The Homes of Young Master Hobgoblin.

[Hobgoblin]

"When call the Force does, answer you must. Answer not, and abandon destiny you will."
- saying attributed to Jedi Masters Yoda and Yaddle

######

Clickitclakit.

A small Mishando beetle clambered across the green rock, proboscis extended from it's proud horn in a search for food. It's brown wings fluttered briefly but it did not take off. Not yet.

The proboscis turned left and right, eventually settling back inside its niche on the horn. Satisfied that no food lay in its immediate vicinity, the beetle decided to explore the inside of a small nearby cave. It crept quietly up to the mouth of the cave and extended the proboscis inside. There was no food immediately nearby, only the smell of strange vines. The beetle decided to test a nearby vine, prodding it gently.

"ACHOO!"

Hob woke at his own sneeze, shaking his head. The small green being blinked, eventually coming to realize that yes, he was awake and yes, something had woken him. It took little effort to spot the cause of his wakening; the beetle now cowered on a nearby rock.

The quivering little beetle elicited a small, laughing sort of "Hm!" from Hob. "Hello, little one," he greeted it. "Enjoying your day, are you?"

The beetle gave no response as it did not understand Basic. Instead, it hunkered down, withdrawing its head into its shell under the assumption that because it could not see the giant green predator, the predator could no longer see it and it was now safe.

The behavior drew another "Hm!" laugh from Hob. He beamed at the simple-minded behavior of the small creature.

Brushing some of the detritus off his skin and clothing, Hob sat up. He took another look around his small dwelling just to ensure everything remained as he'd left it. It did; beetles notwithstanding few creatures had motivation to venture into the inside of a tree-trunk's hollow.

Hob then turned his attention onto the lily.

The lily bloomed a bright fiery orange color and it grew healthy and strong from a crude clay pot that sat beneath a hole in the tree trunk where outside light shone in. The pot itself looked mostly made of baked earth with a thin coat of glaze and a single metal handle that currently hung to one side. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the pot lay in the brilliant beauty of what it played home to.

Spying a tiny green leaf shoot growing from the dirt in the pot, Hob reached over and plucked it out. Quick examination revealed it as the beginnings of a weed. Hob frowned at it, then gently sat it next to where the beetle continued to play inanimate object.

Hob turned and looked at the large hole that played door to his makeshift home. He clambered up the inside of it, taking small delight in the similarities it shared with one of his past homes. It smelled wonderfully fragrant and earthy, it featured plenty of room, and the design contained many shapes, knots, and twists for both climbing and exercise. Yes, this little home was almost exactly like the old one, if maybe not as grand. Reaching the "door", Hob peeked out the tree trunk to see what he could see.

What he saw was the gray metal eye of a security camera beginning to twist towards his direction.

Hob ducked back down. So the other home had none of those.

From experience, Hob knew that the mechanical eye would sit and stare at his home for awhile. As he waited for the mechanical sounds of the camera to indicate when it looked away, Hob began to reminisce to pass the time.

######

80 years BBY. Office of the Continental Subsection Governor, Alla'Laan City, Ukio


"It is a great honor to grant our hospitality to you and your Padawan, Master Kuus'aj." the Subsection Governor inclined his head as a show of respect.

Jedi Master Fustan Kuus'aj returned the courteous nod. "We are thankful for the food and lodging the Ukian government has provided us these last few days," he stated formally, completing the minor ritual of greeting required of him. "It is much appreciated. Please rest assured, however, that my Padawan and I intend to earn our keep during our time stationed here. A year-long stay is far too much time for us to stay at your expense. My Padawan and I will be departing by week's end to begin our observation of the process by which Ukian growers contribute to the food supply of the Republic."

The Subsection Governor, a human named Kintell, nodded as he peered thoughtfully out his office window. "We are concerned of talk in the Senate that greater tariffs may soon be imposed. Ukio prides itself on being able to supply a multitude of planets with foodstuffs, and as the Overliege says, 'we would hate for the crucial service we provide our neighbors with to become no longer economically beneficial'."

"Fortunately, I have great hopes we will be able to prevent that," Master Kuus'aj assured him. "The findings we share will surely allow them to better understand that the inputs required for profitable growth of plant and animal foods are costly, and the unique structure of Ukian law as well as the talents of its growers contribute heavily to your ability to provide goods at the low cost you do."

