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Chapter Text

Prologue:

Coruscant; 18 bby

Malorum kneeled before his master and emperor. Although he had been under Sidious' apprenticeship for several months now, it was enough to instill fear and respect for the man. In latest developments however, the emperor's temper had been short due to a recent failure and a betrayal.

"How much of the data was taken?" the emperor enquired.

"A great deal, my master," Malorum answered, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. "Most of it was what was left from the Jedi Archives after Order 66. They did not find the plans for the project or our security detail." That last sentence was to reassure the emperor and himself. He was suddenly hit with a blast of force lightning.

"You incompetent fool! You let them escape!" Sidious roared.

Malorum coiled in pain and screamed as the lightning coursed through his body. Then as abruptly as the attack happened, it ended. He laid there on the ground gasping for breath as the Sith Master stood over him. "The data the Jedi have taken is still enough to help them rebuild their order with the help of their rebel friends," he snarled. Then his expression changed all of a sudden.

Malorum looked up, curious to know what his master was thinking. It was impossible for anyone to sense what the Sith Master was feeling after decades of being shrouded in the dark side, hiding from the Jedi.

"On second thought, perhaps we can use this to our advantage."

"My Lord?" Malorum asked, stunned by his change of attitude.

"The information on the data will help the Jedi to a minimum, but it is incomplete. In order for the Jedi to rebuild their order they must obtain the last bit of the data: a Jedi holocron that contains the names of every force-sensitive in the galaxy."

Malorum gathered himself up to continue to kneel before his master. "Master, I had believed that the holocron was destroyed during the purge."

"No," his master corrected him. "It was stolen by a Jedi in the midst of Order 66 and escaped with it: Anakin Skywalker."

Skywalker.

Malorum clenched his teeth and fists. "The Hero with No Fear," poster boy of the Jedi Order, and now wanted fugitive of the Empire. It was no secret that Anakin Skywalker had been Sidious' first choice of an apprentice. His master never hesitated to compare him to Skywalker, as motivation to try harder and make himself worthy to be a Sith apprentice.

"Skywalker has the Jedi holocron that the Jedi will need to find candidates. We find him first, not only will we have the list of every force sensitive in the galaxy to command, but we will have something even greater: Skywalker's child," Sidious told him.

"Child?"

Malorum knew about Skywalker's secret relationship with Amidala and that she had been eight months pregnant when the Empire was formed and she disappeared. No one knew where she was or what the gender of her child had been.

"Yes," Sidious hissed. "Any child fathered by Skywalker would be the perfect weapon for me. You are to find Skywalker. Bring him, Amidala, and their child to me alive."

"What about the traitor, My Lord?" Malorum asked.

"I will deal with him. See to it that you find Skywalker before he does. And remember if you fail again, there is always another to replace you.

Malorum inwardly shivered at the coldness radiating off Sidious, knowing how true it was.

000{{*}}000

Tatooine; 18 bby

Padme carefully sprinkled the seasoning into the stew, remembering the last time she did it wrong. Her sister-in-law Beru came into the kitchen carrying a tray of raised doe for supper that night.

"Everything alright in here?" she asked, setting the tray down.

"Yes, it didn't over boil like last time," Padme answered with a smile.

"Then we can season and butter the bread again this time," Beru returned the smile.

When Anakin and Padme had first come to Tatooine with their twins Luke and Leia, Owen and Beru had welcomed them with open arms. Anakin immediately took up work helping Owen with the vaporators and making sure the droids were working while Beru took Padme under her wing to help run the homestead. Years of having her own private cook as queen then senator had caused Padme to become out of practice in knowing how to cook. One instance resulting in nearly poisoning Owen, and another almost burning the homestead down.

Padme walked over to Beru as she gathered the butter, salt, and seasoning together. "Now, do you remember how to butter correctly?" Beru asked. Padme grabbed the stick of butter and rubbed it on the four small loaves. She then reached for the seasoning. "Uh-uh," Beru said. "Try again." Padme paused then grabbed the bottle of grinded cheese and sprinkled it on the loaves. Next she grabbed the seasoning and sprinkled that on before grabbing the tray to put into the oven.

"And the salt?"

"Goes on after they're baked, and after we've buttered them," Padme answers.

Beru smiled, impressed. "Very good. Now we'll just let the stew boil until the breads' done. Then we'll call the guys in for dinner."

A cry from the baby monitor went off, grabbing their attention. "Sounds like somebody else needs you." Padme nodded before leaving the kitchen to head to the living room where her children were for their afternoon nap.

Not surprisingly, it was Leia who was crying. She was so much like Anakin. Always waking up screaming and crying from a nightmare according to Anakin. He knew what the babies were feeling, being able to sense the fear they had when they sometimes dreamed. Padme picked Leia up from her spot on the couch and began to rock her. Soon, Leia calmed down to look at Padme with her matching brown eyes.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Padme smiled gently at her. No sooner had she said it, Luke began to whimper from his spot on the couch. Leia started crying again, probably feeling her brother's distress. Padme frowned. Luke didn't usually cry in his sleep like Leia did. Not since he was a couple months old and was able to sleep through the night.

Adjusting Leia in one arm, she reached down and got Luke. Then she went over to the rocking chair in the corner and started rocking the crying babies. Eventually, they settled down, but they continued to stare at Padme as if afraid that she would disappear. Anakin had told her months ago that force sensitive children could sense things from adults, so she tried to send them her love and comfort. Since she wasn't force sensitive she doubted it did much, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear that something must be bothering them so much that disturbed them like this. She would talk with Anakin about it after dinner before going to bed that night. She was just being overprotective, wasn't she?

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme woke up feeling better than she had in a while. She had come home for school retreat when the plague had hit her village and infected her and several other children as the first victims.

She turned her head to see Mammy, her old childhood nursemaid sitting by her bedside. "Mammy?"

Tears spilled down the old woman's wrinkled face. "Oh Little Pixie! Thank Shiraya!" She leaned down and kissed Padme's hand.

Padme's mind was fuzzy and she felt so weak. What else had happened? Where were her parents and the rest of her family?

"Where-"she coughed a bit. Mammy helped her sit up and drink some water on her bedside.

"Careful. You've been sick for two weeks. We thought we were going to lose you as well," Mammy seemed to be on the edge of tears again.

"As well? What do you-"Padme stopped, a sudden dread filling her. She remembered playing ball with her niece and the other children when she started feeling dizzy and her head began to ache until everything went black. She dimly remembered hearing her parents' worried voices over her head, and her mother's gentle touch as she placed a cooling rag on her head.

"Your sister hurried to take the little one over to her grandmother's before she got sick as well," Mammy quickly reassured her. Almost too quickly.

"Mammy." Padme pushed herself up more. "Where's Mama and Papa?"

Mammy shook her head, fresh tears spilling over until she began to sob.

"Mammy?" Padme asked worriedly, flinging her feet to the ground. The old woman continued to sob hysterically. Panic filled Padme that she shot to her feet, forgetting her health and ran as fast as she could out of her room and down the stairs towards her parents' bedroom.

"Mama! Papa!"

She stopped all of a sudden when she found a familiar figure outside her parents' bedroom. "Papa!" The man turned towards her. His gray eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

"Padme?" he whispered.

"Papa!"

She flung herself into her father's arms. He nearly collapsed from surprise and the sudden weight. He stood there, shocked for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. Soon they were clutching one another, not wanting to let each other go. Padme felt so relieved to see her father alive and not infected by the plague.

"Padme," her father said, breaking away from the shock she had given him. "Why aren't you in bed? You're still weak."

Padme was surprised to see tears in her father's eyes. She remembered instantly that she hadn't seen nor heard anything about her mother. "Papa, where's Mama?"

Her father didn't answer her. Instead, he turned his head towards the bedroom. Padme followed his eyes and felt her heart stuck in her throat. On the bed, laid her kind and wonderful mother. She wasn't breathing, and her skin was pale, a contrast to her usually tan color. Just like that, Padme felt the effects to her illness catch up, and made her knees collapse under her. Her father kept a tight hold on her as she held on to him, crying for the loss of her dear Mama.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Tatooine; 18 bby

Anakin was finishing fixing the droids up when Beru's voice called down in the garage.

"Owen! Anakin! Time to eat!"

"We'll be right there Beru!" Owen called back. He turned back to Anakin. "That should be enough for tonight. Hopefully they won't break apart again before the harvest," he told Anakin. He left to go wash up, leaving Anakin to put the tools away.

Unlike Padme, he didn't have much difficulty adjusting to farm life on Tatooine. After all, he spent the first decade of his life here. It was just that the desert planet held too many painful memories for him: his years as a slave and the loss of his mother. Since coming here with his family he often wondered what it would have been like if his mother had lived. She would have adored Padme and loved her grandchildren with all her heart.

Anakin finished putting the tools away, and headed up to go wash for dinner. Once he cleaned his hands, he went and sat at the table where Beru was serving stew, and Padme was putting Luke and Leia in their high chairs. At six months, Anakin and Padme were slowly introducing the twins to baby food. Padme had a couple of jars of mashed tuber for them set aside.

Anakin looked at his meal to see that the ladies had also made bread for them to dip into the stew. It reminded him of those days when his mother would have a nice meal ready for him when he would come home from working for Watto.

He grabbed his bread, dipped it into his stew and took a bite of it. It took all of his Jedi training to swallow and not cough. The bread was fine. It was the stew. There was a little too much spice in it that it made Anakin's mouth water.

"How's the food?" Padme asked as she twisted the lids off the jars and began to feed the twins.

Anakin shot Owen a look that clearly said, Don't you dare say or do anything as he took a bite of his own food. Owen's eyes widened and he put a hand over his mouth until he swallowed. There was a little bit of sweat on his face as he answered, "The bread is delicious."

"What about the stew?" Padme asked, turning her head at them.

Anakin took up his spoon and swallowed a spoonful of the over spiced stew. He thought just the plain stew was ten times without the bread. At least with the bread it absorbed most of the spicy taste. He hoped to the Force that Padme didn't see his discomfort as he swallowed the stew.

"Delicious," he lied.

Padme raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Do you need help feeding them," he nodded to the twins, hoping it would change the topic.

Padme sighed. "Sure. Luke is fidgety every time I offer him a bite, and Leia keeps swatting the spoon away from her. They were fine eating this stuff last night. I don't know what's wrong tonight."

Anakin looked at his kids to see bits of tuber on Luke's chin from where Padme must held his spoon before moving his head, and Leia had some on her hands and was now rubbing against the sides of her head, getting mashed tuber in her hair.

"Hey, Leia, don't do that," Anakin said, getting up and moving to grab Leia's hands and wipe them before trying to wipe the tuber out of her curly brown locks. Leia made a face that said she didn't like this.

"Why won't you eat this?" Anakin picked up a spoonful of tuber. Leia turned her head away from it.

"Come on. Won't you take a bite for Daddy?" Leia shook her head.

"How's Luke?" Anakin asked Padme.

A spoon fell to the ground and Luke started to cry at the same time Anakin felt a tremor in the Force. He turned around to see Luke crying in his high chair, Padme, Owen, and Beru, who had just returned with a jug of blue milk, frozen in shock. There was no sound for a moment other than Luke and Leia's cries.

"Did…did Luke just use the Force?" Owen asked, still shocked.

"I believe he did," Anakin answered quietly.

What the kriff was going on? The twins rarely threw tantrums like this, Luke especially. Padme turned to look at Anakin, fear in her eyes. Obi-wan and Master Yoda had both warned them of the dangers in raising force sensitive twins together, fearing that Sidious might be able to sense them. Anakin had assured them by covering the twins' presence in the Force with his own while they were young until they could learn how to shield their presences on their own.

"I was just holding the spoon up to Luke when he swat his hand and the spoon was flung out of my hand," Padme explained, her voice shook a little.

"It's probably nothing," Anakin reassured, mostly for Owen and Beru's sakes. His step-brother hated all talk of the Force, and Beru always worried about them.

"Luke's only six months old," Beru said, her voice laced with that worry. "Is that normal?"

"It's not normal for any child. No matter how old they old!" Owen corrected in annoyance. Anakin picked Leia up and began to rock her while Padme did the same for Luke.

"For a force sensitive child it is normal to unconsciously use the Force, especially at this age!" Anakin angrily told him.

Leia's crying increased as did Luke's. Padme looked bewildered, not wanting to deal with two wailing toddlers and two arguing male adults at the same time.

"Ani, why don't you take the twins outside for a little bit while I get their bottles ready?" she suggested.

"Sure," Anakin grumbled, glaring at Owen.

Taking Luke in his other arm, Anakin went upstairs outside the homestead where Tatoo I and Tatoo II were setting. Anakin loved coming up and bringing his kids to see the suns set, one of the only good things about Tatooine. It helped to calm down the three restless Skywalkers, seeing the beautiful display.

It reminded Anakin of when he was a kid how he would come out to watch the suns set and imagine himself leaving this planet, flying through the stars, and seeing all the different star systems he would hear from retired space pilots. Now, standing here with his children in his arms, made Anakin want to travel and show them all the different star systems he visited as a padawan and a general during the Clone Wars, and tell them about all the adventures he, their mother, Obi-wan, and Ahsoka shared.

He looked down at Luke and Leia. Both of them seemed calmer now than they did when they were eating dinner earlier. It infuriated him that Owen refused to even try to understand what the twins were going through. It reminded him of his childhood, before he knew about the Force, when he couldn't explain how strange things happened around him.

However, even he struggled to understand what was going on. All day he thought he felt a stirring in the Force. Like someone was afraid and in pain. Could that be what the twins had been feeling too? He didn't know. He once heard that children, especially force sensitive ones could sense things adults couldn't. Right now as he felt his own children's emotions, he sensed their love for him and their awe of the Tatooine sunset.

Still, he couldn't help the bad feeling he felt. Staring at the innocent faces of his children reminded Anakin of the promise he made six months ago on Polis Massa when Luke and Leia were born. "Whatever happens I won't let anyone harm either of you," he promised them.

000{{*}}000

Dinner had been a disaster.

After Anakin had taken the twins, Padme tasted the stew she helped made. She was forced to spit her bite out when it tasted too rich and hot. She was even more furious with Anakin and Owen for lying to her. Beru had been nice to her, saying it was better than last time when she overcooked it, but it still bothered Padme. She had faced battle droids, the scum of the galaxy, ruled a planet when she was fourteen years old, and yet she couldn't make a simple meal without messing something up.

To top everything off was Anakin and Owen's latest fight. Just when she and Beru thought they were starting to get along like true brothers. Beru had once told her that the reason why Owen didn't like any talk of the Force was because he felt like it separated him and Anakin. Padme could kind of understand why. When she first married Anakin she struggled to understand his connection to the Force. She still struggled now that she had children who were as force sensitive as their father. She had a feeling though that the Force wasn't the only thing that bothered Owen.

After clearing the table and readying a couple of bottles for when Anakin would return with the twins, Padme, Beru, and Owen gathered in the living room to watch Beru's favorite holonet show. It was about a large family living together on Coruscant and quite comical.

Eventually, Anakin returned halfway through the show with the twins who were much calmer now than they were earlier. Because of their fits, neither Luke nor Leia had eaten anything yet, so when offered their bottles both took them and sucked greedily on them without complaint. Things were still tense between Anakin and Owen so they sat on opposite sides of the room away from each other.

After feeding the twins and setting them down on their baby blanket to play, Padme smacked Anakin.

"Ow!" Anakin exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder and looking at Padme in surprise. "What was that for?"

"For lying about dinner," Padme glared.

Anakin winced before turning back to the holonet.

The show ended and the Galactic news came in. Owen didn't like watching them, believing that they shouldn't get involved in events that had nothing to do with a backwater planet like Tatooine. Anakin and Padme however, had to see them to make sure that the newly born Empire hadn't caught anyone they knew. Anakin, Obi-wan, Master Yoda, and a few other Jedi had barely survived the purges, but they didn't know who or if any other Jedi had managed to survive. Padme worried about her friends and colleagues she had made over the years in the Senate, and feared every day that someone she knew would be branded a traitor to the Empire and executed.

Now, Anakin leaned forward on his knees and Padme sat up straight. Their eyes were glued on the holonet as the reporter made the evening announcements.

"According to inside sources: Obi-wan Kenobi was spotted on Rodia five days ago. Officials are warning citizens that if spotted they are not to confront him but to report to the nearest official. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"So close," Anakin whispered.

Padme glanced at him worriedly. Rodia was just several parsecs away from Tatooine. Padme knew Anakin was fighting the urge to go there and help Obi-wan. It must be for a mission for the Rebellion that he was there for. Padme knew Obi-wan would be okay, and she knew Anakin knew that as well. Still, she couldn't help but worry as well.

The reporter continued:

"Imperial Investigators are looking into the murder of eighty-six-year-old Ryoo Thule on Naboo. Ryoo Thule is the maternal grandmother of Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo who disappeared six months ago. Investigators report that Madame Thule had been staying at her in-laws' lake house, the Naberrie Lake Country house in Varykino where she was killed. Here's what officials have to say."

At that moment it seemed everyone in that room, minus the twins, had frozen once they heard about Ryoo. Owen and Beru knew about the name from Padme's mentioning. Anakin had met her once when he had been on break from the war and was visiting Padme.

Padme however was stunned. Her Grandmamma Ryoo, the sweet woman who fed her and her sister sweets and took her to all the different places on Naboo as a child was dead. Murdered. Why? Who would ever harm her kind-hearted old grandma in her own home?

The channel changed to an Imperial dressed official who reported:

"Witnesses say that Madame Thule had been staying at Varykino since hearing the news of her granddaughter's disappearance. The night of her murder, Madame Thule had dismissed the staff for the night. She was attacked around 0600 near sunset at this time of year on Naboo last night. Based on the evidence and the condition of her body, we've deduced that she was murdered by a lightsaber at the hands of a Jedi. Witnesses have confirmed that around the time of her death, a strange man in dark clothing, carrying what appeared to be a lightsaber was seen leaving the house after 0600. By the time help had arrived, Madame Thule was announced dead on the scene. We have been able to identify her killer as former Jedi Ferus Olin."

Ferus Olin.

Anakin sat up. His childhood rival killed his wife's grandmother? Anakin hadn't seen Ferus since before the Clone Wars, but he remembered him as an arrogant bully who didn't think Anakin was worthy to call himself a Jedi. During missions, Anakin tolerated him only because his master was Siri Tachi, an old friend of Obi-wan's and one of the few Jedi who was nice to him. Ferus may have been a jerk but he never would have killed an innocent old lady in cold blood.

Unless…Anakin realized. Unless his years from the Jedi had completely changed him. Anakin use to believe that Palpatine could do no wrong and look how that turned out. He focused his attention back to the holonet as the investigator continued:

"-investigating to see if the rumors of any other Jedi hiding here on Naboo are true. I can assure the public that the Empire is doing everything it can to make sure these butchers and child snatchers do not get away with this. We are searching transports coming in and out of Naboo to make sure they don't escape. They will not escape Imperial justice."

The news changed to another topic and everyone turned their attention to Padme. She just sat there, staring into space, not moving.

"Padme?" Beru gently asked.

Anakin looked at his wife worriedly, realizing she was in shock until Leia started to cry. That seemed to snap Padme back into reality a bit that she grabbed her daughter and left the room. Anakin turned toward his step-brother and step-sister-in-law.

"I'm going to check on her. Goodnight."

He grabbed Luke and headed towards his and Padme's bedroom where he knew she would be hiding. He was right. He found Padme pacing their bedroom, rocking Leia.

Anakin didn't like this. He was used to seeing his strong Padme whom he had married four years ago. He remembered when his mother died how broken he was and how Padme had been there to help put some of the pieces back together. He knew Padme had been close to her grandmother even after she had gone into politics, and to lose her like that…It reminded Anakin too much of his own mother's death, especially now that he knew the true circumstances of her death. To see Padme like this now she seemed so…lost and…broken. Even after they went into exile, Padme had always been the stronger one. This wasn't right.

Anakin put Luke down in his crib before taking Leia from Padme and placing her in her own. He held Padme's face and saw tears shining in her eyes. He laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back as he did. It started as a sniffle then turned into a sob which caused Padme to gasp for breath as she cried into her husband's shoulder. Anakin moved them to the bed and had Padme sit on his lap as he did his best to comfort her.

Padme couldn't stop sobbing as the reporter and the investigator's words repeated in her mind.

"…had been staying at her in-laws' lake house, the Naberrie Lake Country house in Varykino where she was killed."

"…been staying since hearing the news of her granddaughter's disappearance."

"…dismissed the staff for the night."

Her Grandmamma Ryoo who had been through so much in her life had died in a place that should have been safe and had been all alone when she died. No family or friends or even acquaintances had been there in her last moments. That made her cry even harder.

Anakin didn't know how long it was. Holding Padme as she cried seemed to last for hours. He didn't know how it had lasted when the tears finally stopped and Padme finally caught her breath.

"She was all alone," she whispered. Her sadness shone deep within the Force around Anakin. He also felt her anger, confusion, and…guilt. He pulled away and brought his fingers to her chin up to meet his eyes.

"Padme, this isn't your fault," he told her.

Padme shook her head. "Yes it its. When I first found out about my pregnancy, I went to Naboo to tell my family about it. My father was angry, my mother and sister were stunned, Darred was confused, and little Ryoo and Pooja were too young to understand the situation. My Grandmamma Ryoo was the only one who comforted me and didn't ask who the father was. Granted, she was disappointed that I was pregnant with no father to show, but she didn't hound on me for being irresponsible. Anakin, I think she knew."

Anakin's blood froze. "About us?"

Padme nodded. "She always had a way of knowing things without asking. When I was getting ready to leave and return to the Senate, she took me aside and told me to tell the father the minute he came home from the war."

Anakin felt even colder as theories began to gear up in his head. "You think she was murdered because she knew about us?"

"That's the only thing that makes sense as to why she was killed," Padme answered. "I hadn't spoken to her since I left Naboo, but I stayed at Varykino with her after telling my family. Maybe whoever killed her thought I had talked to her about something or left something that would indicate where I would hide in worst case scenario?"

Cold realization hit Anakin. Did Grandmamma Ryoo's killer think that she knew where Padme, her child, and lover were hiding? He remembered the investigator mentioning that Ryoo had been murdered by a lightsaber. A Jedi wouldn't have murdered an innocent old lady, unless they had fallen to the Dark Side. Obi-wan and Yoda were the only Jedi who would know of his connection to Ryoo. Them and Sidious. Anakin froze in horror at the realization hit him.

"Ani?" Anakin looked down at his wife to see her looking at him in concern.

"Who's Ferus Olin?" she asked.

"He was a fellow padawan who left the Order right before the Clone Wars started. An incident happened that caused him to leave. I never heard about him again until now. We…didn't get along so well," he explained.

Padme raised an eyebrow. "There's something else Ani. What is it?"

Anakin swallowed. "I think…I think Sidious is behind Ryoo's death. When he realized that I wouldn't become his apprentice, he decided to use Ferus Olin, knowing our history. He probably killed Ryoo to draw us out of hiding."

"Why would he kill my grandmamma to do that?" Padme asked. "Even with my disappearance and the trouble I caused in the Senate before that, my family is well respected throughout Naboo. The Naberries have been known for being political advisors or volunteering at the Refugee Relief Movement, and the Thules have always been well beloved members of the community even after my grandfather's passing. If Naboo caught wind of Palpatine harming my family, it would disrupt everything for him."

"I don't know Padme. Sidious isn't above harming innocent people no matter their age or station," Anakin said. He felt bad when Padme flinched but didn't apologized. The bodies of Jedi younglings at the Temple appeared in his mind. He shook it away, refocusing on Ryoo.

"Whatever his reasons, I can't let Olin run around freely and hurt someone else I love. He can come after anyone else in my family, Anakin! My parents, my sister, her husband, or even my nieces. I can't take the chance that he'll hurt them too," Padme said.

"You're not going to Naboo!" Anakin immediately said.

Padme glared at him. "My grandmother is dead! Murdered because she knew my secret. She's dead because of me!"

Anakin once again felt the guilt coming off of her.

"When you dreamed about your mother, did you ignore those dreams and followed your orders? No, you went to go help her because she needed you like my family needs me right now." Padme knew she was pulling a risk by mentioning his mother.

Anakin clenched his teeth in anger as he remembered what happened to his mother. Who was he to deny Padme the chance to protect her family from Sidious? After all, she left her family, everything she ever knew and loved because of him. He couldn't stop her.

"If you're going to Naboo to stop Ferus, I'm going with you."

Padme's eyes widened. "You can't Ani! The twins-"

"Owen and Beru will take care of them until we come back. You'll be facing a Sith Lord, and I won't let my children grow up without their mother because I wasn't there to protect her."

"And I won't my children grow up without their father because I let him come with me. I already lost my grandmother, Anakin. I can't lose you too." Tears filled Padme's eyes.

Anakin placed his hands on her face, wiping her tears away. "You won't Padme. I've survived encounters with Sith Lords, battle droids. Clones, bounty hunters, pirates, and you," Anakin said with a teasing grin. "You're not getting rid of me easily."

Padme smiled back. They didn't have a plan yet, but they would figure that out in the morning after a good night's sleep.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had regain some of her strength and had more color on her cheeks, but she still looked thin from the weight she lost during her illness. The black dress and robe she wore only served to highlight that fact. If her classmates at the Legislative Youth Program saw her now, they would tell her how ghastly she looked.

A knock sounded on her door. Padme turned to see Mammy open it, dressed in black as well. Her sad face struck Padme, nearly breaking down the mask she was forcing herself to wear for today.

"Are you ready to come down?" Mammy's voice asked gently. Padme nodded, not trusting her voice just yet.

They went down the stairs to the parlor where Padme's family would be gathered. It had been a week since Padme had woken up and the Plague on her village had passed. Her mother hadn't been the only victim the Plague had taken. Children, middle-aged, and elderly had each been effected and practically every family had lost someone. The village's population had been reduced by half.

News has reached the Queen of their dilemma that she sent soldiers, doctors, and volunteers to help treat the sick and move the dead. They were being pressed for time because the doctors wanted to have the bodies burned as quickly as possible or risk another outbreak.

Padme entered the parlor where her father, sister, niece, and her sister's mother-in-law waited for her. It hadn't just been Padme's mother they lost. They also lost Jon, her sister's husband and her niece's father. Her beautiful sister looked miserable wearing the black clothing befitting of a widow, but her mother-in-law was the most heartbreaking to look at. The proud woman looked like she had aged decades. Padme had always been cautious around her because of the hard relationship she had with her sister. Now, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor older woman. Her little niece looked sad and lost. The little girl wasn't even ten years old and she had lost her father, grandmother, and so many friends and neighbors she had known in her short life.

Her father broke the tense silence. "Let's get going before they start without us."

The six of them left the small house and walked down the road where the other surviving villagers had gathered. Padme had to hang on to Mammy and her sister's arms for fear that she might collapse.

The ceremony was being performed by a member of the Brotherhood of Cognizance at the Queen's request. As he talked, Padme looked around the gathering. Many of the women were sobbing, the men trying to keep a strong face for their families, and the children seemed confused as to what was going on and why this was happening. Padme looked to her father whose gaze was focused on his wife's body among the many others. She was dressed in her white wedding gown, the prettiest dress she owned. Padme still couldn't get over how pale her mother was while she was dead. When she was young Padme remembered how her mother would go out and tend to their vegetable garden for hours and sometimes she would go out to help father in the fields and vineyards to raise food and money for their children. As a result for all the hours she spent outside Hane Lydonia's skin was brown as walnuts.

Just thinking of her mother nearly brought tears to Padme's eyes. She did her best to force them down. She wouldn't cry. Mama wouldn't want her to cry. She took a shaky breath, then heard sniffling from her sister. She saw tears flowing down her sister's face behind her veil and a tear of her own sliding down her face.

Blast it!

Padme knew of she had said that out loud, her mother would have jump to her feet to slap and scold, whether she was dead or alive. With that thought it was the final straw. A dam broke and tears flowed freely down her face. Soon, she was sobbing uncontrollably. This was ridiculous she thought to herself. Here she was a sixteen-year-old, training to be a politician, sobbing her heart out in public, while there were people around her who had lost more and kept a straight face.

She felt arms around her and realized it was her sister who was holding her. She didn't know how long it lasted until the Brother finished and the pyres were lighted. Padme watched as the flames claimed the bodies of her mother and her brother-in-law Jon, wishing them one last goodbye before she finally turned her head away from the sight.

Her father was still staring at the flames, while Mammy was bent down talking comfortingly to her niece, and Jon's mother turned and headed back to the Lydonia house to mourn in private.

"We should be getting back home," her sister said to their father. He didn't move or even acknowledged that he had heard her.

"Father?" Still nothing.

Her sister sighed before turning to Mammy. The old woman nodded before taking the young child back to the house. Her sister wrapped an arm around Padme and helped her back to the house when they saw a couple of figures walking down the road towards their house. One was a man, another a boy around the same age as Padme's niece, and the third figure was a woman with brown curly hair. All three of them wore dark clothing finer than what anyone in the village wore. It wasn't until they got closer to the house did Padme finally recognize them.

"Winama?"

"Ryoo! Padme!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Anakin screamed in pain as the lightning coursed through his body.

"You foolish boy. You thought you could defeat me! Dark Lord of the Sith where greater Jedi Masters have failed," Sidious taunted as he continued to torture Anakin.

He paused for a moment. Anakin gasped for breath. With the Sith lightning, coupled with the injuries he sustained at the Jedi Temple from the clones, his body struggled to keep going.

"How?" he asked painfully.

"The Jedi in their arrogance choose to believe that the Sith were gone. For a thousand years the Sith thrived, weakening the so-called Republic while the Jedi blinded themselves to our presence, until it was too late for them. As long as there is fear and anger, the Sith will always come back."

Sidious unleashed another volley of lightning.

Anakin screamed again.

There was another scream, only this time it wasn't Anakin. It was-

Anakin woke up with a gasp to the sound of crying.

Baby crying.

He sat up and saw Padme picking Luke up from his crib and carrying him over to the changing table. He looked over to the chrono next to the bed to see that it was a little after 0600. With a shudder he remembered the events from last night. Hearing of Ryoo's death, and his and Padme's decision to go to Naboo and stop Ferus Olin.

First thing they needed to do was to let Owen and Beru know what was going on so they would be able to watch Luke and Leia until they would come back. He knew it was risky, leaving the twins unguarded, but he had an idea as to how to shield them from the Emperor.

The second thing to do would be to pack the necessary supplies they would need while they were on Naboo, including credits they could use. Padme had a chest full of expensive jewelry she had taken with her when they went into exile to be used for emergencies. They could use some of it to buy themselves passage to and from Naboo and for whatever needs they would require during the trip.

Next would be to find a ship that would take them to Naboo. A smuggler's ship to be more precise since the Imperials were searching every ship that came and left Naboo. Hopefully, they would be able to hire a smuggler with no loyalty to the Empire and wouldn't ask any questions.

"Ani?" Padme's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked up to see Padme setting Luke down on the bed next to him.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking some things through," he told her before picking Luke up and holding him close as Padme went to get Leia ready for the day.

Anakin looked at his son. He was so little and yet looked so much like Anakin with his blonde hair and blue eyes, and his presence shining in the Force like a beacon of light. Even after all these months, Anakin still couldn't get over how Luke was his and how something so pure could come from him.

The memory of his dream though popped into his mind, ruining the precious moment. He remembered all too clearly that horrible day when he discovered the truth about Palpatine and what happened afterwards. All the betrayals, suffering, and horrors he went through that night would stay in his mind for as long as he lived.

He could no longer rush head first into danger anymore. Over the last six months he had learned to be patient. Hopefully it would stick with him as he returned to Naboo. He would need it to find Ryoo's killer and prevent him from hurting anyone else. Without further ado, Anakin got out of his bed, still holding Luke, and went to get dressed.

000{{*}}000

For breakfast, Padme made scrambled nuna eggs and Twi'lek toast, Owen and Beru's favorite breakfast. She had gotten better at making Twi'lek toast, and the nuna eggs were easy enough to make. She and Anakin were hoping to break the news to them over breakfast. Owen would no doubt be furious, and he and Beru would try to talk them out of it. It was already decided. She tasted the food before she served it. The eggs had a bit too much salt in them and the toast may have cooked a tad longer than it should have, but they were alright.

Owen and Beru were surprised when Padme served them breakfast and a little worried.

"Are you alright, Padme?" Beru asked.

"I'll be alright," Padme assured her.

Owen looked at her suspiciously and was about to ask her something when Anakin came in with the twins. Owen eyed Anakin, and Anakin briefly glanced at him as he put Luke and Leia in their high chairs.

A tense silence filled the dining room as everyone ate their breakfast. Anakin looked at Padme, silently asking her when they should break the news. Beru broke the silence by telling Padme that she did a good job with breakfast.

"Thanks Beru."

"So Anakin," Owen said, picking up his drink. "I was thinking that we go over to the Darklighters this morning and ask if we could borrow their-"

"Actually Owen, about that, there's something we need to talk to you guys about," Anakin interrupted.

"We're going to Naboo!" Padme quickly finished.

Beru dropped her fork, and Owen spat his drink out and coughed.

"Naboo?!" he exclaimed. Anakin and Padme both flinched as the twins began to whimper.

"Padme, I know you're sad about your grandmother, but that doesn't mean you should go rushing into danger and leave your children behind," Beru said to her.

"Exactly! I'm sorry about your grandmother Padme. I really am, but the two of you are the Empire's most wanted!" Owen shouted.

"We'll be alright, Owen," Anakin tried to assure him. "Before the Clone Wars, Obi-wan and I did a lot of investigations that had us smuggling ourselves to different planets."

"You're going to look for Ryoo's killer," Beru stated instead of asked.

Anakin looked at Padme and she nodded. "Yes we are."

"Are you both insane?! Of the Emperor finds out, he will stop at nothing to capture you both and find the twins!" Owen told them.

Anakin glared at him. "And if we don't, his little assassin will find us anyway and kill us all while he's at it."

Owen and Beru sat back in alarm.

"It was no coincidence Ryoo was murdered at the same place Padme and I spent most of our time at before our exile, and with a lightsaber. He keeps it up, he'll find us."

"All we ask of you is to watch the twins until we come back," Padme said to them.

Owen and Beru sat quietly, shaken by Anakin and Padme's words.

"Please be careful," Beru begged.

000{{*}}000

As Padme gathered her things, Anakin grabbed what few items he had that would be useful. Since coming into exile, he had neglected to shave much and was now sporting a beard which should help with the disguise.

As a Jedi, he had carried few belongings on him. One of them being his lightsaber. He knew he wouldn't be able to use it much on Naboo without drawing attention to himself, but he felt the need to take it with him.

He also grabbed the fake identifications he had made a while ago for him and Padme just in case. Then he grabbed the blaster Owen had given to him a while ago and the traveling clothes Padme had saved for him.

He believed he had everything he needed now, but something was stopping him from leaving just yet. He felt a pull back to the chest where he had hidden his lightsaber under the bed. The only other thing he had hidden that was the Jedi holocron Madame Jocasta had given to him in the midst of the Purges.

He had wanted to give it to Obi-wan or Master Yoda, but both masters had refused, saying that it would be safer with him. He didn't know if it was the Force or not, but something was telling him to take it with him.

He shouldn't.

If he took it with him, he'd be endangering the lives of thousands of force-sensitives if he got caught. Still, the thing insisted on him taking it with him.

He sighed. "I hope I don't regret this."

He grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket.

000{{*}}000

Meanwhile, Padme was packing stuff of her own: a couple of outfits, her blaster, some toiletries, and of course her jewelry. She could get away with wearing the japor snippet Anakin had made her, but she would have to leave the blue kyber crystal Obi-wan had given to her.

Months ago, when Luke and Leia had been born and before they went their separate ways, Obi-wan had given her and Anakin kyber crystals tied in a necklace as a gift to celebrate the twins' births. He told them that the crystals had belonged to Qui-gon Jinn and a fellow Jedi named Tahl whom Qui-gon had loved before she died. From what Obi-wan had told Padme, Tahl had been an amazing woman who despite her blindness never failed to do what she believed was right. Padme would have loved to have met her.

She didn't like taking the necklace off, but if something happened to her she would want her children to have something that belonged to her. Anakin had already taken his off, that use to belong to Qui-gon, with great reluctance and had placed it in the little chest under the bed.

The kyber crystals were still strong and powerful enough to be used in lightsabers. Padme hoped it would be a long time before her children would need to use them.

Putting the chest away, she grabbed her sack and headed out the door to say her goodbyes before she embarked on a whole new adventure.

000{{*}}000

Owen took them to Mos Eisley where they would find a pilot to smuggle them to Naboo. The place was like Mos Espa, filled with criminals, bounty hunters, and slavers Anakin thought with a scowl. Hopefully their cantinas were the same. It'd make things easier in finding a pilot.

Anakin and Padme entered the nearest cantina to the sound of music playing and the smell of smoke in the air.

The feeling of walking into the Gundarks' nest filled Padme as she walked into the place next to Anakin. The room was full of criminals that could easily kill her and Anakin. It reminded her of the time she went to Ziro the Hutt to help Anakin. Of course when she was in trouble she was able to call for help. Here, if anything went wrong, her blaster and Anakin would be her only defenses.

She was aware of some of the stares following her and Anakin. There were some females in the cantina, but they were either bounty hunters or…hired companions. She was suddenly glad that she and Anakin had changed into their traveling clothes. Hopefully everyone would leave them alone if they didn't know who they were.

She and Anakin sat down at the bar counter where Anakin spoke to the bartender in Huttese, ordering them drinks before continuing to speak to him, probably asking about whom they should hire to fly them to Naboo.

She checked her blaster and the sack of jewels she had hidden in her cloak. Both were still there. She took a sip of her drink and grimaced.

A human male who had been leering at her approached her with a lustful grin. "What's a doll like you doing in a place like this?"

"None of your business," Padme told him coldly.

"Ah, a woman with fire. I like that," he leered.

He leaned forward to touch her and she pulled away, bumping into Anakin. He turned around to look at her in concern, but he saw the man and glowered.

"Can I help you?"

"How much is she worth to you tonight?" the man asked, still grinning.

"Excuse me?!" Anakin and Padme asked in unison.

"You know, how much are you paying for her tonight? I bet I'm willing to pay more."

Padme's mouth dropped in horror when she realized he had thought her a prostitute.

He leaned forward again, and Padme cringed when she smelled all the alcohol on him. He grabbed her arm in a tight grip she couldn't break.

Anakin stood up, grabbed the man's hair, and slammed his head into the counter. Padme heard a crunch, and he fell back to reveal a bloody nose. Padme realized that Anakin had broken his nose. The two men that had been behind the man caught their friend. One of them, a hairy man pulled out his blaster. "No blasters!" the bartender shouted. Faster than Padme had ever seen him, Anakin grabbed the man's arm and snapped it back. The man howled in pain as he dropped his blaster.

The other man, a Twi'lek, pulled out a vibroblade and made a move to stab Anakin. Padme quickly grabbed her bottle and smashed it against his head. He stumbled forward and Anakin kicked him into a nearby table.

The hairy man tackled Anakin from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck. Anakin struggled before he ran backwards and rammed the man into the wall. He loosened his grip around Anakin's neck until Anakin head bunted him, causing him to let go completely.

Anakin turned around, only to be punched in the face by the leader who had gotten up. He knocked into a table before turning around and punching the man in the stomach. The leader keeled over, and Anakin grabbed him to throw him into his hairy budy.

For a minute, everything was quiet, minus the painful groans of the thugs. Anakin glared at the occupants staring at him and they quickly turned back to their drinks. The music resumed. Anakin kept his eyes on the thugs as the Twi-lek grabbed the two men and hurried out.

He turned back to Padme, his eyes softening a bit. "Are you alright?"

Padme nodded.

He turned back to the frightened bartender and his scowl returned. "I'll ask one more time: where do we find a smuggler to take us to Naboo?"

The bartender quickly pointed to a corner. "Talon Karrde."

Anakin and Padme turned to see a human male sitting at a table near the back. They walked over to him. He looked to be about the same age as Anakin with dark hair.

He grinned at them as they took a seat in front of him. "Talon Karrde of the Adventurer. So you're looking for a smuggler that'll take you to Naboo? Interesting display you guys made by the way," he said taking a sip of his ale.

"Indeed, we need one that will get us in and out of Naboo without being spotted by Imperials," Anakin answered.

"Not real friendly with Imperials are you?" Karrde raised an eyebrow.

"Are you?" Padme asked.

Karrde smirked humorlessly. "Business has been rough these last few months since the Empire's formation. Jorj Car'das hasn't been too thrilled."

The name seemed familiar to Anakin but it was unimportant at the moment.

"Can you get us in?" he asked.

"Mister, I've been taught by the very best. The Adventurer will get us in. For the right price of course, "Karrde added in.

Anakin and Padme exchanged a glance before Padme dug into her sack for a piece she knew would grab his attention. It was a lotus flower brooch with pink jewels in the petals she had gotten while she was queen. It was worth at least a thousand if you found the right buyer.

Karrde's eyes widened when he saw it, and Padme made certain no one else in the cantina could see it.

"Will this work for now? We'll give you five thousand worth of jewels when we get to Naboo and another seven thousand when you get us off without being tracked," Padme explained to him.

"And don't ask questions during the whole trip," Anakin added in.

"Thirteen thousand worth of jewels?" Karrde asked a little incredulously.

Anakin and Padme nodded. "Alright you guys got yourselves a pilot and a ship. Docking bay 76 in one hour," he said, taking the brooch.

Anakin and Padme stood up and left the cantina to go through Padme's jewelry to make certain she really had enough for the passage and any other necessities they would run into. They found themselves a junkyard where they would have privacy and started going through all the jewels.

Over the years, Padme had acquired many jewels from family, friends, colleagues, and admirers. A good deal of them were gaudy jewelry she would never wear in public, but there were some that held sentimental value to her. Such was a pair of jaded earrings she had worn several times in her years as senator. They were teardrop dangles that had once belonged to her mother Jobal until she had given them to Padme when she entered the Senate.

A pang went through Padme as she remembered her mother and the rest of her family. How were they all dealing with Grandmamma Ryoo's death? She heard from the holonet that her grandmamma had taken the news of her disappearance hard, disappearing to Varykino for months, but what about the rest of her family? Was her mother worried sick? Was her father feeling guilty for all the harsh things he said to her? Were Sola and Darred trying to stay strong for everyone's sakes? And were little Ryoo and Pooja wondering where their Aunt Padme could be? She had no way of knowing.

"Padme?" Anakin's voice jerked her from her thoughts. She looked upto see him looking at her in concern.

Making a quick decision, she put the jaded earrings on, covering them a bit with her hair and pulling her hood up more. Anakin didn't say anything, just finished setting the rest of the jewelry out. They estimated about thirty thousand credits worth of jewelry. It did surprise Padme a little that she managed to take so many when she left her apartment at Republica 500. They had more than enough. They gathered it all up back into Padme's sack and headed to Docking bay 76 to meet with Karrde.

Their journey had begun.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme had been as surprised as Ryoo when Winama and her family had arrived to their village.

Originally from here as well, Winama had been best friends with Ryoo until her father died and she and her mother left their village for Theed to find ways to support themselves. Winama had volunteered at the Refugee Relief Movement where she met and fell in love with rising star Luke Naberrie. They had married and had a son Ruwee. Winama and Ryoo had kept in touch over the years, especially when Padme started going to the Legislative Youth Program. In her spare time, Padme would pay visits to the Naberries and had become a good friend to them as well.

Now, they had gathered in the parlor. Ruwee was trying to interest Jobal in a game of Dejarik near the window, while Padme sat next to Ryoo as she served them all tea. Mammy had gone into the kitchen to work on lunch, and Padme noticed that Madame Thule and her father were nowhere to be found. While Padme was relieved that she wouldn't have to be subjected to the woman's condescending remarks, she worried about her father. It seemed that the funeral had cemented the fact that his wife was really gone. "

I'm sorry we missed the funeral," Winama gently spoke. "The soldiers had just removed the quarantine this morning."

"It's alright. I'm glad you're here now," Ryoo said.

An awkward silence passed.

Padme glanced over at Luke. He looked a little awkward, not knowing how to comfort people who lost loved ones that he never met.

"How are things at court?" Padme asked him. Luke was a member of the Queen's advisory council and was said to be the next governor of Naboo next year as long as Bon Tapalo didn't sway the vote.

Luke looked at Padme. "So far the Queen remains undecided to the business proposal between Naboo and the Trade Federation. Tapalo has been pressing the council and the public to vote for it," he explained to her.

Padme didn't trust the Trade Federation. They were a group of spineless beings who profited off the misery and suffering of people in wars. She didn't trust Bon Tapalo either. He was an ambitious man and it was said that within a year he would rise up to a higher office.

"What does Reggie Costil say about all this?" she asked.

"He has been trying to degrade Tapalo and persuade the Queen out of making a deal with the help of Palpatine," Luke answered.

"I've heard that Cosinga Palpatine has been having an affair with Costil's sister, is that true? I thought they were related," Ryoo asked.

" By extended marriage," Winama clarified, "Palpatine's wife's niece is married to the Costils' older brother."

"Palpatine must be in his fifties. He's old enough to be Regina Costil's father," Padme said in surprise.

Luke shook his head sadly at her. "Things are very complicated when you're older, Padme. Especially in the political world."

"So Costil and Palpatine are using their relationships with Regina to gain themselves influence in court," Padme stated. She didn't know whether to despise Regina for getting involved with an older and married man, or pity her for being a political pawn.

She didn't like Tapalo, but she certainly didn't like Costil nor Palpatine. Both of them were corrupt and didn't really care about the Naboo. It was one of those dilemmas in politics when a person had to choose the lesser evil. The thing was though, Padme couldn't tell which the lesser evil was.

She didn't realized that they had lapsed into silence, until Winama spoke to her again. "I'm sorry. What was that Winama?"

Winama repeated her question, "I asked, 'Are you going back to the Legislative Youth Program?'"

Padme had thought about it as she recovered from her illness and realized that her mother would have wanted her to continue her education. "Yes. I commed my professor three days ago. He was very understanding when he heard about what had happened here, and said that he would send over my assignments and give me a week to catch up on my studies."

"I'm glad," Winama nodded. "You're always welcomed at our house, and Luke could help you with your studies if you need it."

"Thank you, Winama," Padme said.

Winama then turned to Ryoo. "I'm sorry about Jon and Hane, but do you have any means of providing for yourself and Jobal now?"

Padme looked over at Jobal. A smile appeared on the little girl's face as she destroyed one of Ruwee's holopieces. She knew Ryoo didn't want to think about it right now, but Winama had a point. Before the Plague, Ryoo had just been an ordinary housewife taking care of Jobal, running the household, and dealing with her mother-in-law while Jon's job at the mines provided everything they needed. Now, it was up to Ryoo to provide for her daughter.

Ryoo shook her head. "Before I married Jon and got pregnant with Jobal, I was majoring in business. But I have to have someone watch Jobal and have means of providing for us until I get my business degree."

"How close were you to getting your degree?" Luke asked.

"About a year," Ryoo answered.

Winama and Luke looked at each other for a moment.

"How about you come and work at my fashion store until you get your degree? Luke knows of a professor offering evening courses next semester on business that should help you out," Winama suggested.

Padme and Ryoo looked at her in surprise.

"In Theed? But where would live?" Ryoo asked.

"At our house, and no, you three would not be a burden. Padme could continue her studies, you Ryoo would have a way of providing for your family, and Jobal would have a chance of a good education opened for her. Just think about it."

Later that night, Padme found Ryoo pacing in front of the fire in her nightgown. It was mid-autumn, and soon it would be winter.

"How's Papa and Nare?" Padme asked.

"Nare went back to her home. Poor woman. I almost feel sorry for her," Ryoo said as she stopped in front of the window facing their garden out back. "And I found Papa wandering in the garden. I had to bring him in and have Mammy give him an herbal drink to help him sleep."

Ryoo sighed and Padme felt bad for her. When she was young, Padme had always looked up to her older sister. She was beautiful, kind, and everyone loved her. Padme had never seen her sister look so lost.

"You're thinking about Winama's offer," Padme stated instead of asked. "What's the problem?"

"I don't know when or if Papa will snap out of his funk. Mama's death obviously shook him more than he thought it would. I don't want to leave him all alone, and I can't ask you to drop out of the program. Nare won't keep an eye on him, and Mammy is getting too old to be taking care of anyone," Ryoo explained as she leaned against the window.

"But if you don't find work, how will you take care of Jobal" Padme asked.

Ryoo sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't know."

"You'll take Winama's offer and move to Theed and finish your schooling."

Padme and Ryoo both turned to see Mammy standing in the doorway in her dressing gown, and her gray hair in a long braid.

"Mammy-" Ryoo tried to say, but Mammy spoke up. "Don't you dare say I'm too old to be any help Ryoo Thule because if you do, I will box your ears even if you are a grown woman with a kid of your own." Ryoo closed her mouth as if she was the same age as her young daughter.

"I can take care of your Papa because I was the same way after my husband died before your parents took me in to help raise you girls. It'll take time and some reminding for to know that he's still breathing and he has a family that still needs him. He would want you Ryoo Petal to do what's best for Little Jojo and yourself, and he would want you Little Pixie to continue your studies," Mammy told the two sisters.

Padme took a step forward toward Mammy. "You sure you and Papa will be alright?" she asked gently.
Mammy smiled at her. "Little Pixie, if I can handle you in your toddler years and Ryoo Petal as a teenager, I can handle a grown man."

Padme looked at Ryoo and saw the look of defeat but gratitude to know that Mammy had won. They were all going to Theed.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Naboo; 38 bby

Padme was very sad.

She, Mommy, Daddy, and Sola were moving to Theed where Grandma Winama lived so she and Sola could go to the Legislative Youth Program, the best school on Naboo. She should be happy, but she wasn't because Grandmamma Ryoo wouldn't be coming with them.

"Why can't you come with us, Grandmamma?" the eight-year-old asked teary eyed.

"I'm not ready to go to Theed just yet," Grandmamma asked with a sad smile.

"Yes you can. I can help you pack up, and you can come with us," Padme insisted.

"Wherever you go, I'll always be with you," Ryoo told her.

She turned around to grab a tube of nail polish from her dressing table and painted Padme's thumbnails white. Padme's eyes widened in surprise and delight. Her Mommy, Grandmamma, and recently her sister all painted their thumbnails white as a sign of maturity yet continuing devotion to one's family.

"When you look at them, think of an old woman who loves you very, very much," Ryoo said.

She kissed Padme's temple and held her in a deep embrace. Padme hugged her back, taking in the love her grandmamma gave her.

The Adventurer; 18 bby

Padme woke up with a jolt. It took her a moment to remember where she was: on the Adventurer. It was a YT-2400 light freighter. Padme had thought it a piece of junk on sight. Karrde had been insulted, telling her it was a Corellian vessel that was faster than it looked and had a few surprises of its own. Anakin had confirmed this to her and she force herself to relax because her husband knew more about mechanics and ships than anyone else she knew. She had strapped in for takeoff and laid her head against Anakin's shoulder for a couple hours rest before they reached Naboo.

Padme looked at her thumbnails she had painted white even during her exile. Bits of paint were coming off. She would have to paint a fresh coat later on. She thought of the dream she had when they were painted for the first time by her grandmamma, then she thought of Luke and Leia. It had only been a few hours but she already missed them. She missed their familiar weight in her arms, missed Luke's giggles, and Leia's mischievous smile. She wondered if she would paint Leia's thumbnails white when she came of age. She really wished that her Grandmamma Ryoo could have met them. She would have loved them.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see Anakin. The beard he had grown and the months he outside in Tatooine's suns had bleached his hair back to the blonde he had as a child, making him look different to the famous Hero with No Fear he had been throughout the galaxy.

"We'll be entering Naboo space in ten minutes. Then we'll hide in Karrde's smuggling compartments and sneak out that way," he explained to her.

Padme nodded. "Good."

Anakin hesitated for a second before sitting down next to Padme. "Do you want to talk about?"

"No," Padme answered, staring at the wall. "I want to have a clear head throughout this ordeal."

"This isn't an ordinary situation. You use to get upset with me if I kept things hidden from you. What's bothering you besides the obvious?" Anakin asked.

Padme wanted to argue nothing, but she realized the futility of it and the point Anakin had. "I'm worried about what would happen if anyone on Naboo would recognize me. I had my handmaidens who looked similar to me, but even if someone mistook me for a former handmaiden, it would draw attention to us," Padme explained.

Anakin frowned a bit. "We'll have to be careful. The funeral will be tomorrow, so tonight we'll settle at someplace low-profile and after that, we'll start looking for Ferus."

Padme accepted that plan as Karrde came to tell them that they would be coming out of light speed and into Naboo airspace. They heard Karrde talking to an Imperial official on the comm. Karrde told him he was carrying shipment supplies for a "Lars Quell" who was moving to Theed. The official granted him permission to land and to prepare to have his ship searched.

Karrde left the cockpit. "I'll take that five thousand worth of jewels before you guys sneak off my ship."

Anakin handed him his payment. Karrde opened the bag to count and make sure they gave him the right amount. Satisfied, he placed the bag into his vest pocket. "Alright, how long will it be before you guys want to leave? For smugglers it's best not to stay in one place for too long,"

Too be honest, Anakin and Padme didn't know how long this mission would last. Anakin gave him the first answer that popped into his mind. "One week."

Karrde nodded, not liking the answer but accepting it anyway. "Alright, just don't get yourselves captured before paying me. This trip must be worth a lot to you two to risk Imperial capture for whatever you guys have done."

Padme glared at him, but she and Anakin just went into the smuggler's compartments to wait until it was clear to sneak out. Karrde handed them a commlink to communicate with him in case they would need him. He then sealed them into the compartment and returned to the cockpit to land the ship. The minutes it took to land filled Anakin and Padme with tension. For one moment, Anakin was back in the war, ready to be deployed into another battle. He took a deep breath to diffuse the tension in him.

Suddenly, he and Padme felt the Adventurer dock and waited. They heard the ramp go down then the sound of footsteps over their heads. Anakin listened until the footsteps disappeared and his commlink beeped.

"They're getting a scanner team out. Move," Karrde's voice told them.

Anakin snapped the hatch below them open and jumped out. Padme followed him and closed the hatch. Quickly but quietly, they crept around the cargo on the platform, passing squads of Stormtroopers until they made it to the streets where people were returning to their homes for the night as the Naboo sun setted.

First place they went to was a pawn shop where they could sell some of Padme's jewelry for credits to buy themselves a room for a couple of nights and some food. The pawn shop owner looked at a gold ring, a silver bangle, a ruby snood, and a couple other pieces of Padme's jewelry before giving them five hundred credits for it all.

Next, Anakin and Padme headed over to a nearby motel. By now, the streets were nearly empty except for a few people who were rushing to get home. Anakin and Padme entered the motel and the elderly man at the desk looked at them with a start before relaxing. "What can I do for you?"

"One room for two for a couple of nights," Anakin told him.

"Nams?" the receptionist asked as he typed it in.

"Lars and Angel Quell," Anakin supplied the fake names he and Padme were using.

"Excuse me," Padme asked the man, "But could you tell us what's going on out there?"

The man looked at her in surprise. "Haven't you heard? The Emperor ordered a curfew throughout the planet until Ryoo Thule's killers are found."

"Killers? I thought it was only one who had killed her?" Anakin asked in alarm.

"Latest development this morning," the man said. "Officials found confirmation that there were two Jedi who left Varykino at the time of Thule's death. Sick and cowardly bastards! Old woman like that deserves to die peacefully in her sleep, not tortured and killed by a couple of force wielding punks!"

"T-tortured?" Padme asked, shaken.

The man nodded sympathetically. "They reported the autopsy report in the news this morning too. Poor woman had a bruised spine, a couple of broken ribs, internal bleeding, and of course that lightsaber wound. They did a scan on her brain to find out that her killers used the Force to manipulate her brain cells for something. Woman must have been terrified. I can't even imagine. My heart goes out to her family, the Naberries."

"Thank you for the room," Anakin said, grabbing the key cards and taking Padme's hand to go to their room.

Padme was quiet and looked as shocked as she did when she first found out about her grandmother's death. Anakin's blood boiled, his mind already planning about what he would do to Ferus and his partner as soon as he got his hands on them.

Padme barely registered Anakin opening the door to the room, walking in and sitting on the bed as Anakin moved around her. Over the years she had last friends and loved ones. She remembered how surprise she was when she heard about her Grandma Winama's illness, and the shock she would feel when one of her handmaidens would die protecting her. The difference between their deaths compared to her Grandmamma Ryoo's death was that her friends' were quick and Grandma Winama's was peaceful. She also had her duties as Queen then Senator's that made her focus.

She felt a hand on her face, jerking her from her thoughts. She saw Anakin kneeling in front of her, looking at her with deep concern in his eyes.

"How are we going to find them?" she whispered.

"We're going to go to Varykino for a start after the funeral tomorrow," Anakin gently explained to her. "We'll make our way after that."

Padme nodded. She took a shaky breath. "Why would they reveal that information to the public? My family is already going through so much. Now the public eye will be even more focused on them."

"They want to instill fear into the public. By making the Jedi seem like psychopathic monsters," Anakin answered, bitterness creeping into his voice. He never fully agreed to the ways of the Jedi, but he never would have condone them to a life like this. Being feared and hunted down like animals throughout the galaxy. It was Sidious' disciples like Dooku and Ferus that gave the Jedi all bad names.

Anakin looked into Padme's brown eyes. "We should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow isn't going to be easy."

Padme nodded.

After changing and making sure the door was locked and the window curtains were closed, Anakin and Padme slipped under the covers of the bed, hoping to get at least a few hours of sleep.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme concentrated as she studied her Political Sciences book. She had a make-up test on that subject today. After that, she would be caught up with her studies. She repeated the Amendments of the Constitution in head. What was that one on-?

"Ouch!" she screeched.

"I told you to stop moving," her sister scolded.

They were in Winama's fashion store early morning just before they opened, and before Luke would take Ruwee and Jobal to school and drop Padme off at the Youth Program on his way to the palace. Ryoo was helping Winama sew all the outfits, and since Padme was the same size as most of their customers, she was usually their model dummy.

"If Naboo's high society wants these outfits so badly they should come in and pose for them themselves," Padme grumbled.

"If that were true, my job would be a lot easier, but everyone has more important things to do than being a dress doll," Winama said, carrying a stack of clothe into the room.

"After today, I will too. Tomorrow my internship at the palace will start," Padme said proudly as Ryoo began to stitch a couple of pieces together.

"You be careful. Those high society men are slippery and the women even more so," Winama warned.

"Good thing Luke and Queen Celestine aren't," Padme said returning to her studies. She would continue her studies until the end of the spring semester, but until then she would be getting her feet wet in the politics of Naboo.

"The Queen may not be intimidated by all the big-shots in court, but she's one against many with only a few allies," Luke said as he came into the dressing room with the kids behind him.

Padme looked at him in surprise. "You never told me that."

Luke smiled without humor. "When you're a politician, you can't let your enemies see you without any weapons. The Queen has been trying to clean up the corruption in the government for years, but I fear that she's either out of her depth or the corruption is finally starting to smother her," he admitted sadly. Then he smiled teasingly at her. "Well are you going to come to class or have you decided to quit and become a fashion model?"

Padme instantly stepped off the stool, carefully taking the dress off over her school clothes and grabbing her holobooks. She, Luke, and the children then went out and headed towards their destinations. Padme listened as her niece and Ruwee jabbered about what they were learning in class this week.

"We're studying about the Gungan War that happened when humans started living here and how they were jealous of our technology," Ruwee said enthusiastic.

"Actually, the Gungan War started when the King was supposedly assassinated by a Gungan over the rights to mine plasma in Gungan territory. It wasn't until after the war, the Gungans swore that none of them had harmed the King and it was proven that it wasn't possible them to have," Padme explained as they walked.

Ruwee and Jobal stared at her in awe while Luke had a proud grin on his face.

"But our teacher didn't say any of that," Jobal said, confused.

"She wouldn't. It's a hidden shame of the Naboo the way we automatically accused the Gungans without them have any say. You can only find it by digging through the books and piecing it all together," Padme gently told her.

"Then why are we fighting the Gungans if they didn't kill the monarch?" Ruwee asked.

"People never like to admit they're wrong so they stick with the easy solution by blaming someone else for their problems. There are also people who look for any excuse to attack the Gungans so they can mine plasma on their land," Luke answered his son. "Now after so many wars with the Gungans, people refuse to accept the truth and admit that they were wrong. It takes true courage to break away from what you've been told all your life and stand up for what is right. I want you kids to remember that."

Ruwee and Jobal both nodded.

They reached the school, and the kids said goodbye to Luke and Padme.

"Well," Padme said as they continued on. "Let's hope my Lecture class this afternoon will be as easy to handle as those two were with my argument."

"Lecturing politics rarely is," Luke warned. "I am proud that you choose to do your argument on Gungan Rights."

"Thanks and thank you for loaning me your great-grandfather's journals for this. I doubt my classmates will believe me or be opened to my ideas on Equal Rights for Gungans. One classmate of mine called me a traitor. I feel like it's just me against everyone. I can't tell what they really think."

Luke smiled at her sympathetically. "I'm afraid it's always like that in life when people stand up to their beliefs and people shoot them down. But there are some who are willing to listen. You just have to search hard."

They stopped at the Youth Program and wished Padme good luck on her test and lecture before heading to the palace. Padme went in and took her test in a private room of the Program's library. After that, Padme went outside to walk around the Plaza and study for her lecture this afternoon. She went to the Jafan café where she would study until her friends Pooja and Gregor would on their lunch break.

Pooja Janren was an older woman whom Padme had met a couple years ago when she first started out at the Youth Program. Pooja had just gotten out of a nasty divorce and had come to work on her diploma and recently became a handmaiden to Queen Celestine. During her time in school, she and Padme had become good friends by helping each other study for their projects and exams. During that time, Padme also learned that Pooja had had a daughter with her ex-husband around the same age as Jobal and was fighting custody over her.

Gregor Panaka was a guard at the Theed Palace whom Padme had met through Luke when he wanted her to take self-defense classes. Like Padme, Gregor had grown up in one of the villages up in the mountains until he decided to join the military. He met his wife Lane while attending the Academy and they now had a one-year-old daughter Romainaria or "Ro" for short.

It was noon by the time Pooja and Gregor were able to join Padme for lunch. Pooja was a tall and slim woman, despite all the workouts she put in with strawberry-blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. Gregor was a tall and big man, dark-skinned with chocolate colored eyes.

"Padme!" Pooja leaned down to embrace her. "I was so worried about you! When I heard about the Quarantine and the devastation I-" Pooja stopped, swallowing. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"I heard about what had happened from my colleagues who went to help. I'm sorry about everything that happened," Gregor said solemnly.

"Thank you guys," Padme said. They sat down at the table and ordered their lunch.

"How have you been faring?" Pooja asked gently.

With Pooja and Gregor Padme didn't have to put on a face or be strong like she was for her sister and niece. "I've been trying to follow Mammy's advice on taking it one day at a time, but it's only been two weeks. I'm still struggling to grasp that my mother and Jon really are gone," Padme admitted.

Pooja place a hand over her's and Gregor looked at her sympathetically. They were quiet until the waiter came with their food.

"You should eat. You look like you've lost weight," Pooja admitted as she began to dig into her salad.

"I've read the report my captain made to the Queen. You were one of the victims that survived the Plague," Gregor said as he cut into his bantha steak.

"Yes, I'm alright. I just have to regain some of my weight so I don't look half-starved as I did when I first came here," Padme said as she bit into her tuber fries and fried nuna.

"Well your mourning dress isn't helping your appearance. You should probably grab something lavender to add to make your cheeks less hollow. Wait a minute," Pooja said before getting out of her seat and going cross the Plaza to a vender who sold accessories. A minute later she came back over with a lavender sash and hairband. She wrapped the sash around Padme's waist and pulled Padme's hair back with the hairband,

Gregor nodded approvingly. "Not bad," he admitted.

Pooja nodded with a smile. "An improvement."

Padme took their word for it. She looked at the chrono and realized that she had ten minutes till her next class started.

