Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Hearts and Heroes
Accompanied by Senators Amidala and Chuchi, Steve made his way back to the Jedi Temple, where he bid farewell to his two new friends before heading alone to his temporary quarters within the ancient structure.
When he found himself uncertain of the route, he asked directions from passing Jedi Knights, slowly making his way through the Temple's corridors until the path became familiar and he could navigate to his room without assistance.
As he approached his corridor, Steve could hear the distinctive humming of electronic equipment emanating from nearby chambers, accompanied by the sounds of laughter and animated conversation.
Curious, Steve moved past his own quarters toward the source of the activity. Upon entering the room, he discovered Sam, Scott, and Rhodey all working on their respective equipment, surrounded by a group of young Jedi Padawans who appeared to range from teenagers down to small children. Also present was Jocasta Nu, the elderly Keeper of the Jedi Archives.
The venerable librarian was engaged in a patient conversation with Scott, who seemed to be asking an endless stream of questions while she methodically explained the function and proper use of various tools with the kind of tolerance that came from decades of teaching young minds.
Sam had his own set of repair equipment laid out, though like War Machine's tools, these had clearly originated from the Avengers compound in upstate New York rather than any galactic source.
Rhodey was the first to notice Steve's arrival. "Hey, Cap," he called out, causing everyone in the room to turn toward the newcomer.
Many of the young Padawans looked up at Captain America with expressions of obvious awe and curiosity.
"Hey, everyone," Steve greeted them warmly, surveying the busy scene. "I can see you're all keeping busy."
"Figured I might as well do something productive while we're stuck here," Rhodey replied, tapping his helmet with a small calibration tool. "My armor took some damage during that business at Rishi Station."
"Where did you get Earth-based tools?" Steve asked with obvious surprise.
"That's all thanks to our resident tech genius here," Rhodey said, nodding toward Scott, who was carefully adjusting optical components on his helmet.
Scott looked up from his work when he heard his name mentioned. "Hope, Hank, and I had been working on some improvements to our equipment," he explained to Steve. "Our suits now come equipped with basic maintenance tools and repair components to ensure optimal field performance."
Scott continued working as he spoke, carefully threading fiber optic cables through their housings. "We've managed to integrate several upgrades that enhance combat functionality while also providing some cross-compatibility with the rest of the team's gear."
He paused in his work, resting his helmet on his knees. "I've got about half of my full toolkit in my utility belt. Not everything, but enough to perform some significant improvements to everyone's equipment."
"You mentioned Hope," Steve said gently. "How are you holding up?"
"Yeah," Scott replied, his expression growing troubled. "I just hope she and the others are managing okay, wherever they are."
"We'll find them," Steve said with absolute conviction.
At that moment, Steve felt a gentle tug on his leg and looked down to see a young Padawan gazing up at him with obvious curiosity. If he remembered correctly from his studies of galactic species, the child was a Togruta—his skin a warm brown-orange marked with distinctive gray facial horns and green striping.
"Hello there," Steve said with genuine warmth. "What can I do for you, little one?"
The child's face scrunched up in concentration as he struggled to find the right words for his question. "I-Is it true that you're heroes from your world?" the young Jedi asked with obvious excitement.
Steve blinked in surprise as all the other children turned to look at him with intense curiosity.
"Where did you hear that?" Steve asked with interest, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes.
Without saying a word, the little Togruta turned and pointed directly at Scott, who was busy cleaning his helmet. Steve looked at the man who technically had a criminal record among the Avengers and couldn't help but smile at the irony.
"Scott really told you that?" Steve asked with amusement. "You do realize you're part of this team too, right?"
"Don't worry about him, Cap," Sam interjected with a dismissive wave. "Scott's basically a big kid himself."
"A big kid? What does that mean?" several of the young Padawans asked in confusion.
"It means a guy Scott's age who still acts like he's twelve years old," Rhodey explained with obvious amusement.
"You know, you guys can be really annoying sometimes," Scott said with mock exasperation.
