Star Wars : Chapter 36: Next Stops II

"Can't just young Luke here sense Master Yoda?", Shaak Ti wondered.

"He wasn't as trained as he is when he learned under Master Kenobi, meaning he would have to find Master Yoda the hard way", Mace explained to her.

...

At the Imperial fleet, within the heart of the flagship, Piett walked into Vader's chambers to find the Dark Lord's meditation pod partially open. He didn't see much more than pale, sickly skin before it was covered by the Dark Lord's signature helmet. He quickly came to attention as Vader turned around and his pod opened fully.

"Those wounds look like they haven't healed for years." Saesee said, a little disturbed.

"But they're discolored." Obi-Wan commented. "Just what are the extent of his wounds?"

"All I know is, he is not well. Be it physically or mentally.", Mundi added.

"What is it, Admiral?" he asked.

"Our ships have sighted the Millennium Falcon, my Lord." Piett reported, "However, it has entered an asteroid field and we cannot risk- "

"Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral." Vader interrupted. "I want that ship, not excuses."

"Yes, my Lord." Piett bowed his head as Vader's pod closed.

Back with the Falcon, Han walked onto the bridge to see Leia helping Chewie with one of the ship's systems, her hands smaller than Chewie's and thus more adept for the task, and Threepio standing next to them.

"I'm gonna shut down everything but the emergency power systems." he informed them.

"I'm afraid to ask, Captain, but does that include me as well?" Threepio asked.

"Course not." Han said, reassuringly, "Need you to talk to the Falcon. See what's wrong with the hyperdrive."

Suddenly, the entire ship rocked from side to side.

"Captain," Threepio said, "It's quite possible that this asteroid isn't entirely stable."

"We can see that, Threepio", Padmé said in a deadpanned tone.

"Not entirely stable?" Han said sarcastically, "Well, color me glad we've got you here to explain these things. Chewie, take the professor into the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

As Chewie and Threepio left, the ship was rocked again, harder. Han fell backwards into a chair and Leia was thrown into his lap.

"Oh my...", Shaak Ti, Luminara, and Depa said at the said time.

"Looks like Luke has competition here", Kit Fisto whispered to Rex with a grin.

Anakin's eye twitched all of a sudden and unconciously placed a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Let go." Leia said, but Han shushed her, trying to get a bead on what was happening outside. "Let go, please."

"Don't get excited." Han chided.

"Ouch! Anakin!", Obi-Wan cried out, rubbing his shoulder when his apprentice's hand gripped it too hard.

"Sorry, Master. I just needed to cool off for a moment", he said in a feigned apologetic tone while Ahsoka and Rex looked at Anakin with an inquisitive eye, wondering why is he so protective of Leia all of a sudden.

"Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited."

"Sorry sweetheart." Han pushed her back to her feet and grinned, "Haven't got time for anything else."

Meanwhile, Luke had spent his time since crash-landing setting up a small camp for him and Artoo, and off-loading what she could from his fighter using a makeshift bridge stretching from the shore to the nose of the ship.

He gathered up the last of the emergency supplies and powered down the craft before heading back to the camp, built around where Artoo had landed. It was by no means pretty, essentially a rough circle of crates around a small portable lantern.

"Alright, ready for some power?" he asked Artoo as he laid down the supplies. Artko whistled eagerly, so Luke plugged his into a compact generator.

"Alright, now we just need to find this Yoda, if he even exists." Luke sat down, pulled a pre-packaged meal box from his bag, and began to eat. "It's really a strange place to find a Jedi Master. This place gives me the creeps. Still, there's something familiar about this place." Artoo whistled curiously. "Hard to explain. It feels like- "

"Feel like what?" a voice said behind them. Luke whipped around, blaster drawn to see a small green being hiding behind his clothes.

"Like we're being watched." he said.

"MASTER YODA!", everyone cheered on seeing the Jedi Order's Grandmaster on screen, with many of then becoming elated at his survival.

"He's alive!"

"Thank the Force!"

"And I thought we were completely gone. Gladly, we were wrong"

"Scared him, surely I did not?", Yoda asked.

"If Luke is raising his weapon towards you, maybe you did", Ahsoka answered him resulting of the Master chuckling at this.

"Away put your weapon! I mean you no harm." The little being lowered his arm to reveal a diminutive green alien with a round, balding head, long pointy ears, large eyes, wrinkles everywhere, and dressed in faded tan linen clothes and clutching a walking stick. "I am wondering, why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for someone." Luke said, lowering his pistol slightly.

"Looking? Found someone you have, I would say. Hmm? Heheheh!"

"Right…"

"Help you I can. Yes! Mmm."

"...Master Yoda?", Obi-Wan called out to the Grandmaster, bewildered at his actions.

"I don't think so." Luke said, putting away his blaster. The hermit frowned. "I'm looking for a great warrior."

"Ah! Great warrior." The hermit up, no more than three feet tall, and began to climb down off the tree he was sat on, "Wars not make one great." He walked over to Luke's meal box and munched on the food he had been eating.

"Hey! That's my dinner!" Luke pulled the box away before he lost anything else to the stranger.

"Bleh! How you get so big eating food of this kind?" he asked before climbing up onto one of the crates.

"Listen, friend, we didn't mean to land in that puddle, and if we could get our ship out, we would. But we can't, so why don't you just- "

"Aww, can't get your ship out." The hermit mocked before rooting through one of his storage boxes, tossing out things he didn't find interesting.

"Don't do that." Luke groaned, "You're making a mess." He turned around to see the hermit on the ground holding a small lamp, waving it in front of his eyes. "Hey, give me that."

"Mine!" he declared, pulling it out of his immediate reach. "Or I will help you not."