"Oh Shiraya! I got to get going!" she exclaimed. Pooja and Gregor realized that they too had to return to their duties.

Padme grabbed her notes and quickly rushed back to the Program. She went inside and was running down the hallways when from another corner hallway, a boy her age came running and crashed into her. She dropped her books and notes, scattering them everywhere, and fell hard on her side.

"Hey!" she gasped.

"Watch where you're going peasant!" the boy yelled at her.

She looked up, a little stung by the insult, to see that the boy had red hair and amazing blue eyes, but what stood out the most to her was the rich blue clothing he wore.

"I was until you came barging out of your hallway and into me!" Padme shot back.

The boy stared at her as if suddenly seeing her. Then his gaze turned into one of curiosity. It made Padme a little uncomfortable. She started gathering up her notes and books and looked back at the boy. Suddenly, he was the one who seemed uncomfortable. He got up and headed toward a classroom which Padme realized was the same classroom as her Lecture class. So she had class with him. Great.

She looked at her reflection in one of the windows and grimaced at the sight. She looked like a rag-a-muffin. She smoothed out her dress, fixed her sash, and straightened her hair. She looked good. Pooja was right. The lavender made her look healthier. Taking a deep breath, Padme stood up straight and went into her classroom.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Anakin hated waiting. Ten years as Obi-wan Kenobi's padawan, three years of war and even marriage to a former queen and current senator had done nothing to improve his ability to be patient. He didn't know how long it had been since Mace Windu and the team of Jedi he took with him to arrest the Chancellor. It felt like hours. He should have gone with them. If the Chancellor had been powerful enough to hide for all these years from the Jedi, including Master Yoda, Anakin needed to be there to help them. He was able to kill Dooku.

Dooku's death filled Anakin's mind and he felt the guilt that had been haunting him since then. He could have handled it differently. He was unarmed. Literally. He was no longer a threat. Even with all the things he had done to Anakin and everyone in the galaxy it wasn't right to kill him the Anakin had.

Anakin remembered the feelings he sensed when he held his and Dooku's lightsaber to the man's throat. When Palpatine goaded Anakin into killing him, Anakin sensed fear, betrayal, and shock. A lot of shock. And anger. Then Dooku looked at Anakin as if seeing him for the first time in his life, and the first thing Anakin noticed was his eyes. Instead of the sickly yellow he was used to seeing on Dooku, he saw a familiar pair of brown eyes staring at him. Anakin had hesitated then felt something akin to… hope and realization. Then he felt something pushing into his mind the same time Palpatine demanded he kill Dooku.

Now that Anakin thought about it, he believed Dooku was trying to warn him about something.

Sidious?

If so, then why?

What about Padme?

How could he save her?

How did Palpatine know about her and the baby?

And how did he know about the dreams?

He was suddenly pulled out of his musing when he felt a deep disturbance in the Force. He felt the deaths of Master Agen Kolar, Saesee Tinn, and Kit Fisto, until finally, he heard the call of Mace Windu crying out to him and the Jedi to run before his life force was snuffed out.

For a moment, Anakin was stunned. Mace Windu and three of the greatest swordsman in the Order were dead just like that? He snapped out of his stupor and ran down the hallways to warn the Jedi. As he ran, he felt the cold hand of darkness reaching out over the Temple. He made it to the hallway overlooking the grand entrance when he heard the sound of marching. He looked over the railing and saw the 501 st ,  his men,  entering the Temple. Anakin watched in stunned horror as the men he trusted with his life opened fire on the Jedi in the room, even the younglings. He felt not only their deaths, but the deaths of hundreds of Jedi spread out throughout the galaxy.

Anakin woke up with a startled gasp, sweat pouring down his face. He looked around the motel room he was in. He calmed down a bit as he registered where he really was. Light was streaming through the curtains and he heard the water in the fresher running. Padme must have gotten up earlier to use it.

He knew she was having trouble dealing with this new information on Ryoo's death. He really hoped they would be able to catch Ferus before he found out where Padme and Anakin had been hiding these last six months. Anakin couldn't let him find Luke and Leia. He wouldn't. He'd rather be tortured by Sidious again than let that happen. He couldn't know for sure of Ferus was still on Naboo after two days but his feelings were telling him that Ryoo's killer was still here.

The water in the fresher stopped, and a couple minutes later, Padme came out with a towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped around her hair. If this had been six months ago, Anakin would have taken the time to appreciate the beauty of his wife, but now he was more worried about her. She looked better than she had these last couple of days even though she still looked a little tired. She started ringing her hair out when she noticed Anakin awake and the expression on his face.

"Another nightmare?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Anakin answered, wiping a hand over his brow. He got out of bed and peaked through the curtain. Squads of Stormtroopers were already patrolling the streets and he saw people heading out to work. It would make things a little difficult going through the city.

"What was it about?" Padme asked about the nightmare.

Anakin dropped the curtain. "That night. At the Temple."

Padme closed her mouth without saying anything else. She too remembered that night all too well, and how she narrowly escaped with Artoo and Threepio, carrying everything she could take when Tarkin came with a squad of clones to arrest her. She went to Bail and he hid her with the surviving Jedi until Obi-wan and Master Yoda had returned with an injured Anakin. Padme had gone into labor there on Polis Massa, and after several difficult, long hours of labor she gave birth to two beautiful children.

Padme grabbed her comb and began to untangle her long curly hair while Anakin turned on the holonews. First thing the reporter announced was Ryoo Thule's funeral.

"Madame Thule's funeral will begin at 0900 when family members will be accepting condolences from friends and people who knew Ryoo Thule. Representative Binks, an old friend of the Naberries has these words to say."

The screen changed and instead of the usual gullible but funny Gungan Anakin and Padme were used to seeing, they saw a sad and solemn one. It was then they realized how much the Empire really changed everything in everyone, including Jar Jar.

"Mesa ask on behalf of mesa friend Padme Amidala that thesa public respect thesa Naberries during thisa troubling time. Theysa thank thesa public for thesa support theysa been given, but theysa like to mourn together in thesa privacy of theysa home without trouble. Thank Yousa," Jar Jar said, bowing his head.

Padme felt tears in her eyes, grateful that Jar Jar was helping her family.

The repoter continued:

"Media has been forbidden from entering the Naberrie estate on behalf of the family. Rumors have it that the Queen and many members of the Advisory Council along with former employees of Amidala will be there in support of the family. The ceremony will start at 1000 when a Brother of the Cognizance will come to perform, and friends and family will offer tribute to Ryoo Thule. At 1100, the family will take Ryoo Thule up to the mountain village of Claines where she was born and where she will be left to rest in peace with fellow family members. Then at noon the Naberries will have lunch with the guests who came. Officials have made no further progress in locating Ferus Olin and his mysterious partner."

The news ended and Anakin turned the holo off. Padme was quiet, and Anakin realized that she needed some space. "I'm going to use the fresher," he said. He got up and went to the fresher and water started running again.

Padme continued to sit on the edge of the bed. Half of her was filled with relief and gratitude knowing that her friends would be there for her family. The other half was still struggling to accept that this was really happening. She had woken up this morning from nightmares of seeing her grandmamma broken on the ground like those glass dolls Padme's great-grandmother collected. Her grandmamma's gray eyes looking up at her accusingly before she woke up gasping.

Now, after hearing the news she knew it was going to be more difficult attending the funeral. Almost everybody there would recognize her and no doubt there would be guards and Stormtroopers there to protect the politicians there. She would have to come up with some disguise, but what? She couldn't wear her traveling clothes. People would wonder how an off-worlder knew Ryoo Thule. She would have to buy an appropriate mourning outfit, but not too much black so people would question how well she knew Ryoo. She could wear black trimmed with lavender. It was a good color to wear to funerals if you weren't as close to the person as the other people there. Now, how would she hide her face? A hood could only do so much. She could get away with her brown hair but what if she did something with it? And how would she alter her face? Memories of the makeovers Padme would have with her friends when she was young flashed in her mind and an idea popped. She continued combing her hair and looked out the window. She remembered the mall not being too far from here. It would be perfect.

000{{*}}000

At 0900 the door to the Naberrie estate was opened up by Nandi. She had been a part of the Naberrie household since her older sister Teckla Minnau started working for them years ago when their father had died. Padme Amidala had been queen at the time and Sola Naberrie was expecting Little Ryoo. Teckla had become a handmaiden to Senator Amidala, while Nandi worked at Varykino. Nandi and her husband Paddy were there that night when Ryoo had dismissed them for the night. Teckla had died while helping Amidala expose the corruption in the Banking Clan, leaving her children Sonni and Jeck orphaned and in Nandi and Paddy's care. Nandi had been happy to have the night off so she could spend time with her niece, nephew, and her and Paddy's newborn son Jerri. Now, she wished she had stayed with Ryoo that night. Maybe Ferus Olin and his partner wouldn't have come if they realized that Madame Thule wasn't alone in the house. The Naberries had asked Nandi and Paddy to move their family over to their house for their safety until the killers had been apprehended. Nandi was grateful for their kindness. She didn't think she could bear being at Varykino where someone she knew had died. When Nandi opened the doors, many beings came pouring into the house that Nandi worried that there wouldn't be enough room.

After the Blockade, the Naberries had to move to a new house because their old one had been severely damaged. Since their youngest daughter was Queen, the Naberries were able to move into a much bigger home. It was big enough to entertain political guests, but there were rooms small enough for family members to gather in and be cozy. The guests would be walking down the hallway to the guest parlor where Ryoo Thule laid.

Two of the guests signed their names on the guest list.

Lars and Angel Quell.

Lars was a tall man with blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard, yet wore a dark cloak with a hood that covered the upper half of his face.

Angel was a short woman when compared to her husband, who wore a pair of black boots with lavender leggings and a matching dress with a black cloak over it. If you noticed carefully she wore a simple necklace with a small block of some kind of wood with a design carved into it. The woman had long locks of brown hair that had been straightened, with makeup that made her brown eyes darker, and peeking out from under her hair were a pair of green jaded earrings.

No one could recognize Lars and Angel Quell as the famous Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala.

Padme's arm was wrapped around Anakin's in support as they slowly made their way down the hallway. Holos of Ryoo had been set out throughout the hallway, showing important moments in her life. Padme saw holos of her grandmother her and Sola's graduation ceremonies, her parents' wedding, at the medcenter when Little Ryoo and Pooja were born, and at Padme's sworn in ceremony as Senator of the Chommel Sector. She also saw holos of her grandmamma at birthday parties, holidays, and festivals. Her grandmamma was always happy at those. Anakin squeezed Padme's arm. She looked up at him and he smiled gently at her. She squeezed his arm back, thankful he was here.

They moved on to holos that had Ryo as a young woman before she became a grandma. One had her in bed with Padme's grandfather, Jon Thule eating breakfast. She smiled a bit as she remembered the story behind it.

"That's my grandfather with her," Padme whispered to her husband. "It was their tenth anniversary. My mom, my great-grandparents, and my great-aunt Padme all wanted to surprise them with breakfast in bed. It was the last anniversary they celebrated before a plague came and killed my grandfather and great-grandmother."

Anakin frowned a bit.

Padme had once told him about her family tree when he had been on leave to know that she was named after her Great-Aunt Padme Lydonia. She had been secretary to Queen Celestine before her sudden death, and Padme admitted that she had been one of her inspirations in going into politics. But there was something else. Like the Force was trying to tell him something.

He and Padme moved on to another holo. This one had a lot of people at where Anakin realized was Varykino. Padme swallowed as she pointed out who the people were in the holo.

"That little boy running around is my father. The man chasing him is my Grandpa Luke. The man in the back is my Great-Grandfather Ruger Lydonia, and the old woman next to him is Mammy, their nursemaid I believe. After my grandfather and great-grandmother died, she took care of him until she died," Padme explained. "Those two women talking to each other: that one is my Grandmamma Ryoo and the other my Grandma Winama. That little girl playing in the sand is my mother with my Aunt Padme and I believe her boyfriend. I don't know his name."

It looked like a normal holo of a family picnicking on the beach, but there was something that bothered Anakin about it. He could feel the Force humming around him as he looked closer at Padme Lydonia's mystery boyfriend. To everyone else, he looked like a handsome young man in love with the girl next to him. He had red hair with fair skin, but his face looked so familiar and Anakin couldn't understand why. Then he looked at Padme Lydonia and was startled to see the close resemblance. Other than her hair being more dark and wavy instead of curly, she could pass off as his wife's twin.

He definitely had a bad feeling about this.

He felt Padme tug his arm and realized that they were holding up the line. They made it to the guest parlor and he noticed Padme paling at the sight before them.

At the other side of the room where her grandmother's casket laid was her family accepting condolences from their guests. Her sister Sola was doing most of it with their father, and their mother was sitting in a chair next to them. In all her life, Padme had never seen her mother look so old. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and her eyes looked as though she had aged decades. Padme felt another wave of unmeasurable guilt as she realized what her disappearance had done to her family.

She noticed in the corner, Darred watching over her little nieces. Pooja was sitting in a chair swinging her legs while Ryoo sniffed all the flowers. Padme saw all the flowers that filled the room with cards sticking out of them, along with figurines of the Goddess Shiraya and the Angels. So many people had sent gifts. Yet when Padme looked at the cards and saw their names, she realized they were from people looking for a few minutes of fame. She felt her fury grow as she listened to the flake apologies people made to her family.

However, as they drew closer to her family, Padme grew more fearful that someone would recognize her. Before she knew it, Padme was standing in front of her sister Sola.

Sola wore a brave smile as she greeted Padme. "Hello, thank you for coming. Did you know my grandmother well?"

My whole life, Padme thought to herself. "We met a few times when my husband and I went on those tour guided trips. The first time was when we went to Corellia for our honeymoon," Padme said, trying to make her accent sound like she was from the country regions of Naboo. Her handmaiden Eirtae grew up in the countryside before going into politics so it wasn't too difficult to imitate.

"Oh," Sola said, looking at her curiously.

Padme fought the urge to squirm. "When I found out what had happened on the news, my husband and I were stunned. We decided to say our goodbyes in person," Padme tried not to ramble. It wasn't a complete lie, but Sola always had a way of telling when she was lying.

A sad expression filled Sola's face as she nodded. "I thank you for coming and going through all the trouble. I'm sure my grandmother would have appreciated it." Padme fought the urge to hug her sister, but Anakin's arm entangled with hers prevented her, reminding her of her mission to keep her family safe.

She and Anakin moved on to her father even while she felt Sola's gaze on her. Her father looked grim, struggling to keep his family together. Padme remembered that although her father wasn't as close with her grandmother as the rest of her family had, he had known her since he was a little boy.

Padme swallowed as she looked at her father.

"I didn't catch your names as were talking with my daughter," he said solemnly.

"Lars and Angel Quell," Anakin supplied in what Padme recognize as a Coruscanti accent.

Ruwee nodded. "Well I thank you for coming here on behalf of Ryoo. Others barely knew her, so thank you all the same," he said.

They then moved on to Padme's mother. She looked up from her seat at them, and it pained Padme to look at her and not tell the truth. "I am," she struggled to maintain her accent, "So sorry about your loss."

"Thank you," Jobal said. She started to squint at them and Padme turned her face away.

Now was the part she dreaded most.

She and Anakin moved over to the casket where her grandmother laid. It was like looking at a stranger. Her grandmother's cheeks had shrunken in and she was so pale. The expression on her face was so different to the gentle smile she always gave to people. This stranger in the casket was a shell of the woman who use to be Padme's grandmother. Padme felt tears in her eyes as she noticed the bruise on her grandmother's face, and the bruises on her wrists leading up to under her sleeves. She felt Anakin wrap an arm around her shoulders as a tear slid down her face.

They moved over to the back of the room where they would draw less attention. They watched as the Naberries greeted guests and thanked them for coming. Among them were the Bibbles, Padme's handmaidens, Captain Typho and his family, Jar Jar, and the Queen's entourage. Anakin hoped that no one would recognize them. He had sensed suspicion from the Naberries as he and Padme talked to them. He felt the Force pulling at him, warning him of danger. He knew it from the beginning it was a risk coming here, but he knew that Padme needed to come here before they conducted their investigation.

Everyone took their seats and quieted down as a Brother of the Cognizance stood up at the podium in front of Ryoo's casket. Anakin barely listened as the man rambled on. Instead, Anakin's focus was on the emotions of everybody in the room. Half of them was filled with boredom, the other half sadness, and even a few were angry.

When the Brother stepped down, people began to step up to the podium to share their memories of Ryoo. People laughed and cried as Sola told them of the time she broke one of her grandmother's glass vases and blamed it on Padme who was too young to talk at the time, but her Grandmamma Ryoo saw through it and made Sola help her do dishes. Sabe, one of Padme's handmaidens and closest friend, talked about how she first met Ryoo with Padme when they attended Sola's wedding and the funny stories Ryoo told Sabe.

Near the end of the hour one last person came up to the podium. Padme recognized him as former Lieutenant Gregor Panaka, Captain Panaka's father and Captain Typho's grandfather. He had been discharged due to a set of injuries obtained during an attack while he was on duty. Padme could see the old burned scars on the man's face as he came to the podium, and she also noticed him favoring his left leg.

Once he reached the podium, he cleared his throat, and began to speak. "I knew Ryoo by being friends with her younger sister back when I was very young. She was hardworking, trying to take care of her family, but she was loving as well. Even after I was discharged, and even after her sister Padme had died, and she moved back to her village, Ryoo always made sure to comm me at least once a month to be certain I was alright. I never told her, but her calls helped me through the most difficult times. I'm sorry that I was never there when she needed me the most."

There was a quiet murmur of sympathy and understanding throughout the room. Padme though was a little surprised at this. She didn't know that her Grandmamma Ryoo had known the Panakas when she was young and had been comming Gregor Panaka once a month for years?

The murmurs got loud all of a sudden, everyone turning their heads around towards the entrance where someone had just come in with an entourage of guards.

Anakin and Padme both felt their blood freeze as they recognized the new guest.

Emperor Palpatine.

The man who had orchestrated all the death and destruction in the galaxy, walked in with a set of his personal red guards and two of his advisors, Mas Amedda and Sly Moore.

Anakin's hand slid into his cloak where his lightsaber was hidden and gripped it tightly as the Sith came near him and Padme. He could do it. He could take Palpatine by surprise and kill him, ending his reign of terror on the galaxy. He suddenly felt Padme gripping his arm, and he looked into her eyes to see fear and her silent plea telling him not to do what he was thinking. Then he felt the weight of the Jedi Holocron in his pocket and the darkness that had been surrounding him, creep back away from him. He couldn't risk Padme's life or her family's or anyone else's in the room. He retracted his hand from his cloak and placed it over Padme's hand. He felt her relax a bit before they were forced to bow as the Emperor passed them.

Everyone else in the room quickly followed suit. Padme fought the urge to pick her nieces up from their curtsies along with the rest of her family. That man no longer deserved their respect after everything he had done.

Jobal picked herself out of her chair, shaking a bit as she curtsied while the Emperor of the Galactic Empire approached her. "Em-Emperor Palpatine. We are honored by your presence," her voice trembled a bit.

"Yes. I felt it was my duty as a friend of your family to pay my respects to you in person. After all, your mother was once a dear friend of mine. It pains me that she has fallen victim to our deadliest enemy, the Jedi, " the Emperor's raspy voice spoke.

"Yes," Jobal whispered, tears in her eyes.

Anakin clenched his teeth and felt Padme dig her nails into his arm, angry as well for the insincere compassion in Palpatine's voice.

Palpatine turned to Lieutenant Panaka, the only being in the room who hadn't bowed to him. Instead, he glared fiercely at him, and Anakin felt the unadulterated anger and hatred in him at Palpatnie. Anakin instantly formed a liking to this man for not falling for the Emperor's charms or being intimidated by him. However, he worried about what Sith Lord would do to him for his defiance. He couldn't see Palpatine's expression from this angle, but he could sense his amusement at Gregor.

"Lieutenant," Palpatine greeted.

"Your Excellency," Gregor replied back coldly. "I believe you would like to offer your contribution for Ryoo?"

"Indeed," Anakin could hear the grin in his voice.

Gregor moved aside to let the Emperor step up to the podium and returned to his seat. The Emperor faced the audience in the room. Anakin and Padme struggled to control their emotions so as not to alert the Emperor to their presence.

"Like most of you in this room, I know Ryoo by my acquaintance with her youngest granddaughter, Padme Amidala," the Emperor paused, drawing people in. "In the rare times I met her, I had gained the impression of a kind woman until later I learned how much of the fire she had in her that passed down to the rest of her family. When I heard about her tragic death, I was grieved to learn that I was unable to prevent another tragedy from happening."

The Force stirred around Anakin, begging him to leave as quick as possible.

"It is horrible for a Jedi to be hiding on the very planet you live upon with your family, never knowing when you'll be their next victim. It is a shame of mine that Jedi have managed to hide here on my homeplanet and torture an innocent woman like Madame Ryoo Thule to death. I vow to you all, her death will never be forgotten and her killers will never escape," Palpatine promised them.

Almost everyone started applauding as if they were listening to him at the Senate instead of someone's funeral. Suddenly, Palpatine looked right at Anakin. His sickly yellow eyes grinned at him like a predator's, and Anakin fought the urge to throw up. The Force was screaming at him and he knew they had to leave. Now!

"we have to get out of here!" he whispered urgently to Padme.

"How?" Padme asked, equally as disturbed. "If we leave now everyone will see."

Anakin thought hard and quickly. The nearest exit had two red guards and a servant Anakin recognize as Paddy from the Lake house. An idea popped into his head.

"Be hysterical," he told Padme. His wife looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Pretend Palpatine's speech moved you to tears combined with the loss of Ryoo. I'll ask Paddy where the fresher is so you can compose yourself. There's a window in there, right?"

Padme nodded as she realized what her husband was planning. Creating the tears was easy enough for Padme given everything going on around her. She started sobbing into Anakin's cloak as he motioned Paddy over to them.

"Excuse me, but where is your fresher? This whole event has been too much on my wife," Anakin asked.

The man looked at Padme with sympathy and understanding. "This way sir, madame, if you please."

Anakin and Padme stood up with Padme's face still buried in his cloak as they walked out of the room, past the guards. They garnered a few stares, but none that were suspicious except two.

They walked down the hall toward the fresher Anakin remembered being next to the family dining room.

"If either of you need anything, let me or my wife Nandi know," Paddy said to them.

"Thank you," Anakin said.

As soon as Paddy left to return to the parlor, Anakin and Padme went into the fresher and locked the door. The only window in the fresher was on the other side of the room above the bathtub leading to the garden outside. The couple quickly climbed over the bathtub and opened the window to find a screen behind it. "Let's hope your parents forgive me for this," Anakin muttered before using his prosthetic to push the screen out. He squeezed out and jumped several feet down on the ground. He turned and caught Padme when she jumped next. They quickly went over to the garden door leading out into the alleyways to find it locked. Anakin used the Force to move the gears around and unlocked it. Looking both ways to find no one in the alleyway, Anakin and Padme went out, relieved.

Suddenly, Anakin felt a dark presence nearby and stopped. Padme looked at him, concerned and worried. Anakin felt the Dark Side prodding around him, so much like the times he faced Dooku, Ventress, and Sidious. He heard a thump from behind him and knew someone was behind him.

"The Emperor knew you both would come, Skywalker."

It had been five years, but that wasn't Ferus' voice or even his presence.

His partner?

He turned around to see a man his age, maybe a couple years younger than him, dressed in black with a hood covering most of his upper face, several feet away from him and Padme. Anakin saw the lightsaber hanging off his belt, and he could feel the Dark Side coming off this man.

"No doubt you, Ferus, and the Emperor arranged all this," Anakin responded.

The man grinned under his hood. "More or less."

Padme reached into her cloak and took out her blaster, pointing it at the man. "Why my grandmother? She knew nothing about us," Padme asked, feeling another tear in her eye.

"That was the problem. According to the Emperor, Ryoo Thule knew more about everyone than she let on. When the Emperor realized this, he saw the perfect opportunity to silence her and bring the two of you out of hiding." The man took out his lightsaber and ignited it. A red blade shot out of the saber, like the blood that had already been spilt.

Anakin pushed Padme behind him and took out his lightsaber but didn't ignite it yet. "Where's Ferus?" he growled.

The man smirked, twirling his lightsaber around. "I don't know, but once I kill you, take the Jedi Holocron, and the location of your Skywalker from you, the Emperor will finally accept me as his apprentice."

Like Anakin and Padme would let him.

"You will try."

Anakin ignited his lightsaber, and Padme fired several shots at the Dark Jedi. He blocked the blasts as Anakin lunged at him. It had been six months since he went against an actual opponent, but Anakin had kept in shape during that time, practicing his Form so if they were discovered he would be ready. Now, Anakin was grateful for all the hours he kept in shape during his spare time. This guy was good. How long had he been trained in the Dark Side? He wasn't at Dooku's level, but close enough to give Ventress a run for her money. He hoped that no one in the house could hear all the commotion going on outside, but that was next to impossible.

"Not bad," the man said as they got into a lock. "I can see why Sidious wanted you so bad for an apprentice." That sounded like contempt and jealousy in his voice. "What happens when you fall and your wife has nobody left to protect her?" the man grinned viciously as Anakin was pushed into the wall, the saber close to his throat.

"She gathers her army!" a feminine voice announced.

Suddenly, the man was flung away from Anakin to the other side of the alleyway. Anakin turned around to see his and Padme's rescuers. All of Padme's surviving handmaidens: Sabe, Eirtae, Rabe, Sache, Yane, Dorme, Motee, and Elle, and Captain Typho were all standing at the end of the alleyway towards the Naberrie house.

And in front of them all was Ferus Olin.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

"Gungans and humans use to live in harmony together on Naboo, but when King Solomon was killed allegedly by a Gungan, the Naboo declared war on the whole Gungan community. The war lasted for decades, killing off millions both Gungan and Naboo before King Jafan I created the Treaty of Theed that ended the war when modern technology and investigators looked more closely at the evidence to discover the inaccuracy of a Gungan assassinating the king. Still, the Naboo refused to accept the Gungans back into society or apologize for the mistakes that costed so many lives," Padme lectured to the class of people whose ages ranged from her niece's to her sister's.

Half of the class looked bored, some even appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep. Most of the other half glared at her, no doubt hating her version of the Gungan War, and her ideas on Gungan Rights. When she finished, the room was awkwardly quiet. Professor Magery awkwardly started clapping, followed by just a few other classmates.

"Well put, Padme. Thank you very much," the professor praised her before turning to the rest of the class. "Does anyone have any questions for Miss Lydonia?"

A boy's hand shot up. "Where do you get all these crazy ideas? This is Lecture Class, not Creative Writing." Some people laughed.

"It's not ideas, it's truth. The information I got was written in the journal of a friend's great-grandfather who was a historian at the time the Jafan dynasty was ending," Padme explained as patiently as she could.

"You sure he wasn't a political idealist like you?" a student sneered.

"Or a looney?" a boy laughed.

"Why are you defending a species that has killed millions of Nabooins?" another student called out.

"They are beings like us," Padme answered. "They have lived here longer than us and we invaded and took their land without asking them."

"You speak treason!" another called out.

"Alright, I believe that's enough," Professor Magery interfered. "Thank you Padme. You may sit down."

Padme went over to her seat next to Sio Bibble, a little boy the same age as Ruwee and one of the few classmates that was nice to her. Her cheeks were red from anger and embarrassment. Why wouldn't anyone listen to her? Why wouldn't anyone care? She wasn't a member of one of Naboo's noble house, but couldn't someone at least hear her out?

The rest of the class passed by until it was time to leave. Padme was gathering her notes and books, severely disappointed in how her lecture turned out.

"You should work more on your composure."

Padme turned around, startled to find the boy she had run into in the hallway earlier. "Excuse me?"

"Your composure," he repeated. "You can't let people see how rattled you are from all their prodding."

"I'll keep that in mind," Padme said, picking up her books and leaving the classroom for her next class. The boy followed. Padme stopped and turned around to face him. "If you're expecting an apology for running into you earlier, it's not happening."

"No, I actually wanted to tell you that I think your lecture was enjoyable even if you wore every single emotion on your sleeve," the boy said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

Padme was taken off guard. "Really?" Someone other than a friend actually liked it? It was almost too good to be true.

The boy nodded. "Yes, and my friend Vidar Kim liked it also."

Padme was surprised. "Well, thank you… um…" she didn't know his name.

"Sheev Palpatine," the boy supplied.

Sheev Palpatine

As in relation to Cosinga Palpatine?

"Are you related-"

"Cosinga Palpatine is my father, yes," Sheev interrupted, annoyed.

"Sorry, I'm just surprised," Padme apologized.

There was a tense silence and Padme got the impression that he wasn't close to his father.

"Well thank you again. I guess I'll…see you around," she said.

Sheev nodded.

Padme turned around and headed toward her next class. She didn't know what had started in that moment.

That night at the Naberries' during dinner, she tried to listen to Jobal and Ruwee go on about their day.

"We tried to tell Miss Kali what Padme said about the Gungan War, but Kun Lago said we were all liars," Ruwee said.

"I'm sorry, Ru," Winama said as she served them cooked vegetables while throwing a pointed look at Luke. He shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry too Ruwee. Um, did anything else happen today?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"During recess, we saw Kun bully one of the exchange students, Onacanda Farr from Rodia. By the time we got to them, Kun had already left, so Ruwee and I helped Onacanda up and offered to play with us," Jobal explained.

"That was good of you two, Jobal," Ryoo said, a mixture of worry and relief in her voice. Ryoo had been worried since they moved to Theed that Jobal would have a hard time fitting in and making new friends.

"How was your lecture today, Padme?" Luke asked.

Padme looked up from her plate to see everyone's stares at her. She didn't want to disappoint Ruwee or Jobal, or even Luke after this morning so she couldn't tell them what a disaster it had been. "It… was alright," she lied.

Ruwee and Jobal went back to their plates while Luke's hopeful expression deflated.

Later that night while Padme was in her room, dressed in her nightgown, she practiced her expressions in her hand held mirror at the desk.

"What are you doing?"

Padme turned to see Ryoo at the doorway with an amused expression.

"Working on my political face. This boy in Lecture said my composure gave off too many of my emotions," Padme answered.

"Then I guess the Lecture didn't go so well, despite what you said at dinner?" Ryoo asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Padme looked up to see the sympathetic expression instead of the disappointed one she was expecting. "It was horrible. I would give out my piece and they all swarmed on me like a pack of piranhas. How does Luke and the Queen do it?" she asked, leaning against her desk.

Ryoo was silent for a moment.

"I don't pretend to know much about politics as you and Luke do, but I do know that you keep fighting. Luke didn't get to where he was because he was a Naberrie. He got it by fighting hard for his beliefs which made the people vote for him onto the Queen's Advisory Council. I remember when Queen Celestine was elected, that she didn't win because she was beautiful or had high aptitude scores, but because she worked her tail off to win the people's hearts. She traveled all over Naboo, touring places from the cities to the small villages in the mountains and country side, and listening to the people as they told her about their jobs and the demands of them. She was a middle classer nobody expected to win, but she did. You have to work hard too, Padme," Ryoo told her.

Padme looked at her a little stunned by her speech, but then she smiled. "You really think so?"

Ryoo smiled back at her. "I know so. You won't make it easy on them. Believe me, when you were a toddler, I struggled to help Mammy keep an eye on you. When Jobal was born Mama and Mammy said you were training me for her."

The two sisters laughed.

"Thanks Ryoo," Padme said, smiling.

Ryoo smiled back. "You're welcome Baby Sis. You better go get some sleep. Your internship starts tomorrow."

"Right. Love you Ryoo."

"Love you too Padme."

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Anakin and Padme looked at their rescue party, stunned.

The man who attacked them got up, realizing he was outnumbered, and left before any of them could stop him through the other alley exit. Padme chased after him, but quickly realized that she had lost him when she looked out into the streets and saw no one.

She turned back to look at Anakin, and Anakin swung around at Ferus. He punched Ferus in the face with his prosthetic hand hard before throwing him into the wall with the Force.

"You've gained a lot of nerve over the years Ferus!" Anakin angrily shouted at him. Ferus grunted in pain as Anakin held him to the wall, his other hand holding his lightsaber ready to be reignited.

"Anakin stop! It's not what it seems!" Sabe shouted at him.

"It seems like you all have allied with the man who helped murder my grandmother, so explain!"
Padme demanded as she stood next to her husband.

Dorme took a step towards her. "Padme, I know it's hard to believe, but Ferus Olin didn't kill your grandmother. He was with Gregor heading towards Varykino to make sure your grandmother was safe, only Malorum had already gotten there first," she explained.

"What proof do you guys have?" Anakin asked as Ferus struggled in his hold.

Sabe stepped closer to Anakin. "Anakin, we all took an oath to protect Padme and those she loves. If Ferus really killed Ryoo, would we be trying to help him? You have to trust us."

Anakin looked at Ferus. Like him he had gotten older, his hair was longer, and he had a five o'clock shave on his face, but that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was how good Ferus' shields had gotten over the years, making it hard for Anakin to read him. He searched his feelings and couldn't believe what he found.

He let Ferus go, and the man collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. "Don't make me regret this," Anakin warned in a deadly tone.

Ferus coughed. "Like you regret anything," he gasped.

Anakin tried to ignore the jab, but couldn't. Memories of the events that had lead up to Ferus leaving the Order rose in his mind.

They heard people coming out of the Naberrie home, no doubt wondering what all the commotion going on outside was.

"We have to get out of here," Sabe said, helping Ferus onto his feet.

The group quickly exited the alleyway opposite of the Naberrie home and down the streets.

"There's a shortcut to my house not far from here," Eirtae pointed out toward another alleyway. Stormtroopers were starting to come down the street, so they hurried. After a series of turns, they finally made it to Eirtae's home.

It was an old Jafan era house with secret passages that the original owners had put in to hide during the Gungan Wars. All the window curtains had been closed, ensuring that nobody would look in on them.

Padme had only been in this house twice in her whole life. Most of Eirtae's family hated Padme for winning the election against Eirtae, so the only time Padme had ever come into the Lasara home was when she finished her terms and Eirtae's father, the only member of the family who didn't mind Padme and Eirtae's friendship, was the only other person in the house.

The halls and the main rooms were covered in red, reminding Padme and Anakin too much of Palpatine's offices. Eirtae took them all to the main parlor, shutting the door and locking it. "I dismissed the servants for the week so we would have ensured privacy," Eirtae told them.

"What about your family?" Padme asked. Eirtae was the third child of four and she was married with a young son. Padme remembered that Eirtae's father had passed away a few years ago, her oldest brother during the Blockade, and that Eirtae had an estranged relationship with her mother since becoming Padme's handmaiden.

"Kitpat has taken little Kam to Alderaan to see his family, and my brothers have taken my mother to Coruscant to see her latest beau," Eirtae explained. The tone in her voice told Padme that things between her and her mother were still strained, and Padme had learned the hard way years ago not to interfere with Eirtae's family relationships.

"Now explain to us what's going on," Anakin demanded as they sat down on one of the sofas in the room. Everyone gathered around them, some sitting down in other seats.

Sabe looked at Ferus. "Tell them what you told us."

Ferus took a deep breath before looking at Anakin and Padme. The years away from the Jedi had been hard on him, that much Anakin could tell. "Six months ago, after the Empire's formation, I was contacted by Master Kenobi asking for help. He needed me to infiltrate the Empire to see if they were getting close to finding surviving Jedi. My partner and I discovered records from the Jedi Archives the Empire had taken during Order 66 and that Palpatine was trying to create his own Sith army to command," Ferus explained.

Anakin sensed the truth in Ferus' words, but he was hiding something as well. Anakin also felt the weight of the Jedi Holocron in his pocket and wondered again why the Force had told him to bring it with him. If Palpatine was building his own army of force-sensitives then why did the Force ask him to bring the one thing Palpatine needed to complete his plan and endanger all those children? He listened as Ferus continued.

"When I was discovered, I took the records with me and returned to Master Kenobi. We then discovered that Palpatine had sent one of his spies, Malorum to hunt for Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala, and their child. We followed his trail to here, and I was no my way to Varykino with Captain Typho when I realized his plan on how to draw you two out of hiding."

Anakin looked at Padme and saw the anguish and guilt in her that they had nearly fallen for the trap. "This 'Malorum', he's the guy in the alley?" he asked.

Ferus nodded. "He's certainly no ordinary 'spy'. He has the Force. I could sense it in him. And when we first got here, we heard that Ryoo had been tortured by a Jedi," Anakin's tone told that this had better be explained.

"Malorum found out that Padme had visited Naboo around the time of her pregnancy and stayed at Varykino woth her grandmother. He thought that Ryoo would know where Padme would hide in worst case scenario or at least the gender of her child," Ferus explained.

"She couldn't have known. I didn't even know the gender until I gave birth," Padme said, remembering how surprised she and Anakin were when the discovered that she was carrying twins.

"Didn't you see a medic?" Yane, who had gone into medicine when Padme's terms had ended, asked concerned.

"I did but I wanted to be surprised. I told the meddroid I only wanted to know if the baby and I were healthy," Padme assured.

Ferus continued with the story. "When we got there, I found Ryoo dying on the terrace. Malorum had used the Force to look into Ryoo's mind when she wouldn't tell him anything. By the time I got to her, her mind was so disoriented she kept telling me to "Save Padme" and 'Don't let him get to her.'" He looked at Padme with sorrow.

Padme's vision blurred as the tears returned. "You were there when she died?" he voice whispered with a crack.

Ferus nodded sadly. "All I can tell you is that Malorum didn't torture her for long. Your name was the last thing she said," he told her gently.

Padme felt tears sliding down her face as she thought of her grandmamma in her last moments. Her defying Malorum before being attacked, the pain and terror she must have felt, but she wasn't alone. At least she wasn't alone. For that Padme was grateful. "Thank you," she whispered.

Anakin watched as tears fell down Padme's face. He rubbed her back and shoulders in comfort before looking back up at Ferus. He couldn't shake the feeling that Ferus was hiding something, but he would focus on that later. In the meantime he would keep an eye on him.

"Something doesn't add up," he spoke up, gathering everyone's stares, including Padme's.

"What do you mean?" Motee asked.

"Why Ryoo of all people? Malorum had to have known that Ryoo couldn't have known about us. He could have used anybody in Padme's family, but he chose Ryoo. Why? And why at Varykino?" Anakin asked, his mind going through all sorts of scenarios.

"You think Malorum attacked Ryoo not just because she might know about you guys?" Sache asked him.

"Does it sound impossible?" Anakin stood up, facing Typho and Ferus. "What did the house look like when you guys got there? Anything broken? Upturned? Disoriented? Have the officials taken any evidence from the scene? And has the place been cleaned up since the attack?"

Typho looked bewildered by all the questions for a second before he composed his expression. "We made it only to the terrace where Ryoo was before we had to leave, but I noticed the glass dining room doors shattered outside. Officials will be starting to clean the place up after the funeral," he answered.

"It's half past eleven," Dorme said, looking at the grandfather chrono in the room. "They will be at Claines burying Ryoo. Their lunch starts at noon and will last a couple of hours. We'll have to leave now before they get back to Varykino."

"We can't all go," Sabe reminded them. "A dozen people would definitely be suspicious. Anakin, Typho, Ferus, Sache, Yane, and I would be enough to search the grounds, while the rest contact Vatie and see if she could get us access to the evidence the officials are holding."

"I'm going to Varykino," Padme said, getting up.

"No, you're not," Anakin told her along with half of the room.

Padme glared at them all. "If anything was moved or broken during the attack, I would know. The rest of you can contact Vatie and see if she can find anything."

"In that case, I better stay here," Yane said.

"Me too," Sache volunteered as well. "I can help her gain access to the Investigators files and find out more."

"We're all in agreement then? Padme asked. The women nodded while the men grudgingly agreed.

Anakin's group went out the back door of the house. Ferus grabbed his arm to stop him while Padme, Sabe, and Typho continued out. "You don't trust me," Ferus told Anakin.

Anakin glared at his childhood rival. "It may have been five years, but your shields aren't strong enough to hide the fact that you're hiding something," Anakin told him.

Ferus' face darkened. "Don't get high and mighty with me Skywalker. You were never the perfect Jedi either. I tried to warn Master Kenobi about you. Your wife and child are proof that you were never meant to be a Jedi."

Anakin's hands clenched, wanting to hit Ferus.

"Anakin?"

Anakin and Ferus turned to see Padme, Sabe, and Typho looking at them a little concerned.

"It's fine Padme," Anakin told her. Padme's eyebrows narrowed, telling him that she didn't believe him for a second, but she wouldn't push the issue. For now.

Everyone continued, Ferus moving to join them, but this time it was Anakin that grabbed his arm and prevented him from leaving. "Just so we're clear," Anakin whispered in a deadly tone. "If anything happens to my wife, or Malorum, or the Emperor, or anyone finds out about my child, the galaxy will be too small of a place to hide from me."

Ferus' face was stoic, but Anakin knew that he got and understood the message.

He let go of Ferus' arm and followed after the others.

000{{*}}000

For the first time in her life, Padme dreaded going to Varykino.

As a child, it was her favorite place in all of Naboo. She and her family would go swimming every day and uncover hidden treasures in the deep. Her father would teach her and Sola how to fish, and her mother would show them how to weave tiaras from the water lilies that grew around the Lake Country. At night, they would eat shuura fruit and play hide-and-seek in the many rooms of the ancient house. It was the place where she and Anakin fell in love, married, and shared many treasurable memories at. Varykino had always been a place of wonder and magic for Padme. Now, it was the place where one of the most important persons in Padme's life had been brutally murdered.

They were all in the water speeder Typho had gotten for them, making their way toward Varykino. Typho was driving with Ferus next to him while she sat in the back between Anakin and Sabe.

She didn't need to be a Jedi to sense the distrust Anakin had for Ferus. If she was being honest, she didn't trust Ferus either, but she trusted Obi-wan's judgment.

She looked at Sabe, the woman who had been her bodyguard and her closest friend since they were teenagers when Padme had been Princess of Theed and Sabe was training to be a handmaiden.

"How did you all know that we were in trouble?" Padme asked as they soured across the lake. It was a question that had been bothering her since they entered Eirtae's house.

Sabe looked at her. "I didn't notice you guys until after Palpatine's speech when I saw you guys leaving. I recognized your figure, but it was your thumbnails that gave it away. I remember all those days when I would paint your nails white while we got you ready for the day," Sabe explained, a smile briefly showing on her face as she remembered those days when Padme was queen.

Padme glanced at her thumbnails and smiled as she too remembered those days that seemed easy compared to these days.

"And I also recognized Anakin even with the beard," Sabe added in. "After you disappeared, Motee and Elle told us about you and Anakin and the baby you were expecting. We were beginning to fear for the worse when Ferus came and told us what Kenobi had told him."

"What did Obi-wan tell him?" Anakin asked, keeping his eyes on Ferus.

"He confirmed that you and Padme had been secretly married for years, that Padme had your baby while you all were on the run, and that you were in hiding," Sabe explained. She noticed the suspicion in Anakin's eyes directed at Ferus. "Why don't you trust him?"

"Five years ago, before the Clone Wars, Ferus left the Order. He could have seen, done, or gone through anything, and he's hiding something. I know it," Anakin answered, narrowing his eyes.

"Like what?" Padme asked.

"I don't know yet."

They slowed down as they came to the turn leading to Varykino.

"We better get off here," Ferus said, pointing to an alcove that would hide their speeder not far from Varykino. "Inspector Divo left a squad of Stormtroopers to make sure the crime scene wasn't disturbed."

"Inspector?" Padme asked as they brought their speeder on to shore.

"Detective Divo was promoted to inspector shortly after Senator Farr's death," Typho explained. "The Emperor was the one to assign him to this case."

Well that explained a lot.

Padme remembered how Detective Divo "solved" the case of her Uncle Ono's death. He wouldn't have been able to if it hadn't been for her and Bail's meddling.

After securing the speeder, they walked on foot through the bushes and trees until they were at the edge of it several yards away from the lake house. Ferus was right. There were Stormtroopers patrolling the grounds, no doubt making sure that no civilians or reporters came and disturbed the scene on Inspector Divo's orders.

"Any surveillance we have to worry about?" Anakin asked.

"Just an LEP droid analyzing the scene," Typho told him.

"Anakin and I will handle the Stormtroopers. Then we'll all scour the house for any evidence missed," Ferus announced.

Anakin glared at him. "Who put you in charge?"

"Ani!" Padme reprimanded him in a sharp whisper.

Ferus glared back at him. "You and I are best equipped for this. You have a better suggestion?"

Anakin shut his mouth.

"Let's go then."

The two men crept carefully, given that it was daylight, leaving Padme with Typho and Sabe.

"They certainly don't get along well," Typho remarked, annoyed.

"They were classmate rivals when they were young," Padme explained.

"Reminds me too much of Eirtae and Motee," Sabe mumbled.

A few minutes later, Anakin waved them inside. He and Ferus had stunned the whole squad and deactivated the droid so as not to alert anyone to their presence.

"This way," Ferus directed them.

They went over across the terrace to the place where Ryoo's body had been found. The place was marked, showing the position as to how she was laying when she died. There were shards of glass out on the terrace and at the place where the upper half of Ryoo's body was a burned mark from where the lightsaber must have pierced her.

Anakin kneeled down to take a closer look before turning his head to look up at Padme. She had gone pale knowing that this was the place her grandmother had died and the same spot where she and Anakin had been married at.

"You sure you want to do this?" Anakin asked, concerned.

Padme swallowed before nodding her head. "Yes. I have to know what she knew that had gotten her killed."

Anakin nodded before turning back to the scene. The glass was flung outside but not inside so it had to have been broken from inside. "When you guys got here, had the window just been broken?" Anakin asked Typho and Ferus.

Ferus nodded. "Yes. It was like Ryoo had been flung out into it, breaking the glass; which would explain the bruised spine given her age and built."

Padme flinched but forced herself to focus.

Anakin stood up, looking towards the inside. "So he must have come in some other way. Let's spread out and see where."

After making sure that Ferus wouldn't be left unattended, Anakin and Padme started looking through the large house. The glass doors that had been broken, led to the dining room, and Padme instantly saw what had been disturbed. The head dining room chair had been moved away from the table, and several vases had been shattered like someone had thrown them. There was also an unfinished meal laid out on the table.

"What made Ferus leave the Jedi Order in the first place?" Padme asked Anakin as they looked around.

Anakin looked at his wife in surprise. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"You couldn't hide your disdain of him from Sabe and Typho. If we want to stop Malorum we have to find out what he believed my grandmother knew and that means working together," Padme explained to her husband.

Anakin sighed.

"Year before we met again, Obi-wan and I were assigned on a mission with Ferus, his Master Siri Tachi, and a couple other Jedi teams: my friend Tru Veld, his master Ry-Gaul, and another friend Darra Thel-Tanis, and her master Soara Antana. Our mission was to capture and interrogate Granta Omega, a force-sensitive that had been causing a lot of trouble and whom we believed was aligned with the Sith. Before we left for the mission, I worked on Tru's lightsaber because he had been complaining about its power source draining too quickly so I thought I could fix it for him. We chased Omega to Kessel, the Sith's homeworld. Some point during our mission there, we got separated from our masters. The planet was heavily influenced by the Dark Side, and we were all short-tempered with one another. I didn't know it at the time, but sometime during that Ferus worked on Tru's lightsaber, not knowing the adjustments I made to it. Omega found us and toyed with us. Ferus lost his lightsaber so Tru threw his to him, but it went out at the same time Omega went to attack him. Darra saw this and threw herself in front of Ferus and she died for it. Omega escaped right before our masters finally found us. Ferus and Tru found out what had happened to the lightsaber and blamed me for Darra's death. Ferus felt guilty over Darra's death, so he left. Obi-wan and I found Omega weeks later, and he told us that the Sith were going to win and there was nothing we could do to stop it right before he killed himself."

At the end of his story, Anakin took a shaky breath as the memories of that mission flooded back into his mind. He lost Darra, one of the few friends he had in the Jedi Order, and he lost the trust of his other friend Tru. Omega had warned him and Obi-wan that he knew the identity of the Sith. If they had listened to him maybe they would have been able to discover the Sith's identity sooner and prevent all this destruction.

Padme meanwhile was stunned. Anakin rarely talked about his missions that didn't have just him and Obi-wan when he was a padawan. Mostly it was because the other Jedi didn't like him. She saw the guilt in his eyes for the actions he took that had unknowingly led up to the death of a friend.

"You can't blame yourself for Darra's death. You couldn't have known everything that happened to Tru's lightsaber," Padme tried to tell him.

"I could have told Tru about it," Anakin said.

"You could have," Padme agreed with him. "But you couldn't have known that Ferus would work on it, accidentally ruining it, and leaving him exposed. The two of you can't let your resentment to one another rule your lives forever."

Anakin smiled slightly. His wife always saw the good in everyone.

They were interrupted by Sabe's voice from upstairs.

"You guys should come look at this!"

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme was both nervous and excited at the same time.

When she scored high on the aptitude tests her parents had been shocked and thrilled to discover that she showed promise in the political field, yet also dismayed that they couldn't afford to send their young daughter to the LYP in Theed. It took Padme three years to earn a full scholarship and another year to get accepted in and make her living arrangements. Ryoo had arranged for her to live with her old friend Winama and her family while she attended the Program. In the two years of her attendance, Padme had become close to the Naberries. Winama reminding her so much of Ryoo and her mother, and Ruwee becoming like a little brother to her. Luke was like an older brother and mentor who helped her when she struggled in her studies. Since finding out about her skills, Padme had dreamed about serving and making a difference in the lives of Naboo.

Today, she had searched through every dress in Winama's shop before she finally settled for a lavender dress with overhanging sleeves that flattered her figure. She had Ryoo do her makeup and help put her dark, wavy hair into a neat bun.

"Try to relax," Ryoo said as she put the last hairpin in Padme's hair.

"I'm trying. Shiraya, I haven't felt like this since my first day at the Program," Padme said. Taking a deep breath, she looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked thin from her illness, but the lavender made her look healthier than the mourning black.

Once Ryoo was done, Padme turned to look at her with a smile. "This is it. My first step into politics. I just wish Mama was here to see this."

Ryoo smiled sadly at her. "She would have been proud."

A knock came from the door, and Winama cracked it open. "You look very nice, Padme," she said, coming over to Padme. In her hand was a gold comb with a pixie on it like the Naboo stories told to children. "When we were able to afford it, my mother bought this for me when I entered the Youth Program as a good luck charm. I want you to have it," Winama said to her.

Padme was shocked and she had a feeling that Ryoo was as well. "Winama, I could,'t." she tried to protest. She knew it meant a lot to Winama since her mother died not too long ago as well.

"I insist. You're going to the palace and it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of luck when dealing with the likes of Tapalo and Palpatine," Winama said as she placed the comb in Padme's hair.

"Thank you," Padme whispered.

Winama smiled gently at her. "You'll do fine Padme."

Later on that day, after dropping Ruwee and Jobal off at school, Padme went with Luke to the Palace. No matter how many times she saw it, it always amazed Padme of the sheer beauty of the Palace and the history it carried.

She walked next to Luke as they entered the Palace, showed their IDs and were scanned by the security before continuing down the halls towards the offices.

Padme struggled to keep up with Luke, so enraptured was she by the artistic designs in the hallways and the views she saw from the windows they passed. How did the staff move around the Palace without getting lost?

They entered the offices where a lot of interns, pages, and handmaidens worked at desks, and Padme saw the doors along one side of the room with names on them to recognize members of the Advisory Council.

"My office is the third door down in case you need me. I might be in a meeting with the Queen or any other members so I may not be able to help you when you need it," Luke warned.

"Don't worry Luke. I'm sure I'll be able to manage," Padme said, smiling brightly.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "I mean it Padme. Be careful what you day around people. Lady Veruna will be the one to assign you on tasks. Good luck." With that, Luke headed over to his office, shutting his door, and leaving Padme all alone in this strange new world.

She felt a little intimidated watching everybody going about their business, a hint of fear in their eyes. What was going on here that had everyone so nerve wracked?

Padme headed over to the door labeled 'Lady Veruna'. She knocked and heard a distinguished voice tell her to come in.

Once a magnificent beauty in her time, Lady Eirtae Veruna was now in her fifties and had aged rapidly, making her appear much older. Mother of Ars Veruna, Eirtae had surprisingly different views compared to her son's. While Ars wanted Naboo to enter into business with the Trade Federation and Damask Holdings, Eirtae wished Naboo to remain on its own.

Padme kept herself steady as she looked at the woman who was now her new boss. "Padme Lydonia. I'm the new intern," Padme introduced herself. The woman narrowed her eyes at her and for one moment, Padme felt small. All the excitement she had felt that morning evaporated, leaving her breathless. She suddenly remembered Sheeve's advice and hoped that Lady Veruna didn't read up on her nervousness.

Lady Veruna nodded. "I see. I have a set of jobs for you. I hope you can keep up with them."

"I will," Padme automatically replied.

She had half-expected running café runs for the staff when becoming an intern, and she was right. She made several runs to the café shop with a list of all kinds of café people wanted and went through security several times, unfortunately causing some of them to cool a bit and upsetting a lot of people. Next, she had to run errands for Lady Veruna that infuriated her like Veruna's dry cleaning and dropping off files to officials throughout the Palace. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She had run into Pooja and Gregor a couple of times during the day but barely had time to exchange a few sentences before she had to run on another errand.

On their way home, Padme finally had the chance to ask Luke why everyone was so nervous.

"It's this business agreement. People don't want to sell plasma at a certain price when the buyers are going to resell it at a price twenty times than what they paid. However, if the Queen refuses, there could be consequences in our future trading for refusing the Trade Federation," Luke explained.

"What can they do?" Padme asked fearfully as they walked the streets towards the Naberrie home.

"They can talk and threaten other businesses from trading with us," Luke answered. "We depend on trades of plasma for supplies, but we shouldn't be cheated out of the credits payed for our plasma because when it comes on demand we'll run out of it on out land, and we'll be forced to invade Gungan territories to get more. We can't have another war with the Gungans."

They were quiet the rest of the way home, Padme thinking over Luke's words. She remembered when Jon would come home from working at the mines exhausted, and him and Ryoo worrying about bills and the threat of the mines closing always looming over them. She agreed with Luke. The Naboo should get the credits they earned with their plasma and not have to bother the Gungans to get more. Lives had already been lost over the right to mine plasma. No more should be lost. Yet if they refused, the Trade Federation would see it that they wouldn't sell their plasma to any rivals of theirs. It was a standoff.

That evening was like any other. Everyone talked about their day: Padme on her first day as an intern, Winama and Ryoo on the business they had that day, and the kids' excitement for the upcoming Blessing Day in a couple of weeks. Ruwee then mentioned an assignment in class they had to do. They had to pick a famous speech of Naboo history and present it to the school assembly before they went on break for Blessing Day.

As Ruwee talked excitedly on how he was going to do his on King Jafan I's victory speech, Padme noticed how quiet Jobal was. It wasn't unusual most of the time since the younger girl's father died a month ago, but lately she had begun to come out of shell more. Padme had the feeling that something was up.

So that night, after she finished her program assignments, Padme went to check on Jobal in her room. Jobal was laying in her bed, reading a book with the light turned on when Padme came in.

Padme knocked on the doorframe. "Mind if I come in?"

Jobal shook her head.

Padme sat down at the end of her bed. "You're worried about the speech aren't you?" she asked.

"I don't like talking in front of other people. I'm not like Ruwee or Ono. Eme anidale kept saying that because I was a peasant I wouldn't get far in politics," Jobal said.

Padme's heart sunk for the little girl, knowing very well what she was going through. "Don't listen to people like Eme. If you want to become a politician you got to put your heart into it and not let anybody scare you away. When I was your age, children in my school didn't think I would real far because I was terrible at public speaking, so I practiced in front of your parents and grandparents until I got better. It just takes time," Padme explain to her young niece.

Jobal looked down for a moment before nodding her head.

"Now, let's get you into bed or your mother will kill us both for staying up too long."

As Jobal slipped under the covers, she asked Padme to tell her a story. "Then I promise I'll go to sleep."

Padme sighed. "Which one?"

"The one with the pixie, Padme."

Padme nearly rolled her eyes. Mammy use to tell that story to her so many times she practically knew it by heart. "Alright," she said, sitting down next to Jobal on the bed.

"Long ago when humans first came to Naboo, there were pixies that lived in the land. They were small, with wings, and lived in the trees and flowers throughout the forests. One pixie was named Padme and she was as red as the red roses throughout the land.

When the humans came to Naboo, most of the pixies were afraid of them. They trampled the ground and cut down many of the trees to build their homes. So the pixies did everything they could to scare the humans off. They would steal little trinkets and mess with their machines, but the adults took no notice of these creatures and instead blamed it all on the children.

Padme, however was curious about the humans. You see, the adults couldn't see the pixies but the children could. One of these children was a girl named Sola, and she was the one who first saw Padme. Sola was frightened of the new world her family had taken her to that was so different to the world she previously had lived on, so Padme took her and the other children under her wing to show them all the wonder of Naboo. She showed them the waterfalls where they could get fresh water, how to swim, what berries were poisonous and what were not, what herbs they could use to heal themselves, and what animals were friendly.

One day, while they were exploring the woods, a dark spirit called the Wraith watched them. He was drawn by the pure and beautiful presence of Padme and the innocence of the children she protected, knowing that he had none of those things.

So on that day, he laid a trap for the children: a net hidden in the leaves and grass of the forest floor. Padme saw the trap and hurried to warn the children, but it was too late. The net caught them and the wraith seized Padme from behind before taking them to his cave. There he tried to make Padme swear that she would be with him forever. When she refused, he threatened to suck the souls of the children and make himself mortal for her. He readied a potion and was about to give it to the child Sola when Padme stole the potion and drunk it. The potion was poisonous to pixies and so Padme began to fade from this world.

Ashamed of his actions, the Wraith flew from the cave across the planet, never to be seen again. Padme died in the arms of Sola, surrounded by the children she rescued. The children mourned her death and returned her to the pixies. From Padme's teachings, the children were able to thrive on Naboo for generations to come."

"It's sad," Jobal said when Padme finished the story.

Padme nodded. "Yes it is, but Padme's bravery and sacrifice not only saved the children but helped them to survive the wilderness Naboo was when they first settled on Naboo."

"I don't want you to die like the Padme in the story," Jobal said, tears in her eyes.

Padme looked at her niece, startled. "Who said  I  was going to die? I'm not Jobal."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now, let's get some sleep."

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Coruscant; 19 bby

It was cold and damp but it would do.

Anakin, Master Shaak Ti, and the younglings that had survived quickly hid inside the abandoned warehouse after Anakin made sure it was safe enough. They had all just escaped from the Jedi Temple, or as Anakin called their ordeal: Hell. He didn't know why the clones,  his own men  turned on and slaughtered them like animals. He and Master Shaak Ti had barely been able to escape with a group of twenty younglings and not without cost.

Anakin closed his eyes as he remembered the sacrifice Madame Jocasta Nu, Masters Vokara Che and Cin Drallig, and his apprentice Serra Keto made to ensure their escape.

He shook his head and immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness hit him. After that charge thrown at him and hitting his head real hard from the impact, Anakin was certain he had a concussion, and the cut near his left temple that had been dripping with blood hardly helped. Other than that along with a few broken ribs Anakin knew he had, an injured Master, and twenty shaken and exhausted younglings, oh, and let's not forget that as of now Anakin and any Jedi who was still alive was now a wanted fugitive to the Republic, Anakin was just peachy.

He focused his attention on the younglings as Shaak Ti cleared room for the all to sit down for the night until they could find safe passage off planet. The oldest among the group of younglings had to be a fourteen-year-old padawan while the rest ranged down to a one-year-old toddler. Every single one of them was covered in dust and blood that was either theirs or someone else's. What made it more tragic was the terrified and haunted look in each of the younglings' eyes that made it seem like they were old people in the bodies of children not even old enough to read. Anakin felt helpless even with Shaak Ti here to help him.

First things first, they had to check everyone's injuries. Most of the blood covering the younger ones wasn't theirs. An eight-year-old human girl with shrapnel in her arm, an eleven-year-old Rodian male with a broken leg, and a thirteen-year-old Twi'lek girl with a blaster wound to her hip were among the worst injuries. Younglings had grabbed friends, classmates, and whatever crechlings they could carry when Anakin and the Jedi Masters rescued them and barricaded themselves in the archives. Anakin had to admire their loyalty to one another in refusing to abandon each other. If it had been Padme, Obi-wan, or Ahsoka he would have rather died than leave them behind.

The crechlings were a little dirty from the rubble and from crawling throughout the muck of the lower levels, but other than that they were fine. There was junk throughout the warehouse, among them piles of rags that didn't seem infested. They would do for the younglings to lay on for tonight.

After setting them down, Anakin grabbed several empty cans and went to the warehouse entrance where it had started to rain. The rain felt refreshing on Anakin's filthy face, washing the dirt, blood, and the smell of death off him. Once the cans were filled with water, Anakin returned to the group and helped Shaak Ti wash and treat everybody's wounds.

Later on, Anakin was leaning against the entrance, keeping guard for anymore Clones. He had given the younglings his cloak to lay with and keep warm, and Shaak Ti nestled with them like a mamma bear while she went into a healer's trance. Anakin, despite his injuries and how tired he was couldn't sleep. When they came out of the secret passageways he immediately sought out a holocomm to warn Padme. He barely managed to tell her everything before he had to end it and help Shaak Ti hide the younglings from a squad of Clone troopers. He hoped and prayed to the Force that she managed to get away. Palpatine knew about her and the baby and wouldn't hesitate to use them against Anakin. Anakin felt rage and hatred at the man whom he trusted and called friend. The man he looked up to had toyed with him for all these years, and had lead all this destruction.

He felt a tug on his pant leg, causing him to tense for a moment before reminding himself that it wasn't his enemy. He looked down into the blue eyes of a dark haired human boy holding a human toddler.

"Master Skywalker? My sister won't sleep. I don't know what to do," the boy said.

Anakin felt a tinge of annoyance before immediately squashing it down with guilt. The boy had to be six or seven and the toddler two or three. Too young to be in a situation like this. He kneeled down carefully to not further disturb his ribs. "What's your name?"

"Lagan, Sir. Lagan Ismaren," the boy answered timidly. "My sister's name is Roganda."Like her brother, Roganda had dark hair, blue eyes, and was beautiful even for one so young. It did surprise Anakin that the Jedi took in siblings, the chances if forming attachments so great, but not impossible to take them in.

Anakin sensed the little one's feelings to know that she was scared. He didn't feel like singing and he couldn't think of any stories that would comfort the children. Instead he opted to take them back to their "beds".

"Master Skywalker?" Lagan asked as he laid down with his sister.

"Yes?"

"Where do you think we go? When we become one with the Force?" the boy asked.

Anakin was taken aback for a moment. He never really thought about over the years, not since he was a slave with his mother. He never really focused on what the next life offered, just trying to focus on keeping the people he loved from dying and leaving him. His master and many Jedi always told him that when they died they became one with the Force, luminous beings not part of the living but not away from them either. At least from what Anakin could understand. Looking into the blue pairs of eyes staring up at him, he decided to tell them what his mother told him and what he believed as a little boy.

"I believe… that when we enter the next life… we find peace…and joy… and happiness. There's no fear. We're all safe in a beautiful field with blue skies, surrounded by nature, and everyone we ever loved is waiting there for us. It's paradise," Anakin whispered.

Roganda seemed to have been lulled to sleep by the beautiful dream he told while Lagan looked at him, less frightened than he was before.

"You think everyone from the Temple is there safe?" he asked.

Anakin nodded, feeling a lump in his throat as the images of his dead Jedi brethren floated to his mind. "I do."

Lagan nodded back, a little reassured. He was about to fall asleep when he whispered one last question, "What's going to happen to us, Master Skywalker?"

Anakin felt a weight on his shoulders, not wanting to give the child false hope, nor destroy what little he still had left. "I don't know, but what I do know is that I won't let the monster hurt anymore of you. I promise," he told Lagan. Lagan fell asleep, safe with the knowledge that he was protected by Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin, instead of returning to his post at the doorway, remained sitting next to Lagan, Roganda, and the rest of the younglings. He couldn't help staring at the innocent faces sleeping around him, making him think of what his own child would be like and then the other younglings back at the Temple who didn't manage to escape. How could his own men slaughter children like they were nothing but flies?

