Chapter 4: A Change of Plans

Yoda had been traveling east for about an hour when he felt a new presence high above the trees. He came to a stop to look and listen more carefully. There it was—the sound of large wings flapping, although the flapping had an oddly mechanical note to it.

Through the trees, Yoda could make out a large animal about the size of a family shuttle, flying west towards his home. Yoda turned his speeder around and began to follow, although this was difficult because the animal was flying above the trees, whereas he had to dodge them. Even with his skills, Yoda was falling behind, but fortunately animal slowed as it approached a clearing next to a large pond to the north.

He approached the clearing from the south, out of sight, and stopped at the edge. Now that he had a better look, the animal looked like a large insect, like some type of moth. The moth made an odd chirping sound as it circled the clearing, before landing near the water's edge. The "eyes" of the moth opened, and Yoda had his next surprise when three people exited.

Yoda had been aware of two people; the first an ordinary human male dressed in a faded red jumpsuit, and the second a human-looking female with a sensation of something else about her. But the third person, a human-looking male dressed in black, was an enigma. There was no sense of the Force about the man in black at all. He was a void in the Force; it surrounded him, but did not fill him.

As an experiment, Yoda waved his hand with a Force distraction. The results were inconsistent, to say the least.

The man in red reacted predictably. Turning to look into the woods, Yoda could hear him say, "Did you hear that?"

The man in black replied in a low voice, but it was clear there was no influence on him at all.

The woman's reaction, however, was the most surprising. She initially turned to look into the woods, in the same direction as the man in red, then gave her head a shake, and with a puzzled expression turned to look in Yoda's direction.

Strong the Force is with that one, Yoda thought. He was well hidden and remained undetected.

"You're just being jumpy, Stanley," Yoda heard the woman say as she turned back towards her companions.

Clearly, Yoda would need to rely on his wits rather than the Force when dealing with these visitors. They did not appear to be armed, though he was well aware how easily weapons could be hidden.

It was time, he thought, to make introductions. He waited until all three were looking off in another direction before stepping out into the clearing.

"Ow!" exclaimed Stanley as he swatted his face. "Why is it you have more exposed skin," he said, pointing to Xev's bare legs, "And yet all these flying bite-y things are coming after me?"

"They like you and want to be your friend," teased Xev.

She had taken off her boots and was standing in a few centimeters of water, enjoying the feel of the mud squishing between her toes. "Why don't you take off your boots and join me?"

"I nearly lost my boots in that muck after jumping out of the moth," Stanley complained, swatting at yet another biting fly. This time he connected, and left a bloody smear on his face. "I don't want to give something an opportunity to bite my feet."

"Well next time, don't land so close to water," replied Xev, looking around at unspoiled nature.

"I'm going for a swim," she declared impulsively.

"Don't have a swimsuit," Stanley replied primly, arms folded.

Xev looked at Stanley, surprised at the comment. "Really? A swimsuit? That is dumb on so many levels. Aside from the obvious lack of swimsuits, there's no way I'm going to swim in this dress. It will become waterlogged, adding drag and weight and risk of drowning, never mind getting it dirty or damaged, and think how many days it will take to dry out again. Days, Stanley, when I simply can't wear it."

Xev paused to let that hang as a threat, then reached up to release the black bands on her shoulders.

Stanley held up a finger. "Or—and here's what I really meant—don't go swimming in the first place. We don't know what's in that water. Something could bite or sting you."

"Swim here you should not," a voice called out from behind them.

Kai responded instantly, whipping around and aiming his brace at the intruder.

"Stand still," he ordered.

Yoda was not particularly impressed with Kai's weapon, but he played along, raising his hands defensively.

"Please do not hurt!" he cried out, while keeping a sharp eye on Kai. Yoda noted Kai had not relaxed his stance at all.

Well trained you are, he thought, though in the ways of the Force clearly not.

"Oh!" said Xev, clapping her hands together with delight, her swim momentarily forgotten. She leaned forward for a closer look. "Isn't it cute?"

"Cute? A pet I am not." Yoda drew himself up with as much dignity as possible, which simply made him that much more adorable in Xev's eyes.

"Oh Kai, why don't you relax?" said Xev, clearly taken with the small but dignified creature standing so boldly before them.

What amazing eyes, she thought.

"I would not assume this… being… is harmless," replied Kai. "I my experience, danger comes in all sizes."

"Ah," said Yoda with approval. His eyes widened slightly as his ears perked up. "Wise words. Listen to him, I would."

Yoda smiled. "Perhaps I bite, yes?"

Xev laughed at that. Stanley simply looked nervous.

"Perhaps," Kai replied coolly. "But not today, I think." He relaxed his stance.

"Yoda I am called," he proclaimed to the trio standing before him. "Who might you be?"

"Is Yoda your species, your name or what?" asked Stanley, a little confused.

"My name it is."

"Well I'm Stanley H. Tweedle, Captain of the Lexx," declared Stanley with pride.

"I am Kai, last of the Brunnen-G," Kai stated simply.

Xev stepped forward and gave a little bow. "I'm Xev," she said, smiling.

Yoda bowed back in acknowledgment. Xev resisted an urge to pick up Yoda and give him a hug.

"And you are here why?" asked Yoda.

"I want to go swimming!" declared Xev, looking back at the water.

"Bad for swimming, that pond is. But I mean, on this planet, you are here why?" Yoda persisted.

