Disclaimer: I don't own rights to anything mentioned in here, I'm just writing this for fun, please don't sue me!! Actually, I did create Juliet and Robin's family, so they're mine, and I belong to me (and my friends don't belong to me, either)
"I think lunch is my favorite time of day," Robin said. Finally, a concept Juliet was familiar with! It hadn't taken long for Juliet to used to the food here--it was so good! She heartily agreed with Robin about this "lunch" thing. Surrisingly, Robin kept walking.
"Where are we going?" Juliet asked.
"Oh, we're going to eat with my friends, okay? You'll like them." Robin stopped and unceremoniously dropped her stuff on the ground. Then she (unceremoniously) plunked herself down on the ground. Juliet copied her. "Hey, everybody!" Robin yelled. Everyone stopped talking.
"This is Juliet. Juliet, this is Ariel, Deborah, Emily, Jacob, Jasmine, Sam, other Sam, and Yannick. Oh, and Bernie," Robin explained. Juliet tried hard to memorize their names. She soon forgot them.
"Do you know Spit?" asked one of Robin's friends, holding up a bunch of small papers.
"No," Juliet said nervously.
"Come on, I'll teach you," said Robin's friend enthusiastically. Juliet moved to sit across from her. "Now, you get 26 cards and I get 26 cards. We each set up..." the girl went through a list of rules, with Sam chiming in every-so-often. Surprisingly, Juliet enjoyed the unorganized frenzy. After a while, the friend--who was winning, shouted in triumph, and Sam asked, "Are you channeling Nicole again?" The friend made some sexual comment.
"Nasty!" said Sam, returning to his lunch. Juliet smiled and let herself go. She felt happy among these people. She could feel the comfort and trust between them. There was no effort behind this friendship. It seemed amazing.
"Juliet," Emily said, drawing her back. "If you need any help with the violin--I'm in your music class--I could help you."
"Okay," Juliet said, "I'd like that, actually, considering my violin abilities." These people were so innocent, so amazingly trusting. Juliet almost wished she could be one of them.
"So, exactly what are we doing?" Juliet asked, a little confused.
"It's just this thing we do, we go down to a comic store every Friday," Sam said. Juliet understood, though she didn't know what a comic was, and she understood that it meant something to them.
"What's this Village Market thing then?" Juliet asked.
"Comeda!" shouted Deborah, the girl who had taught her Spit. "Nostotros queiro comeda!"
"We're getting food," Emily explained. "Deborah likes to speak Spanish."
"Hey, I hear someone new works there," Sam said.
"Yeah, the old guy lost service," Ariel said.
"He was really nasty, so we stopped going," explained Jasmine. "But the new guy is supposedly pretty nice." The group headed into Village Market, all having their own destination in mind. Juliet saw at once who "the new guy" was, and she smiled at him. Obi-Wan returned her smile. Juliet sought out her new friends.
"Wow, what's all this stuff?" Juliet asked Jacob and Deborah.
"Comeda," Deborah said, "dolces."
"Food," Jacob translated, "candy. What kind of candy do you like, massive sugary or minty or chewy? Or chocolate?"
"I don't know. What's good?" Juliet asked. Deborah and Jacob exchanged a glance, Jacob laughing a little.
"Candy," began Deborah, "is artificial. It is what bothers our parents. There is no good; there is personal preference. You, I would think, would like these." She grabbed a bag portraying a smooth, white substance covered in a dark substance. "That's mints in chocolate."
"Okay," Juliet said. "That sounds good." The others waited outside while Juliet paid for her candy, lucky for her.
"How's it going?' Obi-Wan asked her.
"Pretty good," Juliet said. "These kids are extraordinary. So you're called Frank?"
"That I am," he responded, laughing. "You, at least, kept your name."
"Yeah. It's so fun, being with these people, they--" she stopped as one of the other kids came in.
"Juliet, are you coming? Most of our parents won't let us stay late," explained Sam.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," she assured him. She grabbed her candy, said goodbye to "Frank", and headed out.
"Bye, Frank," Sam said as he headed after her.
"Bye, Sam," Obi-Wan returned. For a moment, Sam was amazed that Frank remembered his name, but he had to hurry after his friends. All he knew was, there was something between Juliet and Frank.