Only one answer: Palpatine.

Their blood was on his hands. As long as he lived, Anakin's child and all the force sensitive children in the galaxy were in danger. Anakin Skywalker wouldn't let Palpatine-Darth Sidious harm another being again.

His head jerked up as he sensed someone near the entrance. Quietly getting up and taking his lightsaber out, he crept towards the entrance. He didn't ignite his lightsaber yet, not wanting the noise to alert someone. The person's presence was familiar and Anakin couldn't believe it even when he saw it with his own eyes.

"Rex?"

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 18 bby

Anakin and Padme quickly headed up the steps towards the room where Sabe had called out.

Padme felt her heart stop as she recognized the room.

It was painted a soft green color with a perfect view of the gardens. Even with the furniture upturned it was easy to recognize the down crib and antique rocking chair along with the scattered baby toys and clothing. This was the nursery room she wanted to raise her and Anakin's children in. just when she thought the Sith couldn't be more cruel.

Anakin felt his heart weigh down with sadness and regret as he too recognized the room. This was the room Padme had told him about all those months on Coruscant, the day he found out he was going to a father. This was where his children should have been sleeping in, where he told them all the bedtime stories his mother told him, where he played battleships with his son Luke, where his little princess Leia roped him into tea parties, and where he and Padme watched as their children grew into amazing people. Now seeing this wrecked room, it was like looking at a destroyed picture. A broken dream.

He looked up to see Ferus looking at him with an expression he couldn't describe. That's when he noticed the window overlooking the gardens was opened.

"This where he came in?" he asked, going over to it. The lock was undamaged. Malorum could have used the Force to open it.

"Most likely," Ferus said, coming to him."He could have climbed up, opened it, and started searching the room…"

Anakin finished the train of thought. "Ryoo heard the noise and went to investigate it, but before she could find him, he found her." He looked at his wife who was deep in thought.

"As Grandmamma got older, her hearing started to go bad. We could yell at her several times before she finally responded. Mom tried to talk her into getting hearing aids, but she refused to get any. If a robber came into the house, she wouldn't hear him, at least not for a while," Padme said.

Anakin frowned as he realized what she was saying. "Meaning he could have gone anywhere else after realizing that he couldn't find anything in here?" he asked.

"Where's Gregor?" Sabe asked, and everyone then noticed that the captain wasn't in there with them.

They headed out of the room to look for him. They found him in a bedroom down the hall that Padme recognized as her grandmother's. the room was just as she remembered it with blue colorings, antiquities her grandmother had collected over the years, holos of her family throughout the room, and her old perfume in the air. It nearly brought tears to Padme's eyes, but her gazed focused on her former bodyguard as he hunched over a box next to the bed.

Realizing he wasn't alone anymore, Typho immediately turned around, drawing his blaster before recognizing them. "Sorry," he said, putting his blaster away.

"Why didn't you hear me?" Sabe asked.

Typho motioned to the box on the floor. "This was pulled out from under the bed and opened. I don't believe Malorum was looking for just you two," he pointed at Padme and Anakin.

Padme knelt down beside him and realized what had been holding his attention. It was full of old holos of her family that her grandmamma had kept. Instead of the organized mess her grandmother had arranged, everything was mixed up. No doubt Malorum was looking for something in it. But why and for what? He had to know looking in it that there could be nothing indicating where she and Anakin were hiding.

"What's all in it?" Anakin asked, leaning in over her shoulder.

"Family holos from when my grandmother was a little girl. Nothing that Malorum could possibly want," Padme said as she rummaged through the old holos. Her hands found the holo of her Great-Aunt Padme Lydonia with her boyfriend. It was taken the year she died in front of the palace steps in Theed. Padme could remember every time she saw her grandmamma look at it, tears would build up in her eyes as she remembered the little sister she lost at such a young age. It had been her favorite holo of Padme Lydonia because it was the last time she saw her sister so happy. Padme put the holo in her pocket for safekeeping and continued to go through the box when she suddenly realized what was missing.

"What is it?" Anakin asked concerned.

"It's not here," Padme said, looking through the box more urgently.

"What isn't?" Sabe asked, confused.

"My Aunt Padme's pixie comb," Padme explained. "It's gold but beat up. It use to have a pixie on it, very detailed until it was caught in a fire and melted a bit, but you can still see the wings on it. My grandmamma rarely took it out of this box but it's not here."

"Do you think Malorum could have taken it?" Anakin asked.

"What would a Sith want with a melted old comb?" Typho asked.

"Force knows," Ferus mumbled.

He suddenly tensed as did Anakin when he sensed the same thing as Ferus.

"Time to go," Anakin announced in a calm but urgent voice.

Padme, Sabe, and Typho looked at them in confusion, but that quickly went away with what happened next.

"We have this place surrounded! Come on out Skywalker! Olin! Or I'll be forced to use extreme measures to flush you out!" the voice of Inspector Divo boomed from outside.

Anakin and Ferus quickly went over to one of the windows and peaked through the curtains.

"He's not kidding," Anakin said at what he saw. "There must be a whole battalion of Stormtroopers and that must be Divo on that Walker."

"Walker?!" the three others shouted.

Ferus nodded. "Get the evidence and run. Anakin and I will distract them since they only called for us. We'll find another way back to the house." He looked at Anakin, and Anakin nodded. This was not the time to argue.

"Be careful," Padme told Anakin, her eyes filled with worry.

Anakin grinned at her. "Don't worry about me. Just get back home safely." Not just to Eirtae's house, but home on Tatooine where Luke and Leia were waiting for them. He looked at Sabe and Typho and they both nodded a silent promise to keep her safe.

"As soon as their eyes are on us, run," Ferus told them. He pushed the curtain open, making sure nobody outside could see Padme, Sabe, and Typho, and held his hands out. Anakin moved to the balcony doors and copied Ferus' as he opened them, making sure the inspector and the Stormtroopers could see his hands. He felt Ferus move behind him as he stepped onto the balconey keeping his hands out.

Now he had a better view on what he was facing. There was a walker on the beach, along with foot soldiers and there were water speeders as well.

And every blaster was trained on him and Ferus.

Just like that, it was as if those six months in exile were only six seconds. He was a soldier again about to go into the heat of battle.

"I'll take out the walker. You get us a way out of here," he whispered to Ferus.

"Anakin Skywalker! Ferus Olin! I am arresting you for the murder of-"Inspector Divo didn't finish because Anakin and Ferus leapt off the balcony, igniting their lightsabers, and mayhem happened.

Anakin landed on the ground with his feet and deflected the blaster shots with his lightsaber, hurrying towards the walker. If he didn't take it out, they wouldn't get very far. The Stormtroopers weren't droids but living beings. However, just like he did during the purge six months ago, Anakin pushed those thoughts and feelings away and focused on surviving this.

He charged towards the walker, making sure their attention was focused on him so they wouldn't fire on the estate incase Padme, Sabe, and Typho were still in there. The inspector on the tank was surprised, not sure whether to blow Anakin to smitherings or not. Anakin didn't give him the chance to make up his mind. He jumped onto the walker and sliced the main cannon before doing away with the side cannons. Smoke erupted from them, and Anakin jumped off, the inspector following him. Anakin ran as fast as he could before it exploded and threw him several feet into the water.

He quickly got up, gasping as water dripped down his face. He saw that the explosion had thrown many of the troopers as well, but two of them had recovered from the shock and were pointing their blasters at him from the shore. Anakin reached for his lightsaber before realizing that it was gone and he must have dropped it during the explosion.

The Stormtroopers were suddenly shot and they fell down.

Anakin turned his head to see that his savor was Ferus, holding a blaster and in a water speeder he must have taken.

"Anakin! Come on!" he shouted. Anakin turned his head and finally saw his lightsaber on the sand next to one of the dead Stormtroopers. Using the Force, he quickly got his lightsaber to him and swam to the speeder. It felt alien swimming again, but at least he was able to make it to the speeder. He struggled to climb in until Ferus offered his hand and Anakin took it.

After Anakin got in, they took off in the opposite direction they came. Anakin noticed four other speeders chasing after them. He quickly told Ferus to switch him spots, given how competent he was with the blaster and that Anakin was the better pilot.

The direction they were going in was one Padme had taken him through once before, so hopefully Anakin would be able to lose them. He took a left down the river path and Ferus blasted at the water speeders. The speeders fired back and Anakin was forced to swerve to avoid them.

Suddenly, he saw one of the speeders come out from a side path in front of him. One of them must have taken a shortcut to cut them off. Thinking quickly, Anakin used the Force to create a wave in front of them while he turned right as the water distracted the incoming speeder. Anakin looked back to see it crashed into two of the chasing speeders, but one was still behind them and it was gaining on them. As it got closer to them, the troopers prepared to fire on them before Ferus ignited his lightsaber and struck their rear engine, allowing Anakin to get ahead of them before it exploded.

After making sure there was nobody else following them, Ferus sat down in the seat next to Anakin. Anakin had to admit it to himself, he was impressed. It seemed Ferus didn't let retirement hinder him, making Anakin wonder a bit what exactly he'd been through these last six months, but he wouldn't ponder on that for now. After all, Ferus did save his life. Twice he grudgingly realized. Something else was also bothering him.

"We're going to have to ditch incase they're tracking us," Anakin said. He saw Ferus nod from them corner of his eye.

Ferus obviously sensed what Anakin was feeling as they headed back to Theed in the stolen water speeder. "What is it?" he asked.

Whatever mistrust Anakin had for him, it was not there as he explained it to him. "When we cleared the lake house, we made sure none of the Stormtroopers, or even the droid could contact anyone. Yet, we weren't there for an hour before an army surrounded us and Inspector Divo automatically knows you and I are there? Something's not right."

Ferus was quiet. Most likely thinking over Anakin's words. "You think they were tipped off by someone?" he asked.

"That's the only explanation as to how so many of them got there so quickly," Anakin answered, his hands gripping the steering.

Ferus looked at him, realizing what Anakin was saying. "You mean someone who already knew where we were going informed Divo in advanced?"

Anakin nodded. The only ones who knew they were going to Varykino were the handmaidens and Captain Typho. After leaving Theed, any one of the handmaidens could have commed the Inspector, or Typho could have while he had been alone in the lake house. Anakin didn't like the thought of it. Padme had left with Sabe and Typho. She could be in danger. And if the traitor wasn't Typho or Sabe that still left one of the other handmaidens. Anakin knew Padme would be heartbroken if she knew his suspicions. She had been friends with these people for years, had trusted them with her life and secrets, and she knew their secrets as well.

"Don't tell anyone," he told Ferus.

Ferus raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to tell your wife?"

Anakin tried to ignore the guilt twisting in his stomach. "Not yet, until I know for sure. If she thinks one of her friends is betraying her secrets and putting her family in harm's way, it will hurt her. I want to know for sure if someone is betraying us before I tell her."

Ferus didn't say anything. He just nodded in understanding. "I'm surprise you're trusting me with this," he said.

"Oh, I still don't trust you," Anakin corrected him. "You're still hiding something, but if you wanted me dead, you could have let those Stormtroopers finish me off. Besides, my family's lives might depend on you."

With that the rest of the trip was spent in silence. Both men contemplating their next move and this other problem they now had.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Things had become calmer compared to Padme's first day at the palace.

She had started to get into a rhythm. After her morning class, she would stop at the café on her way to work for Lady Veruna then go through her paperwork unless Lady Veruna had a couple of errands for her to run. Then she followed behind Lady Veruna to the throne room for her early afternoon meeting with the Queen and the Royal Council where she waited outside for almost two hours before Lady Veruna came out and went back to her office where Padme prepared for the next day before heading back to the Program for her late afternoon class.

Today was the one weekday when she didn't have to worry about classes however. Padme was grateful because that meant she would be able to attend Jobal and Ruwee's presentation that evening. Jobal had been practicing her speech for two weeks now, memorizing it, and presenting it to Padme every night before she went to bed. She had chosen Queen Polana's victory speech after the rebels overthrew the dictator, King Aprana. It was a favorite of Jobal's. Padme's too. It had been one of the reasons why she wanted to go into politics. She helped Jobal memorize the speech, taught her not to mumble, how to speak, and to always look at the audience. The little was nervous. Padme understood that, but she hoped that that wouldn't cause too much problems for Jobal that night.

As of now, Padme was hoping to have her errands and paperwork done in time for her to get ready and head to the presentation at 1700 that day. She was trying to arrange Lady Veruna's meeting with Tie Bibble tomorrow when she overheard a couple of other interns gossiping.

"I'm telling you Senator Maddox is kriffing around with the Queen's secretary Bowen!"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"My friend is one of the Queen's handmaidens. She saw the Senator walk out of one of the closets in the hallway by the ballroom, fixing her hair. Then she saw Bowen come out with a hickey on his neck."

"Now why would the Senator risk her career for a fling with the Queen's secretary?"

"To get dirt on her of course. Everyone knows of the dislike between the Queen and Senator. Only reason the Queen hasn't removed Maddox from her position is because of her father."

Padme cringed as she listened to the gossip. Winama hadn't been kidding when she said that the women in court were even more slippery than the men. Some conversations here made Padme blush and feel like the country girl she was.

Once she finished scheduling Lady Veruna's meeting, she headed towards the Royal laundry room where a few of Lady Veruna's gowns were being washed and pressed. On her way down, she ran into Pooja.

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while," the older woman said as they walked down the stairway to the bottom floor.

"Lady Veruna keeps everyone on their toes. She sent me down to pick up her daily dry-cleaning. You?" Padme asked.

"Drew the short straw in picking up the Queen's laundry for the wardrobe manager today," Pooja answered as they entered the laundry room.

Because of the expensive fabric in their clothing was made out of, the nobles preferred to have their clothing done by human hand than by droids. In Padme's mind it was a waste of credits. Lady Veruna's clothing was almost as elaborate and heavy as the Queen's. It seemed she was trying to retain the beautiful image she had in her youth with failure.

Padme and Pooja took the servants' lift up.

"You've been hearing the latest gossip?" Pooja asked.

"The one with Senator Maddox supposedly having an affair with Secretary Bowen? Yes. I have to admit it's an interesting change to Cosinga Palpatine and Regina Costil's affair," Padme said as the lift stopped and they exited into the Queen's hallway.

"Patte was the one who found them last week after the banquet with the Trade Federation delegates. It's had Celestine in a foul temper with Bowen since then. Can only imagine what that will do to her father," Pooja mumbled as she disappeared into the Queen's rooms for a minute.

Padme knew Nadie Cesare Celestine's father Tolemi Cesare, president of the Refugee Relief Movement was in a relationship with Senator Jeze Maddox, a woman around the same age as his daughter. She also knew that Secretary Bowen had been married to the Queen's sister before she died in childbirth shortly before Celestine's first election. She could understand why Celestine would be so upset with Bowen and Maddox.

Pooja came back out and they headed toward Lady Veruna's chambers.

"And it's not just the Senator and Secretary who have been doing it around here. I hear even the Lady Veruna has been getting it on with Tapalo. That's bound to make things awkward between him and Ars Veruna," Pooja said as Padme handed her the clothing to dig in her pockets for the keycard.

"I can believe that," Padme said, getting the keycard out and inserting it into the security pad. "Lady Veruna's clothing have had some peculiar stains on them and are rumpled a bit. Even torn provocatively."

The door opened and they went in.

"Look at that, you're losing some of that farm girl innocence," Pooja teased.

Padme opened the wardrobe and began to arrange the newly pressed gowns. "Seriously though, does everyone in the palace focus more on who they're sleeping with than their work? If that's the case it's no wonder Luke, Tie Bibble, and the Queen are the only ones getting any work done," Padme said.

"They're nobles. They think they can do whatever they want while us "commoners" do their dirty work," Pooja said, looking through Lady Veruna's clothing. She dug deeper in the walk-in closet and pulled out a beautiful white long sleeve gown.

"What are you doing?" Padme asked, finished with her job.

"This looks awfully young for the likes of Lady Dragon," Pooja commented, ignoring Padme's question.

"Lady Veruna's having that returned to Winama's because the size was too small for her," Padme explained getting frustrated. "Now put it back before we get in trouble."

But Pooja wasn't done with it yet. She laid it out on the bed to inspect it more. "Winama made this? The detail is incredible and the fabric underneath feels amazing." It was. From the smooth texture, Padme knew it was made from silk all the way from the mountain villages. While it was smooth and comfortable underneath, the outside was beautiful and elegant with crystal stitching on the overhanging sleeves, around the bosom down to the waist where a gold belt was wrapped around.

The tag was still on it, and Padme thought her eyes were going to fall out when she saw it. "This is worth ten thousand credits!" she said incredulously. Pooja's eyes widened as well. That was worth more than her rent and grocery bill put together. "For one white dress? You must have to steam brush it."

She looked at the size. Six. "You're a six," she said.

Padme realized what she was doing. "Oh no! You're the older one. You should be the mature one," she protested.

"Padme Mammelia Lydonia when is one of us going to be wearing a ten thousand credit anything? It's going to be returned to Winama's anyway. You're sixteen. For five minutes live a little and see what it's like," Pooja told her. She had a point. The only time Padme ever wore anything this beautiful was when she was modeling one of Winama or Ryoo's outfits. Who knew when she would be able to actually own and wear something like this?

She sighed. "I'll wear it for just one minute," she said and Pooja grinned happily. Inwardly, Padme believed that this was Pooja's excuse to dress and pamper her in a way she couldn't with her own daughter.

Padme took off her lavender-black gown in the wardrobe, and with the help of Pooja, slipped in and zipped up the white gown. She didn't know how Winama or Ryoo messed up the size considering that Lady Veruna was several sizes larger than her, but it fit Padme perfectly. These last few weeks Padme had finally been able to regain some of the weight she had lost in her illness so she no longer looked fragile like one of Nare Thule's glass figurines. She heard Pooja gasp and when she looked at herself in the wardrobe mirror she saw why. The gown made her look like an angelic being or one of those mythical creatures Mammy told her about as a child. The gown looked beautiful on her, making her dark hair appear darker, her brown eyes soft, and rosy cheeks charming.

"You look amazing," Pooja said, bringing Padme out of her thoughts. Padme had to agree, turning back to smile at her. She felt like a princess in this gown.

Suddenly, they heard a knocking on the bedchamber door, breaking them out of their fantasy world and into the real one. There was no time for Padme to change, and if Lady Veruna saw her in one of her dresses, Padme would have a lot of explaining to do.

Pooja quickly pushed Padme into the wardrobe. "I'll handle this," she said before closing the door and leaving Padme in the wardrobe with the light still on.

Padme took the chance to change before realizing that she needed Pooja's help to unzip her. Just when she was starting to panic, she heard Pooja answer the door and learn that it was not Lady Veruna.

"Lord Palpatine! Lord Costil! And young Palpatine! What a surprise!"

Padme felt her stomach lurch and feared she was going to throw up in Lady Veruna's wardrobe. This was even better.

"Yes," Lord Palpatine's voice sounded. "I've been trying to get in touch with Lady Veruna, but she seems…detained today."

Something in his voice made Padme fearful that she didn't know why she suddenly stepped out of the wardrobe, still in the white gown, startling the chamber's occupants. Maybe it was loyalty to her mistress, or maybe it was this new sense of boldness she suddenly had, but she stood in front of Lord Cosinga Palpatine with a confidence she hadn't felt in a while.

"I am Lady Veruna's intern. I know what her schedule is, so if you desire to arrange a meeting with her I can discuss it with her," she told him.

Lord Palpatine's eyes widened a bit at her boldness, and at the corner of her eye she recognized Sheev Palpatine from class with an amused smirk on his face. Then Lord Palpatine narrowed his eyes on her, and Padme tried to ignore the feeling of being smaller than him. He was gray-haired and balding even in his mid to late fifties that Padme wondered how he could have a mistress half his age.

It was Reggie Costil who saved everyone from the awkwardness. "Thank you, Miss…"

"Lydonia. Padme Lydonis," Padme supplied.

"Miss Lydonia," Costil continued. "Enquire to your mistress the perfect time for our meeting and comm us."

"Of course," Padme said.

Costil started heading out when he realized that neither father nor son had moved to follow him.

"You go ahead, Reggie. We'll catch up," Palpatine told him, his eyes never leaving Padme. Costil left, leaving Padme and Pooja with both Palpatine men.

Lord Palpatine glanced at the white gown Padme wore, and Padme tried not to shift uncomfortably. He was probably wondering why an intern was wearing an expensive looking gown or why she was an intern in the first place if her family could afford to place her in a higher position than a lady's intern.

"You are staying at Luke Naberrie's?" he asked, nearly startling Padme with his cold voice.

"Y-Yes," she mentally kicked herself for stuttering. "He's a mentor of mine and a friend of my family's."

Lord Palpatine narrowed his eyes at her again. "I see. Well, I believe I will be seeing more of you then."

Padme already felt sick at that even when he finally left the room. She then noticed that Sheev Palpatine had made no move to follow his father and was smirking at her.

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"I'm almost impressed. It's not every day I see someone stand face to face with my father with such…vigor," Sheev said, still grinning at her. "I've also seen that you've taken my advice on your composure."

Padme glared at him, wanting him to leave so she could change before Lady Veruna came in and caught her wearing this dress. His grin grew wider as if reading her thoughts.

Pooja broke the silence by going back into the wardrobe and retrieving Padme's dress. "I'll just…take this downstairs for you Padme. Remember you still have Jobal's presentation to go to," Pooja reminded her before leaving the room with Padme's dress.

Padme hated her for a moment for leaving her alone with this arrogant…boy. Well, at least she'll be able to change downstairs somewhere private. "'Almost impressed?'" Padme repeated before pushing past him to get out of the room and away from him. To her disappointment, he followed.

"There's still some flaws in your composure, like the way you bite your lip when you're nervous," he commented as they walked down the hallway.

"I do not!" Padme exclaimed, turning around to face him.

They suddenly heard voices coming around the turn in the hallway, and to Padme's horror, one of them belonged to Lady Veruna. If she saw Padme wearing one of her gowns, Padme could kiss her political career goodbye before it even started.

Sheev suddenly pulled her behind one of the pillars and Padme was suddenly aware of how close they were. Sheev was pressed against her, his arm around her, and his face was so close to hers, Padme could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. She heard footsteps coming closer, passing them, and she looked over her shoulder. Lady Veruna was walking with a satisfied smile, arm in the crook of Bon Tapolo's, and flirting like a teenager. Padme felt a little sick to her stomach and was happy when they passed and entered Lady Veruna's bedchamber. Even more glad she left when she did, otherwise she never would have been able to change and leave before Lady Veruna caught her.

She looked up to see Sheev grinning at her. "It's not funny!" she hissed at him. If anything his grin grew even more.

"Oh it is. This isn't really your dress is it?"

"Is everything I do an amusement to you?" she said, snapping out of whatever spell he had her on and pushing him away, continuing down the hallway towards the lift.

"So far," Sheev said, following her. "You do one bad thing and you think you're facing execution."

"With Lady Veruna it might as well be," Padme mumbled as they entered the lift.

They were quiet for a while. Padme dwindling with her hands until Sheev spoke again. "I noticed the pixie comb in your hair. Like the Pixie Padme?" he asked.

Padme looked at him, a little surprised that he knew about that. She didn't peg him as someone interested in Naboo folklore. "It was a gift from Winama, Luke's wife. So you know you're childhood tales?" It may have come off ruder than Padme wished.

Sheev, however, just smirked. "Every child on Naboo knows it."

There was another awkward silence. Padme looked at Sheev as he stared at the door. He was a very handsome boy on his way to manhood. He had a strong chin, blue eyes that a person could drown in, and red hair that Padme wanted to run her fingers through. Wait. What? Padme turned her head, her cheeks turning crimson again. He was a spoiled and arrogant…boy that took delight in making her feel like a fool.

"Your friend mentioned about someone's presentation?" Sheev asked, breaking the silence again.

Padme felt herself soften a bit. "My niece Jobal has a presentation in school today. They're presenting famous speeches from Naboo's history, and Jobal chose her's on Queen Polana's victory speech," she explained with a proud grin.

Sheev nodded, but some of the amusement had left his eyes, replaced by…loneliness. Padme remembered that Sheev had four younger siblings and from what she gathered, his relationship with his father was cold. She suddenly felt guilty for her own coldness to him earlier.

The lift dinged to a stop. "This is my stop," Sheev said, stepping out. Before the lift doors closed again, he turned around to face her. "Good luck to your niece," he said.

"Thank you," Padme replied.

That grin of his suddenly returned. "And by the way, you look absolutely fetching in that dress compared to your lavender black."

The lift doors closed, leaving Padme alone in the lift with her mouth gaping wide.

What the kriffing hells was that?!

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Once Divo's attention was on Anakin and Ferus, Padme had grabbed the box of holos and ran with Sabe and Typho right behind her. When they reached the dining room, they stopped and hid when they saw the Stormtroopers outside a little ways from the terrace.

Then there was a loud explosion on the other side of the house, drawing most of the Stormtroopers away from the terrace towards the mayhem Padme was sure Anakin was causing. They wasted no time. They ran. They went across the terrace and down the steps. They were nearing the brush when the last two Stormtroopers turned around and saw them.

"Hey you! Stop!"

Padme's hands were full, which meant she couldn't grab her blaster. She continued to run.

Typho and Sabe fired their blasters and shot the Stormtroopers, but it was too late. Once they reached the brush, Padme saw that the Stormtroopers' shouts had caught the rest of their squad's attention. They started chasing them.

Padme ran as fast as her legs could carry her, hugging the box to her body. Branches snagged her clothing and scratched her skin, but she kept running.

Once they reached their speeder, Typho started the engine while Sabe untied them. Padme sat down next to Typho, continuing to hold the box when Sabe jumped in and Typho gunned it. They flew across the water, and Padme looked back to see several other water speeders and feared they were coming after them. She quickly realized that the water speeders weren't chasing them, but after another speeder she knew had to be carrying Anakin and Ferus. She knew Anakin would be alright, but the wife in her still worried about her husband.

Typho continued on for a while, and Padme was unable to relax even when Sabe announced that they weren't being followed. When they made it to the docks, they got on their land speeder that they had left earlier and headed back to Theed.

The clouds had covered the Naboo sun, and a cold wind ran through the landscape, reminding Padme that it was the eleventh cycle that year which meant that it would be snowing soon. Six months in the hot, dry weather of Tatooine had caused Padme to be unprepared for the cold weather here. She shivered a bit, wrapping her cloak more tightly. Now, she knew how Anakin felt the first time he left Tatooine.

They made it back to the Lasara house and were greeted by a relieved Rabe at the back door. "Thank Shiraya you're okay. Where are Anakin and Ferus?"

"Divo found us, so Anakin and Ferus stayed behind to distract them," Padme answered as they quickly went in.

Everyone else was in the library, and like Rabe, they were relieved and happy to see Padme, Sabe, and Typho safe, but concerned with Anakin and Ferus' absence. Padme explained what had happened at Varykino from what they had found to Inspector Divo ambushing them and Anakin and Ferus leading him away so Padme, Sabe, and Typho could escape.

"How could he have gotten there so fast? And with so much backup?" Sache asked.

"It would have to had been after two at the time he attacked. Maybe he had planned on leaving the funeral early? Or maybe one of the neighbors spotted you and reported it?" Dorme suggested.

Padme wasn't sure, but she knew it was possible. Inspector Divo wasn't the brightest spec in the galaxy, but there were neighbors too nosy for their own good.

"That box of holos was the only thing you could find?" Eirtae asked.

"Yes, I don't know why Malorum went through it or why he took my aunt's comb, but it was one of the few things we could find," Padme explained.

"Vatie here should be able to splice into Imperial records and see what they had taken from the crime scene," Motee said, motioning to the new person in the group.

Vatie Bibble had been one of Padme's handmaidens back when she had been queen. Having red hair in contrast to everyone else's dark brown made her stand out from the rest of the handmaidens like Eirtae with her blonde. Being the daughter of Governor Bibble through his first marriage gave her plenty of career options after serving Padme during her two terms. She went into journalism which had her digging into shady dealings with corrupt officials to court gossip. Over the years she had also developed the ability to hack into private files of officials. If anyone would be able to help it would be Vatie.

"I'll see what I can do," Vatie said.

The next hour or so consisted of Vatie busily hacking into Imperial files while everyone else kept an eye out the window for Anakin, Ferus, or anybody suspicious. Padme tried not to worry about the fact that Anakin had yet to come back.

What was taking him and Ferus so long?

Had they been caught?

Had Malorum found them?

Had Ferus turned on Anakin?

Was Anakin d-

Padme stopped herself from finishing that last thought. He'll be coming back she kept telling herself that.

To distract herself, she decided to go through the holos in the box she had gone through so much trouble to save. She could remember as a little girl when her grandmamma would come to visit them at Varykino and tell them stories of the Thules and Lydonias. She once showed Padme and Sola a holo of their great-great-great grandparents from the Thules who married and fought in the Gungan wars, and a great-great-great-great grandmother on the Lydonia's who married seven times and was widowed throughout the war. Now, as Padme looked through the holos she couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia. She could almost hear her grandmamma's voice telling her the stories behind the holos, bringing tears and a sad smile out.

There was a holo of her great-grandparents Ruger and Hane Lydonia with her grandmamma as a little girl in front of their little home in Claines.

A holo of her Grandma Hane holding her great-aunt Padme as a toddler on their porch.

A holo of her grandmamma and Grandpa Jon with her newborn mother.

And a holo consisting Padme's mother, grandparents, her great-aunt, her Lydonia great-grandparents, their nursemaid Mammy, and her great-grandmother Nare Thule.

These were holos of her family legacy. While the Thules and Lydonias weren't as notably famous as the Naberries throughout Naboo, they were just as important to Padme and her family.

She looked further into the box, finding a wooden goober fish her grandfather Jon had played with as a little boy, and an old wooden charm necklace that her great-grandma Hane use to wear. The wooden charm was similar to Padme's japor snippet with a Naboo rose carved into it. Padme smiled a bit as she remembered the story her grandmamma had told her behind it. Because they were poor farmers in the mountains, any jewelry they had was handmade. Padme's great-grandfather had made the necklace for her great-grandmother during their courtship, and she wore it until the day she died.

Padme's hand found the japor snippet around her neck, remembering when Anakin had given it to her.

Where was he?

She heard a commotion outside the library, and everyone in the room tensed up, grabbing their blasters. Padme grabbed her blaster and went out, but stopped when she found what the commotion had been.

"Ani!"

She threw her arms around her husband and buried her face into his neck. He was cold, damp, and muddy, and there was a smell that Padme didn't think she wanted to identify, but he was here, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Padme felt tears in her eyes as the day's events hit her: her grandmamma's funeral, seeing her family again, facing Palpatine, and the events at Varykino. She pulled away from him to look into his eyes as a couple of tears shed from her's.

"Where have you been?" her voice laced with emotion.

Anakin wiped her tears away with his prosthetic as he explained what had happened. "When we escaped we had to take a detour to throw Divo off our trail incase the speeder we took had a tracer on it. When we ditched it, we had ourselves a long walk on foot all the way back here, and trying not to get caught."

Padme turned her head to see Ferus behind him and a little worse for wear like Anakin. Sabe was talking to him, asking if he was alright which caused Padme to raise a curious eyebrow. Her friend Sabe never had the best of luck in relationships, the last one ending in a divorce before the war started. Padme hoped that her friend would find happiness in love again.

Sabe found a cut on Ferus' head, covered by his hair and made him sit down in one of the chairs in the library while Yane attended to him.

Padme turned back to Anakin. "Were you hurt?"

"A bit lumps and bruises, but I'm alright," Anakin quickly reassured, and Padme knew he was lying. Narrowing her eyes, she ordered him to sit down next to Ferus and allow Yane to tend him. At this point, Anakin knew better than to argue. Padme didn't know if Anakin was exhausted, or he was more injured than he said he was when he sat down without a fight. They later found out that Anakin had a laceration on the left side of his back he had gotten from shrapnel of the walker he blew.

When he and Ferus were cleaned, bandaged, and warmed up, everyone gathered in the library where a fire had been built to discuss more of their discoveries. Padme introduced Anakin and Ferus to Vatie who had succeeded splicing into Divo's files on Ryoo Thule's case.

"The autopsy reports confirm what we already knew happened to Ryoo," Vatie said, everyone crowded around her and her computer. "The evidence that indicates that it was Ferus and a "mystery partner" comes from several holopics a neighbor had taken from across the lake at Convergence by an anonymous." She showed them the holopics taken at a great distance from Varykino. In one it showed a dark figure standing over Ryoo as she struggled to crawl away from him on the terrace. In another it showed Ferus and a figure next to him that everyone knew had to be Typho. Ferus was kneeling down at Ryoo, most likely trying to hear her words.

Padme felt angry tears in her eyes, wanting nothing more than to hunt Malorum down and make him suffer the way he made her grandmamma suffer.

"You said these were taken at Convergence across from Varykino?" Anakin asked, his mind remembering the instances he noticed the house when he would come to visit Padme.

"Yes."

"Who owns it?"

Vatie searched and instantly found out. "A Supe Costil and her daughter Mari," she answered.

Anakin noticed Dorme shift uncomfortably, and sensed her feat. his mind thought back to what e said to Ferus about there being a traitor among their group. Was Dorme that traitor?

Padme stood up and headed towards the door. "Let's get going then," she said, taking everyone, including Anakin by surprise.

"Padme, we can't," Anakin said, going after her.

She stopped and spun around, looking at him incredulously. "And why not?" she demanded.

"Well, for one thing," Vatie said, tapping her computer and showing Padme a recent news report article.

"Skywalker and Olin Spotted at Varykino: Sight of Ryoo Thule's Murder"

The article went on about the confrontation the Imperials had with the Jedi and how investigators were searching the area.

"It's impossible for you guys to go back to the lake country," Vatie said. "It'll be crawling with Stormtroopers now, and even if you did manage to get to Convergence undetected, I highly doubt Supe or Mari would be willing to tell you guys anything."

"They won't," Dorme's soft voice spoke, wrapping her arms around her torso. "They're loyal supporters of Palpatine."

"We'll have to try something else then," Ferus said before looking at Anakin and Padme. "It's getting late, and it's been a hectic day for everyone. A couple of us will go to your motel and retrieve your things for you since the Imperials now have an image of Anakin."

The article showed the image of Anakin on the Varykino balcony before he jumped and attacked. Now the galaxy knew Anakin had grown a beard in his months of hiding. Anakin inwardly cringed. So much for that disguise working. He looked at Padme. He hoped she would see the logic in this decision. He knew what those holopics had stirred, and knew that she wouldn't just sit and do nothing. He remembered what his mother's death did to him.

What would Ryoo's do to Padme?

Padme decided for a moment before reluctantly agreeing with the decision.

000{{*}}000

After eating a light supper, everyone prepared themselves for bed. Sabe had gone to the motel Anakin and Padme had been staying at to retrieve their belongings and to check them out. The man at the desk probably hadn't realize that Sabe wasn't Padme considering how much alike they looked. There's a reason why Sabe always served as Padme's decoy while she was queen.

While Anakin was using the fresher, Padme couldn't stand just sitting in their guest room so she started wandering around the house.

The Lasara home was quite big even for a Jafan era house in the city. It had five bedrooms and three guest rooms to house thirteen people. Of course some of them had to share bedrooms, but it was still a large house. Padme could remember the awe she felt the first time she stepped in here, and Eirtae mumbling how her family got it through her mother's...private business. That had taken some of the beauty out of the house, making Padme understand a bit why Eirtae never felt at home here.

Padme found herself back in the library. The room was full of holobooks and flimsibooks dating back to pre-Gungan war era, all carrying stories waiting to be told. Eirtae had once told Padme that this was her favorite room in the house because it was her and her father's refuge from the rest of their family. Her brothers didn't love books and her mother hated it, so she and her father could spend hours together reading books on Naboo's history, folklore, and quote philosophy. Padme was glad that through out her rough childhood, Eirtae had a kind and wonderful father like Kam Lasara.

It brought to Padme's mind memories of her own father. She could remember as a little girl when her father would read her stories of the Pixie Padme and Naboo's heroes, how he whooped with pride when she scored high on her aptitude tests, and how supportive he was when she decided to pursue her career in politics. Tears came to Padme's eyes as she remembered him. That's why it hurt so much when she had told her family about her pregnancy he yelled at her for being irresponsible and for disgracing herself like this. She yelled back at him too, saying he cared more about honor and respect than his own children. Things she didn't mean but still hurt. Padme couldn't stand anymore of her family's disappointment or confusion, so she left with her grandmamma to spend the rest of her break at Varykino where she didn't have to worry about pleasing anyone. She hadn't spoken to her family since then. Now, her grandmamma was dead, and her family had no idea where she was or if she was even alive. Padme could only imagine how she would feel if it were Luke or Leia in her place and she didn't know where they were.

That made her cry harder, her hands covering her face as she leaned against the window. Were Luke and Leia missing her and Anakin right now? Was Beru keeping an eye on Luke's diaper rash? Was Leia getting enough sleep? Were Owen and Beru making sure Luke and Leia were trying to eat solid foods? Were they okay? Padme stopped herself from overthinking. They're fine she told herself. She was just missing them. Beru and Owen wouldn't let anything happen to the twins. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away.

"Are you alright?"

Padme had been so caught up in her thoughts she had failed to notice that she wasn't alone in the library. Vatie was sitting at the desk with her laptop, still wearing her day clothes. She must have been here since supper.

"What are you still doing up?" Padme asked, her voice still shaken from tears.

"I'm trying to splice into these interviews Divo had with the witnesses, but it's taking a while, so I'm trying to work on the assignment my boss had given to me about your grandmother's funeral," Vatie explained.

The tears came back and Padme tried to fight them as guilt weighed down on her. Here was Vatie trying to help her and struggling to keep up with her normal life.

"Thank you," Padme said to her.

Vatie nodded. "No Problem. You always tried to hide your vulnerabilities that you forgot that as your friends and confidents we knew you," she said, her eyes filled with understanding.

Padme took a shuddering breath as she sat down in front of Vatie, her hands smoothing out her nightgown and dressing gown.

"I keep thinking about my family. How much they must hate me for disappearing and hiding my pregnancy," Padme confessed in a whisper.

"They don't hate you," Vatie assured her. "They could never hate you, Padme. When I had to interview them after your grandmother's death I could tell that they missed you every time you were mentioned."

Padme didn't know if she believed that, but she appreciated what Vatie was trying to do. "I just don't understand why this is happening. Not just my grandmamma's death but everything. The Empire, a sith ruling the galaxy, the Jedi dead or in hiding, and Democracy dying everyday. Everything we ever fought for in the war gone. Someone we all trusted and believed in a monster," Padme said.

Vatie was silent for a moment. She knew friends who had fought and died in the war, and people who suffered hunger from rationing their food in the name of patriotism. And for what? A dictator who suppressed them and promised them sweet little nothings with his smooth and lying tongue? She could remember being in Padme's place when she was a young girl. Her mother had just died, she was estranged from her father, she had just become a handmaiden, and the Trade Federation was blockading Naboo. The people were starving and everyone was afraid, and the Queen was missing. Then Amidala returned with the Jedi, capturing the Viceroy and freeing the Naboo from the Trade Federation. It had seemed all hope had been lost, but Amidala had proven that it could still be found. Vatie had to remind Padme of that.

"I know it seems hopeless, but we have to keep our heads. When my mom was sick, I threw myself into my studies and training at the academy because I didn't want to deal with it. Then she died and I found myself cursing Shiraya for taking her from me. I didn't want to deal with the grief, so when the opportunity came I jumped at the chance to become a handmaiden. Then the Blockade happened. I'd said 'Kriff you, Shiraya'. I figured she was saying, "Kriff you, Vatie Bibble. How are you going to get out of this?" The Blockade had me questioning a lot of things. Then you came back to Naboo. You captured the Viceroy with the Jedi's help and freed us from the Viceroy. That's when I realized that everything happens for a reason whether we like it or not. Shiraya never abandoned us. She gave us the choice to lay down and take the brutalities from the Trade Federation, or to stand up and hit back. You proved that to me. You, Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker proved that things will get better for us if we willed it," Vatie told Padme.

Padme was stunned for a moment from Vatie's speech, but then she smiled. "Thank you, Vatie."

Vatie smiled back. "We'll get that bastard, Padme. I promise."

000{{*}}000

When Anakin had stepped out of the fresher, Padme was sitting on the bed going through the holos from the box they had found at Varykino. He sensed something different in her. Like…rejuvenation. What had happened?

He sat down next to Padme on the bed. "What happened" he asked her.

"I ran into Vatie downstairs. We talked about the Blockade," she said, going through the holos.

Anakin didn't know if this was a good sign or not, but he wasn't going to complained. He noticed the holo of Padme's great-aunt Padme Lydonia with her boyfriend and felt the Force nudging him. He picked it up from the pile and studied it. That bad feeling he had when he first saw their holo at Ryoo's funeral returned. There was something important about these two, but what?

"Does this man look familiar to you?" Anakin asked, showing it to Padme.

Padme narrowed her eyes at it. "Yes, but I don't know why. My grandmamma never gave us a name."

Anakin frowned. He knew this man was important. The Force was telling him so. He set the holo down. He'd think about it later. He watched as Padme continued going through the holos. He knew how important family was to her. When he was a boy and a slave his only family had been his mom. No one else. He had no father, and his mother had vague memories of her birth family. He could remember when he was little he would ask her to tell him stories of where she came from. She would tell him of meadows filled with beautiful flowers that smelled unlike anything he had ever smelt, of mountains that seemed that they could reach the skies, and a man with dark brown eyes that looked at her with such love and devotion. From the stories Anakin use to believe that his mother was a long lost princess. To him she was so beautiful and kind and smart she could be a princess. But sadly, they were just a boy's dreams. If his mother had any family out there they'd be long dead or they'd forgotten about her.

Another holo caught his eye. This time it was of Padme Lydonia in an office with a red-headed woman dressed like a queen's handmaiden. The handmaiden was obviously older than Lydonia, but it seemed like they were good friends if the big smiles and arms wrapped around each other's shoulders were any indication. Like Padme's boyfriend, this woman seemed familiar somehow.

"Who's this?" Anakin asked, showing it to Padme.

She gasped, dropping what she was holding before taking it. "I forgot all about this one," Padme said as she stared at the holo. "It's Pooja Janren, Darred's grandmother. The one little Pooja was named after."

Anakin's eyes widened as he looked at the holo again. Now he knew why she seemed so familiar. She had the same strawberry-blonde hair as little Pooja and her facial structure was similar to little Ryoo's, Padme's nieces and apparently this woman's great-granddaughters.

"I remember now when I was a little girl, when my Grandma Winama would watch me and Sola for my parents, she would take us to the Theed Care Center to visit some friends of her's. One of them was this woman named Pooja. She had been a handmaiden to Queen Celestine before an attack injured and damaged her brain. She had been paralyzed from the neck down, and had trouble remembering things. She was placed in the care center and has been there since then," Padme explained, remembering the times she would see the older woman.

She could remember at eight years old, walking beside her grandma and seeing the woman in a hoverchair or in the middle of a physical therapy session trying to learn how to move her limbs again. She couldn't believe that this woman was the same age as her grandmothers in her fifties and confined to a hoverchair like her great-grandpa Ruger. Her grandmother's both seemed alive and active compared to this woman. Then her grandma told her that before her injury Pooja had been the alive and spontaneous woman compared to everyone Winama ever knew. It had saddened Padme when she learned the tragic story as to how Pooja got to where she was.

Padme looked at the holo sadly. The image of a young and happy Pooja Janren that wasn't confused was heartbreaking when you knew her full story. Padme also looked at her great-aunt Padme, young and excited for her future. It had been her first day working as the Queen's secretary instead of an intern. She was dressed in a simple long-sleeved red gown. Like the Pixie Padme. Padme shuddered for reasons she couldn't explain.

"Is that the Pixie comb you were talking about earlier?" Anakin asked, pointing at the holo.

Padme looked closer to see a golden pixie peeking out from the bun in her aunt Padme's hair. It wasn't the melted mashed up piece Padme remembered. It was beautiful and detailed.

Padme nodded. "Yes. This was the day my aunt died and Pooja was injured."

"Do you think Pooja would know why Malorum would want the pixie comb?" Anakin asked.

"Maybe. I don't know," Padme admitted. "When we would visit her, Pooja would think we were visiting Queen Celestine and forget what we had just said. It's worth a shot though."

Anakin nodded.

Getting off the bed, he went back to the fresher and started to shave his beard off. He was almost sad to see it go. He had finally gotten used to the feeling. Once he was done, he looked at his reflection in the mirror to see the face of the Hero with No fear. No point in hiding it now. After he was done, he went back to the bed where Padme had gathered and put away all the holos. He couldn't believe everything that had happened that day: Ryoo's funeral, Palpatine, Malorum, Ferus, Varykino, and everything they've learned in one day. He still hadn't found out how he was going to find the traitor in the group, or how he was going to tell Padme. She always saw the good in everyone, and he feared the traitor and their enemies were taking advantage of that right now..

Getting under the covers, he held Padme in his arms. "I love you, Padme."

"I love you too, Ani."

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Once she got out of the lift, Padme found Pooja and they hurried to change Padme out of the white gown and into her lavender-black one. Luke had already left for the presentation, and if he was gone that meant Ryoo was waiting outside the palace which meant Padme didn't have any time to change at home.

"You go on out. I'll take the dress back to Lady Dragon's rooms," Pooja said, taking the gown from Padme so she could fix her hair.

"Be careful. I saw Lady Veruna and Tapalo go into her rooms so they might be a while," Padme warned, handing her her keycard. She'd give it back to Padme tomorrow.

Padme grabbed her cloak and handbag and practically ran down the halls to go outside. She found Ryoo at the bottom of the stairs in her black mourning cloak. She looked up and saw Padme running down the steps as fast as she could in her dress.

"Finally, what took you so long?!" Ryoo exclaimed as Padme reached her.

"Long story," Padme said very quickly. She felt a little guilty making her sister wait out here in the cold for her while she played dress up.

"Come on. We have to get going or we'll be late," Ryoo said.

They hurried down the couple of streets to Jobal and Ruwee's school. Padme couldn't believe she had spent so much time dressing up, dealing with Palpatine and Costil, and talking with Sheev. She didn't know what it was with him. He was a spoiled rich little boy who loved to tease her, and yet… there was something about him. Stop that she told herself. They came from two different words that could never collide. She shouldn't be wasting any time pondering on the fancies for some boy out of her league and had no feelings for her whatsoever.

She and Ryoo made it to the school and went into the auditorium where the presentation was taking place. It was crowded and people were already sitting in their seats. On the stage, children were sitting down in chairs with a podium in front of them. A rodian boy whom Padme realized was Onocanda Farr, the exchange student was at the podium quoting a speech a Naboo senator had made on Rodia a long time ago. Padme looked behind him at the group of children on the stage. Jobal was sitting in her seat, dwindling with her hands nervously while her speech cards laid on her lap. She noticed her mom and aunt enter the auditorium, and walk down the aisle to where Winama and Luke were sitting and had kept their empty seats. Padme gave her a small wave and encouraging smile as she and Ryoo sat down next to Luke and Winama.

One after the other, students came up and quoted their speeches. Ruwee accidentally forgot a couple of lines on his King Jafan I's speech, but overall did well. Finally, it was Jobal's turn. Her hands were holding her flashcards when they suddenly slipped and fell on the floor. A few kids were snickering at her as she scurried to pick them up. Padme saw a look of panic on Jobal's face as the cards were mixed up, and she prayed to Shiraya to help her niece get through this. When Jobal finished picking her cards up, she went to the podium. Padme watched as Jobal looked at the audience and took a deep breath before going into her speech.

"My fellow Naboo, today is the day that marks not only end of suffering and tyranny but a beginning of freedom and peace." Jobal paused, her eyes finding Padme's. Padme gave her an encouraging smile. Jobal continued.

However, the further she went through her speech the more she realized how mixed up her flashcards were and that she was saying the wrong words at the wrong time. The snickers were getting louder now, and Padme could feel Ryoo next to her, shifting worriedly. Padme worried too.

'Just keep going Jobal. Don't pay attention to anything else,' she silently willed to her niece. The snickers got even worse, and to Padme's horror, she saw a tear fall down Jobal's cheek. Jobal stopped in the middle of her speech and ran off the stage.

Ryoo started to get up to follow Jobal, but Padme stopped her. "Let me," she whispered. After all she knew more than Ryoo what it was like when people laughed at you. She got up and went to the backstage. It took a while, climbing over all the props but she finally found Jobal hiding behind a painted meadow scene.

"Hey Jojo," Padme said softly as she sat down next to her niece. The little girl had brought her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. When she lifted her face to look at her aunt, Padme felt her heart break when she saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Oh sweetie." She opened her arms and Jobal immediately went into them. She sobbed into Padme's shoulder as Padme did her best to comfort her by rubbing her back.

"They were all (hic) laughing at me and (hic) I lost my words," Jobal hiccupped.

"I'm sorry, Jojo," Padme whispered. She pulled back to look at her niece's face, brushing some of the hair that was in her face back. "Maybe you'll do better next time," Padme encouraged.

Jobal shook her head. "No I'm never doing that again," she sighed.

Padme sighed. She didn't have the heart to tell Jobal that she was going to have to for future assignments, so she settled with just holding her until Ryoo and the Naberries found them.

That night as they were heading back home, Padme thought about her niece's performance. It made her think about all of the times she would speak in front of her classes. Of course she was nervous every time she spoke in front of people but after a while it had faded a little. The worst times for her would be when she spoke about Gungan Rights. Padme could remember the first time she had spoken in front of people she had been a little younger than Jobal and it had been for a play. Her mother had helped her practice for the auditions, and when she got one of the main parts her mother would help her practice. Of course, Padme wasn't Hane, and she wasn't Jobal's mother. She was her aunt, and Jobal was very different from Padme.

000{{*}}000

The next day, Padme was working on some of Lady Veruna's papers, some of her holiday spirit for the upcoming Fete gone.

Servants were rushing to hang decorations everywhere in the palace, security was busy making sure none of the gifts coming in were bombs to be given to the queen, and everyone was trying to get time off for Fete.

Padme had so much on her mind with upcoming finals and assignments due before the end of the semester, and she still hadn't found any presents to give her parents to give to her family, the Naberries, and friends. She had been saving for a while from helping Winama at her shop so she would be able to buy everyone a present. Her main concern for the time being was getting through the finals and surviving Lady Veruna's temper lately.

"Padme," the sound jerked Padme from her thoughts.

She looked up to see Gregor looking down at her, holding her keycard in his hand. "Pooja asked me to return this to you. Said you dropped it as you were leaving last night," he said, and Padme could swear that there was amusement in his eyes despite the stone look on his face.

"Well… thank you," Padme said, before taking the keycard and putting it in her pocket.

Gregor placed his hands on her desk and leaned in a bit. Padme looked at him, a little worried as he spoke in a more quiet tone, "You know I was on monitor duty last night, and on the Queen's floor, I saw an interesting figure leave Lady Veruna's bedchamber in a stunning white gown." There was a teasing note in his voice. "Someone who looked an awful lot like you."

Padme shifted in her seat uncomfortably, and Gregor grinned before he chuckled. Soon, Padme was grinning too.

"You know guarding the queen and the Royal Council isn't my only job. I'm also to report people misbehaving, and there's only one thing that'll keep my mouth shut," Gregor tapped a spot on his cheek.

That finally drew an open laugh from Padme. "Now, Gregor Panaka what would Lane say?" she asked before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"I'll buy her a jaded gown from Winama's so she doesn't say anything," Gregor responded.

They laughed.

"A little bird told me you've been down lately even with the first snow of the season," Gregor said.

"What? Really?" Padme looked at the window to see that he was right. She had been so focused on her work she hadn't noticed the flurry of snowflakes falling down, covering the gardens outside in a thin white blanket. "I hadn't realized it," she said in awe.

"A perfect day for some hot chocolate," Gregor said, standing up. "I was on my way to the kitchens to fetch some if you want to join."

"Sure," Padme said, putting her files away and standing up from her desk. She hadn't realized she'd been sitting in that chair for three hours straight, causing her muscles to be a little stiff.

She and Gregor walked out of the offices, dodging people decorating as they headed towards the kitchens. The smell in the air was heaven, making Padme's stomach growl. She could already smell bread baking, nuna cooking, and snickerdoodles coming out of the oven. The Queen had managed to send the Trade Federation delegation away for the holiday, and was now entertaining ambassadors from Coruscant which explained why everything was in such a flurry.

Somehow, Gregor managed to get two cups of hot chocolate and a couple of cinnamon buns from one of the cooks before he and Padme were shooed out of the kitchens. Padme informed one of her fellow interns that she was taking a break before grabbing her cloak and heading outside with Gregor. The cold air felt refreshing after being cooped up in those stuffy offices as Padme and Gregor walked through the gardens, eating their cinnamon buns and drinking their hot chocolate.

"So have you figured out what to get the girls for Fete?" Padme asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"For Ro I'm thinking of getting her this stuffed wookie I saw at the toy store the other day…"

The next several minutes were spent exchanging gift ideas and plans for the holidays. Padme had finished her cinnamon bun, and drank half of her hot chocolate, and her cheeks were numb from the cold, but she was smiling. The stress and glum she had been feeling not just from Jobal's presentation the night before, but also the past several weeks dealing with school, her internship, and her mother's passing seemed to fade away as Gregor took her mind away from reality for a few minutes.

"Thank you, Gregor. I needed this break," Padme told him.

He smiled back at her. "You're welcome, Padme. I remember my first days on duty. It takes time to adjust, especially with what you've been dealing with this year."

Padme smiled sadly as tears began to sting her eyes. This would be her first Fete without her mother. It brought to mind memories of her mother baking in their small kitchen, decorating their house with simple but pretty decorations because they couldn't afford the fancy stuff they had here in Theed, and her mother sipping cafe as she watched her children and grandchild open their presents on Fete day.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Gregor's kind and understanding eyes. "I know. It doesn't go away, but it gets easier to deal with over time."

"Thank you Gregor. You're a good friend," Padme thanked him, wiping her eyes.

Gregor squeezed her shoulder.

They walked in silence for another minute before Gregor had to return to his duties. Padme decided to walk around for a few more minutes before she would have to return to Lady Veruna. For some reason, she was in a foul mood compared to her bubbly one the day before. Padme had the feeling it either had to do with Tapalo or Ars Veruna considering that the Trade Federation delegation had left.

She turned the corner around the snow covered shrubs and was startled when she nearly ran into someone. Not just someone.

Sheev Palpatine.

As always, he was dressed in his fine dark clothing that kept him warm from the cold. Padme was expecting the annoyance she usually felt, but to her surprise she didn't. Sheev seemed to lack the Fete spirit like she had earlier.

"Are we going to keep bumping into one another?" Padme asked with a grin.

Sheev hadn't seemed to have noticed her before because he looked up in surprise at her with an expression Padme couldn't decipher. For just a moment, they just stood there, staring at one another.

"It's snowing," Padme commented.

Sheev nodded.

Padme shifted uncomfortably. "Back home in Claines, my sister and I would play in the snow until Mama or Mammy called us in, and we would drink hot chocolate," she rambled awkwardly, but still Sheev remained silent. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," he grumbled.

"I don't get you," Padme blurted out. "One moment when I see you, you're teasing me, and the next you act like I kicked your voorpack. What's really bothering you?"

She worried that when he turned away from her he was going to leave without answering her, but instead he brushed off the snow from the stone bench nearby and sat down. Padme took that as an invitation and sat down next to him, sipping her cooling hot chocolate as she patiently waited for him to speak.

She was thinking of leaving and going back to work when Sheev spoke, "My father's mistress is back in court, and he sent my mother back home in the Lake Country."

Padme winced, setting her mug down on her lap.

She had heard this morning that Lady Regina Costil had come to the palace to spend Fete with her brother Reggie, along with many other nobles. She felt compassion for Sheev and his mother the Lady Dreann Palpatine. Winama had once told her that one of the important factors in the affairs of the nobles was discretion. It seemed Lord Cosinga Palpatine had no skill nor care at keeping his affair with the Lady Costil discreet, therefore embarrassing his family and making his wife the object of ridicule and pity to everyone at court.

"Is it just you and your father here in court?" she asked gently.

"Yes," came Sheev's cold reply.

That was probably even worse. Padme couldn't imagine being stuck in a house with a man like Cosinga Palpatine by herself. It was no wonder Sheev's mood was cranky.

"Why don't you come to dinner tonight?" Padme asked before she even thought of it.

Sheev looked at her confused.

Padme felt her cheeks redden as she explained to him, "I mean it might be crowded. It's me, my sister, my niece, and the Naberries, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a guest."

Sheev looked at her, and Padme worried that he would sniff at her and leave. She was actually surprised when Sheev nodded and said, "Sure."

A smile broke on her face. "Really? You'll come?"

"I said sure. Not like I have anything better to do," Sheev told her.

"Alright, we usually eat at six. That is… if your father won't mind," she said, a little worried about getting Sheev into trouble with Lord Palpatine.

Sheev scoffed. "My father won't care. He'll be too busy."

Padme had the feeling it wasn't with work he was talking about.

"Well, I'm done working for Lady Veruna at 1700. We can meet at the servants' entrance and we'll walk to my house," she said, smiling.

It took a moment, but then Sheev shared her smile. It wasn't a full smile, but it was a smile all the same.

"Padme!"

She turned her head to Dane at the edge of the garden, looking for her.

"I have to go. I'll see you tonight?" Padme asked hopefully as she stood up.

Sheev nodded.

Padme smiled even as she ran to join Dane. When she turned her head back, Sheev was still sitting on the bench looking at her.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Padme smiled as she hung up the painting Pooja had given to her for her birthday at the head of her bed. It was a beautiful imagery of the Pixie Padme surrounded by light and nature, holding her hand out to the dark spirit Wraith even while he was surrounded by darkness. Padme thought the painter did an amazing job painting their hands reaching out but never touching.

She turned her head around to see the by laying on her bed, looking at her with a rare smile he bestowed only to her.

"It's a nice painting, but I don't remember that depiction in the story," he said, his blue eyes shining with curiosity.

Padme smiled. "That's because there are different versions to the Pixie and Wraith," she said, laying down on the bed next to him, her face just inches away from his.

"The tale people tell their children is just one version of the story. In many versions, Padme the Pixie and Wraith are lovers," she whispered in a sultry voice.

Her own lover grinned at her. "Your Mammy tell you this when you were a little girl?"

Padme laughed. "No, my mythology teacher did. You'd be amazed of the stories you'd hear in that class by not falling asleep."

The man chuckled.

"My favorite version of them is when they meet under Shiraya's full moon when the other pixies would be asleep, and Wraith's master Ral would not dare come out and challenge the Goddess. Under Shiraya's light in the darkness the lovers would meet in secret until one night another dark spirit named Sidious saw them together and grew jealous of their love. He told Master Ral that Wraith had been seduced into betraying him by the pixie Padme. Maser Ral did not like this betrayal, but did not wish to kill his favorite servant, and he could not kill Padme under Shiraya's watchful eye, so on the night of the full moon Master Ral sent Sidious out in Wraith's place. Sidious disguised himself with a cloak so that Padme would not recognized him. When he met under the full moon, Padme was worried because there was something different about the spirit who met her that night. When Sidious pulled her into his arms, she recognized him and immediately tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. Then Wraith came to the clearing and his heart broke in anguish seeing his love in the arms of another, not knowing the truth in it. Jealousy and anger burned him, believing his love to be unfaithful, he took out a knife and mortally stabbed her.

"Sidious released her and revealed his deception, laughing and gloating before he disappeared into the dark forest. Heartbroken for what he did, Wraith could only hold the dying Padme in his arms and beg for her forgiveness. Padme touched his face and whispered her final words, 'Those who betray others, betray only themselves, my love." With those final words, Padme the Pixie died and dissolved into glittering dust. Wraith howled in agony, begging to see his love again. Shiraya, who had seen everything happen, came down from the heavens and took pity on the dark spirit. Gathering the dust that had once been Padme, she promised Wraith that he would see his love again, but because he allowed his jealousy and anger to blind him, he would never be allowed to touch her again. So she took the dust and returned to the heavens where a red star appeared next to her. From that day forth, Wraith could see his love among the stars but could never touch her again," Padme finished the story, looking at her lover's face with her kind brown eyes.

"Wow. Wraith got farkled didn't he?" he said.

Padme snorted, rolling her eyes a bit.

"It's different from the version you usually hear."

"I think that's because the storyteller's wanted to focus more on Padme's compassion and how she helped the children of Naboo survive, not how she loved a creature many considered a nightmarish monster," Padme said.

She placed a hand on her lover's face and caressed his cheek. He smiled tenderly at her. Reaching out, he pulled out the comb in her hair. The golden pixie on the comb looked very much like the Pixie Padme in the painting. However, as he looked closer at it, he noticed the tiny red jeweled flower in the pixie's hand. He looked at Padme, question in his eyes.

She smiled at him."Padme means red flower."

Setting the comb aside, he ran his fingers through her hair as he looked deep into her eyes. Leaning in, Padme touched her lips to his. Sparks shot through her, electrifying her as he kissed her back, moving his weight onto her as the kiss grew more passionate.

The pixie comb laid forgotten at the head of the bed under the painting of Padme and Wraith.

The image changed to a room of fire and death. The man was in the middle of it, hair plastered to his sweaty skin from the heat. Bodies surrounded him burned and mutilated. Ash filled the air, making it hard to breath.

The man looked through the carnage and fire until he saw it. The comb that was always worn with such love and care by its owner laid in the rubble and ash as fire burned around it.

He roared in anguish-

Anakin woke up, gasping for breath. It took him a moment to look around, remember where he was, and to see Padme asleep next to him before he calmed himself down. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't awoken his wife. She was already going through a lot and she needed whatever sleep she could get.

Looking at the chrono next to him, he realized it was a little after 0600. Realizing it was no use getting more sleep, he got up, careful not to wake Padme, and went to the fresher. Splashing water onto his face and continuing with his morning routine, he thought about the dream he had. He recognized Padme Lydonia from the holos he had seen, and the man with her her boyfriend. He had never heard their voices, had no way of knowing what their voices sounded like. Padme Lydonia's voice sounded similar to his Padme's voice with more of a mountain accent. Her boyfriend's however sounded smooth and masculine, and yet...so familiar Anakin wanted to know why. The dream had felt so real, like a vision. Anakin searched his feelings and felt the truth, but why? And how?

He finished getting dress and decided to take a walk around the Lasara home. It was a nice home, but the red walls and carpets reminded Anakin too much of the times he would visit Palpatine in his offices. He decided to go outside where he could get fresh air and no one would see this early in the morning. The sun was rising, and the wall surrounding the garden was twice his height, preventing any nosy neighbors from seeing him.

He was glad to find the garden empty and no Ferus Olin in sight. Despite the truce they seemed to have made from the fiasco at Varykino and the suspicions of a possible traitor in their group, Anakin still didn't trust him. For all he knew Ferus could have saved his life and helped him return here just to gain his trust. His shields were so strong that if Anakin tried to pry through them, Ferus would know and that could alert him. So Anakin had no way to be sure other than to trust the Force.

The garden was beautiful even this time of year. There was a fountain in the middle of it, and there were fading flowers Anakin recognized from Naboo lilies to Corellian daisies. Despite the cold weather, Anakin felt like he was back on Coruscant in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or one of the planets he and Obi-wan had visited throughout the years.

Sitting down on a stone bench, Anakin crossed his legs and closed his eyes in meditation. It was kind of funny that six months in exile on Tatooine succeeded where a decade of training under Obi-wan Kenobi didn't: teaching Anakin the patience of meditation. Anakin tried to think over his dream of Padme Lydonia and her boyfriend. The happiness and love he felt in the first part then the anguish he felt in the end. He knew deep down Padme Lydonia and her boyfriend had something to do with Ryoo's death and some connection to Malorum but what? What was he missing?

