The first time Obi-Wan Kenobi met Juliet, he didn't think much about
her. She had been nine, at the time. She had a typical haircut of a male
Jedi apprentice, but her face was very feminine. Of course, the only thing
the Obi-Wan had been thinking was 'Ow!'
Juliet had stood up and brushed herself off, having fallen on the ground. She picked up the datasheets she'd dropped, and muttered to herself angrily. "Sorry," she said, "I wasn't paying a lot of attention to where I was going."
"No, you weren't, and that's a very dangerous idea. You could be seriously injured doing a thing like that."
Juliet wasn't one to make excuses, but this one had to be made. "Well, I had to get to class. I'd been researching some stuff, and I needed to get my data to my quarters before class. It was interesting research, and I lost track of the time."
"What were you researching?" asked Obi-Wan.
"The Lost 20. Only I found some information about a boy who'd left the order for a short time, then rejoined it, and I was really interested."
Obi-Wan suddenly felt nervous. "Why-why did this person leave?"
"He found a cause he thought was greater."
Obi-Wan became even more nervous. She was talking about him!
The girl didn't notice this, and she continued, "Actually, he'd be about your age. Did you know a person called--" she checked her information- -"Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"Yes, I did know him. I knew him very well, in fact." Obi-Wan knew he couldn't lie, but he could evade certain truths.
"Really? Do you know why he left? All it said in the Temple's data- bases was that he found a cause he thought was greater."
"Yes, I know why he left. He found a planet in civil war called Melida/Daan. He got to know some of the people there, and he left to fight with them. But don't judge him. He didn't fully understand what he was doing, or about war."
"I think he was noble, if a little impulsive. Why did he come back?"
"He learned that things were not as they seemed."
Juliet understood completely. She knew that she, too, would learn this lesson, and that it was rarely an easy lesson to learn. She hoped she would not have to take such drastic measures to learn it. Just as Juliet was beginning to say something, Qui-Gon Jinn, who had been Obi-Wan's Master at the time, came up to them, looking for Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan, you're late," Qui-Gon said. Juliet's eyes widened.
"You're Obi-Wan Kenobi?" she asked, amazed that she had just had a conversation about a person without knowing she was talking to him. Obi-Wan had no idea whom to answer first.
Finally, he said, "I'm sorry I was late, Master. I was talking to this student about Melida/Daan." He turned to Juliet. "Yes, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. And shouldn't you be in class?"
"Oh, no! Now I'm really late!" She took off running. Obi-Wan didn't bother to tell her to slow down.
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Over the course of a year, Obi-Wan got to know Juliet a lot better. He also knew her addiction to trouble. Juliet would do the strangest things for reasons nobody could understand. In time, he would understand.
Possibly the most memorable of Juliet's escapades was the butterfly ball. That is an origami structure made of a number of small pieces. When one finishes it, one throws it in the air and hits it. The ball explodes into tiny pieces. Juliet, having heard of this, made her own butterfly ball, a module of 50 pieces. When a small crowd had gathered, she went to the top of the waterfall in the Room of A Thousand Fountains, threw the ball in the air, and bam!
50 tiny sheets of paper, looking like 50 butterflies, floated down and landed in the lake. The effect was magical. It was like there were butterflies fluttering down. For a minute or so, the Temple was more alive than ever. Juliet stood in the stream, the current tugging at her legs, loving the happiness she had brought. Of course, Mace Windu did think the same thing.
It wasn't anger that drove her to do it. It was instead the look on the faces of her fellow students, ranging from four to twelve. She had never seen them so happy. Seven days passed after the butterfly ball incident. Juliet spent most of her time in meditation, as was assigned to her for the incident. However, after seven days, Juliet was back.
As soon as Juliet entered the Room of a Thousand Fountains, students saw what she had with her. Soon, a rather large crowd had gathered. Juliet stood at the top of the waterfall again. She looked down, and waved. Then, as her form was blurred by a false sun, she let fly the hundred butterflies she had worked into the model.
This time, she had rubbed soap onto the papers.
"Why did you do this?" asked Mace Windu, a bit ticked off.
"I did this because I saw how happy the students were the first time. I wanted to try it--just once more." Juliet replied.
"To make people happy?"
"Yes, Master. To make people happy."
"What makes this your job, hmm?" Yoda asked. "Why in your hands the happiness of the students is?"
"I found it to be my task because it was a task I could handle, and if, five years from now my story is passed on as that of a crazy child, then it's okay. It's great, in fact, because people will laugh at me and they will be happy. And if, tonight, one child goes to sleep thinking of a hundred butterflies, then it was worth it even more."
Another story of Juliet is one that would give her no name, as the butterfly ball had. A tradition at the Jedi Temple was that of Sith. On certain nights, children would sneak out of their rooms to listen to tales of the Sith, dark warriors. Juliet's generation was no exception. However, Juliet had some tales that were slightly different.
It would soon become well known that if anybody wanted to hear a truly brilliant tale, they'd come to the waterfall every sixth night. There, tales would be told of hobbits and rings, of kings and wizards, of strange little boys called Harry Potter, or bears called Pooh. And they would be told by Juliet.
Generations later, these tales would be told. Juliet would not be mentioned, and the stories would change a little. Nobody cared. Everybody loved them.
It was Juliet who brought the Temple basketball. The idea was that, since the students often had free time, there would be another option for what to do. Juliet really thought that it seemed fun, so she strung some baskets from trees and scrounged a ball. The students remembered Juliet, and were more than willing to learn.
Two weeks later, after Juliet had justified this game to Yoda, came the first injury. Juliet was playing a rather crowded game, so it was a small surprise when the ball bashed her in the face. She bit into her lip, and blood gushed from her mouth. She was laughing about the whole thing, she didn't even realize she had been hurt until the taste of blood hit her tongue. Still laughing, she mopped up the blood with her tunic. There was a lot. It was decided among the students that Juliet would sit this one out.
Juliet, unhappy about having to "sit it out," walked up to her quarters to meditate. On the way there, she ran into her friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unfortunately, and rather predictably, she also ran into Qui-Gon Jinn.
"What happened?" asked Obi-Wan. Juliet wondered what he meant, then she realized how much blood was on her tunic.
"Oh, I…I got injured playing a game with some friends. It's no big deal," Juliet said, hoping he would take the hint.
"But there's so much blood! And you're still bleeding, by the way."
"Blood is no measure of injury." Juliet answered.
"Yes, it is," said Qui-Gon, speaking for the first time.
"Not on a tunic," Juliet explained, "because instead of soaking up the blood in one spot, I rubbed off the blood in a line across my tunic. It's a simple injury, and not a painful one."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the rules about lying?"
"Yes. There's only one, Jedi don't lie."
"Did you lie?"
"No," Juliet was getting tired of this. "May I go?"
"Yes," said Obi-Wan, not having said anything in a while. Juliet left.
"She was injured."
"Yes, but not painfully."
"It doesn't matter, the Council must know."
Obi-Wan said nothing. It wasn't his place. Juliet knew this, and didn't blame him when they banned basketball. It didn't matter; he blamed himself.
The Council was less than happy about Juliet. Far less. Since Juliet had no close friends her own age, the Council spoke to a few random people. Everyone had heard of her. Nobody knew her very well. Finally, Obi-Wan heard that the Council wished to throw her out, send her to the agricorps. Juliet was a Jedi, not a farmer.
"You know that I do not agree with this decision," Qui-Gon told Obi- Wan.
"I know. But this is something I must do."
"If you feel so strongly about this girl, then it is only right that you would speak up when she cannot."
"I thought you opposed my decision, Master," said Obi-Wan, a bit confused.
"This is not something I would do. However, I admire your courage. I know how much you revere the Council. May the Force be with you. You may need it very much."
Obi-Wan was surprised to see that only Yoda and Mace Windu were waiting to speak with him about Juliet. He did his best to persuade them that all she had done was harmless. In some ways, even right. After a time, he sensed it was hopeless.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," said Mace Windu, and Obi-Wan knew it was over. "It has become clear to us that you feel strongly about this girl. We cannot allow her to remain in the Temple as it is." Obi-Wan tried not to let his head drop. He had failed. "However, if you are willing, there is one other choice."
It was clear that Obi-Wan was willing to do whatever it was. Yoda continued for Mace, "Close to the trials you are, Obi-Wan. An exceptionally student always you have been. Your options now are this: allow the girl to leave the Temple, or take her as your Padawan Learner."
"Should you train the girl, you would still be an apprentice, but in a half-manner. Most of the Council members consider you a Jedi Knight already. You would go on fewer missions with Qui-Gon. You have twenty-four hours in which to make this decision."
And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
"This planet is so…peaceful." Juliet pressed her nose against the starship's window, gazing at the Renaissance-style planet. It didn't have electricity or anything. In fact, it wasn't even part of the Republic.
"Juliet, have you learned anything about flying?" Obi-Wan asked. The mission had been to settle a dispute between two families. Obi-Wan was trying to teach Juliet how to fly a starship, and she had been paying attention up until the planet came into sight.
"Yes," said Juliet.
"Do you know the safety procedures?"
"Yes."
"Taking off?"
"Yes."
"Hyperdrive?"
"Yes."
"All right," he said, making a mental note to have her pilot on the way back to Coruscant. He landed well enough, and they disembarked. "So, the two families have been feuding for generations. The queen--Escalus--has requested assistance from the Jedi in stopping these fights."
"Tricky," Juliet said, "very tricky. What should we do?"
"What do you think we should do?" Obi-Wan asked. Over the past three years, ever since he agreed to train Juliet, he had found that she often asked what he would do. She rarely said what she would.
"Well…maybe we should get to know the families. Montague and Capulet, right?"
"Then we shall get to know the Montagues and the Capulets. Then what?"
"Try to find out if any of them knows how this feud started."
"Then what?"
"Then we go from there."
Nobody knew why they fought, only that they did. They did, and they forever would. Nothing, it seemed, could change that.
One night about a week after they had arrived, and not much had happened, Juliet sat in the library researching. Gregory, a Capulet boy Juliet's age, came in to see her. "Hey, Juliet."
She looked up from her reading. "Hello, Gregory."
"What's that?"
"It's a family history. Your family."
"And you aren't bored to death yet?" Gregory joked.
"Young Gregory," began Juliet, "you have a large family, so how can you understand the emptiness that longs for one?"
"I am sorry," said Gregory, "I meant you no offense. I did not think you would take my comment in such a manner."
"It's all right, I should not have responded like I did." Juliet stood up. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Oh, yes, the party!" exclaimed Gregory, hurrying away. The Capulets were having a huge party. Juliet was glad she did not have to go. It would all be dancing and stupid courting rituals. She was just reflecting on this when Obi-Wan entered the library.
"Juliet? I've bee looking all over for you!"
"Sorry, Master. I was…well, I was here. How did you find me?"
"Gregory. Were you hiding from me?"
"No, of course not," she said, surprised. "Why would I hide from you?"
"Perhaps because you are supposed to be at the party, acting as a civilian?"
"I--oh, no! I forgot all about that."
"Well, you'd better hurry. If you're going to pass as a civilian, you'll need to change into civilian clothes."
Juliet was mortified at the prospect of wearing a dress. "Boy clothes?" she asked hopefully.
"Girl clothes," Obi-Wan answered. Juliet jumped up and left, muttering unhappily about girl clothes.
"Stop fidgeting, you're trying to fit in, not stand out," Obi-Wan told a restless Juliet.
"I can't help it. I feel uncomfortable," Juliet said, trying to stand still. If she weren't wearing this stupid dress! "Red's a dumb color, anyway."
"Colors are not dumb, Padawan. Anyway, if you do not embrace other cultures…"
"I know, how will they embrace me? Well, because my chosen profession is keeping them safe. Perhaps, however, I should have been a designer. The keep women out of dresses."
