Star Wars: The Unlikely Hero
--sparkvallen
Disclaimer: Star Wars is copyrighted by Lucasfilm and associated companies. I do not own any of the Star Wars characters, settings, etc.
Chapter Twelve
The debriefing for the mission to Chad took the better part of a day. Even more than the "natural" disaster on Chad, the HoloNet had gone crazy with the news of a "stolen" shuttle piloted by a pair of Jedi who'd not had any clearance to fly. It was a public relations disaster in spite of what Kire and Falco had learned on the Chadra-Fan homeworld. The Council members questioned them separately, comparing their answers and stress levels as the details were all recorded forever in the Archives. Unprepared for the drama that had come from the mission, Falco thought he was going to hyper-ventilate from panic that he'd failed completely. He feared that the Council would change their mind about him, that they'd decide he'd failed both Kire and Yoda and would be shipped off to the AgriCorps.
However, when the debriefing was complete, Kire and Falco were free to retire to their chambers with downtime granted for rest and recuperation. Even though the mission proved that the galaxy was far more unstable than the Jedi Council had realized, Kire was still pleased with his Padawan's innovation and skill in the field. For it being Falco's first mission, Kire saw it as a definite success. They had come through unscathed and had uncovered the truth.
And yet, this proved to be Falco's first and only mission off Coruscant. For reasons unknown to Kire and Falco, the Council used them only for missions on-planet and more often than not, they remained at the Temple itself. They studied and trained hard together despite the lack of field experience. However, as the years went by, Falco's resentment toward "The Chosen One" grew as the similarly talented Anakin was sent on mission after mission with his Master. The unruly Padawan was making quite a name for himself while Falco remained the "guy in the droid shop."
10 years later…
Falco looked toward the door. Beyond the repair shop within the Temple, the senior Jedi who had remained on Coruscant had just learned of the battle at Geonosis from Master Yoda. The galaxy was officially at war.
His comlink sounded and both Falco and Siri jumped.
"Uh, Padawan Volt, can I help you?"
"Falco, it's Kire. We've been summoned to the Council chambers," the Jedi Knight said.
"Seriously? Um, okay! I'll… I'll be right there!" he replied.
Kire added, "If Padawan Sarae is there with you, have her come along. Her Master will be meeting us there as well."
The two friends looked to each other. Falco thought quickly that if Siri and her Master were also involved, then it had to be something greater than settling a simple dispute elsewhere on Coruscant.
"Master Kire," Falco asked, his voice mature as an adult, "what is going on?"
"War, my Padawan. The galaxy has just entered a civil war, Force help us all."
Falco's eyes widened and Siri's ears twitched with nervous energy. "We're on our way," Falco said and both Padawans sprinted out of the droid shop for the turbo lift.
TO BE CONTINUED…