Anakin suddenly felt his insides freeze and felt a dark presence in the Force so powerful it threatened to drown him. There was only one person powerful enough to shake him like that. Anakin's eyes shot open, and he looked in surprise and alarm at what he saw in front of him.

Darth Sidious.

Springing to his feet, he took out his lightsaber and ignited it into the Sith lord. Anakin couldn't believe it when the Emperor didn't even twitch like he did all those months ago when Anakin tried to kill him. Taking his lightsaber out Anakin realized that the Sith Lord wasn't real. Was he a vision? Or was this some kind of trick?

The dark lord merely cocked an eyebrow. He looked like a living corpse to Anakin filled to core with darkness that Anakin wondered how he or anyone else were convinced that he had been the kind old man they believed him to be for years. The attacks and injuries Anakin and Mace Windu had inflicted on him months ago had certainly not helped his appearance.

"You're not real," Anakin said, trying to convince himself.

Sidious grinned maliciously. "Oh, but I am. I'll always be real in your mind."

Anakin felt the darkness creeping into him the same way he had been fighting these last two days. He shook his head. "No. I will not let you in my head again."

"Curious," Sidious hissed. "I can see you, but nothing else. I know you are here on Naboo, but where are you?"

He closed his eyes, and Anakin felt his presence digging into his mind. Gritting his teeth, Anakin threw his shields up and fought Sidious. He was so strong Anakin struggled not to let him in and see everything. Memories of the battles fought six month ago flashed in his mind.

The attack on the Jedi Temple.

The Clone troopers he fought side by side with that he was forced to kill.

The dying younglings he was forced to abandon.

The resigned faces of the Jedi who stayed behind.

The failed attack Anakin initiated, causing him to be tortured by Sidious until Obi-wan and Yoda rescued him.

Padme in labor.

No! Anakin gathered the Force and pushed Sidious out. Hard! He could feel the Sith Lord's surprise but he didn't stop. 'You wanted to know where I am? What secrets I'm carrying? Let me return the favor.' He shoved hard into Sidious' mind.

He was in the throne room in Theed Palace Anakin realized. He wasn't alone either. Anakin saw Mas Amedda and Sly Moore talking several feet away, and at a distance, he saw Malorum glaring impatiently through one of the windows.

'Impressive,' he heard Sidious snarl. He turned his head to see the Emperor sitting on the throne. "Your powers have grown stronger, and you've only scratched the surface. Imagine how much further we can go together," Sidious said.

"Is that why you had Ryoo Thule killed? Just to draw me out?" Anakin demanded.

"A tragedy but a necessary one," Sidious told him.

"Don't pretend you're actually sorry! Save the sarcasm! You never cared about anyone who had to die just so you could have power!" Anakin yelled at him.

Sidious grinned sickenly at him. "And you Skywalker have so much to lose. I can sense the fear, the anger, and suspicion from you. You are wise not to trust Ferus Olin."

"What?" Anakin asked, surprised.

"Ask Ferus all he learned when he was in our ranks these last six months. You may find it...enlightening." With that, Sidious vanished and Anakin was back in the Lasara garden.

He realized his lightsaber was still on and distinguished it. He turned around and realized also that during his confrontation he split the stone bench he had been sitting on. He would have to explain it to Eirtae and apologize to her.

He went back inside more rattled than he had been earlier. He entered the kitchen and was surprised to see Elle up, dressed, and drinking hot chocolate.

"Good morning," she said, taking a sip.

"Good morning. I didn't know anyone else was up yet," Anakin said, walking in.

"Just me. I couldn't get anymore sleep and it's hard when Motee snores like a Kryt Dragon," Ella said, smiling a bit.

Anakin chuckled.

"I just made a crock of hot chocolate if you want some." Elle pointed to the counter next to Anakin.

Anakin went and poured himself some, remembering the thick and rich hot chocolate Elle would make for him and Padme when he would come home at night. The drink warmed him up, chasing away any chill he had. He hadn't had any chocolate for six months. He sat down next to Elle at the kitchen island, drinking their hot chocolate.

Elle Okrest was Padme's youngest handmaiden, being three years younger than Anakin. He remembered her being shy and innocent when she started working for Padme a year-and-a-half ago, and keeping his and Padme's relationship a secret. He hoped to the Force she wasn't the traitor in their group. He sensed worry in her and that did not help him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine it's just…" she stumbled, looking at her mug. "Ever since the Empire came into power, people have been living in fear. What were once loyal friends are now suspicious enemies. People don't know how to live without worrying that they'll do something wrong. I just have this feeling that something terrible is going to happen."

Anakin felt the truth in her words and immediately felt guilty for suspecting her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Elle took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. You have more important thing to worry about than my fears."

Anakin's answer was automatic. "You're part of this Elle. it's okay to have fears and doubts. You just can't have them control your actions."

Elle smiled. "Thank you, Master Skywalker. I mean Anakin," she stammered. "Back on Coruscant you were like the older brother I never had."

Anakin smiled. He remembered, talking with her, learning that she had been born an only child whose mother had died during the Blockade and had to take care of her ailing father until he died when she was fourteen, and had been bullied a lot when she entered the Academy. She wasn't at all like Ahsoka, but she had given him that little sister vibe. They continued drinking their hot chocolate in silence, until they heard footsteps sounding in the hallway coming towards the kitchen.

Vatie came in looking bedraggled, still in her clothes from last night. She covered her mouth with her hand as a yawn escaped her, heading straight for the crock of hot chocolate.

"You look terrible," Elle said, sipping her drink.

"Fell asleep decrypting those files last night," Vatie said, her voice a little snappish before drinking her hot chocolate. She made a face. "It's a little early for chocolate isn't it?"

"The smell didn't point that out to you?" Elle raised an eyebrow.

"I'm so out of it, I just wanted some caffeine to wake me up. My father woke me up from my comm a few minutes ago, asking where I was since I didn't come home at all yesterday after the funeral. Had to tell him I spent the night at a friend's house," Vatie explained, taking another sip of her hot chocolate despite her earlier complaint.

Anakin was thinking for a moment. Vatie had been at the funeral longer than Divo had before she could have even heard from the handmaidens. Which meant that the traitor couldn't be
Vatie.

"Were you able to find anything from the files?" he asked her as she sat own across from him and Elle.

Vatie shook her head. "Nothing useful. The only witnesses that were in the files were Supe and Mari Costil. Everyone else had been in their homes preparing for supper. The Varykino servants had returned to their homes for the night after making Ryoo her supper when Malorum broke in."

Anakin sighed. He had been hoping to avoid going back to the lake country after yesterday's fiasco, but it looks more and more like they'll have to risk it eventually. These last two days the Force had been guiding him to all these decisions. He knew somehow that Padme Lydonia, her comb, and Pooja Janren were somehow linked to Ryoo Thule's death not just because she suspected him and Padme but something else. The question was what? He could only hope the answer wouldn't cost him the lives of his friends and family.

000{{*}}000

When Padme woke up, the Naboo sun was shining. She quickly got up and dressed.

If she remembered correctly, the best time to visit the Theed Care Center would be 1100 before they served lunch at noon. That would be the time when it had the least amount of visitors.

She put on a green long-sleeve dress that went to her knees and white leggings that Eirtae had loaned her. She hesitated before putting her mother's jade earrings back on. There was some comfort wearing something her mother had given to her, especially at times like this when she felt lost.

A knock sounded on her door and upon opening it, she discovered Sabe on the other side.

"Hey, everyone is downstairs and Eirtae's cooking some breakfast," she told Padme.

"Eirtae Lasara is cooking?" Padme asked incredulously as she and Sabe walked down the hallway.

"I know. That's what many of us thought the first time we saw her baking a surra cake, she's not so bad considering her family believes in hired cooks. After last night, she said the only people she trusts in her kitchen are Rabe and Elle," Sabe said, chuckling.

Padme chuckled as well. She remembered Rabe always bringing them meals during her time as queen, and Elle had to learn at a young age to cook and feed her father. They lapsed into silence as they walked down the stairs.

"I've missed you, Sabe," Padme said to her friend.

"I've missed you too. When we heard about the warrant for your arrest, we got so worried, especially when Motee and Elle told us about your condition," Sabe said.

Motee and Ella had been the only members of her staff that knew about her pregnancy and her relationship with Anakin. Padme felt a wave of guilt. She couldn't tell her friend all that had happened these last six months. The night before she and Anakin had a little argument about whether to tell her former handmaidens about Luke and Leia. Padme reluctantly agreed not to tell them. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friends, she trusted them with her life, but if one of them went into Imperial custody there was no guarantee if the information wouldn't slip from them, willingly or not. Padme gave Sabe an abridged version of the last six months, leaving out names of people and places and the gender of her baby.

By the time they made it to the kitchen, Padme could smell hot cakes, bantha sausages, cafe, and hot chocolate, and hear laughter. She looked through the doorway to see Elle pouring cups, Rabe flipping hot cakes, and Eirtae cooking the sausages. In the corner she could see Gregor and Ferus sipping cafe, and at the kitchen island she saw Anakin laughing with the others as Sache told them of the instance they tricked the Bothan ambassador into believing Sabe was the queen and Padme was simply her clumsy handmaiden for two weeks.

Just like that, Padme's heart warmed as she saw what seemed like the first time in a long time her husband smiling and laughing the way he did six months ago before everything changed and the weight of the galaxy fell on him. Sure, these last six months she had seen him laugh and smile with their children, but now he seemed so much like the carefree hotshot he was during the war. Padme missed him and didn't want that carefree image to go away anytime soon.

She finally joined in the fray, laughing as Sache told another instance that involved Captain Panaka's private speeder.

000{{*}}000

Anakin tried not to fidget uncomfortably in his disguise as he, Padme, and Yane walked down the streets towards the Theed Care Center.

After telling everyone of their plan to meet Pooja, Yane had volunteered to go with them, since she use to volunteer there before getting her medical degree. Now that his face was plastered all over the holonet, they had to come up with a different disguise for Anakin. Eirtae had found a red wig for him to wear and green contacts as well. Sabe offered to paint his face with a tattoo, but that's where Anakin drew a line. Red hair and green eyes were one thing, but a face tattoo would make him stand out too much. Typho had loaned him a spare uniform, and Sabe managed to cover the scar on his face that helped to identify him as the Hero with No Fear. Padme's disguise wasn't an elaborate change considering many women on Naboo looked similar to her, but she still wore a hood to help hide her features.

While they were visiting Pooja, everyone else had to return to their day jobs to avoid suspicion: Vatie at the holonet station, Rabe at the dance studio she worked at, Dorme who substituted at the Legislative Youth Program, and Eirtae, Gregor, Sache, and Sabe at the palace. Motee and Elle who were unemployed since Padme's disappearance, agreed to help Ferus continue the search for Malorum.

Anakin didn't tell anyone of his encounter with Palpatine earlier that morning. He didn't want Padme to worry about this, and Palpatine's taunts further reminded him not to trust anyone, especially Ferus. He didn't know why or how he was able to communicate with Sidious the way he did that morning. Any bond he would have had with the Sith Lord would have been destroyed six months ago when Obi-wan and Master Yoda taught him how to shield his and the twins' presence in the Force. Perhaps his encounter with Sidious at the funeral the day before reignited it? Whatever it was Anakin had to find a way to break it before he and Padme returned home.

The Theed Care Center was near the end of the city where they had a beautiful view of the waterfalls and landscape of Naboo. Upon entering, Anakin could feel the emotions coming off of the people living here. Some tired, some confused, some sad, and some regretful. They were in the last stage of their lives, waiting for death to come and claim them. Anakin cringed inwardly. At times the Force was like a blessing, allowing him to use it to save lives while in some cases it seemed like a burden when he could sense all the negative emotion around him.

Yane took them to the front counter and asked to see Pooja Janren.

"Relation?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm her great-niece Lume Janren, and this is my husband Owen," Padme explained, using the same accented voice she had used the other day.

The receptionist looked at the files for a moment. "Madame Janren will have returned from physical therapy by now, but I'm afraid she won't be up to any visitors today. Ever since news of Ryoo Thule's death reached her ears, her health has been deteriorating."

Padme felt fear and worry clutching her chest, and she struggled to keep it together. "How so?" she asked.

"She hasn't been eating well, and her memory has gotten worse if that's possible," the receptionist answered. "Just the other day, her grandson came in with his family and they all left in tears. I believe Madame Thule had been a friend of hers before her accident if I'm not mistaken. It happens to many elders who lose friends and loved ones as they grow older."

Anakin exchanged a worried glance with his wife. If Pooja's memory was really bad as the receptionist was saying, would she be able to tell them anything useful?

"Could you please let us see her?" Padme pleaded, making her eyes water with tears for effect. "I haven't seen her in a long time, and I've never even had the chance to introduce her to my dear Owen. I thought they should meet before she-" she stopped purposely, letting a tear fall down.

The receptionist looked at her in sympathy before sighing. "Well, if you absolutely insist. She should be taking her walk out in the greenhouse before her morning nap."

Yane remembered the way, taking Padme and Anakin down the hallways towards the greenhouse. They found Pooja being pushed around in a hoverchair by a medical droid. She seemed much older since the last time Padme had visited her. The last time being when she came with Sola and Darred when little Pooja had been born and they wanted to introduce her to her namesake. The elder Pooja had been beaming with delight. The doctors had managed to help her regain control of her arms and she was able to hold her youngest great-grandchild for the first time. Now, it seemed like much of the fight Pooja had to regain control of her body and mind had left her.

Yane agreed to stand guard while Padme and Anakin went to go talk to her. As they got closer to her, Padme could see the stark contrast between the woman in the holo with her great-aunt and the older woman before her. Her hair was completely white, and there were wrinkles all around her face, and in the holo while the young Pooja Janren had been brimming with life this older woman seemed like an empty shell of her.

The woman tilted her head towards Anakin and Padme as she heard them walk towards her. "Hello," she said calmly.

Padme stopped and Anakin nearly bumped into her, some of her courage leaving her as she stared at the woman she use to visit as a child. "Hello," she said back numbly.

"Can I help you, Madame? Sir?" the medical droid asked.

"We're just here to visit and talk," Anakin answered.

"Madame Janren likes to walk around the flowers before her morning nap," the droid said.

"We'll make sure she goes to her room before she gets too tired," Padme reassured it. "Could we talk to her for a bit?"

The droid left them, and Padme knelt down beside Pooja, looking at the flowers surrounding them. There were lotuses, daisies, roses, ryoos, rominarias, and poojas everywhere, reminding Padme of picnics spent with friends, family, and Anakin in fields surrounded by flowers such as these.

"Who are you?" Pooja asked, confused.

Padme looked up at her. "I'm Padme, Pooja. Padme Naberrie and this is my husband Anakin."

"Padme?" the woman asked.

Padme nodded. "Yes, Winama and Ryoo's granddaughter."

"Winama? Ryoo?" Pooja repeated. Tears suddenly filled her eyes.

"Ryoo's dead," the woman sobbed.

Padme grasped the woman's hand, hoping she could feel it. The bones were thin and the skin was soft. Padme could remember her grandma once mentioning that this woman could shoot a blaster with precision and fight rough against an assailment.

"I know Pooja," Padme said gently, tears springing to her eyes as well. "That's why I'm here. I need your help finding the person who killed her."

The woman looked at her in confusion. "How can I help?"

"The pixie comb Aunt Padme use to wear, do you remember it?" Padme asked.

"Comb? Padme?" the woman repeated, confused.

Anakin took out the holo of Pooja with Padme Lydonia that they had taken with them just in case. He handed it to Padme, and Padme showed it to Pooja. She pointed at the comb in her aunt's hair. "This comb."

Tears shed from Pooja's eyes and she shook her head so roughly Padme had to put her hands on Pooja's shoulders for fear the old woman would hurt herself.

"That blasted comb!" Pooja sobbed. "It survived the fires, but not poor Padme or anyone else."

The older woman cried, and both Padme and Anakin worried for her. After exchanging a worried glance, Anakin suggested, "Maybe we should take you to your room."

The woman took deep breaths, and Padme did her best to comfort her as she pushed her hoverchair out of the greenhouse. Yane helped them find her room where they would have more privacy, and hopefully Pooja would be more comfortable.

It was a quaint room for one occupant. There was a holonet, and a small bed big enough for Pooja to sleep on, and a small fresher. There were holos of family members on the dresser and paintings of Naboo hanging on the walls. As Anakin looked around the room, he felt his blood freeze when his eyes landed on one painting in particular.

Half of the painting showed nature and life surrounding a red figure that was shaped like a pixie. The other half was of darkness and decay surrounding a dark figure that reminded Anakin of a demon. Both figures were reaching out to one another but couldn't seem to touch. Anakin recognized the painting from the dream he had that morning. The dream where he saw Padme Lydonia and her mystery boyfriend. Walking over towards it, Anakin touched it and felt the past emotions associated with it: happiness, mourning, and regret. Maybe when Padme Lydonia had died the painting was given to Pooja as a keepsake.

Anakin turned his head back to Padme and Pooja who had settled beside the window. The old woman had calmed down, and Padme tried speaking to her again.

"I'm so sorry," Pooja said, her voice a little raspy from the crying. "I forget things. I forget a lot of things. Then I remember things I don't want to remember."

"So do we all," Padme assured her gently. "Just try your best."

"I sometimes muddle the past with the present," Pooja went on. "I could mistake you for Queen Celestine, and this young man here for Captain Blantyre."

Anakin raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

"Look at me, Pooja," Padme gently told her. "Your name is Pooja Janren. I'm Padme Naberrie. This is the twenty-second rotation of the eleventh cycle in the eight hundred-and-forty-ninth year of Naboo. I need you to tell me what you remember about my Aunt Padme's comb. It's important." padme hated pushing the old woman like this, but she needed to know why Malorum had wanted her aunt's comb. Her family's lives depended on it.

Pooja took a deep breath. "Your aunt loved wearing that comb. Your Grandma Winama had given it to her as a good luck charm when she started interning for Lady Dragon."

"Lady Dragon?" Padme asked.

Pooja laughed. "I'm sorry. Lady Veruna, that she-dragon who tried to act in her twenties instead of her fifties. Life in court is very dangerous. The men are slippery and the women even more so. In court, you hear and learn so many things: people having affairs, officials stealing from the monarch, and blackmailing each other. Everyone had enemies, even the servants."

Padme shuddered, remembering it being like that when Veruna had been king and she the Princess of Theed. It had been almost as bad as the Empire today. "The comb, Pooja," she gently reminded her.

Pooja nodded her head. "We tried to warn Padme. She was sixteen going on seventeen. Just a child. Too innocent for the schemes and ambitions of court, but she discovered the secrets, and those secrets got her killed."

"What secrets?" Anakin asked.

Fear appeared in Pooja's eyes. "I shouldn't say such things. Padme planned to tell the Queen one of them and they killed her. Killed them all before anything could be done about it."

Padme felt her stomach knotting in dread. "What did Padme know?"

"Too much," the woman said, shaking her head. "She knew who killed Celestine's niece, she knew about Lady Veruna's affair with Bon Tapolo, she knew about the blackmail between Ars Veruna and Reggie Costil, and Shiraya knows what else she knew. With the secrets she knew anyone would have wanted her dead."

"But Pooja, that was almost fifty years ago. Anyone whose secrets Padme knew would be dead or dying now," Padme.

Pooja frowned at her. "Then you've underestimated all your political enemies over the years, Padme. Your Aunt Padme knew secrets that could bring down the greatest families of Naboo. She dared not tell me, your grandfather Luke, or even her sister Ryoo for fear of what they would do to her. Only to Queen Celestine would she tell. That's why they killed and their allies. They got Padme and Celestine before they got them."

The room was quiet.

Anakin and Padme looked at the woman stunned by theses revelations. Padme's mind was reeling at this information.

Before they could ask Pooja more, the commlink Anakin had brought with him beeped.

"Someone's looking for Pooja. Get out of there. It's a Naboo officer," Yane's frightened voice responded.

Anakin and Padme quickly ran to the door, peeking out towards the hallway.

They were too late.

The person coming towards Pooja's room was Lieutenant Gregor Panaka.

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 66 bby

Padme could hardly contain the excitement bubbling inside her as her sister helped her style her hair for tonight. Tonight was the New Year masked ball at the palace, and she and Luke had been invited to go.

For her costume, Padme was going as the Pixie Padme she had been named after. Her dress was red and sleeveless made out of satin that flowed down Padme's form like a red waterfall with gold trimming around her waist. Attached to the back of the dress was a red silk train that sparkled in the light and served as the costumes wings. As for her hair Ryoo had arranged it with a circlet of red roses Jobal had helped them make into a fancy updo Padme had seen noblewomen do with strands of her dark hair curled down her neck. The pixie comb that she always wore had been polished and was gleaming in her hair amongst the roses. Winama had helped with her make up by painting her lips a dark red and brushing a gold and light red eyeshadow around her eyes, making Padme seem more ethereal than human. For the final touch she would be wearing a beaded red mask covering just the section of her eyes but enhanced the dark color of Padme's brown eyes. Overall, Padme loved her costume, and couldn't wait to attend her first official ball at Theed Palace.

"And done," Ryoo announced after inserting the final pin in her hair.

Padme stood to look at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't believe what she saw. The person she saw in the mirror was a beautiful woman who looked dainty and feminine but also possessed the power of a leader. Was that really her?

"You look beautiful, Padme," Ryoo said.

Padme turned towards her sister and smiled. It had taken weeks, but she, Winama, and Luke had managed to talk Ryoo into being Padme's plus one for the ball. As a newly made widow, Ryoo still had months of wearing black ahead of her according to tradition. However, since it was the New Year Winama managed to talk her into entering the New Year wearing something more colorful and hopeful.

Another thing that had been an issue was who was going to watch Jobal and Ruwee for the evening. For the Fete holiday, Mammy had come to Theed with Ruger Lydonia in the hopes that it would help his mental health. After the girls had left their village, it seemed Ruger's mind had taken a turn for the worse. He would forget his wife was dead and call out to her, asking where she was. When Mammy had brought their father here, it had broken both Ryoo and Padme's hearts to see him as a confused old man who sometimes mistook one of them for their dead mother. Mammy had insisted that she would be able to watch Ruger and the kids while Ryoo, Padme, and the Naberries celebrated the New Year at the palace.

Ryoo had her hair plaited and wore light makeup that highlighted her gray eyes. She still wore a dressing gown and had yet to put on her costume.

A grin appeared on her face, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "No doubt Sheev will think so too."

"Ryoo!" Padme explained.

Weeks ago when Padme had brought Sheev over for dinner, it set off a long line of teasing from Ryoo and Winama. It annoyed her to no end dealing with their questions every night she came home, asking if she had seen Sheev that day and if so what did they talk about. She had only brought him to dinner because she didn't think it right to eat alone in a big house with a man like Cosinga Palpatine for company. They were just friends, and Padme didn't have time to explore romance like a lovesick teenager. Besides she figured Ryoo and Winama were already plotting an arranged marriage between Ruwee and Jobal.

A knock sounded on the door, and Winma came in dressed in her gold and white Queen Yram costume. "Hey, you ladies about ready?"

"Almost," Padme answered, looking at her sister condescendingly and amusingly. "Somebody's not dressed yet."

Ryoo glared playfully at her. "Could I help it that your hair is so thick I had problems fixing it?"

Winama laughed. "I'll help you . you go on downstairs, Padme. You look amazing by the way."

Padme felt her cheeks blush from the appraisal even as she thanked Winama and headed downstairs where everyone was waiting. She could hear laughter in the parlor, and peaking around the corner she could see Mammy teaching Jobal and Ruwee how to knit gloves, or trying to with Ruwee. Luke was standing there in his chocolate brown King Jafan costume, grinning and even her father was smiling.

Jobal looked up from her knitting and her eyes widened when she saw Padme. "Aunt Padme?"

All eyes turned on her in surprise and Padme felt herself blushing under such stares.

"My goddess, little Pixie, you look bewitching!" Mammy exclaimed. "All those males at Theed Palace will need to be in check around you."

Padme laughed.

"Where' Mama?" Jobal asked.

"My date needed some help getting ready. She'll be done in a minute," Padme said, smiling.

"You look real beautiful Padme. Let me go get your mother so she can see this," Ruger said, starting to get up from his chair. The happy mood in the room dimmed, and the smile on Padme's face disappeared.

"That's alright, Papa," Padme assured him as Luke stopped him from getting up. "I'll make sure she sees me before we leave," she lied.

Footsteps sounded on the footsteps behind her, thankfully interrupting the saddened mood.

"Golly look at Mama," she heard Jobal gasp.

Ryoo looked amazing in her nymph costume. A light pink silk gown that made Ryoo's tanned skin glow with flower glass jewelry made her look like a radiant being of nature as she stepped down the stairs with Winama behind her. A smile beamed on her face as she walked over towards her family.

"You're a vision, Ryoo Pettle," Mammy breathed.

"Why thank you," Ryoo said, her cheeks blushing pink.

Mammy insisted that they they all take a holo with Ruger and the children before they leave. After that while they were getting their cloaks, Ryoo made Jobal promise to behave and go to bed when Mammy told them to. Jobal made Padme promise to tell her everything that happened that night: what the ballroom looked like, what did everyone wear, and what the Queen looked like. Padme promised to tell her in the morning.

It was snowing that night, and the air was frigid cold. Padme huddled next to Ryoo in the hovercarriage Luke had hired for the night, bundled in the blankets the driver had given to them. As they rode in the carriage, Padme could see crowds gathered around the palace, despite the cold weather, ready to celebrate the new year when it arrive.

When they made it into view of the palace, Padme couldn't believe the spectacular scene in front of her. The palace gleamed and shined in the dark in a gold and red hue of colors. People gathered around the roads where speeders and hovercarriages escorted members of court to the front stairs leading to the palace's entrance. It was all so magical that Padme felt like a princess from a fairytale.

When their hovercarriage stopped in front of the stairs, with masks in place, Luke escorted the three women out, and together they traveled up towards the grand entrance. Padme felt a wave of excitement rush through her mixed with a hint of worry. It was almost nerve wracking when she thought about. Here she was the daughter of mountain farmers being escorted up the staircase into the Palace of Theed where the Queen herself resided in as if she were a noblewoman herself.

After removing their cloaks and handing them to a serving droid, Padme and her sister followed Luke and Winama down the hallway into the ballroom. It was amazing how different the palace was during the day compared to the night. Padme was always impressed every time she walked the halls during the day, but tonight when everything was shining and beautifully displayed it was awe-inspiring.

The ballroom doors opened, and Padme was swept away in a sea of color. From the lightest to the darkest, and from the simplest to the most extravagant, people were dressed in gowns of numerous colors and costumes from the myths and folklore legends of Naboo. Women laughed and gossip as their gowns and jewels sparkled under the lights glowing from the crystal chandeliers. Men roared in laughter drinking from glasses of champagne and alcohol, not caring about anything but celebrating and having a good time. Couples twirled around the ballroom, their cloaks and dresses swishing as music sounded around the room from an orchestra hidden on the high level above the ballroom floor.

Padme stuck close to Ryoo and the Naberries as Luke led them through the throng of people to, Padme realized, the Queen.

Queen Celestine sat on a throne overlooking the ballroom as she greeted her numerous guests. She was dressed in a gown of silver and white with pink and ruby jewels glowing around her neck and sleeves that looked stiff and heavy to Padme, and she wore an elaborate headdress Padme recognized as Shiraya. Through the traditional Nubian makeup of white paint with the red circles on the cheeks and the scar of remembrance, Padme could see the features of Nadie Cesare: her heart shaped face, her button nose, and brown-gray eyes, behind the mask of Queen Celestine. She looked beautiful, but uncomfortable in such lavish material, making Padme feel sorry for her. Instead of dancing and enjoying herself like her subjects were doing she was forced to sit down in an elaborate gown and never move. What torture!

Padme was in such awe that she didn't realize they were getting closer until Ryoo nudged her. Padme took a deep breath and gulped a bit as Luke introduced them to the monarch of Naboo.

Celestine smiled as Luke's group came up to her. "Councilor Naberrie, I am pleased to see you here at this joyous occasion as well as your beautiful as your entourage."

Luke bowed to her, Winama, Ryoo, and Padme following him in curtsies. "I am pleased to be here, Your Highness. Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Madame Winama Naberrie, our dear friend Madame Ryoo Thule, and her sister Miss Padme Lydonia who is also an intern to the Lady Veruna here at the palace."

Celestine raised a dark eyebrow before placing her gaze on Padme. "Really?"

Padme tried not to shift uncomfortably under the Queen's eyes, her cheeks reddening.

"Yes, Your Highness," she answered, bowing humbly to her.

Celestine smiled gently at her. "I've actually heard a great deal about you from Lady Veruna herself. I look forward to seeing you more."

Padme felt herself smiling back at her. "Thank you, Your Highness."

As they left, Padme finally noticed the handmaidens dressed in red standing behind and beside the Queen. One of those handmaidens was Pooja Janren who had a wide grin on her face.

Pretty soon, Padme was swept up in the celebrations. Men asked her to dance, and Padme found that whatever nerves she had upon entering the palace evaporate as she enjoyed herself among the elite of Naboo. She was having the time of her life.

Soon she found herself dancing in the arms of Councilor Tie Bibble. He was a nice looking man with red hair and a charming smile, and he was pretty funny too. She discovered that he was the uncle of her classmate Sio Bibble, and that the young boy had talked a lot about her to his uncle.

"I believe he has a crush on you, my dear Miss Lydonia," Tie teased.

Padme laughed as they swirled around the dance floor. "That's very sweet of him, but I'm afraid there's not much to admire about a girl who's often ridiculed in class."

"You have courage and resilience, and from what Luke has told me, you are a hard worker. We need more politicians like you," Tie told her.

Padme felt herself blushing as they finished the dance and the crowd applauded the orchestra. She had not been expecting all the praises she had received this night, from Councilor Bibble to the Queen herself. She was just a farm girl turned intern for Lady Veruna, nobody important.

Tie offered her refreshment and she accepted, walking with him over to the refreshment tables. As they did so, Tie talked with Padme on some of the issues he and a few other councilors were dealing with in regards to the Trade Federation, and the two fractions led between Bon Tapolo and Ars Veruna against Reggie Costil and Cosinga Palpatine. The two parties were causing tremendous distress on the Queen, especially with the elections coming up in a year and the Queen's second term coming towards an end.

"Many of the council members wish to keep Celestine in office because if she goes Tapolo or Costil will be the next monarch and Shiraya forbid what damage either of them will cause. However, if we allow Celestine to remain in office what example are we setting for fututre generations in the preservation of democracy?" Tie explained.

Padme could understand where he was going. Despite the struggles, Celestine had improved Naboo's economy, building projects for people to work on, increasing the salary of miners, and supporting the nature reserves of millions of acres of Naboo. If she stepped down Tapolo or Costil could undo all her hard work.

They reached the refreshment table where Tie got her a glass of sparkling surra cider.

Tie looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Speak of one of the devils and he'll appear."

Padme followed his gaze, turning around to see that Cosinga Palpatine had arrived, his mistress at his arm. The man and woman were dressed in smoky colors of purple. Regina Costil's dress was cut low, revealing a generous amount of her bosom with strings of Nubian pearls dangling down her neck. It disgusted Padme. The immodesty and displayed wealth even though she had seen other women dressed similar here at the ball.

As Lord Palpatine and Lady Costil made their way to greet the Queen, Padme saw Sheev behind them in a dark costume. Of course he was wearing a mask that covered his entire upper face, but she recognized his built and gait as he followed his father towards the Queen.

Politely excusing herself from Tie, Padme headed over towards Sheev as he separated himself from his father. She followed him to a pillar a little away from the crowds.

"If you're trying to sneak up on someone, you're doing a lousy job," Sheev said to Padme.

Padme narrowed her eyes at him. "I just wanted to wish you a happy new year. I haven't exactly talked with you these last several days."

After that night at dinner, Padme had been spending more of her free time with him just talking as they walked around the palace gardens and streets of Theed. She learned that he loved to fly his speeder, and he learned that Padme loved reading books on Naboo folklore. During that time Padme had hoped to call them friends. He didn't hesitate to point out her flaws, and yet he wasn't trying to be mean. Padme cared about him as confusing as that was.

Sheev's eyes softened a bit under his mask as he gazed down at her.

Padme then realized something. "Are you dressed up as Wraith?" she asked, shocked.

Sheev chuckled. "Yes, since you love stories of Padme the Pixie and Wraith so much I thought it wouldn't hurt to dress up as him."

Padme couldn't find any words to say. She was speechless.

Sheev's blue eyes traveled down her form, and Padme felt her cheeks blushing. It wasn't a lustful look she had seen other men throw at her tonight, but it was something she couldn't describe.

"You look beautiful," Sheev said.

Padme blushed more, looking down at her red slippers. "Thank you. You too. I mean-I-you look handsome," she stumbled.

Sheev smiled at her. Not the teasing or cocky one she was use to seeing but a genuine smile.

She felt her heart skip a beat. She barely heard the announcement to take off their masks and the countdown for the new year. When she didn't move a muscle, Sheev leaned forward taking her mask off, his eyes never leaving hers as took his own off as well. In those few moments, Padme Lydonia the Pixie and Sheev Palpatine the dark spirit looked into each other's bare souls as a force brought them closer together.

Sheev's lips touched Padme's and she thought fireworks went off. She wasn't expecting this, but she wasn't disappointed either. Euphoric bliss rushed through her, her arms snaking around Sheev's neck and his around her waist. They stayed that way, locked in a passionate growing kiss even as everyone around them celebrated the new year.

When they finally separated, Padme was smiling as was Sheev.

"Happy New Year, Sheev."

"Happy New Year, Padme."

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Anakin and Padme looked at each other in worry. They had nowhere to run. They could only hide. They couldn't risk being found out yet so they hid in Pooja's closet.

"Don't let him know we're here," Padme begged Pooja in a quiet whisper before closing the door until there was only a crack for her and Anakin to peak through.

The old woman looked at the closet startled before her bedroom door opened, drawing her attention away from the Skywalkers. Padme watched as Pooja's changed to a delighted expression as Gregor Panaka appeared.

Through the crack Padme could only see Lieutenant Panaka's back as he passed the closet door and kneeled down to hug Pooja. It was cramped in the closet with all the clothing in it, and Anakin was pressing against her, trying to look over her shoulder through the crack.

Pooja was smiling as she hugged the lieutenant. "It's so good to see you, Gregor. If I had known you'd be coming for a visit I would have cancelled my appointments today," she said as they seperated.

Padme couldn't see Lieutenant Panaka's face, but she suspected that he was smiling. "I just felt the need to see you today. These last several days have been hell."

Padme saw Pooja's smiling face turn into instant concern. "Is everything alright? Goodness me, Tapolo hasn't been causing more trouble has he? I swear the new members of the Royal Council are a bunch of brainless voorpacks to allow him to stay in office," Pooja's voice was laced with annoyance, bitterness, and a little sadness.

Gregor shook his head. "Thankfully no. Tapolo hasn't been causing any trouble for a while.

Relief filled Pooja's face. "Well that's a relief. Oh, do sit down, Gregor. You look worn out."

The lieutenant sat down in a chair near her.

Anakin tried to watch through the crack a bit, but struggled to balance in not pushing into Padme and falling backwards into the clothing.

"The woman at the front counter told me you were receiving visitors?" Gregor asked. Anakin and Padme could hear the suspicion in his tone. "Your great-niece and her husband?"

Pooja laughed. "Oh, Gregor. I know I'm considered old for a handmaiden, but I'm not old enough to have a great-niece yet. Although, I did see the Queen and Captain just a few minutes ago. The Queen dismissed us so that she could discuss the security details for this summer in private if you know what I mean." There was a mischievous tint in her voice.

Padme wasn't sure if it was Pooja's memory loss or if she was such a great actress, but she was grateful that Pooja hadn't revealed anything to the retired guard.

"The nurse said family was visiting you. Are you alright?" Lieutenant Panaka asked.

"Oh, of course I'm alright, Gregor. My ex may be an abusive son of a bantha to me, but he would never harm me in front of our daughter, and certainly not in front of my mother. I was just so happy he let me see my little girl. She's grown up so much..." Pooja carried on.

It seemed that she was living in a different time period as she talked. Anakin could sense a lot of feelings from the old lieutenant, but it was mostly concern. The man cared a great deal for the old woman despite her amnesiac condition and was worried for her. He remembered Panaka mentioning during the funeral of being friends with Ryoo's sister Padme Lydonia. Lydonia had been friends with both Pooja and Panaka so that explained some things. However, if he was here and worried about Pooja maybe he knew more about what Malorum was really after. He refocused his attention when Pooja brought up the name Padme.

"She's been so stressed lately. I know she's about to graduate and she's worrying about finals and of course Lady Dragon isn't being very helpful, but I would have thought spending time with Sheev would have helped would have helped her being more… carefree. He seems to always bring a smile to her face," Pooja said.

Anakin felt his eyes widened the same time he felt a flash of anger and hatred in Panaka.

Sheev. That had to be the name of Lydonia's secret boyfriend.

"Sheev's not the good boy you think he is, Pooja," Panaka coldly stated. "Far from it."

"Oh, Gregor, don't tell me you're judging the poor boy based on his father's actions. It's not his fault," Pooja told him.

Anakin's eyes narrowed. Gregor didn't correct Pooja of the timeline she was actually in, but Anakin could sense his frustration in her not understanding what time he was in. He didn't want to upset her, but what was it he was trying to talk to her about?

Anakin heard Panaka sigh before he got up with a painful grunt. "Well, it was good to see you again, Pooja. I just wanted to see if you were doing well and nobody had come here to harm you," he said.

"Harm me?" Pooja squawk in alarm. "Whatever for? I am a simple handmaiden of Her Highness. I have her ear, but I simply guard and serve her. Nothing more."

Gregor patted her arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have alarmed you, but things are no longer safe here in Theed. I don't know when it will be again."

Anakin looked down at Padme to see what she thought of this, but her eyes were focused on Gregor and Pooja.

A knock sounded on the door, startling all the occupants in the room. It opened to reveal a nurse. "Madame Janren, it's time for lunch."

"I'll take you to the cafeteria before I leave," Gregor volunteered, steering Pooja's hoverchair out of her bedroom.

"Thank you, Gregor. You will visit again soon won't you?"

"I most certainly will," Gregor promised.

They left the room with the nurse. When the bedroom door closed, Padme and Anakin finally stepped out of the cramp closet.

What were they to make of all this?

000{{*}}000

Yane was called by her mother for a family emergency, leaving Anakin and Padme on their own in the streets of Theed. Padme made sure her hood hid her face as Stormtroopers passed by while she and Anakin walked down the streets of Theed. She could remember when she was young walking down these same streets with her family, skipping with her sister Sola as the sun shined on her face. Now, she walked them fearfully with her husband, hoping that no one would recognize them.

Anakin was worried also as they walked. He couldn't believe how many Stormtroopers there were, and even more to his surprise how many he recognized. Clones were all identical to normal civilians, but Anakin had fought side-by-side with them for years to be able to tell the difference between them. He recognized members from the 104th battalion and even some from the 212th. He hoped they wouldn't run into anyone under the 501st. He also hoped that his disguise would keep him hidden in the crowds. So far it seemed to be working, but Anakin couldn't wait till they were back in the Lasara house.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get anything out of Pooja," Anakin said to Padme.

"I know, Anakin. I knew there was a small chance that she would have been able to tell us something, but I still hoped…" Padme trailed. She felt like she kept hitting a wall and coming no closer to finding out why her grandmother had been killed.

"I was a little surprised to see Lieutenant Panaka there," Anakin admitted as they entered the market area filled with carts of food, clothing, and other items despite the cold weather.

"He mentioned being friends with my great-aunt at my grandmamma's funeral. He could have been a mutual friend with Pooja through her. They were also members of Queen Celestine's security, so it would have made sense if they were close friends," Padme reminded him.

Her mind kept thinking over what Pooja had said to her before Panaka came in. Secrets. Her aunt had apparently died because she knew the secrets of some very powerful people. Padme could understand that. When she was queen then senator she had discovered some important secrets that were worth killing over. What secrets had her aunt known that would be so important to Palpatine today? Padme's eyes widened as she remembered something her grandmamma had once told her.

"Ani, I think I know why Malorum wants-" she cut off when she and Anakin saw several yards ahead of them Captain Panaka, her former chief of security ordering Stormtroopers to search the area.

Anakin grabbed her hand, and they squeezed through carts and hurried down an alleyway. Anakin saw a side door and immediately opened it and they went in.

The two of them realized that they had gone into a bar with some of Theed's few criminals and offworlders.

Padme recognized some of them as bounty hunters and realized that they had gone from the frying pan and into the oven.

"Stay calm," Anakin whispered in her ear, even though he was a little nervous himself as they walked further into the bar. He thought he recognized Cad Bane in the corner sipping a beverage. Word must have gotten out really fast that Anakin Skywalker was on Naboo. If he was honest, he was surprised there weren't more bounty hunters in here given the price the Empire was asking for him. Although, it was early afternoon, maybe the other bounty hunters were out hunting.

"Ani," Padme whispered nudging her head toward the bar counter.

Anakin recognized their pilot Karrde with a bottle of Corellian whiskey.

Sensing eyes on him, the smuggler turned around and saw them. At first he squinted his eyes wondering where he'd seen them, but then he smirked, beckoning with his head for them to join him. Anakin and Padme came over and sat down next to him, Anakin keeping an eye out for all the bounty hunters in the room.

"Wasn't expecting to run into you during your stay until we leave… Senator." Even though he spoke in a volume too low for anyone else to hear, Padme reached into her cloak where she's hidden her blaster, and Anakin where he hid his lightsaber.

"Relax both of you," Karrde told them. "As nice as that bounty is on either of your heads, we had a deal. However, given that we're in a bar of bounty hunters and how much trouble you two get into, I value my skin a lot more than thirteen thousand."

Anakin sighed. He was not in the mood to be dealing with this.

Padme seemed exasperated too, but she hid it well. "If we don't pay you more will you leave without us?"

Karrde took a swig of his whiskey. "Nothing personal. I actually like you two, and I also like danger, but if you want to court her you got to be smart about it. Just talking to you here right now is making me the target for interrogation with bounty hunters."

Padme's heart plummeted. He was right. He was risking his life just talking to them in front of so many criminals.

Karrde continued, "I've also realized that I'm your only safe transport off this planet, so if you guys want me to stay for four more days and risk my neck you better make it worth it for me."

Padme thought about her bag of jewels. She didn't know if she would need them again if the time came she and Anakin would have to leave Tatooine again with her children, and it was important to have emergency credits on them. However he was right. He was their only way off Naboo.

"Would raising it to twenty thousand persuade you?" she asked. She felt Anakin's eyes on her, but ignored him.

Karrde thought for a moment before setting his bottle down. "Alright, but I'm going to have to lay somewhere low. You still got the commlink?"

Padme nodded.

"Good. Time comes hit the beacon and I'll find you," he said.

"What if they capture you?" Anakin asked.

Karrde shook his head. "The beacons are a one way only. You guys will have to activate it for me in order to find you."

That didn't make Anakin feel confident. "Then you better not get caught," he told Karrde.

Karrde put his hands up. "I may not be as wanted as you two, but I've been on the run from the law and scum since I can remember. I know a few tricks. You guys try not to get caught before I get paid." With that he got up and left the bar.

Anakin looked around the bar more closely to see Dangar and Bossk looking in his and Padme's direction.

"Time for us to leave as well," he whispered.

He and Padme got up and began to head towards the door when a rodian stepped in their way, pointing a blaster at them and causing them to stop in their tracks.

Anakin recognized him as Greedo, one of his childhood bullies back when he had been a slave on Tatooine.

"Leaving so soon? You didn't even buy yourselves a drink," the rodian said, amused.

Anakin shrugged, trying to act nonchalant as everyone's eyes locked on him and Padme. "I just found out: they don't sell my favorite drink here," he replied. So Greedo had grown up and become a bounty hunter. Huh. Anakin never thought he had enough brains to do that.

"What's your hurry?" a voice hissed from behind them.

Anakin recognized it as the trandoshian bounty hunter Bossk. From the corner of his eye, he saw Cad Bad relaxing at his table just watching all this without a care.

"I'm sure you and the lady can enjoy something in here," Bossk told him

"We'll have ourselves a little appetizer until the Imperials come in and give us our money," Greedo said, motioning towards the table next to them to sit.

It was a tight spot: Anakin couldn't reach his lightsaber in his boot fast enough to protect Padme in a room full of bounty hunters, but he did remember some bits of Greedo from their childhood that could come in handy. Anakin squeezed his wife's hand reassuringly as they sat down, Greedo still pointing the blaster at them and Bossk standing right behind them.

"You're so certain the Empire will pay you the full bounty on us?" Padme questioned, distracting Greedo and hopefully the others as Anakin discreetly nudged his lightsaber out using the Force.

"Given how desperate the Emperor seems to be wanting you both, he'd be a fool not to pay it. Be bad for business," Greedo said.

"She's right," Anakin said. The lightsaber was out and in his hands. He was careful not to let anyone see it. He continued, "The Empire's not like the Republic or Jabba. They're most likely to just grab us and shoot you. I thought you'd be smart by now, Greedo."

"Shut up, Skywalker," Greedo snapped at him. "You forget I have a blaster pointing at you two and a trandoshian behind you."

"Yeah, speaking of which," Anakin said, looking behind him at Bossk. "He splitting the bounty evenly with you? Sounds to me you should be getting more with your reputation."

Bossk shifted a bit. "He does have a point."

"Now, wait a minute. We had a deal," Greedo said, his blaster wavering a little.

Anakin inwardly smirked. He continued talking, "Did you know that I used to know him back when we were knee high? He always liked picking on people he thought were beneath him, but when it came to dealing with bigger kids he grovel at their feet."

"That's not true!" Greedo shouted, shoving the blaster in Anakin's face.

He could feel Padme's worry, but focused on not shoving Greedo away, and instead focusing on humiliating him in front of his fellow bounty hunters.

Bossk was laughing. "Is that so? Then I should get the whole bounty."

Greedo moved his blaster away from Anakin's face and at Bossk. "Don't even think about it. This was my idea."

Anakin squeezed Padme's hand, silently telling her to get ready to run.

"Oh yeah? Your idea was to wait until they stumbled into our hands?" Bossk scoffed, pointing his own blaster at Greedo.

Greedo stood up.

Anakin pulled Padme under the table just in time for the door to open and several Stormtroopers to come in.

"Freeze!"

"Put the blasters down!"

Anakin and Padme took the chance to sneak out. The Stormtroopers didn't notice the couple slip by them and out the door.

They were in the alley when they heard the sound of blasters being pointed at them. They turned around to see Cad Bane pointing his blasters at them.

"I wouldn't go much further if I were you," he told them.

A Stormtrooper stepped out of the bar and saw the blasters.

"Stop!"

Anakin took advantage of the distraction. Using the Force he pushed Bane into the Stormtrooper and back into the bar.

He and Padme ran out of the alley and back into the streets. A blaster shot skimmed past their heads, startling the people around them.

Anakin shoved Padme behind a stand and looked up to see their sniper on the roof. He recognized IG-8813.

"Padme! Get out of here!" Anakin yelled over the chaos. "I'll meet you back at the house!" He ignited his lightsaber and began to deflect the shots.

"But Anakin-" Padme tried to call out before he ran off.

She saw Stormtroopers running down the streets towards Anakin. She had to help him. The street was crowded with carts and people trying to get away from the shooting. She looked at the cart next to her filled with fruits and vegetables.

It would do.

Putting in all her weight, Padme pushed the cart down in front of the troopers. Several of them tripped over it and slipped on the fallen fruit.

"Hey!" One of them noticed her.

Padme ran. She passed carts and stores until she made it out of the market area. She could hear the Stormtroopers chasing after her as she turned the corner.

Across the street, she saw a man loading up his speeder, and an idea popped in her had as she raced towards it.

000{{*}}000

Anakin deflected the blaster bolts up at the assassin droid, managing to make the droid duck for cover when he heard a crash behind him.

Looking behind, he saw that a group of Stormtroopers had tripped over a fallen cart, and Padme running away from the scene. Several of them, realizing that she was probably his accomplice chased after her.

Anakin used the Force to throw the cart back into them, but a few managed to escape him and continue their chase after Padme.

A blaster bolt slashed his left arm and Anakin gritted his teeth as he grabbed the cart and threw it at IG-8813 up on the roof. He could hear Stormtroopers calling for reinforcements, and knew he had to get out of here and find Padme.

Running down the streets, he tried to sense which direction she had gone when a stun net hit him.

000{{*}}000

Padme held on to the bottom of the speeder until it slowed down enough for her to let go. She landed with an "oof" on her back.

Looking at her surroundings she realized she was in the school district about several streets from the market. She could hide here and find her way back to the Lasara home.

Dusting herself off and seeing no Stormtroopers nearby, she went into the Legislative Youth Program building. Only when she was inside was she finally able to catch her breath.

The hallways were empty with the exception of a few cleaning droids which must have meant classes were still in cession.

She started down the halls quietly.

She stopped when she reached the wall of honor students.

It had been seventeen years since she'd been a student here, and many holopics had been added since then, but she could still find her pic when she had graduated at eleven years old. She couldn't believe how small she had been back then. The robes she wore looked big and baggy on her small frame, despite her mother and grandma's efforts. However, little Padme Naberrie wore a proud smile on her face. It had been a major stepping stone into the political world for Padme.

Looking at the other holopics of honor students who had graduated over the years, Padme found members of the Bibble and Lasara families and many other respective families of Naboo until her eyes landed on the holopics of her grandfather Luke Naberrie and her great-aunt Padme Lydonia. Her grandfather had been nineteen when he had graduated, and her aunt had been seventeen. Padme could remember how proud her family had been when she had graduated at the young age of eleven, the youngest in their family. Yet looking at her aunt and grandfather, Padme realized how young she had truly been when she graduated. The robes fitted them both perfectly, and they seemed so sure of their place in the galaxy. She noticed, looking closer at her aunt's pic the pixie comb in her hair, reminding Padme of her mission.

She tried looking for her aunt's boyfriend"Sheev" among the holopics. Maybe he could help shed some light on this mystery. Unfortunately, while many Sheevs had graduated as honor students over the years, none of them resembled the man with her aunt. He may not have graduated as an honor student. Maybe if she looked at the Program's records…

She heard voices coming around the hallway.

She couldn't risk anybody recognizing her, so she ran to the pair of doors where she remembered the auditorium being there. Opening the door, she found the auditorium dark with a dress rehearsal performing on stage.

Carefully closing the door until there was only a crack, Padme listened for the voices to pass. It was just some students being released from class. Padme let out a breath of relief. She felt exhausted both physically and mentally.

She sat down in one of the auditorium seats to rest.

The stage performers hadn't seem to have noticed her, so she watched them as they acted out the tragic tail between two lovers in the midst of the Gungan Wars. The soldier had snuck away from the war to be with his beloved, an aid to King Jafar I. The story detailed the conflict between the two lovers in their beliefs: her's in wanting to negotiate a peaceful solution with the Gungans, and his on the battlefield.

Both of Padme's grandmothers had taken her to see this play when she was young, and both women had cried when seeing it.

Deciding that it was probably safe to go out now, Padme got up and headed back towards the doors. She paused when she heard Stormtroopers outside communicating. Turning around, she noticed the door across the auditorium leading backstage. If she remembered correctly there was an exit leading outside.

Quickly as she could, she crept down the auditorium. Just when she reached the door backstage, the auditorium doors opened to reveal two Stormtroopers.

"Stop!"

She ran through the door past startled actors and to the exit door.

"Don't let her get away!"

She shut the door and blasted the lock.

"Hey!"

She turned her head and saw two Stormtroopers pointing their blaster at her.

000{{*}}000

Anakin groaned painfully as the volts of the stun net went through him. He looked up through the haze to see Bossk grinning down at him.

"Not bad Jedi. For humans the shock would have knocked them out instantly," he hissed.

Anakin tried to move, but the voltage made it difficult to move his muscles. Stormtroopers surrounded him, Captain Panaka at the head of them. "Thank you for the assistance bounty hunter, but we'll take it from here," Panaka told him as two Stormtroopers moved to intercept Anakin.

"I don't think so," the Trandoshan said, stepping on Anakin.

Anakin grunted, looking where he'd dropped his lightsaber, again.

"My bounty. You get Skywalker when I get paid," Bossk told them.

Panaka looked ready to blow a reactor. Anakin's eyes found his lightsaber several feet away, and was trying to bring it back to him when a hand picked it up.

It was Captain Typho.

"If it is indeed Skywalker you will receive your payment at the palace. If not, you will receive payment either way for capturing a Jedi for us," Typho said to him.

The bounty hunter thought for a moment before stepping off Anakin. The Stormtroopers cuffed him before taking the net off of him. He listened as Typho talked with Panaka. "We'll take him to Divo for interrogation. If he is Skywalker, maybe we can find Olin as well."

"If he is Skywalker, you'll take him straight to the Emperor," Panaka told him. "Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle."

"Get up, Scum. Move!" one of the Stormtroopers ordered Anakin.

Anakin was shoved, surrounded by four Stormtroopers and directed away from the scene.

"Yane leaves you alone for one hour and you get yourself caught," a Stormtrooper muttered next to him.

Anakin whipped his head at the trooper. "Elle?" The trooper was shorter than the average one, but he recognized Elle's presence in the Force. Stretching out with his feelings he could sense Sabe, Sache, and Motee disguised as the other Stormtroopers around him. Typho joined them as they turned the corner.

"What's the plan?" Anakin whispered.

"We're ambushed and you escape," Sabe answered in front of him.

They had reached an archway when Ferus jumped down in front of them. He kicked what must have been Sache into a nearby wall.

"Jedi!" Typho shouted.

"Blast him!" Sabe barked in a manly voice.

Ferus ignited his lightsaber and deflected their shots.

Anakin understood the reason for their performance, and elbowed Motee in the larynx before aiming a kick in Elle's stomach. He turned to Typho and used the Force to grab his lightsaber and cut his binders.

"Sorry about this," Anakin told the Captain.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't hit the teeth. I just got them fixed," Typho warned him.

Anakin grinned. With a swift punch Typho was down. He turned round to see that Ferus had cut through Sabe's blaster and Force pushed her into Motee.

"Let's go."

Anakin ran with Ferus down the streets.

"Will Panaka believe the story?" Anakin asked Ferus.

"We're hoping so. That performance was a spur of the moment idea of Sabe's. They were all at the palace when Panaka received a tip saying that Skywalker was in the market," Ferus explained.

The mole.

Anakin knew it had to be the mole within their group.

"It was the traitor. I know it," Anakin said.

Ferus didn't respond to that, but Anakin knew he agreed with him as they raced down the streets a sense of danger and urgency weighing down on them.

"Let's just get out of here before we run into anymore-"

They turned around a corner, and both men suddenly stopped as a wave of darkness hit them.

"Trouble."

Down the empty street, holding an ignited blood red lightsaber was Malorum.

000{{*}}000

One of the Stormtroopers took the blaster out of Padme's hands and tried to put a pair of binders on her.

"You're coming with us."

"For what?" Padme demanded, as her hands were placed behind her back. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"Witnesses saw you helping the Jedi down at the market and fleeing from the scene," the Stormtrooper in front of her said.

"That's absurd! I was trying to run away from him like everyone else!" Padme lied.

"We'll see when Inspector Divo questions you," the Stormtrooper behind her said, locking the binders on her wrists.

She couldn't let them take her in. Inspector Divo would recognize her and turn her in to the Emperor. She'll be used as bait for Anakin and Palpatine will find out about Luke and Leia. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.

She swung around and rammed her knee into the lower half of the Stormtrooper in front of her, knocking him into several trash bins. She tried to fight the other Stormtrooper behind her, but with her hands cuffed behind her back she was at a disadvantage. She kicked, shove, and struggled with everything she had, but the armored Stormtrooper was too strong.

The Stormtrooper she had knocked down had recovered and had joined his partner in holding her down. Padme fought hard, but she realized all she was doing was bruising herself and giving herself a bad headache.

"What is going on?" a voice called out from the end of the alley.

Padme was relieved to see Dorme and Rabe.

"Trouble maker. Nothing to concern yourselves with," the trooper behind Padme told them.

"On the contrary, this is one of my clients you're harassing," Rabe said as she and Dorme stepped closer to them.

"What? With all due respect Madame, this woman was seen fleeing a crime scene-" the Stormtrooper didn't finish his sentence, and his partner didn't have time to react as Dorme and Rabe shot both men down.

Rabe got down and immediately started searching them for the key to Padme's binders.

"Vatie's workplace received a call saying there was a Jedi attack in the market area. Her boss sent her there to cover it. On the way she commed me and Rabe to keep an eye out for you and Anakin," Dorme explained.

Rabe found the key and unlocked Padme's binders. Padme rubbed her wrists as she turned to Dorme and Rabe. "Anakin and I ran into some bounty hunters then Captain Panaka's Stormtroopers. We got seperated."

"Typho commed me saying he and the others had a plan to help Anakin. They'll meet us back at the house," Dorme told her.

They left the alley quickly before anybody else saw them.

"Did Pooja tell you what you wanted to know?" Rabe asked.

"Not exactly," Padme answered. "But I think I know why Malorum wants my aunt's comb: to use it to unlock my aunt's diary."

000{{*}}000

65 bby

"I love it, Winama. Thank you," Padme thanked Winama when she opened her late Fete present: a beautiful covered diary with a special lock. The diary itself had a beautiful emblem on the front of the brown leather covering, a red flower in bloom, and in the center of it was the lock where a special jewel would fit and unlock the diary.

Winama smiled at Padme. "I had hoped you would like it. I had ordered it before Fete, but ever since the Trade Federation came, shipping has been sketchy. I thought you would like something special to write all your thoughts down, and the lock is designed specially for the jewel in your pixie comb to fit and unlock it," Winama explained.

Padme took out her comb and fixed the jewel into the lock. She heard the lock scan the jewel before it allowed her to twist it and the lock popped open.

"Wow! That's amazing. Does it scan for specific minerals?" Padme asked as she looked closer at the lock.

"It's programmed to unlock specifically with rubies like the one in your comb. An old friend of mine made it because the Republic thought his ideas were too expensive," Winama explained.

"Well, it's amazing all the same," Padme said, still in awe of the incredible gift she received. It was amazing even if it was a little excessive for a diary. Although, she could understand some politicians wanting to keep a tight lock on their most private thoughts.

She looked up at the chrono to see that her morning class would be starting in an hour. "I better get going. Thank you so much Winama," Padme thanked her as she gave her a hug.

"You're welcome, Padme. After this semester you'll be done with your internship and become a real politician," Winama said.

Padme smiled as she grabbed her bag and stepped out on her way to class. Winama was right. After this semester Padme will have graduated from the Legislative Youth Program and become an actual aid in the palace. She was both nervous and excited for it.

Ryoo had started taking evening classes on business this semester to finish her business degree, and the Naberries helped by watching Jobal for her, and Padme helped her with her studying when she could. Luckily, Ryoo would only have to attend classes until the end of that year.

Padme reached the program and headed towards her class, looking forward to it for a number of reasons.

Although Research was intended to have a lot of work in it, it would be one of those classes that prepared her for political life. Another reason was because Sheev was in it as well. Since the two weeks after the New Year and the kiss something had shifted between them. Padme wasn't certain yet if it was a good change, but for some reason she felt hope for the new year.

She entered the classroom and found a seat next to Sio Bibble. "How much longer do you have here?" she asked him.

Despite his young age, Sio was one of the most advanced and promising students in the program. "I take a couple more classes in the fall semester, I'll be qualified to become an Apprentice Legislator," Sio answered.

Padme smiled. She had been talking to Councilor Tie Bibble since the new year to know how proud he and his family were of his nephew. She wouldn't be surprised if he became king, governor, or senator one day. She hoped she herself would get far and make a difference for the people of Naboo.

Sheev came in and took a seat behind her. Before he did so, he winked at her as he passed by, and Padme felt herself blush a little. She didn't know where they stand in yet: as friends or lovers? It was so confusing.

She didn't have time to ponder further when the professor came in and began to teach.

As she took her notes she felt a tap on her shoulder. She found a scrap of folded flimsi on it and quickly took it to see what it said.

"Will you be at the Council dinner tonight?" it asked.

She took a quick glance behind her at Sheev who was writing his notes down like a good student. He looked under his eyelids at her with his blue eyes that seemed to pierce into her soul.

Padme quickly turned back to her notes before the professor saw her. What was she doing? She was a good girl who didn't pass notes under the teacher's , she couldn't help but like the thrill it gave her. Pooja did say that she needed to live a little, so why not?

She wrote down her response quickly. "Luke and Winama will be there, and knowing Lady Dragon she'll need me there to take notes for her."

She reached behind her as if she was stretching and dropped the note on his desk.

The dinner tonight would most likely be about the negotiations with the Trade Federation. Luke sometimes took Winama with him to these dinners as did many other council members with their spouses so that there would be a lighter air and more socialization at these dinners. Padme would be there to take notes for Lady Veruna as the woman tended to get drunk at these affairs.

She felt another tap on her shoulder and found another flimsi note.

"What'll you be wearing?"

She felt her cheeks blush a bit. She was still in mourning for her mother for another month, and was still wearing black and lavender. Winama was bound to have something nice and appropriate to wear in her shop that she could borrow.

She wrote back to him. 'Something pretty. You'll see."

She all of a sudden felt very excited for the dinner tonight.

000{{*}}000

She was so frustrated.

She had tried on several black and lavender dresses but none of them had felt right. For some reason she felt the need to shock Sheev like she had at the New Year Mask, but she couldn't be seen as a bimbo to the Queen and Royal Council either. The dresses she had tried either made her look like a Shirayan priestess or a slut like Regina Costil.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Ryoo's voice answered.

Padme threw on a dressing gown over her shift before letting her sister in. "I thought you were getting ready for class?"

"I have another hour before I head out. I just got off the comm with Ono's parents so Ruwee and Jobal were okay to spend some time at their house until I get them after class," Ryoo explained to Padme. She looked at all the dresses Padme had gathered on top of her bed. "Winama told me you were looking for something nice to wear at dinner tonight. Does this have anything to do with Sheev Palpatine?" she asked.

Padme glared at her older sister.

Ryoo just grinned at her little sister.

Padme sighed. "Nothing feels right. I want to look pretty but professional."

Ryoo hummed. "I think I might have something that could work." She took Padme to her room.

Two hours later, Padme tried not to feel self-conscious as she entered the palace through the servants' entrance. She had hung up and was trying to ignore everyone gawking at her as she made her way to Lady Veruna's chambers with her head held high. Her sister had loaned her one of her black dresses she had gotten for Fete. It had a modest cut, but short sleeves and the fabric hugged Padme's figure comfortably. She wore black gloves that went passed her elbows with a red silk sash tied around her waist. For jewelry she wore a ruby brooch with gold trimming on a red ribbon around her neck. When she saw herself in the mirror back home, Padme had thought that she looked amazing. Now, she wondered if she should have stuck with the priestess look.

She made it to the Queen's floor when she heard raised voices coming from Lady Veruna's chambers. Ars Veruna came storming out of them, not even glancing at Padme as he passed her. Her eyes followed him until he disappeared into the turbolift before heading her way to Lady Veruna's chambers. She knocked on the door. She wasn't surprised to hear the harsh "What?!" from Lady Veruna. What did surprise her were the tears she heard in it.

"It's Padme Lydonia, My Lady," Padme answered.

A pause, and then Veruna said, "Come in Lydonia."

She slid the door open. Lady Veruna had her back to her, but her shoulders were shaking. Padme decided to give her a few moments to collect herself before speaking.

"Would you like me to fetch one of your handmaidens for you? Or would you like-"

"I can finish getting myself ready! Thank you!" Lady Veruna snapped.

Padme closed her mouth. She was silent as Lady Veruna reapplied her makeup. As she did so Padme saw in the reflection of her mirror her red rimmed eyes, and it startled her to realize that the Lady Veruna had been crying. What could Ars and Eirtae have argued about that would cause her to cry?

When she finished applying her makeup, Lady Veruna stood regally that you never would have guessed that she had been crying. Padme followed her dutifully out of her chambers and towards the dining hall.

