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**Third Person**

The Council room was dimly lit and slightly chilly when Mace Windu entered it to join Master Yoda in discussion. The little old Jedi was sitting cross legged on his round chair, his walking stick laid across his lap. His eyes were closed, but he greeted Mace affectionately when he took the seat beside him.

"Mace, good to see you, it is. A fine time to meditate."

"It is Master... but I sense that meditating is not what you called me here for."

Yoda chuckled. "Indeed it is not, my old Padawan. Discuss the fate of young Rosalie Storm, we must."

Mace cupped his chin in his hand. "It has been a year since she first came to us. I believe it is time for her to strike out on her own. She cannot remain with the Jedi any longer... We are not a charity, Master."

"That we are not. But not yet ready is she... not yet ready am I to let her go."

"Master?" Mace questioned.

"One more test," Yoda replied. "One more test for her, I have... yes. To prove that she is ready to go out into this galaxy by herself."

"What kind of test are you suggesting?"

"One here on Coruscant," Yoda said. "A mission she must complete... on her own. But leave her alone, we cannot, in case she finds herself at death's door."

"How will we know if she's ready if we assign her a baby sitter? Maybe being at death's doors will be the boost she needs to know how to survive here."

Yoda rapped his old pupil's knee with his cane. Mace just looked at his old Master with slight annoyance.

"No, leave her alone to her fate by herself, we will not. Send someone to watch her from the shadows, we must. To determine himself if she is ready."

"Do you have this someone picked out Master? And the mission?"

Yoda nodded. "Yes, yes. It is all taken care of. Call her into the Council room tomorrow, we will. Give her assignment then, we must. She is ready."

"Yes Master..."

**Rosalie Storm's POV**

"The Yearling!"

"Yearling?" I snorted as Aayla put her arm around my shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aayla laughed. After we had made up after the little incident with Kit a couple of weeks ago, we had gone back to being friends. She was still rebelling against the "no love" rule of the Jedi, but she was keeping herself in check. Which I was thankful for, neither one of us wanted her to get kicked out of the order.

"You've been here for exactly a year now," she replied. "So, instead of the Earthling, today, we are going to call you the Yearling!"

"Wow, real original, Aayla."

She giggled and I looked suspiciously as her. "How many cups of Java juice have you had tonight?"

She threw her hands up in the hair. "No idea!"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes behind her back. We both knew how nuts Java juice made Aayla. Another laugh exploded from the back of the room. And apparently a couple of other people as well.

Once again Aayla and I's room was jam-packed full of people. Apparently the word had gotten out that I had been here at the Temple for exactly a year now... and for some reason that was a cause for celebration. Who knew that the Jedi Padawans liked to party? I guess it was a nice relief from all the training they had to endure and even some of the horrors they faced on the missions. It was good lay back and just be teenagers every now and then.

I ducked a floating bowl of snacks. And then again, maybe it wasn't such a great idea.

"Hey, Yearling!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Where do you and Aayla hide the drinks?!"

"You guys drank them all already!" I shouted back. "Go raid someone else's room for a change! Seriously, you guys come in here and eat us out of house and home all the freakin' time!"

Laughter exploded from around me and I couldn't help smiling. Who cared? We had a lot of fun at these parties.

"Fine! I'll go grab some stuff from the mess hall!"

"You mean steal it?" I asked the boy from across the room.

His twin answered. "What's the difference?"

"A lot."

The two boys were twins from the planet Ord Mantell, trouble makers and pranksters. I'd gotten in trouble a few times when they passed the blame onto me for their pranks. But, all in all, they were pretty fun guys. Once you got past the annoying teasing, slight stupidity and taking the blame anyway.

"We'll be right back!"

"Wait!"

But it was too late, they had already bolted to the door and slammed it open... to reveal the frowning face of Master Windu beyond.

I could almost feel the temperature in the room drop as everyone went silent and turned to stare in guilty surprise at the esteemed Jedi Master. The twins turned as red as the Coruscant sunsets and tripped over each other to move out of Windu's line of vision. They stumbled over each other's apologies as they did so.

"Master Windu! What a surprise!"

"We were just—"

"Talking to Rose—"

"About her last mission—"

"Totally bad-ass—"

"He didn't mean that!"

"I mean it was very well carried out."

At Windu's stern look they trailed off.

"Okay, we'll shut up now." They backed away as Windu's eyes scanned the room of younglings. Then his gaze landed on me.

I wanted to sink into the floor. I was going to get kicked out of the Temple, I just knew it. All my friends, gone. All the things I wanted to accomplish here, down the drain. Chances of survival, zero.

And then he surprised me.

"Rosalie Storm. Your presence is required in the Council room at daybreak tomorrow." Then he turned on his heel and walked away, his brown cloak swirling out behind him.

The door slammed shut.

I turned to looked at all the stunned faces in the room, in turn staring right back at me. Then, the most brilliant thing I could come up with after that unexpected visit was: "I have to get up that early?!"

Aayla came up to sit with me, she looked a lot more serious now despite the Java juice still racing through her veins. "Rose," she whispered. "What's going on? Why does the Council want to see you?"