"Oh, you mean Dagobah? Well that's easy," said Stanley. "We were looking for an uninhabited planet where the Lexx could feed. Dagobah seemed to be a good choice. Sorry, but we didn't expect to run into an intelligent species. We didn't detect any of the usual signs of civilization from orbit."

"A human attitude, that is," admonished Yoda. "Not all intelligent species build as you might. Different paths, some species follow."

"You seem to be very knowledgeable for someone living in isolation on a wild planet," observed Kai.

"Not my home world, this is," replied Yoda. "I choose here to live in… retirement."

"Great retirement community," muttered Stanley, swatting at another biting fly. "On the other hand Xev, in spite of these flies, I do feel a bit better about this planet now."

"Really?" asked Xev, encouraged by Stanley finally showing a little more positive attitude.

"Well yeah," replied Stanley. "I mean, if this little guy's retired and hasn't been eaten yet, how bad can it be?"

With a loud roar and splash, a large—monster was all Stanley could think—rushed out of the pond, snapped its huge jaws onto the moth, and began to drag it back into the water.

"The moth!" Stanley yelled. "Kai! Stop it!"

Kai fired his brace at the creature, but between its thick hide and shallow angle of attack, the brace glanced off, leaving a long deep gash that only served to make the creature angry. It shook its head, teeth tearing deeper into the moth, unwilling to give up an easy meal. Before Kai could reposition to try again, Yoda made a single astonishing arching leap of several meters, pulling out and activating his lightsaber in one smooth motion. As Yoda landed on top of the creature, his lightsaber plunged straight into the brain pan, killing it instantly.

Yoda stood up and deactivated his lightsaber. He put it away in a fold of his robe and leapt down from the creature's head. "Bad for swimming, this pond is," he repeated as he walked back to the trio.

"Yeah, I get that," said Stanley, stunned.

Xev sat down hard and drew in on herself, hugging her legs, chin resting on her knees, trembling with shock.

"An interesting weapon," commented Kai, nodding. Clearly there was a lot more to this Yoda than first appeared. The way he so easily killed that large creature….

Yoda nodded back. "As is yours."

With a glance around the clearing and pond, Kai walked over to examine the creature and damage to the moth.

Yoda walked up to Xev and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "All is right. Safe you are." His eyes widened. "Show you a good place to swim, I will!"

Xev looked at Yoda and through her tears gave him a smile of appreciation. "Thank you."

"Safe to live, Dagobah is. Just be careful, one must be."

ISD Apacaphion

First Officer Galicia pressed the chime at the in-port cabin.

"Enter" came the muffled response.

He opened the door and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Captain Waed was seated behind his desk.

"Yes, Mr. Galicia. Do sit down."

He tossed a tablet on his desk, and motioned for Galicia to pick it up.

"New orders," he stated simply.

As Galicia picked up the tablet, he could feel a subtle shift in Apacaphion as she turned to a new heading. He quickly paged through the display with his index finger, puzzlement turning into indignation.

"This is ridiculous!" he fumed. "We've only just now started a search and rescue operation! Or in the very least, a hunt for whoever may have captured or destroyed IP2745. And suddenly we're assigned to Alderaan for picket duty?"

He looked back at the tablet. "I don't see an end date on these orders."

"You noticed that," replied Waed, with a slight smile. "I'm afraid we're stuck for the duration. These orders come direct from Grand Moff Tarkin himself. It's not the sort of thing we can buck. We are to rendezvous with Minyada and Dotrina in the Alderaan system for picket duty. Officially it's a morale booster. Demonstrate to the people of Alderaan the Empire cares; a show of force to keep Alderaan safe from marauding pirates."

"What pirates?"

"Us pirates," Waed deadpanned. "As I said, that's the official reason."

"And unofficially?" asked Galicia.

"It's an obvious intimidation tactic. Alderaan has been associated with rebel activity. I also suspect this could be a prelude to a blockade. Once we are in position, all the Grand Moff needs to do is say the word."

Galicia whistled. "Won't the Senate object?" he wondered.

"The Alderaan representatives will object of course, and call in every favor they have. But they've lost a lot of support due to the rebel issue, and I can tell you now they won't have the votes to pass so much as a non-binding resolution."

"I suppose that makes sense, sir. I don't keep up with politics. But what about our current mission? Will someone be taking up the slack?"

"In a word, no. The Empire seems to care less and less about ship losses these days. But I still care, and I have something unofficial in mind."

Captain Waed leaned forward and gave Galicia a predatory grin. "When it comes to those in service to the Empire, the GVA has a stake."

"The Galactic Veterans Association? I thought that was a bunch of old guys telling war stories about what they did during the Clone Wars."

"Oh it's more than that. On occasion they have been known to put up funds for bounty hunters."

"Bounty hunters?" Galicia said with distaste. "I thought bounty hunters went after the easy snatch and grab jobs. Not something like this."

"I know, but it's the best we have. I've been in contact with an associate in the GVA, and I may have 'accidentally' let slip our current mission. They've agreed to pick up the slack."

Captain Waed sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're right of course; most bounty hunters will steer clear of this. But there are a few mercenary types who specialize in bigger jobs. Eventually, someone will pick up the contract. Ship losses are still public record if you know where to look, and the GVA know where to look. If there's ever any question, they will simply point to the record. Nothing will tie back to us."

Galicia was silent for a minute. "Sir, after you retire, have you thought about a career in the Imperial Senate?"

Waed smiled. "You might think that Mr. Galicia. I couldn't possibly say."