"Ow!" Sam said, raising his arm in defense. "Evil!" Deborah poked him again, and he lashed out, hoping to smack her, but he missed and his elbow went hard into the wall. He cradled it. Jacob turned around.
"Shush," he admonished.
"Oh, Jacob--" Deborah started, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. She submitted. Juliet smiled at this exchange. It was Saturday. Jacob was having a slumber party--this was a new concept for Juliet. Many children gathered and slept in one room in warm bags on the floor. They also watched some films that greatly disturbed Juliet--Star Wars. In fact, some (Deborah, Jacob, and Emily, though Emily less than the others) of them were obsessed with it, and had books that told of the training of Obi-Wan Kenobi. None of the things in these movies, though, had yet come to pass.
After the movies, they all got in their insulated bags to talk and then sleep. Deborah started off the discussion right off, with the topic of the Pledge of Allegiance. Juliet had gotten to know this ritual well, along with Deborah's feelings towards it.
"It's unconstitutional!" the angry girl ranted. "It's not fair! We're raised to say it, beginning in Kindergarten when we're to young to even understand it. By the time we reach middle school, we say it without meaning it. An oath should not be taken so lightly!"
"That's true, but we know what it means," Jasmine said. "We can choose not to say it."
"Two points, and not bad," Deborah admitted, "but I must say that in sixth grade, my mom was suspended for not saying the pledge of allegiance, and remember that sub last year who wanted to make Miki say it in front of everyone, simply because he didn't believe in it? Also, while we know what it means, we're IHP. What about regular kids?" Juliet stopped listening, and heard something else. She heard Deborah's heart, her soul. She heard Jasmine's mind. She felt all of them, and sensed an incredible ability with the Force in many of them--she couldn't pick out which, but at least four of them were as strong Obi-Wan was.
Finally, all of them had fallen asleep--or almost all of them. "Hey Deborah," Sam said quietly, "are you awake?"
"Yeah, anyone besides us?" she asked.
"Me," Emily said sleepily.
"And I," added Robin. Nobody else said anything, save a few snores. Juliet, who was awake, kept her ears alert.
"There's something going on between Juliet and Frank," Sam said.
"Frank the Village Market guy?" Deborah asked.
"Yeah."
"Like in Pure?"
"I don't know, what's that?"
"A book about a 13-year-old and a 27-year-old going out."
"Then nothing like that! They just...knew each other."
"Do you think he's her father?" asked Deborah.
"No, I just think...there's something between them. History."
"I see. Hey, Robin?"
"Yeah?" Robin responded.
"Find out for us, would you? Just be alert."
"Yeah, okay," Robin said.
"Hey, could I borrow some of those?" Juliet asked Jacob. Jacob nodded, handing her one of the books she'd noticed earlier.
"Oh, Jacob, she's not going to be here for long, give her the lot," Deborah said. To Juliet, she added, "he's forgetful. You'll only have time to read about three of them. You take all of his, and I'll bring you the later ones on Monday, okay?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Juliet answered. These people were so sure they would get their books back, they just trusted her. It awed Juliet, who knew of the corruption in the galaxy.
"Corruption in politics--" began Deborah, who was answered by many groans.
"Can't we enjoy ourselves for once?" asked Robin.
"I was only saying, but never mind it!" said Deborah angrily. Juliet watched in wonder. That was exactly what she had been thinking about.
Obi-Wan wasn't surprised to see Juliet sitting on the low wall outside of Village Market. She had her backpack with her, and was kicking her legs as she read a book. Obi-Wan sat down next her, waiting for her to say something.
"Is this what you looked like when you were my age?" Juliet asked, showing him the cover of her book. Awed, Obi-Wan could just nod. "Did it really happen, with you and Siri on Keegan being stuck at the indoctrination camp?"
"They called it a school, but yes, it did happen. What's all this coming from?" Obi-Wan replied.
"On this planet, there are books. The books tell of your training to become a Jedi. They have movies, too, about our world, and things in it that have not yet come to pass. I think someone already knows about us." Juliet explained.
