Every Hero Deserves A Last Hurrah
Before the Republic became an Empire, Jedi were protectors of peace, justice, all that's good in the world, puppies, and awesome. Jedi were found out early, trained in the use of the Light Side of the Force from infancy, and progressed in an orderly fashion from Padawans to Knights to Masters. Jedi were high-profile people who did high-profile things, like guard the Supreme Chancellor from harm.
Before the famous rescue of Chancellor Palpatine performed by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, a mission was conducted to safeguard Chanellor Valorum. The mission wasn't as high profile as the daring rescue mentioned above, but it was significant all the same.
--Years Ago--
Zeke, Jedi Padawan to Milla Theran, was dressed in not-Jedi Robes for the first time in his entire life. Wearing civillian clothes felt strange to him; the blue shirt, black pants, and baseball cap were making him itch. Still, he was bearing up under it with a happy smile. How many other Jedi get to wear civillian clothes for missions? As far as he knew, this is the first time a Jedi was wanted for a mission, and was needed to be disguised.
He watched from the side as a fellow Padawan (Rory Something, Zeke couldn't remember because he couldn't stop giggling at the name "Rory") and a Senate Guard stepped forward to meet the Chancellor as he stepped off his shuttle. There was a brief exchange, and then the trio set off down the walkway towards the looming Senate building. Zeke quit pretending to inspect some piece of gadgetry on the landing platform and followed along at a safe distance.
He walked merrily down the street, with the brim of his hat pulled down low to keep anybody from taking too much notice of him. He could feel the Force as Rory (hee hee, Roary!) stretched out his Force Senses. Zeke did the same, feeling the crowd around him. To his everlasting (un)surprise, there was no hostile intent in the passersby at all. Most of them were so busy going about their own businesses, plugged into their personal music players and comm devices, that they barely noticed Chancellor Valorum walking by. Zeke stretched his arms lazily over his head. It was a beautiful, sunny day with mild weather, and there was no danger in sight. Zeke, of course, decided that danger would crop up any minute, and it did shortly after they cleared the .6 Km mark. A cab speeder that had been drifting lazily along suddenly burst with hostile intent. Zeke grinned even wider (several passersby found it unnerving, given the eruption of blasterfire from the cab) and ignited his gold lightsaber, springing forward to do his duty.
The Senate Guard blocked Valorum with his body and hustled him further down the sidewalk, while Rory (AHAHAHA, ROARY!) drew his own deep blue saber to block and deflect blaster bolts. Rory (*bizarre snicker/snort/giggle/loogie-hocking noise of held in laughter* Roary!) had speed, but not accuracy; he could stop the bolts, but he couldn't send them back at the assassins. Zeke leapt atop the car and plunged the saber into the roof, working it around like he was opening a can of tuna. Half of the blasters turned upward, and Zeke leapt from the roof as it was Swiss-cheesed. His fellow had fallen to a lucky blaster bolt, and now Zeke ran after the infernal cab, pausing only long enough to snatch up Rory's (the name's suddenly not funny) weapon.
Zeke quickly drew level with the cab, floating both sabers with telekinesis and using them to continue blocking the incoming fire. The guard roared curses in his native language (Zeke thought it might be Rodian) before calling Zeke over. The plan is half-shouted as the guard's voice leaks his frustration: Zeke is to carry Valorum using the Force into the Senate, where the rest of the Senate Guards can escort him safely inside. Once Valorum is safe, Zeke is free to come out and show these thugs what he's made of. Zeke agrees, and lifts the Chancellor as easily as if he were a toddler.
Force boosting was never Zeke's best skill. In her most tolerant moments, his Master called it "slightly below average", but here, it should do fine. Zeke increased his speed, trying to maintain focus as he splits it between Boosting, Telekinesis, and Senses. The result was that he went only a little faster than a normal person at peak athletic condition, and the cab kept pace easily. A few blaster bolts began to make it through the weaving shield of lightsabers, narrowly missing Zeke and his charge. Valorum shouted as one singed his fancy Chancellor robes, and Zeke finally just quit the defense and put all of his ability into his boost. He narrowly made it inside the Senate, dropped Valorum unceremoniously in the midst of four Senate Guards, and ran back outside.
The cab emptied itself of its six masked assailants, who charged up the Senate steps with mad shouts, shooting aimlessly at whatever's in front of them. The Senate Guard Zeke left behind caught up to them from behindand skewered one poor, out-of-shape individual. The concussive tip blew the corpse off the end and propelled it up the steps, where it landed on another assassin. With only four remaining, Zeke started to think he wouldn't get to try his combat ability in a live situation. Naturally, the Guard was overwhelmed with blasterfire mere seconds later, and Zeke found himself facing down these last menaces alone.
The young Padawan re-instated his telekinetic lightsaber shield, looked about for a weapon he could use in his hands, and saw the Force Pike rolling away down the Senate steps. He called it to himself with telekinesis, removing two assassins from the combat in the process as it cleared holes in their torsos. He took it from the air and tried to adopt a good fighting stance with it, copying what he'd seen Senate Guards do in videos. His last two opponents traded their ranged weaponry for vibroblades. Zeke couldn't understand this part; it was rare for anyone to try and fight a Jedi at close quarters, but he went with it anyway.
The Pike's long handle turned out to be extremely durable, catching the pair of blades without taking a single scratch. Zeke swept it in an arc, caught the assassins in the ribs, and watched them roll backward down the stairs in a ragdoll kind of way. The last one, who Zeke supposed was the leader due to his increased tenacity, got up and came up one last time. Zeke blocked and parried with the Pike, dropping his sabers as he focused on the adrenaline-powered attack. At last he found a hole in the offense and stepped aside, lightly jabbing his final opponent with the Pike’s blade to set off the concussive tip and knock him out. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took up the lightsabers he dropped, and waited for the Jedi to come get him.
