess, and when he finally sits up, he spies dozens of small, furry creatures surrounding the group, each holding a long spear. Those must be the natives of the small moon, called Ewoks.
"Wha–? Hey!" cries Han, shoving the spear being pointed at his face out of the way, "Point that thing someplace else!"
The creature points it back at him instead. "Hey!" yells Han angrily, reaching for his blaster.
"Han, don't," Luke interjects, "It'll be alright." There's no point in starting a war with these creatures when they've done nothing to hurt them.
The Ewoks swarm around them, taking away their weapons. Chewie growls a protest, but Luke intervenes again, telling him to just let them take it. Then, the Ewoks approach Yoda, and one of them pulls away his stick.
"My stick you will not take!" shouts the child, "Keep your mitts off my stick!" He leaps forwards and tries to pull his stick away. Seconds later, the two are engaged in tug of war over the stick. The other Ewoks begin surrounding them, spears aimed. The message is clear.
"Yoda," Luke sighs exasperatedly, "Let him have your stick. You'll get it back later. We'll be fine."
"Oh, my head. Oh, my goodness!" cries Threepio as he and Artoo finish untangling themselves from the net.
"Pay for this, you will," snarls Yoda, finally letting go of his stick and giving them a fierce glare. Then he Force shoves them all backwards, runs over to Luke, crawls into his lap, and begins to sulk. How is Luke supposed to react to this? Yoda isn't acting like a Jedi Master; he's acting like a toddler!
He's spared from having to ponder the question when the Ewoks begin murmuring amongst themselves, shock echoing into the Force when they see Threepio. Suddenly, they begin bowing in front of the droid.
"Do you understand anything they're saying?" questions Luke, throwing the droid a confused look. Threepio answers in the affirmative before he begins speaking to the Ewoks in their native language.
"What are you telling them?" asks Han.
"I do believe they think I am some sort of god," Threepio explains. Really? That's ridiculous. Now what? Will Threepio have to stay here and be erected on a totem pole for the rest of eternity. Luke hopes not. The droid is annoying, but it doesn't deserve that.
"Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?" suggests Han.
"I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper," protests the droid. Of course, Threepio is more concerned with propriety than everyone's lives.
"Proper?" cries Han angrily.
"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity," Threepio insists.
"Ridiculous, that is," grumbles Yoda, peeking up to glower at the little creatures. He seems bent on getting revenge for the temporary loss of his stick. Luke vaguely recalls hearing on Dagobah that Jedi don't desire revenge. Well, maybe that teaching was lost with the age-regression.
"Why, you –" growls Han, taking a threatening step towards the droid. His path is promptly blocked as the Ewoks point their spears at him, preventing him from inflicting any bodily harm on their "god."
"My mistake. He's an old friend of mine," Han apologizes hastily, backing away, raising his hands in the universal gesture for peace.
**w**
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Han worries, as the Ewoks of the village they're in, which is located high up in the treetops, scramble about around him piling up wood. So does Luke for that matter, from his vantage point near the others where they're all tied to poles. Threepio, meanwhile, is sitting on a makeshift throne.
Chewie growls his agreement, and Luke sighs as the Ewoks begin to inspect his lightsaber with great interest. They need to find a way out of this situation soon, before it gets much worse. Just then, someone who appears to be the leader steps forwards and begins talking to Threepio.
"What did he say?" demands Han, who looks like he wants to be anywhere but where he is right now. Well, Luke certainly shares that feeling. How do they always manage to get into this ridiculous predicaments?
"I'm rather embarrassed, General Solo, but it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor," Threepio informs them. Oh perfect. Just what Luke's always wanted: becoming someone else's dinner. Somehow, he had expected the situation was about to get worse.
"A droid they plan to eat as well?" wonders Yoda aloud, "Break their teeth trying, I hope they do."
"Let's hope they don't get as far as deciding who their next meal will be," Luke retorts.
"Your idea to surrender to them, it was, not mine," huffs Yoda in response. He has a point.
As the drums begin beating, Leia suddenly steps out of a hut wearing an animal-skin dress. Her eyes go wide at the sight in front of her.