"Is it that bad?"
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean…well, it makes me feel so exposed, yet it is not an entirely foreign sensation and that, if anything, is what's uncomfortable."
"Why is that?"
"If you don't mind my asking, what planet are you from?"
"Coruscant."
"Are you sure?"
"That's where I grew up, I have always called it my home."
"Well, Master, I am not that way. I long for my home, if only to know where it is. It frightens me that I may be home yet not know it." Juliet shifted. "I must go. If I am to blend in, I can't spend all night talking to you." She left, leaving Obi-Wan with a feeling of discomfort. He worried about her commitment to the Jedi path, if she longed for a home. He spent many minutes dwelling on this thought, but was pulled back to reality as he saw Juliet.
On the dance floor, a boy had found himself head over heels. He knelt in front of Juliet, taking her hand. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand," the boy began, "this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a gentle kiss." He bent in to kiss her hand, and she stopped him with her other hand, leaving the two palm-to-palm.
"Good pilgrim," said Juliet, almost laughing, "you do wrong your hands too much. For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."
The boy stuttered for a few seconds, then responded, "But have not saints lips, and holy palmers, too?"
Juliet smiled again. "Aye pilgrim, lips they must use in prayer."
Another young man approached, took the boy by the shoulders, and said, "Come, Romeo let's away."
"Romeo, is that your name?" asked Juliet.
"Yes, and may I know ours, saint?"
"Romeo!" said the second boy sharply, and Romeo shook his head. The older boy pulled him away. Obi-Wan found the boy, minutes later.
"She is called Juliet," he said.
"A name fitting for a saint," said the boy, his eyes locked on the dancing figure.
"Don't get to carried away, my friend, she cannot love you," warned Obi-Wan.
"Is she a Capulet? If she is, my grave is like to be my wedding bed." And there, seeing the forlorn look on the poor boy's face, Obi-Wan could not find it in him to answer that she was a Jedi. He did not want the boy to think he had only a few weeks to glimpse the girl.
"Yes, she is a Capulet. Think not of her."
"Romeo, Romeo, come let's away," said the boy from before. Romeo followed compliantly. Obi-Wan reached out to the Force, and sent a mental note to Juliet to come find him.
"Yes, Master?" asked the girl, red-faced and now smiling.
"Where did you learn the poetry you spoke to that boy?"
"I…" she cocked her head in thought.
"Do not lie to me," he warned.
"I wouldn't. I was trying to remember where I had heard the words."
"And?"
"I read them in a book once. Brilliant story, remind me to tell you about it some time." Juliet explained.
"I will not forget. Let's go."
"Where, Master?"
Now it was Obi-Wan who was prepared to laugh. "To bed, perhaps?"
"Oh." Juliet looked down, embarrassed, or so Obi-Wan thought. In truth, she did not want him to know how hard she was trying not to laugh at herself. She failed.
"You're laughing!" he observed. She nodded and laughed out loud.
"Juliet! Juliet!" Romeo whispered, throwing small stones at the window he knew to be hers. The girl was at first curious as to what the sound was, then she rose from her insomnic meditative rest.
"Romeo?" She called. "Is that you? What're you doing here?"
"I needed to see you. I know you are a Capulet, but—but I love you."
"Oh, Romeo," she said, "please. The Capulets and the Montagues will always feud, it makes no difference who loves whom."
"Do you mean you have love me, too?"
"It is forbidden! We shall see each other, I suppose, on random days, but we cannot love! Our families, Romeo, they could not accept it!"
"All right. I'll be going then."
"Don't!" She hadn't expected to say it out loud. "Wait for a moment. But seek cover until I return, lest my kinsmen find you here. Anon!" Juliet ran inside, and pulled from her bag something she had kept hidden for a very long time. If the Masters found it, she would be in deep trouble.
"Romeo!" Juliet called. He came out of the bushes. "Catch!" She tossed half of a locket down to Romeo. "Now you can wear the part with my picture, and I can wear yours." He was satisfied, though he wished he could be with her. Juliet heard her name called from inside. "You must go! Now!"
"Juliet, what're you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I couldn't sleep and I heard a tapping sound at the window and…it was Romeo. He's in love," Juliet said wistfully.
"Juliet," said Obi-Wan, hearing her tone all to well. "I know sometimes a Jedi may want to feel some of the things that they aren't allowed to feel, and—"
"I'm not in love. He's nice. I'm not in love with him though. After all, the Jedi path is one of commitment, which, to me, has always been a strong bond. I would not break that bond, not even for love."
"Love does funny things to us. You couldn't understand, you're too young, but…I have seen what it can do." For a moment they sat in silence.
Juliet eventually asked in a soft tone, "What was she like?"
"Who?"
"Tahl. They say—they say she was beautiful and brilliant, and funny and kind."
"She was all that and more. She was almost magical. When she died he—he was heartbroken. It was so awful," suddenly Obi-Wan was pulled back to the present, and he stopped.
"Does it hurt that much?"
"No. I did not love her, and I was very devoted to the Jedi path."
"Will you tell me more about her?"
Obi-Wan paused for a long time before responding, "When you're older."
"What happens if we run into the Montagues? Your family is always fighting them for no reason whatsoever." Juliet asked Gregory. The two were certainly friends. Gregory was taking a walk with Juliet, and though Juliet was in civilian clothes, she was happily content.
"I am sure we won't. Anyway, my cousins will occupy them if we do. They are cowards, always backing down," Gregory replied.
"Gregory, may I ask you a question about your family?" Juliet inquired.
"Of course!"
"I was looking at your history and I couldn't help but notice that you had a sister, about our age, who is not here. Where is she?"
"I—I know not of whom you speak. Ask my father, he can help you, I am sure."
"All right. Thank you—oh, no." Gregory's cousins had seen them too—Montagues. There would certainly be a fight.
Romeo's friend from before, Mercutio, advanced. "Draw, if you be men!" he called. The men drew their swords. Tybalt, a Capulet, rushed forward to meet this challenge. The two prepared to fight. Juliet had a bad feeling about this.
"Don't," she said, rushing forward. "It is not necessary. Can you not come to peace? Is there any conflict so great, you cannot see naught but death can come of it?"
"Stupid girl, stand aside! You don't understand," said Mercutio, pushing her away.
"Mercutio, please, man, come to your senses. Nobody needs to be hurt here. But if you two families," she said, raising her voice, "do not desist, I will have to unarm you, and I can give you no assurance that none will be hurt. But I will take no lives."
"Oh, right, you'll slap me into submission?" teased Mercutio. "Stupid Capulet."
"Last warning, friend."
"Shove off!" cried Mercutio, shoving her down and holding her at sword-point. As he did this, the two families began to fight. As Juliet tried to rise without the Force, she felt a sharp pang. Tybalt was dying.
"I warned you," said Juliet, then she used the Force against Mercutio, and he went flying into a tree. The fighting stopped. Juliet brushed herself off. "Come, let's away. There is no need to stand gawking." Nobody dared disobey.
"You there, girl," said a voice from near-by. All of the boys dropped to one knee. Juliet followed their lead.
"Have I angered Lady Montague?" asked Juliet to Gregory.
"Worse," he replied, "Queen Escalus."
"Oh, stop with all this stupid one-knee—get up! Go off to your homes, squabbling families!" Cried the queen, and Juliet, used to taking orders, followed the Capulets. "No, you stay here girl, I'd like a word with you." Juliet stopped. "Well then, who is this Capulet who does not fight?"
"Not a Capulet, Your Honor," replied Juliet, bowing her head. "I am a Jedi."
"You? I requested Jedi assistance, I had no idea I'd get a thirteen- year-old girl."
"Well, maybe I'm not a Jedi yet. But I am an apprentice, and I am considered part of the Order." Juliet stopped herself at that. "W-why do they fight?"
"Who?"
"The Capulets and Montagues."
"They fight because they did, fifteen years ago, and then two children died and they stopped. When one of they baby girl Capulets left the planet, the Montagues were blamed of kidnapping. So they fight."
"Why did she leave?"
"She left on a path not often taken by those on our planet. That of the Jedi. She'd be your age now."
"A-and what was her name?"
Juliet still walked around the city with Gregory. She liked him, and knew she would miss him when she was gone. After a few days, she worked up the courage to seek out news of Tybalt. He, in fact, had not died. He was fine. A page had been killed.
As Juliet and Gregory walked after the Capulets, up came the Montagues.
"What do you want?" asked Juliet, rushing to meet them. "We mean you no offense." She reached out to the Force to try to calm the young men around her. It was little good. She could have told them then, that she was a Capulet, but she was afraid to tell anybody, even Obi-Wan.
"Mercutio!" cried Tybalt. "You killed a page of the house of Montague. I want my vengeance."
"Oh, I'm yours, Tybalt," said Tybalt, advancing and drawing his sword. The two sparred. The other fought with fists. Juliet, knowing not what to do, ran to get Benvolio. He was a Montague a few years older than her, who often broke up civil brawls.
As she approached the Montague house, a guard stopped her. She found herself held by the back of her dress. A dress is a horrible garment to fight in, as Juliet learned. She couldn't get free without using her lightsaber, and she knew better.
"What's a Capulet doing here?" demanded the guard.
"Let me go, I must find Benvolio! Let me go!" she replied.
"What do you want with him?"
"I need his help."
"Well, with what?"
Juliet did not have time for this. "Let me go!" Her feeble mind- powers were useless. Finally she saw she had only one choice. Using one hand to hike up her skirt, she kicked the guard hard in the groin. He doubled over, and Juliet broke free. In an instant she was dashing through the house, not looking at anything, letting the Force guide her. She found Benvolio in his quarters.
"Benvolio!" she called.
"Who're you?" he asked.
"Juliet, of the house of Capulet."
"What're you doing here?"
"I've come to get you. There's a fight. Someone will get hurt. Hurry! You can stop this!" Benvolio didn't move. Did he trust her? "Your cousin Romeo is there."
"Romeo? He's only thirteen! What's he doing in a street fight?" Benvolio finally got up. "Take me to the fight, I'll do what I can."
"Thank you," Juliet said, running ahead of him.
Tybalt parried and Mercutio blocked it. The two became locked in combat. Romeo finally could not take it. As Juliet and Benvolio ran up, Romeo Pulled Mercutio back. Tybalt, seeing an opening, stabbed Mercutio. The fighting stopped. Two Montagues, Abraham and Balthasar, led Mercutio away.
Benvolio approached Romeo. The two had always been very close, and Benvolio worried that his cousin might do something rash. "Romeo, are you hurt?"
"No, no, I'm fine. Mercutio! If he hurt Mercutio I'll—"
"No, Romeo, don't. You know it's not worth it, and what will come of it."
"You don't understand! Mercutio is my best friend. I couldn't stand it if—"
"Romeo!" cried Abraham, returning, "good Mercutio is dead!"
"No!" cried Romeo, picking up Mercutio's fallen sword. Juliet saw what he was about to do and hurried to stop him. But too late, his blade struck home.
"Romeo, stand not amazed!" Said Benvolio. "You must go! Every moment here is another step towards your death. You must go, Romeo! Now!"
For the first time Romeo noticed Juliet. He stepped over, hugged her, then cried, "Oh, I am fortune's fool!" And ran for his life.
As Romeo disappeared into the dust, a voice cut through the silence. "What's going on here? You Capulets and Montagues." The voice was that of a boy not older than Juliet. Following suit, she dropped to one knee. A boy walked forth, with curly red hair and an expression of being extremely pissed off. This would have been Prince Paris. Upon seeing Tybalt, he asked, "Who killed this man?"
"It was Romeo!" called Abraham.
"Romeo! Then he must be killed." Decreed the prince.
"No!" Juliet cried, jumping to her feet. Uh-oh, she hadn't planned this.
"What? Who is this that opposes my decision?"