"You're right. They discovered us many years ago. They've been sworn to secrecy. We have to keep going with the mission, though. It may be less than a month before we leave." At this revelation, Obi-Wan turned and left. Juliet ran to Robin's home, not sure what to think.
The next Wednesday, something terrible happened. There had, for some time, been a war between the U.S. and another country--Juliet couldn't remember which. It seemed very dumb, as Juliet couldn't help but think after hearing Deborah rant about it. But on this Wednesday, Juliet had forgotten all that. She had gone over to Emily's after school, to practice on her violin (an instrument which gave Juliet a bit of trouble) and just to hang out.
"What's this?" asked Juliet, seeing the small Union Jack that Emily had in her mailbox.
"That's the British flag. My mom's English," Emily explained. Juliet understood, sort of. All afternoon, the two practiced on their violins and had a generally good time. In the early evening, Juliet walked back to Robin's home. Halfway there, she felt something, something she had only felt once before. Knowing this feeling, she ran as fast as she could to Robin's. She hadn't expected what she found there.
Robin was hysterical. Her brothers seemed pretty upset, too, but in different ways. Mark was in his room, shooting up. Benjamin was trying to comfort Robin, who wouldn't listen to him. He seemed to feel that he could get in control of everything else, he could gain control of his emotions. Chris was red-eyed, but no longer crying. He pulled Juliet aside and told her what had happened.
"They're drafting," Chris explained, "and Ben's too young to go. They just changed the age at which men can be drafted, and they make one person go from every family. Since Ben was too young, they made dad go to war."
"That's horrible!" exclaimed Juliet, not familiar with this tradition.
"Yeah, I know. I need you to talk to Robin, though," Chris said. Juliet nodded.
"Why?"
"They say at school that you're a Jedi--even though Jedi don't exist. Maybe you could use your Force powers," the desperate boy joked. Juliet dryly nodded again and went up to Robin's room.
"Robin?" she called softly. There was no response. Juliet pushed open the door. She was swept with a wave of emotion, rage, hatred, and despair. "Robin, it's okay. He'll be okay." Robin, who was huddled on her bed, looked up at Juliet.
"No it won't! Men go to war to die!" she sobbed. Juliet couldn't stand it. The despair and sadness cut into her heart, the rage overpowered her mind. The Force crackled around her on this planet, the rage said, yet she couldn't use it. Why follow their rules? Why? Juliet shuddered. Would you let your friend suffer like this? Would you have let Romeo suffer like this? Do you like to be helpless?
Juliet agreed. She reached deep into the Force, drawing energy all around her. With it, she saw that it would be all right. Robin's father would be all right. Robin's heart would not break, her wounds would heal. And, reaching into Robin's life-Force, she told her so.
The last week or so was pretty calm. Nothing much happened. Juliet observed how everyone interacted. Robin was fine. One day, in the middle of doing her homework, Juliet felt something. Something compelled her to leave. She knew who it was, and why she had to go.
Walking the seven blocks made her sweaty from the burning sun. Finally, reaching the apartment, Juliet knocked. It took only a few moments for Obi-Wan to answer. She entered the apartment and sat down. "We're going to leave, aren't we?"
"Soon. The Council wishes to hear our reports." Obi-Wan's communicator blinked, and he answered, "Kenobi here."
"Obi-Wan. We are anxious to hear your report," Mace Windu's voice said, speaking for the entire council. "Please, proceed."
Obi-Wan seemed very prepared for this. "In my time on this planet, I have observed many people of many ages. These observations have led me to believe that the planet may very well be prepared for entrance to the Galactic Republic, however the planet is not prosperous nor would it's entrance benefit the Republic in any way."
"Interesting. Your conclusion?" Windu inquired.
"For this planet to join the Republic would neither hurt nor help," offered Obi-Wan as some sort of answer. Finally remembering Juliet, he added, "Perhaps my Padawan wishes to share her experiences. If she may?"
"Though ignorant the girl may be, allow her to have her say, we must," Yoda chimed.