These dinners happened about once or twice a month, usually so the Queen and Royal Council could socialize more outside the throne room, but talk still lead to politics eventually. Padme always went to these because Lady Veruna had a habit of drinking excessively, and ever since Padme began interning under her, Lady Veruna used her to collect any notes she had missed during dinner, and what people had said about her while she was intoxicated. Since she started doing this, Padme had been amazed at how much people would say while Lady Veruna was drunk and ignored Padme.

They entered the dining hall to find half of the seats at the long table filled with council members and their spouses. Near the head of the table where the Queen sat were Luke, Winama, and Tie Bibble. Farther along the table Padme saw Reggie and Regina Costil sitting next to their older brother Naul and his wife Lille and her brother Councilor Excenil. Lady Veruna and Padme were seated near Luke, Tie, and the council members most loyal to the Queen. As soon as they were seated talk immediately turned to the Trade Federation.

"The prices they are asking for our plasma is outrageous!" Tie exclaimed. Most people at the table agreed with him.

"The Queen hasn't managed to talk the Trade Federation out of trading. Soon they will go to Damask Holdings and no one will wish to trade with us," Councilor Excenil announced.

"Don't be so dramatic!" Lady Veruna scolded him. "The Trade Federation is run by a bunch of spineless fools who hide behind their droids. Damask Holdings has better sense than to work with them."

"Magister Hugo Damask isn't above using their foolishness to his advantage," Luke reminded her. "He knows how they think and how to manipulate them into his bidding."

"So what can be done?" Lille asked.

"Aren't you all overreacting to the situation?"

Everybody turned their heads to see Bon Tapalo enter the dining hall with a noblewoman Padme didn't recognize on his arm. If looks could kill Padme would bet Lady Veruna's scowl would have butchered Tapalo and his date on the spot. Behind them, by himself was Ars Veruna with a deep frown on his face.

"Overreacting?!" Luke practically shouted, standing up out of his seat, despite his wife's attempts to stop him. "Billions of Naboo lives could very well depend on this discussion in whether or not to agree in establishing trade with the Trade Federation."

Bon Tapalo raised an eyebrow. "I'm very well aware of the impact this agreement will have on not just Naboo's economy and citizens, but future generations as well. Which is why we must consider this decision carefully instead of stalling as the Queen has been doing."

"How dare you!" Padme shouted at him, standing up from her seat as well.

Silence filled the hall with a heavy curtain of tension on all its inhabitants. It was Naul Costil who broke it.

"The young lady is right. You go too far in questioning our Queen's judgement," he told Tapalo.

Tapalo bowed his head respectively to everyone. "Forgive me, Councilor Naberrie, young Miss. I meant no disrespect to Her Royal Highness; only concern for our planet's future stability."

Padme sat back down in her seat, focusing her attention on her plate. She could feel her cheeks reddening in embarrassment for her outburst, and from the corner of her eye she noticed the same with Luke. his face was flushed with anger and shame for allowing Tapalo to bait him and lose his temper in front of half of the Royal Council.

After Tapalo, his date, and Ars Veruna sat down, Regina spoke, "Do you believe Councilor Tapalo that we should agree to the Trade Federation's demands and pay our miners less than what they deserve?"

"We're not saying that," Veruna objected. "We believe that in time as demand for our plasma goes up we can raise the selling prices for our plasma."

"You're both fools to think the Trade Federation will ever agree to that," Reggie told him.

"Big fools indeed."

Cosinga Palpatine entered the dining hall, his wife Lady Dreann Palpatine at his arm, and their eldest son Sheev behind them. They sat across from Padme and Lady Veruna. Padme's eyes meet Sheev's and he winked at her. She felt herself blush a little.

Within the next several minutes the rest of the dinner party came in. Bon Tapalo's brother Governor Toun Tapalo and his wife Mate came in followed by Secretary Bowen then Senator Jeze Maddox wit President Tolemi Cesate of the Refugee Relief Movement, and finally Princess Viola Blantyre of Theed.

The last person caught Padme's attention. Princess Blantyre was the younger sister of Captain Blantyre of the palace guard and around the same age as Padme, and had been elected at the age fourteen a year-and-a-half ago. When Padme had first seen her, interning under Lady Veruna she had seen the strong and confident girl expected of a Princess of Theed and sister to a guard captain. However, tonight she looked shaken up even though she tried to mask it from everyone, but Padme could see her red rimmed eyes like she had been crying, her unsteady steps as she walked, and the haunted expression in her eyes. What had happened to her?

Before she could contemplate further, Captain Blantyre came into the hall to announce the Queen in.

"Her Royal Highness Queen Celestine."

Everyone rose from their seats as the Queen entered, followed by her entourage of handmaidens and bodyguards. Despite the heavy gown and elaborate headdress, Celestine seemed to float across the room with head held high, impressing Padme who sometimes had to worry about tripping over her feet in the simplest dresses.

When the Queen reached her seat at the head of the table she motioned everyone to sit down. Once they returned to their seats, serving droids came and delivered the first course of the meal: pea soup.

As Padme sipped her soup she kept her ears open to the conversations around her. Because the Queen was now present any talk about the Trade Federation and Damask Holdings was put on hold, and nobody had drank enough blossom wine to loosen their tongues yet. For now polite conversation was focused on families and businesses.

Padme looked up from her dish and met the blue eyes of Sheev Palpatine once again. He smiled at her, and Padme returned it. However, when the droids set out the second course of goober fish she realized Cosinga Palpatine had noticed the exchange.

"So Miss Lydonia, where exactly does your family reside?" he asked in a casual manner, but Padme could feel his gaze sizing her up. Sheev was glaring at his father, and Padme felt Lady Palpatine's eyes on her as she remained silent.

"Up in the village of Claines. My family has lived there since the Gungan Wars, and are respected members of the community," she told him proudly. He may be a sorry excuse for a noble, husband, and father, but she would not let him make her feel ashamed of where she come from.

"Claines? Interesting. How is it you came to know the Naberries?"

Padme knew he was trying to undermine her in front of the Royal Court so she had to be careful with what she said. Some nobles looked down on peasants who were only able to come into politics because of scholarships.

"We've been friends for a long time," Padme told him honestly.

It was the truth. Winama and Ryoo had been friends since childhood, and when Winama married Luke he became a friend to them as well.

Palpatine nodded, frowning a bit. "I see."

Nothing else was said the rest of the course as they finished and moved on to the next. With each course, the mood seemed to become more laxed the more wine people drank. Padme looked around the dining hall during the final course of dessert which consisted of surra fruit and shaak milk cheese.

The Queen's guards and handmaidens surrounded the area around the table, keeping an eye out on everyone. Captain Blantyre kept his eyes on the Queen. He was a good looking man in his late twenties with a strong chin and hazel eyes like his sister's. Something about his gaze intrigued Padme. She had seen the way guards look over the people they guarded and protected, but she was pretty sure they didn't look at them the same way lovers looked at one another. Sure, she wasn't experienced in the field of romance, but she had seen people look at someone as if they were their whole existence, and that's exactly the way Captain Blantyre was looking at Queen Celestine. She wondered what it would be like if someone loved her like that.

After finishing with dessert the Queen ended the dinner by leading everyone into one of the palace parlors for cafe. Padme hadn't even been in there for half an hour when she felt the need for some fresh air, not able to take any more of Lady Tapalo's prattling or Senator Maddox's snarkiness. Lady Veruna was actually more sober once she drank some cafe and ate a few crumpets, so Padme felt confident in leaving her while she got some fresh air.

The palace halls were dark and empty aside from the occasional guard patrolling them. In the dark the halls looked intimidating, but impressive all the same. After interning here for several months, Padme no longer felt like she could easily get lost in these halls.

She was contemplating on going to the palace's greenhouse when she heard voices ahead around the corner coming towards her. The voices seemed angry, and Padme did not want to be caught in an awkward, compromising position so she hid behind one of the pillars.

Both arguing voices sounded male, and Padme was a little surprise to see that it was Ars Veruna and Reggie Costil.

"Don't turn your back on to me Costil!" she heard from Veruna. She thought he must have grabbed Costil because both men stopped right next to her pillar.

She covered her mouth to hide the sound of her breathing and was glad for once that she was wearing black.

"This is none of your concern, Ars," Costil hissed at him.

"It is when it's my credits you're borrowing!" Veruna shot back.

Padme's eyes widened a bit. What was this all about?

"I promised you I would pay it back as soon as I was able to," Costil said to him. "Don't push me because I'll push back."

Veruna laughed coldly.

Padme felt extremely uncomfortable with this. Costil was borrowing credits off of Veruna? For what?

"How are you going to do that? Use my mother against me?" Veruna demanded."Half of the court already knows she's been whoring herself with Bon."

"No, but I'm sure your mystery girl wouldn't mind giving me a hand. How old is she? Fifteen? Sixteen? You like the younger crowds," Costil shout back.

There was silence and Padme was glad that she had covered her mouth otherwise they would have heard her gasp. Ars Veruna was seeing a teenager? He had to be thirty years old. The legal age on Naboo was more strict than other planets at the age of twenty-one instead of seventeen, but if word got out that Ars Veruna was sleeping with a teenager, his reputation would not only be ruined, he could be arrested for child molestation. Who was the poor girl he was doing this to?

Veruna seemed to be seething. "Don't overplay your hand, Reggie. You forget I could tell Naul, Regina, and even Palpatine about your gambling sprees. I doubt they'd be willing to bail you out."

A silent pause.

Padme couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Costil have such a huge gambling debt he was desperate to hide it from his siblings and political partner?

She heard him take a deep breath. "I just need a little more time. As soon as I'm able to I'll pay you back. Just don't say anything to them."

They walked away, leaving Padme alone in the dark once more. Padme was stoned shock at what she had just heard. Veruna was having an affair with an underage person, and Costil had such a gambling debt he was so desperate to hide he let him get away with it. While she knew the gambling wasn't as severe as having sex with a minor it could be catastrophic if it was illegal. She didn't know how long she stood there in the dark, thoughts of what she had just heard going through her head.

"Padme?"

A small shriek escaped her as she spun around, had on her racing heart. Relief instantly filled her when she realized that it was only Sheev. In the darkness she could tell the concern look on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," she answered a little shaky. She cleared her throat and said a little more confidently, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I thought I was all alone here."

She didn't know why she didn't tell him. After all there were many scandals here in court that he must have heard of, but if she told him he'd probably think she was being silly.

Sheev didn't look like he believed her, but she was grateful that he didn't press her.

"How did you find me?" she asked him.

"One of the Queen's handmaidens named Pooja told me you had headed in this direction and I followed the rest," he answered with a shrug. "The night's getting late, and I thought I'd take you home.

Padme smiled. "I'd like that, thank you."

After grabbing her cloak, Sheev took Padme to his speeder his father had gotten him.

"Hang on tight," he told her with a grin.

Padme shrieked and laughed as they flew through the air and streets of Theed. Exhilaration raced through her veins as Sheev laughed along with her. However, despite the thrill and fun she was having, she couldn't forget the things she had heard that night. She had to tell someone, but who?

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Why did these things always happen to Anakin? That's a question everyone had asked for as long as Anakin could remember. Just when he manages to escape one danger another one follows. That's what was going through Anakin's mind as he and Ferus fought Malorum in the streets of Theed before the battle moved up to the rooftops.

Because the roofs were built slanted, it made fighting Malorum much more difficult as Anakin worked to maintain his balance while fighting. Ferus seemed to fair better than Anakin did because he pressed his attack against Malorum. Anakin could sense the onlookers watching from below. He could sense their fear and awe at this spectacular fight of lightsabers as the men moved as if in a choreographed dance. However, this death defying dance was nowhere as easy as it seemed to be from down below as Anakin tried to figure a way for him and Ferus to get out of this alive.

This Malorum was good, better than Anakin had given him credit in the beginning. While Anakin and Ferus struggled, this guy seemed to balance himself as if he was made of air. Definitely on the same level as Ventress.

"You know," Malorum said as he blocked a strike from Anakin on his right. "My spy was the one to inform me of your little trip in this sector." He talked as if he were discussing the weather.

While Anakin had suspected it, to have it confirmed was another thing entirely that it nearly cost him his balance. He tried to center himself, calling on the Force to keep himself from falling and continue the battle. Maybe if they kept him talking they could discover more.

Ferus obviously had the same idea. "Why all this? For a comb? The Emperor doesn't have enough for it."

Anakin tried to cut Malorum off, but it seemed that whatever brashness the younger man had the other day was gone as he quickly moved from Anakin's sneak attack.

"Same reason Ryoo Thule had to die: to get everyone out into the light. Two birds, one stone."

He was toying with them Anakin realized. They had to get out of here before the Stormtroopers or bounty hunters caught up. He caught a glimpse of Ferus' face and saw the same realization. They had to find a way to escape, but how? By now every street surrounding them would be filled with Stormtroopers. His arm throbbed from that blaster bolt, and he knew Ferus' strength was waning the longer he continued.

Suddenly, Malorum made a swipe at Ferus' legs and he barely managed to move out of the way before he lost his footing and began to fall off the roof. On instinct, Anakin reached out with the Force to stop him before he completely fell off. Unfortunately, Malorum took the opportunity to swing at Anakin's neck. It was so close Anakin could feel the heat of Malorum's red lightsaber mere inches from his face where his own lightsaber blocked. He was forced to let go of Ferus, and he could see him holding desperate to the edge of the roof. Anakin bent backwards, letting Malorum's lightsaber slide off his. Somehow, he managed to retain his balance as he turned to face Malorum again. He could see Ferus regaining his footing before coming back to join the fight. Seeing the coming of his other opponent, Malorum quickly moved to block his attack, but Anakin was just as quick to slash his leg. Malorum screamed in pain, and he almost lost his balance, but surprisingly didn't. Hand over his wound, he glared at them with hatred burning in his eyes.

Anakin didn't expect the fierce Force shove, and neither did Ferus until they were flying off the roof at terrifying speed. Anakin felt his body land on a canopy, ripping through it before he landed in crates of fruit, followed by Ferus. Pain slammed through Anakin and he was sticky all over, but he was alive and so was Ferus. He could hear people screaming around him before he got up shakily on his feet. Ferus seemed to be better than him, grabbing his arm before dragging him away from the scene, shoving past terrified pedestrians before ducking into alleyways.

Now that he had mostly recovered from his fall, Anakin lead the way, feeling the Force guide him. He couldn't remember the exact way to the Lasara home, but if they could hide from the Imperials for just a little-

"Ani!"

All of a sudden Anakin stopped with Ferus nearly colliding against him. On his right where a sewer lid had been removed was the last person Anakin had ever expected to see again. "Jar Jar?"

The Gungan representative was motioning him to come. "Yousa hurry. Dey not find yousa in da sewa."

The event was so bizarre, but Anakin didn't have time to ponder before he was climbing in after Jar Jar with Ferus following him before sealing up the sewer. The three of them were still as they heard footsteps running above them before it was quiet again.

Jar Jar pulled out a glowrod, and for the first time, Anakin saw the happy Gungan he remembered as a boy. "Mesa so smilen to seein yousa!"

Anakin found himself smiling too. "Good to see you too, Jar Jar."

000{{*}}000

"Diary?" Dorme repeated.

They were hiding in Rabe's apartment above her dance studio. Rabe's husband must have been working at the palace which explained the emptiness in it. After changing into some fresh clothes, Padme had settled at Rabe's kitchen table with a cup of tea. Motee had commed them quickly to let them know that Anakin had escaped with Ferus, and they had passed the message that Padme had been found and was safe.

Now after realizing what Pooja had meant, Padme had discussed her theory with Rabe and Dorme. "Yes, I can't believe I didn't think about it before. It's so obvious now. When I became Princess of Theed my Grandma Winama gave me a diary to write down all my thoughts and told me that most politicians had one, including my grandfather and my great-aunt Padme. The first time my Grandmamma Ryoo showed me my aunt's comb, she admitted that my aunt used it to unlock her own diary. What better place to record secrets than your own diary?" Padme asked them. She could see her former handmaidens were skeptical, but the idea was plausible. Padme continued, "Before the election between Bon Tapolo and Reggie Costil, Queen Celestine, her council, and her security guards were killed in a bomb explosion."

Rabe and Dorme both nodded, remembering their history lessons. It had been one of Naboo's darkest events since the Gungan Wars until the Blockade, and what made it nightmarish was that nobody knew who did it. Theories had been made for decades with no proof as to who did it.

"My grandfather, Luke Naberrie and my great-aunt Padme Lydonia were among the victims killed in the bombing. Around that time my Grandmamma may have assumed the diary had been destroyed in it, but now…"

"You think it wasn't," Rabe finished for her.

Padme nodded. "Yes, I believe my great-aunt may have hidden it before her death, and now that I think about it, I think Lieutenant Panaka might know where it is, or at least some idea."

"Panaka?" Dorme asked, surprised. "Our Captain Panaka's father? Gre-Captain Typho's grandfather?"

"He was good friends with my great-aunt before she died. Maybe she entrusted him with it incase something happened to her, or maybe Pooja, and the Lieutenant may have found out during one of Pooja's memory lapses," Padme explained.

"But why would Palpatine wait till now to bring it all up?" Rabe asked.

Padme thought for a minute, her mind coming up with all kinds of different theories. She remembered Pooja telling her that her aunt knew secrets that could bring down the greatest families of Naboo. The Palpatines had been a noble family for as long as history could remember. Some said that they were possibly descended from the first royal family. Had her aunt known a secret so horrible it could ruin Palpatine even today? Maybe she was over speculating. Maybe Palpatine wanted her aunt's diary to control the families of Naboo. Maybe it was both. One thing was for certain, she could not let Palpatine get his hands on that diary.

She debated her theories with Rabe and Dorme. Both of them were uncertain that Palpatine would go to such trouble, but knowing from experience that a lot of Padme's ideas ended up being correct.

Her mind made up, Padme turned to Rabe. "Do you still have those special brooches from the old days?"

The brooches were recording devices Padme had used during her time as queen. When her terms had ended, each of her primary handmaidens had kept one or two for their services. The brooch Rabe had kept was a water sprite with blue and green gems, but behind it was a tiny device that would allow Padme to record what she needed it to.

With her new disguise of a thick, dark blue cloak, Padme, Rabe, and Dorme headed towards their destination. Padme had looked up Lieutenant Panaka's address to find him living along the edges of the Solleu River where he had been living on his own since his wife passed away. It surprised her, but then she remembered the stories Captain Panaka and Typho had told her of him. He had been caught in the bombing that had killed Queen Celestine and so many others, and had been one of the very few guards that had barely survived. It had been one of Padme's greatest fears during her years as queen and senator when her guards and handmaidens had sworn to protect her with their lives at any cost. If they didn't die in their line of duty, they could have been injured to the point of disability like Lieutenant Panaka and Pooja. How could Padme continue to live with that on her conscious?

Despite the Lieutenant's actions at her grandmamma's funeral the other day, Padme couldn't assume that the Lieutenant would automatically help her. After all, despite the years his son and grandson had served her, she had never spoken to him face to face, but she didn't believe he would turn her over to the Emperor.

The house that the Lieutenant lived in was nice, despite the overgrown weeds, and the need for a fresh layer of paint. Naboo made certain that all its veterans were well taken care of and provided for.

Padme was bracing herself to go up to the door when Rabe grabbed her arm. "Our Captain Panaka," she whispered.

Sure enough, Padme saw Captain Quarsh Panaka making his way towards the house from the east sidewalk. He hadn't noticed them yet, so Padme, Dorme, and Rabe quickly hid in the overgrown shrubs next to the house. Through the branches, Padme watched as Panaka made his way up the steps and rung the door chimes. He waited for a minute then rung again. There was no answer. Next, he started knocking on the door with his fist. Still no answer. Padme watched Panaka's expression become annoyed and angry before beating on the door much harder.

"GO AWAY!" a voice Padme could only believe to be the Lieutenant's roared from inside.

"Father! Open up!" Panaka yelled.

"I have no son! Get the kriffing hells off my property and go back to your master!"

Padme and her friends looked at each other in surprise.

"Father, I would prefer not to have this conversation outside where the whole neighborhood can hear. So let me in or I'll blast my way in!" Panaka threatened.

It took a couple of minutes, but then Panaka was let in.

Padme turned to Rabe. "Help me up." Getting on her shoulders, Padme peeked through the window to find the Lieutenant sitting beside a fire. She noticed empty bottles of Corellian whiskey beside him, and realized that he was most likely grunk. Panaka seemed to be yelling at him over something. Taking out her brooch, she pressed it against the window glass and was able to hear what was being said.

"-not even 1500 hours and you're drunk off your ass! What's worse is your behavior yesterday in front of the Emperor himself!" Panaka yelled at his father. "I am about to become Governor of the Chommell Sector, and I cannot allow my own father to behave treasonously!"

Padme flinched as she listened. What was this about Panaka becoming governor? In the last months of the Republic, the Chancellor had planned to appoint governors to oversee all star systems in the Republic. Listening to Panaka right now made Padme grateful that she and her friends had hidden themselves from Panaka. She watched as the Lieutenant got up to his feet, stumbling a bit. Something seemed off.

"Governor? I suppose that should make me proud: Quarsh Panaka, Captain of the Guard, servant of Naboo bought by the power of one man," the Lieutenant slurred.

"Watch where you speak, Father. This is no longer a Republic, and if you continue this behavior, you have an excellent chance of being arrested and ruining our entire family all because of your idiotic opinions," Panaka warned.

Padme watched as the Lieutenant leaned into Panaka's face, the latter wincing probably from the smell of alcohol.

"At least I have opinions," the Lieutenant rebuked his son. "I am not some puppet believing whatever the top dog tells me."

Padme saw Panaka tremble with a rage he could barely contain.

"Think, Father. Loyalty as a family makes our fates intertwined, surely you can see that," he hissed.

"See?" the Lieutenant scoffed. He chuckled bitterly. "I am an old ruin. I don't see as well as I did." He turned away from Panaka and leaned on the fireplace. "Go back to your Emperor, boy. From what I hear, he needs you to catch a couple of "rogue" Jedi again."

Padme watched Panaka clench his fists before he took a step towards his father. "You may have been a renowned palace guard back in the day, but don't you forget: I can put you in the same institution your friend Pooja Janren is in."

Padme saw the older Panaka froze stiff at his son's threat.

"Goodday, Father." With that, Panaka made his way out the door.

Padme hurriedly climbed off Rabe's shoulders, and the three women hid in the shrubs just as Panaka came outside. They held their breaths as they watched Panaka through the branches leave the property. They waited a couple of minutes after he left before they finally sagged in relief.

That is, until the window above them shattered, spraying pieces of glass onto them.

It was so sudden and unexpected, a startled gasp escaped Padme and a small shriek from both Dorme and Rabe. Padme looked and saw one of the whiskey bottles lying in the dead grass a few feet from the shrub she hid in.

"Who's there?!" the angry voice of Lieutenant Panaka shouted.

Oh no. Padme froze. He had to have heard them. She glanced at Rabe and Dorme and saw the same fear she herself felt. They were lucky that the shrubs were overgrown that they hid them from view, but if the Lieutenant looked closer he would be able to make them out from where he stood.

"Show yourself!" the harsh yells contained no slur Padme noticed. She didn't think the old guard was as drunk as Panaka had believed him to be. She risked looking up and saw him holding a blaster, his eyes scanning the overgrown landscape of his yard. She felt a tug on her sleeve, and turned to Dorme. Her former handmaiden's expression showed fear and a desperation to get out of here.

"You have ten seconds to reveal yourself before I start blasting!" his threat shocked Padme, but Dorme's hand kept her from jumping.

"Ten. Nine. Eight."

"Padme, he really will shoot us," Dorme whispered urgently.

"Seven. Six."

Padme couldn't think fast enough. Time was running out, and she needed answers.

"Five. Four."

Who knows if she'll get another chance.

"Three. Two. O-"

"Wait!" She tore out of Dorme's grasp and flung herself out of the brush, and into the Lieutenant's view. "Wait," she gasped, picking herself up and holding her hands out to show that she meant no harm.

The Lieutenant, whom seconds ago was filled to the brim with furry was now staring at her like she was an apparition. His mouth was agape, and his eyes looked as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Pa-Padme?"

The hood of her disguise was still up, covering her from all outsiders, but with Padme looking up at him, he had a clear view of her face. Padme knew it was risky, even borderline stupid, but she hoped that it was worth it.

"Lieutenant Panaka,"she spoke in the voice she had developed in her years of the senate, clear and strong. "I am so sorry to trespass like this, but I am in dire need of your help. Please, let me and my friends some inside."

At this, Dorme and Rabe crawled out from the brush and stood at her sides. This seemed to shake the Lieutenant out of his stupor. He lowered his blaster, but he looked at them with suspension. Given the burned scars on his face it was quite intimidating, but Padme refused to be scared, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. Finally, the Lieutenant sighed, turning his blaster off and hoisting it on his side.

"Get in here. Stormtroopers will be patrolling this area soon."

It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set. Padme, Rabe, and Dorme hurried into the Lieutenant's home, with Padme hoping that the risk would be worth it.

000{{*}}000

65 BBY

Spring was coming. Padme Lydonia could feel. When she was young she loved all the flowers that would bloom everywhere. Their sweet smell filling the air. It was a season of rebirth and new beginnings. However, that wasn't what Padme was feeling right now.

She was sitting at the window seat in the Naberrie's front parlor above Winama's shop, looking out at the city of Theed. It was night time, but Padme couldn't sleep. She hadn't been the only one earlier though. Jobal had come down earlier after having a nightmare about her father. She had fallen asleep on Padme's lap, and Padme still brushed her hair with her fingers. It was a soothing task, but Padme's thoughts were on the dinner she had attended two weeks ago.

Veruna and Costil's confrontation repeated itself for the thousandth time.

Costil's gamlbling.

Veruna's secret affair.

Padme knew that she shouldn't have been surprised. After all these months of interning at the palace, Padme had been privy to many things the people of Naboo would find scandalous and abhorrent. However, something told her that the things she had heard that night were more than just habits both men wished to keep hidden.

Costil admitted to borrowing credits off of Veruna, his political enemy. Did he have such gambling debts he would resort to other people as well?

And Veruna? Costil accused him of having an affair with a young girl, a teenager. On Naboo, while the people elected those as young as preteens, their legality age was much stricter than many star systems in the Republic. On Naboo, while children could vote as young as eleven, based on their merit and intellectual development, the youth became fully independent of their parents or guardians at twenty-one. It was a strict and outdated law. Some of the Naboo were even considering lowering the age, but not yet. If Veruna was having an affair with a young woman while she was under the protection of her parents or guardians, he would be arrested for rape, and the poor girl ruined in Naboo society.

It wasn't just the confrontation between Costil and Veruna. Since that night, it seemed as if a veil had been torn off of Padme. She recognized the smallest hints and it disgusted her of the amount of lies and corruption that infiltrated the Queen's court and the families of its members. It was heartbreaking.

Padme looked down at Jobal, her sweet and innocent niece. Just a few days ago Jobal and Ruwee announced to their families their plans to join the Refugee Relief Movement upon finishing the school year. Luke and Winama were both proud, and Ryoo, while she seemed hesitant to let her only child leave her so soon, was also proud of her. The two children seemed so happy and certain of their futures, while Padme struggled with her own.

Padme found herself thinking and wondering if she should quit her internship and pursue a different career. Maybe she could become a historian, an artist, or maybe a teacher. Maybe she should join Jobal and Ruwee in the Relief Group. After all, she would be helping people directly and make a difference in their lives instead of tiptoeing her way around politics. It wasn't the first time these thoughts had entered Padme's mind. It made her feel guilty when she remembered all the sacrifices her parents had made for her to have this opportunity, but how could she continue like this? Feeling as if the weight of the stars was on her. She missed her mother, and she missed the way her father used to be. She could use their support right now.

She heard the tap tap of silk slippers on the floor. She turned her head to see Ryoo walking down the hall in her blue dressing gown, her dark hair braided over her shoulder. She walked until she was right in front of Padme.

"Dreams again?" she asked, looking down at Jobal.

"Yeah."

Ryoo sighed, taking the other side of the window seat. She looked down at her daughter, a soft but sad look in her gray eyes. Ryoo had always been a great beauty for as long as Padme could remember, but now she looked like a sad and tragic one.

"And you? Have you been dealing with dreams?" Padme asked Ryoo.

Her sister looked out the window at the Naboo moon as it shone on the sleeping city of Theed. "I keep expecting to wake up and see him next to me," Ryoo whispered.

Jon Thule.

Padme was too young to remember their courtship, but she could remember their wedding day. She could remember how beautiful and happy her sister was dressed in her wedding gown with lorixa blossoms arranged in her hair. She could remember how handsome Jon was and how nervous and excited he was as he waited for her sister to walk down the aisle. It was a fairytale wedding like the ones her mother and Mammy use to tell Padme. With a love like that, Padme could only imagine the pain Ryoo was going through on top of losing their mother, and dealing with their father's unstable mind.

Padme held out her hand, and Ryoo tookit, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you, Padme. I don't think I would have been able to get this far without your help."

Padme could feel tears building without her consent and she turned her head so that her sister wouldn't see the guilt in her eyes. She closed them and swallowed before speaking again. "I'm happy to help," she said, but her words tasted like ash.

Ryoo frowned. "Padme, is something wrong? You know you can tell me anything."

Could she? The things Padme would hear in court… she knew that if anyone was aware of what she knew she would have powerful enemies that could ruin her. Not just her, but her family and friends. How could she burden her sister with those fears?

"It's nothing," she lied. Already she could feel shame building in her, but months of practicing her politician's face showed nothing. "It's just some of the work in court that's overwhelming. Maybe I'm just tired."

"Or you're feeling burnt out?" Ryoo offered.

Padme looked up at her sister and saw understanding in her eyes. "Something like that."

Ryoo rubbed her thumb over Padme's hand in a soothing gesture. "I know there are some things in court you can't tell me, but… just remember Padme: you have friends in court. Luke, Pooja, and Gregor. Oh, and of course, Sheev," Ryoo grinned.

Padme could feel her cheeks blushing as she looked down at her lap where Jobal was sleeping.

Oh Sheev.

These last several weeks had been wonderful. During classes they would pass notes to each other behind the teacher's back, and share conspired grins. At the palace, Padme would sneak off into the gardens during her breaks to meet up with Sheev, and they would talk until Padme had to return to Lady Veruna. When they weren't busy with studies, work, or family duties, Padme would meet sheev outside of the city and they would fly together in his speeder across the valleys. Padme believed with all her heart that if she didn't have Sheev she would have gone insane from all the lies and schemes and at court. She looked up to see her sister still grinning at her before she stood.

"Alright, I think it's time to get the two of you to bed."

Carefully, Padme helped Ryoo lift Jobal into her arms and carry her back to her room. Padme whispered a goodnight to her sister and then turned in to her own room. However, sleep continued to evade her. Her thoughts went back to that conversation between Veruna and Costil. Why couldn't she let it be? Because after months of interning under Lady Veruna she knew both men. Neither of them truly cared about the Naboo, only their own gain. Which made her think of the worst case scenario of the situation.

If Costil was using and spending credits like water, what's to stop him from bankrupting someone or have a debt collector come after him, his family, and friends. While Padme had no respect for neither Reggie Costil nor his sister Regina, she did like Councilor Naul Costil, his wife Lille, and their children. If Costil became king he could bankrupt the monarchy.

As for Veruna, all Padme could think of was the poor girl he was seducing. Was the girl being blackmailed, or was she naive into believing that Veruna was in love with her? Padme knew from Lady Veruna herself on what kind of a player Ars Veruna was to know that he was just using the girl. If Padme could find out who this girl was, could she save her, help her see the truth? Would she be willing to come forth and tell everyone who Ars Veruna really is? Padme had heard plenty of stories in her time here in Theed about girls who had slept with older people whether willingly or unwillingly, and if the truth came out, how people would look at them as if they were whores.

She couldn't let Veruna or Costil get away with it.

All of a sudden, the fire she felt that had inspired her to pursue a career in politics and make a difference in people's lives was reignited. She would find out the truth, get proof, and present it to the people even if she had to go to the Queen herself.

000{{*}}000

Several days had passed, and still Padme couldn't find anything. With her schedule it was impossible to even try to follow Costil and Veruna around.

It did help that Lady Veruna had been allowing Padme to sit with her during meetings with the Council and the Queen. During these meetings, Padme would observe Veruna and Costil, but neither of the men so much as looked at each other or even acted suspiciously.

However, Padme noticed other things during these court meetings. Like how Captain Blantyre kept a sharp eye on Tapalo and Palpatine than any other councilor members. How Princess Viola Blantyre sometimes clenched her fists so hard that you could see red cuts in her hands. Or how Secretary Bowen would tap his datapad nervously while checking his chrono. It wasn't just Costil and Veruna that worried Padme, it was the whole court who each carried a secret. It sickened Padme, but what could she do? How could she proceed? She had no answers.

The meeting ended so the Queen and Councillors could take their break and eat lunch. Normally, Padme would enjoy this opportunity to go see Sheev in the gardens, but he had commed her to let her know that he wouldn't be able to make it. So Padme walked through the gardens by herself, eating the blossom bread Ryoo had made the night before, and smiling in greeting to the palace gardeners as they worked.

Padme's thoughts focused not only on the court's secrets, but also the Trade Federation. They seemed to know that the change in leadership would happen soon, and were planning to trap the Naboo like a hermit spider with her prey. Celestine's terms were nearing their end, and soon Bon Tapolo or Reggie Costil would be the next leader of the Naboo. It was terrifying. If only there was another candidate, someone who actually cared about Naboo, and would stand up to the Trade Federation.

Padme realized that somebody was calling her name. She turned around, and saw two women dressed in orange handmaiden outfits. As they got closer, Padme recognized one of them.

"Pooja!" She flung her arms around the older woman who returned her hug just as fiercely. Padme had seen, but hadn't spoken to her friend in a long time due to their duties. It was so good to see her.

They pulled back, and Pooja was smiling at Padme. "I haven't been able to talk to you in a long time. How are you doing?" she asked Padme.

"I've been busy. With my studies, internship, and helping Ryoo, I've had my hands full," Padme explained.

"According to Gregor, those aren't the only things you've been doing," Pooja raised a sly eyebrow.

Padme felt herself blushing as she realized that she was talking about Sheev.

"Don't be embarrassed, kid," the other handmaiden spoke. "It's our job to try and know everything in court."

Padme looked at the other handmaiden and was startled by what she saw. This woman looked as if she could be Padme and Ryoo's third sister. Her features weren't the same, but they were similar enough.

"Padme, this is Line Olnick. She's sister to Dian Olnick of Olnick Land Holdings, and my sister handmaiden. Line, this is Padme Lydonia, Lady Veruna's intern. The girl I've told you and the others so much about," Pooja introduced.

Line looked at Padme, and tilted her head a bit. Almost as if she was studying her. Padme wondered what she saw: a teenaged girl dressed in black with lavender that loosely fitted her figure, and her dark wavy hair pulled back by a golden pixie comb. Line straightened then offered her hand for Padme to shake. "It's an honor to finally meet the Padme Pooja's always talking about."

Padme shook her hand. "It's a pleasure."

An idea suddenly popped. Handmaidens served the Queen. They were trained to know court protocol, serve, and protect the Queen from all harm. They were also to blend into the Queen's shadow as beautiful wallflowers nobody would notice. They had the Queen's ear, so maybe Padme could confine what she had heard between Costil and Veruna to them.

Before she could ask them, Pooja asked what her plans were for that night. The Queen was giving Pooja and Line the night off so they could spend time with their families. Pooja planned on having dinner with her mother and daughter, and had invited Gregor and his wife along with Line and her fiance. "It would be so good to catch up, and you and Line could get to know one another," Pooja said to Padme.

Padme had not been expecting this, but it would be so good to see Pooja and Gregor outside of work settings. Also, she would like to talk to Line more. She seemed like someone who would know how to deal with the predicament Padme was in right now.

She turned to Pooja and smiled. "Yes, Pooja, I would love to come to dinner. What time should I come in?"

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

The sewers of Naboo weren't as bad and disgusting as ones Anakin had been in before, but that didn't make the trek through them any pleasant. That, and with Naboo's cold months coming in, the tunnels were freezing.

Anakin and Ferus had been following Jar Jar through the sewer tunnels when Ferus asked the Gungan if he knew where he was going.

"Yesa, before mesa became representative, Mesa helped the Naboo create a new water system to sure dat de pollution didn't go into de Gungan waters. Mesa remember de waterfall unda palace a click from here. As long as wesa stay away from desa exit, wesa safe from de bombad Imperials," Jar Jar explained.

Anakin had to grin. Most beings thought Jar Jar a clumsy idiot, but Anakin and Padme knew that Jar Jar was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for.

"How'd you know where we were?" Anakin asked as they made a left turn. The tunnels were dark and slimy with only Jar Jar's glowrod, and Anakin and Ferus' lightsabers to give them light. The Gungan seemed unaffected by the slime and cold sewer water he trudged through.

Jar Jar explained how he had been in the throne room for a meeting with the Emperor, the Queen, and the Council when Panaka received a transmission from an anonymous tip that Anakin Skywalker was in the market sector with an unidentified woman. Anakin couldn't understand how Padme's identity remained a secret, but he listened as Jar Jar explained how he had overheard Panaka whisper to the Emperor about the tip before taking several guards to look for Anakin. When the Emperor dismissed the Council, Jar Jar heard about the attack going on in the market sector and had snuck out to go find and help Anakin. "Miss Sola Naberrie told mesa how shesa saw yousa at Madame Ryoo's funeral de otter day and told mesa. Mesa know yousa never hurt Miss Padme's family so mesa sought to help yousa," Jar Jar explained.

Anakin was touched, but then he realized something Jar Jar had said about Panaka's tip. "Jar Jar, are you sure you didn't recognize the tipper?"

In the dim light he could see Jar Jar frowning as he tried to remember, but then shook his head. "Nosa, the message was scrambled and Panaka had stepped away from the meeting to intercept it," the Gungan answered.

Blast. That means the traitor could still be Typho or any of the handmaidens. He remembered Typho, Sabe, Sache, and Eirtae who all worked in the palace. Typho was one of the heads of security, Sabe was one of the handmaiden trainers, Eirtae was one of Queen Apailana's advisors, and Sache was a member of the planetary legislative assembly if Anakin remembered correctly. If they had been in the throne room when Panaka received that tip it could help the process of elimination.

Anakin then asked Jar Jar if Typho, Sabe, Eirtae, and Sache had been in the throne room at the time Panaka had received the tip.

Jar Jar thought for a couple of minutes as they jumped into another tunnel. "Mesa know Miss Sabe wasa training de handmaidens in de palace gym. Captain Typho was in anoder corner of de palace. Miss Eirtae had been delayed from comen to meeten due to a message from her family. But Miss Sache had been sitten inside meeting de whole time until de Emperor dismissed us," Jar Jar answered.

Anakin looked back at Ferus amd saw the same thoughts he himself had. If what Jar Jar said was true, the traitor wasn't Sache which meant there were eight other people who could be it.

Finally, Jar Jar stopped at a lid, and lifted it up. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, Jar Jar climbed out, followed by the two former Jedi. The cold air almost made Anakin shiver in his wet and filthy clothes, but he suppressed it. He had also lost the disguised wig somewhere down in the sewers, but with the Naboo sun setting at this time of day, he doubted anyone would recognize him like this. He looked at Jar Jar. the Gungan's senatorial clothing was ruined, and if he went back to the palace like that suspicion would fall on him. When Anakin said so to Jar Jar, the Gungan just shrugged. "Mesa will be returnin to Gungan City. Emperor Palpatine plans on haven mesa bein replaced by Senator Tesse Yelnina."

Anakin could feel the Gungan's sadness and disappointment at this. Padme would be upset too when she would find out.

"Thank you, Jar Jar. We wouldn't have been able to escape without you," Anakin said to the Gungan.

"Yes, thank you," Ferus added.

Jar Jar smiled and hugged Anakin before taking off and disappearing into the streets of Theed.

Anakin turned to Ferus. "You lead the way."

The older man was happy to do so. It turned out they weren't so far from the Lasara home. However, both men's thoughts were on the information Jar Jar had just given them. Sache may have been innocent, but there were other to worry about.

"Two down, eight more to go," Anakin muttered. And they now had four more days before Karrde would be forced to leave with or without Anakin and Padme. Four days to uncover what Palpatine was searching for and snuff out the traitor.

000{{*}}000

Because the Lieutenant had busted the window of his front parlor, he escorted the three women to his kitchen that had a gorgeous view of the Solleu River.

On the way, Padme noticed holos hanging in the hall. Pictures of the Lieutenant when he was younger: at his daughter's wedding, his son's graduation, and with his wife on what looked to be one of Naboo's mountains. In them, Padme could see his scars more prominent, and the sadness in his eyes even as he smiled around his loved ones. It seemed that the attack he had survived had left more than physical scars on his body.

In the kitchen, the Lieutenant began to pour them all some cafe. Padme sipped the beverage, allowing it to warm her inside before looking at the Lieutenant. The man was around the same age as her grandmamma had been, but with his scars, he seemed far from a harmless old man. Despite being decades out of service, his military training still showed in his posture.

"I suppose you heard my argument with my son?" he asked Padme.

Padme winced. A part of her felt guilty listening to such a private argument between her former mentor and his father.

"No need to be polite, my lady. It's no secret that since the Emperor came to power, my son and I have been at each other's throats."

"I wasn't expecting it. Nor was I expecting your fake drunkenness," Padme told him. To her surprise, the Lieutenant grinned.

"If my son believes me drunk, he'll get out of here faster than a startled voorpack. Whenever I see my son coming, I drink about a mouthful of whiskey before dumping the rest of it unto my clothes. Makes a mess, but I rather deal with that than my son."

Padme could hardly believe anyone going into such trouble to avoid speaking to their own son, but given the changes she had seen in Panaka recently, she could understand.

"Since I found you three hiding in my bushes, I'm assuming you're here to ask me something," the Lieutenant inquired.

Padme reached down into the pocket of the cloak she wore and pulled out the holo of her aunt and Pooja. The Lieutenant froze stiff for a second, before a deep and heavy sadness filled his dark eyes.

"I know that Palpatine wants my aunt's comb to unlock her diary because she knew secrets that could destroy Naboo's most powerful families. The thing is though, my aunt's comb is missing, and it doesn't seem Palpatine's agents know where it is. I was hoping you could tell me where it is, and possibly where her diary is as well," Padme explained to him.

The Lieutenant took the holo out of her hands, and held it as if it were priceless glass. "Should have buried that comb with while we had the chance," the Lieutenant muttered, but Padme heard it. He continued to stare at the holo of the two young women.

"Padme Lydonia never meant to get mixed up in all of it, but she did. Many in court didn't give her enough credit because she was the scholarship intern of Lady Veruna, but that allowed her to observe and listen without being noticed. If she had been given the chance, she would have made an excellent handmaiden," the Lieutenant smiled a bit.

Padme smiled too. Her aunt's death had hit her family hard, but her mother, father, and both of her grandmothers had told her stories of the talented woman she had been named after. When she had first started out in the political field, Padme had wished many times that she had known her great-aunt that could have been a great leader of Naboo had she lived.

"It started out as an accident, overhearing politicians talk in the dark corridors. Most people would plug their ears and look the other way, but Padme Lydonia couldn't stay silent of the things she heard. She didn't know what to do, so she came to me and Pooja and asked what could be done. When Queen Celestine found out about her, the two of them became partners in crime. Celestine's term as queen was nearing its end, but the court was filled to the brim of corruption. Those who hadn't chosen a side with Tapolo or Costil, were among the few who tried to help Celestine weed out the corruption. Upon graduating the LYP, your aunt became the Queen's aide and secret spy. It was her job to uncover the corruption and force the councilors and people like Tapolo, Veruna, Costil, and Palpatine into resignation if they couldn't be arrested. Padme never fully divulged what she uncovered to me, but it was dangerous enough to get her killed."

By the time the Lieutenant completed his tale, Padme had been captivated until she was reminded of her aunt's fate. Her aunt, her grandfather,and six other council members who had been loyal to Celestine along with with Queen Celestine herself, three of her handmaidens, and eight of her guards had been killed in the bombing. The Lieutenant, Pooja, and two other people had survived, but were heavily scarred and disabled.

"Do you know what happened to her diary?" she asked.

The Lieutenant shook his head. "Shiraya knows where your aunt hid it. I always suspected that she gave it to Pooja somehow, but even on her best days Pooja would always tell me that the secret lies behind the 'red flower."'

Padme sighed in disappointment, and Rabe placed a comforting hand on her arm. She had seen Pooja once already. Not a pleasant experience when the woman was torn between two different timelines.

"What about the comb?" Padme tried again.

The Lieutenant chuckled grimly. "That old thing is probably too mangled to be of any use. I doubt if we even had the diary, the comb would be able to unlock it."

Padme wasn't sure. If Palpatine really believed it then Malorum wouldn't have broken into Varykino and kill her grandmamma while searching for it. She shook her head. "We searched my Grandmamma Ryoo's belongings. The comb wasn't in the place she usually kept it. You said during her funeral that she commed you every month. Could she have given it to you? One of my aunt's friends? My aunt's boyfriend, Sheev?"

The Lieutenant bursted out into such hysterical laughter, Padme, Rabe, and Dorme all jumped in their seats. The Lieutenant rocked back and forth in his chair. He slammed the table with his hand several times, nearly upsetting the cafe until he placed a hand over his chest in an effort to calm down. It took several minutes before he finally calmed down.

By then, Padme's cheeks were aflame with anger. "Is something funny?"

"Forgive me, my lady," the Lieutenant chuckled before clearing his throat. "But your aunt's 'Sheev' would be the last person your grandmamma would entrust her sister's comb to."

"Why not?"

The Lieutenant's expression suddenly became sober, and there was something along the lines of pity in them. "They never told you? Because, my lady, Cosinga Sheev Palpatine II is our great and glorious Emperor, and the man who killed your aunt, Celestine, and eighteen other people."

000{{*}}000

Padme was aware of Dorme and Rabe as they hurriedly followed after her.

After hearing what the Lieutenant said about her aunt's boyfriend, she had numbly gotten up, grabbed her cloak, and took off. The Naboo sun had set and was beginning to get dark, but Padme knew these streets. How many times as a child did she walk these streets with her friends and family? Or how many times did she walk them while she was queen surrounded by her guards and handmaidens?

How?

Padme had heard it from the mouth of a man her grandmamma had known, but she couldn't believe it. How could her great-aunt have known and loved Palpatine? How could her parents, her grandmothers have known and never tell her? All these years, and she had always assumed Palpatine was just a friend of her parents until he decided to become her mentor when she entered into politics. And all this time, he was responsible for the deaths of her great-aunt, grandfather, and so many people before he even entered politics. Would the lies and betrayals he had committed never cease?

Padme felt her vision blur and her eyes sting. She slowed her pace as a sob escaped her. Then another and another, until finally she buried her head in her hands. She felt arms wrap around her before pulling her into an embrace. Dorme or Rabe? She wasn't sure. She felt them rub her back as she sobbed into their shoulder.

When she finally brought herself to stop, she pulled away to see Rabe's soft and kind eyes she remembered when she was queen. Rabe didn't say anything and neither did Dorme. For that Padme was grateful. They continued on towards the Lasara home, avoiding Stormtroopers that passed them until they finally made it.

Eirtae was the one who opened the door. Her face was filled with worry but when she saw them and the look on Padme's face, she closed her mouth, and let them inside without a word.

Padme walked inside. Right now she wanted to see Anakin, so she asked Eirtae where he was.

"He's in the fresher up in your room," Eirtae answered her.

Padme thanked her before going up. When she entered the room, Anakin had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was wet from the fresher.

He turned around, startled by her entrance, then relieved, until he saw and possibly felt her despair. "Padme, what-"

"Please just hold me Anakin." She wrapped herself around Anakin. Anakin froze for a second before wrapping his arms around her and did the best he could to comfort her.

000{{*}}000

Anakin quietly shut the door as Padme slept in their bed. He had barely gotten her to eat dinner that Eirtae and Elle had prepared before she finally fell asleep.

She had told him what she, Dorme, and Rabe had discovered from Panaka: how her aunt's mysterious boyfriend was none other than Palpatine himself. In all the years Anakin had thought he'd known him, he had never imagined Palpatine as being in love with someone, let alone Padme's great-aunt. And he killed her? The thought sickened Anakin.

He looked up and saw Ferus coming down the hall towards him. There was sympathy in his dark eyes as he approached Anakin. "Dorme and Rabe told me what happened. How is she?" He nodded towards the closed door.

"She just fell asleep. The news… was difficult to digest," Anakin answered.

Ferus nodded understandingly before asking, "Are you ready to do this?"

Anakin wasn't, but he didn't have many options left. "Let's do this."

Quietly, they went downstairs towards the library. Everyone else had gone to bed after being debriefed by Anakin and Ferus. Typho, Sabe, Motee, Elle, and Sache were all still nursing bruises from Anakin and Ferus' escape earlier, but Sache had discovered during the council meeting at the palace that Palpatine and his staff would be staying at the Convergence with the Costil women during his stay. It would be useful information for later on.

Anakin and Ferus entered the library where they found Vatie sitting down in one of the sofas where she had been waiting until they came in.

She stood up, concern evident in her expression. "How's Padme?"

Anakin knew she wasn't the traitor, so he didn't lie to her. "She's hurt, but… she's strong." He had to believe that.

Vatie nodded before taking a deep breath. "So what did you want to ask me away from everybody else?"

Anakin and Ferus looked at one another. This wasn't going to be easy, but Anakin felt that it was best if it came from him. "We have a traitor in our group, and we need your help to find them.

000{{*}}000

66 bby

It was a simple dinner among friends, and that's what Padme loved about it. She couldn't remember the last time she had a simple meal with Pooja and Gregor. However, she felt like she was about to destroy her last chance at backing out of this. She could do it: drop everything and forget it, just to enjoy dinner with her friends. But could she live with herself if she kept her mouth shut, and didn't try harder to do something about the situation? Would she be the person she wanted to be, and the person Ryoo, Jobal, and Mammy believed her to be?

Padme believed not. That is why she planned on talking with Gregor, Pooja, and maybeLine tonight after dinner. It was her hope that they would be able to provide advice on how she should proceed with the information she had heard.

She went to Pooja's home that night. It was an apartment in the market sector, above a builder's workshop. It was small but big enough for Pooja's daughter Monie and her mother Clotia to live in. Monie was just a couple years older than Jobal and Ruwee and had plans to become an artist like her grandmother. It was Monie who welcomed Padme into the apartment when she knocked on their door.

"Hi, Padme."

Padme smiled at the preteen. "Hi Monie, it's been a long time."

Monie grinned. "Three months. I've grown two inches since then."

"I can see that."

"Padme?" Pooja's head poked from the kitchen. She was out of her handmaiden uniform, and dressed in a light blue gown with her strawberry-blonde hair in a long braid down her back. A smile appeared on her face when she saw Padme.

She came out of the kitchen and hugged Padme. "I'm so happy you were able to make it." She pulled away, and looked at Padme's attire. "You look great."

Because Padme was still in mourning, she still wore black, but tonight she dressed in a gown with different layers of lavender with black trimming, a black sash, and a black ribbon around her throat.

"Thank you. Um… am I late? I had difficulty remembering which room it was-"

"You're just in time," Pooja assured her. "It's Gregor and Lane who are running late. Line and her fiance Shon are in the parlor while my mother and I finish dinner."

She took Padme to the parlor. There, she found Line, and who must have been her fiance sitting in a love seat and looking out the window behind him. Pooja cleared her throat and the two of them noticed her and Padme. Now that she was out of her handmaiden uniform, Padme could see Line's features much more clearly. Her face wasn't as soft as Padme and her sister's were, but the shape of her lips, her cheekbones, and eyes were the same. Her hair was a light brown with a hint of auburn in it, but her eyes were as brown as Padme and Jobal's were. Line had dressed in a soft, long-sleeved gown that obviously showed off her wealthy background in a casual way.

"Padme, you remember Line. This is her fiance Shon Lasara," Pooja introduced.

Shon was a handsome man with fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, and seemed to come from a wealthy background if his clothing and the way he was sitting was any indication. Padme wondered how the couple felt sitting in Pooja's humble home, wearing clothing the could probably pay a couple of its months rent even if it was "casual evening wear".

Nevertheless, Padme knew from experience that people were more than what they seemed behind the fancy clothing, so she smiled pleasantly at them as they stood up to shake her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you."

A bang that sounded like a pot falling, followed by a call from Monie came from the kitchen. Pooja sighed before turning to her guests apologetically. "I better go check to see if everything is alright. If you'll please excuse you," out of habit, Pooja curtsied before she left the room.

Line and Shon returned to their places in the loveseat while Padme sat down in the chair next to them. What should have been tense and silent awkwardness between Padme and the engaged couple was not that. In fact, Padme found herself having a pleasant conversation with them as if they were old friends.

Line, she discovered had been a handmaiden under Queen Celestine since her first election around the time Line was fifteen years old.

Shon, Padme discovered was the firstborn son of the merchant family Lasara, and a palace guard under Captain Blantyre as well

Line and Shon told Padme how they had been childhood sweethearts back when they lived in Keren with their families neighboring each other's properties up until Shon's family had moved away. Around the time Celestine's election came, Shon had completed his training at the Academy and that's how he and Line were reunited. Now, with Celestine's terms nearing their end, the couple planned to marry upon retirement, and move out into the countryside where Shon would be helping with the family business. It was a sweet and romantic tale, and Padme hoped that they would be very happy.

In return, Padme told them about herself. She told them about her studies in the Legislative Youth Program. She told them about her village of Claines that had survived the recent epidemic, and that she was in mourning of her mother, brother-in-law, and several of her neighbors she had grown up knowing. Line and Shon listened , both sympathetic and understanding as she told them about her struggles in her classes for being a peasant under scholarship and her beliefs for Gungan Rights.

Before they realized how long they had been talking, the occupants heard the knocking on the door. This time it was Pooja who answered the door. "Well, it's about time you two showed up!"

Padme leaned her head out to see Gregor helping his wife to remove her cloak, revealing a gorgeous yellow dress that set off her beautiful dark skin. Gregor himself was out of uniform, and wearing simple but nice garments.

"Sorry Pooja, but you know how long it takes Lane to get ready. Almost as much as it takes you handmaidens to get the Queen ready," Gregor laughed good naturally, until Lane elbowed him and he coughed.

Pooja laughed, and Padme couldn't help but grin. Pooja came into the parlor, still smiling. "Now that our wayward friends have finally arrived, we can at last eat."

Dinner was spread out on the kitchen table, and it was a tight squeeze for sitting with Padme squished between Monie and Gregor, but it was perfect. Pooja and her mother outdid themselves with blossom bread, several dishes of cooked vegetables, and roasted nuna that must have costed Pooja a good deal of credits. But if this was going to be one of those rare times Pooja would get to spend time with her daughter, mother, and friends, Padme believed that Pooja of all people deserved to spoil herself like this.

Everything was delicious.

Line and Shon had brought a bottle of Alderaainian white wine to share with everyone except Monie, and showed Padme how to dip her blossom bread into it. Padme had seen council members doing it at dinners, but she had never tried it before that. Aside from eating, dinner was filled with pleasant conversation. How Padme knew Pooja and Gregor, how Line had mentored Pooja when she first became a handmaiden years ago, where Gregor and Lane were planning on moving by the Solleu River for their growing family, and what Monie's plans were for her future.

It was all so relaxing that the secrets of Veruna and Costil had almost been forgotten by Padme. Almost.

By the end of the meal most of the food had been, so while Clotia worked on packaging leftovers, Monie began cleaning up with help from Lane. That left Pooja, Padme, Gregor, and Line to gather in the parlor while Shon worked to save what was left of the expensive wine he and Line had brought. Without even meaning to, the parlor's occupants fell into conversation about the palace events.

"How much longer do you think Celestine can stall the Trade Federation?" Gregor asked.

Pooja sat her cafe that she had been drinking on her lap. "At least a couple more months. The Trade Federation knows that her terms will be ending soon, which is why they haven't been pressuring as of late. However, when Celestine steps down this autumn and a new monarch is elected, they'll expect him or her to make the final decision."

"If Tapolo is elected he hands us over to them. If Costil is elected, he'll just provoke them into attacking us and surrender without a thought," Line added in.

"Are our only options just those two?" Padme asked. "Is there really nobody else who can refuse the Trade Federation and be strong enough to protect us from an invasion if it comes to that?" Padme could see the looks of fear and worry in her friends that she herself felt.

Naboo was a peaceful world ever since the Gungan Wars centuries ago. Their only security were volunteers that protected the monarch and ensured the peace here on Naboo. If an invasion ever did happen, they would be overwhelmed within minutes.

Line sighed mournfully. "At this late stage, the only way a third candidate would be introduced in the running would be if the had the Queen's public approval, they are well-known to the public, and they had the backing of some powerful allies."

Padme felt her hope plummet. Who did she know that fitted all those credentials?

Line continued, "Tapolo's so well-known with his brother being the governor, and having the backing of Ars Veruna. Costil's family has been in the public eye for years, and even with his sister's scandalous behavior, he has the wealth and influence of Cosinga Palpatine to keep him unharmed. Who can go up against all of that?"

"What if they didn't?" Padme whispered. Costil and Veruna's argument repeating itself in her head.

Everyone had heard her whisper, and were now looking at her confused.

"What do you mean?" Pooja asked her.

Padme felt her heart beginning to race. "What if Tapolo didn't have Veruna's backing? What if Palpatine's influence wasn't enough to protect Costil?"

Gregor, Pooja, and Line looked at her confused, worried, and… possibly hopeful.

This was it, Padme thought. No turning back. Hesitating for one moment, she explained the argument she had overheard between Costil and Veruna weeks ago. She watched as surprise lit her friends' faces before morphing into confusion then anger and worry.

"You're absolutely certain of this?" Gregor asked her.

Padme nodded. "Yes, I know it's nothing without physical evidence or proof, but I just couldn't stand by and do nothing but keep my mouth shut. I thought that if the Queen was aware of such allegations, a proper investigation could be done on the two of them."

Gregor shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that without concrete evidence, Captain Blantyre wouldn't be allowed to conduct a legal investigation based on the words of just one intern. He'd be commanded to just look at it as if it were just plain gossip."

"Actually, the Queen would have the authority to conduct a small investigation," Line interjected. She turned to Pooja. "Remember when Mikael mentioned about missing funds just a few days ago? He said that the transactions were small, maybe up to a few hundred credits each, but all together there is a huge chunk of the monarch's treasury missing. Now that Padme has mentioned it, I wonder if Costil has anything to do with it."

Mikael, Padme knew him to be Councilor Mikael Excenil, one of Dreann Palpatine's nephews, Sheev's cousin, and Lille Costil's brother. With Mikael Excenil as brother to Costil's sister-in-law, Costil would have a way of accessing into the royal funds.

Padme watched as rage filled Line's eyes, her hands fisting the afghan on the loveseat. "I've served Celestine for eight years. I've traveled with her to mines where the miners didn't have enough safety equipment because of lack of funds. I've been to villages torn by famine and diseases. And all the while Costil tossed out Credits like it was just laundry credits?" Line turned her head away, but Padme could see the rage in her posture.

"And Veruna?" Pooja asked.

Padme turned her head over to her, and for the first time in her life, she saw the handmaiden trained to fight and kill, but it was more than that.

"What about the girl he is seeing?"

Padme knew Pooja was thinking of her own daughter who was laughing in the kitchen, and what she would do if some sick older man touched her.

"I don't know," Padme admitted softly. "Costil didn't say who she was. Only that she was fifteen or sixteen."

She saw Gregor clenching his jaw in anger, and knew he was thinking of his own daughter, sweet little Ro who had just started walking recently. For a moment, everyone was silent until Shon came into the room, followed by Lane, Monie, and Clotia. The four other occupants all forced smiles and cheerful moods, hiding their anger and helplessness behind the masks they had perfected from working so long in the palace.

Pretty soon after that, everybody began to leave. First, Line and Shon, followed by the Panakas, until Padme was the last to leave. Before she left, Pooja pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks for coming, Padme," she said for the benefit of her mother and daughter. Then she whispered in Padme's ears. "I'll make sure Celestine is made aware of this."

On the way home, Padme wondered what was going to happen because she still felt as if all the stars of the galaxy were on her more than ever.

000{{*}}000

Two days later, Padme was sorting through Lady Veruna's files before she would leave for the day when she felt a shadow over her head. Looking up, Padme was startled when she saw the handsome,but serious face of Captain Andrei Blantyre.

"Miss Lydonia?" he inquired.

Padme closed her gaped mouth and nodded.

"The Queen requests your presence. Follow me."

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Anakin watched as shock filled Vatie, followed by anger and instant denial.

"No," Vatie shook her head. "No way. That's impossible. Inconceivable!"

"Vatie-" Anakin worried her voice would wake up the household, but Vatie stepped away from him.

"No Anakin. Just the thought… it's not right!"

"Vatie," Ferus' voice was calm and gentle that it surprised Anakin. "I understand your conviction, but we have to face the facts: at Varykino, Anakin and I made certain that security had no way of ratting us out, yet Inspector Divo came long before he should have after they were taken out. And today, someone knew Anakin and Padme would be in the market sector, close to Pooja's facility, and also, during our confrontation with Malorum, Malorum himself admitted to having a spy among us."

Vatie turned away, but Anakin could see a tear glistening down her face. She leaned against a holobook shelf and breathed heavily.

Anakin gave her a few moments before he continued in a quiet voice. "I know how close you all are to one another from serving my wife for so many years. You trained together, fought together, and served together. Betrayal like that is… it's like a knife in the back." Or a blaster bolt. Anakin swallowed the bitter hardness in his throat as he remembered the 501st. Men whom he had fought side by side in horrific battles. Men who had watched his back and he watched theirs. All that they had went through, forgotten as they stormed the Jedi Temple and fired upon Anakin and his fellow Jedi.

He felt Ferus looking at him in concern, but Vatie turned back to face them. "It's more than that, Anakin," her voice spoke just above a whisper. "As a handmaiden, we enter a ceremony where we pledge our lives to our mistress. We swear to honor her wishes and defend her with our lives. We are supposed to die before her. If a handmaiden broke her vows to her mistress or any of her fellow handmaidens, she would be disgraced, disowned, and face the chance of execution by her fellow handmaidens if not her mistress."

Anakin was shocked by that last bit. He knew handmaidens on Naboo took their vows seriously, but he never knew them to be that zealous. If the traitor turned out to be a handmaiden, would Padme agree to her execution?

"So you see how hard it is to grasp the possibility of one of us betraying Padme?" Vatie asked him. "I'm not saying Typho would be the traitor. As her former security officer, he would be under the same oaths to protect Padme."

"We're not saying that Typho or any of you ladies would willingly betray Padme," Ferus said calmly. "It's possible that Malorum could be blackmailing someone into reporting to him about our doings and whereabouts."

Anakin could sense the conflict in Vatie warring against one another. Her loyalty to her friends and the need to protect them and Padme if there really was a traitor endangering them all.

Finally, with reluctance in her eyes but conviction as well, Vatie looked up at Anakin and Ferus. "What do you want me to do?"

"The informant obviously contacted Malorum and Panaka via comlink around this area," Anakin explained. "If the timing is correct, the girls would have contacted you after Inspector Divo was already making his way towards Divo, so that leaves you off the suspect list."

Vatie looked at him in a sarcastic "gee thanks" sort of way.

Anakin continued. "We can't be sure where the informant contacted Panaka, but if you could go through everyone's comm records that could help us narrow it down."

Vatie thought for a moment before nodding. "I can do that. It will take time, but I can have it done by tomorrow night. What else?"

Anakin braced himself. This wasn't going to be easy. "We're to need files on all the handmaidens and Typho."

Now that drove her off the edge. "WHAT?!"

Anakin and Ferus hurriedly gestured her to keep quiet, hoping that no one heard her.

"We won't be needing Sache's. We already know that she's not the traitor," Anakin tried to placate her.

Ferus cut in, "we need to look into these files so that we can see what Palpatine could use against them."

Vatie bit her lip. Going through such personal information was a complete breach of privacy and trust, but eventually Vatie nodded. "Give me a few hours, and I'll have them ready for you to go through in the morning."