"Juliet. A Capulet once lost. Do nothing to Romeo, for he has done nothing! Tybalt slew Mercutio, Romeo's friend. Would you not have killed Tybalt?"
"A criminal must be punished. Murder—" began the prince.
"Do you have your executioners killed, or soldiers during war? I think not."
"Very well," said Paris, "then let Romeo be exiled. If he be seen in this country again, then he shall be killed. Go home, Capulets, Montagues. Grieve if you will." He turned haughtily and strolled off. Juliet watched the Capulets surround Tybalt. She stood frozen as the Montagues left. She hardly noticed Benvolio as he put his hand on her shoulder, and could think of nothing to say. She hardly moved until a familiar voice spoke from behind her, and broke her trance.
"They said I might find you here," Obi-Wan said. Juliet, not ready to face him yet, gasped and ran away. She ran as hard as she could to the Capulets' monument, where she collapsed, and finally, all her energy gone from her benumbed body, she cried.
"Balthasar! Good Balthasar, news from Verona? What of my Juliet? If she be well nothing can be ill," said Romeo, running to meet Balthasar. Balthasar sighed inwardly.
"Then she is well, and nothing can be ill," Balthasar began. "Her body rests in the Capulets' Monument." Only the dead went to the monument. The implications were clear. Romeo went to see an apothecary.
Juliet stirred and sat up. Where was she? Who was talking to her? Oh, Romeo was there. He wasn't looking at her. He was raising a vial to his lips. "Romeo, no!" He dropped the vial.
"Juliet? They said you were dead."
"Did they? Am I?" She laughed. "Romeo, it is not for my heritage that I cannot love you, it is for my profession."
"Profession?"
"Yes. Romeo, I leave this planet soon. I am a Jedi. I cannot love you for that."
"They will not stop." He said. "Ever."
"I know," she said, "I know." The Capulets and the Montagues poured into the tomb.
"Romeo!" Benvolio called, running towards his cousin, "What're you doing here?"
"I…I came to be with Juliet. I heard she was dead." Romeo answered. Benvolio hugged him and the two talked for a rather long time. Juliet made her way over to Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry for everything."
"I would be lying to say you were not forgiven."
Across the room, the Capulets and Montagues were shaking hands. At the thought of their children's death, they realized the value of life. And they would never fight again.
Juliet tried to steady her hands. Every time they jerked, so did the ship. "Okay, you need to calm down a little," Obi-Wan said with a touch of sarcasm. Juliet gripped the controls tighter, jolting the ship. She steadied herself, then initiated hyperspace. For a while neither of them spoke.
"In a way," said Juliet, "I'm glad to be leaving. It made me sad, the way Tybalt and Mercutio died just because of…" she trailed off.
"Because of what?" Obi-Wan asked, already knowing the answer.
"Because of…" she looked down at the ship's controls again, and whispered, "me."
"None of that was your fault," he assured her.
She kept her head bowed. "All right."
"Listen to me," he said, "that was not your fault."
"Yeah."
"Juliet, look at me." She, of course, would rather not, but that was technically an order. Juliet turned and met his eyes. "This was not your fault. I know that as well as I ever may, and there is no way I can force you to change your mind. But I trust that you will do so on your own." She looked away. After a long time, he said, "When she died, he couldn't stand it. He may have gone crazy for a while, I'll never know. But he sought vengeance. You may think what you like about those families, that they were beasts or monsters, but all they are is real. The Capulets lost a child. Think about that."
And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Juliet had gone on her first mission when she was eleven. She was still a child, in more than one way, but would never admit that. It had been after much discussion that the Council had allowed Juliet (Juliet, the renegade) out on a mission. Juliet wasn't eager for the mission, as she could have been, and as many others would have been. Instead, she felt…well, young.
The mission got off to a bad start. Juliet had uploaded some archaic files onto her datapad, and found many stories among them. One of them had been giving her a bit of trouble, but she was determined to read it. It was called 'Romeo and Juliet'. As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan played some strange game of skill in which monsters kill each other, Juliet huddled in the corner of the room with her datapad.
The story's end was not at all what Juliet had thought it would be. She had wanted the lovers to live happily ever after. Their deaths, no matter what strife was buried with it. She tried her hardest not to cry, and opened another document, about a woman from a place called England and her obscure life and two boyfriends. No matter how funny it was, she found herself still crying. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion from trying not to cry, Juliet had no energy left, and so she wept.
"Juliet? What is it?"
"Nothing," Juliet said. "Don't worry, I didn't sense a disturbance in the Force or anything. It's nothing. Really!"
"If it's nothing," Obi-Wan began, "why are you crying?"
"I am crying for a private reason which is my own," she stated.
"If it's that serious—"
"It isn't. In fact, it's so un-serious I think I should laugh. But I can't."
"Oh really? Why?"
Juliet searched her mind, then answered, "For never was there a tale of more woe." She was ready to defend her rights to this secret, when Qui- Gon interrupted them.
"We're breaching the atmosphere. We'll be on the planet soon, and then this mission officially begins." Looking at the two, he added, "I hope you're both ready."
Two voices chorused, "Yes, Master."
"It actually is a bit routine. Strange, yes, but routine," Juliet observed. She sat in her quarters after the third day of questioning citizens.
"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked, appalled. "We're dealing with a case of disappearances. They happen—we think—in the middle of the night. There is no note, or sign of struggle. All children taken are within one year of the same age. Nobody ever sees them happen. All the missing persons are no more than one year apart. They go missing in some obscure pattern none can decipher. How can you call this routine?"
"Eliminate detail. It's shrouded in mystery. Seemingly random offenses. So what do we know, Master? Think about. I don't mean what they tell us. Be logical about it." Juliet looked at him piercingly. He couldn't think when she did that.
Finally, he responded, "You are not supposed to be keeping information from me, Padawan."
Juliet smiled that terrible smile, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, I think it's quite clear that these events are not random, but the results of careful planning. Nobody sees, right? So our culprit knows their routines."
"How do you…?" he stared at her, open-mouthed.
"It's just the way I work," she said, her smile fading from her lips, turning away.
"Juliet, what—"
"It's nothing," she said quickly. "So, how would we go about finding this culprit?"
"First we stop lying to each other."
A guilty look passed over her face, her face so innocent the look was exaggerated a hundred-fold. In a strangled whisper, refusing to look at him, she asked, "When did you lie to me?" No answer came.
Lying on his back, staring into the dark, Obi-Wan worried. Juliet had long since fallen asleep. Obi-Wan stayed awake, worrying about the rift between them. She lied to him. Withholding information, well, it was wrong, but she meant it as a joke. But something was eating her, and she wasn't about to tell him. All he could hope for was that she didn't—
"I never would." The voice made him jump. Or more, the voice made him sit bolt upright. "Never! I'm devoted to the order—and I kind of owe you."
"Y-you're awake! What do you mean, you owe me?"
"You wouldn't let them send me to agricorps. So I owe you. Loyalty. So I wouldn't go over to the dark side—really, I wouldn't do something that would insult you."
"And you're reading my thoughts."
"No, I wasn't. Weren't you trying to?"
"To what?"
"Project your thoughts. You were doing very well. Not that it's my place to comment," she added quickly.
"No, it isn't. At least you know that," he said, disturbed. She could hear his thoughts so clearly she thought them projected? Wow, he'd better reserve criticism from then on. "Do you think Qui-Gon could hear my thoughts, too?"
"Possibly subconsciously. I doubt it. But perhaps—no, no, never mind."
"What?"
"Well, I—and you'll have to pardon me for saying this, Master—but I think it may be a possibility that he was actually drawing the thoughts from your head," Juliet rushed. For a long time, Obi-Wan thought about this possibility. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely, but not impossible. "Juliet," he whispered into the darkness, "I'm going to follow through on your suspicion." There was no answer.
She was already gone.
Juliet tried to lift her hand. It went up, but was heavy as a stone, and fell like one. Using the Force, she tried to gather her strength. Even so, lifting her head felt like a huge challenge. Her eyelids were too heavy. Finally, she consented to wait.
The first thing Juliet noticed was the voices. At first they were just whispers, humming sensations bombarding her ears. Then they came clearer. "Is she awake?" "Is she even alive?" "When did she get here?" "Who is she?" Nobody answered these questions. Nobody seemed to know the answers.
Juliet forced her eyelids open next. The voices, she saw, came from a group of children, all of whom were about her age. They were huddled around her, all staring. For a moment, Juliet wondered who they were, but Juliet was a Jedi. Within seconds she realized, "You're the children we've been looking for!"
"We? What are you talking about?" Asked a boy with curly reddish hair and blue eyes.
"Well, aren't you the children who disappeared from the city?" Juliet inquired.
"Yes," answered the reddish-haired boy, "and what do you mean, we're the children you're looking for?"
Juliet tried to explain, "We were looking for the children who disappeared from the city."
"Then you aren't from the city?"
"No, I'm not. I'm from Coruscant. I'm a Jedi."
The boy scoffed. "You? A girl hardly our age?"
"I am of the order," Juliet said. "I can prove it, too."
"Then do it. Prove you're a Jedi," the boy challenged. Juliet reached down to her waist, where her lightsaber was clipped onto her utility belt. With a feeling of dread, she realized she had left it off to sleep. Her weapon was gone. Her comlink was gone. All she had was the Force.
"Calm down, Obi-Wan, we don't know anything for sure," Qui-Gon said. Personally, he thought the boy had just had either too much sugar or too much caffeine.
"Yes we do. Where else could she be?"
"Out conducting an experiment of her own, most likely."
Obi-Wan struggled to stay calm. Qui-Gon, of course, saw this. "Remember Keegan?"
"That was different. And I was thirteen," he said, trying not to think about Keegan.
"It was the same thing, and you know it. What about the girl on Keegan?"
"Siri. She was eleven, but still—we were together," Obi-Wan's feeble arguments didn't even convince himself. It didn't matter; he was worried about Juliet.
"Her datapad's here. Why not go look at it?" Qui-Gon suggested.
"What?"
"You haven't noticed? She's always looking at that thing—and only speaks about it in riddles. Perhaps you should see for yourself what it is she's so interested in?"
Obi-Wan was appalled, for the second time in two days. "Do you really think I would do such a horrible thing?"
"Why not?" Qui-Gon asked lightly, ignoring Obi-Wan's state of shock.
"I want her to tell me—to trust me. And I have worked hard for what little trust she and I share. I'm not going to throw away all that work just because you—just because I want to know about some stupid datapad!" Obi-Wan took a few seconds to calm down, then he just sat down. After a moment of sitting, he realized he was mimicking what Juliet did when she was looking at her datapad—and he jumped up. Qui-Gon smiled. The boy was losing it. And, of course, he wasn't going to do anything—but he was wrong about the boy.
"Okay. So a bunch of kids Juliet's age have disappeared, she disappears. This means either she disappeared by the same means or, even after the conversation we had last night, she's gone off on her own without even telling me."
"Conversation?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan cursed.
"Private conversation." For a few moments neither of them spoke. Obi-Wan felt a stir around him—something weak, weaker than wind. He tuned in to the Force. The signal strengthened. There was a note, something about others, an apology…then it died out.
"What?" Qui-Gon asked. "That wasn't—"
"That was her. She's in trouble. She's with the others." After a momentary pause, he added, "she's sorry."
"We don't know anything," Qui-Gon said.
"No, you don't know anything because you refuse to listen! To anything! Not to the council, not to me, not even to her! You don't even know who she is! But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to go find her." Obi-Wan surprised himself, but couldn't take it back—didn't want to take it back. He said he was going to go find her—and so he walked out the door. Qui-Gon didn't move for a moment. He was shocked—and impressed. Obi-Wan had always been so serious, so unattached to anyone or anything. Ever since Melida/Daan, he had hardly breathed without the approval of the council.