"Thank you, Master Yoda," a wounded Juliet began. "I have seen many things on this planet, many things foreign to me. I saw how some of these people were treated as lessers simply because they were students. I saw fathers taken from their families to go to war, to fight and die. Yet I still think this planet is fit to join the Republic. My Master said it had no exports, nothing to give. Yet it has so much to give, so many ancient texts and all sort of things! It is a young planet, and not at all a pure planet, but it is no worse than Coruscant. To deny this planet entry to the Republic is simply to say it isn't good enough. Well, then we're not good enough either."
It was a long time before anyone spoke. Obi-Wan was shocked at the way Juliet had addressed the Council. Finally, Yoda asked, "Proud of your Padawan's behavior, are you, hmm?"
"No, Master," an embarrassed Kenobi responded.
"Though perhaps make a point, the child does," admitted Yoda. "Through you this world the Council has seen. Come to our own conclusions also, we have. Allow this planet to join the Galactic Republic, we will. Notified, they will be."
Juliet sat in her history class. The bell rang, finally. The teacher got up to address the class. "As you know, in this class we discuss both ancient and current history. Yesterday, history was made for the planet earth. As most of you know, we were admitted into the Galactic Republic. For those of you who have seen Star Wars, you know what the Republic is. It is a group of planets, all functioning under one government with the protection of Jedi Knights."
A voice called, "I told you it was cooler than Star Trek!" The teacher smiled, and continued.
"This is a proud day for earth. It is a proud day, also, for this class. You may have heard that a Jedi team was sent to observe our planet. I'm proud to tell you that part of that team is sitting in this classroom right now." Juliet blushed. The teacher continued, "I think it would be appropriate for the class to take this period as a question-and-answer time. Raise your hands, questions will be dealt with in an orderly fashion. Juliet will be answering them." Though she hadn't agreed to that, Juliet did. There were many, many questions.
Good-byes were not easy. Robin hugged Juliet and cried, thanking her for breaking the rules and using the Force to console her. Chris was very composed, but he, too, was privately close to tears. Emily made Juliet promise not to forget how to play the violin. Ariel assured Juliet that Lloyd and Faffoo (Ariel's invisible ducks) would miss her. Sam and Sam seemed to be trying to be mature, like Chris, but they, too would miss her. Jasmine reminded her "Nishk." Jacob requested his books back, but Deborah smacked him. Deborah was strangest of all, when she hugged Juliet she whispered "Thank you for making my dreams come true."
It was with a heavy heart that Juliet boarded the spacecraft headed back to Coruscant. She knew she would miss Juliet and all the kids on earth. She knew she was in trouble with Obi-Wan. Dragging her feet, Juliet boarded the craft that would take her home. She pressed her nose against the window to watch earth disappear. She didn't get to.
"Padawan," Obi-Wan said. Uh-oh, Juliet thought. He never called her that; she was in trouble now. "I told you not to use the Force on this mission. You disobeyed me. You spoke to the Council in a manner of impudence and arrogance, disrespecting both them and me."
"Yes, I did." Obi-Wan was annoyed by Juliet. She didn't seem to understand that she was being scolded.
"Use of the Force could easily have destroyed the fact that you were viewed as a normal person. You could have--"
"You don't understand!" she said, before she could stop herself.
"I don't understand? Enlighten me," he challenged, angry.
"You don't understand how other people are. You don't understand what it feels like to hurt. You don't know her pain! You don't know what it's like to lose someone close to you! You can't understand! She was hurting so bad she would've died." By the end of her rant, Juliet was calm.
"Then perhaps it was her time to die," Obi-Wan suggested.
"You #@$%&^*!!" shouted Juliet, before she could stop herself. She regretted what she had done, but could not take it back. In a way that was fair, because Obi-Wan also did something he would always regret. Juliet didn't flinch, nor did she touch the red area on her face. "I deserved that," she said, then she turned and left the room. It was another day before they spoke again.
"I..." Juliet said. Obi-Wan was surprised to hear her voice. He looked up from his meditation. "I'm sorry for my behavior. I suppose...maybe I was out of line in the way I spoke to the Council." Obi-Wan understood that the events of the previous day were forgotten.
"This is a welcome change. Our missions usually end with you apologizing to me for no real reason, or me saving your life, or some such thing. Now you're just a moody preteen. A moody preteen who will be spending six hours meditating." He laughed to show he was joking about the preteen thing. Juliet smiled, then something occurred to her.