Anakin let out a breath he didn't know that he had been holding in. "Thank you, Vatie."

What none of them were aware of was the bug planted in one of the holobooks recording everything, and that the traitor was listening to every word they said.

000{{*}}000

When Padme woke up the next morning, she was wrapped in the arms of her sleeping husband, safe and secured. A smile graced her lips until she remembered what she had learned the day before.

Her great-aunt, Padme Lydonia and Emperor Palpatine had been lovers. Padme had cried at the thought of it last night until she fell asleep. Now, did Padme feel ashamed of what her aunt and Palpatine had been to one another? Maybe a little until she remembered how old her aunt had been. At seventeen what teenager didn't feel swept up in the motion of young love, and the feelings it carried with it? Palpatine was also a natural liar, so how could her young aunt have known of the evilness he hid so well from everyone? The same evil that would kill her and so many other people. Padme realized that it wasn't just her grandmamma's death Palpatine had orchestrated, it was her great-aunt Padme's and her grandfather Luke Naberrie's as well. She couldn't let Palpatine harm anyone else in her family. She wouldn't.

Carefully, so she wouldn't wake Anakin up, Padme slipped out of bed to get dressed. Because of the incident in the market area, stormtroopers would be patrolling everywhere which meant sneaking back over to Lieutenant Panaka's home impossible. Maybe Padme could talk with Captain Typho and see if he could bring the Lieutenant here. Until then Padme would brush up on her history.

Padme crept down the stairs and headed towards the library. Finding it empty, she set off her search. Eirtae had once mentioned that her father use to collect holoarticles of major Naboo events since he was a child. The bombing that killed Queen Celestine and many of her staff and allies would have been a highly major event in its time. Padme found the articles stacked inside a box in the corner of the library. Dust had begun to settle on it since Eirtae's father passed away years, but Padme ignored it as she opened it and began to search through the old pads, trying to find the one dated back forty-seven years ago. It was near the bottom of the box and the par was beginning to chip, but it still worked when Padme turned it on.

Queen Celestine and Nineteen Others Murdered in Horrific Bombing.

That was the heading, and underneath it was an image of the palace with black smoke coming from where Padme remembered the throne room.

Padme remembered her history. It had taken three years to restore the throne room to its former beauty, but rumors had circled that the ghosts of the people killed in there haunted the palace, searching for the ones responsible for their deaths. It was just an urban legend, but when Padme had been queen, she had always felt unsettled wandering the halls and corridors in complete darkness, and even her handmaidens had admitted to feeling unhinged some nights.

Padme read the information in the article, remembering. Investigators had deduced that the bomb had been placed inside the Queen's throne, instantly incinerating everyone within five feet. That included Queen Celestine, Captain Blantyre, two handmaidens, and the Queen's secretary, Padme Lydonia.

Padme took a deep breath before continuing on.

There were images beside the names of the victims, including their age and position. Many of them were around the same age as Padme and her friends had been when she had completed her terms, but the youngest amongst the dead were Padme's aunt and Princess Blantyre at the ages seventeen and sixteen. After killing Celestine, Blantyre, Lydonia, and the two handmaidens, the blast continued, burning council members and guards stationed around them. The throne room doors had been opened by a witness moments before the explosion had happened. The witness statement and identity hadn't been published, Padme noticed.

She continued reading.

Emergency medics had rushed in, but there had only been seven people still alive after the explosion. One had died as they were moving him from the scene. Another died when his heart gave out in the middle of bacta treatment. Then another died from the severity of her wounds two days later. Only four people had survived the attack: two guards and two handmaidens.

One guard had lost his left arm, both of his legs, and suffered severe burns. He later drowned in the Lake Country months later while on a family vacation, some believing it to be a suicide. While Padme didn't recognize the name, her heart wept for the pain he and his family had gone through.

The other guard was Lieutenant Gregor Panaka. He had been the farthest away from the blast because he had intercepted the witness who had barged in, but his wounds had consisted of burnt ligaments in his leg and severe burns up his body from covering the witness. When Padme looked at the Lieutenant's image she was startled to see how young and unscarred he seemed to be before the attack. Almost resembling his son back when Padme had just become Queen.

One of the handmaidens that had survived was Pooja Janren. Her injuries had been so severe the medics had doubted that she would last long. The blast had flung her incredibly hard into one of the throne room's pillars paralyzing much of her body and causing severe brain damage. She had been in the hospital for over two months before she was placed in the Theed Care Center.

The other handmaiden- Padme's eyes widened when she saw the handmaiden's image, and recognized the name.

"Cafe?"

Padme jumped in surprise, dropping the holopad onto the ground, and shutting off the article. She looked up and saw Sabe standing in the doorway, holding two cups of cafe.

Sabe frowned in concern as she made her way over to Padme. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Maybe she did. "I'm fine. I just… didn't hear you come in."

"You were in the zone, looking at whatever it is you were looking at," Sabe said as Padme picked up the holopad she dropped. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, I hope you can," Padme said, setting down the holopad onto the desk before taking the cup of cafe Sabe offered her. "Sabe, isn't your mother's maiden name Olnick?"

Sabe nodded. "Yes, youngest child of Dian Olnick of Olnick Holdings."

"And wasn't her aunt a handmaiden?" Padme asked.

Sabe nodded again. "Yes, First Handmaiden of Queen Celestine until her assination. My aunt had been one of the few survivors from the attack," she paused and looked at Padme questionably. "Does this have something to do with Padme Lydonia?"

Sabe had been Padme's closest friend before Padme had even become queen and she could read her as if she were a holobook. "I'm wondering if it does," Padme admitted before sipping her cafe. "Lieutenant Panaka didn't say where my aunt's comb or diary could be, so that narrows our options. I wonder if your Aunt Line would know. Has she ever talked or mentioned anything that would indicate if she knew my aunt?"

Sabe shook her head. "No, my great-aunt never likes to talk about her days of service to Celestine. The attack left her horribly scarred, and she lost her fiance Shon Lasara."

"Shon Lasara? Eirtae's uncle?" Padme asked.

"Yes," Sabe confirmed. "My aunt was devastated. No man wanted to marry her with the way her scars were. Not that she wanted to marry anybody after losing Shon. She just kept her mouth shut and closed herself off. I didn't even know she had been a handmaiden until I began my training."

Well, that made things complicated. Still… "But she would have kept in contact with fellow handmaidens or guards like Pooja or Lieutenant Panaka, wouldn't she?" Padme asked.

"I don't know," Sabe answered. "I always believed that the loss of Shon, Celestine, and so many of her friends destroyed her that I don't know if she would have kept in touch or not."

Both women were silent. Over the years they had known and lost many friends in the Blockade, the Clone Wars, and assasination attempts on Padme's life over the years. They had mourned and then they had moved on because their duties had demanded them to. In losing Celestine, Line Olnick lost her sense of duty. In losing her fiance, she had lost her future along with all of her friends.

The door to the library suddenly opened, and Elle came rushing in.

"Elle, what's wrong?" Padme asked. Elle looked winded and frightened.

"Stormtroopers… Eirtae told us to hide you, Anakin, and Ferus while she distracted them," Elle gasped.

Stormtroopers! Did they find them?

Sabe grabbed Padme's arm and pulled her towards one of the holobook shelves. She grabbed what seemed to be a random holobook, but the shelf slid open, revealing one of the secret passageways in Eirtae's house.

"Stay quiet," Sabe whispered before she shoved Padme inside.

Sabe tried to control the rapid beating of her heart as the shelf closed behind Padme, hiding her. She hoped that the others had hidden Anakin and Ferus by the time the stormtroopers would push past Eirtae and barge into her home. Sabe and Elle walked out of the library just in time to see the stormtroopers do just that.

Eirtae protested loudly enough to alert the whole house as the stormtroopers made their way down halls and into rooms. Inspector Divo came in right after the last Stormtrooper. Eirtae turned and glared furiously at him. "Inspector Divo, I hope you have a good explanation as to why you entered my home like this."

"Relax Madame Arthi, this is just an inspection," Divo's annoying voice assured her.

As they conversed, Sabe saw Motee, Yane, and Typho coming down the stairs as stormtroopers pushed their way up. Typho noticed Sabe and Elle near the end of the stairs and tilted his head. Sabe inwardly sighed with relief. Anakin and Ferus had been safely hidden.

As the stormtroopers searched upstairs, Sabe could hear the embarrassed and angry cries of the other girls upstairs.

"Shiraya!" that would be Vatie.

"What the kriffing hells?!" and that would be Sache.

"During the attack in the market yesterday, witnesses saw a woman help Skywalker evade arrest. The woman's description resembles that of Senator Padme Amidala," Divo explained.

"And you think that it was one of us who helped Skywalker, or that it was Padme herself?" Sabe accused.

Divo opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Vatie and Sache came down the stairs, and Rabe and Dorme came down the hall from the kitchen, all still in their dressing gowns. Under normal circumstances, Sabe knew that her friends would all be blushing scarlet for being so indecently dressed in front of strange men, but in these circumstances there was too much at stake to be worrying about that.

Divo turned to Eirtae. "Quite the full house you've got," his comment almost made Sabe flinched. It had been convenient for all of them to stay here so that Anakin and Padme would have better protection while they searched for what Malorum was after and stop him. Now, Sabe felt it had been foolish to fall back into the habit of gathering around Padme to provide better protection.

Thankfully, it seemed that Eirtae was still a smooth liar as she had been since they were teenagers. "It's been a little lonely in my house with all my family being away, so I thought that inviting all my friends over for dinner would help cheer me up. We ended up talking later than we had expected and the curfew was up, so I thought that having them all spend the night here would cause less problems."

Sabe hoped that none of the stormtroopers would mention the extra toiletries or clothing in the bedrooms she knew they went through. The inspector would realize that everyone had been staying in this house longer than one night.

As luck would have it, Divo didn't press. Instead he looked at them, still addressing Eirtae as he spoke again. "In that case, everyone wouldn't mind if I spoke to each of them individually?"

Eirtae lead him to the parlor, closing the door.

Sabe looked at Rabe from the corner of her eye, and saw the barely concealed fear and worry she herself felt. As long as Divo was here, they couldn't do anything which meant that Padme, Anakin, and Ferus were stuck hiding inside the house's secret passageways without food and water. If they were lucky, the three of them would remain hidden without anyone suspecting anything.

With years of experience, Sabe gathered everyone into the kitchen where Dorme and Elle assisted Rabe in making breakfast. Normally, everyone would all be chatting as they waited to eat, but today everyone was solemnly silent with stormtroopers stationed by the kitchen doorway and the door leading out to the gardens. The air was so tense it would have taken a lightsaber to cut it. Sabe grabbed a piece of fruit from the table and rolled it in her hands as she observed her sister handmaidens and Typho. They were all trying to give off a relaxed, nonchalant attitude, but some of them failed, especially Dorme and Elle.

Dorme looked pale and ragged, so unlike the stylish girl who first became a handmaiden, always making sure that everything was put together whether it'd be doing a switch in disguises between Padme and one of the handmaidens or herself, even when she was in the middle of a firefight. These past few days she hadn't been herself, and today, Sabe swore she heard Dorme retching in the fresher while she waited to use it.

As for Elle, the young girl (because that's what she was, a kid) kept looking up towards the hall as if she was expecting Divo to be leading Eirtae out in cuffs then ordering the rest of them to be arrested as well. Sabe wanted to shake her and scold her for being so obvious but that would have been mean and a way of deflecting her own fear as well. She watched as Elle smoothed the butter unto the toast with trembling hands, and wished that she could hold them and comfort her without the stormtroopers watching them.

After an eternity, but was really only twenty minutes according to the chrono, Eirtae finally stepped out of the parlor followed by Divo. Sabe felt little relief when she saw how pale Eirtae was, and Divo called Typho in.

Sabe took the plate Rabe offered her and a cup of tea before she moved to a seat near the back of the kitchen, away from the stormtroopers as one could be, and waited for Eirtae to join her. She did, and already knew what Sabe was going to ask her. "He was asking me where I was during the attack in the market, when my family was coming back, what I think of the Empire, my friendship with Padme, and…" Eirtae leaned closer to Sabe, lowering her voice even more. "He asked me about the house."

Sabe felt her blood freeze. He knew. Divo had to know that there were secret passageways in the Lasara Home, and that it was possible to hide two Jedi and a missing senator in one of them. During the Gungan Wars, many citizens in Theed installed these passageways to hide in. in the last year, many of the homes were destroyed in the final conflict. Those that were undamaged, were kept secret from most people until the Blockade when the passageways became useful again in helping refugees hide from the droids. In the Lasara Home however, Sabe would never have expected it to have any until Eirtae showed her and their friends them these last several months since the Empire formed. How could Divo have known about them?

"We'll just have to keep our mouths shut, and pray that Divo doesn't find anything," Sabe whispered.

Her toast and nuna eggs looked delicious, but Sabe didn't feel hungry with the knots she felt in her stomach. As she allowed her breakfast to grow cold, she watched her friends play with their food, but didn't eat either. Sache looked worriedly at the chrono while Motee held Elle's hand in comfort. Sabe looked at Vatie, and saw that the redhead had a death grip on her computer hidden in her dressing gown under the table. She was lucky Divo or any of the stormtroopers hadn't found it, because if they did they would have concrete evidence of them consulting against the Empire. After

Divo was done "questioning" Typho, he continued on through the handmaidens. Sometimes he would mix up their names which would have been humorous if not for the situation they were in right now. Sabe was the last person to be brought in for questioning.

As she took a seat in the parlor, Sabe wondered how much Inspector Divo knew about Naboo customs and about each of the handmaidens who had served Padme Amidala individually.

"Miss... Andierre isn't it?" Divo asked.

Sabe nodded. Even after six years of no longer being a handmaiden it felt odd using her surname instead of just Sabe.

Divo continued, "We already know you have a solid alibi at around the time the suspect was first seen helping Skywalker. You were training up at the palace that even if Skywalker contacted you before the attack it would have been impossible for you to get there at the time of the attack."

Sabe narrowed her eyes. "Then why am I here?"

"According to my research, you and Amidala were extremely close: from the time she was elected as queen to her last months as senator of Naboo. If there is anyone who knew her so well, who better than the woman who served her as her bodyguard and best decoy?" Divo asked.

Ah, so it was information on Padme he wanted. It seemed he didn't do his research on the duties of being a handmaiden as well as he thought. If he did then he would know that handmaidens carry their mistress's secrets to their graves even after they're no longer in their service. If Divo thought that he would be able to pry information on Padme from Sabe he chose the wrong handmaiden.

Actually, Sabe realized, she could have some fun with this. An inward, wicked smile bloomed behind Sabe's stoic face.

000{{*}}000

65 bby

Padme was silent as she followed Captain Blantyre. They passed servants and guards who were doing their final rounds before they would leave for the night.

Padme on the other hand was a little terrified as she mentally prepared herself to meet with Queen Celestine herself. Captain Blantyre had remained silent the whole walk, refusing to tell Padme as to tell Padme as to why the Queen would send for her, so Padme was left to thinking all kinds of scenarios. The only plausible one she could think of was the Veruna/Costil argument she had told Pooja. Pooja must have told her about it. What if the Queen ordered Padme to just ignore it? What if Celestine made Padme quit her career and move on to something else? Padme didn't know what she would do if Celestine ordered her to do one or both of those things.

Padme and Captain Blantyre passed through several security guards, all of whom nodded in respect of him. Blantyre lead Padme up through corridors few had the privilege to go up through, and she realized that he was taking her to the Queen's private quarters. Her nervousness grew tenfold. Luke had told her that even the Queen's most trusted advisors were rarely allowed up there. The Queen's quarters were her private sanctuary, allowing only her handmaidens and head of security to be up there at any convenience. The fact that Celestine was having Padme meet her in them raised a lot of questions.

Blantyre took her to a parlor room where the Queen most likely greeted her visitors. He left Padme in there and told her to wait for the Queen to come in herself.

Alone, Padme couldn't help but look around the room. The walls were painted a soft green, and there were paintings of Naboo's landscape spread out on them. Padme recognized some of them of Theed and many other cities of Naboo, but her favorites were the ones of the Lake Country. Luke and Winama had a lake house in the Lake Country called Varykino that had been in the Naberrie family for generations, and they were planning on taking Ryoo, Padme, Jobal, and maybe Mammy and their father with them this summer when the council would be on recess. The paintings were beautiful and exquisite, obviously done by a very skilled professional painter. They were so detailed and life like that it made Padme want to go to these places captured in paint.

She turned around when she heard the door she come in open. It was the Queen surrounded by her five principle handmaidens dressed in light blue gowns. The Queen herself wore a beautiful gown made of silk that started as a pale yellow at the top that faded to a golden yellow until it turned into a sky blue near the bottom of her dress. Instead of the usual elaborate headdress she usually wore, Celestine wore a simple diamond tiara with her hair pulled back with pink ribbons down her back. She reminded Padme of a golden water lily growing in the lake like a jewel.

Padme remembered her etiquette lessons and curtsied before the Queen. "Your Highness."

"Good evening, Miss Lydonia. Thank you for coming in so suddenly. I understand that you have other obligations to attend to, so I will try to be quick about this," Celestine said to her.

Padme looked up from her curtsy and saw the gentleness in Celestine even under all that pale makeup.

The Queen motioned Padme to sit on one of the sofas before sitting down in one opposite of Padme. The Queen made another motion and three of her handmaidens left, leaving two to stand behind her, guarding her but as silent and invisible. Padme thought she recognized Pooja and Line under their hoods, but she couldn't be certain as she focused her attention on the Queen.

"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you up here?" she asked.

"I am yes, my Lady," Padme responded.

Celestine's dark eyes were focused on her, and Padme found it hard to look away. "I understand that you have been privy to some private information concerning Ars Veruna and Reggie Costil?" Celestine asked.

Padme felt her cheeks flush, but she didn't look away from the Queen's eyes as she responded. "It was an accident, Your Highness. It was during the last dinner you had with the Royal Council. During the coffee hour, I decided that I needed some air, so I sought my way to the palace greenhouse. On my way, I heard voices and found myself behind a pillar. When I looked, I recognized Veruna and Costil…"

As Padme continued with her story, she observed Celestine. Her lips were frowning as Padme told her of the secrets both Veruna and Costil spat at each other. When Padme finished, the Queen's eyes shifted off of her, and Padme realized that she was thinking.

"If you'll forgive me, Your Highness, but what will be done?" she couldn't help but ask.

Celestine focused her attention back onto her. "Did you say neither Veruna nor Costil noticed you?"

"No, I don't think so." The corridor had been dark, and Padme had been wearing black. She had also made certain that nobody could hear her breathing, although she doubted Veruna and Costil could have heard her over their argument.

Padme watched as Celestine thought for another moment before speaking. "We hadn't been able to come up with any plausible suspects as to why funds had been misplaced in the Royal treasury. Now, it seems possible that Costil could be responsible, but without any concrete evidence it will make things difficult to counter an investigation on him. You're certain that there wasn't anything else said between them?"

Padme shook her head. "No, My Lady, after that Costil brought up the lady Veruna was supposedly seeing."

Celestine nodded, though Padme could see the pain and frustration within her. "Amazingly, I'm not as surprised of Veruna seeing a woman under the legal age as I should be."

Padme looked at her surprised, but Celestine continued. "When she was still alive, my sister, Tifaya and Ars Veruna took classes together at the Legislative Youth Program. He was a notorious playboy back then, and it was rumored that two of his classmates became pregnant by him. One of them being thirteen years old, and the other betrothed to a Bibble. It was also rumored that his mother paid to keep it hushed up, so the girls could… "deal with the problem" while Veruna pursued his career in politics without a scratch on his record."

Padme was shocked. She knew that Lady Veruna loved her son despite all their animosity towards one another. Now, she knew why. To cover up her son's despicable actions had to be sickening for her.

"I know Ars Veruna to know that he desires only what he cannot attained forever, and when he has it and has had his fun, he'll toss it aside like an old toy," Celestine finished.

As Padme looked upon her, she saw all the pain, stress, and burden Celestine had carried within her for almost eight years since the day she had been elected and crowned as Queen of the Naboo at sixteen years old. She could also see the strain and worry as well as fear within Celestine as time grew shorter, but there still being so much to do before her terms ended and a new monarch was elected in her place. There were eight months left, but if that was all the time Celestine had left before she would step down, Padme was determined to help her make the most of it. She sat up straight with her chin up. No more was she that naive farm girl all those months ago, now she would have to be a strong woman, a servant to the Queen and to the people of Naboo.

"Tell me what you want me to do." Was it her imagination, or did she see a proud smile on one of the handmaidens underneath their hood?

Celestine smiled, and Padme was nearly struck by the beauty of it. "Before my term has ended, I need to make certain that the Naboo are prepared to face the Trade Federation when that dark day comes. In order to do that I need to make certain that our government is not overrun by corrupt officials who seek to pursue their own greedy ambitions with no thought to what the people really need. There are officials who need ousted from office and replaced with good, honest hardworking people. In order to do that, I need someone I can trust." Celestine turned to the two handmaidens behind her. "From everything Line and Pooja have told me about you, and from what Councilor Naberrie has said, you are that type of person. As much as I trust my handmaidens and their skills, there's only so much they can do while they protect me. I need someone who can listen in on members of the Royal Council without drawing suspicion, and gather information on them. I hope that person can be you."

Padme was stunned, but deep down she had known that it would come to this ever since Captain Blantyre had brought her up to this room.

One of the handmaidens- Pooja, Padme realized- took a step towards her. "It's a hard and dangerous task being asked of you, Padme. If the councilors catch you, there will be serious repercussions for you and Celestine if the find out that you were investigating under her orders. You need to know that if you accept this task, you're in it with everything you have for good," Pooja warned Padme. "Do you understand?"

Padme did understand. She turned to Celestine. Steel and determination burned within her as she gave her answer to her Queen. "I won't fail you."

000{{*}}000

One week later, Padme was sitting in her political science class, and instead of writing her notes, she was writing in her diary.

Since she had accepted the Queen's task, Padme had been keeping her eyes and ears open in court. There had been nothing as big as to what she had heard between Veruna and Costil, but enough for her to write down notes to analyze at a later date. Since that fateful meeting, every night after Padme had completed her intern hours, she would meet with Pooja, Line, or one of Celestine's handmaidens and they would teach her how to listen to other people's conversations without looking like it. They had even turned her pixie comb into a listening device. They had replaced the ruby to put in a tiny recording device then placed the ruby on top to cover it. If she needed to record a conversation all she needed to do was reach out as if she was pulling a strand of hair back and touch the ruby, and the device would record. Padme had also discovered that she could hide the recordings in the pages of her diary so nobody could see them. It was all so new and exciting, but Padme always remembered what was at stake.

Padme's thoughts were interrupted when a piece of flimsi fluttered onto her diary pages. She looked up in front of her desk to Sheev casually leaning on the back of his chair, listening or at least pretending to listen to the professor's teachings. While Padme felt bad at disrespecting the professor, she knew the lesson by heart already, so she grabbed the piece of flimsi, closed her diary, hearing the click of the lock, and opened Sheev's message.

"Credit for your thoughts?"

Padme couldn't help but smile before writing down her reply.

"The future."

She placed it where his hands were resting and he took it. A few seconds later, he stretched out towards her, holding a new piece of flimsi in his hands,

When Padme read it, it said, "What do you see?"

She replied, "You'll just have to wait after class, during lunch to find out."

She nearly giggled when she saw him suppress a moan.

After class, Padme and Sheev walked together to a nearby restaurant. Now that the weather was warm today and most of the snow had melted away, Padme had Sheev agree to eat outside in one of the restaurant's patio tables. While they waited for their food, Sheev asked again what Padme was thinking.

"I told you, the future. Preparing for the finals, finishing up paperwork, and having Lady Veruna sign a letter of approval to my advisor. Then graduation and hopefully obtaining a position in the palace," Padme answered him. "Why do you ask?"

"You've seemed… distracted lately," Sheev answered.

Padme felt a stab of guilt. She had been distracted, but she couldn't tell Sheev the real reason why she had been so. "I've been in the Legislative Youth Program for over three years, studying, and working to earn my place as soon as I can, and now that it's so near, it's nerve wracking and thrilling." That was the truth. Now, that a new chapter was about to begin in her life, Padme felt that she was on the verge of jumping to either fly or fall.

"What do you plan to become one day? Become Queen, Senator, or Chancellor of the Republic?" Sheev asked.

Padme laughed, shaking her head as the waiter came and set their food on the table. "No, maybe Princess or Governor of Theed for a couple of terms at most. I haven't really thought that far ahead."

Padme sipped her surra juice and ate her fried nuna. Would she stay and serve in the palace all her life, working in politics? Would she become a respected council member like Luke or Tie Bibble? Or would the years of dealing with corruption and the constant fighting get to her and pull her down as it was beginning to for Celestine?

It was a few minutes before she spoke again. "Maybe after so many years I'll retire, start up my own law firm, and have a family of my own someday. Hopefully inspire other children in my area to try and reach for the stars like I have." Padme smiled and Sheev smiled back, but there was something off about it. Almost as if he were… sad.

"What about you?" Padme asked, taking a sip of her drink. "When you graduate the LYP, do you plan on becoming King, Senator, or Chancellor of the Republic?" She smiled teasingly, but Sheev looked serious as he thought for a minute.

"I have no desire to go into politics," he answered.

What? Padme put down her drink. "But think of all the wonderful things you could do. For your planet, for the galaxy-"

"And deal with insufferable politicians all day long? Being pulled by one side and then being pulled by another when you really just want to plow your way through? You have no idea how insufferable that is," he rebuked her.

Padme turned her head away from him. "I may have an idea," she muttered, thinking back on all those council meetings she had attended with Lady Veruna.

"Really?" Padme looked at Sheev and saw the challenge in his eyes, and yet the need to know what she thought.

"Opportunity is based on what position a person is put in. They must choose whether they must take it and with it the chance to improve life. You were born into a position that can allow you to touch the stars and change life everywhere in the galaxy," Padme explained.

Sheev stared at her, and Padme felt herself blush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I know you said that you don't want to, but I believe that you can-" she didn't get to finish because Sheev suddenly attached his lips to hers.

Padme couldn't help but kiss him back, moaning as he deepened the kiss. She should feel ashamed for such public display of affection, but she didn't. She enjoyed the taste of spices and something that made her think of storms when she was with him.

Lightning storms.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

Anakin had not expected his morning to start out by Motee and Yane barging into his and Padme's bedroom to tell him that stormtroopers were coming in the house and then being shoved into a secret passageway hidden in the closet. He had barely managed to snatch his lightsaber and the Jedi Holocron before he had been hidden in complete darkness.

Now that he was fully awake his thoughts immediately sought out Padme. Where was she? He stretched out with his feelings and sensed that she was somewhere downstairs. He stretched out further and could feel the presences of the handmaidens upstairs and downstairs then the presence of stormtroopers barging into the house followed by Inspector Divo. anakin could recognize the same arrogance he had felt on Varykino two days ago. He reached out for Padme's presence again, and sensed that she was safely hidden as well, if not worried about her friends as Inspector Divo gathered them up for questioning. Anakin didn't know much about these passageways, but they were obviously built so that people could get around the home without being seen. So as quiet as he could, Anakin put the Jedi holocron in his sleeping pants pocket, but kept the lightsaber out in his hands, he started walking in the dark passageways.

He could feel and hear the stormtroopers searching the bedchambers, startling Vatie and Sache in their rooms, and Dorme as she came out of what must have been the fresher since Anakin had to duck under water pipes and happened to hear her startled shrieks nearby. The Force was handy right now, allowing Anakin to move with ease in the dark without making enough noise to alert the stormtroopers that something was hiding in the walls.

He sensed that he was near a set of stairs and was about to make his way down them when he felt it. That cold feeling of the Dark Side that threatened to consume him. Not now. Why now?

"I seemed to have met you at an… indecent time."

Anakin gritted his teeth, his hand tightening on his lightsaber, but not igniting it for fear that it would alert the house intruders. He turned his head, and his eyes were able to make out the image of Sidious standing in the passageway, a sickening sneer on his lips while his eyes glowed with that cruel yellow.

"What's the matter? Did Malorum cut off your tongue during your run-in?" the Emperor taunted.

Anakin felt his anger burn, but suppressed it. Who knows if Divo or one of the stormtroopers could hear him if he began to speak out loud. But he had no way of knowing how long this connection would last. The longer he stayed silent, the more time Sidious would have to delve into his thoughts and uncover his secrets.

"Why?" Anakin whispered. He had to know. "Why did you do it?"

The dark lord tilted his head. "You'll have to be more specific. I've done a lot of things."

"Why did you kill Celestine and all those people back then? Why did you lie and manipulate everyone for years? Why did you start the war? Why did you kill the Jedi? Why?" Anakin struggled to keep his voice low, but all the anger that had been pent up for months since he discovered Palpatine to be the Sith Lord threatened to break out.

The Sith Lord seemed to relish the anger inside Anakin. "Oh my dear boy," he spoke in that familiar, comforting voice that use to console Anakin, but now infuriated him. "You of all people should know the importance of destiny. You and I, those like us were meant to rule the galaxy, bringing order and stability."

Anakin scoffed. "Oh please, spare me. You never cared about that, only what you could obtain with wealth and power, and killing anyone who stood in your way."

The Sith was unbothered by the accusation. "The price of fulfilling one's destiny requires your hands to be drenched in blood."

"Even if that blood is someone who loves you?" Anakin challenged.

The Emperor paused for a moment, but it was enough for Anakin to notice.

"Especially those," Palpatine answered, but Anakin wasn't convinced.

"Really? Is that why you killed Padme Lydonia, a young woman who seemed to love you?" He saw something flicker in Palpatine's face, but it was too fast for him to make out what it was. He pressed on. "Did she realize what a monster you were, so you killed her, and the Queen's entire staff? Or were you just using her until you found out that you couldn't control her?"

"Silence Boy!"

Lightening shot from Sidious' hands and hit Anakin. He was so surprised that he could feel the attack that he wasn't able to block it in time. The burning lightening was so familiar even after six months that Anakin didn't realize his misstep until he felt himself falling. He went down the steps, feeling the wind being knocked out of him as he fell down until it all stopped. He wasn't sure if the blackness was from the dark passageway, or if he was losing consciousness until he couldn't think anymore.

000{{*}}000

Padme had found a way to move from the library to the parlor where Divo was interrogating her handmaidens and Typho through the secret passageways. There was a crack in the wall that allowed her to look through and watch.

Divo was still the same arrogant, all-knowing man he was when he had been investigating her Uncle Ono's death, assuming he knew what everyone else was thinking, and thinking in a black and white manner. What Divo didn't know or understand was how skilled of actresses her handmaidens were and that Typho was not so easily intimidated.

Padme watched as each of her friends were questioned, all of them giving the air of innocence yet expected outrage in this. There were some who worried her. Like how Eirtae was nearly rattled when Divo commented on the ancient architect of her house and how it must carry its own secrets. Luckily, because Divo didn't know Eirtae as well as Padme did, he didn't notice. The next was Dorme who looked very pale and ill. Then there was Elle who seemed that she could see everything inside Divo's head and was frightened by it. Other than that, none of her friends gave anything that could have been useful, and the frustrated look on Divo's face when he realized that gave Padme hope. If they kept it up, Divo would leave without anything and nobody would be taken into Imperial custody.

The last person Divo brought in was Sabe. Padme felt a smirk on her lips. Sabe would play the man like a swindler on Boonta Eve. Just as she was listening to Sabe answer Divo's questions, a loud crash sounded on her right. It was so loud and so near, Padme was surprised that her heart didn't burst out of her chest. She couldn't see anything that well, but it sounded as if someone had taken a wrong step and fallen down a set of stairs.

Anakin!

Padme reached out and ran her hand across the wall as she walked in the direction where the noise had come from. She walked until her foot hit something. She stopped, and bending carefully, she reached out blindly until her hand touched something warm and solid.

"Ani?" Padme whispered. No response. Worry started to fill her. She traced her hand, realizing that she was holding his arm with the prosthetic. She moved her hands upwards towards his head when she felt something warm and sticky on her hands. Was that blood? Padme's worry turned to fear. "Ani?" Still no response. She tried to remember medical training she and her handmaidens had practiced on what to do when in this situation when she felt another presence nearby. She sucked in a breath when a hand covered her mouth.

"Stay quiet," Ferus' whispered voice urged her.

That's when Padme heard Divo. "I know I heard it over here."

Oh no. He must have moved to one of the hallways. Padme heard him ask the stormtroopers if anything had come down the stairs. When he received a negative, he called out to Eirtae. A moment later, she joined him, and Padme heard Eirtae tell him that it was an old home with creaks and groans.

"How stupid do you think I am? That sound came from inside the walls!"

Padme couldn't breath. He was going to find them! She and Anakin would be brought before the Emperor and would be tortured into revealing their secrets. She would never see Luke or Leia again.

She tried to look at Ferus, and with her adjusted vision she was able to make out his arm reaching out in the direction of where Divo's voice came from.

"It's an old house," he spoke, and Padme could feel the power in his voice as he used the Force.

Padme listened through the walls and heard Divo repeat the words. "It is an old house."

"There must be something wrong with the heating system," Ferus continued.

"There must be something wrong with the heating system," Divo repeated.

"You apologize, Madame Arthi. You will bother her no more."

"I apologize, Madame Arthi. We will bother you no more," Divo finished.

Padme heard Divo command his men to leave, and relief filled her. Never had she been so happy of a Jedi's ability to mindtrick people. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ferus didn't say anything, but she knew he returned the sentiment. She heard someone come towards their hiding spot, and the wall before them slid open to reveal Sabe and Eirtae's concerned faces.

They both gasped. "What happened?"

Padme looked down at Anakin in her lap and was able to see his injuries. There was a gash across his right temple, near the lightsaber scar across his eye where the blood was pouring from. Horror filled Padme.

The rest of the handmaidens came and immediately set to helping her and Anakin. They carried him to the parlor and set him in the comfiest sofa where Yane worked to patch him up.

"He must have taken a bad step and lost his footing," was the only explanation Padme could give.

It didn't make sense to her though. Even in a pitch black hall, Anakin would have been able to navigate through it without any problem, so what could have caused Anakin to take a misstep?

000{{*}}000

Anakin's head was pounding when he started to wake. He instantly closed his eyes against the light.

What happened to him?

He tried opening his eyes again. He realized that he was in Eirtae's parlor, laying on one of the sofas. How did he get here? He tried turning his head, and instantly regretted it when he felt a stab of pain in his head.

"You're awake."

Anakin carefully moved to see Padme come in, carrying a tray. She put the tray down and instantly went to his side. Her hand caressed his face, and Anakin leaned into her touch. "I was scared when I heard the fall and found you."

Anakin tried to sit up, and gasped when he felt pain in his chest.

"Took a misstep." Anakin and Padme looked to see Ferus standing in the doorway. "Least that's what we all assumed. Scared us all, and almost revealed us to Divo," he said, walking over towards them.

Anakin gritted his teeth as he tried to sit up.

"Anakin, stop it," Padme scolded. "Yane patched you up as best as she could, but she said that you had fractured ribs, and she had to stitch the cut on your head."

"I've had worse," Anakin grunted as he continued to push himself.

Padme placed her hands on his shoulders and forced him to lay back down. "You may have had worse, but I am your wife. So when I tell you to stop hurting yourself further, you will listen to me, Anakin Skywalker." Padme lowered her voice. "You scared me to death, Ani."

Anakin his heart soften as he felt his wife's fear for his well-being. "I'm sorry, Padme." He glanced over at the tray she had brought into the room. "Is that soup?"

"Yes, you missed lunch an hour ago, so I reheated it."

"Lunch? How long was I out?" Anakin asked as Padme moved the tray closer to him. She picked up the spoon and blew on it.

"Almost six hours," Ferus answered. He looked to be amused as Padme began to feed Anakin.

"My arms still work," Anakin said, glaring at Ferus before taking the spoon and began to eat. He tasted the soup and then smirked mischievously at Padme. "Not as spicy as I'm use to."

Padme rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, her worried mood lifting.

Anakin continued eating, realizing how hungry he was. "Where is everyone?" he asked inbetween spoons.

"It's just us three, Motee, and Elle," Padme answered. "Everybody else had to go to their daily jobs to avoid arousing suspicion."

"After you fell, Divo wondered what the noise had come from. He nearly found us before I had to mindtrick him to leave," Ferus told him.

Anakin stopped eating, setting his spoon down with a clink in his bowl. "But he didn't uncover anything, did he?"

Padme shook her head. "No, everyone kept their mouths shut or offered useless information to Divo."

Anakin swallowed, looking down at his nearly empty bowl. Padme had no idea that one of her friends was endangering their lives. "Did I miss anything else?"

"While you were unconscious, I did some research on the Celestine Bombing that happened all those years ago. One of the survivors of it was a handmaiden, Line Olnick, Sabe's great-aunt," Padme explained.

"What?" Anakin asked. Was this a coincidence?

Padme reached into her pocket and took out a holoarticle disk. Turning it on, she scrolled down until she stopped at the image of Line Olnick. Anakin felt his eyes widen. She wouldn't have been able to pass off as an Amidala double, but her features were similar enough that she could have been a relative of hers.

"I was thinking," Padme spoke, turning the disk off. "If my aunt was in close confidence with Queen Celestine, the handmaidens would have been aware of her doings. Sabe told me that her Aunt Line had been the First Handmaiden, the closest confident with Celestine. She would have had a better understanding as to what my aunt had been doing, and possibly had been close friends with Pooja as well. Maybe Pooja told her something over the years, or maybe my Grandmamma got into contact with her or something."

"I don't know, Padme," Anakin said. "If she did then why has Line stayed silent all this time."

"She might have been afraid," Padme reasoned. "Or she might not have had all the facts to prove who killed Celestine and why. When Sabe returns, she and I are going to meet her, and hopefully find answers."

Padme left the room soon after hearing Anakin's reasons as to why she and Sabe shouldn't go off by themselves with her countering that he was too injured to leave the house with them yet.

Anakin push his now cold soup aside. He couldn't tell her the real reason incase Sabe was the traitor. Padme didn't play favorites when it came to handmaidens, but Anakin knew that she and Sabe were as close as he and Obi-wan were, like sisters from all the years they had worked together, and all the secrets they had shared. If Sabe turned out to be the traitor, Anakin feared how it would affect Padme.

Ferus chuckled. "I'm starting to see what attracted you to her."

Anakin glared at him. "Did you speak to Vatie before she left?"

Ferus nodded, reaching into his robes to pull out a datapad. "You sure you don't want to inform your wife yet? She's going to find out eventually."

Anakin wasn't sure. These past few days, not only had Padme lost her grandmother, but she had uncovered how deep Palpatine's treachery stretched into her family and Naboo's history. He wanted to be absolutely certain about the traitor before he told Padme that one of her friends was betraying her.

"I'm sure," Anakin said with conviction that he didn't actually feel. He took the datapad and turned it on. Sure enough he had all the files of his wife's friends and bodyguards.

Captain Gregor Typho

Age: Thirty years old.

Born to Frau Typho and Rominaria Panaka. Relatives: Captain Quarsh Panaka (Uncle), Captain Mariek Panaka (Aunt), Lane Panaka (Grandmother, deceased), Lieutenant Gregor Panaka ( Grandfather).

Grew up in Theed until the Blockade. Typho had fought for the Resistance until he had been captured, and suffered many wounds under torture, including the loss of his left eye. After the Blockade, Typho went to the Naboo Security Academy, and upon completing training, served as a palace guard under Queen Amidala until the end of her reign. When Amidala became Senator of the Chommell Sector, Typho was promoted to Captain of Amidala's security. Since Amidala's disappearance, Typho has been serving under Representative Binks, and is soon to be in charge of future Senator Tesse Yelnina.

Could Typho be spying under his uncle's orders? Anakin always suspected that Typho had a crush on Padme, much to his jealousy even though he knew Padme only considered Typho a friend, but would Typho choose loyalty to Padme over his own uncle?

First Handmaiden Sabe Andierre

Age: Twenty-eight years old.

Born to Tye Andierre (deceased) and Rian Olnick. Relatives: Sonya Andierre (Sister), Dian Olnick (Maternal Grandfather, deceased), Line Olnick (Maternal Great-Aunt).

Sabe had been born on Olnick Land Properties in Keren where she grew up. When she was twelve years old, Sabe entered the Academy to be trained as a potential handmaiden. A year later, she became handmaiden to the then Princess Amidala. When Amidala was elected Queen, she was selected First Handmaiden under Amidala. During the Blockade, Sabe served as a decoy to protect the Queen from the Trade Federation until the threat ended. Sabe continued to serve Amidala throughout the years as one of her heads of security. After Amidala stepped down as Queen and became Senator, Sabe continued to serve her, although not as an official handmaiden. Sabe married childhood friend Oklin Verderrie, but the marriage lasted for only two years when a year into the Clone Wars, they annulled it for reasons undisclosed. Since Amidala's disappearance, Sabe had been serving on the Handmaiden Panel at the academy, training potential handmaidens.

Most of her record seemed to be unblemished to Anakin, but the ex-husband did seem suspicious. That, and there was very little history on her father's family. Add into that what Anakin knew of her great-aunt and her possible connection to Padme's family. Anakin hoped for Padme's sake that Sabe wasn't the traitor.

Councilor Eirtae Lasara-Arthi

Age: Twenty-nine years old.

Born to Kam (deceased) and Eme Lasara. Relatives: Ergei Lasara (Brother, deceased), Edvard Lasara (Brother), Endre Lasara (Brother), Kitpat Arthi (Husband), Kam Lasara Arthi (Son).

Eirtae grew up in Parrlay on her family's estate. Her father ran Lasara Tradings while her mother… Anakin narrowed his eyes as he looked closer. Something about a rumor that involved King Veruna before he stepped down. Eirtae entered the Legislative Youth Program and graduated with high marks at the age of thirteen. Shortly afterwards she was elected Governor of Parrlay. After Veruna's abdication, Eirtae ran for office, but was defeated by Princess Amidala who won the election. After completing the basic training, Eirtae was made Second Handmaiden under Queen Amidala. During the Blockade, Eirtae fled with her mistress to Coruscant before returning to Naboo to fight and regain control of their planet. During the conflict Eirtae lost her eldest brother in the first days of the Occupation. Eirtae continued to serve Amidala throughout her eight years until she stepped down. Eirtae ran for election again against Kliste Sensari. Eirtae lost by a few hundred votes, and her opponent was crowned Queen Jamillia. Shortly after her defeat, Eirtae married shipbuilder Kitpat Arthi, and gave birth to a son, Kam. When the Clone Wars began, Eirtae was made councilor when it was discovered that Queen Jamillia had Separatist sympathies, and Queen Neeyutnee was elected in her place. When Neeyutnee was assassinated, Eirtae supported Princess Apailana in the election, and continued to serve on the Royal Council to this day.

Unlike Sabe, there was more sketchiness to her background. Was there a family secret she was trying to hide? Or was she resentful of being defeated twice humiliated? Anakin didn't think so, but he couldn't be sure.

Handmaiden Rabe Excenil-Talstrine

Age: Thirty-four years old.

Born to Osic II and Rame Excenil. Relatives: Handmaiden Verse Excenil (Sister, deceased), Princess Rosele Excenil Kylantha (Sister), Lieutenant Ecros Talstrine.

Born to one of Naboo's oldest families, Rabe had been expected to go into politics. After failing the exams five times, Rabe applied and was accepted as Third Handmaiden under Queen Amidala. During the Blockade, Rabe fled with her mistress to Coruscant before returning to Naboo to fight and regain control of their planet. Rabe continued to serve Amidala throughout her eight years until she stepped down. Rabe married palace guard Lieutenant Ecros Talstrine when she had completed her services. She then auditioned and was accepted into the Alderaan Dance Company. Right before the start of the Clone Wars, Rabe returned to Naboo with her husband, and started up her dance studio,  The Queen's Court  where she's been running to this very day.

Like Sabe and Eirtae, Anakin hoped that Rabe wasn't the traitor, remembering the kind young woman back when he was a boy. However, she did come from a powerful family that expected much from her. Would she betray Padme to meet those expectations.

Anakin skipped Sache's file since he already knew for certain that she wasn't the traitor, and moved on to Yane.

Dr. Yane Carinda

Age: Twenty-five years old.

Born to Hurio and Talla Carinda.

Born in Theed, and daughter to Naboo's best weapons maker, Yane was an excellent sharpshooter which allowed her to become Queen Amidala's Fifth Handmaiden at the age of eleven years old. During the Blockade, Yane stayed on Naboo and helped to form the Resistance against the Occupation and was wounded during it. After the Blockade Yane and many Resistance leaders were hailed as heroes and were awarded the Polana Award for Bravery. Yane continued to serve Amidala throughout her eight years until she stepped down. Yane went back to school and became a nurse for Theed Memorial Hospital. When the Clone Wars started, Yane began to work on her doctorate while helping injured soldiers brought to Naboo. She was awarded the Soruna Rose for her calm actions while attending the wounded and has continued to work at Theed Memorial Hospital after earning her doctorate since the end of the Clone Wars.

For Anakin, the only motivation he saw was that Yane could be protecting her family, most especially her father from Palpatine.

Head Handmaiden Dorme Costil

Age: Twenty-nine years old.

Born to Hos and Dorra Costil.

Born to the Costil Family, one of the oldest families of Naboo, Dorme entered the Academy at fourteen to become a potential handmaiden to Queen Amidala. However, Dorme stayed in the Academy to learn more of a modified version of handmaiden training. After Amidala stepped down as Queen and became Senator of Naboo, Dorme was selected to become one of her handmaidens. Right before the Clone Wars started, Dorme became Amidala's Head Handmaiden when an assassination attempt killed two fellow handmaidens: Corde Gredun and Verse Excenil. Dorme continued to serve Amidala until her disappearance. She has been working as a philosophy teacher at the Legislative Youth Program since then.

As Anakin read her file, his eyes widened as he recognized the names Supe Costil and Mari Costil listed as her cousins who were hosting Palpatine in their home. He thought back to the anxiety he had felt within Dorme that night after escaping Varykino when the Costil women had been brought up. It made sense now. She had known about his and Padme's marriage from the start as well. Was that how Palpatine knew about them? Because of Dorme? Anger filled Anakin, and he tightened his grip on the datapad until he heard it cracking in protest. Realizing this, he loosened his grip before he could break it. He made his decision that as soon as Dorme got back, Anakin would pull her aside and make her talk.

Handmaiden Motee Sensari

Age: Twenty-nine years old.

Born to Marco Sensari and Marye Klistorin (deceased). Relatives: Queen Kliste Sensari Jamillia (Sister).

Born between the Sensaria and Klistorin families, Motee's parents divorced when she was ten years old. Motee worked as an assistant to her older sister Kliste when she decided to go into politics. During the Blockade, Motee and her sister lead the Resistance on the far side of Naboo, losing their mother during the Occupation. After the Blockade, Motee assisted her sister in the reconstruction of Naboo, gaining popularity among the people. After her sister was crowned Queen Jamillia, Motee applied to become handmaiden to Senator Amidala, but was rejected. Motee continued to work under her sister until the death of Amidala's handmaidens, Corde Gredun and Verse Excenil, and was then accepted as handmaiden to Senator Amidala. Motee served Amidala until her disappearance. Since then she has been unemployed and living in an apartment down on Theed's Solleu River.

Like Dorme, Motee had known of the secret marriage between Anakin and Padme since she came into Padme's employ. While her sister had been proven to be a traitor by having Separatist sympathies, could Motee be a traitor as well?

Handmaiden Elle Okrest

Age: Twenty years old

Born to Maccan (deceased) and Amle Okrest (deceased).

Born in Theed, during the Blockade, Elle and her parents were taken to a prison camp. Her mother died, and her father became seriously ill during their captivity. After the Blockade, Elle cared for her father until he died when she was fourteen. She then applied to become a handmaiden for when Princess Apailana was elected Queen, but instead became a handmaiden under Senator Amidala in the last year of the Clone Wars. Elle was nearly kicked out of the Academy when other candidates had accused her of cheating before it was settled by Captain Typho, Senator Amidala, and General Skywalker. Elle served Amidala until her disappearance, and since then has been unemployed, and living with Motee Sensari.

Anakin remembered that day when he had been accompanying Padme under "Jedi Business". Padme had been looking for a new handmaiden after losing Teckla, and had wanted to choose the handmaiden herself. There had been an incident, and Anakin saw how the other handmaidens had accused Elle of cheating. When he saw Elle, Anakin was reminded of Ahsoka a bit, and thought her perfect to protect Padme. She had known about the secret marriage, but Anakin didn't want to think of her being the traitor.

He looked down at the files again. Eight people. Three days to find out who was the traitor before he and Padme lost their way to return to their children untracked, or their luck would run out, and the traitor would expose them to Palpatine once and for all.

But how could Anakin find them without tipping them off?

000{{*}}000

65 bby

Padme looked in the mirror as she adjusted her robes and made any last minute adjustments to her attire. This was it. Today was the day she would graduate from the program and would officially start working in the palace.

The robes were billowy, but they were the right size even with her small frame. Her dark hair had been pulled up and arranged on the top of her head with her pixie comb polished and gleaming among the dark strands

Padme was so excited, and yet her stomach was tightening with nerves from ending this one chapter in her life and starting on a new one. Her internship had ended with a letter of approval from Lady Veruna, and if Padme hadn't known any better, she would have thought that the older woman was sad to see her go. After that, she had completed any final assignments and passed her exams with high marks. The Queen was already offering her a position as Secretary Bowen's aid while also continuing the assignment she had originally laid out for her. In these last couple of months, Padme had uncovered a lot more deception within the court. She still didn't know who Veruna was seeing, but the Queen and her handmaidens had conducted a search into Costil's accounts to know that the amounts weren't adding up. Coincidence? It was getting hard to believe that was the case. During these investigations, Padme had also discovered that many of the palace servants had been taking bribes. By who and for what, Padme wasn't certain, but she intended to find out.

Padme finished examining herself, and was ready to leave her room when the holo next to her bed caught her attention. In it was her parents, Ryoo, Jon, Jobal, Mammy, and herself all gathered in the Lydonia's garden in Claines for a family holo. Their last family holo.

Padme felt tears building in her eyes, and she struggled to control herself.

It had been eight months since her mother had died, and her death was still fresh. She should have been here. She should be congratulating Padme and telling her how proud she was for all her accomplishments. Mammy and Padme's father were coming as well, although Padme wasn't sure about the latter. Recently, her father's behavior had gotten worse, more aggressive. It was worrisome, and they didn't know how he would behave at Padme's graduation. Padme wished for the countless time that her mother hadn't died, and neither had Jon. Maybe her father wouldn't have lost his mind, Jobal would still have her father, and Ryoo wouldn't feel as if she carried the galaxy on her shoulders.

Padme's musings were interrupted when her bedroom door opened. It was Ryoo. "Mammy just commed. She and Papa have arrived at the station, and Luke and Ruwee have gone to pick them up."

"Good," Padme spoke, still holding the holo in her hands. "I want tonight to be special. I want to be surrounded by people that care about me. I'm not even sure my own father fits in that category."

"Stop," Ryoo interjected, looking at her in concern. "What's going on?"

Padme sighted, tears glaring in her eyes as she showed Ryoo the holo. "I miss Mama. I really wish she and Jon were going to be there tonight for my graduation."

Sadness and understanding shown in Ryoo's eyes as she came over to Padme and placed her hands on her shoulders. "They'll be there in spirit. Mama's looking down on you right now, beaming with pride."

Padme offered a small grateful smile, and together, they looked at the holo of their family.

"I'm sure Mama's looking down on you right now thinking, 'What took you so long to complete the program?'"

Padme laughed. That sounded like something Hane Lydonia would say. "She did set some high standards," Padme said as she looked at the image of her surrounded by her loved ones. "Standards that I'm still trying to reach."

"Yeah," Ryoo agreed, looking at the image of her mother as well. "Aren't we all."

"But you know what, Ryoo?" Padme asked, setting the holo back into place. "She never really pressured us. She accepted her children for who we are."

"Yeah, but for her the sun always rose and sat on you." There was no bitterness in Ryoo's voice, but Padme couldn't help but ask.

"Did it ever bother you?"

"That you were Mama's favorite? How could I? I was never in the running."

Padme didn't believe that. After all, she knew for certain that Hane had loved Ryoo just as much as she had loved Padme.

"Well, you are the firstborn," Padme pointed out.

Ryoo shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "I think I squandered that advantage by acting up in my teenage years. I think Mama many times wanted to disown me."

Padme smiled fondly. "She never would have done that."

Ryoo smiled too. "No, she never would have done that."

"Well, at least you and Papa were really close." It was true. Growing up, Ryoo had been Papa's little girl while Padme had been Mama's baby.

Ryoo laughed. "Not always. Remember how he nearly blew a reactor when he found out that Jon and I planned to elope?"

Oh, the screams and yells could be heard throughout the entire village.

Padme giggled at the memory now. "I miss them both: Mama, and the way Papa use to be."

Ryoo pulled her in and hugged her. "Me too."

When they pulled away, Padme looked up at her sister. "Mama would be proud of you too. For the way you've held yourself and this family together."

Ryoo offered Padme a watery smile.

Suddenly, Jobal came in. "Mammy and Grandpapa are here."

"I don't understand what I'm doing here! Why aren't we at home?!" They could hear their father's shouting.

Padme and Ryoo looked at each other. It seemed like it was going to be one of those days. At least nobody could accuse Padme of having a boring life.

000{{*}}000

"It is with pride and honor, I deliver this to diploma of political science to Padme Lydonia," Professor Magery announced.

Applause rung throughout the auditorium as Padme made her way over to him, trying not to fall over her heels or her skirts. Pride was in his eyes as he presented one of his greatest students a diploma and whispered a congratulations in her ears. She thanked him before returning to her seat as another student came and received their diploma.

Padme looked out into the audience. She could see her sister, niece, and the Naberries sitting out there, along with Mammy and her father, who was amazingly behaving well so far. Although maybe a little confused as to what was going on, he wasn't standing up and demanding why he was here. For that, Padme was grateful.

As she sat down, something caught Padme's eye. She squinted her eyes, and sure enough, there was Sheev sitting near the back of the auditorium. He was dressed in dark clothing, and he would have been invisible if it weren't for his red hair that stood out among the many dark haired people in the audience.

Catching her gaze, Sheev winked at her.

Padme felt herself blushing and she looked down, but on the inside she felt giddy at the fact that he came.

The rest of the ceremony seemed to fly by, and before Padme knew it, the ceremony ended with Professor Magery extinguishing the flame that represented this chapter in the graduates' lives so they could begin a new one, followed by a loud roaring applause from both the audience and the graduates.

Padme got down from the stage and made her way over to her family.

"I'm proud of you," Ryoo whispered in her ear as she hugged her. Tears were building in Padme's eyes.

She hugged Mammy and nearly did cry when she saw tears in the older woman's eyes.

When she made it over to her father, he pulled her in a tight hug. "I don't know what that was, but you were magnificent." Padme let out a watery laugh. He wasn't fully aware of what was going on, but he understood that it was an important day for her, and for that Padme was grateful.

She hugged Jobal and Ruwee who both said that she looked beautiful and very grownup, as did Winama.

When Padme hugged Luke, he pulled away and looked at her with pride of an older brother. "You did it, Padme. Congratulations."

Padme smiled bright as Naboo pearls. "Thank you, Luke."

She felt eyes on her and when she turned, she met Sheev's eyes just a few yards away. There was a stirring in her stomach, one that she couldn't define, but she made her way through the crowds towards Sheev. When she finally made it to him, she wasted no time in flinging her arms around him.

"Thank you so much for coming," she whispered to him.

Sheev was obviously trying to downplay it, telling her that it was no big deal.

Padme shut him up by kissing him on the lips. "It means a great deal to me," she whispered. She could have sworn that there was a blush on Sheev's cheeks.

She tugged him over to where her family was. They were all going out to eat someplace special in celebration of Padme's graduation.

Padme looked around at all the people who were a part of her family: her sister, her niece, her father, Mammy, the Naberries, and Sheev. She may not have had her mother to celebrate this wondrous occasion, but right now, surrounded by her loved ones, she was content.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

Padme took slow, calming breaths as she waited for Sabe near the outskirts of Theed. If Anakin fully knew what she was doing, he would be charging through the streets of Theed to stop her, regardless of the stormtroopers, Malorum, and Padme giving Ferus permission to knock Anakin out if he so much as attempted to leave the Lasara Home. Since coming back to Naboo it seemed as if Anakin acquired one new injury after another. She would make Anakin sit this one out to recover from his injuries while she continued with her investigations.

She tugged the hood of the dark blue cloak she had borrowed off of Motee to further hide her features from passersby.

After serving so many years in politics, her face was well-known to the people of Naboo. Even if someone recognized her and she claimed to be a former handmaiden, it would draw unnecessary attention to herself. She had no way of knowing if the people still loved and respected her since the months Palpatine had taken full control and declared the galaxy an Empire. Better to take a page out of the paranoid book Panaka had taught her during her years as Queen.

At this hour, many were on their lunch hour which meant that Sabe would be here at any minute. Because of her position on the Handmaiden Panel, Sabe had control over which hours she could work. If anyone asked why she left early, she had to visit a sick relative.

Padme looked up when she heard the sound of a speeder coming by and recognized Sabe in her favorite violet cloak. She greeted Sabe as if they were just two friends planning a girls' hangout for the day, and got into the speeder. There were stormtroopers patrolling the roads leading out of Theed, and checking identifications. Sabe had given Padme fake ID chips that would identify her as her sister Sonya Andierre to explain their near identical looks and to avoid suspicion. Only when they had passed security and were traveling through the meadows towards the swamps did they feel comfortable enough to speak as Sabe flew.

"It's hard to believe we have come to this," Padme said as she mournfully looked back at the capital city she had grown up in and lived for many years overrun by military.

"I know," Sabe agreed, her eyes conveying the same sadness Padme felt. "Many people are feeling reminded of the Blockade and it's happening all over the galaxy, to everyone."

Padme felt the guilt wrapping itself around her like thorny vines. Before she was even a woman and out of the confines of childhood, she had sworn to protect the people of Naboo and speak for those who could not throughout the galaxy. Now, here she was: a fugitive hiding in the shadows and powerless to stop a madman she once trusted. When she had given birth to Luke and Leia she had agreed to Obi-wan and Master Yoda's decision to go into hiding so she and Anakin could raise the twins safely away from Palpatine. However, in doing so she had abandoned her friends, her family, and the people she had sworn to protect. What kind of leader did that? Although a fugitive and exile, she had her husband and children while there were many who lost everything to the Empire. She could join the fight Obi-wan and Bail were beginning, but what of her children not even a year old? Could she and Anakin raise sweet little Luke and darling young Leia on the run and in the middle of a war zone, risking the chance of making them orphans or worse? Padme couldn't make herself agree to that. Maybe she was selfish for wanting to give Luke and Leia the kind of childhood they deserved before the day would come that she and Anakin would be forced to fight the Empire head on with their children. Padme dreaded that day.

As they flew through the dying meadows, Sabe told Padme what had happened to Line after the bombing. "Aunt Line was disfigured all over the front of her body. When she was discharged, the monarchy gave her pension to last for the rest of her days. She stayed in my grandfather's house and helped to tutor and raise his children until they moved out. When my parents got married, she stayed with them and helped to look after me and Sonya. She was like the grandmother I never had."

A fond smile graced Sabe's lips before she continued. "After the Blockade, she used the pension she had saved up and bought a cottage along the Lianorm Swamp, and she's been living there ever since."

"How did she feel when you decided to become a handmaiden?" Padme asked. She was curious to know how a former handmaiden who had been through what Line had would react to finding out that her grandniece would be following in her footsteps.

Sabe frowned as she remembered. "She was angry. I remember when I had announced my decision during dinnertime, she slammed her drink down and screamed at me, asking why I would want to throw my life away like that. Knowing what I know now, I understand why she reacted so, but back then it had shocked me and my parents to see her so angry at me. Sure, she would get angry whenever she argued with my parents, uncles, and grandfather, but never around us kids."

Padme frowned. "Did she ever forgive you?" Obviously, her rant hadn't deterred Sabe from becoming a handmaiden.

Sabe nodded. "Eventually. Not until the Blockade though. She wouldn't speak to me for years, even when I found out about her service to Celestine and the bombing. After the Blockade, we finally sat down and talked. I've tried to keep in touch with her over the years, but since the Empire's formation, I haven't been able to keep in contact like I use to."

They were nearing the swamp, and as Sabe flew the speeder, Padme could see them nearing a gray cottage sitting along the edge of the swamp. It had obviously seen better days, but overall it wasn't in bad condition. A woman stepped outside, her eyes on them as they came nearer.

"Keep your hood up while I talk and explain the situation to her," Sabe said as she stopped and turned the speeder off.

Padme nodded. Now, that she had a closer view of Line, she saw the tip of a Naboo blaster hidden in the sleeve of her gown, and was reminded of her meeting with Lieutenant Panaka the day before. She hoped that Line wouldn't threaten to blast her, or more importantly, actually do it.

Sabe had been correct when she said that the blast had disfigured Line. The years had allowed the scars to soften and heal, but only so much. What had once been smooth and beautiful features looked like wax melted before hardening again. What had once been soft, luscious auburn-brown hair was now thin white, but her eyes were the same brown as Sabe's that carried the hard fire within her. A fire that had most likely been in her since the day she lost her friends, her mistress, and her fiance.

Sabe stepped out of the speeder and walked over to her great-aunt. Under her hood, Padme watched as suspicion in the old woman's eyes softened before she embraced her niece. For one moment, Padme was reminded of her Grandmamma and the last time she had seen her alive. It was the morning before she would return to the Senate after revealing her pregnancy to her family. Her Grandmamma had given her a hug that carried the same warmth and love that always made Padme feel safe and comforted. Padme blinked as she felt the tears in her eyes beginning to swell.

Sabe was talking to Line, and the woman jerked away, surprised before turning her gaze unto Padme.

Padme suppressed the nervousness she felt inside her when she stepped out of the speeder. She didn't remove her hood, but she looked at Line face to face to know that the old woman recognized her. Instead of the suspicion and anger she had seen in Lieutenant Panaka, Padme saw resignation.

Line Olnick sighed. "I knew you would come. Your grandmother knew too."

000{{*}}000

Vatie tugged her cloak around her tighter as she tried to maneuver around the crowds seeking shelter from the cold drizzling rain. She was cold and wet, and she really wanted to go to her apartment where her fiance Dal would be. They would greet each other with a kiss before snuggling together in bed, drinking hot chocolate while they discussed plans for their upcoming wedding.

But Vatie couldn't.

She had to get to the Lasara Home before anyone, especially the traitor made it back. She had to tell Anakin and Ferus what she had found when her computer finished searching the comm records right when she was getting ready to leave work for the day.

Bitter tears stung her eyes, almost blinding Vatie's vision as she pushed her way through the throng of people to the other side of the street. How? How could they? Vatie could remember her time serving as Padme's handmaiden. She may not have been one of the five primary handmaidens, but she had been one of the thirteen girls chosen to serve and protect Queen Amidala no matter the cost. Her vows weren't any less sacred than the ones Sabe, Eirtae, Rabe, Sache, and Yane made. Vatie remembered her days serving side by side with them. They had been a sisterhood, supporting one another when their own families couldn't, and continuing to support even when Padme completed her terms as Queen and then became Senator with a new set of handmaidens. Vatie had met them and Captain Typho during their years of training and had known them when they had recited their vows to serve and protect Amidala. Vatie hadn't been what you would call a close friend to Padme, but she had admired and respected her all the same.

Now, to know that someone had willingly betrayed her and all she loved for someone like Palpatine filled Vatie with disgust. Not only that, but it felt like a twisting blade in her back as she thought about the traitor.

She ducked into an alleyway that would lead her to the street where the Lasara Home was at. Almost there. Vatie felt her heart racing, anxious to unload the burden she found herself carrying onto Anakin and Ferus, and figure out where to go from there.

She had made it to the other side of the alleyway. Now, the Lasara Home was just a few blocks away, but before Vatie could go any further, she felt the point of a blaster being thrust into her left side, close to her ribs.