Smiling, Qui-Gon hurried outside to rebuke the headstrong boy who he had missed for so long.
Juliet wished again that she had her lightsaber, or her comlink. This place was whack. Any information the children needed was sent out through some strange type of P.A. system, which simply gave knowledge but had no voice. They spent their days in one very large room, where they could do what ever they chose—some played instruments, some read fictional stories off datapads—none that Juliet had downloaded onto her datapad, of course—and various other things. At certain times of day they ate, and Juliet had to admit that the food was actually pretty good. In fact, most of the children were forgetting their lives before this one.
What Juliet noticed were the disappearances. There were sixteen children, other than herself. Often, she would ask them about their lives before the strange place, and record what they said. One boy didn't remember anything at all about his life. Juliet nearly wept when he told her so. After the midday meal, on Juliet's first day, that boy was gone. No trace of him could be found—his belongings were gone, and a new child took his bed. Juliet felt a surge in the Force, and thirty minutes later a great absence. The child who had been taken was dead. And Juliet would not let that happen again.
Juliet tried hard to make the kids remember things. Every day she asked them who they were, where they were from, and things like that. Every day people answered with less and less information. After three days, five of the children had forgotten themselves. Five of the children had died. Juliet's attempts were futile. She was, to say the least, frustrated. After four days, at midnight, she gathered the Force around her, and sent out the strongest signal she could. She spent herself on those three minutes, having no idea weather anyone would get the signal. When she woke again, she didn't know where she was or when she was. All she remembered was her brain exploding in her head and the world going black.
"Wh-where am I?" She asked, sitting up. Her head swam, and shapes danced in front of her eyes. Her condition appeared to be…not good. Looking around, she saw a sterile white room. A-a hospital? Had she pushed herself that hard? No way. But where was everybody? Who had brought her here? There were too many unanswered questions. Nobody friendly would do that, leave her hanging. She was on enemy grounds.
Clearing her head, Juliet remembered her first priority. Recon. She could learn a lot there, and if she could, she would. However, what she really needed to do anything at all was to get out—unseen. Think, think, think! She thought. First of all, be unseen. Okay, no cameras—a camera would have a blinking red light. No noise, she had no way of checking for that. There were very few exits—a drain, a door, a vent, and the ceiling. The pipe wouldn't fit her, and the vent was terribly small. That left the door and the ceiling. The door was the obvious one, thus the biggest risk. One exit was left.
Juliet stood up on the table. She was tall enough to reach the ceiling. Juliet put her palms flat and pushed. The tile gave way, revealing a two- foot crawl space. She hooked her hands firmly, and pulled herself up. She replaced the tile, and had plenty of space to maneuver. She spent twenty minutes roaming around, eventually finding a grate over what looked like an office. Some people in it were speaking.
"Gone," the first voice said. "Just gone."
"How?" asked a commanding voice.
"Unknown, sir," came the response. "Skinny kid—vent, most likely. Door was checked. No sounds were recorded—this one's smart."
"Of course it is! It's a Jedi! Jedi are smart!" A third person rushed in.
"Vent's empty. Halls and rooms check. Evidence says she did not leave that room." Juliet smiled.
"Do not let that child get out. If she gets out, we will have to deal with Obi-Wan Kenobi. We've nearly finished with our plans. He does not know that we're abducting these children to study the Force. And he should be dead within the week." Juliet gasped, then shut her mouth. It was too late. The next thing she noticed was a strong hand clasping down on her ankle.
Blurry images snapped into focus. She was lying down again, staring at the ceiling. Rolling onto her side, she saw a woman behind her, working with medical tools. The woman turned, a huge syringe in one gloved hand. "Welcome back," she said. "Now, if you would roll onto your back…" Juliet did. She didn't have the energy to do anything else. There was a prick in her skin, then a flash of blinding white pain. She couldn't control anything, and felt her muscles spasm. Her body convulsed, and the world slipped away.
Juliet slipped in and out of consciousness. Seconds or hours would pass, she didn't know. She felt the changes in her body. Things were injected, withdrawn. It would have hurt, if she had been conscious for it. Sometimes she wondered how long had passed since the threat. Usually she didn't have the strength to think at all.
Juliet finally woke up, really woke up. She was in a sterile hospital room again. Someone was there with her. She sat up to speak with them.
"Ah, Juliet, I see you're back with us."
"A…yeah, I am," she responded.
"This is how it will work. I ask a question, you answer it. Now, first question. How are the lightsabers made?"
Juliet, trained to reveal nothing, did not respond.
"You have until three. One…Two…" Juliet felt the impact before she saw the fist. "Cooperation, you see, is not an option."
"You go find her, I'll get the others," Qui-Gon said, knowing that Obi-Wan feared the worst for Juliet. Obi-Wan was quick to follow that order. It had taken a week for him and Qui-Gon to find the—hideout, whatever it was. Obi- Wan picked up Juliet's Force-energy. Force energy was strong in a young girl like her with so much sensitivity to the Force. It took Obi-Wan only minutes to find Juliet. Or what was once Juliet.
The girl was curled limply in the corner of a dark room. Her hands covered her head, but it was clear that any child could move those hands. For a few seconds Obi-Wan faltered—then continued. If she was dead he would bring her body back to the Temple. They would burn it. However, upon approach, he noticed a slight rise and fall of her chest. The tell-tale breathing. So she was alive, but her condition was…less than good. After a minute she stirred, but then was still. She did not move except for the rise and fall of her chest.
At one point Juliet opened her eyes. Her voice, strained and barely audible, rasped, "I'm sorry" before she lost consciousness. Obi-Wan was sure, once or twice, that she had died, but she always came back. Knowing he was breaking the rules, he hoped she would not die.
"…the thing is, Juliet, that even if you're okay, there's still a lot wrong. You're now dependent on insulin. You need it to live. It's called diabetes, remember? You told me about it. I'm getting off track though. All the kids from that laboratory, we sent them home. The ones who died…nothing could be done. We returned the bodies." Obi-Wan stopped as Qui-Gon entered.
"Perhaps you should spend less time talking to Juliet," Qui-Gon suggested. "For all we know, she may not live." He paused for a moment, letting Obi- Wan think about it. Then he added, "I know how hard it is."
"No, you're right," he said, a little too forcefully. Qui-Gon tried to say something, but Obi-Wan cut him off. "I shouldn't talk to her so much. She's probably already dead."
Obi-Wan stood at the window, watching the planet grow smaller. The antagonists were dead. The victims had been buried or returned to their homes. Yet all was not well. Juliet was not all right.
As he worried about his young apprentice, Obi-Wan felt someone's hand slide into his own. Then he didn't think, he just knew, and let himself feel the relief that that hand brought. Because only one person he knew had hands that were like that, so childish. But she wasn't a child anymore. Without looking at her, he said, "I was so scared you wouldn't come back."
Without looking at him, she responded, "I know."
The planet grew smaller, and soon could not be seen. But this mission would be embedded in every line of her face for a lifetime.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
"It may seem like an easy mission, but it will be more difficult than you expect," Obi-Wan warned. Now Juliet was twelve. It had taken six months for her to return to the functioning levels of a normal Jedi.
"I know that," Juliet shrugged. "It is a test of the heart."
"That it shall be. Don't forget, no lightsaber or Force on this mission. We're going to observe, not interfere."
"I know these things already, Master. You've told me six times," Juliet reminded him. She was trying to twist her hair into braids, falling down her back. Ever since their last mission, barely a month ago, Juliet had taken advantage of her overgrown mane, as she liked to call it.
"So I have, but that doesn't give you the right to be impudent."
"Not impudent, but surely honest," she said, standing up. Obi-Wan knew she was doing that to bother him, and the truth was that now that his Padawan was less than an inch shorter than him, he was bothered. As she had told him, everyone has to grow up sometime.
"All right already. I need to talk to Qui-Gon before we go, so meet me by the ship in an hour. And be on time for once!" He said, half-joking with the last remark. Juliet agreed and he left. Not half a minute later, Juliet had run off to find the kids who would still play cards with her—most people hated how she won all the time.
Juliet leaned on her knees, trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she wheezed, "Sorry, Master. I was distracted and didn't notice the time." Then she collapsed against the ship, red-faced and quite a bit out of it. A book rested against her chest.
"Why do you keep holding books in front of you?" Obi-Wan asked her. She didn't answer, just shook her head.
//I know why// Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan, in his head instead of out loud.
//Why?// Obi-Wan responded.
//She's changing. It makes her uncomfortable.//
//Changing? How?// Juliet, noticing that they were communicating, looked up just in time to see Qui-Gon motioning to Obi-Wan what it was that had made her so uncomfortable.
"Hey!" Juliet called, tossing her book at him. Qui-Gon caught the offending item and handed it back to Juliet, smiling. She realized why: he was right, and she had proved it. In the strange clothes she had to wear for this mission, her breasts had become rather…obvious.
"Come on, Juliet, we have to go," Obi-Wan said. Juliet pulled herself up and boarded the ship. Obi-Wan followed. This was a strange mission.
Earth was a small, densely populated planet located on the Outer Rim. The Galactic Republic had no presence there. In fact, the planet's population believed they were the only intelligent beings in the galaxy. A highly secretive government sector had discovered the Galactic Republic, and wished to join it. On behalf of the Republic, two Jedi had been dispatched to observe the behavior of the planet's inhabitants, and determine their readiness to join the Republic.
Juliet jumped to her feet for the sixteenth time. Obi-Wan sighed inwardly. He sensed his Padawan's unrest, and her eagerness for this mission. In the past hour, which he had hoped to spend meditating, Juliet had become more and more excited. She was now not even able to sit still long enough to meditate even the slightest bit.
"We will breach the atmosphere soon, Juliet, now please sit still!" Obi-Wan admonished, irritated.
"It isn't that Master, it's just…I felt something. Something new, but nothing welcome," the girl sat down.
"This is new. What was it?"
"All I know is, I have a bad feeling about this. I'm worried for someone."
"Who?" Obi-Wan asked, no longer irritated in the least.
"Someone…someone I haven't met, but I will meet. Someone…" she trailed off into nothingness.
"Do not forget this occurance, but do not dwell on it. When we get down to Earth, remember your story. Why don't you say it back to me, just to be sure?"
"Okay," Juliet responded, "I'm from Australia. I don't like to talk about my home, because it will make me sad. My parents were killed and I'm staying with a foster family."
"Good. How did your parents die?"
"In a car crash, but I'd rather not talk about it," Juliet answered. This continued for some time. After all, any slip-up could cost them the mission. As they got closer to Earth, Juliet's answers started to sound more and more real. Finally, as the team parted, Obi-Wan gave Juliet one last reminder.
"If there is trouble, if you need help, you can always contact me using the Force."
"I won't forget," Juliet assured him, and she went off to meet her new family. There were four children. Benjamin, the oldest, was sixteen. He had sandy-blond hair, as did his other brothers. He looked mature beyond his years, his blue eyes had a very serious, caring look in them. Then next brother, Mark, looked totally out-of-it with his spikey hair and glazed eyes. The youngest brother, Chris, looked frighteningly similar to Chris O'Donnell in Batman and Robin, only Chris was twelve years old. The only girl, Robin, had black hair which she controlled very well, and green eyes. She was also twelve.
"Hi," Juliet said, "I'm Juliet."
"Hi, I'm Robin," said Robin. Each of the boys was introduced in turn. The house where they lived, where Juliet was staying, was big enough that each of the kids had their own room. Juliet shared Robin's room, the attic. Robin and Juliet immediately became good friends. After a week, Juliet was starting school. She, Robin, Chris, and Mark went to the same school, and it was very close to the house. They walked together every morning.
"This is P.E. It basically consists of changing in a crowded room, stretching, and running. Nobody likes it much," Robin whispered as she and Juliet headed into the locker room. Juliet found it barbaric, that they all changed in such close proximity, but she didn't say anything.
