Kijani squeezed Adam's hand and exhaled deeply. "Right. There's always another path." Sometimes, she felt like Adam was a rock in a storm. Someone worth holding onto. He was her friend and teacher, but she'd not given thought to what her own heart felt about him, yet. Too much to do, too many people to manage. A Rebellion to run. It was hard to find space for even the thought of relationships.

Kijani looked out the ship window as they breached the atmosphere and not much seemed to change. It was foggy, and gray, and looked dismal. "...had I known that Dagobah looked like this, I would have brought a sun lamp..." But no, they had traveled very light. Adam had explained how simple Jedi used to live in the past, and that they should try to replicate that while training. To say that it was an adjustment for Kijani was understating things. She did not like it. But - if it meant becoming a Jedi, she would deal.

"There. I think that's a good patch of ground." There was a clearing in the thick mist, and what looked like solid ground beneath. "Maybe put the ship down there?"

Adam looked where Kijani was pointing. Sure enough, there was a patch of ground that looked like it could be big enough for the U-wing. If only just...

"Right. Hold on." Adam said as he brought the ship down. Of all his newly acquired skill as a pilot, Adam still had a little trouble with landing. It required the right enough of finesse and pressure on the controls, otherwise the ship could nosedive and crash into the ground. As the ship came down low, he made sure to retract the wings back into the forward position. Space was limited as it was.

"Another happy landing."Adam said as the ship touched down. Once he was satisfied that it wasn't going to sink into the muck of the swamp, he shut off the engines and made his way outside. Much to his surprise, Dagobah was even more of a miserable craphole then Adam first realized. It smelled terrible, everything was damp and the air was so humid, Adam nearly choked.

There was something else, too. In spite of the warm air, Adam felt the familiar cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. "This place is strong with the Dark Side." Adam said aloud. "A Jedi Master would have to be desperate to come here."

Kijani exhaled a held breath as they made a successful landing. While she trusted Adam with her life, she didn’t like for that trust to be put to the test every time she flew with him. “Good job, Adam.” She tried her best not to look too relieved. After all – she didn’t have the skill to be a pilot, so she couldn’t complain too much.

Once they got outside, however, her mood changed. For lack of a better word, she deflated. “We’re going to train… here?” It was dank, and hot, and smelled like… well, she wasn’t sure exactly what that smell was, but she had a feeling she’d never forget it. Her stomach twisted as well, but she wasn’t sure if that was just nausea rather than feeling out the Dark Side.

“...well, I’m going to officially say it. I don’t like it here.” She could feel her whole body keeping taut, on edge for any potential danger. So far there were nothing but plants and unknown fauna to deal with.

“So – where are we finding this Jedi Master?” Better to get moving, lest she become even more disappointed.

"Good question." Adam said as he scanned the swamp. "He could be anywhere, and we don't even know where to start."

Adam saw the single sun of Dagobah begin descending into the clouds. "Maybe we should set up camp for now and start our search in the morning. If the swamp is anything to judge by, this planet wouldn't surprise me if it had giant man-eating plants or water snakes the size of Banthas."

The young jedi began unloading the camping gear he had packed out from the back of the U-Wing. He wasn't really sure what to expect from Dagobah, but he knew it was going to be wet, so he tried to get as much water-resistant stuff as he could find. By the time the sun had vanished and night fell over the swamp, the tent and heat lamp was set up. Adam decided that starting a real fire was too dangerous, as the smoke and smell might attract animals. Not that anything was dry enough to be used for kindling, anyway.

Finished with the camp, Adam cracked open a field ration pack. Thankfully, none of the swamp smell got into the food, and Adam took a piece before passing it off to Kijani.

"There is something about this place, you know? Sure it smells, but I think I can see why a Jedi would come here. It's not like Tatooine. Everything here feels... I don't know, alive?" Adam said trying to find the right words.

Kijani smacked the back of her neck, feeling a bug squish beneath her fingers. There was already a bump rising there. “Oh, it’s alive, alright.” She wiped her hand gingerly on her pants, before taking the ration pack and grabbing a piece. She didn’t want to complain, but this trip was not off to a good start.

