CHAPTER THREE
Imperial Center
No had one dared to go near the Emperor's private chambers. The guards unfortunate enough to have been there when he received the news of his apprentice's demise had met a gruesome end. The thousands of other servants and hundreds of other guards had kept a safe distance, diligently securing the rest of the palace, and making sure not a single flaw could be found.
They knew the storm had passed, or at least abated, when the Hand arrived. Clad entirely in black, and a hood raised over their face, the servants and guards gave them a wide berth, not wishing to get on the wrong side of the sentient who was now the second-in-command to the Emperor.
Little more than an hour passed, and the Hand emerged, unscathed. The Hand did not acknowledge the others presence, for the Hand's mission was important, superseding anything the Hand had done before.
"Bring me Luke Skywalker," the Emperor had said.
Hoth, Rebel Base
Luke sat on the top of his ship, waiting for any arrivals from off-world. Ben had said he was supposed to meet a great Jedi Master, the one who had trained Ben himself. So far the radar had been silent, Lira in the control tower hadn't indicated any ships near the planet, let alone in the system.
"When is he going to get here?" he muttered. He had been waiting here for hours, watching his friends go about their business, while he just sat here. They were closing the gates, he had spent all day up here for nothing! What kind of-.
"I am wondering, why are you here?" a gravely voice said, causing Luke to jump. He looked down and saw a little green alien standing under the wing of his ship.
What is he doing? Luke thought to himself. The Alliance had some, interesting, characters working for them, and he was certain this was one of them.
"I was waiting for someone," he said, hopping down from the ship. Yoda hadn't shown, he may as well go down to the mess hall and get something to eat.
"Found someone, you have I would say, hmm," the little alien said playfully, waving his stick in the air.
"Right," Luke said trying to keep from smiling. There was no way that this creature, whatever it was, would be able to help him find Yoda.
"Help you I can, yes mmmm," the alien probed.
"I don't think so, I'm looking for a great warrior," Luke said, hoping the alien would back off.
"Ahh, a great warrior," the creature laughed, "wars not make one great." To Luke's surprise, the creature moved with surprising speed for it's apparent age, and began to rummage through his toolbox. R2-D2 chirped in alarm.
"Hey!" Luke exclaimed as the little green alien took a bite out of one of his ration bars. "Put that down!" His command was futile, as the creature had spit it out.
"How you get so big, eating food of this kind?" the alien teased, pushing the box aside and digging deeper.
Where did the rebellion find this thing? Luke thought to himself. He looked around for someone to help him, but the hangar was abandoned. He remembered the doors had to be closed to keep out the cold, everyone must have gone back to the bunks.
"Listen, friend, I don't mean to bother you but I'm about to leave the hangar for the night, and so do you," Luke said, reaching for the creature.
"Aww, spend all day in a hangar waiting for someone, have you?" the alien taunted, throwing a wrench onto the hangar floor.
"Hey, get out of there!" Luke exclaimed, "you could have broken that! Give me that!" The creature had taken a tiny power lamp, and was clutching it tightly. Luke tried to grab it, but the alien was far quicker than he looked, and stronger.
"Mine! Or I will help you not," the alien said, shining the light around the dark hangar.
"I don't want your help, I want my lamp back. I need it to do repairs on my ship," Luke said, holding out his hand. The creature didn't acknowledge Luke's gesture, instead fiddling with the lamp further. Taking advantage of the distracted alien, R2 reached out and tried to grab it.
"Mine! Mine! Mine!" the creature shouted, hitting R2 with his wooden stick.
"R2 let him have it," Luke sighed. All he wanted to do was go and eat dinner, but here he was making sure a crazy alien didn't trash the hangar, and no one was around to help him.
"Now will you move along, little fella? The hangar is closed." A small lamp was a small price to pay to get the troll out of here.
"No! No, no! Stay and help you, I will," the creature laughed. "Find your friend, hmm?"
"I'm not waiting for my friend. I'm waiting for a Jedi Master," Luke said tersely.
"Oohhh. Jedi Master," the troll said. "Yoda. You wait for Yoda."
"You know him?" Luke exclaimed, kneeling down to the creatures level.
"Mmm, take you to him, I will." The alien barked in laughter. "Yes, yes." Turning around, the creature began walking down the hall. "But now, we must eat."
Luke stayed where he was, puzzled by the sudden turn of events. An odd green troll that worked for the rebellion knew where Yoda was? Why hadn't Yoda just come to him first, and spared him the crazy middle-man?
"Come. Good food. Come," the troll called over his shoulder.
Shaking his head, he rose and followed after the strange creature. The alien led him down hallways Luke had not seen before, and he was surprised no one asked them why they were there. Eventually, they came to a long corridor that had been vacated for the night, and the troll spoke once more.
"Why wish you become Jedi, hmm?" the alien asked as they walked.
"Mostly because of my father, I guess," Luke admitted softly.
"Ah, your father," the creature said. "Powerful Jedi was he, powerful Jedi, hmm."
"Oh come on, how could you know my father? You don't even know who I am!" Luke exclaimed. He had waited all day for the Jedi Master to show up, never leaving his ship and eating nothing but bland ration bars all day. And now he was being led in circles around the rebel base by a delusional troll.
The corridor emptied out into the barrack hallway, and Luke groaned in relief at the sight of Ben lingering outside his doorway, talking to one of the pilots. At the sight of the two, he dismissed the pilot and gestured for them to come inside.
"I'm so glad we ran into you," Luke started, but he was soon interrupted by the little creature.
"I cannot train him. The boy has no patience," the alien said.
Train me? Luke thought to himself. Seeing the familiar looks between the two, the truth dawned on him.
"He will learn patience," Ben countered.
"Hmm, much anger in him. Like his father."
"Was I any different when you taught me?"
"Hah! He is not ready."
"Yoda!" Luke interrupted. "I am ready. I... Ben! I can be a Jedi. Ben, tell him I'm ready."
"Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless!"
Luke hung his head in shame. He knew it was true.
"So was I, if you'll remember," Ben argued.
"He is too old. Yes, too old to begin training," Yoda argued lamely. Ben had known Yoda all his life, and knew the Grand Master was grasping at straws at this point.
"But I've learned so much," Luke said quietly.
"Will he finished what he begins?" Yoda asked begin.
"I won't fail you. I'm not afraid," Luke said fiercely.
"Oh, you will be. You will be."