"So are you all really heroes?" asked a young Twi'lek girl, her head-tails twitching with excitement.
"You could say that, in a way," Steve replied with deliberate mystery, causing several of the children to look up at him with growing excitement.
"Really?" the Togruta boy pressed.
"Oh yes," Sam admitted casually. "We're known as Earth's Mightiest Heroes."
Steve shot him a look that clearly said 'thanks for that.'
"But why?" asked a small human girl with wide, curious eyes.
"Because we help everyone we can," Rhodey explained simply.
The children looked at each other with expressions of admiration and wonder.
"Can we be heroes like you someday?" asked another young Twi'lek.
"Well," Scott said thoughtfully, gently touching the little girl's head with an encouraging expression, "from what we understand, Jedi Knights are already called the guardians of the galaxy. So this isn't really a hypothetical question—you're all going to become heroes in your own right."
The little girl smiled shyly, blushing slightly at the praise, while the other children began chattering excitedly among themselves until Jocasta Nu announced that it was time for their midday meal.
The children, thoroughly captivated by their conversation with the heroes, clearly didn't want the discussion to end. They hummed and protested softly, but when they saw the librarian's stern but patient expression, they quickly quieted down.
As Jocasta Nu began leading the young Padawans out of the room, she paused to address the Avengers. "Thank you for being so kind to the children. They don't often get to meet individuals from outside the Temple, and your stories have clearly made quite an impression on them."
Once the children and their supervisor had departed, Sam, Scott, and Rhodey returned to their equipment maintenance, understanding the importance of keeping their gear in optimal condition for whatever challenges lay ahead.
"So, Cap," Sam asked without looking up from his wing servos, "how did your meeting with Chancellor Palpatine go?"
Steve crossed his arms and frowned slightly as he recalled his entire exchange with the Republic's leader.
"He offered to provide assistance during our time in the Galactic Republic," Steve said carefully.
"Really? What kind of assistance?" Scott asked, glancing up from his armor repairs.
"The kind that comes with no apparent strings attached," Steve replied, his tone suggesting this was precisely what concerned him.
"But Cap," Rhodey observed, noting his friend's tone, "you don't sound particularly pleased about that."
"What's bothering you, Steve?" Sam asked, also stopping his work to focus on the conversation. "Did something seem off?"
"Is it because of this Force thing?" Scott asked loudly. "I've been hearing these kids and other Jedi talking about it constantly. I still don't really understand what it is, but it sounds pretty mystical."
Steve smiled slightly at Scott's observation—there was some truth to his assessment, but the reality was more complex.
"That's part of it, but not entirely," Steve said thoughtfully. "I just get the feeling that he knows more about us than he should. More than seems possible from our brief interactions."
Steve made eye contact with Sam, conveying a silent message that his friend immediately understood. Sam's expression grew serious and he nodded almost imperceptibly.
Rhodey sighed. "Okay, so what's our next move?"
"Palpatine wasn't the only one who offered help," Steve continued. "Senators Amidala and Chuchi also volunteered their assistance."
"That sounds more promising," Rhodey said without hesitation.
"I believe their motivations are different from the Chancellor's," Steve agreed after a moment's consideration.
"So what do we do?" Rhodey asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.
Steve remained silent, processing everything they had learned about their current situation so that they could make informed decisions about their next steps in this galaxy. His teammates had all taken the initiative to learn about galactic civilization and government during their time at the Temple.
There was also the matter of the ongoing war, which apparently affected every corner of the galaxy. Even worlds like Naboo, which were considered Republic strongholds, had proven vulnerable to attack. Innocent civilians throughout the galaxy lived under constant threat from this seemingly endless conflict.
While he didn't fully understand their philosophy or capabilities, the Jedi appeared to be among the few organizations genuinely committed to protecting the galaxy's population.
His contemplation was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps—a distinctive pattern of measured steps accompanied by the regular tapping of a walking stick against the Temple's stone floors.
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