"Go no further, Vatie," the cold voice told her.

Vatie automatically stopped, inwardly cursing herself for letting herself get dropped on.

"Take a step back."

No. It was right there. The home was just a few blocks away down the street. She could run for it, but at this range there was little to no chance of a missed shot. She would be killed before she could tell anyone what she had uncovered.

Vatie took a step back into the alleyway, away from anyone sighting her and coming to her rescue. She turned her head and was face to face with the traitor.

"Now drop your bag, your commlink, your blaster, and any other weapon you have hidden on you," their voice was almost devoid of emotion.

Vatie dropped her bag containing her computer that carried the proof of the traitor. Next, was the commlink she dropped on top of it, followed by the blaster she hid in the sleeve of her gown. She was tempted to leave it at that, but the traitor knew her better than that, so with grave reluctance she reached down carefully, her eyes on the traitor and their blaster, and pulled out the vibroknife she had hidden in her boot. The cold drizzle turned into a light rain, soaking through Vatie's clothing that they clung to her like a second skin. She kept her eyes on the traitor and the blaster as she carefully stood up, dropping the vibroknife with a splash in a nearby puddle.

She glared fiercely at the traitor. She knew she was going to die. Even though she could now see the shame and self-loathing in the traitor's eyes, she also saw conviction in them to know that they wouldn't let her live to tell what she knew. She was fine with that, as long as she figured a way to tell Anakin and Ferus the traitor's identity. Her only regret was that she waited so many years to reconcile with her father, and she hoped that he, her stepmother, her half-brother, and Dal all knew how much she loved them, and that she was sorry.

"Before we do this," Vatie spoke, with a cold calmness. "Tell me what Malorum offered you."

The traitor shook their head, never taking their eyes off Vatie. "I can't say that. Just know that I'm sorry, and that I didn't want it to be like this."

Vatie's last thoughts before she lunged was how much she wished she was sipping hot chocolate and snuggling in Dal's arms.

000{{*}}000

Line had poured them herbal tea in her kitchen before disappearing upstairs, but Padme couldn't bring herself to drink it.

Rain sounded off the rooftop and outside the kitchen window. It had started just after they had come inside and was now outright pouring down.

Since Line had mentioned her grandmother, so many questions had gone through Padme's head that she felt like it would explode. Patience was a trait she had struggled to uphold even while she was Queen, Senator, and while being married to Anakin Skywalker. What did Line know, and would she tell Padme?

She heard footsteps, and Padme looked up to see Line coming down the stairs, an old wooden box in her hand. She came over to the table, and sat across from Padme, next to Sabe and set the box in the middle of them. Padme noticed the carved designs on the box and recognized them from Olnick Holdings. This must have been a family heirloom. Containing what?

Line opened it and took out an old holo before turning it on. There were seven women. Five of them were dressed in handmaiden gowns, but the hoods were down, revealing their pinned up hair that is always kept hidden. One of the other women wore an elaborate gown Padme recognized from the Queen's Wardrobe Archives. She also recognized the woman as Queen Nadie Cesare Celestine from historic cubes without an elaborate hairstyle or the ceremonial makeup. Finally, the last woman Padme recognized was her great-aunt Padme Lydonia.

All of the women were in a circle, holding glasses of some kind of beverage in a toast. They all looked so happy and proud, kind of reminding Padme of times when she and her friends would celebrate after dealing with what seemed like an impossible debate during her time as Queen. There were few people who were able to be in such close conference with the monarch and their bodyguards. For Padme's aunt to be in such close confidence that the Queen and her handmaidens allowed her into their closed circle was no mere feat.

"That was taken two days before the bombing," Line spoke up.

Padme looked and saw the same pain she had seen in Lieutenant Panaka the day before.

Line continued. "We had just figured out how we were going to oust all of the corrupt officials of Naboo's government, including those running in the upcoming election. It had seemed that even though our time in office was ending, we were giving it a fresh start to be run by honest people who cared about the Naboo and not about the fame found in their office, or the credits they fill their pockets with. Padme and Celestine didn't show us their full plan yet, but it was enough to give us hope. The day of the bombing, Celestine had planned to remove and arrest many officials on accounts of fraud, blackmail, bribery, thievery, and many other crimes they had been guilty of. Then she was going to promote and endorse many of the people she knew who would serve and respect their office. The government would have been cleaned up and ready to rebuild itself by the time her term had ended. Instead, the bombing happened, and any hope or chance we had of saving Naboo's economy died."

Padme saw a mournful sadness within the elderly woman. A sadness she had been carrying for over four decades. She remembered her history. After the bombing, the Naboo government had been in a state of crisis. Bon Tapalo had immediately made himself interim king until official elections were made. He won anyway and ruled for nineteen years before he stepped down, and his long-time ally was made King for fourteen years until the Blockade. Around the time Padme had been elected, Naboo's economy had been wrecked with decades of misuse. It had taken Padme almost her entire two terms to undo and fix the damage Tapalo and Veruna had caused.

Line looked at Padme with her dark brown eyes. "Sabe told me that you're looking for your great-aunt's diary and her comb."

Padme nodded. "Yes, I believe that Palpatine plans to use it to control some of the noble houses of Naboo. I was hoping that you would know where it was."

Line sighed, looking down at the box. "Your aunt would write down what she had overheard in the palace, but she would bring in recordings to the Queen, never the actual diary. We handmaidens had also trained her in how to hide things incase anyone tried to snoop for them. Who knows where she could have hidden it."

Padme tried not to feel disappointed in the news, but she knew she should have expected it. "You don't have any idea or theory?"

Line shook her head. "No, I know that your Grandmother Ryoo had tried and searched for years every possible place your aunt could have hidden it, but she never found it."

Poodoo. Another thought occured to Padme. "You said that you and my Grandmamma knew I would come here. What did you mean by that?" Why was her heart thumping so hard? What had her grandmamma known?

"A couple of days after the bombing, your grandmother and I met at the hospital where I was being treated. I had known of her through your aunt's talks of her, but I never met her in person until then. She was still in shock as we all were. She had lost her young sister and had wanted answers as to how and why she had," Line began to explain.

"Palpatine," Sabe spoke. "We know through Lieutenant Panaka that Palpatine was the reason everyone was killed."

Line shook her head. "There's no doubt in my mind that Palpatine was far from innocent in the bombing, but I never believed him capable of pulling something off like that on his own. Not yet anyway."

Padme frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The type of bomb used would have required a great deal of money and connections. Connections a seventeen-year-old heir wouldn't have been able to have back then."

"Who would then?" Padme asked.

"Those higher up like Tapalo, Veruna, Senator Maddox, Lord Palpatine, maybe even Costil," Line shrugged. "There were so many people who stood to lose everything if your aunt and Celestine told their secrets. Back then, I don't believe Palpatine would have pulled it off on his own even if he wanted to."

"If he wanted to?" Padme repeated. "Are you saying that he was forced to plant that bomb?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. There's no doubt in my mind that Palpatine had planned to kill all of us with whoever it was pulling the strings at the time. Well, all except young Padme Lydonia," Line explained.

Padme took a deep breath. This again. Could Palpatine have genuinely cared about her great-aunt?

Line seemed to know what her thoughts were. "People change. As hard as it is to believe now, Sheev Palpatine was a very different man before the bombing. A man with his own flaws, but with a chance to become something good. I believe that he listened to the wrong people and became an entangled puppet against his will and that set him off on the path that lead him to this day."

Padme and Sabe looked at her in astonishment.

"How can you say that?" Padme asked.

"Because seconds before the bomb went off, the doors were opened and Palpatine came in screaming about a bomb. The last thing I noticed before it went off was his eyes focused on young Padme," Line explained. "He never wanted her to die."

Palpatine was the witness?!

"If he didn't want Lydonia to die, why didn't he come forward, and confess to the authorities?" Sabe asked.

"I've always suspected and believed his father Cosinga Palpatine kept him from doing so. After all, Lord Palpatine had been a wealthy man with high connections, and he was a major supporter of a monarch candidate. It would have ruined his image if word got out that his son and heir was part of the palace bombing. Which is probably why the authorities blamed mine and Lieutenant Panaka's statements on the bombing as the result of head trauma like Pooja if they were in Palpatine's pocket," the hatred and contempt was evident in Line's voice, reminding Padme that though she didn't place the whole blame onto Palpatine, the hurt and damage could never be undone.

"And my grandmother? Was she aware of Palpatine's part?"

Line nodded.

"What about my parents?"

They couldn't have known. If they did, they wouldn't have been good friends with Palpatine or let him become a close mentor to their daughter as she navigated her way in politics.

"They were children," Line answered. "Too young to understand why they had lost a father and aunt because that aunt's boyfriend was so ambitious he helped to kill people in cold blood. As for what Ryoo told me, neither she nor Winama Naberrie told your parents what really happened when that bomb went off."

Oh, Grandmamma, why didn't you? Padme thought. Maybe she would have made better choices while she was Queen and not trusted Palpatine so much. Maybe he wouldn't have been able to become chancellor. She shook her thoughts as Line reached into her box again. Dwelling on the what ifs would help noone.

"When word went out about your disappearance, Ryoo knew it was only a matter of time before Palpatine went after her. I don't know what good it can do for you now, but your family should have this back," Line said as she took out a folded rag bundle and handed it to Padme.

Whatever was hidden in it was small as Padme unwrapped it. She felt her eyes widen for in her hands was the melted piece of what had been her great-aunt's comb that she had been looking for.

000{{*}}000

65 bby

"Thank you, Padme. I'm going to leave for the day and check up on my daughter. Just check the Queen's itinerary for any mistakes, and make certain that the primary handmaidens and Captain Blantyre have received copies of it. Then the rest of the day is yours to enjoy," Secretary Bowen told Padme as he made his way out of his office.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Padme managed to huff out as she carefully organized an armful of datapads onto one of the shelves.

It was lunch time which meant that she would have the entire afternoon pursuing the Queen's task set before her. Normally after working for Secretary Bowen for the day, Padme would go and make a progress report to the Queen, but with the Queen's upcoming trip to the Lake Country, the Queen would be busy meeting with Naboo officials while her handmaidens helped in organizing the packing.

Once she was done with the datapads, Padme made quick work of the itinerary before going outside to the gardens to look through her diary's notes while she ate her lunch. As she chewed on her blossom bread, she thought about her work.

She had been working as Secretary Bowen's aid for two weeks now, starting just a couple of days after her graduation. The work here wasn't much different from when she had interned under Lady Veruna. True, she didn't have to worry about Secretary Bowen losing his temper like Lady Veruna, but he wasn't as bad as Padme had worried he would be. These last two weeks she had come to know that he was a man who buried himself in his work, and if he wasn't, he was a doting father to his three-year-old daughter Faye. padme had met the girl on the few occasions her nanny would bring her to Bowen's office. The little girl's cute little smile, heart-shaped face, and dark eyes reminded Padme of Celestine, Faye's aunt when she wasn't wearing the ceremonial makeup.

It made Padme want to believe that the rumors between Bowen and Senator Maddox were just that: rumors. It also made Padme feel guilty about putting him down on her list of people to investigate in. While people like Veruna and Costil caused her to feel anger and determination to unveil them, people like Secretary Bowen and Princess Blantyre made her feel guilty and fearful of what she might find in her investigations.

"May I join you?" a voice startled Padme out of her investigations. She quickly shut her diary, locking it, and looked up to see Luke staring down at her. Relief filled her, and she felt guilty for her reaction.

"Yes, do join," Padme assured him, gathering her stuff and moving it aside so he could sit next to her.

"So what's going on in that head of yours?" Luke asked.

"Work," Padme answered as she tucked her diary in her bag.

"For Secretary Bowen or for the Queen?"

Padme looked up at him with startled worry.

Luke smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I don't believe anyone else in court knows about yours and Celestine's… arrangement. Whatever it is."

Padme's shoulders sagged with relief. "How did you know?"

"Aside from the fact that I know when you're keeping secrets, every night you come home late even when I know that Bowen isn't keeping you, and I also know that it isn't Sheev who keeps you. That narrows it down a bit," Luke answered.

Padme was silent, looking at the blooming pooja flowers in front of her. She had known Luke for years, his wife and her sister were the best and oldest of friends, and she loved and trusted him like a brother, but she could not tell him of the assignment the Queen had given to her. Not until or unless the Queen specifically gave her permission to do so. Besides, if word got out on what she was doing for the Queen, she wanted Luke to genuinely say that he knew nothing about her doings. Hopefully, it would be enough.

She heard Luke sigh, and she felt guilt wrapping itself around her.

"I understand if you can't talk to me about it. Even though under the law you are still under the guardianship and protection of your sister, you have completed your education, and are responsible for your own actions. But… your sister is worried about you," Luke told her.

"What?" Padme's eyes widened, and she looked at him.

Luke appeared tired and older than his thirty-two years. "She feels that you're shutting her out. You haven't been talking to her like you use to for months, and she thinks that you're hiding something from her."

Padme hadn't realized that Ryoo had noticed the change in her. She had thought that she had gotten better at hiding things from everyone, but it seemed that it was for naught. She hadn't meant to hurt Ryoo. She had been trying to protect her like she had been protecting Luke.

"Look, I know there are things in our line of work that we're not permitted to talk about to anyone, not even the people we love and trust. When Winama and I first got married, I struggled in what I could tell her and what I could not. Ryoo is worried because she doesn't fully understand what we must do in this line of work. You don't have to tell her what you do or why, just explain that there are certain aspects that you're not allowed to talk about," Luke explained.

Padme nodded. "Thank you, Luke."

They were both silent. Padme finished her blossom bread, and Luke spoke again. "I'm sorry. Before I came over, I saw that you were troubled by something, and I just laid another issue onto you."

A laugh escape Padme before she could prevent it. "It's alright, Luke," she assured him.

She sighed. She may not have been able to tell Luke the details of her mission, but she could tell him of her feelings. "I love the work I do, and I'm honored to serve the Queen in any way I can, but… sometimes I wonder about the choices we make in life. We are suppose to serve the people of Naboo in any way we can, and yet… sometimes I wonder if the methods we use justify our goals."

Padme was gathering information on politicians and evidence that would one day arrest them or force them to resign. Was it any different then the blackmail corrupt politicians used for their own ends? She looked at Luke, his face thinking of an answer he could give her with the little information she had given him.

"I think every politician goes through that kind of dilemma," he answered carefully. "In the beginning we try to do what good we can do by following our hearts with the morals we had been taught all of our lives. But as time goes by, we begin to change without our noticing because we realize the challenges and difficulties we face. Then we catch ourselves doing the very things we thought ourselves incapable of doing."

He looked at Padme with wisdom and compassion showing in his blue eyes. "I can't answer that question for you, Padme, and neither should I. that is something you are going to have to discover for yourself. I know it will be difficult, and you'll have doubts, but I do not doubt that you will see it through."

He got up, and walked away, leaving Padme to contemplate his words. She took her diary out and opened it to where she kept the list of officials under suspicion. There were people who despicable examples of beings while others seemed like they had flaws Padme wished she could help correct. Luke, even though his words had been wise and thoughtful had not helped her in figuring out if she was doing the right thing. She decided to close her diary and call it a day. Maybe go home to help Ryoo and the Naberries pack for their vacation to the Lake Country.

She had left her cloak back in Secretary Bowen's office due to the sudden nice weather, but as she was leaving, she heard a sob from one of the office doors. Most of the high ranking officials had left to prepare for the Queen's trip, leaving only their staff to finish closing court in the Royal Palace for the next couple of weeks.

Padme listened, following the sobs until she reached the office they were coming from. Padme felt her breath hitch when she found herself in front of the one labeled Princess Viola Blantyre of Theed. One of the person's on Padme's list, and sister of the Queen's Captain of the Guard Andrei Blantyre. Padme knew that the Princess was close to the Queen which is why she hadn't shared her suspicions to the Queen yet until she could find actual evidence of wrongdoing. In her observations, Padme had noticed the Princess clenching her fists often enough to leave marks that lasted for days, and her eyes were red-rimmed some nights after leaving work. It was not an image you would associate with a Princess of Theed and sister to the Queen's head of security. Despite her suspicions, Padme didn't believe that Princess Blantyre was a criminal, more like a victim.

Taking a deep breath, Padme raised her fist and knocked.

The sobs stopped. "Just a minute," a shaken voice replied.

Padme waited for a minute, maybe two before she was granted entry.

Princess Viola Blantyre resembled her brother with her hazel eyes, and brown-blonde hair pulled in a simple, but elegant hairstyle, but her makeup had been wiped off, probably because of the tears as evident by the too familiar red-rimmed eyes.

"Miss Lydonia, how may I help you?" her voice was still shaky, and yet Padme could hear a strength inside the Princess that reminded her of the Captain.

Months of training with the Queen's handmaidens had taught Padme how to seek out information through careful conversation that would enable a person to reveal information through their own terms without pressure.

"I was finishing up for Secretary Bowen, and I was thinking about stopping by the Cafe for some tea before I head home. Would you like to join me?" she asked.

She could see the suspicion in the Princess's eyes along with a desire to give in and accept her offer.

Blantyre shook her head. "No, I have too much work to do before the Queen's trip, but thank you."

Padme was disappointed, but she shouldn't have expected Princess Blantyre to open herself up to her. She would have to get closer to her during the Queen's trip. Maybe if she figured out what was bothering the Princess she could help her and gain an ally to help Celestine before her terms ended.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Anakin watched in silence as it poured down rain outside and even witnessed a couple flashes of lightning.

Ferus had gone to find a quiet place to meditate after looking through the files with Anakin.

Elle and Motee were in different parts of the house, making sure all the windows were covered, and also keeping an eye out in case Divo or any Stormtroopers returned.

Anakin meanwhile, had been told to stay in the parlor and rest so his injuries could heal better. Of course, Anakin was never one to hold still even when he was injured. His ribs ached from the cold as did his head. He could feel the injury in his left arm from the other day, and the cut on his back from two days ago hurt, but the pain was tolerable thanks to the painkillers Padme had made him take before she left to seek out Line.

Padme.

He hoped that she was alright and safe. He couldn't be one hundred percent sure yet that Sabe wasn't the traitor he sought without proof. Until then he had to trust that Padme would be able to handle herself without him. As for everybody else he would have to keep a sharp eye on them. The files on Typho and the handmaidens had revealed some personal information he hadn't been aware of before. Maybe a part of him should feel guilty for the breach of privacy, but with Anakin's family on the line he couldn't bring himself to feel any shame whatsoever. Of course, not everybody's personal lives and secrets were written in data files. The information he had though was enough to figure out who has motive. He would have to wait and see if Vatie had found any new information before he started pulling people aside and interrogate them.

He sighed, putting the datapad down.

Where were Padme and Sabe?

Where was everybody else in fact?

It was nearing the end of the afternoon which meant most people would be leaving their day jobs and heading home.

The rain had begun to pour even more heavily, making it difficult to see outside. Anakin could feel his anxiety grow. They had a diary to find along with a traitor, and they had to stop Malorum where he was at before he discovered more information and gave it to Palpatine. On top of that they were running out of time here on Naboo. If Karrde left without them, how would they be able to escape with the Empire watching the planet so closely?

Anakin sensed somebody coming to the parlor, and turned his head to see Elle come in, carrying a cup of tea.

"You should be laying down, General Skywalker," the young girl gently scolded him as she handed him the cup.

Anakin received it and blew at the steam. He wasn't much of a tea drinker, but he was thirsty and the tea might soothe the headache he felt coming.

"I've always had a hard time sitting and resting," Anakin told her, sipping his drink. "And you can call me Anakin. The war's over and any surviving Jedi are outlaws."

Elle looked at him, startled. "Oh, but there is. You've fought in countless battles in service to the Republic. Even if it's now an Empire you've earned the title you fought as."

Anakin was touched, but changed the topic to the weather outside before it made him uncomfortable. "I don't think I've ever been here this time of the month. Does it always rain this much?"

"Usually. I am surprised by the lack of rain we've had though. By this time of year many villages are flooded up to their knees," Elle answered him.

Anakin was surprised by this. Naboo was so beautiful and tranquil, he would have never thought of it having such natural disasters.

Elle carefully looked through the blinds covering the window in front of them. "You can just make out the Yelnina home across the street," she commented.

Anakin followed her gaze, and sure enough was able to see the more modern day home right across from the Lasara Home. Through the rain, Anakin was able to make out the artistic features of Naboo nobility displaying its family's wealth and power. He was also able to recognize the name Yelnina, and what Jar Jar had told him the other day.

"As in Senator Tesse Yelnina?"

Elle nodded. "The very same. However, there hasn't been an official public announcement yet."

That piqued Anakin's interest. "What can you tell me about her?"

Elle explained to him. "After the Empire's formation and Padme's disappearance, Representative Binks had to take up the duties that had belonged to Padme. He allowed me and Motee to continue on his staff and help him. However, prejudices against non-human species have been growing since the formation, and somebody, we believe in the Senate, petitioned to have Representative Binks removed from office instead of allowing him to take full representation of the Chommell Sector."

"Removed? For what?!" Anakin was outraged on behalf of his Gungan friend. According to what Padme had told him, in the last months of the Clone Wars, Jar Jar's diplomatic skills had gotten better thanks to the mentorship of Padme, Bail, and many other Senators. To lose everything he had worked and built had to be devastating for Jar Jar despite what he had told Anakin the other day.

"I personally believe that Palpatine realizes that he can't control Binks and wants to replace him with someone he could," Elle offered.

"And Tesse Yelnina is that person?"

"Possibly. When I first became Padme's handmaiden the other handmaidens told me which people to look on as her allies and possible enemies. The Yelninas were among her list of enemies. From what I've heard, the Yelninas came into power after the Celestine bombing when Tapalo became King of the Naboo. He made their eldest daughter Princess of Theed and the rest important officials throughout Naboo. They remained a high and powerful family on Naboo until the end of Veruna's reign when Padme's election threatened to cost them everything. Senator Tesse's father, Aros Yelnina had four daughters at the time, the eldest old enough to go and serve as a handmaiden. From my understanding, it was Aros' plan to have his daughter spy on Padme while she was in service. Panaka had suspected this and made her the lowest ranking handmaiden with less access. However, I've heard that she genuinely wanted to serve Padme and was disowned by her father when she refused to spy for him. She was killed during the occupation when we resisted the Trade Federation. Padme and all the other handmaidens had grieved for her. She had proven her loyalty but at the cost of her own life."

When Elle finished, Anakin was silent.

Born a slave and growing up on one of the harshest and most brutal planets in the galaxy, Anakin had been no stranger to death when he had found himself in the Blockade Crisis not even ten years old. He remembered the devastation he felt at the loss of Qui-gon and Obi-wan's grief. He remembered Padme trying to hide her pain and sadness behind a brave mask so she could lead her people through this at fourteen years old. He remembered seeing soldiers, guards, and pilots crying when they discovered a friend or loved one hadn't survived. The Blockade invasion may have lasted from several days to a few weeks, but the casualties had been high enough.

"What about the Yelnina family? Didn't they grieve for her as well?" he asked.

"I don't know. Sabe once told me that at the time of the Blockade, Aros Yelnina had been in the process of removing her name from the family records. When she died, Padme and all her handmaidens at the time created a memorial for her in the Handmaiden Cemetery so that her name would always be on public record," Elle explained.

Anakin's fists clenched, the gears in his prosthetic moaning in protest as his anger towards Aros Yelnina grew. He couldn't believe that someone would carry such callous spite towards their own child even after their death. Anakin didn't even want to imagine what he would do if he lost Luke or Leia. The whole galaxy would burn.

Elle continued. "Tesse I believe was five years younger than More. Her two younger sisters are both married now to high ranking families. She's not as bad as her father, and has been offering me and Motee positions as her handmaidens when she's sworn in."

"And have you both accepted?" Anakin asked, keeping a tight lid on his emotions.

To his relief, Elle shook her head. "Not yet. The offer was made a couple of days before Madame Thule's death. Motee asked her to let us think about it before we give her our answer."

This presented another possible problem. Could Tesse be using Motee and Elle to get her information and pass it on to Malorum? With her home right across from the Lasara Home she could spy on them easily. But they had been taking precautions, hadn't they? This whole cat and mouse game frustrated Anakin. Who was the traitor, and why were they toying with them like this?

Anakin opened his mouth to ask more about Tesse Yelnina when Motee entered the room. He closed it and noticed Motee slip a commlink into her pocket. Suspicion grew in him. She was sister to a Queen who had been forced to resign because of her Separatist connections, and yet she herself had been accepted as handmaiden to Naboo's senator in the Republic Senate. Anakin could remember when he first met her. Padme had been preparing to go on a diplomatic mission, and he had come to say goodbye and wish her luck. Motee had walked in on them in a passionate embrace. Anakin had sensed her amusement and maybe a bit of annoyance for his indiscretion and possibly risking her mistress's reputation. She was a bit of a stickler for rules, but so was Obi-wan and Anakin knew how to make sticks in the mud have fun. He liked to think they had become friends, yet out of all the others she was one of his lead suspects. The Separatists had been the enemy during the war, but with the Republic now an Empire, Anakin wasn't sure what to make of them.

He tried to sense Motee's feelings and thoughts. He sensed anxiety and fear under her mask. For what? Or who? He tried digging further, but Motee was not weak minded and any further prods would draw her attention.

Apparently, Elle too could sense her friend's true thoughts as well. "Are you alright?"

Motee smiled, but Anakin could tell it was forced. "I'm fine. I just got off the comm with my cousin Hastre."

"How's Cortin?" Elle asked.

"He's fine. Cortin is my godson," Motee told Anakin.

He nodded and she continued. "Hastre told me that Stormtroopers have been searching their street and people's homes. Apparently somebody told them about suspicious Jedi activity in their area."

"Is there?" Anakin asked.

"No! Not that I'm aware of. Ever since Queen Apailana voiced her disapproval of the Jedi purges, Naboo has been under the Empire's scrutiny. The death of Madame Thule intensified it. Rewards have been offered to anyone with information on Jedi or rebels. I heard on some star systems, conditions are so bad people turn their neighbors in for a week's worth of rations."

Anakin could feel his stomach coil at this information. His thoughts turned to his children and step-brother and sister-in-law watching them. Tattoine was a dust ball in the outer rim that nobody cared about. The Empire hadn't come to their planet yet, but when they did, would their neighbors find Anakin and Padme's sudden appearance six months ago suspicious? Would they turn Owen and Beru, who had lived there for years, in if they saw Luke or Leia use the Force? How would Owen and Beru explain their absence to their curious neighbors?

Anakin's thoughts were broken when through the torrents of the storm outside, he heard a loud scream.

000{{*}}000

Sache Aeyinson pulled her cloak closer around her body as she hurried out of the palace and through the rain along with many other people who were hurrying home. She could feel her hands and head beginning to ache from the cold as she splashed through the current beginning to grow in the streets from the rain. Already, she could feel her gown becoming soaked through, making it difficult to move in as she hurried on to the transport that would drop her off near Eirtae's neighborhood. She was glad Yane had commed her earlier to tell her she would be stopping by their apartment to pick up a change of clothes for them. She hoped her friend would grab her meds too while she was at it. If not, well… Sache was no stranger to pain.

She had been born Sashah Adova to the most abusive parents in Theed. Her father had been a hotheaded drunk, and her mother had been a failing actress with an addiction to deathsticks and spice. She could remember all those times her father would hit her every time he thought she was in his way or making too much noise, and her mother who would take hours to days to remember that she had a daughter who needed to eat before she made something edible to eat. She could remember the day her father kicked her so hard, she fell down their apartment building stairs, broke her arm in two places and fractured her collarbone. At the hospital, the doctors and nurses noticed the handprint bruises on her and realized how malnourished she was.

At six years old she was taken into the city's custody and placed under the care of her mother's former employers, the Aeyinsons whom she would call her mama and papa. The Aeyinsons ran an acting workshop and had two children of their own who had already grown up and moved out by the time Sashah came into their care. Her life had been good and happy. Papa would play music and sing to her, and Mama taught her how to groom herself and how to hide her emotions, and present different ones to other people. It turned out she was much better at acting than her biological mother.

When she turned twelve she was discovered by Panaka who had been looking for candidates to serve as handmaidens to the future Queen Amidala. Recognizing that this was a chance at a fresh start for her, Sashah's foster parents had encouraged her to accept Panaka's offer. She had accepted it, and had her name legally changed from Sashah Adova to Sache Aeyinson, taking on her foster parents' last name as well as her foster mother's first name. She had excelled in hand combat training and blaster training, learning to channel years of anger towards her birth parents into it. It turned out she could control her temper better than her biological father could.

She and her foster parents had been proud and excited when she had been made Fourth Handmaiden under Queen Amidala. She was the second youngest handmaiden and had become good friends with the actual youngest, Yane thanks to their training together. She got along well with the other primary handmaidens. Rabe was so kind and understanding, and knew how to comfort you. Eirtae was like a bratty older sister at first, but eventually mellowed down and taught Sache and Yane about court etiquette. Sabe, Sache had idolized because she wasn't afraid to talk back at Panaka, and she always seemed to take control of a bad situation and get them through it. As for Amidala, Sache was there when she left the council chambers, and helped remove the paint and finery, and just see Padme, an ordinary girl who loved to talk with them as equals, gossip and laugh like the teenagers they were. Before she knew it, Sache had five friends she would gladly call her sisters.

Then the Blockade happened. When the Jedi had rescued them from their droid guards, Padme had ordered both her and Yane to stay behind and organize a resistance against the Trade Federation. Sache Aeyinson, not even thirteen yet, and she found herself smuggling grenades, blasters, and all sorts of weapons to the Resistance. She never, even when Panaka trained her to protect the Queen at all cost, imagined that she would become a killer, and yet every time she and the Resistance would ambush droid patrols she would feel pride every time she threw a grenade and fired a blaster at the droids who dared to invade her planet, and hold her people hostage.

Sache became a courier for the Resistance, and she and Yane developed a way to deliver coded messages. Yane, although more tomboy thanks to her father's influence, had a mother who had been a weaver. Talla Carinda had insisted on her daughter in learning some of her skills, and those skills had come in handy when Yane used them to weave codes and messages into cut up fabric Sache would carry. One day, Sache hadn't been quick enough to dodge a droid patrol and had been caught; thankfully she had hidden the fabric away before the droids would have found it. She was taken in for interrogation and for hours a day for several days the droids would torture to get information out of her. During that time Sache had truly believed she was going to die as the interrogation droids cut her, burned her, broke her bones, and smashed her hands in an attempt to get her to talk. To this day even Sache was impressed by the sheer will and loyalty she had that kept her silent even under all the torture. She couldn't think of that time without getting the shakes. The Nemodians had used emotional torture on her as well, telling her that her Queen had abandoned her and the names of all the people who had died. That's how she found out about her fellow handmaiden More Yelnina's death. Still Sache had kept her silence and protected the Resistance.

Then Amidala had returned and freed them from the Trade Federation. Because of her injuries in the line of duty, Sache had received two Red Lotus medals, and she had also received the Polana Award for Bravery, the highest honor a fighter of Naboo could receive. She had been taken off duty temporarily until her injuries healed. For three months she was forced to take pain medicine and go through physical therapy for her hands. She also learned that she suffered from PTSD as well, the situation worsened when the news of her foster parents' deaths reached her. If it hadn't been for Padme and her sister handmaidens, especially Yane, Sache would have lost herself in her medications and turned out exactly like her biological parents. With her friends' help, Sache learned to push on and returned to active duty.

When Padme's terms ended, Sache had a desire to continue serving Naboo. She ran and won a seat in the Planetary Legislative Assembly by an overwhelming amount of votes. She had honestly been surprised when Padme told her that the people knew all about her service during the Blockade and her years of service as handmaiden, and admired her for her courage, strength, and diligence. The former queen and handmaidens celebrated at the Carindas' home who had come to see Sache as a second daughter along with Yane. It had been the happiest Sache had been since the Blockade.

She and Yane moved into an apartment together, the latter going to med school while Sache served Naboo in her newly elected seat. She helped the Naboo through several crises: when the war started, Jamillia's forced resignation, Separatist attacks, Neeyutnee's assassination, the election of Apailana, and recently the transition of the Republic into an Empire. These last five years had been a trial for Sache, and now with Governor Bibble, her friend and mentor talking about retirement, eyes were on Sache to become the next governor of Naboo. It was almost overwhelming to Sache, and now with the death of Madame Thule, and the reappearance of her former mistress and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, it was all Sache could do to keep it together.

There was already suspicion going around in the palace. Sache could feel Panaka's eyes on her as she attended council meetings, waiting for her to reveal something. Then there was the Emperor and his entourage Mas Amedda and Sly Moore. The Umbarian woman made Sache uneasy enough without the overwhelming presence of the Emperor. She was so mysterious and in the holovideos of the Senate, Sache rarely ever heard her speak. She was like a shadow watching and waiting.

Sache shivered, pulling her cloak even more tightly around her. She was glad when the transport dropped her off at the end of the street where the Lasara Home was. If anyone saw her and thought it suspicious, she would tell them she wished to speak to Eirtae on a political issue since they were old friends who worked in the palace together.

Her hands ached, and Sache tried rubbing and moving them to help. The sooner she got out of this weather, changed out of her soaked work clothes and into some nice warm ones the better.

She was almost to the Lasara Home when a glance towards the alley next to the home made her stop. The gate door leading to the gardens of the Lasara Home was open. With everyone staying in Eirtae's home they agreed that it would look suspicious if they all came out the front door, so most of them had been taking the back way out through the gardens. They made sure the door was latched so as to not draw attention. Curious. Sache decided to come in through the back way as well and latch it. Although careless, someone must not have latched it well.

She could remember the one time she met all of Eirtae's family for the first time. Her father had been kind to her friends, but her mother… Sache's stomach twisted in anger as she thought about the rude and snobby woman who looked down on all of them with contempt. Padme for upstaging her daughter by winning the election, Rabe for her disloyalty to her high rank, and Sabe, Yane, and Sache for being "peasants" who dared to enter her home. Seriously, not even on Eirtae's worst days when she first started as handmaiden had she been as hateful and scornful as her mother. It had opened Sache's eyes to Eirtae, knowing all too well having a parent who looked down on you like you were a disappointment.

Her brothers however had been alright. Sache could remember meeting them here in this garden. Edvard, the older one, had been extremely quiet, only speaking a handful of words. Eirtae said he had been that way ever since the death of their oldest brother Ergei whom he had been close to. Endre however… Sache could feel herself warm up everytime she thought of him. He was Eirtae's little brother, the same age as Sache with wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that made her heart stop. She never told anyone except Yane that the main reason she visited Eirtae under the pretense of work was so she could see him. She didn't know how to tell her friend that she had a major crush on her brother she was closest with for fear of how it would affect their friendship, and Eirtae's already estranged relationship with her mother.

So caught up was she in her thoughts of Endre Lasara that she missed the tree root in the path and tripped. She fell down with a splash in a mud puddle. Now she was fully soaked and muddy with sore hands and bruised knees, and now shivering from the cold.

She turned her body over to glare at the tree root only to discover her mistake.

It wasn't a tree root but a booted leg.

Alarms went off in Sache's head as she hurriedly picked herself up. What…? Who…?

She couldn't think.

The leg led to a body mostly hidden in the shrubs. Sache was numb as she recognized the light blue cloak. She reached out and turned the person facing down, up.

Staring back at her was the dull and dead expression of Vatie Bibble.

Sache couldn't breathe. She was shaking as she stumbled back. All of a sudden she was twelve again and under the captive of the droids who tortured her.

When she finally managed to breathe in some air, her exhale came out as a scream.

000{{*}}000

65 BBY

The Lake Country was beautiful.

It was different from the mountains of Claines, but gave off a feeling of calm and serenity to it. It gave Padme a much better understanding as to why so many of Naboo's higher classmen flocked to this place. If she lived in a place like this she didn't think she would ever want to leave.

Varykino itself was beautiful. A prize of the Lake Country and the envy of all its noble neighbors, Varykino was like a small palace.

Once owned by one of Naboo's most beloved poets Omar Berneko until his mysterious kidnapping, he had left the estate in his will to his good friend Ami Naberrie, Luke's ancestor and it had stayed in the family ever since.

Luke chuckled, and Padme realized she had been staring at the lake house in awe. She snapped out of her wanderings and assisted Luke, Winama, and Ryoo with unloading their luggage out of the gondola speeder while Ruwee and Jobal ran about to explore the magnificent home. They were assisted by two servants who helped to carry the luggage inside.

As they went inside Padme couldn't help but comment. "I can't believe you leave this place to live in the capital."

Luke chuckled as they walked in. "It's a wonderful place to escape and hide out in, but eventually one must return to the real world."

When they were inside however there was chaos.

Luke had agreed to host the Queen and her guards during her retreat this summer, but the Naberrie entourage had underestimated all the changes they had expected.

Servants were scurrying about to make the palace ready for the Queen's arrival, and the security guards were scouring the place, doing safety checks. Padme could see Winama pulling a servant aside and asking where the Queen would want her private quarters to be, Ryoo trying to balance the boxes of fabric she had brought to work on, and Ruwee and Jobal being chased by servants for stealing sweets from the kitchen already. Padme suddenly remembered that her father and Mammy would be coming in a few days, and was worried as to how her father would react to all this chaos.

When she turned to Luke, he smiled sheepishly. "Your room will be in the first tower on the third floor, last door on the left looking out on the lakes. I'll let you get settled, but then we'll have to be back down here in a couple of hours to welcome the Queen. Excuse me."

He took off towards the guard in charge while Padme looked at all her suitcases and sighed.

000{{*}}000

It felt so good to be out of mourning clothes, Padme thought. It didn't mean that she stopped missing her mother and Jon, but it felt nice to be wearing something else besides black or lavender.

Jobal was excited to be wearing color as well, but Ryoo, according to custom, would have to wear black a little longer.

Padme had worn a simple but lovely white dress when she had welcomed the Queen and her entourage with the Naberries to Varykino.

Celestine had brought her five handmaidens, Captain Blantyre, and about a dozen guards for security. By the Queen's usual standards that wasn't a lot, but staying with them would also be Princess Blantyre and Governor Tapalo and his wife as political advisors.

Padme had been worried that there wouldn't be enough room to host all of them, but Varykino was much bigger than she had realized and was able to accommodate everyone.

Dinner with the Queen had been much better tonight and less tense than the last one Padme had attended all those months ago. Celestine seemed more at ease, Toun Tapalo seemed more allied with her than his own brother Bon, and even Princess Blantyre seemed more relaxed and happy since Padme first spoke with her weeks ago. Ruwee and Jobal were excited as well to be around royalty, but had behaved well as they were told, and didn't ask too many impertinent questions. Ryoo had been in awe as Celestine talked to her about fashion and maybe ordering a dress or two off of her and Winama. Padme had been happy for her sister, and had been equally as excited to see Gregor, Pooja, Line, and Shon as well.

After dinner, Pooja had taken Padme aside to talk to her about her assignment. The Queen was hosting a bolo-ball tournament between the families of the Lake Country in a couple of days. By then all the courtiers would have arrived and settled, and would be eager at the chance to earn favor from the Queen. It would be the perfect time for Padme to listen and observe among the crowd.

Now, dressed in her nightgown and ready for bed, Padme found herself looking out her bedroom window.

The moon was out tonight and it shined on the waters of the Lake Country.

Padme's eyes however were on the majestic country house across the lake from Varykino. Luke had told her the name of it, Convergence the home of the Palpatines. Her thoughts wandered to Sheev.

Since starting her new position as aide to Secretary Bowen, they barely had time to see each other, just sneaking letters and notes to each other, and maybe stealing a kiss or two whenever Padme was on break before she was missed. However, lately Padme had been wondering who they were trying to fool. Their relationship was pretty much an open secret at the Royal Palace. Before, people could dismiss their meetings as two classmates discussing their class assignments, but ever since Padme's graduation, with her and Sheev still seeing each other, people were beginning to suspect there was something more going on between them. Winama and Ryoo's clients loved to gossip while in their shop, and despite her sister and friend's attempts to shield her from them, Padme knew about the rumors.

People thought that a poor farm girl working in the palace hoped to find herself a rich lover who would elevate her above her station, maybe even marry her. Nothing could have been further from the truth about Padme. She knew what members of the noble class thought about the lower classes. She had been listening to those rumors ever since she first started as an intern.

It was the rumors about Sheev that bothered Padme. Many believed that Sheev was just searching for a source of amusement just to annoy his father. It stung but Sheev's reassurance that he didn't give a kriff what people thought, most especially his father had helped. Padme knew that Sheev cared about her. One day when they had been meeting in the palace gardens, they had run into a page who had been in their class. The guy had sneered and asked Sheev if Padme was a handful in bed. The look of rage on Sheev's face had nearly frightened Padme, and she knew without a doubt that he would have pummeled their former classmate if she hadn't intervened and pulled him away before he lunged at him. So yes, Padme knew that on some level Sheev cared about her enough to defend her honor.

Their relationship had been developing ever since their kiss at the New Year Ball, but could it be called love? Padme wasn't sure. They've never said the words. Her heart would skip a beat everytime he'd meet her gaze, she would feel herself getting excited everytime she would receive a note from him, and she swore she was shocked everytime they kissed, but was that love? And did Sheev feel the same way? Was their relationship a fleeting teenage romance, or did it have the potential to become something more? She didn't know.

She wanted to talk to Sheev and find out, but how? In the Lake Country they would be out in the open, and people would wonder if they disappeared. She also didn't know how Sheev's father would react. Cosinga Palpatine was known for his hot-headed temper, and Padme had heard rumors in court that he threatened to disinherit his son. Padme did not want Sheev for his money, but for the way he made her feel free and happy since the Plague. However, despite Sheev's claims on the contrary, Padme knew a small part of him deep inside craved for love and approval from his sire. She also knew that Cosinga Palpatine would want his eldest son and heir to marry a girl from a noble house with wealth and connections, not a farm girl whose family was barely managing and depended on the kindness of others.

Padme knew that with all these obstacles, even if she and Sheev wanted to be together always, the odds were against them. Yet Padme couldn't keep herself from being drawn to Sheev like a moth to a flame. She was afraid of the burn, but craved the heat.

She was in grave danger.

She finally turned away from Convergence and went to bed.

She was resolved. She had to end this now between her and Sheev before they went too deep. She both hoped and dreaded seeing at the bolo-ball tournament. She would have to avoid him and focus on the Queen's task. Then she would pull him aside where they couldn't be seen and tell him.

As she got under her covers, she sent a prayer to Shiraya to give her strength, courage, and wisdom to do what must be done.

For Sheev's sake and her own.

It took a long time for her to fall asleep.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

The rain poured hard against the small cottage, and Padmé worried another leak would come down.

She and Sabé had been delayed from returning to the Lasara Home when the storm grew heavier, and leaks started to come down Liné's ceiling. The older woman had grabbed buckets to catch the water while the younger women helped to mop up the mess. They managed to clean up the mess, and there didn't seem to be any more leaks. Liné had gone back to check and see if her gondola was covered and tied up to the cottage deck leaving Padmé and Sabé to sit down in the little parlor to think about what Liné had revealed to them just before the storm hit them.

Padmé pulled out from her pocket what used to be her great-aunt's comb, but was now a melted clump of gold. The heat and force of the bomb explosion had caused the comb's teeth to melt together and bend, the red jewel Padmé had seen in the holos was gone, but she could still make out the wings, the head, and maybe even the arms of the pixie even if the rest of the details had been melted away. When she was a child, Padmé could remember walking in to see her grandmamma polishing it, and trying so hard to get the hard to reach places. Padmé realized now that the dirt in the cracks was ash and residue, but young Padmé had wanted to help her frustrated grandmamma. She had thought her smaller fingers would have better luck, but it had only made Padmé just as frustrated. Her grandmamma had smiled and thanked her for trying before taking it back and continuing her polishing. She had said to Padmé, "It may never be as it was before, but with a lot of love and patience, it can still carry its own beauty." Padme had held on to those words. Now, the gold comb shined and gleamed, not a hint of dirt on it.

For forty-seven years this melted comb had no use, but had been loved and cared for by its former owner's sister. It made Padmé sad for her grandmamma to carry such a heartaching pain. She realized now that there was probably no chance of unlocking her great-aunt's diary with the state of its key. So why did Palpatine want it? Did he want it?

Her musings were interrupted by Sabé's shout. "Kriff!"

Her former handmaiden and best friend went to the corner of the parlor where another leak was dripping. She grabbed the holo pictures hanging on the wall before they got wet and ruined. Padmé hurried over to help rescue them, and Sabé went to grab a mop and bucket. As Sabé cleaned the mess and Padme arranged the holos in a dry spot, Liné returned to the parlor.

"Another one?" She came over to help Sabé with the mess.

"This makes it the fifth leak. It's a miracle the roof hasn't collapsed. Honestly Aunt Liné, why didn't you call Mama, or me, or one of the guys? We would have helped you check the roof before winter came."

As Liné explained how she didn't want to be a bother to anybody, Padmé looked through the holo pictures she saved. She recognized the holo of Sabé with her parents, sister, and Aunt Liné during the Festival of Light that must have been taken years ago. She looked at the older holos and saw a young Liné who looked so similar to Sabé. She was dressed in handmaiden robes, and stood next to a woman Padmé recognized as Celestine without the ceremonial makeup. The two women reminded Padmé so much of her and Sabé that she knew their friendship had probably been like Liné and Celestine's. Another holo of Liné had her standing in the arms of a handsome man that looked like Eirtaé's brother Endre that Padmé knew had to be her fiance Shon. The love and tenderness in their eyes reminded Padmé of the love between her and Anakin that her heart felt empathy for the pain of loss she knew Liné had to be carrying.

"Careful with those!" Liné's shout made Padmé jump.

The woman came over and took those two holos from Padmé's hands and inspected them both for damages. When she confirmed they were both unharmed, she held them close to her chest and sighed with relief. She held the two holos as if they were her lifeline and then left the room with them.

Padmé looked at Sabé and began to apologize. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

Sabé shook her head. "It's alright. Aunt Liné gets upset with anyone who touches her holos of Celestine and Shon. One time when we were playing, one of my cousins accidentally knocked the holo of Shon down, and nearly broke it. My aunt got so upset my mother had to take her out of the room because her yelling made my cousin cry. You did nothing wrong. We just need to give her a few minutes to settle down."

Reassured, Padme looked back at the holos, but didn't pick them up this time. She recognized one. "Is this the one of your family after the Blockade?"

She recognized many members of the Olnick family standing in front of the damaged main home of the Olnicks. Many of them held Naboo standard blasters of ELG-3A and S-5, and E-5 blasters that had to be stolen off of battle droids during the occupation. The entire family stood proudly in front of their damaged but still standing home, and in the middle of them was Liné holding a stolen E-5 and an old hunting rifle.

Sabé came over to Padmé and smiled down at the holo with sadness and pride. "When you let us go to our homes to check on our families after the occupation, I came to my family home to find it in the state it is in the holo. I was terrified that the Trade Federation had killed my entire family, and then lo and behold when I opened the front door, my mother was there to embrace me, and my entire family had not only survived, but had resisted the Trade Federation during the whole occupation."

"I remember," Padmé said. "Journalists kept hounding the palace for a long time, wanting to know the inside scoop as to how your family had been able to survive and resist the droids."

It was indeed an incredible story. Padmé could still remember when she first heard about it from Sabé. At the start of the Trade Federation's occupation, droids had begun to round up Naboo citizens and escort them to prison camps. The Olnick family, instead of following the droids, fired upon and destroyed their droid escort. The family traded in all kinds of marketing including weapons. The family held back droid patrols that tried to invade their home. They hid their younger children in the wine cellar and the rest of them were positioned to pick off the droids. When destroyer droids came, they used hand grenades they'd stolen off of fallen droids to get rid of them as they fired upon the home. When the Trade Federation sent two tanks that's when things became more deadly. They fired upon the Olnicks' home, causing one of the wings to collapse and nearly crushing a few family members. They got lucky when one of Sabé's cousins managed to sneak off to one of their partners and take a few ion grenades, and return to their home to destroy the tanks before they brought the rest of the house down on top of them. By then Amidala had returned and with the help of her pilots, the Gungans, and young Anakin Skywalker, defeated the Trade Federation and destroyed their droid army. The entire Olnick family had managed to survive and remain unconquered.

Sabé picked up the holo of her family who were as battered as their home but undefeated. "Indeed. I was so happy and proud that my family had rallied together and resisted the Trade Federation in their own way and survived. It was actually my Aunt Liné who led them against the droids, but she wasn't comfortable with interviews from strangers."

"I did promise your cousin Shudu he could use our story in one of his movies when he grew up," Liné said as she returned to the room, more composed. "However, I almost gave your friend Vatié Bibble that honor after I read her articles on the Senate corruption over a year ago."

Sabé handed her the holo, and Padmé saw nostalgia in the old woman's expression. "That rifle I'm holding was given to me by my father Thetch Olnick when I was ten years old. My father had been in charge of protecting merchant ships from pirates. On one mission, they came out of hyperspace to a large ship run by one of those criminal gangs in the outer rim. The conflict was deadly, but my father managed to capture their attackers and was rewarded the bounty they found on the ship. My father used that to build our home in this holo from the ground up. He planted our vineyards, and began our company himself. His sweat, and blood, and soul went into building everything we have today. He taught us all to stand our ground and protect what we love no matter the odds."

There was a fierceness in her that made Padmé believe this woman, the same age as her grandmamma, had led her family against an entire droid army. "Now I know where Sabé gets it from."

The old woman laughed and wrapped an arm around Sabé, and Padmé was surprised to see her old friend blush. "My great-niece reminds me so much of myself when I was young. It fills me with as much sadness as pride, but she is much stronger than I was."

Sabé reached out and hugged, and Padmé could see the fierce love she had for her great-aunt. It reminded her of her grandmamma that she had to turn away and wipe a few tears away.

Liné released Sabé and turned to Padmé. "Yes, there's nothing more important than family."

She motioned for them all to sit down in the parlor chairs. "You remind me of your aunt and namesake, Padme Lydonia. When you see an injustice, when you sense an injustice, you stand up against the odds and do your best to put that situation to right. You remind me of your grandfather as well, Luke Naberrie."

"I do?" Padme was surprised by this. As a child her father would tell her stories about her grandfather, and when she was still alive, her Grandma Winama would talk about how wise and compassionate her husband had been. The stories of her grandfather had helped Padme in deciding what to name her son while she was pregnant, but it was more than that. In Naboo folklore, Luke meant light, and to the Naboo light represented hope.

Liné nodded. "Indeed. I've been watching your career for years. The way you command the attention of everyone, firm, and yet passionate reminds me of Councilor Naberrie when he would talk during council meetings."

Padme didn't know what to say. A part of her felt pride, but another part of her mourned. She never got to know either of her grandfathers. Her great-grandfather Ruger Lydonia died when she was six years old, and she hardly knew him because he could barely function on his own without her grandmamma there to help.

Liné nodded as if she sensed Padme's thoughts. "Your grandfather and great-aunt were both good people. As was Celestine, and as was all those people who died in that bombing."

"Do you… do you have any idea who was behind the attack?" Padme asked. She felt a sense to uncover the truth not just for her own family, but for the families of those killed in the bombing.

Liné shook her head sadly. "It's hard to say who was behind it. As I'm sure you are aware of your history, near the end of Celestine's terms, the Trade Federation was trying to set up trade negotiations for our plasma. There were those like Tapalo and Veruna's allies who supported the deal, then there were those like Costil and Cosinga Palpatine who were against it. The prices they were asking us for our plasma were insane. The amount of credits they were offering us, an average miner would have to work sixteen hours every standard day for a week, and they would barely make enough to feed and house a family of four, let alone other possible costs such as clothing, medical costs, speeder expenses, or if you're providing for more family members. Celestine and many of us who were with her were against the deal, but we also knew that to refuse the Trade Federation would not be taken lightly."

Padmé understood that better than anybody. King Veruna had been forced to abdicate because Padmé, who had been Princess of Theed at the time, and all her allies had discovered the level of corruption he and his cronies were involved in thanks to the Trade Federation's influence. Padmé had been determined to clean up the corruption that had been destroying her planet for decades. However, when she had refused to pay the high taxes the Trade Federation had been raising, Nute Gunray had ordered a blockade around them to starve them out. Padmé and all of the Naboo had learned the hard way not to let bullies hold them down under their boots.

Liné nodded as if again she could sense Padmé's thoughts. "Yes, with Celestine's terms coming to an end, we knew we needed someone who cared for the well-being of our people, but was also strong enough to protect and defend us from invaders. Tapalo would gladly hand us to the Trade Federation. Costil would say no, but would then shrivel and give up at the first sign of conflict. We needed someone else. In fact, on the day of the bombing, during the council meeting, your grandfather had been nominated as a candidate, and the Queen had been ready to endorse him when the bomb went off."

That was news to Padmé. She knew her grandfather had been a good and popular leader, but she hadn't known about that.

Liné continued. "There's a good chance the Trade Federation was behind the bombing, but it had to have been an inside job to place the bomb in the Queen's throne. I used to think Tapalo might have been involved, but his brother was the Governor of Naboo and a staunch supporter of Celestine, and also one of the victims who died in the bombing. Rescue teams back then had been unable to remove him from the scene without the high risk of instant death."

In Naboo culture, family was considered sacred. Padmé never knew Bon Tapalo personally, he stepped down from King long before her time, but she remembered hearing in her studies that he always carried a pocket chrono with the image of his brother inside, and he left all his possessions to his eldest nephew upon his death. He didn't sound like the kind of man to endanger his brother even for political gain, but Padmé had learned in the Senate how the promise of power made beings do despicable things.

"What about Veruna?"

Liné shrugged. "Possible. He could be as spineless as Costil, and he was a disgusting pervert, but I was never entirely sure he would resort to murder. Then again, he seemed different since the murder of his mother."

Padmé suppressed a shudder, remembering all too well when as a thirteen-year-old princess, how Veruna would look at her as if he was trying to imagine her without her clothes. Eirtaé once admitted that he tried to make a pass on her in the royal gardens before he resigned.

"Would the killer still be alive today?" she asked.

Liné shook her head and looked thoughtful. "I doubt it. Over the years I've noticed many of the potential suspects had a humiliating or gruesome end."

"What?" Padmé asked, her heart feeling as if it was going at lightspeed.

"Just a couple of months after the bombing, Cosinga Palpatine, his family, and bodyguards all died in a accident, except his eldest son, Sheev who hadn't been on the yacht when it crashed."

That wouldn't have seemed suspicious to Padmé a year ago, but now she couldn't help but find it convenient.

"Shortly after their deaths, Palpatine's mistress and Costil's sister Regina was found out to be pregnant with his child. She was forced to leave Theed and disappeared. Two years later, her body was found in the waters of the Lake Country. Everybody assumed suicide."

It was a sad story. Padmé knew that in her grandparents' generation that to be pregnant, unmarried, and no father to show was to be severely looked down upon. By Padmé's generation people were more lenient now, and things had changed since then. Still, her heart went out to the poor woman.

"After he lost the election, Costil was found in his apartment barely a year later. He had gambled away his family's wealth, leaving them all destitute. It turned out he had racked up big debts with some dangerous people who lost patience with him.

"Senator Jessé Maddox died in her Coruscant apartment in a murder-suicide. Her killer it turned out had been her deformed daughter she had given up when she had been studying in the Legislative Youth Program as a teenager. The poor girl had apparently discovered her heritage and had gone to Coruscant to confront her mother. Maddox must have angered her that she snapped and attacked her before stabbing her to death with a broken vase and then slit her own wrists."

Padme had heard that Senator Maddox had not been looked upon kindly, but her death had shocked the Chommell Sector.

"After Tapalo stepped down as king, he was ill for months. The doctors believed it had been some new kind of lung disease that caused him to cough up blood until one day it became too much for him; he drowned in it in his sleep one night."

"And Veruna had not even settled back into his family estate upon his resignation when he and his bodyguard were both found dead the next morning," Sabé added in. It had been Veruna's death that had prompted Panaka into taking more drastic measures in protecting Padmé when she was elected Queen.

Liné nodded again. "I can go on and on about who was suspected and how they died. Point being, I'm not sure we'll ever truly discover who was behind the bombing and find clarity for the families of the victims."

This saddened Padmé. "So nothing can be done? The investigation back then couldn't find anything?"

Liné shook her head. "No, there was an investigation that lasted for several months, but they didn't tell us anything. I always suspected that the investigators were covering for someone."

Corruption again. Padmé wished that she could be surprised, but she wasn't. She was surprised however when Liné leaned forward and took her hands in her own, and looked at her with her deep brown eyes.

"My generation was from a different time. It wasn't just the deaths of those in the bombing that made the story tragic, but it was also losing the cause we had fought for, and Naboo paid for that loss for thirty-three years." She squeezed Padmé's hands. "Then I saw you, Princess Amidala of Theed, who took down Veruna and was willing to face the Trade Federation next, and I knew that Celestine's true successor would accomplish what we could not."

Padmé was struggling not to choke, overwhelmed as she was by Liné's words.

A beeping penetrated the air. It was Sabé's comm. She left the room to answer it in private.

Liné turned back to Padmé. "Your great-aunt became a dear friend of mine and Celestine's, and you honored the wishes of my dear mistress without even realizing it. If you need anything, I beg of you, do not hesitate to ask."

Padmé could not refuse to promise her.

Sabé ran back into the room, and Padmé was alarmed by her expression.

"We have to hurry back. Eirtaé commed me. She couldn't tell me what was wrong over the comm. Only that we had to come back immediately."

000{{*}}000

Anakin grimaced as he, Ferus, Typho, and Eirtaé looked upon the body of Vatié Bibble.

They had to move her. It was becoming darker outside, the rain kept pouring, and it was wrong to leave her out like this.

"We're not going to be able to find out what happened to her in these conditions," Typho spoke quietly through the rain.

Anakin could sense the grief inside him as he struggled to contain his own as well as his guilt. He knew Typho was right. With the rain continuing to pour, any traces of tracks or evidence would be washed away.

"Can we please take her inside?" Eirtaé begged, her voice thick with emotion.

They carefully lifted Vatié into an old rug, and brought her inside.

The other handmaidens had hidden themselves in the parlor, their grief loud in the Force.

Eirtaé directed them down to the cellars where they could store Vatié's body for now. They placed her on top of a table and covered her with a sheet Eirtaé provided. Before they did cover her, however, Anakin and Ferus insisted on looking her over now that they had better light.

Her eyes were still open, so Anakin carefully closed them in respect. The rain had washed a good bit of the mud off of her, but there were still traces of it on her, especially in the front.

"There's bruises on her knuckles," Ferus observed.

Anakin nodded. "There's a bruise on the right side of her head as well."

"So she fought against her attacker until he stunned her," Ferus guessed.

"When she was a handmaiden, Vatie's position had been that of a guard. She wouldn't have gone down without a fight," Eirtaé informed them.

"Can you tell what caused her death?" Typho asked.

There wasn't any visible mark that showed that she had been stabbed or shot. As they carefully looked her over, Anakin couldn't find anything until Ferus pointed out something. "Here."

Anakin looked closer and found traces of mud inside Vatié's nostrils and inside her mouth.

"My theory is that her assailant attacked, and as they were fighting, Vatié tried to escape but was stunned by a blaster. She landed in a mud puddle face down and slowly suffocated to death," Ferus said.

"Can you be certain?" Eirtaé asked.

Ferus shook his head. "It's a guess. I can't find anything to tell us how she truly died without an autopsy."

"So he just stunned her and left her to die?" Typho asked, the anger evident in his voice. Anakin couldn't blame as he himself felt the same anger towards the coward who did this.

Anakin lifted the sheet and covered Vatié's body, but not before looking at her one last time in grief and guilt.

"Where's her bag?" Eirtaé suddenly asked. The three men looked at her in surprise. "Vatié never went anywhere without her bag carrying her computer."

"The attacker must have stolen it," Ferus said.

Eirtaé shook her head. "No. I knew Vatié. Her computer contained all types of sensitive information on it. She wouldn't have risked anyone getting a hold of it, and destroying it."

"Could she have hidden it somewhere?" Anakin asked, feeling a hesitant spark of hope.

"She would have tried. A thief wouldn't have jumped her in my gardens. They had to have chased her there, and she would have found somewhere to hide and dump her bag."

It was a slim hope, but a chance all the same.

They left the cellar and headed over to the parlor. The whole atmosphere was filled with grief and tears. Yané had managed to calm Saché from the state they had found her in with help from Rabé. Dormé was sobbing uncontrollably as Moteé held her with Ellé sitting beside them, staring at her hands laying in her lap.

Anakin tried to imagine any of them attacking and killing Vatié, and he could not. Their grief was so tangible it threatened to consume Anakin. He had only known Vatié for just a few days, and yet he grieved for the loss of such an intelligent and loyal woman who had served his wife. He also felt guilty for the amount of pressure he put on her in finding the traitor while also keeping it a secret from everyone including his wife. Finally he felt anger towards the unknown traitor. They had been telling Panaka their whereabouts, endangering his and Padmé's lives, and now they had killed Vatié, a sister in arms and a friend of his wife's. For that Anakin would make the traitor pay when he found them. His anger allowed him to feel the Dark Side creeping inside him, it's seductive voice whispering promises just as it did six months ago. Ferus nudged him, and Anakin could see suspicion and concern in his eyes, and forced himself to calm down and shove the Dark Side out before it controlled him like it did in the past.

Saché spoke, her voice still choking from her tears, and near panic attack. "Vatié was… to be married next month...around the New Year."

"How do we tell her family?" Yané asked, her brown eyes on Anakin.

That was a question Anakin had been pondering ever since they found her body. Her father was the Governor of Naboo, if word got out about this things would escalate even more on the planet. Divo would be back, and this time he would arrest everyone on account of suspicion. Yet Anakin knew that they couldn't hide Vatié's body in the cellar forever. She needed to be returned to her family who would make sure she was given a proper burial. They couldn't keep her death a secret for long either. Eventually her family, especially her fiance would wonder where she was and report her missing.

"For now, we keep this to ourselves. Her body is safe in the cellar for the time being. If word gets out about this, it's over for everybody," Ferus answered.

"People will be wondering what happened to her," Rabé pointed out.

"We can call her workplace, and tell them she's feeling too unwell to come in. That'll work for a few days," Moteé suggested.

"Her family will be a different matter however," Eirtaé added in. "She lives with her fiance, and her family would never accept a comm message explaining where she was unless she told them herself."

That did present a problem. Anakin tried to remember everything he knew about Governor Bibble. He had been Padmé's closest advisor while she had been Queen. He had stayed behind during the Blockade to try and help Naboo, but had been taken captive and used to try and lure the Queen back into Trade Federation hands. He had remained loyal to Padmé throughout the years, but was he still loyal?

He asked them, and Saché answered with certainty. "He has absolutely no love for the Empire. He was frightened of the dangers posed on Vatié for her articles against the Empire, but he supported her. He would keep quiet about her death if he knew what was at stake."

"Her fiance will be a different matter though," Eirtaé reminded her.

"If I ask Sio, he'll talk to Dal and keep him from doing anything rash for a little while."

Anakin nodded at Saché in gratitude.

"Why would anyone kill Vatié?" Ellé spoke up.

They were all quiet. Anakin wondered about telling them about the traitor, but before he could decide, Dormé, who had at last calmed down, spoke. "The Empire could have sent an assassin after her. She was a freelance investigative reporter who couldn't be bought or frightened into submission. Why wouldn't they see her as a threat?"

"She was killed right in Eirtaé's gardens. That could mean we're compromised!" Yané realized with alarm.

The sound of a door opening and closing caused everyone to jump and reach for their weapons. Anakin recognized Padmé and Sabé's signatures in the Force and warned them down.

Padmé and Sabé came in, drenched from head to toe, and were startled by everyone pointing their blasters at them. Upon seeing them, they all quickly put their blaster away.

"What's happened?" Padmé demanded.

Anakin hesitated. He knew Padmé loved and cared for all her handmaidens like they were her family, and he remembered how she would grieve every time she lost one of them. Now, he would have to tell her she lost another one, and explain his part in it.

"Vatié's dead," Typho told her before Anakin could.

Padmé and Sabé turned pale, and Anakin was struck by how alike they looked.

"No," Padmé choked in a whisper.