"Leia!" Luke and Han exclaim. The others greet her as well. He's relieved to have found his friend again, but he would rather they'd been reunited under better circumstances. Their situation is rapidly getting worse, and soon, there may be only one way to fix this. Leia tries to approach them, but spears immediately block her path. With a sigh, she turns to Threepio, ordering the droid to tell the Ewoks to free them. Suddenly being cooperative, Threepio turns to the Ewoks and begins speaking, but the leader only shakes his head. Luke really wants to groan.
"Threepio, tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll become angry and use your magic," Luke commands. It's time to intervene.
"But Master Luke, what magic? I couldn't possibly –"
"Just tell them." Threepio speaks to the Ewoks and leader steps forwards, obviously making a demand.
"You see, Master Luke? They didn't believe me. Just –" Ignoring Threepio's rant, Luke focuses, Force-lifting the droid's throne into the air. This will work. It has to. It takes a moment for the droid to notice what's happening, and of course, when he does, he goes into a panic.
"Wha-wha-what's happening? Oh! Oh, dear!" he cries in alarm. The Ewoks run away in terror, assuming he's using magic. As Threepio continues to scream, the lead Ewok yells orders at his tribe, some of whom run over to Luke and the others and begin untying them. Luke lowers the droid back to the ground.
As soon as Yoda is free, he Force-snatches his stick from where it was lying a distance away and lunges at the nearest Ewok. "Learn the wrath of my stick, you will! Thunk your coconut with my stick!" he snarls, whacking the creature as hard as he can, "A mark from my stick, you will have!"
"Thanks, Threepio," Luke says gratefully before turning to Yoda, "That's enough."
"My stick they stole!" cries Yoda. "My life my stick is! Live without it I cannot."
"You have it back now," sighs Luke. This is approaching insanity. Why? Why did this happen to him? Why couldn't Leia have been the to be stuck dealing with an immature Jedi Master?
Before long, all of the Ewoks are gathered together with Luke and the others, sitting around a glowing fire. Threepio, still on his throne, is telling them the story of the recent events in the galaxy. Yoda interjects every now and then – not that the Ewoks can even understand him – though Luke isn't sure how Yoda can understand what Threepio is saying in Ewoki to begin with. He decides it's best not to ask.
The leaders of the tribe begin to speak with each other quietly once the tale is done, and then all at once, the Chief makes an announcement. The Ewoks begin cheering and screeching wildly as the drums begin to sound.
"We are now a part of the tribe!" Threepio happily explains to the confused Rebels. Oh. Alright, then. Yoda jumps up and down gleefully and cheers before running to hug the nearest Ewok. As the Ewoks begin hugging the others, Luke using the distraction to slip out the door of the hut. His mind has returned to the more serious aspect of their situation… He knows what he has to do, though it's not an easy decision to make. He doesn't want to leave his friends to complete the mission alone, but there's no way he can ignore Vader, pretending his presence on the Death Star doesn't matter. Besides, if he stays, Vader might choose to come to them.
Surprisingly, it's Leia, not Yoda, who's the first to come find him. He's honestly a little grateful, since he's not sure how he'd explain this to Yoda. Maybe he can just get out of here before the child finds out what's happening.
"Luke, what's wrong?" Leia questions, concern evident in her voice. With a sigh, he turns his attention to her and begins to explain. He needs to hurry. Before Yoda realizes he's gone…
"…I have to try," Luke trails off, before he and Leia embrace for what may be the last time.
"Do or do not. There is no try," Yoda's childish voice speaks from near the doorway of the Ewok hut. Oh great. Of course, he had to resurface right when Luke was ready to leave. And he's really not up for an argument right now. "Going somewhere, you are?" he inquires, walking closer.
"Didn't you hear?" sighs Luke.
"Only the end," replies Yoda, bounding closer.
"I must confront Vader," he decides just to get to the point, "I know I can save him…."
Yoda stares at him in silence for many long moments, his yellow-green eyes glittering in the darkness. For a moment he looks older, like he actually has the memories of a 900-year-old, even though his mind is still that of a 5-year-old child. Finally, he speaks.
"Go with you?"
"No," states Luke firmly, "That would probably lead to trouble. Besides, the others need you here. Leia, watch over him." She nods a reassurance and then Luke turns to go down the path. "Stay out of trouble, Yoda." He feels ridiculous to be telling his former master that, but by the Force, he doesn't seem to have a choice.
Without waiting for a response, he turns and heads down the path which leads out of the village, not seeing the stubborn look of determination on the child's face as Luke leaves him behind.