Before the Saga An Offer Nobody Could Refuse

Title: An Offer Nobody Could Refuse
Author: ConservativeJedi321
Timeframe: 62 BBY
Word Count: 778
Characters: Canon Characters: Depa Billaba, Mace Windu, Cyslin Myr, Sar Labooda (Mention)
Keywords: Trouble, Refugee’s, Scolding, Integrity, short story
Genre: Drama/Angst
Summary: After four-year-old Depa Billaba is saved by Mace Windu for a second time in one day, the twelve-year-old Padawan is confronted by his Master for disobeying her orders.
Typical Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars, obviously. All this is the intellectual property of Lucasfilm and Disney.

Author's Note: This is a missing scene I excised from A Shattered Mind's Eye Phase One (Post Chapter 6) to streamline that story. It may be worth reading that one at least to get a fuller context of what is going on.

Author Note #2: Not actually for any challenges since the characters involved her are all canon and thus not applicable for the one, I was originally inspired by.



The large green Mirialan woman bore down on the two children who felt extremely small and afraid in that moment before the shouting began.

“What. Where. You. Thinking!?!” Cyslin Myr enunciated so clearly that there could be no doubt about her intention.

The older of the two breathed deeply and puffed up his chest. “You needed my help, Master.”

“Mace Windu….” Master Myr pinched her nose and sighed melodramatically. “If I needed your help I would have ASKED for it.” The Jedi gestured firmly with her palm. “The danger… not even to yourself, I will get back to that later, but to the refugees. The refugee’s Mace! We needed someone to protect THEM, not me!”

She turned around then and dashed out of the computer mainframe with a stiffness in her body language that underlaid her bottled fury. “You didn’t even have a lightsaber! Foolish! Foolish! What must I do?” She was muttering now, and Depa covered her grinning smirk with both hands, trying desperately not to enjoy the sight of the boy who had only moments before been chastising her suffering the consequences of his own insubordination.

The youngling followed the two Jedi at an even clip.

“Then there is that girl again!” Cyslin Myr declared. “Putting her in danger is BEYOND inexcusable, it's the kind of thing that could get you expelled from the order! Reckless! Stupid! Thoughtless!”

Suddenly Depa felt bad at finding the situation funny.

“Uh. Master Myr?” She spoke in a hushed whisper, and the Mirialan turned around, tension in her features slacking as she did so. “Yes dear?” She asked kindly. Quite the shift indeed.

Depa swallowed hard, not wanting to make the Jedi mad at her too.

“Uh. Mace didn’t… well, I ran off on my own. It's not his fault. He rescued me.” She looked up at the older boy in admiration. “Again.” she tagged on.

“Oh did he?” Cyslin eyed them cautiously.

Mace sighed. “That is part of the story, yes.” He nodded, but the boy's code of honor would not allow him to lie. “I saw that she was gone and went looking for her. But that would not have been possible if I had hotwired the door as you instructed me Master. I did intend to go and help you, irrespective of her own mistakes.”

A long moment passed, and both kids expected the woman to start yelling again.

But she didn’t.

“Thank you for saying that truth at least.” She raised her chin carefully. “Your disobedience will still need an appropriate punishment, but I may have been a little… hasty with my pronouncement before.”

Then she turned back around and led them back to the refugee sector.

Once there she began organizing the rescued adults, looking for people capable of commanding the bridge and setting course for the nearest Refugee station.

But Mace took Depa off to her own corner then, and they sat together for a while, watching the organization take place at a distance. “Thank you by the way.” He spoke.

“For what?”

“Defending me in front of Master Myr. You were very brave.”

“It was the right thing to do.” She answered.

“But many your age wouldn’t have done it. You have a gift, Depa.”

The Chalactan girl looked at him with curiosity. Was doing the right thing really so unique?

“Not just your conscience. Though that will take you far.” He continued. “The things you did today: helping me free the adults, strategizing in a moment when I was struggling against the Wookiee Pirate, calling out my own b… lies when you saw the holes in my story.” He nudged her lightly. “And standing up for me in the face of a raging adult. None of that is normal four-year-old behavior.”
“Then what is it?” She asked.
“The force.” He smiled.
“The force?” Depa tilted her head.

“The energy that drives all life, it exists in all things. But some can use it easier than others, and you certainly do. You could be a Jedi if you want.”

“REALLY!?” She cried.

He nodded.

“But what about Sar?” She looked to the little bassinets stationed in the back of the room.

“She could too. I checked her Midichlorian count earlier. Your sister is well within the range of a quality Jedi candidate. It's up to you though.”

Depa felt joy building in her then, this is all they coulde have ever dreamed of! All their parents could ever have wanted for them! They could be free, safe, get good meals, a good education and grow up to save others like them.

It was an offer nobody in her place could refuse.

 

Lovely missing scene with Mace and Depa. She is becoming a Jedi