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(Wrote this for AO3 and was so proud I thought I'd share it here too.)

R2-D2 was getting bored of his assignment helping the Rebellion Techs. 'When oh when will Master Anakin get back.'

"Some Jedi are going to Beskarn," R2-D2 hears.

"Yeah, we need to make them a translator droid from the spare parts we have here."

A light bulb *literally* lights up in R2's head. 'Adventure here we come!'

Chapter 79 - Translation Error

"Thank you, sir. You've been most generous in hosting us during these exchanges," says Coleman Kcaj, the Jedi Master.

The Yrashu elder he is talking to doesn't give any signs of recognition to what is being said. R2-D2, their droid escort, steps up. It is again time for him to facilitate communication.

When R2's Master left him, he was ordered to help Rebel Techs with their daily chores around the Base on Yavin. R2 was happy to do this, really. The techs were nice, if a little dumb, and they really needed his help. But that got boring. His servers were craving something new. An adventure. So when he found out that the techs were working on creating a droid translator to send with the Jedi Negotiation team to Beskarn, well, R2 just had the best idea ever!

Modifying his systems to translate the language was easy. There was already a program that did that on the Alderanean servers. Installing it on his servers was easy! Even a Toddler could do that. Devising a way to "speak" the translation took a little more planning. Unlike C3-PO, R2-D2 lacks a vocal processor, and he couldn't trust the primitive natives to the planet they were on to be able to understand Binary. In the end, he went with another device, networked to his systems.

R2-D2 uses these systems to translate the words the Jedi just said. Of course, being a translator droid isn't as easy as plug and play. The word for Sir, alone, has several different options in the Yrashu language. But R2 selects the one logic tells him is best, and he sends the message along.

The speaker device Master Coleman is holding activates "Moo-ma vlox wham. Agotta toga-ram jrap pama nomoclan."

He was rewarded a few moments later, when Sahnmaro Voy, the chieftain's brother who was their host for the past week, gave them a smile. His face then turned serious. "Yill ibba kenedaro? Mun-momu Vem o lom Ug ushko."

R2 perks up. It is for translating sentences like this one that he was brought along, instead of a simple translation computer. The word "Mun-momu" for instance could mean flood, it could also mean proving grounds or a chance for success. R2 chooses this last definition. They are exchanging pleasantries. It's unlikely to mean anything else.

R2 sends his translation and it comes out of the device. "Where is your youngling? She will find success in the jungle today."

Coleman bowed his head in return to the kind words, and he answered the first question. "My Padawan went to deliver a message to our people. She will be back in a few days."

R2-D2 translated the message and Sahnmaro looked at them in surprise. Then he bowed his head and mumbled something to one of his people. Something about praying for the young one's successful completion of her "momu." The word worried R2 for a second. It was not in the translator, but then he shook it off. He was not asked to translate that sentence afterall.

R2 beeped an unnecessary pleasantry to the native who didn't understand it, and followed his Jedi. Internally, he praised himself for doing such a satisfactory job. "I don't know what C3-PO complains about so often. This is the easiest job ever! And I did it without snark. Well, alright. Maybe a little snark, but only in the right places," R2 beeped to himself.


Leaving their ship, Ella-Reese had asked sarcastically, "What could make her day any worse?" She didn't expect it to start to rain. Boy, the Force had a wicked sense of humor!

"The Council asked me to come!" Ella-Reese yelled. "I didn't beg them for the job. They said they needed me here. So I came!" Above her, a small animal scurried out of her way. "Mother… Mother was ecstatic when she learned I'd be going, not as a soldier, but a PEACE diplomat." Though no one was there to listen, she yelled like her target was right there in front of her. "Could only expect you'd be happy for me, DAD!" She growled as she used her lightsaber to burn away a section of a bush that had grown in her path.

Inwardly she cursed that they had to park their ship so far from the village. R2-D2 had translated written signs that named the place "Land of Success," whatever that meant, and her master thought it would be a good tactic to come from there. Something about subliminal messages, and psychology.

The young padawan had hiked for three days through the jungle to get to their ship. She was prepared to give their report to whomever was on duty in Yavin, not to be grilled by her father. "Of course, having The Negotiator, judging my work, he's bound to notice a few things." It wasn't the first time she'd heard her father's nickname from the old War. Her Uncle Anakin was prone to retell the same stories at all their family gatherings. "But he didn't have to call out every flaw. And come on, some of those rules were built for a different sort of mission. HALF ARE SO OLD THEY DON'T APPLY ANYMORE!"

Ella-Reese walked up to the edge of the stream she had forded on her way here. It was a lot deeper than she remembered it. "Uh Oh. I better not go that way," she mumbled to herself. She had to figure out which way to go instead. Looking down a ways, she saw a fallen tree trunk conveniently placed over the fast flowing water.

"Well, it beats going back to the ship." she said to assuage her doubts before turning and hiking downstream.


"I hate to sound like an impatient youngling, but when will we be arriving, General." Obi-Wan asked from where he had been pacing.

General Jan Dodonna struggled not to smile, but let a snicker escape. "We will be arriving there in just a few more hours. We would've been there already, but had a little trouble with the hyperdrive several sectors back."

Obi-Wan seemed to sigh. "Thank you. I just want to get there as soon as possible. My last conversation with my daughter… I may have overreacted to her coming out here. I just want to fix things."

Jan was nodding before the man finished. "Believe me, you're not the first father to be in this situation. I understand. I'm sure Officer Fett understands…" The Mandalorian guard gave a brief nod, not turning from his post. "Go back to your quarters, and I'll send for you when we're ready to land."

"Thank you, I'll do that." Obi-Wan bowed and left his office.