"I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I'm gonna need to get off this slimy mudhole."

"Mudhole? Slimy? My home, this is." He didn't notice Artoo reaching out with a small claw until it latched onto the lamp and began to pull. What ensued was an amusing tug of war between the two. When the hermit looked to be losing, he grabbing his stick and began whacking Artoo's head with it until Luke ordered him to give it up.

Anakin couldn't help but chuckle at the sigh of Yoda and Artoo of all people fighting over a small object, as it was the first time he had seen Yoda acting like this. Said Grandmaster also shared the same feeling at seeing himself at screen, knowing this was just the first phase.

Needless to say, everyone was speechless at Yoda's mannerisms here, not expecting the Grandmaster to be acting this way until Caleb spoke "Is there any chance that Master Yoda isn't..."

"You haven't known Master Yoda that well yet, Caleb", Depa reminded her Padawan.

"He's testing Luke", Mace Windu stated.

"Now will you move it along little fella? We've got a lot of work to do."

"No! No, no! Stay and help you I will. Find your friend."

"I'm not looking for a friend. I'm looking for a Jedi Master."

The Hermit's eyes widened. "Jedi Master? Yoda! You seek Yoda."

Luke immediately got down on his level. "You know him?"

"Mmmm." He nodded. "Take you to him, I will. Heheheh! But first, we must eat. Come." Luke stayed put, wondering if the little stranger could be trusted. He turned around and beckoned him to follow.

"Artoo." He sighed. "Stay and watch over the camp."

"Is he testing Luke by any chance?", Ahsoka spoke up, not wanting to think Yoda had came to this.

The Masters knew that Yoda was acting strange because he simply wanted to test Luke of his patience, though the question is to why he couldn't fight the Sith is what left them baffled.

Yoda chuckled. "Crafty I may be. To test one's will and patience, a trait of a Jedi, I must"

"Where is Artoo when I need him?" Threepio complained. He turned to Han. "Captain, I don't know where your ship learned to communicate, but it has the most peculiar dialect. I believe it says that the power coupling on the negative axis has been polarized." Han walked over to see what he meant, a bundle of wire in hand. "I'm afraid you'll have to replace it."

"Of course I'll have to replace it." Han sighed angrily. "Here." he handed to wiring to Chewie, who was up in the ceiling of the common room, "And Chewie."

Chewie looked down at him and asked through a growl.

"Do what he said." Han confirmed while the Wookie growled back in complianxem

Han turned and saw Leia finish soldering a smaller piece of machinery before putting it back together. She then attempted to move another piece below it into position, but it wasn't moving. Han, being the good person he was, moved in behind Leia to try and help her, only to be shoulder-checked back.

"Jeez, Your Worship, I was only trying to help."

"Would you please stop calling me that?" Leia said through grit teeth, more angry at the part she was working on than Han.

"Sure thing, Leia." Han said casually.

Leia sighed. "You make it so difficult sometimes."

"Yeah, I do. I really do. You could be a little nicer, though. Admit it, sometimes you think I'm alright."

"Do you think a relationship between a smuggler and a Princess would work?", Luminara asked curiously.

"I could say it would. I mean, these two are bound to be together", Shaak Ti replied with a giggle, seeing the apparent dynamic with one another.

Leia gave up when she felt the skin on her finger split slightly. "Occasionally." She admitted, sucking on her finger to stop the bleeding. "When you're not being a scoundrel."

Han took Leia's hand and began massaging it. "Scoundrel?" she grinned roguishly. "I like the sound of that."

Anakin coughed at Han's way of flirting while Padmé nudged him on the elbow. "At least that was a little better than hearing how you don't like sand", she teasingly said to him that left him aghast.

"Hey!"

Leia faltered slightly, noticing how close they were. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

Leia nodded at her hand. "Stop that. My hands are dirty."

"My hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" she saw Han leaning in.

"You're trembling."

"I'm not trembling."

"Don't overestimate your chances, Solo", Anakin lowly said, almost warning him not to do the deed while the rest felt strange.

"She was spiting Han when she kissed Luke. Now I understand", Kit Fisto pieced out while Anakin and Obi-Wan internally glared at him for reminding them of that part.

Han's voice lowered to a whisper. "You like me because I'm a scoundrel. There aren't enough scoundrels in your life."

"I happen to like nice men."

"I'm a nice man."

"No you're not. You're-" Han gently pressed their lips together, Leia quickly accepting it, her eyes closing. The moment could have lasted forever, if not for Threepio.

The audience heard a glass breaking as Anakin gripped the object so hard, with his face fuming a little at the sight, akin to that an over-protective father. He just doesn't approve of this, even though this is not his business to begin with, it was a sour sight to look at.

"Rex remind me to keep Han away from Anakin whenever we are near him at the present", Obi-Wan pleaded to Rex who merely nodded in response.

"Captain! Captain! I've isolated the reverse power flux coupling." He said happily, not realizing he had just blocked Han at something.

"Thank you. Thank you very much." he said, icily pulling away from Leia.

"You're perfectly welcome, sir." Threepio said innocently.

Out of the corner of her eye, Han could see the retreating form of Leia headed back towards the cockpit and sighed dejectedly.

"Aww, I was looking forward to that!" Ahsoka called out, apparently 'shipping' these two together alongside Shaak Ti and Kit Fisto. Depa, Yoda giggled and looked to the other masters, who were somehow managing to keep their faces neutral.

Anakin still had a visible scowl on his face and pouted with his arms crossed, not liking that scene one bit, while Rex, Obi-Wan and Padmé all chuckled, seeing the protective nature of Anakin to Leia.

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