Shift: Chapter Four

The next morning, I was awakened by someone calling out a name I didn't identify with. However, once fully awake, I realized it was intended for me. I opened one eye, immediately shielding it from the offensive morning light streaming in from the balcony windows, and looked up into the oldest child's face. Ben, I think his name was.

"Dad, you need to get up and take me to my laserball game. I'm already late."

My head was splitting and I groaned and grabbed for a pillow, putting it over my face. "Can't your mother take you?" I asked with a muffled voice. "Besides, don't you have school or something?"

"It's the weekend. Come on Dad. If I don't get there in the next ten minutes, Coach is going to bench me."

Well, I couldn't allow that, could I? "All right. I'm up. I'm up."

"Is he awake?"

It was Padmé's voice I heard coming from the general direction of the bedrooms.

"Yeah, mom!"

"Make sure he takes that medicine I laid out for him. I'm sure he has a headache."

"Ok, mom!"

Indeed, on the glass table in front of the sofa was a cup of water and something to relieve my aching head. I didn't hesitate in taking it and grinned afterward at the boy who hadn't yet quit staring at me.

Ignoring the pain behind my eyes, I hopped up and raced for the door. "I'm already halfway there! What are you waiting for?"

Pretending to test his sense of direction, I had Ben explain how to get to where he needed to go and passed that info onto the driver we hired. Near his school was a stadium and his teammates were already huddled up by the time we got there. After being unable to spy a seat, I stood on ground level and watched with great interest.

His buddies seemed pleased to see him and luckily he wasn't penalized for his tardiness. The game began and very quickly, Ben's team was ahead 3-2. He was a good player this kid of mine…Padmé's kid, I mean, and I couldn't help but be proud of his talent. Too bad that pride was short-lived, for just as soon as the thought had entered my mind, an opponent from the other team tripped Ben and sent him sprawling to the ground. The advantage went to the opposite side, who scored and tied the game.

"Foul!" I yelled loudly. "That was obviously a foul!"

The droid arbitrator rolled over to me, a circle about its domed head changing from green to bright yellow. It then had the nerve to announce to the entire crowd that Ben's team received one unsportsmanlike conduct demerit. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I stepped up to the thing to argue my point anyway.

"Do you allow blatant fouls in this game? That little girl over there tripped number twenty-three! That point shouldn't count!"

"No breach of conduct occurred. The child tripped. The game will proceed," the thing said in its tinny automated voice before it rolled back onto the playing area.

Now I remembered why I couldn't stand droids! You couldn't win an argument with one. Ever! That fact wasn't about to stop me. I was going to try anyway. For Ben's sake.

"Listen you bucket of bolts, you're addressing a Jedi Master and I have better vision than most people out here – including you and your servo-generated sockets – and I'm telling you, that was a foul!"

"Dad! Don't…!"

Ben had started to warn me, but I was caught up in negotiating and wasn't paying attention. By the time I realized what I'd done, it was too late, and the floor lit up like a bouquet of lightsabers. The droid returned, accompanied by two more, all of their indicators glowing red. The one I'd confronted before announced I was expelled from the game, and impossible as it seemed, it seemed to find pleasure in doing so.

An hour later, I saw Ben leaving the stadium. He walked over to me and didn't look very happy.

"Listen, I'm sorry…" I tried to explain, until he suddenly jumped and punched the air, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

"That was so wizard! You never argue with the ref! And plus, you got tossed out of the game! All the kids are going to be talking about this. I can't wait to go to school and tell everyone! My Dad, the Jedi Master, is such a badass!"

"Hey. Watch your language. Your mother wouldn't like that," I warned, though I couldn't stop smiling. A badass. I'd never been called that before. Even after I'd singlehandedly taken out a dozen draigons attacking a village on Baku.

However, if what he just said were true… that would mean. Oh great.

"What do you mean, I've never done that before?" I asked the boy as we walked to the transport station.

"Oh, you know," he answered a lot more timidly. Did he think he was going to get into trouble for being honest with me?

"Come on, Ben. It's okay. Tell me. What did you mean?"

"You know. You usually tell me things like 'the greatest revenge is mercy,' and stuff like that. I'm supposed to 'turn the other cheek and do my best,' is another one. And then there's 'the secret to life is learning how to lose.'"

"All right. I get it," I interrupted him before ruffling his spiked auburn hair.

All wise words and they sounded exactly like something I'd say, which made me wonder why I made such a scene today and what impact that would have on my adventure here.

Right before we entered the transport, Ben wrapped his arms around my middle and hugged me tightly. I couldn't help but return the gesture. I'd always been rather fond of the younglings in the temple.

"I love you, Dad," I heard him say.

I didn't know this boy, but I wanted to. He seemed like a kind and generous child. Padmé had done well with him.