Juliet had stood up and brushed herself off, having fallen on the ground. She picked up the datasheets she'd dropped, and muttered to herself angrily. "Sorry," she said, "I wasn't paying a lot of attention to where I was going."
"No, you weren't, and that's a very dangerous idea. You could be seriously injured doing a thing like that."
Juliet wasn't one to make excuses, but this one had to be made. "Well, I had to get to class. I'd been researching some stuff, and I needed to get my data to my quarters before class. It was interesting research, and I lost track of the time."
"What were you researching?" asked Obi-Wan.
"The Lost 20. Only I found some information about a boy who'd left the order for a short time, then rejoined it, and I was really interested."
Obi-Wan suddenly felt nervous. "Why-why did this person leave?"
"He found a cause he thought was greater."
Obi-Wan became even more nervous. She was talking about him!
The girl didn't notice this, and she continued, "Actually, he'd be about your age. Did you know a person called--" she checked her information- -"Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"Yes, I did know him. I knew him very well, in fact." Obi-Wan knew he couldn't lie, but he could evade certain truths.
"Really? Do you know why he left? All it said in the Temple's data- bases was that he found a cause he thought was greater."
"Yes, I know why he left. He found a planet in civil war called Melida/Daan. He got to know some of the people there, and he left to fight with them. But don't judge him. He didn't fully understand what he was doing, or about war."
"I think he was noble, if a little impulsive. Why did he come back?"
"He learned that things were not as they seemed."
Juliet understood completely. She knew that she, too, would learn this lesson, and that it was rarely an easy lesson to learn. She hoped she would not have to take such drastic measures to learn it. Just as Juliet was beginning to say something, Qui-Gon Jinn, who had been Obi-Wan's Master at the time, came up to them, looking for Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan, you're late," Qui-Gon said. Juliet's eyes widened.
"You're Obi-Wan Kenobi?" she asked, amazed that she had just had a conversation about a person without knowing she was talking to him. Obi-Wan had no idea whom to answer first.
Finally, he said, "I'm sorry I was late, Master. I was talking to this student about Melida/Daan." He turned to Juliet. "Yes, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. And shouldn't you be in class?"
"Oh, no! Now I'm really late!" She took off running. Obi-Wan didn't bother to tell her to slow down.
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be
Over the course of a year, Obi-Wan got to know Juliet a lot better. He also knew her addiction to trouble. Juliet would do the strangest things for reasons nobody could understand. In time, he would understand.
Possibly the most memorable of Juliet's escapades was the butterfly ball. That is an origami structure made of a number of small pieces. When one finishes it, one throws it in the air and hits it. The ball explodes into tiny pieces. Juliet, having heard of this, made her own butterfly ball, a module of 50 pieces. When a small crowd had gathered, she went to the top of the waterfall in the Room of A Thousand Fountains, threw the ball in the air, and bam!
50 tiny sheets of paper, looking like 50 butterflies, floated down and landed in the lake. The effect was magical. It was like there were butterflies fluttering down. For a minute or so, the Temple was more alive than ever. Juliet stood in the stream, the current tugging at her legs, loving the happiness she had brought. Of course, Mace Windu did think the same thing.
It wasn't anger that drove her to do it. It was instead the look on the faces of her fellow students, ranging from four to twelve. She had never seen them so happy. Seven days passed after the butterfly ball incident. Juliet spent most of her time in meditation, as was assigned to her for the incident. However, after seven days, Juliet was back.
As soon as Juliet entered the Room of a Thousand Fountains, students saw what she had with her. Soon, a rather large crowd had gathered. Juliet stood at the top of the waterfall again. She looked down, and waved. Then, as her form was blurred by a false sun, she let fly the hundred butterflies she had worked into the model.
This time, she had rubbed soap onto the papers.
"Why did you do this?" asked Mace Windu, a bit ticked off.
"I did this because I saw how happy the students were the first time. I wanted to try it--just once more." Juliet replied.
"To make people happy?"
"Yes, Master. To make people happy."
"What makes this your job, hmm?" Yoda asked. "Why in your hands the happiness of the students is?"
"I found it to be my task because it was a task I could handle, and if, five years from now my story is passed on as that of a crazy child, then it's okay. It's great, in fact, because people will laugh at me and they will be happy. And if, tonight, one child goes to sleep thinking of a hundred butterflies, then it was worth it even more."
Another story of Juliet is one that would give her no name, as the butterfly ball had. A tradition at the Jedi Temple was that of Sith. On certain nights, children would sneak out of their rooms to listen to tales of the Sith, dark warriors. Juliet's generation was no exception. However, Juliet had some tales that were slightly different.
It would soon become well known that if anybody wanted to hear a truly brilliant tale, they'd come to the waterfall every sixth night. There, tales would be told of hobbits and rings, of kings and wizards, of strange little boys called Harry Potter, or bears called Pooh. And they would be told by Juliet.
Generations later, these tales would be told. Juliet would not be mentioned, and the stories would change a little. Nobody cared. Everybody loved them.
It was Juliet who brought the Temple basketball. The idea was that, since the students often had free time, there would be another option for what to do. Juliet really thought that it seemed fun, so she strung some baskets from trees and scrounged a ball. The students remembered Juliet, and were more than willing to learn.
Two weeks later, after Juliet had justified this game to Yoda, came the first injury. Juliet was playing a rather crowded game, so it was a small surprise when the ball bashed her in the face. She bit into her lip, and blood gushed from her mouth. She was laughing about the whole thing, she didn't even realize she had been hurt until the taste of blood hit her tongue. Still laughing, she mopped up the blood with her tunic. There was a lot. It was decided among the students that Juliet would sit this one out.
Juliet, unhappy about having to "sit it out," walked up to her quarters to meditate. On the way there, she ran into her friend Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unfortunately, and rather predictably, she also ran into Qui-Gon Jinn.
"What happened?" asked Obi-Wan. Juliet wondered what he meant, then she realized how much blood was on her tunic.
"Oh, I…I got injured playing a game with some friends. It's no big deal," Juliet said, hoping he would take the hint.
"But there's so much blood! And you're still bleeding, by the way."
"Blood is no measure of injury." Juliet answered.
"Yes, it is," said Qui-Gon, speaking for the first time.
"Not on a tunic," Juliet explained, "because instead of soaking up the blood in one spot, I rubbed off the blood in a line across my tunic. It's a simple injury, and not a painful one."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the rules about lying?"
"Yes. There's only one, Jedi don't lie."
"Did you lie?"
"No," Juliet was getting tired of this. "May I go?"
"Yes," said Obi-Wan, not having said anything in a while. Juliet left.
"She was injured."
"Yes, but not painfully."
"It doesn't matter, the Council must know."
Obi-Wan said nothing. It wasn't his place. Juliet knew this, and didn't blame him when they banned basketball. It didn't matter; he blamed himself.
The Council was less than happy about Juliet. Far less. Since Juliet had no close friends her own age, the Council spoke to a few random people. Everyone had heard of her. Nobody knew her very well. Finally, Obi-Wan heard that the Council wished to throw her out, send her to the agricorps. Juliet was a Jedi, not a farmer.
"You know that I do not agree with this decision," Qui-Gon told Obi- Wan.
"I know. But this is something I must do."
"If you feel so strongly about this girl, then it is only right that you would speak up when she cannot."
"I thought you opposed my decision, Master," said Obi-Wan, a bit confused.
"This is not something I would do. However, I admire your courage. I know how much you revere the Council. May the Force be with you. You may need it very much."
Obi-Wan was surprised to see that only Yoda and Mace Windu were waiting to speak with him about Juliet. He did his best to persuade them that all she had done was harmless. In some ways, even right. After a time, he sensed it was hopeless.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," said Mace Windu, and Obi-Wan knew it was over. "It has become clear to us that you feel strongly about this girl. We cannot allow her to remain in the Temple as it is." Obi-Wan tried not to let his head drop. He had failed. "However, if you are willing, there is one other choice."
It was clear that Obi-Wan was willing to do whatever it was. Yoda continued for Mace, "Close to the trials you are, Obi-Wan. An exceptionally student always you have been. Your options now are this: allow the girl to leave the Temple, or take her as your Padawan Learner."
"Should you train the girl, you would still be an apprentice, but in a half-manner. Most of the Council members consider you a Jedi Knight already. You would go on fewer missions with Qui-Gon. You have twenty-four hours in which to make this decision."
And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
"This planet is so…peaceful." Juliet pressed her nose against the starship's window, gazing at the Renaissance-style planet. It didn't have electricity or anything. In fact, it wasn't even part of the Republic.
"Juliet, have you learned anything about flying?" Obi-Wan asked. The mission had been to settle a dispute between two families. Obi-Wan was trying to teach Juliet how to fly a starship, and she had been paying attention up until the planet came into sight.
"Yes," said Juliet.
"Do you know the safety procedures?"
"Yes."
"Taking off?"
"Yes."
"Hyperdrive?"
"Yes."
"All right," he said, making a mental note to have her pilot on the way back to Coruscant. He landed well enough, and they disembarked. "So, the two families have been feuding for generations. The queen--Escalus--has requested assistance from the Jedi in stopping these fights."
"Tricky," Juliet said, "very tricky. What should we do?"
"What do you think we should do?" Obi-Wan asked. Over the past three years, ever since he agreed to train Juliet, he had found that she often asked what he would do. She rarely said what she would.
"Well…maybe we should get to know the families. Montague and Capulet, right?"
"Then we shall get to know the Montagues and the Capulets. Then what?"
"Try to find out if any of them knows how this feud started."
"Then what?"
"Then we go from there."
Nobody knew why they fought, only that they did. They did, and they forever would. Nothing, it seemed, could change that.
One night about a week after they had arrived, and not much had happened, Juliet sat in the library researching. Gregory, a Capulet boy Juliet's age, came in to see her. "Hey, Juliet."
She looked up from her reading. "Hello, Gregory."
"What's that?"
"It's a family history. Your family."
"And you aren't bored to death yet?" Gregory joked.
"Young Gregory," began Juliet, "you have a large family, so how can you understand the emptiness that longs for one?"
"I am sorry," said Gregory, "I meant you no offense. I did not think you would take my comment in such a manner."
"It's all right, I should not have responded like I did." Juliet stood up. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Oh, yes, the party!" exclaimed Gregory, hurrying away. The Capulets were having a huge party. Juliet was glad she did not have to go. It would all be dancing and stupid courting rituals. She was just reflecting on this when Obi-Wan entered the library.
"Juliet? I've bee looking all over for you!"
"Sorry, Master. I was…well, I was here. How did you find me?"
"Gregory. Were you hiding from me?"
"No, of course not," she said, surprised. "Why would I hide from you?"
"Perhaps because you are supposed to be at the party, acting as a civilian?"
"I--oh, no! I forgot all about that."
"Well, you'd better hurry. If you're going to pass as a civilian, you'll need to change into civilian clothes."
Juliet was mortified at the prospect of wearing a dress. "Boy clothes?" she asked hopefully.
"Girl clothes," Obi-Wan answered. Juliet jumped up and left, muttering unhappily about girl clothes.
"Stop fidgeting, you're trying to fit in, not stand out," Obi-Wan told a restless Juliet.
"I can't help it. I feel uncomfortable," Juliet said, trying to stand still. If she weren't wearing this stupid dress! "Red's a dumb color, anyway."
"Colors are not dumb, Padawan. Anyway, if you do not embrace other cultures…"
"I know, how will they embrace me? Well, because my chosen profession is keeping them safe. Perhaps, however, I should have been a designer. The keep women out of dresses."
"Is it that bad?"
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean…well, it makes me feel so exposed, yet it is not an entirely foreign sensation and that, if anything, is what's uncomfortable."