Juliet, with an impish grin on her face, began, "So this duck walks into a bar..."
"I think lunch is my favorite time of day," Robin said. Finally, a concept Juliet was familiar with! It hadn't taken long for Juliet to used to the food here--it was so good! She heartily agreed with Robin about this "lunch" thing. Surrisingly, Robin kept walking.
"Where are we going?" Juliet asked.
"Oh, we're going to eat with my friends, okay? You'll like them." Robin stopped and unceremoniously dropped her stuff on the ground. Then she (unceremoniously) plunked herself down on the ground. Juliet copied her. "Hey, everybody!" Robin yelled. Everyone stopped talking.
"This is Juliet. Juliet, this is Ariel, Deborah, Emily, Jacob, Jasmine, Sam, other Sam, and Yannick. Oh, and Bernie," Robin explained. Juliet tried hard to memorize their names. She soon forgot them.
"Do you know Spit?" asked one of Robin's friends, holding up a bunch of small papers.
"No," Juliet said nervously.
"Come on, I'll teach you," said Robin's friend enthusiastically. Juliet moved to sit across from her. "Now, you get 26 cards and I get 26 cards. We each set up..." the girl went through a list of rules, with Sam chiming in every-so-often. Surprisingly, Juliet enjoyed the unorganized frenzy. After a while, the friend--who was winning, shouted in triumph, and Sam asked, "Are you channeling Nicole again?" The friend made some sexual comment.
"Nasty!" said Sam, returning to his lunch. Juliet smiled and let herself go. She felt happy among these people. She could feel the comfort and trust between them. There was no effort behind this friendship. It seemed amazing.
"Juliet," Emily said, drawing her back. "If you need any help with the violin--I'm in your music class--I could help you."
"Okay," Juliet said, "I'd like that, actually, considering my violin abilities." These people were so innocent, so amazingly trusting. Juliet almost wished she could be one of them.
"So, exactly what are we doing?" Juliet asked, a little confused.
"It's just this thing we do, we go down to a comic store every Friday," Sam said. Juliet understood, though she didn't know what a comic was, and she understood that it meant something to them.
"What's this Village Market thing then?" Juliet asked.
"Comeda!" shouted Deborah, the girl who had taught her Spit. "Nostotros queiro comeda!"
"We're getting food," Emily explained. "Deborah likes to speak Spanish."
"Hey, I hear someone new works there," Sam said.
"Yeah, the old guy lost service," Ariel said.
"He was really nasty, so we stopped going," explained Jasmine. "But the new guy is supposedly pretty nice." The group headed into Village Market, all having their own destination in mind. Juliet saw at once who "the new guy" was, and she smiled at him. Obi-Wan returned her smile. Juliet sought out her new friends.
"Wow, what's all this stuff?" Juliet asked Jacob and Deborah.
"Comeda," Deborah said, "dolces."
"Food," Jacob translated, "candy. What kind of candy do you like, massive sugary or minty or chewy? Or chocolate?"
"I don't know. What's good?" Juliet asked. Deborah and Jacob exchanged a glance, Jacob laughing a little.
"Candy," began Deborah, "is artificial. It is what bothers our parents. There is no good; there is personal preference. You, I would think, would like these." She grabbed a bag portraying a smooth, white substance covered in a dark substance. "That's mints in chocolate."
"Okay," Juliet said. "That sounds good." The others waited outside while Juliet paid for her candy, lucky for her.
"How's it going?' Obi-Wan asked her.
"Pretty good," Juliet said. "These kids are extraordinary. So you're called Frank?"
"That I am," he responded, laughing. "You, at least, kept your name."
"Yeah. It's so fun, being with these people, they--" she stopped as one of the other kids came in.
"Juliet, are you coming? Most of our parents won't let us stay late," explained Sam.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," she assured him. She grabbed her candy, said goodbye to "Frank", and headed out.
"Bye, Frank," Sam said as he headed after her.
"Bye, Sam," Obi-Wan returned. For a moment, Sam was amazed that Frank remembered his name, but he had to hurry after his friends. All he knew was, there was something between Juliet and Frank.