Kintell smiled. "You speak my language, Master Kuus'aj," he said. "Truly the legendary diplomacy of the Jedi has great roots in fact."

The smile faded slightly from the subsection governor's face. "Actually," he said, his tone lightly reserved. "We have been getting reports of a... small problem that might be within your capability to deal with."

Kuus'aj smiled knowingly. People the galaxy over loved to prevail upon Jedi skills whenever they were available. "We would happily look into any issues you may be dealing with," he replied. "Any repayment we can offer, we will be glad to."

"Well, I don't know if it's worth your time," Kintell responded. "Apparently the local growers conclave of the Nekada Valley region have some kind of pest or wild animal problem. The descriptions vary so wildly that we haven't been able to make heads or tails out of what is actually going on. All we really know is that the conclave is extremely dissatisfied with our security force in the region and claiming it won't be able to meet the quarterly crop mandate."

"I'm fond of saying that good fortune is preparation meeting opportunity," Kuus'aj replied confidently. "Worry not, Subsection Governor. The Jedi will investigate your growers' concerns."

[Hobgoblin]

Teenage Padawan Rar Khee stared out the window of the hovertrain, watching field after field of food crop pass by beneath him in the blink of an eye. "This is an amazing system of transportation, Master."

Fustan looked up from the datapad he was reading. "Yes, Padawan," he remarked. "Yet it was created from necessity. Foodstuffs require mass transport to city distribution centers in order to get offplanet. However, the practice of growing plants and raising livestock creates terrain not easily crossed, especially where irrigation channels are placed. These hoverrail systems allow for the mass transit to run over cultivated land without disturbing or polluting it. In fact," Fustan held up the datapad. "According to this government financial assistance is partly based on where the trains run and what load they carry. The greater output based on shipments of inputs, the more money is sent."

"So the better they do with their resources, the more money they get to grow more crops." Rar turned from the window. "What do you expect to find, Master?"

His Master smiled at him. "A lot of corn. Fields of it."

Rar groaned. "No, I mean about the situation. The reports of creatures?"

"Ah, the situation," Fustan's brow furrowed as he gazed at the datapad, which Rar knew meant little answer would be forthcoming. "Nothing coherent is in any of these stories. Some claim a ten-foot Gammorrean lurks the nearby forests. Others place blame on the work of a savage pack of panthers. There are a few things that are consistent - apparently the crops are not doing as well as they should be and at some point an irrigation digger went missing - but no one really knows anything."

Rar nodded. At least his Master hadn't gotten completely inscrutible this time. He probably didn't think it would be too much hassle, whatever "it" was. "I'm sure we'll put down whatever rogue beast is causing trouble and restore order quickly."

Fustan's head swung sharply away from the datapad. "Rar, I hope I have taught you better than to ignore the rights of all beings that are part of the Living Force."

Rar winced at the rebuke. "Yes Master," he said and began reciting his lessons. "All beings have a right to exist. The Jedi exist to preserve that right and to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Therefore, a Jedi must act with compassion and fairness towards both the many and the few."

"To do otherwise is to allow the spread of Darkness," Fustan finished for him. "Just because there may be a rogue animal on the loose does not mean our first priority is to put it down. There could simply be a mother fenbird protecting her young, and it would be much better for the ecology to move them to an area where they will cause no harm than to kill them."

Rar nodded, too chastised to speak immediately. "Master," he finally said. "What if it's not an animal?"

Fustan's brow furrowed again and he tossed his datapad onto the seat beside Rar's. "That, my young Padawan, is a bridge we will cross when we arrive at it. Until then, I suggest you learn about the region as much as possible so that you will be better prepared to tell if a human saboteur is at work."

[Hobgoblin]

The Nekada Valley Growers Conclave turned out to be a fairly large village or small town depending on how one defined them. Fustan Kuus'aj defined it as "big enough that everyone knows someone but not everyone knows everyone."

So far, per his agreement with the Subsection Governor, the presence of himself and his Padawan was unannounced. The mild anonymity provided them by the population size would support that.

The Jedi could see the town approaching from the distance and could make out several large buildings. The entire town architecture resembled mixtures of factories and greenhouses, though Fustan sincerely doubted every last building in the area supported the task of growing, storing, and shipping foodstuffs. The design elements probably crept their way into the town architecture over the course of years and now the townsfolk simply thought of them as features in addition to functions.