I looked at the silent and slightly grim faces in the room. We all knew something big was about to happen when Master Mace Windu himself came to inform you of a meeting with the Council. "I don't know," I whispered back.

A Togruta Padawan in the back slammed her palm down on the table. We all jumped at the noise. "Well, whatever it is," she said. "You have us behind you Storm. You've showed us how to live again despite our duty to the galaxy. We owe you that much at least."

There were murmurs of agreement around the room, as well as a few scowls. I pretended to ignore those though. "Thank you," I said. Then I groaned. "I hope I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, you are Miss Rosalie Storm. It could be anything... do you think they figured out it was you who painted the east wing?"

I glared at Aayla as the room exploded in chatter. "You said you wouldn't say anything?!"

"Wait, you painted the east wing?"

"Yeah, and it was pink!"

"Oh Rose, you are so screwed."

"Shut-up Obi!"

The twins interjected. "Can we go steel some more drinks now."

The room erupted in commotion as a dozen voices answered at once.

"NO!"

• • • •

The next morning I found myself in the middle of the Council room surrounded by Jedi Masters. Their eyes were fixed on me, as if trying to see right through me (I wouldn't doubt if they could). I kept my eyes on my folded hands, clasped in front of me. No one had said anything yet, I began to grow antsy, wondering what they wanted me for. Had they figured out it was me who painted the west wing?

Yoda chuckled and I slammed my mind barriers up in alarm. Hopefully he had been the only one to catch that. My hands began to grow moist at the stares and deafening silence. They were weighing me up, that much I knew, but for what.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "You asked to see me, Masters?" I asked. My voice sounded loud and childish in the big round room. I resisted the urge to wince. Even though I looked up to the Jedi with admiration and respect (even considering some of them friends) I couldn't help the nervousness I felt at that moment.

Mace Windu sat back in his chair. "Yes, Miss Storm, we have asked for your presence because we have a mission for you."

I began to get excited.

"Alone."

My heart seemed to still. "Alone?" I whispered.

"We believe it is time for you to prove your worth," Mace continued.

"Need to know how much you have learned here, we do," Yoda commented, pointing a clawed finger at me.

I tried to banish the apprehension and slight fear I felt toward completing this mission alone. It didn't work so I decided to ignore it instead. "What is my assignment?" I asked, straightening my shoulders.

"You will stay on Coruscant," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "There is a situation in the lower levels that must be resolved."

"A gang involved in robbery, trespassing and even murder is hiding in the slums beneath the city. We need you to find them... earn their trust and become apart of their gang. We need to know more about them and what they are up to before we can bring them into custody. This is the most sure way of finding information," Saesee Tiin said.

"Stay secretive and hidden, do not give them any reason to doubt you. And do not do anything without first consulting with one of the members of the Council."

"When do I start?" I asked.

"Tonight."

My heart began to beat faster.

"You will be provided with a speeder. The exact location of these people is not known. Best to start near the old zoo beneath apartment building 340A. That was their last known location."

"Yes Masters."

"You are dismissed."

I left the Council room with a bitter-sweet taste on my tongue. The Council trusted me to send me on a mission on my own. But I was apprehensive. Could I do it? Or would I die as another nameless face in the dark labyrinth of the lower levels?

**Third Person**

"Bring in Wolfsbane."

At a nod from Windu, the great Council doors opened again and Jedi Knight Cade Wolfsbane strode into the middle of the room. He bowed respectfully. "Masters."

"We have a new assignment for you," Shaak Ti said, drumming her long nails upon her chair.

"Here on Coruscant, in the lower levels you will go."

Cade brushed his hood off his head. "What are my orders? A new drug gang? Politician murdered in a den?"

Windu shook his head. "No Cade. This is an assigned protection mission."

"Bodyguard?"

The Jedi Master nodded solemnly.

"For who?"

"The Earthling."

Cade stilled and lifted his eyebrow at Windu. "Rosalie Storm? What for?"

"Sending her to the lower levels on a mission alone, we are. A test, this is, for young Storm to prove herself. Time it is, that we know if she can survive on her own alone or not. To make sure she does not get killed, your job, it is. Watch her, inform us of how she does, you will."

"A babysitting job," Cade nearly growled.

"To put it simply, yes." Mace Windu leaned forward. "If you deem her able too protect herself, then Miss Rosalie Storm will leave the Temple and strike out on her own. And if not... well she will try again at another point."

"She is leaving tonight... she must not know you are with her. Keep yourself hidden, undetected. But if the need arises, you are to protect her," Luminara Unduli said.

"Her mission is to infiltrate a gang in the lower levels... they have been accused of drug dealing, theft, murder." Windu suddenly smirked. "That's we told her anyway."

"You sent her on a bogey mission?"

"Not necessarily. The gang has been involved in many illegal activities of course. But they aren't as dangerous as her report card says."

"Am I dismissed?" Cade asked cooly.

"Yes, you are dismissed, Knight Wolfsbane."

Then with a swish of his dark cloak, the young Jedi left the room of Masters.

"He is not happy about this," Ki-Adi-Mundi said when the doors closed behind the brooding young Jedi.

"No," Windu replied. "But he'll deal with it. This mission will be good for the both of them."

Yoda nodded. "That it will."

I know it was short but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

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