"Ow!" Sam said, raising his arm in defense. "Evil!" Deborah poked him again, and he lashed out, hoping to smack her, but he missed and his elbow went hard into the wall. He cradled it. Jacob turned around.
"Shush," he admonished.
"Oh, Jacob--" Deborah started, but he cut her off with a wave of his hand. She submitted. Juliet smiled at this exchange. It was Saturday. Jacob was having a slumber party--this was a new concept for Juliet. Many children gathered and slept in one room in warm bags on the floor. They also watched some films that greatly disturbed Juliet--Star Wars. In fact, some (Deborah, Jacob, and Emily, though Emily less than the others) of them were obsessed with it, and had books that told of the training of Obi-Wan Kenobi. None of the things in these movies, though, had yet come to pass.
After the movies, they all got in their insulated bags to talk and then sleep. Deborah started off the discussion right off, with the topic of the Pledge of Allegiance. Juliet had gotten to know this ritual well, along with Deborah's feelings towards it.
"It's unconstitutional!" the angry girl ranted. "It's not fair! We're raised to say it, beginning in Kindergarten when we're to young to even understand it. By the time we reach middle school, we say it without meaning it. An oath should not be taken so lightly!"
"That's true, but we know what it means," Jasmine said. "We can choose not to say it."
"Two points, and not bad," Deborah admitted, "but I must say that in sixth grade, my mom was suspended for not saying the pledge of allegiance, and remember that sub last year who wanted to make Miki say it in front of everyone, simply because he didn't believe in it? Also, while we know what it means, we're IHP. What about regular kids?" Juliet stopped listening, and heard something else. She heard Deborah's heart, her soul. She heard Jasmine's mind. She felt all of them, and sensed an incredible ability with the Force in many of them--she couldn't pick out which, but at least four of them were as strong Obi-Wan was.
Finally, all of them had fallen asleep--or almost all of them. "Hey Deborah," Sam said quietly, "are you awake?"
"Yeah, anyone besides us?" she asked.
"Me," Emily said sleepily.
"And I," added Robin. Nobody else said anything, save a few snores. Juliet, who was awake, kept her ears alert.
"There's something going on between Juliet and Frank," Sam said.
"Frank the Village Market guy?" Deborah asked.
"Yeah."
"Like in Pure?"
"I don't know, what's that?"
"A book about a 13-year-old and a 27-year-old going out."
"Then nothing like that! They just...knew each other."
"Do you think he's her father?" asked Deborah.
"No, I just think...there's something between them. History."
"I see. Hey, Robin?"
"Yeah?" Robin responded.
"Find out for us, would you? Just be alert."
"Yeah, okay," Robin said.
"Hey, could I borrow some of those?" Juliet asked Jacob. Jacob nodded, handing her one of the books she'd noticed earlier.
"Oh, Jacob, she's not going to be here for long, give her the lot," Deborah said. To Juliet, she added, "he's forgetful. You'll only have time to read about three of them. You take all of his, and I'll bring you the later ones on Monday, okay?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Juliet answered. These people were so sure they would get their books back, they just trusted her. It awed Juliet, who knew of the corruption in the galaxy.
"Corruption in politics--" began Deborah, who was answered by many groans.
"Can't we enjoy ourselves for once?" asked Robin.
"I was only saying, but never mind it!" said Deborah angrily. Juliet watched in wonder. That was exactly what she had been thinking about.
Obi-Wan wasn't surprised to see Juliet sitting on the low wall outside of Village Market. She had her backpack with her, and was kicking her legs as she read a book. Obi-Wan sat down next her, waiting for her to say something.
"Is this what you looked like when you were my age?" Juliet asked, showing him the cover of her book. Awed, Obi-Wan could just nod. "Did it really happen, with you and Siri on Keegan being stuck at the indoctrination camp?"
"They called it a school, but yes, it did happen. What's all this coming from?" Obi-Wan replied.
"On this planet, there are books. The books tell of your training to become a Jedi. They have movies, too, about our world, and things in it that have not yet come to pass. I think someone already knows about us." Juliet explained.
"You're right. They discovered us many years ago. They've been sworn to secrecy. We have to keep going with the mission, though. It may be less than a month before we leave." At this revelation, Obi-Wan turned and left. Juliet ran to Robin's home, not sure what to think.