"Why is that?"
"If you don't mind my asking, what planet are you from?"
"Coruscant."
"Are you sure?"
"That's where I grew up, I have always called it my home."
"Well, Master, I am not that way. I long for my home, if only to know where it is. It frightens me that I may be home yet not know it." Juliet shifted. "I must go. If I am to blend in, I can't spend all night talking to you." She left, leaving Obi-Wan with a feeling of discomfort. He worried about her commitment to the Jedi path, if she longed for a home. He spent many minutes dwelling on this thought, but was pulled back to reality as he saw Juliet.
On the dance floor, a boy had found himself head over heels. He knelt in front of Juliet, taking her hand. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand," the boy began, "this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a gentle kiss." He bent in to kiss her hand, and she stopped him with her other hand, leaving the two palm-to-palm.
"Good pilgrim," said Juliet, almost laughing, "you do wrong your hands too much. For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."
The boy stuttered for a few seconds, then responded, "But have not saints lips, and holy palmers, too?"
Juliet smiled again. "Aye pilgrim, lips they must use in prayer."
Another young man approached, took the boy by the shoulders, and said, "Come, Romeo let's away."
"Romeo, is that your name?" asked Juliet.
"Yes, and may I know ours, saint?"
"Romeo!" said the second boy sharply, and Romeo shook his head. The older boy pulled him away. Obi-Wan found the boy, minutes later.
"She is called Juliet," he said.
"A name fitting for a saint," said the boy, his eyes locked on the dancing figure.
"Don't get to carried away, my friend, she cannot love you," warned Obi-Wan.
"Is she a Capulet? If she is, my grave is like to be my wedding bed." And there, seeing the forlorn look on the poor boy's face, Obi-Wan could not find it in him to answer that she was a Jedi. He did not want the boy to think he had only a few weeks to glimpse the girl.
"Yes, she is a Capulet. Think not of her."
"Romeo, Romeo, come let's away," said the boy from before. Romeo followed compliantly. Obi-Wan reached out to the Force, and sent a mental note to Juliet to come find him.
"Yes, Master?" asked the girl, red-faced and now smiling.
"Where did you learn the poetry you spoke to that boy?"
"I…" she cocked her head in thought.
"Do not lie to me," he warned.
"I wouldn't. I was trying to remember where I had heard the words."
"And?"
"I read them in a book once. Brilliant story, remind me to tell you about it some time." Juliet explained.
"I will not forget. Let's go."
"Where, Master?"
Now it was Obi-Wan who was prepared to laugh. "To bed, perhaps?"
"Oh." Juliet looked down, embarrassed, or so Obi-Wan thought. In truth, she did not want him to know how hard she was trying not to laugh at herself. She failed.
"You're laughing!" he observed. She nodded and laughed out loud.
"Juliet! Juliet!" Romeo whispered, throwing small stones at the window he knew to be hers. The girl was at first curious as to what the sound was, then she rose from her insomnic meditative rest.
"Romeo?" She called. "Is that you? What're you doing here?"
"I needed to see you. I know you are a Capulet, but—but I love you."
"Oh, Romeo," she said, "please. The Capulets and the Montagues will always feud, it makes no difference who loves whom."
"Do you mean you have love me, too?"
"It is forbidden! We shall see each other, I suppose, on random days, but we cannot love! Our families, Romeo, they could not accept it!"
"All right. I'll be going then."
"Don't!" She hadn't expected to say it out loud. "Wait for a moment. But seek cover until I return, lest my kinsmen find you here. Anon!" Juliet ran inside, and pulled from her bag something she had kept hidden for a very long time. If the Masters found it, she would be in deep trouble.
"Romeo!" Juliet called. He came out of the bushes. "Catch!" She tossed half of a locket down to Romeo. "Now you can wear the part with my picture, and I can wear yours." He was satisfied, though he wished he could be with her. Juliet heard her name called from inside. "You must go! Now!"
"Juliet, what're you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I couldn't sleep and I heard a tapping sound at the window and…it was Romeo. He's in love," Juliet said wistfully.
"Juliet," said Obi-Wan, hearing her tone all to well. "I know sometimes a Jedi may want to feel some of the things that they aren't allowed to feel, and—"
"I'm not in love. He's nice. I'm not in love with him though. After all, the Jedi path is one of commitment, which, to me, has always been a strong bond. I would not break that bond, not even for love."
"Love does funny things to us. You couldn't understand, you're too young, but…I have seen what it can do." For a moment they sat in silence.
Juliet eventually asked in a soft tone, "What was she like?"
"Who?"
"Tahl. They say—they say she was beautiful and brilliant, and funny and kind."
"She was all that and more. She was almost magical. When she died he—he was heartbroken. It was so awful," suddenly Obi-Wan was pulled back to the present, and he stopped.
"Does it hurt that much?"
"No. I did not love her, and I was very devoted to the Jedi path."
"Will you tell me more about her?"
Obi-Wan paused for a long time before responding, "When you're older."
"What happens if we run into the Montagues? Your family is always fighting them for no reason whatsoever." Juliet asked Gregory. The two were certainly friends. Gregory was taking a walk with Juliet, and though Juliet was in civilian clothes, she was happily content.
"I am sure we won't. Anyway, my cousins will occupy them if we do. They are cowards, always backing down," Gregory replied.
"Gregory, may I ask you a question about your family?" Juliet inquired.
"Of course!"
"I was looking at your history and I couldn't help but notice that you had a sister, about our age, who is not here. Where is she?"
"I—I know not of whom you speak. Ask my father, he can help you, I am sure."
"All right. Thank you—oh, no." Gregory's cousins had seen them too—Montagues. There would certainly be a fight.
Romeo's friend from before, Mercutio, advanced. "Draw, if you be men!" he called. The men drew their swords. Tybalt, a Capulet, rushed forward to meet this challenge. The two prepared to fight. Juliet had a bad feeling about this.
"Don't," she said, rushing forward. "It is not necessary. Can you not come to peace? Is there any conflict so great, you cannot see naught but death can come of it?"
"Stupid girl, stand aside! You don't understand," said Mercutio, pushing her away.
"Mercutio, please, man, come to your senses. Nobody needs to be hurt here. But if you two families," she said, raising her voice, "do not desist, I will have to unarm you, and I can give you no assurance that none will be hurt. But I will take no lives."
"Oh, right, you'll slap me into submission?" teased Mercutio. "Stupid Capulet."
"Last warning, friend."
"Shove off!" cried Mercutio, shoving her down and holding her at sword-point. As he did this, the two families began to fight. As Juliet tried to rise without the Force, she felt a sharp pang. Tybalt was dying.
"I warned you," said Juliet, then she used the Force against Mercutio, and he went flying into a tree. The fighting stopped. Juliet brushed herself off. "Come, let's away. There is no need to stand gawking." Nobody dared disobey.
"You there, girl," said a voice from near-by. All of the boys dropped to one knee. Juliet followed their lead.
"Have I angered Lady Montague?" asked Juliet to Gregory.
"Worse," he replied, "Queen Escalus."
"Oh, stop with all this stupid one-knee—get up! Go off to your homes, squabbling families!" Cried the queen, and Juliet, used to taking orders, followed the Capulets. "No, you stay here girl, I'd like a word with you." Juliet stopped. "Well then, who is this Capulet who does not fight?"
"Not a Capulet, Your Honor," replied Juliet, bowing her head. "I am a Jedi."
"You? I requested Jedi assistance, I had no idea I'd get a thirteen- year-old girl."
"Well, maybe I'm not a Jedi yet. But I am an apprentice, and I am considered part of the Order." Juliet stopped herself at that. "W-why do they fight?"
"Who?"
"The Capulets and Montagues."
"They fight because they did, fifteen years ago, and then two children died and they stopped. When one of they baby girl Capulets left the planet, the Montagues were blamed of kidnapping. So they fight."
"Why did she leave?"
"She left on a path not often taken by those on our planet. That of the Jedi. She'd be your age now."
"A-and what was her name?"
Juliet still walked around the city with Gregory. She liked him, and knew she would miss him when she was gone. After a few days, she worked up the courage to seek out news of Tybalt. He, in fact, had not died. He was fine. A page had been killed.
As Juliet and Gregory walked after the Capulets, up came the Montagues.
"What do you want?" asked Juliet, rushing to meet them. "We mean you no offense." She reached out to the Force to try to calm the young men around her. It was little good. She could have told them then, that she was a Capulet, but she was afraid to tell anybody, even Obi-Wan.
"Mercutio!" cried Tybalt. "You killed a page of the house of Montague. I want my vengeance."
"Oh, I'm yours, Tybalt," said Tybalt, advancing and drawing his sword. The two sparred. The other fought with fists. Juliet, knowing not what to do, ran to get Benvolio. He was a Montague a few years older than her, who often broke up civil brawls.
As she approached the Montague house, a guard stopped her. She found herself held by the back of her dress. A dress is a horrible garment to fight in, as Juliet learned. She couldn't get free without using her lightsaber, and she knew better.
"What's a Capulet doing here?" demanded the guard.
"Let me go, I must find Benvolio! Let me go!" she replied.
"What do you want with him?"
"I need his help."
"Well, with what?"
Juliet did not have time for this. "Let me go!" Her feeble mind- powers were useless. Finally she saw she had only one choice. Using one hand to hike up her skirt, she kicked the guard hard in the groin. He doubled over, and Juliet broke free. In an instant she was dashing through the house, not looking at anything, letting the Force guide her. She found Benvolio in his quarters.
"Benvolio!" she called.
"Who're you?" he asked.
"Juliet, of the house of Capulet."
"What're you doing here?"
"I've come to get you. There's a fight. Someone will get hurt. Hurry! You can stop this!" Benvolio didn't move. Did he trust her? "Your cousin Romeo is there."
"Romeo? He's only thirteen! What's he doing in a street fight?" Benvolio finally got up. "Take me to the fight, I'll do what I can."
"Thank you," Juliet said, running ahead of him.
Tybalt parried and Mercutio blocked it. The two became locked in combat. Romeo finally could not take it. As Juliet and Benvolio ran up, Romeo Pulled Mercutio back. Tybalt, seeing an opening, stabbed Mercutio. The fighting stopped. Two Montagues, Abraham and Balthasar, led Mercutio away.
Benvolio approached Romeo. The two had always been very close, and Benvolio worried that his cousin might do something rash. "Romeo, are you hurt?"
"No, no, I'm fine. Mercutio! If he hurt Mercutio I'll—"
"No, Romeo, don't. You know it's not worth it, and what will come of it."
"You don't understand! Mercutio is my best friend. I couldn't stand it if—"
"Romeo!" cried Abraham, returning, "good Mercutio is dead!"
"No!" cried Romeo, picking up Mercutio's fallen sword. Juliet saw what he was about to do and hurried to stop him. But too late, his blade struck home.
"Romeo, stand not amazed!" Said Benvolio. "You must go! Every moment here is another step towards your death. You must go, Romeo! Now!"
For the first time Romeo noticed Juliet. He stepped over, hugged her, then cried, "Oh, I am fortune's fool!" And ran for his life.
As Romeo disappeared into the dust, a voice cut through the silence. "What's going on here? You Capulets and Montagues." The voice was that of a boy not older than Juliet. Following suit, she dropped to one knee. A boy walked forth, with curly red hair and an expression of being extremely pissed off. This would have been Prince Paris. Upon seeing Tybalt, he asked, "Who killed this man?"
"It was Romeo!" called Abraham.
"Romeo! Then he must be killed." Decreed the prince.
"No!" Juliet cried, jumping to her feet. Uh-oh, she hadn't planned this.
"What? Who is this that opposes my decision?"
"Juliet. A Capulet once lost. Do nothing to Romeo, for he has done nothing! Tybalt slew Mercutio, Romeo's friend. Would you not have killed Tybalt?"