"Grab your things, Rar," Fustan said, turning from the window. "We'll be arriving in a few moments. And remember, we don't want to be noticed right now. I'm your uncle and we're here trying to find work."

It was almost the truth, anyway.

Rar busied himself with gathering the knapsack and a few pieces of technology they’d used for research, and Fustan did similar. Try as he might, though, Fustan could not shake his Padawan's notion of sabotage from his mind.

######

Five minutes later, they had reached the Nekada station. At first they were not allowed to disembark; various crews all ran into place to begin locking down the train for on- and off-loading and passengers leaving the train would just get in the way of that. It took the better part of ten minutes for things to subside, at which point the two Jedi were permitted to leave the train. Rar swung down off the train onto a loading dock to be interrupted by Fustan's cautioning hand. "Wait here a moment," the elder Jedi said. "I'm going to ask for a few directions."

Rar watched his Master stride off, absently glancing around. Towards the back of the train, some liquid storage trucks were draining a tanker of whatever it held, which looked to be some purple substance. A little farther up giant bales of whispergrass were being secured into storage containers. Several cargo speeders loaded with corn waited their turn to hand over the goods they carried for transport.

"Hi there!" a cheerful voice suddenly spoke up from behind Rar and he spun to find a male human, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties, offering a hand in greeting. "Welcome to Nekada!"

Rar smiled and accepted the hand. "Thanks. Have no idea how long I'll be here though. Depends on if there's work to be had."

The youth laughed. "I'm sure there will be. I'm from nearby Firndal and I can tell you this place has quite the reputation for being productive. I'm sure they'll need some help somewhere."

Rar nodded. "Rar Khee," he introduced himself. "What brings you out this way then?"

"Fineas Garood," the other responded with a grin and thumbed over his shoulder. "I drive the train. Call me a Foodstuff Locomotor Engineer like the stuffed shirts over at Ukio PlanGov and I'll bust your lip."

Rar smiled; he'd caught that the phonetic acronym for the train driver's position was 'flea'. The young man's easy manner made him very likeable. "You come here often?"

Fineas did an odd combination of a shrug and a nod which Rar interpreted to mean there wasn't a real answer to the question. "Depends. I'm going to be here on temporary assignment for about three or four days while the Growers' Exchange goes on. Then I go back to train driving."

"What's the Grower's Exchange?"

Fineas cocked his head. "You must be from offplanet to not know about the Exchange."

"Actually, yeah. My uncle and I are from Nubia, but our land got bought by Nubia Star Drives - lotta people's land did this past year. And a farmer with no land to work doesn't make much money, or stay fed."

Fineas 'ahhhh'ed. "The Exchange is what it sounds like. Buncha people exchanging the foodstuffs they grow with other people's foodstuffs. Got corn? There'll be people who have fish and peppers to trade so you don't eat corn all year long."

"Ohhh," Rar said. "So it's like the Swap Meet back home, pretty much."

"Guess so," Fineas grinned sheepishly. "Never been off planet myself. I hope to one day though. I've got a young son- Desi- and to him starships are just the coolest things ever. I kinda want to own a starship just so I can give him rides and make him go 'wow'."

"Rar!" Fustan's voice rang out. Searching for his Master, he found him beckoning from off the train's platform. "I've got a line on a place to stay! Let's go!"

"Gotta go!" Rar said. "Good to meet you Fineas. I'll see you around I guess!"

"Take care, Rar," Fineas waved. "And if you run into him, don't let old Sheriff Seargant Wades give you guff! He's a sour lemon if I've ever met one!"

Rar crossed the platform to where Fustan stood. "Made a friend?" his Master asked.

"Seems like," Rar smiled. "His name's Fineas Garood. He drives the train, and he'll be in town for the Growers' Exchange."

Fustan nodded, his mind clearly elsewhere. "I'm sure we'll run into him later then. For now, I've worked out lodging. We need to go unpack our things and visit the Sheriff Seargant."

Rar blinked. "Sheriff Seargant Wades?"

Fustan looked to his Padawan, clearly surprised Rar knew the name. "Yes. Why?"

Rar gestured behind him. "Fineas says he's a sour lemon."

Fustan smiled. "I guess we'll find out for ourselves then."