Yoda's Idea

The galaxy of Star Wars is massive and unimaginable in its full complexity, even to it's creator. And yet, it is the best attempt the people of earth have made to explore, if only in their minds, the awesome majesty, mystery and excitement of the universe that stretches out eternally from the earth into space... Not that she was aware of any of this as she strutted down the hallway with a determined stride. Sura Tekai, Jedi padawan, and recent disciple to the now-dead master Rhonn Kal'Ro, was on her way to meet with grand master Yoda of the Jedi Council.

But what is this? A rather untrustworthy-looking Duros! What is he doing in this low-ceilinged office? This is no place for the average spaceport rabble.

One might wonder how she would have felt if she had known that he was looking back at her and wondering why a "simple little padawhatsit" was here. He thought it was a strange thing to see. After all, this was General Yoda's old safehouse. Why would an other Jedi be here?

He asked her as much.

"I, if you must know, am here to speak to Grand Master Yoda, of the Jedi Order. I'm sure even your cantina-drags sort have heard of him?"

"Oh, sure, Yoda. Yeah, he called me too. You know he never made me wait for an audience before. I wonder why." The Duros sighed, and turned to look at the door back to the ship hangar. "I might go back out to the DMX-3148. It's got normal-sized ceilings."

Stooping, herself, to avoid injuring her sensitive lekku on the 4 foot ceilings in this otherwise luxuriant flat, Sura suppressed a giggle. She had never thought of such spaceport dregs as anything other than sullen drunks with chips on their shoulders.

This was the first step in what would be a very long and painful education that Sura's old master had not, in fact, been as factual in his views of the universe as she thought.

(It should be noted here that for some time, Sura had been struggling with the realization that her former, very conservative old Jedi Master had not, in fact, practiced the celibacy and stoicism he preached. Sura had refused another master since she discovered that Master Kal'Ro had, without her knowing, been married to a Grey Paladin (see excerpt post one) for years.)

At that moment, Yoda's voice filtered into the room: "Go, you must, to the storage room. If creativity you show, a special reward will you earn." ...cryptic as always.

The petite Twi'lek and the gangly Duros looked at one another and, as if by a silent cue, sprinted for the storage room door across the sitting room. Neither knew what sort of reward was meant, or even if they were the intended recipient of the message, but neither wanted to miss out. For some reason, it stood to reason that whoever figured out this odd little chore first would be the one rewarded.

The room, though, offered perhaps even less of a clue than Yoda had, even when Jad asked it "Now what!?" very loudly, perhaps fearing the room would be hard of hearing.

(Oh, by the way. The Duro's name is Jad. It's about time you readers were introduced to him.)

In one corner of the empty walk-in closet, there was an old Czerka Corp. storage crate. On the shelves and racks were a pair of new republic navy-issue E-11 blaster rifles that Jad grabbed up like they were the last sprinkled donuts at an office meeting. Otherwise, the shelves were filled with nothing but an old self-defense-style stun baton in the corner near the door.

Sura and Jad finally agreed, through the use of liberal yelling, that the chest was the challenge, for some reason.

Sura used a light nudge on Jad's subconscious to distract him with the old baton while she exerted all her Force skills trying to force the lid, jimmy the latch and even convince the molecules of metal to go their separate ways. Nothing was working.

Jad, however, had not been tricked out of contributing after all, as he grabbed up the stun baton, switched it on with the flick of his wrist and advanced on Sura and the chest purposefully.

Sura pulled out her green lightsaber, but didn't ignite it. She didn't sense danger, but she was still uncomfortable about the activated stun weapon moving towards her. She stepped as far from Jad's path as possible.

He didn't notice her at all, though. Jad was focused on the box, with it's old electronic locking mechanism. Sura caught on to what Jad was planning just as he swung the baton into the lock in a shower of sparks and the sizzle of fried circuitry. With a pop, the box opened.

They leaned in together, expecting some great reward or another clue, but they saw that it contained nothing but tiny, neatly-folded robes. It looked like Master Yoda's laundry! That made no sense.

It was Sura who finally noticed the little remote at the foot of the chest. Naturally, though, knowing that the test might also be to stay safe, she convinced Jad to pick it up. She felt a little disappointed when it failed to electrocute him.

Curious about the strange find, the two of them wandered back out into the hallway, discussing the device animatedly. Especially over the wisdom of trying the controls.

Luckily for them, it was at that moment that a light power surge through the grid caused all the lights to dim momentarily, and one wall to flicker.

Sura snatched the control from Jad's hand and, with a grin of triumph, thumbed the activator, dropping the holographic field disguising Grand Master Yoda's desk and city view.

Yoda smiled up at the two of them, serenely, from his meditation mat. "Figured it out, you did. I see."

"Yes master! I was able to open the chest." Sura had now convinced herself that the remote had somehow fallen out of the chest once it had been opened.

"Hmm, a part of the mission that was, but to solve it, unnecessary was that. Find the remote you did. The goal, that was. But!" He paused, savoring the look of uncertainty on his disciple's face, "Helpful it was to have my stuck laundry hamper opened."

"Now, your reward I must give. A ship it will be. Yes. A ship, a pilot, "at which he indicated the Duros, Jad, "and a mission."

"But Yoda," Jad said, showing what Sura considered a great deal of disrespect, "I opened the box, not the kid. how come she's getting the reward?"

A disconcerting distant look passed over Yoda's face as he looked at the duo for a moment, then spoke... "A reward for both, this is."

They looked at each other, then back at Yoda. Now there wasn't so much respect in their eyes as worry. It seemed Yoda must have lost his mind in the last 900 years. How could two beings so different possible feel rewarded from being crammed on a ship for who knows how long together.