[Galaxy Of Fear] - 12(28)

“He told me,” Tash said, “absolutely nothing.”

Zak’s face fell. “What?”

“Nothing,” Tash said again. “We talked about the Force a little, but mostly he told me about Dagobah, and the plants and animals that are on it. He told me how the Children had survived, and what they needed to learn. But he didn’t teach me anything about being a Jedi.”

“Then why?” Zak asked Yoda. “Why did you ask her to stay with you?”

Yoda put a gentle hand on Zak’s arm. “A chance, you needed. To do something for yourself.”

Tash shrugged. “He told me he wanted you to go back to the village alone, to see this through without me. And without Uncle Hoole.”

“A step, you have taken,” Yoda said to Zak. “You need not be the best at everything to succeed at some things. This is as it was meant to be.”

“You speak as though all this was planned,” Hoole said.

Yoda looked at Hoole as though he, too, were a child. “The Force moves us all along our paths.”

Zak shook his head. “Well, our path has been pretty crazy lately. I wish we could find someplace to settle down for a while.”

“Yoda,” Tash asked nervously, “could we … could we stay here? I want to learn to be a Jedi. Can you teach me?”

The Jedi Master looked up and away for a moment, as if seeing through the trees, out into the sky and the stars beyond. “That is not my destiny. Another student comes. Await him, I must.”

“But will I ever learn?” Tash asked desperately.

“While the Emperor lives, no,” Yoda said. “But the future is hard to see. The time may come. For both of you.”

“Both of us?” Tash asked.

“Both?” Zak repeated.

“The Force connects you. Together will you grow. The path chosen for you has been dark.” He looked meaningfully at Zak. “But remember the cave. Even in the dark, the Force will always be with you.”