Luke and Leia - Rebels [2]

20: Rude Introductions

Luke jolted awake as the X-Wing slowed dramatically and Artoo informed him that they had dropped out of hyperspace. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and sat up straight, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck slightly. Now that Dagobah loomed in front of him, the young Jedi was suddenly struck with a bundle of nerves. What if Leia was right in her doubts? What if this was a wild bantha chase and a Jedi Master named Yoda didn't even exist? Or even worse, what if he did exist but didn't think Luke was worthy of training?

Artoo warbled a question, one that Luke read out on the screen and answered. "Yes, that's it. Dagobah."

The astromech inquired something hopefully, and Luke chuckled. "No, I'm not going to change my mind about this." He responded while scanning the planetary reader with a light frown, his nerves increasing. "I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive lifeform readings, though. There's something alive down there."

After a few moments Artoo responded, this response being a bit more hesitant than the others. Luke chuckled again. "Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids."

It didn't take long for the small ship to enter the atmosphere, the thick air making for a slightly bumpy transition. Artoo's head swiveled to and fro anxiously as Luke slid the ship into the atmosphere with as much skill and ease as he could muster. Nevertheless, sweat broke out on Luke's brow as the X-Wing shifted and swerved and jostled while struggling to adjust. The cloud coverage was so thick Luke couldn't see anything outside the cockpit except for a musty-looking white fog; he was absolutely blind. An alarm started buzzing inside the cockpit, but to Luke's preoccupied and increasingly frazzled brain it sounded muffled and far away.

"I know, I know!" He responded to Artoo's frantic beeping. "All the scopes are dead, I can't see a thing. Just hang on, I'm going to start the landing cycle..."

The retrorockets blasted awake under the X-Wing as Luke quickly began the cycle, adding yet another rocky rustle to the already nauseatingly violent landing. A sound similar to tree branches snapping was followed by a jarring halt that left Luke breathless and blinking, needing a moment as his senses caught back up to him. Once he was relatively settled he blew out a long breath and popped the cockpit open to look around hesitantly. A rush of frustration and helplessness came to him as he realized the entire ship was underground or embedded in whatever it had landed in, and he quickly undid his helmet and slapped his gloves on the dash with a scowl.

The fog didn't let up once Luke and Artoo exited the ship, with Luke stepping out onto the barely visible nose of the X-Wing while Artoo popped out of the back. In the distance Luke could make out some formidable looking vines and trees, while the wetness in his boots signified he'd landed in a bog of some sort. The waterlogged smell and humidity didn't do much to hide that fact either.

Artoo whistled anxiously, swiveling his head around as he surveyed their immediate surroundings. "No Artoo, you stay put." Luke responded grumpily. "I'll have a look around."

The astromech let out a short beep of compliance, and Luke started to make his way towards the end of the ship when he felt a large push move it. He stumbled and managed to regain his balance, but his stomach dropped as he heard a loud whistle and he whipped around just in time to see a splash. "Artoo?"

Luke leaned over the edge of the ship, frantically looking for his friend with all traces of anger forgotten. "Artoo!" He called again. "Where are you?"

His stomach sank even lower as the water stilled, with no sign of the droid. "Artoo!"

Suddenly a small periscope ejected from the water, swiveling until the camera rested on Luke. The young Jedi sighed in relief, then gave Artoo a chastising glare. "You be more careful."