"A criminal must be punished. Murder—" began the prince.
"Do you have your executioners killed, or soldiers during war? I think not."
"Very well," said Paris, "then let Romeo be exiled. If he be seen in this country again, then he shall be killed. Go home, Capulets, Montagues. Grieve if you will." He turned haughtily and strolled off. Juliet watched the Capulets surround Tybalt. She stood frozen as the Montagues left. She hardly noticed Benvolio as he put his hand on her shoulder, and could think of nothing to say. She hardly moved until a familiar voice spoke from behind her, and broke her trance.
"They said I might find you here," Obi-Wan said. Juliet, not ready to face him yet, gasped and ran away. She ran as hard as she could to the Capulets' monument, where she collapsed, and finally, all her energy gone from her benumbed body, she cried.
"Balthasar! Good Balthasar, news from Verona? What of my Juliet? If she be well nothing can be ill," said Romeo, running to meet Balthasar. Balthasar sighed inwardly.
"Then she is well, and nothing can be ill," Balthasar began. "Her body rests in the Capulets' Monument." Only the dead went to the monument. The implications were clear. Romeo went to see an apothecary.
Juliet stirred and sat up. Where was she? Who was talking to her? Oh, Romeo was there. He wasn't looking at her. He was raising a vial to his lips. "Romeo, no!" He dropped the vial.
"Juliet? They said you were dead."
"Did they? Am I?" She laughed. "Romeo, it is not for my heritage that I cannot love you, it is for my profession."
"Profession?"
"Yes. Romeo, I leave this planet soon. I am a Jedi. I cannot love you for that."
"They will not stop." He said. "Ever."
"I know," she said, "I know." The Capulets and the Montagues poured into the tomb.
"Romeo!" Benvolio called, running towards his cousin, "What're you doing here?"
"I…I came to be with Juliet. I heard she was dead." Romeo answered. Benvolio hugged him and the two talked for a rather long time. Juliet made her way over to Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry for everything."
"I would be lying to say you were not forgiven."
Across the room, the Capulets and Montagues were shaking hands. At the thought of their children's death, they realized the value of life. And they would never fight again.
Juliet tried to steady her hands. Every time they jerked, so did the ship. "Okay, you need to calm down a little," Obi-Wan said with a touch of sarcasm. Juliet gripped the controls tighter, jolting the ship. She steadied herself, then initiated hyperspace. For a while neither of them spoke.
"In a way," said Juliet, "I'm glad to be leaving. It made me sad, the way Tybalt and Mercutio died just because of…" she trailed off.
"Because of what?" Obi-Wan asked, already knowing the answer.
"Because of…" she looked down at the ship's controls again, and whispered, "me."
"None of that was your fault," he assured her.
She kept her head bowed. "All right."
"Listen to me," he said, "that was not your fault."
"Yeah."
"Juliet, look at me." She, of course, would rather not, but that was technically an order. Juliet turned and met his eyes. "This was not your fault. I know that as well as I ever may, and there is no way I can force you to change your mind. But I trust that you will do so on your own." She looked away. After a long time, he said, "When she died, he couldn't stand it. He may have gone crazy for a while, I'll never know. But he sought vengeance. You may think what you like about those families, that they were beasts or monsters, but all they are is real. The Capulets lost a child. Think about that."
And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Juliet had gone on her first mission when she was eleven. She was still a child, in more than one way, but would never admit that. It had been after much discussion that the Council had allowed Juliet (Juliet, the renegade) out on a mission. Juliet wasn't eager for the mission, as she could have been, and as many others would have been. Instead, she felt…well, young.
The mission got off to a bad start. Juliet had uploaded some archaic files onto her datapad, and found many stories among them. One of them had been giving her a bit of trouble, but she was determined to read it. It was called 'Romeo and Juliet'. As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan played some strange game of skill in which monsters kill each other, Juliet huddled in the corner of the room with her datapad.
The story's end was not at all what Juliet had thought it would be. She had wanted the lovers to live happily ever after. Their deaths, no matter what strife was buried with it. She tried her hardest not to cry, and opened another document, about a woman from a place called England and her obscure life and two boyfriends. No matter how funny it was, she found herself still crying. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion from trying not to cry, Juliet had no energy left, and so she wept.
"Juliet? What is it?"
"Nothing," Juliet said. "Don't worry, I didn't sense a disturbance in the Force or anything. It's nothing. Really!"
"If it's nothing," Obi-Wan began, "why are you crying?"
"I am crying for a private reason which is my own," she stated.
"If it's that serious—"
"It isn't. In fact, it's so un-serious I think I should laugh. But I can't."
"Oh really? Why?"
Juliet searched her mind, then answered, "For never was there a tale of more woe." She was ready to defend her rights to this secret, when Qui- Gon interrupted them.
"We're breaching the atmosphere. We'll be on the planet soon, and then this mission officially begins." Looking at the two, he added, "I hope you're both ready."
Two voices chorused, "Yes, Master."
"It actually is a bit routine. Strange, yes, but routine," Juliet observed. She sat in her quarters after the third day of questioning citizens.
"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked, appalled. "We're dealing with a case of disappearances. They happen—we think—in the middle of the night. There is no note, or sign of struggle. All children taken are within one year of the same age. Nobody ever sees them happen. All the missing persons are no more than one year apart. They go missing in some obscure pattern none can decipher. How can you call this routine?"
"Eliminate detail. It's shrouded in mystery. Seemingly random offenses. So what do we know, Master? Think about. I don't mean what they tell us. Be logical about it." Juliet looked at him piercingly. He couldn't think when she did that.
Finally, he responded, "You are not supposed to be keeping information from me, Padawan."
Juliet smiled that terrible smile, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, I think it's quite clear that these events are not random, but the results of careful planning. Nobody sees, right? So our culprit knows their routines."
"How do you…?" he stared at her, open-mouthed.
"It's just the way I work," she said, her smile fading from her lips, turning away.
"Juliet, what—"
"It's nothing," she said quickly. "So, how would we go about finding this culprit?"
"First we stop lying to each other."
A guilty look passed over her face, her face so innocent the look was exaggerated a hundred-fold. In a strangled whisper, refusing to look at him, she asked, "When did you lie to me?" No answer came.
Lying on his back, staring into the dark, Obi-Wan worried. Juliet had long since fallen asleep. Obi-Wan stayed awake, worrying about the rift between them. She lied to him. Withholding information, well, it was wrong, but she meant it as a joke. But something was eating her, and she wasn't about to tell him. All he could hope for was that she didn't—
"I never would." The voice made him jump. Or more, the voice made him sit bolt upright. "Never! I'm devoted to the order—and I kind of owe you."
"Y-you're awake! What do you mean, you owe me?"
"You wouldn't let them send me to agricorps. So I owe you. Loyalty. So I wouldn't go over to the dark side—really, I wouldn't do something that would insult you."
"And you're reading my thoughts."
"No, I wasn't. Weren't you trying to?"
"To what?"
"Project your thoughts. You were doing very well. Not that it's my place to comment," she added quickly.
"No, it isn't. At least you know that," he said, disturbed. She could hear his thoughts so clearly she thought them projected? Wow, he'd better reserve criticism from then on. "Do you think Qui-Gon could hear my thoughts, too?"
"Possibly subconsciously. I doubt it. But perhaps—no, no, never mind."
"What?"
"Well, I—and you'll have to pardon me for saying this, Master—but I think it may be a possibility that he was actually drawing the thoughts from your head," Juliet rushed. For a long time, Obi-Wan thought about this possibility. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely, but not impossible. "Juliet," he whispered into the darkness, "I'm going to follow through on your suspicion." There was no answer.
She was already gone.
Juliet tried to lift her hand. It went up, but was heavy as a stone, and fell like one. Using the Force, she tried to gather her strength. Even so, lifting her head felt like a huge challenge. Her eyelids were too heavy. Finally, she consented to wait.
The first thing Juliet noticed was the voices. At first they were just whispers, humming sensations bombarding her ears. Then they came clearer. "Is she awake?" "Is she even alive?" "When did she get here?" "Who is she?" Nobody answered these questions. Nobody seemed to know the answers.
Juliet forced her eyelids open next. The voices, she saw, came from a group of children, all of whom were about her age. They were huddled around her, all staring. For a moment, Juliet wondered who they were, but Juliet was a Jedi. Within seconds she realized, "You're the children we've been looking for!"
"We? What are you talking about?" Asked a boy with curly reddish hair and blue eyes.
"Well, aren't you the children who disappeared from the city?" Juliet inquired.
"Yes," answered the reddish-haired boy, "and what do you mean, we're the children you're looking for?"
Juliet tried to explain, "We were looking for the children who disappeared from the city."
"Then you aren't from the city?"
"No, I'm not. I'm from Coruscant. I'm a Jedi."
The boy scoffed. "You? A girl hardly our age?"
"I am of the order," Juliet said. "I can prove it, too."
"Then do it. Prove you're a Jedi," the boy challenged. Juliet reached down to her waist, where her lightsaber was clipped onto her utility belt. With a feeling of dread, she realized she had left it off to sleep. Her weapon was gone. Her comlink was gone. All she had was the Force.
"Calm down, Obi-Wan, we don't know anything for sure," Qui-Gon said. Personally, he thought the boy had just had either too much sugar or too much caffeine.
"Yes we do. Where else could she be?"
"Out conducting an experiment of her own, most likely."
Obi-Wan struggled to stay calm. Qui-Gon, of course, saw this. "Remember Keegan?"
"That was different. And I was thirteen," he said, trying not to think about Keegan.
"It was the same thing, and you know it. What about the girl on Keegan?"
"Siri. She was eleven, but still—we were together," Obi-Wan's feeble arguments didn't even convince himself. It didn't matter; he was worried about Juliet.
"Her datapad's here. Why not go look at it?" Qui-Gon suggested.
"What?"
"You haven't noticed? She's always looking at that thing—and only speaks about it in riddles. Perhaps you should see for yourself what it is she's so interested in?"
Obi-Wan was appalled, for the second time in two days. "Do you really think I would do such a horrible thing?"
"Why not?" Qui-Gon asked lightly, ignoring Obi-Wan's state of shock.
"I want her to tell me—to trust me. And I have worked hard for what little trust she and I share. I'm not going to throw away all that work just because you—just because I want to know about some stupid datapad!" Obi-Wan took a few seconds to calm down, then he just sat down. After a moment of sitting, he realized he was mimicking what Juliet did when she was looking at her datapad—and he jumped up. Qui-Gon smiled. The boy was losing it. And, of course, he wasn't going to do anything—but he was wrong about the boy.
"Okay. So a bunch of kids Juliet's age have disappeared, she disappears. This means either she disappeared by the same means or, even after the conversation we had last night, she's gone off on her own without even telling me."
"Conversation?" Qui-Gon asked. Obi-Wan cursed.
"Private conversation." For a few moments neither of them spoke. Obi-Wan felt a stir around him—something weak, weaker than wind. He tuned in to the Force. The signal strengthened. There was a note, something about others, an apology…then it died out.
"What?" Qui-Gon asked. "That wasn't—"
"That was her. She's in trouble. She's with the others." After a momentary pause, he added, "she's sorry."
"We don't know anything," Qui-Gon said.
"No, you don't know anything because you refuse to listen! To anything! Not to the council, not to me, not even to her! You don't even know who she is! But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to go find her." Obi-Wan surprised himself, but couldn't take it back—didn't want to take it back. He said he was going to go find her—and so he walked out the door. Qui-Gon didn't move for a moment. He was shocked—and impressed. Obi-Wan had always been so serious, so unattached to anyone or anything. Ever since Melida/Daan, he had hardly breathed without the approval of the council.
Smiling, Qui-Gon hurried outside to rebuke the headstrong boy who he had missed for so long.
