"We won't be able to move these lizards without taking the forests with us," Ultron finished his scans of a ysalamiri. "It will have to wait until we've completed the construction of a larger vessel."

"I figured as much," Dan sighed. "But at least May has her new pets..."

Ultron's drones had scoured the jungle for the wolf-cats, a fine haul of over three dozen. The creatures had value beyond just their cute features, the perfect guards against force users. They could detect them from miles away, no matter how well they hid.

"These Vornskrs are so adorable," May squeezed an unconscious beast like a stuffed animal. "We should breed them to be smaller!"

"I'm sure Jor-El can whip something up in the genesis chamber," Dan laughed. "Now let's get out of here and claim the quest reward!"

Myrkr was the tenth stop, enough to get the bonus! He'd rushed the trip into a collage of worlds, his loot itch on overdrive. The system had always over-delivered, so a bonus was something to look forward to.

The group retreated to the scout ship and climbed into space. The viewport filled with stars, more than Dan had ever seen in his past life.

"Go ahead," May urged. "Finish the quest!"

System, I'd like to get my quest reward, please, and thank you!

"Planets visited are insufficient for bonus reward, are you certain you wish to claim the regular reward?"

"Insufficient..."

"Correct, you have visited nine planets, and one moon." The system's voice mocked him. "One planet remains to collect bonus rewards."

"A moon?" Dan's eyes narrowed. "You don't mean Endor?"

"Correct! Endor is not a planet, but you still have two days to finish the quest."

"What's wrong?" May poked his nose. "A glitch?"

"No," Dan wrapped her in a hug. "Just a technicality, we've got one more stop to make before the quest is done."

Stolen story; please report.

"Count me out of this one," May pecked his cheek. "I want to head home and start organizing the new animals."

"Alright," Dan laughed. "We'll drop you and Merlyn off, along with his ward and the new pets. Then, I'm off to a filthy swamp!"

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"Why do you want me to make a base on this... bog-world?"

Ultron squinted at the sensors. The planet below had nothing but humid expanses of shallow water, choked with plants.

"It probably won't matter, but this place has some future-historical importance," Dan shrugged. "If things change, it can be a fallback location for emergencies."

"I'm detecting human life signs..." Ultron's eyes flickered. "Two groups, separated by a good distance, with another pair a few miles away from them and closing."

"Odd," Dan leaned in. "This place has intelligent locals, but they're not humans... bring us down next to the largest group."

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"The transponder leads this way, Master Kast!"

His red-haired padawan scampered through the dense swamp, unconcerned with the various predators. Jedi Master Kast Fulier shook his head.

“Be careful, young Etain," His feet carried him to the girl's side in a single push. "The force protects you, but you must also protect yourself."

He waved a hand, a ripple of force energy that pushed aside a hidden serpent. The creature targeted his apprentice, its intent masked by the general hostility of the world.

"I know, Master," Etain furrowed her brow. "But the survey team is in danger, if we don't hurry then people could die!"

"If we rush blindly, every member of the team will be lost," Kast rubbed the girl's head. "This is your first mission, it's natural to be excited."

"I just want to help," Etain frowned. "But you're right, if we die, then no one can save them!"

"Exactly," Kast nodded. "Now let's go, at a measured pace!"

The two Jedi darted through the trees, just as quickly as before, but with the Master in the lead. He ignored his own words and let the force guide his hands. Dozens of ruffled serpents and lizards fell to the earth, stunned into submission.

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"This place stinks..."

Even through his suit's filters, the air of the swamp-covered world lodged deep in his nose. Rot and mildew, with the hint of animal waste to top everything off.

"I wouldn't know," Ultron smirked, his thrusters active to keep him above the mashy surface. "The group of humans is this way."

The A.I. casually blasted a hole in a large alligator thing, which lept from the water ahead. Huddled on an island a few meters away, a group of people gaped in confusion.

"I can see that," Dan rolled his eyes and landed in front of the ragged gathering. "What are you guys doing on Dagobah?"

A balding fellow who looked like a clerk stumbled forward, supported by a serious-faced woman. He rubbed his eyes as he stared at Ultron, as if he was lost in a dream.

"We... our ship sank into the swamp," He managed to say. "The captain is dead..."

"We are a Republic survey team," The woman stepped up. "This planet was scheduled for a more detailed investigation, but we overestimated the land stability."

"This is a terrible place to land a ship," Dan nodded. "We had to leave our vessel in hover mode."

"You have a ship?" The man hobbled up to Dan's knees. "Is it large enough for us to board?"

"Of course," Dan leaned away from the filth-covered man. "We've also got showers..."

"Sorry," The woman pulled her companion back. "We've lost a person an hour, ever since the ship sank... we're all on edge."

"No worries," Dan waved to Ultron. "Get some drones to help these people onto the ship and watch over them, we'll gather up the other two groups and then get out of here."

"Very well," Ultron nodded. "I've also found a good place for a base, the only mountain on this fungal growth of a planet."

"Great," Dan ignored the A.I. 's judgments of the world. "I also want you to study the local plants, some of them should have value."

Dagobah had a reputation for rare herbal medicine. If Ultron was here anyway, he might as well categorize anything useful.

"Fine..." Ultron turned to face the east. "The pair of humans are closing in on our position, far faster than someone on foot should be able to travel."