“I will admit, I feel the Force all around us. Animals, plants… even the water itself, somehow. It’s almost overwhelming.” In her six months of training, Kijani’s senses had opened up wide. Her sensitivity had turned into power, and she was getting better by the day. The meditation was nice, the battle training was exciting. She was still working on some of her Force abilities. Her mind tricks came easy, even though she felt guilty about having to try them on friends and family. Moving things had been trickier, but she was getting a handle on it. But try as she might, she hadn’t been able to replicate the massive Force Push she’d displayed on the Death Star. A large part of her knew why. Fear had fueled her – and Adam had taught that fear was a path to the Dark Side. Had she been tapping into that, without meaning to?

She nibbled at her food for a while, before sighing and leaning toward the heat lamp. It was getting cold. “What do you think the Master will start us with? I feel like I have a lot to learn, but I don’t know what it is.”

"Well, maybe you'll impress the master so much, that they'll ask you to teach them?" Adam said, jokingly. In truth, Adam didn't know what to expect from this master. All he had was the name *Yoda*.

"Very loud you are. Scaring away all the animals you are." said a voice from inside their camp. Adam reached for his lightsaber and turned to face the threat. To his surprise, it was a short green being wearing a grey robe.

"Here I wonder why you are." said the strange green fellow. "Looking for someone?" Adam looked to Kijani, a little confused and unsure if they should trust this weirdo. Still, he decided that maybe being polite to this being might point them in the right direction.

"Um, yea. We're looking for a Jedi Master." Adam said.

Kijani had a hand on her lightsaber as well, head whipping around for the source of the voice. It took her a moment to look down. "Yes, we're looking for Master Yoda. Heard of him?" This planet was big, but so full of isolated places that she was certain this line of questioning would lead them nowhere. After all, if a Jedi didn't want to be found, they could probably make it easy.

"If you don't, that's fine. We'll be out of your way by tomorrow, and not scaring away any more animals." Something about this was very strange. How could this being be so silent as to sneak up on them both? Sure they were relaxed a bit, but neither of them were so relaxed that they would stop paying attention to their surroundings. So how?

The little creature chuckled. "Master yoda, I know! Close, he is!" He said as he stepped down from his perch and walked up to Adam and Kijani. He really was short. Like, almost a toddler, and it was hard for Adam to take him seriously. Still, he didn't want to be rude to this creature whatever he was.

"Can you take us to him? We desperately need his help." Adam said. Who knows how long this being had been on Dagobah, or even if he had any knowledge of what was going on in the rest of the galaxy.

"Help you, I will. But first, come to my home. Better food than you have brought, you will eat." The creature said as he pointed his stick into the swamp. Off in the distance, Adam could see what looked like a small hut made of clay and wood. As much as he wanted to press how badly they needed to find Master Yoda, the idea of any food better than their ration packs was very tempting.

He turned to Kijani. "I think we can trust him, but you're the diplomat here. What do you think?"

"Trust is earned, Adam." Kijani did not quite trust the creature, but she didn't think he was a threat either. "Still, it's rude to turn down a freely given invitation. And a meal." Her eyes flickered to the unappetizing ration in her hand. "Let's go."

With a smile, Kijani stood up. She had to crane her neck to look down at the small creature. "That's a gracious offer. We would love to accompany you to dinner." She made a gesture that signaled for the creature to go ahead. "Please, lead the way."

"Mm, yes! Eat good, you will." The creature toddled off into the swamp, and the two young Jedi followed. It took longer than Kijani thought to get to the little hut. For one thing, they couldn't travel in a straight line. There were hidden patches of deep water in the way, tangling vines and thorns, and at one point she could swear some creature was watching her.

Still, there would be delicious food. Or so she hoped.

Adan was surprised to find that the little creature was surprisingly quick, navigating the pitfalls and puddles much faster than Adam could even see. Fortunately, Adam slipped only once into a deep puddle. "I hope Master Yoda didn't see that. he thought to himself.