The next Wednesday, something terrible happened. There had, for some time, been a war between the U.S. and another country--Juliet couldn't remember which. It seemed very dumb, as Juliet couldn't help but think after hearing Deborah rant about it. But on this Wednesday, Juliet had forgotten all that. She had gone over to Emily's after school, to practice on her violin (an instrument which gave Juliet a bit of trouble) and just to hang out.
"What's this?" asked Juliet, seeing the small Union Jack that Emily had in her mailbox.
"That's the British flag. My mom's English," Emily explained. Juliet understood, sort of. All afternoon, the two practiced on their violins and had a generally good time. In the early evening, Juliet walked back to Robin's home. Halfway there, she felt something, something she had only felt once before. Knowing this feeling, she ran as fast as she could to Robin's. She hadn't expected what she found there.
Robin was hysterical. Her brothers seemed pretty upset, too, but in different ways. Mark was in his room, shooting up. Benjamin was trying to comfort Robin, who wouldn't listen to him. He seemed to feel that he could get in control of everything else, he could gain control of his emotions. Chris was red-eyed, but no longer crying. He pulled Juliet aside and told her what had happened.
"They're drafting," Chris explained, "and Ben's too young to go. They just changed the age at which men can be drafted, and they make one person go from every family. Since Ben was too young, they made dad go to war."
"That's horrible!" exclaimed Juliet, not familiar with this tradition.
"Yeah, I know. I need you to talk to Robin, though," Chris said. Juliet nodded.
"Why?"
"They say at school that you're a Jedi--even though Jedi don't exist. Maybe you could use your Force powers," the desperate boy joked. Juliet dryly nodded again and went up to Robin's room.
"Robin?" she called softly. There was no response. Juliet pushed open the door. She was swept with a wave of emotion, rage, hatred, and despair. "Robin, it's okay. He'll be okay." Robin, who was huddled on her bed, looked up at Juliet.
"No it won't! Men go to war to die!" she sobbed. Juliet couldn't stand it. The despair and sadness cut into her heart, the rage overpowered her mind. The Force crackled around her on this planet, the rage said, yet she couldn't use it. Why follow their rules? Why? Juliet shuddered. Would you let your friend suffer like this? Would you have let Romeo suffer like this? Do you like to be helpless?
Juliet agreed. She reached deep into the Force, drawing energy all around her. With it, she saw that it would be all right. Robin's father would be all right. Robin's heart would not break, her wounds would heal. And, reaching into Robin's life-Force, she told her so.
The last week or so was pretty calm. Nothing much happened. Juliet observed how everyone interacted. Robin was fine. One day, in the middle of doing her homework, Juliet felt something. Something compelled her to leave. She knew who it was, and why she had to go.
Walking the seven blocks made her sweaty from the burning sun. Finally, reaching the apartment, Juliet knocked. It took only a few moments for Obi-Wan to answer. She entered the apartment and sat down. "We're going to leave, aren't we?"
"Soon. The Council wishes to hear our reports." Obi-Wan's communicator blinked, and he answered, "Kenobi here."
"Obi-Wan. We are anxious to hear your report," Mace Windu's voice said, speaking for the entire council. "Please, proceed."
Obi-Wan seemed very prepared for this. "In my time on this planet, I have observed many people of many ages. These observations have led me to believe that the planet may very well be prepared for entrance to the Galactic Republic, however the planet is not prosperous nor would it's entrance benefit the Republic in any way."
"Interesting. Your conclusion?" Windu inquired.
"For this planet to join the Republic would neither hurt nor help," offered Obi-Wan as some sort of answer. Finally remembering Juliet, he added, "Perhaps my Padawan wishes to share her experiences. If she may?"
"Though ignorant the girl may be, allow her to have her say, we must," Yoda chimed.
"Thank you, Master Yoda," a wounded Juliet began. "I have seen many things on this planet, many things foreign to me. I saw how some of these people were treated as lessers simply because they were students. I saw fathers taken from their families to go to war, to fight and die. Yet I still think this planet is fit to join the Republic. My Master said it had no exports, nothing to give. Yet it has so much to give, so many ancient texts and all sort of things! It is a young planet, and not at all a pure planet, but it is no worse than Coruscant. To deny this planet entry to the Republic is simply to say it isn't good enough. Well, then we're not good enough either."