Juliet wished again that she had her lightsaber, or her comlink. This place was whack. Any information the children needed was sent out through some strange type of P.A. system, which simply gave knowledge but had no voice. They spent their days in one very large room, where they could do what ever they chose—some played instruments, some read fictional stories off datapads—none that Juliet had downloaded onto her datapad, of course—and various other things. At certain times of day they ate, and Juliet had to admit that the food was actually pretty good. In fact, most of the children were forgetting their lives before this one.
What Juliet noticed were the disappearances. There were sixteen children, other than herself. Often, she would ask them about their lives before the strange place, and record what they said. One boy didn't remember anything at all about his life. Juliet nearly wept when he told her so. After the midday meal, on Juliet's first day, that boy was gone. No trace of him could be found—his belongings were gone, and a new child took his bed. Juliet felt a surge in the Force, and thirty minutes later a great absence. The child who had been taken was dead. And Juliet would not let that happen again.
Juliet tried hard to make the kids remember things. Every day she asked them who they were, where they were from, and things like that. Every day people answered with less and less information. After three days, five of the children had forgotten themselves. Five of the children had died. Juliet's attempts were futile. She was, to say the least, frustrated. After four days, at midnight, she gathered the Force around her, and sent out the strongest signal she could. She spent herself on those three minutes, having no idea weather anyone would get the signal. When she woke again, she didn't know where she was or when she was. All she remembered was her brain exploding in her head and the world going black.
"Wh-where am I?" She asked, sitting up. Her head swam, and shapes danced in front of her eyes. Her condition appeared to be…not good. Looking around, she saw a sterile white room. A-a hospital? Had she pushed herself that hard? No way. But where was everybody? Who had brought her here? There were too many unanswered questions. Nobody friendly would do that, leave her hanging. She was on enemy grounds.
Clearing her head, Juliet remembered her first priority. Recon. She could learn a lot there, and if she could, she would. However, what she really needed to do anything at all was to get out—unseen. Think, think, think! She thought. First of all, be unseen. Okay, no cameras—a camera would have a blinking red light. No noise, she had no way of checking for that. There were very few exits—a drain, a door, a vent, and the ceiling. The pipe wouldn't fit her, and the vent was terribly small. That left the door and the ceiling. The door was the obvious one, thus the biggest risk. One exit was left.
Juliet stood up on the table. She was tall enough to reach the ceiling. Juliet put her palms flat and pushed. The tile gave way, revealing a two- foot crawl space. She hooked her hands firmly, and pulled herself up. She replaced the tile, and had plenty of space to maneuver. She spent twenty minutes roaming around, eventually finding a grate over what looked like an office. Some people in it were speaking.
"Gone," the first voice said. "Just gone."
"How?" asked a commanding voice.
"Unknown, sir," came the response. "Skinny kid—vent, most likely. Door was checked. No sounds were recorded—this one's smart."
"Of course it is! It's a Jedi! Jedi are smart!" A third person rushed in.
"Vent's empty. Halls and rooms check. Evidence says she did not leave that room." Juliet smiled.
"Do not let that child get out. If she gets out, we will have to deal with Obi-Wan Kenobi. We've nearly finished with our plans. He does not know that we're abducting these children to study the Force. And he should be dead within the week." Juliet gasped, then shut her mouth. It was too late. The next thing she noticed was a strong hand clasping down on her ankle.
Blurry images snapped into focus. She was lying down again, staring at the ceiling. Rolling onto her side, she saw a woman behind her, working with medical tools. The woman turned, a huge syringe in one gloved hand. "Welcome back," she said. "Now, if you would roll onto your back…" Juliet did. She didn't have the energy to do anything else. There was a prick in her skin, then a flash of blinding white pain. She couldn't control anything, and felt her muscles spasm. Her body convulsed, and the world slipped away.
Juliet slipped in and out of consciousness. Seconds or hours would pass, she didn't know. She felt the changes in her body. Things were injected, withdrawn. It would have hurt, if she had been conscious for it. Sometimes she wondered how long had passed since the threat. Usually she didn't have the strength to think at all.
Juliet finally woke up, really woke up. She was in a sterile hospital room again. Someone was there with her. She sat up to speak with them.
"Ah, Juliet, I see you're back with us."
"A…yeah, I am," she responded.
"This is how it will work. I ask a question, you answer it. Now, first question. How are the lightsabers made?"
Juliet, trained to reveal nothing, did not respond.
"You have until three. One…Two…" Juliet felt the impact before she saw the fist. "Cooperation, you see, is not an option."
"You go find her, I'll get the others," Qui-Gon said, knowing that Obi-Wan feared the worst for Juliet. Obi-Wan was quick to follow that order. It had taken a week for him and Qui-Gon to find the—hideout, whatever it was. Obi- Wan picked up Juliet's Force-energy. Force energy was strong in a young girl like her with so much sensitivity to the Force. It took Obi-Wan only minutes to find Juliet. Or what was once Juliet.
The girl was curled limply in the corner of a dark room. Her hands covered her head, but it was clear that any child could move those hands. For a few seconds Obi-Wan faltered—then continued. If she was dead he would bring her body back to the Temple. They would burn it. However, upon approach, he noticed a slight rise and fall of her chest. The tell-tale breathing. So she was alive, but her condition was…less than good. After a minute she stirred, but then was still. She did not move except for the rise and fall of her chest.
At one point Juliet opened her eyes. Her voice, strained and barely audible, rasped, "I'm sorry" before she lost consciousness. Obi-Wan was sure, once or twice, that she had died, but she always came back. Knowing he was breaking the rules, he hoped she would not die.
"…the thing is, Juliet, that even if you're okay, there's still a lot wrong. You're now dependent on insulin. You need it to live. It's called diabetes, remember? You told me about it. I'm getting off track though. All the kids from that laboratory, we sent them home. The ones who died…nothing could be done. We returned the bodies." Obi-Wan stopped as Qui-Gon entered.
"Perhaps you should spend less time talking to Juliet," Qui-Gon suggested. "For all we know, she may not live." He paused for a moment, letting Obi- Wan think about it. Then he added, "I know how hard it is."
"No, you're right," he said, a little too forcefully. Qui-Gon tried to say something, but Obi-Wan cut him off. "I shouldn't talk to her so much. She's probably already dead."
Obi-Wan stood at the window, watching the planet grow smaller. The antagonists were dead. The victims had been buried or returned to their homes. Yet all was not well. Juliet was not all right.
As he worried about his young apprentice, Obi-Wan felt someone's hand slide into his own. Then he didn't think, he just knew, and let himself feel the relief that that hand brought. Because only one person he knew had hands that were like that, so childish. But she wasn't a child anymore. Without looking at her, he said, "I was so scared you wouldn't come back."
Without looking at him, she responded, "I know."
The planet grew smaller, and soon could not be seen. But this mission would be embedded in every line of her face for a lifetime.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
"It may seem like an easy mission, but it will be more difficult than you expect," Obi-Wan warned. Now Juliet was twelve. It had taken six months for her to return to the functioning levels of a normal Jedi.
"I know that," Juliet shrugged. "It is a test of the heart."
"That it shall be. Don't forget, no lightsaber or Force on this mission. We're going to observe, not interfere."
"I know these things already, Master. You've told me six times," Juliet reminded him. She was trying to twist her hair into braids, falling down her back. Ever since their last mission, barely a month ago, Juliet had taken advantage of her overgrown mane, as she liked to call it.
"So I have, but that doesn't give you the right to be impudent."
"Not impudent, but surely honest," she said, standing up. Obi-Wan knew she was doing that to bother him, and the truth was that now that his Padawan was less than an inch shorter than him, he was bothered. As she had told him, everyone has to grow up sometime.
"All right already. I need to talk to Qui-Gon before we go, so meet me by the ship in an hour. And be on time for once!" He said, half-joking with the last remark. Juliet agreed and he left. Not half a minute later, Juliet had run off to find the kids who would still play cards with her—most people hated how she won all the time.
Juliet leaned on her knees, trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she wheezed, "Sorry, Master. I was distracted and didn't notice the time." Then she collapsed against the ship, red-faced and quite a bit out of it. A book rested against her chest.
"Why do you keep holding books in front of you?" Obi-Wan asked her. She didn't answer, just shook her head.
//I know why// Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan, in his head instead of out loud.
//Why?// Obi-Wan responded.
//She's changing. It makes her uncomfortable.//
//Changing? How?// Juliet, noticing that they were communicating, looked up just in time to see Qui-Gon motioning to Obi-Wan what it was that had made her so uncomfortable.
"Hey!" Juliet called, tossing her book at him. Qui-Gon caught the offending item and handed it back to Juliet, smiling. She realized why: he was right, and she had proved it. In the strange clothes she had to wear for this mission, her breasts had become rather…obvious.
"Come on, Juliet, we have to go," Obi-Wan said. Juliet pulled herself up and boarded the ship. Obi-Wan followed. This was a strange mission.
Earth was a small, densely populated planet located on the Outer Rim. The Galactic Republic had no presence there. In fact, the planet's population believed they were the only intelligent beings in the galaxy. A highly secretive government sector had discovered the Galactic Republic, and wished to join it. On behalf of the Republic, two Jedi had been dispatched to observe the behavior of the planet's inhabitants, and determine their readiness to join the Republic.
Juliet jumped to her feet for the sixteenth time. Obi-Wan sighed inwardly. He sensed his Padawan's unrest, and her eagerness for this mission. In the past hour, which he had hoped to spend meditating, Juliet had become more and more excited. She was now not even able to sit still long enough to meditate even the slightest bit.
"We will breach the atmosphere soon, Juliet, now please sit still!" Obi-Wan admonished, irritated.
"It isn't that Master, it's just…I felt something. Something new, but nothing welcome," the girl sat down.
"This is new. What was it?"
"All I know is, I have a bad feeling about this. I'm worried for someone."
"Who?" Obi-Wan asked, no longer irritated in the least.
"Someone…someone I haven't met, but I will meet. Someone…" she trailed off into nothingness.
"Do not forget this occurance, but do not dwell on it. When we get down to Earth, remember your story. Why don't you say it back to me, just to be sure?"
"Okay," Juliet responded, "I'm from Australia. I don't like to talk about my home, because it will make me sad. My parents were killed and I'm staying with a foster family."
"Good. How did your parents die?"
"In a car crash, but I'd rather not talk about it," Juliet answered. This continued for some time. After all, any slip-up could cost them the mission. As they got closer to Earth, Juliet's answers started to sound more and more real. Finally, as the team parted, Obi-Wan gave Juliet one last reminder.
"If there is trouble, if you need help, you can always contact me using the Force."
"I won't forget," Juliet assured him, and she went off to meet her new family. There were four children. Benjamin, the oldest, was sixteen. He had sandy-blond hair, as did his other brothers. He looked mature beyond his years, his blue eyes had a very serious, caring look in them. Then next brother, Mark, looked totally out-of-it with his spikey hair and glazed eyes. The youngest brother, Chris, looked frighteningly similar to Chris O'Donnell in Batman and Robin, only Chris was twelve years old. The only girl, Robin, had black hair which she controlled very well, and green eyes. She was also twelve.
"Hi," Juliet said, "I'm Juliet."
"Hi, I'm Robin," said Robin. Each of the boys was introduced in turn. The house where they lived, where Juliet was staying, was big enough that each of the kids had their own room. Juliet shared Robin's room, the attic. Robin and Juliet immediately became good friends. After a week, Juliet was starting school. She, Robin, Chris, and Mark went to the same school, and it was very close to the house. They walked together every morning.
"This is P.E. It basically consists of changing in a crowded room, stretching, and running. Nobody likes it much," Robin whispered as she and Juliet headed into the locker room. Juliet found it barbaric, that they all changed in such close proximity, but she didn't say anything.