When the trio finally reached the inside of the creatures modest hut, Adam was surprised by how warm it was compared to the rest of Dagobah. It was small, of course, but Adam could see that there was more than enough room for the creature to live comfortably. There was even a lit fireplace with a bubbling pot already on.

The young Jedi tried to find a seat, but realized that he could really only sit on the floor. "So what's your story, friend?" Adam asked the creature. "Are you a friend of Master Yoda?"

"Know Master Yoda well, I do." The creature said as the two young Jedi settled in.

Kijani was settled on the floor near Adam, trying to maintain some elegance as she did so. It was hard to be a princess on the floor of a hut, but she was certainly doing her best.

"Can you take us to him, please?"

The creature wandered over to the pot and lifted the lid, giving it a good few stirs with a wooden spoon. A delicious scent started to waft through the small hut. "In time. Eat first, you must."

"But-" Kijani was about to protest, when her stomach let out a very loud and unladylike grumble. She could feel her face heat with embarrassment, and chuckled softly. "Nevermind. I see your point. I guess we should eat. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Too kind, you are." The creature swiftly started to take down bowls from their small cabinet, and soon had 3 steaming bowls of soup for each of them."

"Eat! Eat, yes. Be strong, young Jedi must."

Kijani smiled politely, but wasted no time digging in. There were vegetables akin to potatoes and mushrooms, and something juicy and sort of rubbery. What was that? She lifted up her spoon, squinted in the firelight, and went very still.

"That is a slug. In my bowl. On my spoon."

The creature chortled in a pleased way. "Dagobah wood slug! Full of protein, they are."

Adam gently nudged his own bowl of sludge and found that he too had some sort of bug in his food. He looked to Kijani and shrugged. This might have been a bad idea, but if they were going to find Master Yoda, then they needed to play nice.

The young jedi took a mouth full of stew, slug included. It tasted... slightly better than expected, but it still felt like he was swallowing a ball of snot. He ate the rest of the stew quickly, hoping that the taste would improve. When he was done, he put his bowl down.

"Is Master Yoda far from here?" he asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"No." the creature said. "Very close he is, young Skywalker." Adam leaned back and rested his hand back on his lightsaber. "I don't seem to remember giving you my name, friend."

Kijani also tensed when she heard this strange creature speak Adam’s name. It was true that neither of them had given their names. Was this creature some kind of Imperial spy?

But then she had a thought. An instinct, almost. She stared the creature in its eyes, searching for the truth. There was a clarity there that she hadn’t taken notice of before.

“Wait a minute.” She ran over everything in her head that the creature had said, and came to just one conclusion. “You’re Master Yoda. Aren’t you?”

The creature let out a laugh. “Wise, young Princess Organa is.” He seemed to be more steady with the walking stick now, as he approached them both. “Master Yoda, I am. Felt you both arrive through the Force, I did.”

Kijani sighed with relief. She wasn’t sure what they would have done if she was wrong. “Master Yoda, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled a bit. “I can figure how you know me, but… how do you know his name?” Sometimes it sucked being famous. You could never keep a secret.

Adam took his hand off of his lightsaber hilt, but still eyed "Yoda" with suspicion. Adam could feel that he was strong in the Force, but how could they know he was the real deal.

"Like your father, you look." Yoda said to Adam. "A Jedi to see that, I don't need to be."

"So you knew him, then?" Adam said, leaning forward. He was eager for more information about his father.

"Strong in the Force, he was. As are you." Yoda said, gesturing to Kijani. "You're training will begin tomorrow." With that, Yoda got up from his seat and went to his bed.

"Late the hour is, and sleep you should, princess." It took Adam a moment to realize that the master made no mention of him.

"What about me? You're training both of us right?"

Yoda sighed and looked to Adam. "You will not be trained by me." he said, as if talking to a child.

Kijani raised her eyebrows as Yoda said that Adam would not be trained. "But - we came all of this way. Both of us, just for your training. Why won't you train Adam?" She was very confused.