It was a long time before anyone spoke. Obi-Wan was shocked at the way Juliet had addressed the Council. Finally, Yoda asked, "Proud of your Padawan's behavior, are you, hmm?"
"No, Master," an embarrassed Kenobi responded.
"Though perhaps make a point, the child does," admitted Yoda. "Through you this world the Council has seen. Come to our own conclusions also, we have. Allow this planet to join the Galactic Republic, we will. Notified, they will be."
Juliet sat in her history class. The bell rang, finally. The teacher got up to address the class. "As you know, in this class we discuss both ancient and current history. Yesterday, history was made for the planet earth. As most of you know, we were admitted into the Galactic Republic. For those of you who have seen Star Wars, you know what the Republic is. It is a group of planets, all functioning under one government with the protection of Jedi Knights."
A voice called, "I told you it was cooler than Star Trek!" The teacher smiled, and continued.
"This is a proud day for earth. It is a proud day, also, for this class. You may have heard that a Jedi team was sent to observe our planet. I'm proud to tell you that part of that team is sitting in this classroom right now." Juliet blushed. The teacher continued, "I think it would be appropriate for the class to take this period as a question-and-answer time. Raise your hands, questions will be dealt with in an orderly fashion. Juliet will be answering them." Though she hadn't agreed to that, Juliet did. There were many, many questions.
Good-byes were not easy. Robin hugged Juliet and cried, thanking her for breaking the rules and using the Force to console her. Chris was very composed, but he, too, was privately close to tears. Emily made Juliet promise not to forget how to play the violin. Ariel assured Juliet that Lloyd and Faffoo (Ariel's invisible ducks) would miss her. Sam and Sam seemed to be trying to be mature, like Chris, but they, too would miss her. Jasmine reminded her "Nishk." Jacob requested his books back, but Deborah smacked him. Deborah was strangest of all, when she hugged Juliet she whispered "Thank you for making my dreams come true."
It was with a heavy heart that Juliet boarded the spacecraft headed back to Coruscant. She knew she would miss Juliet and all the kids on earth. She knew she was in trouble with Obi-Wan. Dragging her feet, Juliet boarded the craft that would take her home. She pressed her nose against the window to watch earth disappear. She didn't get to.
"Padawan," Obi-Wan said. Uh-oh, Juliet thought. He never called her that; she was in trouble now. "I told you not to use the Force on this mission. You disobeyed me. You spoke to the Council in a manner of impudence and arrogance, disrespecting both them and me."
"Yes, I did." Obi-Wan was annoyed by Juliet. She didn't seem to understand that she was being scolded.
"Use of the Force could easily have destroyed the fact that you were viewed as a normal person. You could have--"
"You don't understand!" she said, before she could stop herself.
"I don't understand? Enlighten me," he challenged, angry.
"You don't understand how other people are. You don't understand what it feels like to hurt. You don't know her pain! You don't know what it's like to lose someone close to you! You can't understand! She was hurting so bad she would've died." By the end of her rant, Juliet was calm.
"Then perhaps it was her time to die," Obi-Wan suggested.
"You #@$%&^*!!" shouted Juliet, before she could stop herself. She regretted what she had done, but could not take it back. In a way that was fair, because Obi-Wan also did something he would always regret. Juliet didn't flinch, nor did she touch the red area on her face. "I deserved that," she said, then she turned and left the room. It was another day before they spoke again.
"I..." Juliet said. Obi-Wan was surprised to hear her voice. He looked up from his meditation. "I'm sorry for my behavior. I suppose...maybe I was out of line in the way I spoke to the Council." Obi-Wan understood that the events of the previous day were forgotten.
"This is a welcome change. Our missions usually end with you apologizing to me for no real reason, or me saving your life, or some such thing. Now you're just a moody preteen. A moody preteen who will be spending six hours meditating." He laughed to show he was joking about the preteen thing. Juliet smiled, then something occurred to her.
Juliet, with an impish grin on her face, began, "So this duck walks into a bar..."