Jan went back to his desk. This mission was proving to be a strange one. First, the former General Kenobi, Jedi knight and famous Negotiator was coming along as a distraught father, worried about his relationship with his kid. Next a Mandalorian with a ledger of experience and skills that rivaled his own was assigned to his unit. The memo General Organa sent him instructed him to "Keep an eye on Officer Fett." And that's exactly what Jan was doing. He scanned the man standing next to his office door. The position of guarding the General's office was probably unnecessary, especially while they were in hyperspace, but then what better way to keep an eye on someone than right in front of you. He won't be able to keep it up when they get to Beskarn, but he'll figure something else out then. He rather suspected Bail's worries were all in his own head, as Officer Fett hadn't done so much as nod to the Jedi during their trip.

Jan typed a key on his computer to get a screen to come up.


C3-PO follows Master Obi-Wan and General Dodonna off of the shuttle they have used to land on the planet. Master Obi-Wan immediately begins scanning the faces around him for the Young Mistress Ella Reese. C3-PO refocuses on the General, who is walking up to the Jedi Master Coleman, who greets them with a confused expression on his face.

"Greetings, Master Kcaj." Dodonna looks around him. "Were you not told to expect us? I believe your Padawan was told to inform you we were being sent, with the first group of men and supplies."

Master Obi-Wan has just finished his search and coming up empty, he walks up to them. He stands next to C3-PO to wait for his chance to speak.

Master Coleman looks at Master Obi-Wan and back to the General. "No, I haven't heard from my Padawan in six days. Not since she left to go give Yavin our progress report. She was due back this morning, but I haven't seen her. There was some rain a few days ago, she might have gone back to wait it out on our ship."

"Why are you parked so far away from the village?" Dodonna asks. Master Obi-Wan opens his eyes in shock and worry.

"R2-D2 translated signs there naming it: The Land of Success. Plus I thought it would help our negotiations to stay out of the villager's way," Master Coleman says.

Obi-Wan gives C3-PO a look of confusion, one C3-PO would share if he could. "R2-D2 translated for you."

"Yes, he was specially modified to be our translator here. He's done well for us so far."

R2-D2 peeks out from inside one of the tents. Then he slides his way up to them, sensing he's the subject of conversation.

"I hope we haven't startled the Yrashu?" General Dodonna says. "We didn't think not to land in the center of their village."

C3-PO notices a couple of natives standing off to the side, whispering between themselves. He has to turn his audio processors up and flip through the settings a bit before he can properly hear the whispered mumblings of the native language.

"More stupid ones? Where are they coming from?" one of them whispers.

The other one whispers, "Hey, at least they didn't hike through the Flood Zone, like the last group. They might not be stupid ones. Maybe they've come to celebrate with the young one. When she finishes her Momu and becomes part of their clan."

"Are you sure the young one is on a Momu? The big one doesn't seem at all concerned for her."

"Who knows with Stupid ones. Why else would she be sent into that part of the Jungle right before a rainstorm?"

Suddenly a device Master Coleman is holding activates and speaks. "More wise ones? Where are they coming from? Hey, they didn't come from the land of success, they might not be as smart…"

C3-PO lifts his arm and whacks R2-D2 over his top. "Land of Success! You've translated Flood Zone to land of success! Are you short circuiting!"

R2-D2 begins beeping about synonyms and probabilities. C3-PO shakes his head and turns to the humans. "I am sorry, but it appears you did not have a proper translation."

"Flood Zone!" Master Obi-Wan gasps for breath.

"She communicated to Yavin three days ago. Perhaps she did go back to your ship to wait out the storm. I'll send a team there immediately." General Dodonna immediately begins speaking into his comm. "Unit one, fly to the ship at position Three Five Seven. Units two through seven, make a grid and…"


"Unit Four, ready for go." Boba said as he rushed into the shuttle. He pulled down the strap and attached it to the harness he wore over his armor.

"Unit four, go." the voice of Sven, his commander came over the line, just as Boba was flipping the switch to activate his ship.

Boba took off and flew into position next to the other shuttles. General Dodonna had him on a team that was supposed to wait onboard their vessel, but then one of the younger pilots became sick, and Boba informed Sven that he had experience in flying similar crafts. It was an obvious decision for the commander then, to reassign Boba. That was earlier today, before word came in that they had a missing Jedi.

Boba activated his scanners as he flew in position along his assigned section of the Jungle.

"Unit one reporting. Negative. The ship is empty."

"Understood." said the commander over the comm. "Sending you a new position."

Boba listened to the chatter on his radio as he flew. The ship's scanners, which were not able to distinguish between the different types of lifeforms below him, often blinked a reading. It was up to Boba to sift through them. 'Too heavy, too light, too warm.' He dismissed them all for various reasons. They were not human.

Boba looked out of his ship window when he came to a stream. There on the banks he saw what looked to be a bag. "Signs of life." He said to his radio. "Did she have a bag?"

"Waiting for confirmation," said Sven. A few moments later, he came back on the line. "Confirmed, yes. She was carrying a white cloth sack."

"I see it. I'm going down." Boba said. He was glad to be landing. Of course, he understood the need to do broad sweeps with the ship, but on a hunt, nothing was more valuable than getting down in the dirt and reading the tracks. This Boba knew by experience.


Hello Readers,

I didn't intend for this chapter to end on a cliffhanger, it just wrote itself that way. As a reminder, Ella-Reese is about 17 and a half, almost 18 years old.

Don't worry about R2-D2. As upset as Obi-Wan is, he knows how attached Anakin is to him. I think half the Rebellion knows how attached he is… ahem. Anyway, no droids were harmed in the making of this story.

Next chapter we will try to find out what happened to Ella-Reese. Look for more Boba Fett pov too.