Yoda looked to Kijani. "Trained, Adam is. Practice and application, Adam needs. Sleep, I need." And he shuffled off to his bed, leaving the two to their own devices.

"...I guess that's that. Apparently you don't need a teacher anymore, Adam." She wasn't surprised. Adam was an excellent Jedi, in her (admittedly limited) opinion. "That's good, isn't it? And he knew your father. Maybe you can get some stories out of him." Adam had mentioned his father before, but they didn't really talk about it. The death of Kijani's mother, and planet, was like an open wound some days. It was just a tough subject all around.

"I guess... we should sleep outside." Luckily, they had dismantled and taken the tent. "It's too cramped in here, I think."

Adam shrugged, still confused by Yoda's words. "I mean, there is some room on the ship if you want a little privacy. I don't mind setting up camp." Just what the hell did he mean by "application"?

As they spoke, Artoo waddled up to the pair of young Jedi, beeping frantically. After a moment, he stood still and emitted a holo-projection at the ground between them. It looked to be a miniature version of Bail Organa.

"Hello, children." he said to the two Jedi. "I hope I am not interrupting your training."

Kijani shook her head. "If I'm going to learn to be a real Jedi, I'd better get used to sleeping in some less comfortable spaces. I'll take the tent. Just... remind me how to put it up, again?"

Then Artoo came up, and she felt a distinct jolt of panic. What could it be now? They had only just gotten here, would they have to leave? She relaxed a bit when she saw it was just her father.

"Hello Father!" Kijani smiled broadly. "You haven't interrupted anything. Training starts tomorrow. We're just settling in for the night." She gave him a quick rundown of events, but left out the part where Adam would technically not be training with her. "Have we missed anything important?"

"Adam," said the hologram. "Would you kindly let me talk to my daughter in private?"

Adam's first instinct was to say no, but he honestly didn't feel like arguing anymore, so he just shrugged. "That's fine. I'll go set up your tent, okay?" Adam told Kijani as before walking back to their ship. Bail Organa turned to his daughter, expression completely serious. He took a deep breath before speaking as if he knew this would be hard to say.

"I've been negotiating with a few of the seditious senators for sometime now, and I may have struck up a valuable alliance. You know House Veruna of Naboo? Well, their youngest son, Eskel, has just been elected to the throne. He has been very outspoken in his defiance of the Empire."

After a short pause while Bail collected himself, he continued. "He has agreed to help throw his support behind the Alliance... in exchange for your hand in marriage."

“I see.”

Kijani did not react with much surprise. She had been getting proposals (formal and otherwise) since she’d been about 16. Some were taken more seriously than others, and while she knew eventually she’d have to marry and produce an heir, it had been the furthest thing in her mind. Even further now that she no longer had a planet to call home. Even her parents had been an arranged match, although they did love each other.

“I’m pleased that this Eskel has got the courage to speak out against the Empire. That’s dangerous talk, nowadays, especially for one in his position.” The whole sector knew what had happened to Alderaan. Some had pulled support for the Rebel Alliance because of it. Whether it was out of fear or sheer pragmatism, Kijani would never know.

“However, I am curious – I’m essentially a figurehead now. Does he know I’m more married to running the Alliance and this new Jedi training than anything else?” There was the tiniest of joking smiles on her face. It was true that she was less powerful without Alderaan as a home, and a bargaining chip. But having a united military behind her was no small feat. Maybe that was the game at play here – and with people of her rank, there was always a game.

“Oh well. Give him a noncommittal answer and send me his information, and I’ll look it over.” She honestly didn’t feel one way or another. If she knew more about the man, she'd be able to make a more informed decision.

"I know this isn't what you wanted, but think of all the good this could do for the cause. With the funding from Naboo, we could fight the Empire on nearly equal terms." Bail said before taking a deep breath. "I appreciate that you are going to at least think it over. House Veruna isn't expecting an answer right away, so you have some time. Please, contact me again soon."

With that, Bail Organa shut off his communicator. Adam walked back in, wiping his hands on his tunic. "Tents all set up. Did I miss anything?"