Anakin pulled her into his arms and allowed her to sob into his chest while keeping an eye on Sabé. the former shadow of Queen Amidala was shaking, her hands grasping the wet tendrils of her hair.

"No, no, no, no. It can't be. Not another one."

Rabé came over and tried to comfort her, but she pulled away, shaking her head, and Anakin thought he saw tears escaping her eyes before she turned away.

Padmé lifted her head off of his chest and looked at him with her red-rimmed eyes. "How did it happen?"

Anakin, Ferus, and everybody explained how Saché had stumbled upon her body in the gardens, and how her screams had alerted Anakin, Ellé, Moteé, and Ferus to her. After they had brought her inside, Eirtaé and Typho arrived, followed by Yané then Rabé and Dormé. They had taken her body and stored it in the cellar where they discovered her cause of death, and then their decision on whether and how to tell the news to the Bibble family.

"I agree, Sio should be told. This news will devastate him, but it's better than letting him and his family wonder what had happened. Which is why we need to find out who did it," Padmé said.

Anakin could see that determined glint in her eyes, and knew that he had to tell her about the traitor. "Padmé, I need to talk to you. In private."

Padmé was taken aback by his request but agreed. They left everybody in the parlor and went into the library. Anakin felt like he was back on Shako, balancing on the pipe, trapped by certain death. He was going to tell Padmé that there was a traitor in their group, and that he and Ferus had known all this time.

"Anakin, what's going on?" Padmé was not Force-sensitive, but she could feel the apprehension in Anakin to know that there was more to it than Vatié's death.

"There's a traitor in our midst."

Anakin's words made Padmé's heart stop. "What?"

Anakin explained how he and Ferus became suspicious when Divo had found them at Varykino so quickly. Padmé protested that they could have been waiting for them in a trap. Anakin disagreed. Although he believed Inspector Divo was a complete dunderhead, he didn't believe the man would wait so long to spring his trap in case his prey tried to escape. He went on to how Panaka had been patrolling the market sector so close to Theed Care Center where they were at, the fight with Malorum actually admitting that there was a traitor, and Jar Jar telling him that Panaka had been informed by a mysterious tip.

"So you've known since Varykino, and didn't tell me?" the hurt in Padmé's eyes stabbed at Anakin's heart.

"I only had suspicions, it wasn't until the fight with Malorum that they were confirmed. I didn't want to cause you unnecessary worry."
"Unnecessary-" Padmé nearly shouted before she stopped herself, and continued more quietly. "'Unnecessary worry?' Anakin, I am not some delicate flower to be shielded and protected from everything. If I allowed everybody to treat me such I never would have been able to oust Veruna from office, let alone survive the Trade Federation and the Senate. You could have shared your suspicions with me that night. And when Malorum confirmed your suspicions, you still didn't trust me enough to inform me."

"By the time you got back last night, you were in a state after hearing that Palpatine had been your aunt's secret boyfriend, and the only time we were able to talk today was when I woke up from my fall, and you were preparing to leave for Liné's," Anakin reminded her.

Their voices were rising, their anger growing as they glared at one another. Padmé was furious. To her it seemed like Anakin was making excuses. Yes, she was vulnerable and emotional last night, perhaps more than she should have been, but Anakin could have told her earlier today before she left to meet Liné.

"Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

Anakin took a deep breath to calm himself, and told her how he and Ferus had enlisted Vatié's help to find the traitor by hacking and tracing everybody's comm frequencies to find out which one of them had contacted Panaka.

Padmé felt as if she had been slapped. "So you'll work with Ferus, a man you barely trust and then include my friend in it without consulting me?" Padmé shook her head and sighed. "You know what? It doesn't matter. What matters is finding the traitor, finding that diary before Palpatine finds it, and stopping Malorum before it's too late."

With resolve she began to leave the library when Anakin grabbed her arm.

"What happens when you find the traitor? Are you going to just kill them yourself?" Anakin demanded.

"What?" Padmé looked at him in shock. What made him think-?

"Vatié told me that if a handmaiden betrayed her mistress and sister handmaidens, she would face the possibility of execution," Anakin explained. "So if the traitor is one of your friends, are you willing to kill them? Or if the traitor is Typho are you going to make him submit like he was one of your handmaidens?"

Padmé couldn't answer. Could she? Was she willing to judge and sentence an old friend to death? There had been handmaidens in the past executed by their mistress or the head handmaiden for treachery. Padmé had never thought that she would have to do something like that. Panaka had been the one to choose the candidates, but it had been Padmé who made the final decision in who served her as handmaidens. Every woman in that parlor had been Padmé's closest companion for years. They had trusted her with their lives, and Padmé had done her best to repay that trust. She had known Typho since the Blockade when he had been among the surviving prisoners the droids had captured and tortured. He served as part of her guard when she had been Queen and became her head of security as Senator. They were all her friends, and yet she saw Vatié's face appear to her. Vatié who had died so young, who would never marry as she had planned, and who would never fulfill her dreams. She owed it to Vatié, she owed it to her advisor Governor Bibble and his family to find the traitor that killed her and deliver justice.

"I…" she hesitated. "First, we'll find the traitor, and once I have all the facts then I will pass judgement."

Anakin wasn't sure about this. He wanted the traitor found and punished just as badly as Padmé for Vatié's death. Maybe it was the idea of his compassionate and level headed wife deciding the fate of someone and executing them. As a former general Anakin had witnessed and even performed executions against traitors of the Republic. He knew the consequences of performing such an act, and feared what such action would do to Padmé.

Some of her anger towards him softened a little. "I understand that you're worried about me, Anakin, but I need you to trust me. I know these people. I know them better than any personal file can. I also know that I'm going to need your help. Yours and Ferus to find out the traitor. If we're going to do this and succeed, we need to trust one another. No more secrets, no matter our intentions. Agreed?"

Anakin recognized the mistake he made in not trusting his wife with this information and regretted it. He knew well enough that it might take a long time to earn her forgiveness and rebuild their trust, but he would work and fight hard for it.

"Agreed."

He suddenly felt a disturbance. He sensed a bunch of anger and distress coming from the parlor where everybody was at.

"We better get back to the others."

Padmé recognized the urgency in his tone and quickly left with her husband out of the library and back into the parlor and was appalled by the sight before her. Everyone was yelling at each other, throwing insults, and in the severe case, Moteé and Eirtaé were being pried from one another as they traded blows. Within the chaos, Padmé was able to make out the words "traitor" and "murderer".

With the most powerful voice she had perfected for years in the Senate, Padmé was able to project "ENOUGH!"

It silenced everybody. They looked at Padmé, ashamed of themselves. Moteé and Eirtaé were moved to opposite sides of the room. Ferus, who had been standing between the two women, moved to the side, nursing his bruise jaw he had received for his intervention.

The tense silence was broken by Sabé. "We need to find out who the traitor is."

Anakin and Padmé were taken aback by this. How did they know?

Anakin glared at Ferus. "I didn't tell them."

"He didn't have to," Yané said, rising from her seat. "We figured it out on our own."

Now that presented a problem. The traitor now knew they were on to them which made it even more dangerous for Anakin and Padmé. Anakin suddenly felt tired and exhausted. He did not want to do this now. "Let's just contact and deal with Governor Bibble."

"Tell us Skwalker!" Typho demanded, angrily.

"Anakin, there will be troubles and difficult tasks everyday. People like Vatié's family will need our help, but we're not together if you-" Sabé stopped as if the last word choked her before she finished. "Suspect us."

"Alright!" Padmé stepped forward, standing between her former handmaidens and her husband. "It's true."

Everybody looked at PAdmé as fear began to grow inside them at the realization.

Padmé continued. "One of you is betraying us. You're communicating with Panaka, telling him where we're at to be captured, and you're responsible for Vatié's death."

Everybody looked at each other. Anger, confusion, and fear was tangible in the air ready to be ignited.

"Don't," Padmé warned when it seemed another argument was brewing. "If the guilty person comes forth and confesses right here, right now, I'll listen."

It was the best mercy Padmé could offer. "Tell me what Panaka has said, what he offered, and why. Step forward now. This is your chance."

Nobody came forward, nobody confessed. Everybody looked at one another, fear and accusation evident in their expressions.

Padmé sighed in disappointment. "Whoever you are then, you've now made your choice, and I swear in the name of the seven goddesses I will find you."

Padmé was not Force-sensitive, and yet in that moment she shown a power of certainty, and the traitor felt themselves filled with fear.

000{{*}}000

65 bby

It was such a beautiful day.

The sun shined. The air was filled with the smell of wild flowers, the sound of nearby waterfalls, and the feeling of merriment.

Padmé wore a light blue silk dress and had never felt more free. Noble and merchant families who were staying in the Lake Country were beginning to set up for the bolo-ball games. Some families had laid out blankets to sit on, positioned umbrellas for shade, and were setting out picnic baskets with snacks and meals in them. Some of the wealthier noble families were having their servants set up canopies, chairs, and tables for them to sit as they watched the games. A larger and sturdier canopy had already been set up for the Queen and her entourage with a table filled with food and drinks, and cushions to sit or lay on.

Men and women conversed on politics and court gossip while their children played. The children were scattered, playing their own game of bolo ball, chasing each other in a game of tag, or playing in the stream created by a nearby waterfall.

It was all so exciting to Padmé.

They had arrived before the Queen, and already Luke had been kidnapped by a set of colleagues to discuss the taxes on Naboo's economy. Ruwee and Jobal had run to join the children after begging their mothers. Padmé walked behind Ryoo and Winama as they made their way over to an empty lot to set up their picnic blanket and basket. As they were setting up, Padmé noticed Princess Blantyre kneeling down by the stream. Padmé excused herself from her sister and friend as soon as she was certain everything was in order, and made her way over to the Princess of Theed.

In the past couple of days, Padmé had been slowly getting to know the younger girl. Despite Padmé's earlier impression, the Princess was very smart and intelligent as was expected from her position. Padmé had also learned that the Princess was barely able to trust anyone except her brother the Captain. These past couple of days, Padmé had figured out how to penetrate her shields through her own niece and Ruwee. In the early hours of the morning, the children would wake Padmé up and demand that she played hide-and-seek with them. Somehow they also managed to rope in Princess Blantyre into playing with them, and that's how Padmé and the Princess began what looked to be a friendship.

The Princess looked up and noticed Padmé approaching her. A smile grew on the young woman's face and she tucked Padmé's hand in the crook of her arm, continuing their stroll down the stream.

"I've nearly finished that lilac scarf you ordered off of Winama and Ryoo. I can give it to you tomorrow morning after breakfast," Padmé told her as they walked among the wildflowers.

The Princess was surprised. "How did you get it done so fast?"

Padmé smiled enigmatically. "I'm a fast worker."

Truthfully, ever since word went out that the Queen would be staying in the Naberries' lake house of Varykino, Winama and Ryoo had been swamped with commissions. Ryoo, who needed every credit she could get her hands on to pay for the mortgage on their farm, and to keep Jobal clothed and fed, was so busy she barely had time to sit down and study for her business classes, let alone spend time with her daughter. To help lighten her load, Padmé had taken the Princess's order, and since Ryoo had insisted that Padmé have the credits from that order, she planned on using them to buy some oil for Mammy's aching feet.

There was a slight commotion, and the two girls looked to see the Queen, her handmaidens, and guards arrive. The Queen wore a lovely rose colored gown made of silk with her hair up in twisted braids with orange blossoms arranged in her dark hair while her handmaidens followed her in marigold uniforms. Padmé felt sorry for Celestine with her makeup on, and the handmaidens with their hoods up while in the sun. People bowed or curtsied as the Queen passed them until she sat beneath the royal canopy and signaled for the games to begin.

Teams had been formed of young people from noble and merchant families. As the games went on, Padmé noticed the troubled expression on the Princess's face and realized that she was clenching her fists. Padmé followed her gaze to the field.

She recognized the Lady Yolané Yelnina kicking the ball and ramming off anyone who got in her way. Her brother Aros Yelnina was playing too, and so far it seemed like their team was winning.

"Friends of yours?" Padmé asked, although she knew better.

It was common knowledge that the Lady Yolané had been a fierce competitor in the campaign for Princess of Theed against Viola Blantyre nearly two years ago. From what Padmé had observed in court, Yolané was a spoiled and power-hungry harpy with a short temper. The Yelnina family were known for producing many politicians, several of them holding governor positions throughout the Naboo.

"Hardly," the Princess answered stiffly. "Our mothers were step-sisters who barely got along while mine was still alive. When she and my father died, I was placed in their "care" for three years until Andrei was old enough to take guardianship over me."

This information surprised Padmé, but it was useful. From Blantyre's tone her stay at the Yelninas had been far from pleasant.

The Princess continued. "I have four more years left on my term as Princess, but Celestine has only months left on hers. When they're up, she and my brother plan to return to our home in Keren. When that happens, I'll have no one in Theed."

It was beginning to become clearer to Padmé. The poor girl must be terrified of losing the people she trusted and being on her own. Padmé felt empathy for her.

"I'm sure it won't be as you think. You have more friends in court than you realized," she assured her.

Cheers came from the bolo-ball court as Yolané scored a goal.

The Princess frowned. "I've been without my parents for so long. My brother has been my whole world ever since he got me out of that house. I don't want to interfere with his happiness, but I'm scared."

Padmé squeezed her arm in comfort. "My mother passed away not too long ago, and my father is unable to care for me at this time which leaves me under the protection of my older sister who's also caring for my niece as well, so I understand," she confessed. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll listen." She then smiled. "Besides, you're the Princess of Theed. The only ones who can reprimand you are the Queen and Governor. If anything, the Yelninas should be fearing you."

The Princess laughed.

They completed a circle around the game's courtyard, conversing with nobles, politicians, and families they knew. Before too long, the announcer declared Yolané's team to be the winners, and the Queen bestowed upon them a magnificent marble statue of Queen Polana the size of a child. Yolané seemed smug as she made her servants carry it while she sat under her family canopy and drinked some surra punch. Padmé shook her head, feeling sorry for the two servants as they struggled to carefully lift the statue and carry it while also feeling annoyed at Yolané's arrogant behavior.

There was a lunch break. Allowing the teams to rest and eat while also allowing new teams to form up for the next game.

The Princess joined the Queen's entourage while Padmé joined her family to eat the blossom bread and fruit, and drink the tea Winama had packed. Ruwee and Jobal were excited, talking about the fun they were having and the friends they'd made.

Once Padmé was done, she rejoined Princess Blantyre who was talking to members of the court while also avoiding the Yelninas. Padmé made certain to turn on her recording device in her comb as she listened to certain conversations. Pooja had informed her about this gathering, making it a direct order from her Queen to listen and spy. She also tried to deftly avoid the canopy where the Palpatine family were at. She had to be firm in her decision not to see Sheev again, although she knew she owed him an explanation. She could not however make it obvious out here in public where his father could see. That was just asking for trouble.

Soon the new game was announced, and this time the prize was a box of jewelry.

Padmé recognized the handmaiden Sagé carrying an elegantly carved ebony box, probably donated by Liné's family along with other jewels gifted by other noble families.

As people oohed and awed at the prize, Padmé noticed Princess Blantyre's frown and narrow eyes. As Sagé began to pass them, Blantyre stopped her. She reached in and pulled out a beautiful gold bangle with emerald jewels in it. She was studying it so intently Padmé feared she would take it and run.

Apparently, Sagé thought so too. "My Lady?"

It seemed to snap Blantyre back, and she reluctantly placed the bangle back into the box. As the handmaiden continued on, Padmé turned to Blantyre in concern. The poor girl looked to be on the verge of crying.

"What's wrong?"

"That was my mother's," the Princess whispered.

"What?" Padmé asked, surprised. She knew the Princess's mother was dead, and she knew by the sound of it, Blantyre wouldn't have just given it away.

The Princess explained. "My mother passed that bangle down to me. It has our initials in it. It went missing years ago and I could never find it."

Such a beautiful piece handed down by one's long lost mother, Padmé couldn't imagine losing something her own mother had gifted her.

"How?"

Realization seemed to show in Blantyre's expression. "When I was living at the Yelninas, some of my belongings would go missing. I'd ask the servants, but I was always given excuses as to how it could have been misplaced."

Then her eyes grew desperate as she looked at Padmé. "I hardly have anything left that belonged to my mother. I have to get that bracelet back."

She turned and headed towards the Queen's canopy and Padmé chased after her. She grabbed the Princess's arm before she did anything.

"You can't just ask the Queen to give it to you after she's already presented it to the court as a prize."

The Princess stopped for a moment before nodding. "You're right. I'm going to have to win it, but how? I hardly know anyone here well enough to form a team, and the guards are forbidden to play while on duty."

An idea formed in Padme's mind. She knew enough people. With hardly any problem, she gathered enough people to make up the team of five Blantyre would need. She talked to Liné who enlisted two of her older nephews to join and one of Shon's brothers who were all close to the same age as Padmé. For their final member, Padmé managed to grab Councilor Mikael Excenil who owed her a favor. Princess Blantyre had already changed into clothing suitable for bolo-ball, and thanked Padmé and the team she set up, promising to split the prize with them should they win.

The Yelnina team was preparing to go back on the field. Apparently, Yolané wanted that whole box of jewelry and thought that the Princess was selfish to try and fight her cousin over it. Padmé was close enough to hear Blantyre trying to explain that the bangle inside the box had been her mother's, and she couldn't care less about everything else in the box. She could hear Blantyre practically beg Yolané to let her keep the bangle should she win, and Yolané could keep the rest. Yolané had laughed, saying the bangle was the prettiest item in the box before she jogged onto the field to start the game.

Padmé's heart went out to the Princess. If it was her mother's belonging, she would fight tooth and nail to get it back. The Princess was obviously no athlete. Liné's nephews and Shon's brother were in better shape, but Councilor Excenil was more scholar than athlete while everybody on Yelninas' team looked beggar and stronger, even Yolané.

Padmé watched with growing dread as the ball was tossed, and the battle began. The Princess was not used to these games and had trouble keeping up as Yolané instantly scored a goal and prevented her from scoring any.

As she watched, Padmé didn't notice anyone walking towards her until a glance made her do a double take .

Sheev.

"Sh- I mean, Lord Sheev," she corrected herself, mindful of her surroundings.

Sheev nodded at her, and thankfully kept an appropriate amount of distance between them.

"You like bolo-ball, Miss Lydonia?" he asked, mercifully keeping up that charade of just being two former classmates saying hello.

Padmé nodded, watching as Blantyre struggled and Yolané scored another point.

In all their conversations, she had never told Sheev that she loved playing bolo-ball. In their village of Claines, the children loved playing bolo-ball, and it was a favorite. However, she had been playing bolo-ball when she had gotten sick from the Plague and nearly died. She hadn't played since then.

"I haven't seen you in days," Sheev spoke to her.

Her breath hitched, and she worried anyone looking at them and hearing his words. "Lord Sheev, is this really the best time? Everybody's watching."

Indeed, she could feel many eyes on them, and if she listened carefully, she could hear their whispers.

"We're just having a conversation, not committing a crime," Sheev assured her.

Maybe not, but nonetheless, Padmé did not want to give more fuel to the gossip fires, so she kept her gaze focused on the game.

"I miss you," Sheev admitted.

If Padmé was to be honest she missed him too, but she had a job to do, and she couldn't let her feelings get in the way. She turned to Sheev who moved to take a step closer to her when a painful cry went out.

The Princess had been tackled by Yolané, and had landed hard on the ground.

The Yelnina woman had no problem stealing the ball and kicking it into the goal, but the Princess… Padmé's worry grew as she realized that she struggled to get up.

Liné's nephews came and helped her up, but it was revealed that her right foot had been injured. As the boys helped her limp back to the canopies, Padmé could hear her call out to Yolané.

"Please! You can have everything else. I'll give you my own jewels, just let me have my mother's bangle,"the Princess begged.

Padmé was glad that only she and Sheev could hear them, but her anger grew as she heard Yolané's cruel taunts.

"All for a fancy bangle. I actually don't need it. I just want it because you so desperately want it."

Padmé hurried over and helped the boys carry Blantyre, and noticed the tears coming down her face. She scrambled to make sure nobody saw them, and when she saw Captain Blantyre approaching them, she shook her head. If he left the Queen to attend his sister in front of so many it would look bad on them. She saw the worry on his face, and she sent him a look she hoped would assure him that she would look after his sister. He looked uncertain, but then nodded and returned to his post.

Padmé led the Princess and the Olnicks to her picnic spot where Ryoo and Winama immediately helped her sit down and look at her foot. It wasn't broken but it was sprain and already beginning to swell. As Ryoo applied ice to it, Padmé knelt next to the Princess. The poor girl was suppressing her painful sobs as people looked at them, so Padmé leaned in so Blantyre could whisper to her without breaking.

"Oh Lydonia, I don't think I can get that bangle back."

Padmé looked back at Yolané prancing on the field, proud and arrogant like she had already won. There was still time left in the game. Padmé's blood boiled with rage at the cruelty Yolané bestowed upon the Princess Blantyre. And Padmé knew just what to do with that rage.

"You will get it back because I'm going in your place."

Before anyone could say or do anything, Padmé grabbed her pack she brought with a change a clothes just in case and had Jobal come with her. They found a place behind a canopy. Her niece held up a sheet high enough for Padmé to change out of her dress and into a green tunic, grey leggings, and athletic boots. She pulled her pixie comb out and quickly arranged her hair into a long braid. She handed the comb to Jobal and made her promise not to lose it. Hopefully she would be standing next to some powerful people and the comb would be able to record.

As she returned to Princess Blantyre's side, she noticed that Excenil was missing from the team. "Where's Councilor Excenil?"

Shon's brother (she couldn't remember his name) answered her. "When he saw our team down a leader he gave up."

That made them short a player then.

One of Liné's nephews looked at her in worry. "Do we still play?"

Padmé nodded her head firmly. "We play."

"Team Blantyre, you're still short a player. You going to play," someone from Yelnina's team called out to them.

All eyes were on them now. Everybody had realized that Padmé would be taking the Princess' place, but that Councilor Excenil had abandoned them.

The Princess tugged Padmé's hand. "Lydonia, you don't have to do this."

Padmé turned to her. "That bangle was your mother's. I want to get it back for you."

She squeezed her hand before letting go, and turning back to those looking at her. "Let's play!"

There were loud murmurs, people wondering how they could play with one player short.

It surprised everyone when Lady Veruna stepped out from beneath her canopy, untying the outer layer of her outfit as she announced. "I will play with her!"

Her son protested, but Padmé felt a wave of affection and respect towards her former mentor.

Everybody was surprised again when Sheev stepped forward. "Let me play with her instead."

Padmé could barely breathe as he began to shed the outer layer of his clothes.

She walked over to him as close as she dared.

"You can't!" she hissed.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why not?"

Padmé nervously glanced at their audience, most particularly where his father and mother were sitting.

"Well let them see," Sheev shrugged. "You've done nothing to earn their ire. Besides, you're better than all of them combined. Does this prize mean that much to you?"

Padmé could only nod.

"Then get out there and show them what you're made of."

So she did.

Her team consisted of two Olnicks, a Lasara brother, and Sheev Palpatine. There was an excited commotion in the air as Padmé's team went on the field.

When the ball was tossed, Padmé wasted no time. Her blood was boiling from the anger she felt towards Yolané, and her cruelty towards a girl wanting to keep a precious memento of her long lost mother. She zoomed past Yolané, kicking the ball towards her goal. She ran so fast she caught everybody by surprise when she scored a goal so quickly.

Very quickly everything fell into place as they played. Padmé learned how great of bolo players the Olnicks were despite their young age, Lasara was a brilliant tactician, and even Sheev was a good player with quick reflexes that allowed him to dodge tackles. They scored goal after goal until finally both teams were tied up, and it was announced that there was one minute left in the game.

As they played, Padmé noticed that Yolané's temper had been growing shorter. At every opportunity she tried to tackle Padmé to the ground with Padmé barely managing to dodge them which only served to anger the noble lady more. Padmé knew that she shouldn't, but she couldn't help the glee she felt in being able to get under the woman's skin.

The last minute of the game was rough with Padmé battling Yolané and Sheev fighting Aros as they managed to pass the ball to each other until they scored the final goal that allowed them their victory.

Padmé could hear the loud cheers echo across the field as her team was announced the winners. She felt so happy and free, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face. As she made her way towards the Queen's canopy to retrieve their prize, she sensed Sheev right behind her. She was beyond grateful for his help, and knew that she needed to thank him and also talk to him about their relationship. Which is why she whispered, "find a gondola for tonight. When everybody is asleep tonight, I'll light a candle in my window for you to paddle under and I'll join you."

She didn't get to hear his reply as they were joined by Princess Blantyre who limped over to them with help from young Ruwee.

"Oh, Lydonia." The Princess embraced her, and Padmé let out a happy giggle.

They walked together to the Queen's canopy where Celestine awaited. Padmé suddenly realized how unpresentable she was covered in sweat and mud with her hair coming undone from her braid. She also realized that she hadn't been doing a good job with her mission and was worried what the Queen, Pooja, Liné, and all the other handmaidens would say.

When she saw Celestine, her fears were abated by the radiant smile on the Queen's face.

"Lady Lydonia, this wasn't an easily won match."

Handmaiden Sagé presented the box of jewels.

"Congratulations."

Padmé received it and curtsied. "Thank you, Your Highness."

She turned to Princess Blantyre and held out the box. The Princess opened it and took out the bangle. She then took one of Padmé's arms and lifted it.

There were cheers from all around them.

The Princess turned back to Padmé. "Thank you so much."

Padmé smiled. "I told you, you would get it back, My Lady."

"Viola," the Princess corrected.

Padmé felt as if her smile would split her face. "Padmé."

Because of their teamship, Viola allowed Padmé, Sheev, Lasara, and the Olnick boys to split their prize. Padmé didn't care much for jewelry, but there were a pair of beautiful jade earrings she knew Ryoo would love to wear as soon as she was out of mourning.

As she headed back to her family's picnic spot, she noticed Yolané's glare. The absolute anger and hatred in her eyes that carried the promise of revenge, actually sent a shiver down Padme's spine. She may have made a friend that day, but she had also made an enemy. Padmé had humiliated Yolané Yelnina, and she would neither forgive nor forget that.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Coruscant: 19 BBY

Padmé was feeling sick to her stomach as the baby moved inside of her.

She had dismissed her staff for the night, but had been unable to go to bed, her thoughts filled with worry for Anakin as she waited for him.

He had been so happy and excited when she had told him she was pregnant with their child, but after that first night, he had been overwhelmed with fear and paranoia. The dreams he had of her dying in childbirth had caused him so much distress it was everything Padme could do to keep him in check. She had gone to the best doctors on Coruscant discreetly, and they had all confirmed that she was in the best of health aside from being a little stressed.

Despite that, Padmé was scared too. Not for her health, she had been reassured of that, but of the fact that she was going to be a mother in an uncertain time. The democracy she had been fighting for for years was disappearing with every amendment Palpatine made towards the constitution, the Republic twisted into a government she no longer recognized, and she was about to give birth to an innocent child into all of this. Her latest meeting with the Delegation of the Two Thousand today had not gone as she had hoped it would. Her colleagues underestimated Palpatine. He was no longer the kind and rational man she had known as Queen. Instead he was a power-hungry dictator.

Oh she needed Anakin!

She walked towards view of the Temple where she knew he would be, and a strangled gasp escaped her.

The Jedi Temple was ablaze!

"Mistress Padmé! Mistress Padmé!" Threepio shuffled over to her in alarm.

"What Threepio?" she asked, her eyes glued on the temple, fear and horror growing as she thought of what could be happening.

"Oh Mistress Padmé it is dreadful! Chancellor Palpatine has announced that the Jedi have tried to assassinate him, and has declared them enemies of the Republic."

What?! Padme looked at Threepio in alarm before turning back to the temple. She bit her fist as tears poured down her face. Oh Ani!

Looking at the temple now made her feel sick as she thought about all the killings happening right now. Was Anakin still alive? He had to be.

She heard her holocomm beep, the private one she and Anakin used. Relief filled her as she saw Anakin's face, but it quickly turned to worry when she saw the state of him. There was blood down the side of his face as well as his lip, and he was coated with dust and substances she recognized as other species' blood.

"Padmé, are you alright?"

"Am I alright?! Ani, are you alright? You can see the smoke from the Jedi Temple here," she told him incredulously.

Anakin's eyes were weary and he looked as though he had been in a fight for his life, but there was anger in them as well.

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. He's been responsible for the whole war. Master Windu and other Jedi went to arrest him, but they failed. Now Palpatine has ordered the 501st to storm the temple and kill the Jedi."

His own men? Padmé couldn't believe it. The 501st were loyal to Anakin. Why would they attack him and the temple full of Jedi that were either too old or too young to fight? Anakin's appearance told Padmé of the deadly battle he had fought and if he, the Jedi's greatest warriors struggled…

"Ani, where are you? Are you safe?"

He looked behind him, and Padmé wondered if he was truly alone. "For now Padmé. Right now, I'm worried about you and the baby. Palpatine knows about us. About the baby. He even knows about my nightmares. He tried to make me his apprentice, and he nearly succeeded."

Padmé felt her blood turn to ice at Anakin's words, and her arms wrapped around her belly where their child nested inside of her. Ever since she was a teenager people had threatened her life, but now it wasn't just her life at stake, it was her child's, an innocent being who couldn't defend himself yet. If Palpatine knew about her and Anakin, and he planned to make Anakin his new apprentice, he could use her and their child to control Anakin. And if Anakin escaped, she knew that Palpatine would send people to catch and use her as leverage.

Anakin continued. "Artoo and I got separated, but he was in the hangar last I got a hold of him. He'll get to my starfighter and come get you."

Padmé nodded. "We'll be ready. I'll find some place to hide until I see you again. How will I find you?"

There was a loud explosion on Anakin's end, and he ducked before turning back to Padmé. "Wherever you go Padmé, I will find you. Just get out of there!"

"I will Ani. I love you."

"I love y-" He tried to say, but the comm cut off.

Padmé was sobbing, but she kept telling herself that he was alive and not dead. Her Jedi protector would find a way back to her. She had Threepio help gather essentials she would need when Artoo would arrive. Her night bag her handmaidens had prepared for when she would have to go to the medcenter carried a couple of outfits, some toiletries, her jewelry box, any loose credits she could find in case she would have to bribe someone, some baby supplies she and her handmaidens had secretly bought, and of course her blaster. By the time Artoo arrived in Anakin's starfighter, she and Threepio had packed two large bags. She had thrown a dark cloak over her blue nightgown because there was a chill in the air.

However, when Artoo landed and she and Threepio prepared to get on, she found a surprise that froze her. In the cockpit were two frightened human girls. The older one had ginger hair and couldn't have been older than twelve while the other was probably a year or two younger with dark skin and the brightest eyes despite the terror she felt.

"Oh my!" Threepio cried out.

Artoo beeped at him, and Threepio answered him back as if the astromech had insulted him. "Of course I didn't expect you to just leave them for dead."

After a minute, Padmé was able to find out that the older girl's name was Vera and the younger was Noor. there was no room in the cockpit for them, so Padme began to dig in her bag. She pulled out a couple of her grappling hooks. She could use them to help tie her and Threepio to the starfighter. Perhaps she shouldn't be hanging off a starfighter at her late stage of pregnancy, but there was no way she would make two little girls little older than her own nieces do so. Just as she was finishing tying Threepio down where he could hold onto Artoo, she heard a loud bang inside her apartment.

"Senator Amidala!"

"Oh no!" Threepio cried out.

Padmé realized that Palpatine must have already sent the clones after her. She hurriedly dug her blaster out while also setting up the grappling hook for her to hold onto. She could hear the clones searching her apartment, and hoped her staff and security would hide from them.

Several clones entered the veranda and pointed their blasters at the still docked starfighter. Threepio cried out in alarm, and the two Jedi children crouched lower in the cockpit, obviously terrified.

Tarkin came out, his face reminding Padmé of gremlins from Naboo lore. "Senator Amidala, you are under arrest for conspiring with the Jedi against Chancellor Palpatine."

Padmé lifted her blaster at him.

The admiral sighed as if bored. "Don't make this more difficult for yourself. I have my orders, and they are to take you to the Chancellor unharmed. I would hate to use a stun bolt. After all, it wouldn't be good for your unborn child would it?"

Just the snake mentioning her baby was enough to set Padmé. She had a sickening feeling as to why Palpatine wanted her unharm. She felt a mother's instinct to protect her child, and fired her blaster.

She was aiming at Tarkin, but the man had ducked and the bolt hit the clone behind him. The clones began to fire back at her when the couches were suddenly lifted and slammed into him. Padmé turned her head and saw the two Jedi children with their hands stretched out and a look of concentration on their faces.

She didn't have time to think, and ordered Artoo to get them out of here. She hung onto her grappling hook as they flew into the Coruscant night. She could feel the baby kicking up a storm inside her, almost as if it was excited. It seemed her child had inherited its thrill of adventure from his father and that worried Padmé.

One of the girls, Vera asked where they were going.

"We're going to an old friend of mine to hide for now."

000{{*}}000

Naboo; 18 bby

Padmé sipped her tea as she sat in the Lasara library while Anakin did a sweep of the room for bugs.

It was getting late. Everyone had forced themselves to eat a small dinner, the kitchen's atmosphere heavy with a tense silence as it grew darker outside and the rain continued to pour down. It had deeply saddened Padmé to see her friends and former companions like this.

Sabé, Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, and Yané were all part of the first set of handmaidens Panaka had trained to protect Padmé when she had been Queen, Dormé when she became Senator, Moteé when the war began, and Ellé, although having not served Padmé as long as the others, was recommended by a former colleague and had become almost like a little sister. Typho had served her since the Blockade from Queen to Senator, and she liked to think that they had become friends. All of them were her friends, and yet it was the death of Vatié another friend of their's who seemed to divide them.

She sipped her tea as she added the brave woman to the list of other friends who had died in service of her:

Moré.

Cordé.

Versé.

Fé.

Teckla.

Duja.

She wondered where all the others were, Karté, Hollé, Miré, and Umé who had served as her lower handmaidens as Queen, and later as Senator, and Dané who had replaced Moré after the invasion, and went her separate way when Padmé's two terms were up. She would have to ask the others.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Anakin dropped something on the desk in front of her. It was an elegant bookmark you would find in flimsibooks, but there was a thickness to it, and when Padmé took the fabric material off, she found a listening device in it.

"I almost missed it," Anakin admitted as he sat down across from her. "The traitor must have heard me, Ferus, and Vatié talking the other night."

Padmé saw the guilt in his eyes and felt some of her anger towards him soften a little. "Panaka and his wife Mariek taught us how to hide listening devices and weapons in plain sight. That's why most of my outfits were so elaborate: to draw attention elsewhere. The fabric would serve as armor or fire proof while also hiding a weapon or two, and some of my jewelry would serve as recording devices or homing beacons, and even some of my headdresses served as helmets."

Anakin looked at her, stunned before he let out a chuckle. "All this time, I thought all those fancy outfits were just part of Naboo fashion."

Padmé chuckled as well before she became serious. "I'm afraid it only confirms that we have a traitor, not who specifically it belongs to."

"Shavit," Anakin muttered under his breath.

"Were there anymore?"

Her husband shook his head.

"I suppose that's some good news." Padmé sighed and began to rub her temples.

Anakin had updated her on what he and Ferus had learned from their interaction with Jar Jar to know that it wasn't Saché, and while that did bring some relief that still left eight of her other friends as a potential suspect. She knew it wasn't Sabé who murdered Vatié based on the timing, but Anakin refused to drop her as a suspect incase there was more than one traitor.

They had argued about it. Anakin had pointed out a couple of suspicious facts in Sabé's personal file, and confessed to feeling a flash of guilt from Sabé under all her grief when they announced Vatié's death. Padmé could scoff at the personal files Anakin had read of her former guards because they only told a fraction of the real people she knew. She could not, however, ignore what Anakin's feelings were telling him: that Sabé was hiding something.

Sabé was Padmé's closest companion ever since they met fifteen years ago. With the exception of Anakin, nobody knew Padmé better than Sabé and vice versa. Padmé knew secrets Sabé kept from the first handmaidens and even her own mother, but was six months enough to change a person you've known half your life?

Padmé had to be brutally honest with herself. She saw the best in everyone, especially the people she loved and cared for, but it sometimes led to her ignoring their flaws and excusing their mistakes. She had done the same for Anakin, and even Palpatine before she saw the latter's true colors. The same happened when Uncle Ono died. She didn't even consider anyone, but Deechi, Burtoni, or one of his political enemies as a suspect to his murder, until it was almost too late. His killer had been Lolo, his own aide and someone Padmé had considered a friend. Padmé had been held at blaster point, and she had watched the sweet and timid female Rodian morph into someone unrecognizable.

Padmé didn't want to suspect and interrogate her friends as if they weren't, but she feared they even greater consequences: jeopardizing the safety of the friends who were still loyal, her innocent children hiding on Tatooine with Owen and Beru whom Padmé had come to love being discovered should Palpatine capture her and Anakin, and the remaining freedoms of the Naboo should Palpatine discover her great-aunt's secrets.

"Who do you want to bring in first?" she asked her husband with a heavy heart.

Anakin had told her his reasons to suspect everyone, and that it led to him suspecting Dormé and Moteé the most. Padmé supposed she could understand his reasoning.

She had taken Moteé as a favor to Queen Jamillia when she was still in good favor after the deaths of Cordé and Versé. It had taken her oldest friends time to accept Moteé fully because of the underhanded tactics she and her sister had used to win the election against Eirtaé, something the blonde never forgave the Sensari sisters for. When Jamillia had been forced to resign from office for being a Seperatist sympathizer, Panaka had commed and tried to persuade Padmé and her security to get rid of Moteé for fear of her being a Seperatist spy, but Padmé and Mariek had convinced Typho not to. Moteé had proven her loyalty, protecting Padmé and risking her own life in doing so.

Dormé had been Padmé's closest companion when she had started out as Senator. She had been recommended by Typho because they had trained together at the Academy, and she had stayed to complete the modified version of handmaiden training. She was top of her classes and had even begun in assisting the training of future handmaidens when Padmé took her on as her Senatorial handmaiden. Rabé had even supported the decision since they were second cousins and pretty close. With Dormé Costil family seeming to support Palpatine and his Empire it didn't make things look good for her though. Plus, her behavior these last few days seemed very off from the calm and collected woman Padmé and Anakin knew. It seemed like she was very stressed about something, and Padmé suspected that she knew what the root of it was.

"I suggest Dormé first. I don't need the Force to know that something's up with her," Anakin suggested.

Padmé agreed. The sooner they got to the bottom of it the better.

Anakin called Dormé in, and when she did, Padmé took a good look at her friend. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, but aside from that Padmé noticed the bags under them and the paleness of her skin. She looked tired, thin, and stressed that it broke Padmé's heart. Not even when they lost Cordé and Versé, did Dormé look so rough between managing her extra duties to Padmé while also mourning her friends as she did now.

Padmé motioned for Dormé to sit down in the chair in front of her. While she poured Dormé a cup of tea, she saw Anakin standing just a bit behind Dormé in case she tried anything. Padmé thought it ridiculous considering the state Dormé was in, but she could understand his precaution. She poured a bit of honey in the tea, remembering how Dormé took hers before handing it to her.

The former handmaiden relaxed a little as she drank the warm and sweet tea.

Padmé couldn't delay the inevitable, sadly. "Dormé, I hate to do this, but I have questions I need you to answer."

There was a look of resignation in the woman's eyes as she set the tea down on the side table.

Padmé reached over and gently took her hands in her lap. "Dormé, how far along are you?"

Dormé's head shot up, and Padmé probably would have found the surprised look on Anakin's face amusing if she wasn't so focused on her friend.

"I…" Dormé struggled, shocked.

Padmé gave her a soft look of understanding. She had been with Padmé when she had begun to suspect she was pregnant with the twins.

Dormé sighed, looking down at their adjoined hands. "Just about three months."

Padmé nodded. The morning sickness for her had been rough in her first trimester, some days she almost didn't go to the Senate for work.

"The father?" Padmé gently asked.

Dormé took a shaky breath, looking as though she was about to start crying again, but was out of tears. Padmé allowed her to recover before she began to talk.

"He was… a mistake. I… had admired him for a long time. We were good friends until… it happened. We had just lost a friend, and we were grieving, and… we had too many drinks."

"Who was the friend?" Padmé asked.

Dormé looked at her surprised, then guilty. "You don't know. It was Karté."

Padmé felt her heart hit with a pang, and the air disappear from her lungs. Karté had been one of her handmaidens. She had been a minor handmaiden during her years as Queen and had regained her services a little after she became Senator when Mariek suggested she take on more handmaidens to assist her. She was a sweet girl, maybe not much of a fighter, but she was an excellent assistant in helping Dormé manage her wardrobe, and she helped Padmé in her research and how to negotiate with difficult politicians. Most of all, she was a dear friend of Padmé's.

"How?" she whispered.

"We're not entirely certain. When you disappeared, Queen Apailana offered the position of Ambassador to Otoh Gunga to her and she accepted. She was doing such good work you would have been proud, but one morning she and her fiance were found dead in their beds with their house on fire. The officials believed it was an assassination made by a Gungan radical and executed the poor soul."

Two tears escaped Padmé;s eyes and descended down her face. Another one just like Sabé had said earlier. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away before she asked. "Do you truly believe that?"

Dormé shook her head. "No. She was always fascinated with Gungans. You know that. Jar Jar, Boss Leonie, and many of the Gungans adored her."

Padmé remembered.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar around the others?" Anakin asked.

Dormé frowned thoughtfully. "Not particularly. Ever since the Empire's formation, and your… disappearance, we've all been trying to get by. After you escaped Tarkin, My Lady, those of us on Coruscant were arrested and interrogated for two weeks before the Queen and our families arranged our release. I returned to Naboo because my mother had become sick. Tarkin had been trying to glean everything we knew about your marriage to Anakin for Palpatine. Sabé conducted an investigation to figure out how he knew about your marriage, and discovered that it had been Panaka who informed him about it."

There it was again, that pain in her heart, only it felt like a knife stabbing her. She should have known or expected it, based on Panaka's behavior when he hunted her and Anakin down. Panaka, who had been one of her most dedicated bodyguards as Queen, who's paranoia had kept her safe, and who had been her friend to where he was like family. Even when she had finished her terms and became Senator, he had helped Typho and Mariek set up her new security team, but their differing politics in how to protect Naboo had caused their friendship to drift to a professional relationship. It had saddened Padmé, but she had accepted it. But never had she imagined he would betray her trust like that.

"How?" Anakin asked, surprised and sounding betrayed as well.

"Sabé thinks that he discovered it by accident. She had gone to the temple in the Lake Country to find the priest Brother Agolerga who had married you two. It turned out Queen Neeyutnee had sent Panaka over there years ago to invite the Brotherhood to a religious ceremony in Theed. Panaka had apparently come in while they were organizing their files and had stumbled upon a marriage license with the names Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Naberrie Amidala on it."

Padmé and Anakin's jaws dropped. Padmé struggled to speak. "That's… that's not possible. We never told him our real names."

They had used Veré and Set, fictional characters from Padmé's favorite love story.

Dormé raised an eyebrow, and she was the Dormé Padmé remembered as she said, "Obviously he figured it out considering he was marrying you at Varykino, notoriously owned by the Naberrie family, and that Anakin quickly became the poster boy of the Jedi in the war."

Padmé winced, realizing how stupid she was not to realize the priest would recognize who they were, but why did he write down their names instead of the ones she had requested? An act of conscience that prevented him from lying?

"Sabé discovered all this three months ago, just days before Karté's death. She had gathered all of us handmaidens, and included Gre-Typho in on it since he helped her recover this information. We didn't know what had happened to you or Anakin, but we knew that Panaka was responsible for endangering your life and it provoked the capital punishment to Naboo guards," Dormé finished.

Padmé felt herself grow pale and sick. "Dormé, you guys didn't-"

"We debated on it!" Dormé told her. "Many were in denial of his betrayal. He mentored us, fought during the Blockade, and was one of your most dedicated bodyguards as Queen. Why would he betray you? Betray us all for Palpatine?"

Padmé didn't know. She remembered how Panaka had admired and respected Palpatine, but never fully understood how much.

Dormé continued. "While we were arguing and debating, I saw Sabé have this determined look in her eye, the one when she's made up her mind."

Padmé knew it all too well.

"It had me worried she was going to do something reckless, but days later Karté and her fiance were murdered."

"You're not suggesting-" Padmé couldn't bring herself to finish.

Dormé shook her head. "Sabé is the most devoted handmaiden anybody has ever known. She would never hurt you or any of her sister handmaidens, but… well… I think Yané blames her for Karté's death. I don't know why though."

They were silent, the only sound coming from the pouring rain outside.

Anakin was the one to break the silence. "What's your family's relationship with Palpatine?"

Padmé saw Dormé tense up, and she threw a glare at Anakin.

"My father's family has a long and unfortunate history with the Palpatines. Before the Celestine Bombing, my great-uncle Reggie Costil ran as a candidate for the monarchy. Palpatine's father, Cosinga Palpatine was helping him run and finance his campaign while also taking my great-aunt Regina as his mistress. When most of the Palpatine family died in an accident, my great-aunt was seen as a disgrace in the upper-class society, especially when it became clear that she was pregnant with his illegitimate child. Uncle Reggie depleted all the Costil family assets thanks to his gambling, and she went to my grandfather for protection. She gave birth to a girl, my cousin Supé Costil, and… I guess the shame of seeing herself and her family brought down so low was too much for her. After she died, her daughter was placed under my grandfather's care until she came of age and disappeared for a while. I didn't even get to meet her until after the Blockade when she suddenly reappeared with her young daughter Mari, boasting about her good fortunes and becoming the new owner of Convergence."

Padmé already knew about this thanks to Liné, but Anakin who hadn't was obviously blown away by it. When he seemed to get over the shock, he asked, "Does your family keep in close contact with her?"

Padmé and Dormé both glared at him. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Yes, my aunts, uncles, most of my cousins, and even my grandparents have been trying to smooch off her, but not my own parents and certainly not I. I am no traitor. I didn't kill Vatié, and I would never endanger Padmé and all she loves. If you don't believe me, use the Force or however it is you Jedi do it."

Padmé watched as Anakin reached towards Dormé, his eyes closed. She saw Dormé grimace in discomfort, but showed no signs of pain.

Anakin sighed, dropping his hand to his side. "I'm sorry for being a piece of shavit."

Dormé's glare softened. "Well, we all trusted Palpatine, and we all trusted Panaka. That didn't work so well, did it?"

Anakin and Padmé both winced. "No it did not."

The chrono chimed and all three of them realized how late it was. Padmé asked Dorme to help keep an eye out for anything suspicious before letting her leave to get some rest that night.

Before she left however, Padmé called out to her one last time. "You never told us about the father."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it as she saw the devastated look on Dormé's face. She hesitated and looked down in shame.

"It's Typho, isn't it?" Anakin asked in a gentle voice.

Dormé let out a choked breath as she nodded. "He doesn't know. Like I said, we were drunk, and we wanted to find some kind of comfort after losing Karté, and it was fine until…" she trailed off before turning away from Padmé.

It hurt Padmé to see her friend in so much pain that she stood up and carefully made her way over to her when Dormé flinched. Stung, Padmé kept her distance as her mind worried what Typho had done to hurt Dormé. "Until?"

Dormé looked up and finally met Padmé's gaze, the humiliation evident in her own. "Until at the height of it, he called out your name."

With that the former handmaiden bid them goodnight, leaving the former senator and Jedi agape at this revelation.

000{{*}}000

Naboo: 65 bby

Padmé fidgeted nervously as she sat next to her window, waiting for Sheev to come.

After the games, Padmé was thrown into chaotic excitement. Everybody had swarmed her, wanting to know who the little sprite of a girl who took on the daughter of one of Naboo's prominent families. Padmé Lydonia was in the spotlight and it alarmed her. For one thing, the reason why she had been chosen to undertake the Queen's assignment was because she was unassuming and nobody of importance. Another thing was that she now had the attention of the Palpatine family, and she wasn't sure she wanted it. Despite what Sheev had told her about his father, Padmé knew how powerful Cosinga Palpatine could be. He was exceedingly wealthy with a bloodline that could be traced back to King Jafan. She highly doubted he would allow his firstborn son to court and maybe marry a farm girl. Padmé could just imagine the scandal it would cause the upperclassmen of Naboo, and yet… the thought of breaking away from Sheev was unbearable. He was her escape from all the troubles in life. He made her want to break the rules, rebel. He was a taste of freedom, and it was intoxicating to Padmé.

She felt so lost.

She wondered if Sheev really would come. Blantyre had guards patrolling the Varykino property and overlooking the lake. Maybe she should have come up with something else instead of the first thing that had come to her mind. Sheev would probably like the challenge though. She just hoped none of the guards shot him if they spotted him.

"Padmé." The soft whisper of her name caused her to jump.

She looked down and in the dark waters, saw a gondola with Sheev in it dressed in dark robes. Padmé was surprised. He blended so easily in the darkness and was so quiet she never would have detected him. She quickly put on her gray cloak over her pink chiffon dress and blew out the candle. Next was the rope of fabric she had tied up while waiting for him which was tossed, and she began her descent.

It was awkward, and in the complete darkness Padmé had to watch her step or she would plunge into the water below. As she neared the bottom, Padmé feared how she would get into the gondola. Her heart jumped as she felt Sheev's hand grab her bare ankle and she almost let go of the rope. She didn't, and she realized Sheev was guiding her feet into the gondola. She lowered herself further down, and put more weight in it. She fought to hold her balance in the gondola and held tight to the rope until she was fully seated in it. Sheev pushed off from the wall and began to quietly row away from Varykino.

Padmé didn't know where they were going. It was cloudy that night, covering Naboo's moons. If Padmé wasn't so nervous about talking to Sheev she would have thought this little getaway romantic. It was like she was Veré sneaking away to be with her mortal lover Set.

All too soon Sheev brought them to shore. He brought the gondola further inland and helped Padmé out. She held on to his hand as he led her into the woods, stumbling a bit as they walked down a path only Sheev seemed to see.

When they suddenly stopped, Padmé felt her nervousness grow. She opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt a pair of arms surround her, filling her with warmth. The breath in her escaped, and she instantly returned his embrace.

"I've missed you, Padmé," Sheev whispered.

She felt a flutter in her stomach. Sheev guided her and helped her sit down on a fallen tree.

"I wish we didn't have to sneak around to see each other," he admitted to her as he leaned closer to kiss her.

Padmé allowed herself to be lost in his embrace, his touch intoxicating and irresistible. However, she had to bring herself back to reality, but when she pulled away to speak Sheev beat her to it.

"Several other kids here at the Lake Country are having a bonfire not too far from here. There will be music, dancing, and some alcohol. We can have some fun."

Padmé's first thought was to say no and just break things off right now, but then another voice whispered to her, 'You're young, you'll be turning seventeen soon. Live a little and see what it's like." The voice sounded a lot like Pooja's.

Perhaps one night more, Padmé could have fun and be with Sheev before returning to reality. She let Sheev lead her down the path deeper into the woods. She could hear the faint sounds of music and laughter growing louder and louder the closer they got until finally, they reached a clearing.

In that clearing were a bunch of teenagers dancing around a large bonfire, a small band playing music including a young girl who sang, and there were other teens sitting on the ground or on makeshift seats gossiping and telling wild stories. Padmé recognized the majority of them from her LYP days and from the nable families, along with those who lived here at the Lake Country. With the bonfire casting shadows and the music, it gave Padmé an eerie feeling.

"Come on," Sheev tugged her, and she followed him into the fray.

They snuck their way through the dancers and over the sitting people before they reached a fellow who had been placed in charge of all the alcoholic drinks people had been able to steal out of their parents' stores. The guy poured a drink into a disposable cup without even asking them and handed it to Padmé. Growing up on a vineyard, working in the palace, attending the occasional ball or dinner party, Padmé had alcohol, but when she took a sip of her drink she felt as if she was tasting yeast and was forced to spit it out on the ground.

Sheev snatched the bottle out of the guy's hands. "Why in the Seven Goddesses' names would you serve this Shaak piss?!"

Padmé watched as Sheev argued with the guy about getting a decent drink when a hand grasped her wrist. Padmé jumped and turned to face the person. A smile appeared on her face. "Xoana!"

Xoana Perine was a former intern Padmé had worked with while she served Lady Veruna. She was a couple years older than Padmé, and was also mute due to a childhood accident.

The other girl smiled and accepted the hug Padmé gave when she flung her arms around her. When they pulled apart, Xoana tugged Padmé to sit next to a tree just a few feet from Sheev and they talked.

Xoana asked about her sister Veta, one of Celestine's handmaidens. The two sisters came from a family line of handmaidens. Their mother, their grandmother, their great-grandmother, all the way to the Gungan Wars had all been handmaidens. It was Xoana's dream to become a handmaiden herself one day and follow in her family's footsteps, but for now there were no openings, and was presently serving as Lady Veruna's newest assistant for the time being.

"I haven't been able to talk to Veta one-on-one, but she seems to be alright. Haven't you talked to her recently?"

Xoana shook her head, and signed that there hadn't been a convenient time to comm each other due to their conflicting schedules and numerous duties to their mistresses.

"How's working under Lady Veruna? She's not making you run on ridiculous errands is she?"

Xoana shook her head, signing that she didn't mind the exercise due to it helping her keep in shape for training. While Xoana was unable to speak a word out loud, she more than made up for it with her fighting abilities. She was the top of her class in hand to hand combat as well as the best sharpshooter to impress even Captain Blantyre. Padmé had no doubt that as soon as a position opened, Xoana would be quickly snatched up.

Xoana signed that working under Lady Veruna wasn't so bad as long as she was sober. She did believe that Lady Veruna missed Padmé.

"She does?" Padmé was surprised but touched. In her months of internship, she had grown to appreciate and respect the older woman who taught her so much about politics and the lifestyle. Padmé could also remember seeing the vulnerable woman under the snappy but cold political mask which lead to her asking Xoana how Lady Veruna was doing. Normally, they wouldn't discuss their bosses private life, but given Padmé's past as a former student of Lady Veruna, Xoana allowed Padmé to see the sadness in her eyes. Padmé began to feel worried. "Is she alright?"

Xoana signed that she was becoming more agitated and stressed lately.

"Over what?"

Fights with her son. Apparently, they had become more frequent and louder recently. Xoana couldn't tell the exact cause of it, but she suspected it had to due with their opposing politics.

Padmé winced for Lady Veruna. She remembered Lady Veruna telling her that Ars had been the only child she had managed to give birth to with three miscarriages, and that sge and her husband had left him in the care of nannies while they focused on their careers, and that made her feel guilty. Despite the choices he made, Padmé knew that Lady Veruna loved her son. She wondered if her former mentor knew about the young woman he was seeing.

"Xoana, have they ever fought about… Ars' personal life?"

Xoana nodded her head vigorously. "All the time," she signed.

"Has he ever mentioned any names or brought someone over?"

Xoana nodded then shook her head.

"Who?" Padmé asked excitedly.

Xoana signed a series of letters, but she went too fast for Padmé to catch it all.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

Xoana began to sign again, this time slower when her eyes widened.

Padmé tried to ask her what was wrong when a cup appeared before her.

"Here you are Padmé."

Sheev.

She turned to look up at him to see him with a charming smile. She accepted the cup and returned his smile. "Thank you, Sheev."

Upon sipping it, she noticed the much sweeter taste compared to her first drink. She turned to Xoana, wanting to introduce her to Sheev when she noticed her gone. Sheev tugged her to her feet and they joined in the crowd.

The night flew by, and Padmé found her cup emptied and refilled before she even realized it. She had discarded her gray cloak, and found herself dancing around the bonfire, her pink skirt swishing around her legs with her movements. Perhaps the wine had gone to her head, but in this moment as she laughed with the other teens she felt free, empowered.

An arm wrapped around her waist and she slammed into Sheev's chest. "Let's get out of here," he whispered.

She felt goosebumps where his breath hit her skin, and allowed him to lead her back into the darkness of the woods aware from the bonfire. They went deeper and deeper until all the noise from the bonfire was nothing more than a distant sound. By the time they stopped, Padmé felt as if her heart was beating at lightspeed. Was Sheev going to- All thought erased itself when she suddenly felt Sheev's lips upon her own.

Their kisses had always been passionate, but never had they been as heated as this. One of his hands clung to her waist while the other made its way up the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. His tongue separated her lips and tangled with her own. Padmé could feel a heat inside of her, growing more and more intense. She twisted her fingers into the sleeves of his robes to find an anchor as she returned his ardor just as fiercely. A groan escaped him, and Padmé felt herself pressed against what felt like a boulder. They finally broke away, gasping for breath.

"Don't be afraid," Sheev whispered.

"I'm not afraid," Padmé disagreed.

"You're trembling."

"Am I?"

She was. Despite her experience in court, Padmé had grown up in a community where lying with someone not your spouse or even your betrothed was severely frowned upon. Padmé wasn't naive to not know where their embrace might lead to. Her mother, Mammy, Ryoo, and Winama had each given her the Talk at some point. Maybe that's why she was scared. If things went further, would she disappoint Sheev? Has he done this before?

As if sensing her thoughts, Sheev whispered, "Padmé you know I would never hurt you."

"I know."

To prove that she did, she pulled him in for another passionate and heated kiss. They molded together as if they were one, and soon Sheev was no longer satisfied just kissing her lips. His lips trailed down her jaw, down her neck, and further down her cleavage. Gasps escaped Padmé as she held onto him, his kisses even more intoxicating than the wine she had consumed. His hands went down her body until he grasped her legs and lifted her onto the boulder. They were now head to head, and Sheev was in the space between her legs. The heat inside Padmé seemed to grow hotter and hotter as she felt Sheev's hands slide under her dress and go up her legs, caressing her skin. It was sinful bliss.

Then Sheev stopped and pulled away from her.

It took Padmé a few moments to clear her head from the glazed passion it had been in to ask. "What is it?" Had she done something wrong?

"We're not alone out here," Sheev told her, his face tense with suspicion as he looked out into the woods surrounding them.

Padmé felt as if she had been doused with cold water. They weren't alone? She looked out into the dark woods fearfully. "I can't see anything. Who could it be?"

"I'm not sure," Sheev said. He tugged her down off the boulder, and her skirts fell back into place. "Lets get out of here."

She wasn't sure how Sheev managed to travel in the dark without tripping, but he did, and they made it back to the gondola where they left it. As they set off back to Varykino, Padmé's thoughts wandered.

Who had been watching them in the shadows? One of the teens at the bonfire, a Gungan, or somebody else? Why had they been watching them? Padmé felt exposed and vulnerable, and she tugged her gray cloak closer to her body as Sheev rowed.

He had been quiet ever since they had stopped their passionate embrace. She had planned tonight to either break things off with him or find out if things were serious between them. Now, however, she was unsure, and it didn't feel right asking Sheev about it right now.

As they neared where the rope ladder was left out, Padmé found herself telling him. "Come over tomorrow."

She heard Sheev pause in his rowing, but could not see his expression in the dark. "My family will be spending time on the beach after breakfast tomorrow morning, and I would like it if you joined us."

Her father and Mammy were here in Varykino now, her whole family together. Serious boyfriends sometimes hung out with their girlfriend's family, didn't they? Even if they were little children and older adults.

After several moments, Sheev finally answered her. "Alright."

Oadmé felt relief and happiness bloom in her heart that she would have turned around and kissed him if she wasn't afraid of tipping the gondola.

When they reached the ladder, Padmé realized that she was still a little tipsy as she swayed, nearly falling into the water. Luckily, Sheev caught her and helped her climb the first few feet up the rope ladder. Whispering a goodnight, Padmé carefully climbed up inside her room, and fell into a blissful sleep when she landed on her bed.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

How was someone supposed to feel in a situation like this?

Padméfelt so many different kinds of emotions inside of her like a hurricane, but the most prominent feeling she felt right now was lost. Ever since she came back to Naboo that's the one emotion she felt. Her grandmamma's death, Malorum, Palpatine, her great-aunt's secrets, Vatié's death, the traitor, and now the information Dormé had given her.

Anakin was faring far better than Padmé had expected. After Dormé left, Anakin's first instinct had been to hunt Typo down and beat him to a pulp. Padmé had stopped him, and now he was pacing the room like a caged animal. A year ago he would have ignored Padmé's pleas and given in to his anger until the damage was done. Although he seemed to have better control, Padmé could sense the turmoil in him.

"Did you know?" Anakin suddenly asked, stopping his pacing, his back to her.

His question startled Padmé. "Know what?"

Anakin looked at her as if she had spoken another language. "About Typho's feelings for you?"

A year ago Padmé would have instantly denied, but now, with Dormé's confession it felt futile. "I… When I began in the senate I had some suspicions. Captain Mariek, Typho's aunt, had assured me it was simply a crush that would fade with time, and I believed her. Then Typho and Dormé began to spend more time together, having dinners, going to museums in their time off together. I had believed that they were dating and were growing closer, especially when we lost Cordé and Versé."

Padmé had to stop to swallow the lump in her throat. It had been four years, but the loss of them felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday on top of Vatié and Karté's deaths. What was wrong with Typho? He had a chance to be with someone amazing, who cared for him deeply, and whom he can start a family with. Padmé considered Typho a friend, but right now she wanted to smack him for the pain he caused Dormé, and was unwittingly continuing to cause.

"Would you have preferred him in the beginning?" Anakin asked.

Padmé looked at him and saw his vulnerable expression, similar to the time she told him that they needed a break around the Clovis incident.

"Why in Shiraya's name would you think that?"

Anakin shifted on his feet and looked away from her. "A senator in a relationship with her bodyguard would have been less scandalous than being with a jedi would have been. Plus you would have been able to be with him more than me." It had made Anakin jealous of Typho during the war. To see her every day and talk to her, and be near her.

Padmé couldn't believe what Anakin was saying. Perhaps being with Typho would have been a safer option in many people's eyes. If there was a scandal, well she wouldn't have been the first politician to have an affair with her bodyguard. But it wasn't Typho Padmé had fallen in love with.

She stood up from her chair and took Anakin's hands in her own. "I love you, Anakin Skywalker. I fell in love with you. I married you. I have two beautiful and wonderful children with you. I pick you, and I wouldn't change it."

A soft smile came to Anakin's lips, his love for her evident in his eyes. "I love you too, Padmé."

They leaned forward and their lips met in a sweet kiss.

"I would like to punch Typho for being an idiot and a jerk," Padmé admitted when they pulled apart.

Anakin grinned. "I'll hold him down while you go at it."

They shared a brief chuckle before becoming serious.

"Do you think Dormé will tell him? About the baby?" Anakin asked.

Padmé didn't even have to think on it. "I believe so. Maybe not now, but soon. Dormé's strong and resilient, but it's helpful if the baby has both of its parents involved. And with Dormé's parents and her Costil family…"

"What?" Anakin asked.

"As you've probably noticed, Dormé isn;t close with her father's family. The Costils are old-fashioned, and when Dormé's father married her mother, a member of the Perine family, they all but disowned him. They barely tolerate Dormé."

"What's wrong with the Perine family?"

Padmé explained, remembering the stories Dormé had told her. "The Perine family is notorious for producing handmaidens to high-ranking officials over the years since the Gungan Wars. Every daughter has served as a handmaiden, and to some families like the Costils, handmaidens are looked down upon as servants. Dormé's family history was actually one of the unique qualities why she was chosen as my handmaiden along with her many talents."

It disgusted Padmé how people looked down upon her friends. To her, handmaidens were more than just servants, they were her bodyguards, her companions, and an extension of herself. Padmé knew without a doubt that she would have been long dead, and would not be the person she was today without them.

"Wait a minute!"

Padmé turned to the desk, grabbing the datapad with all her friends' personal files and the holo article she had read that morning.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, perplexed by his wife's sudden change.

"I just remembered something. I think… yes! Here it is." She showed him the article, pointing to the image of a woman who looked similar to Dormé. "Veta Perine. She was Dormé's grandmother and one of Celestine's handmaidens who was killed in the bombing."

Anakin took the article out of Padmé's hands to look closer. Was this another coincidence? Anakin knew people could follow the same profession as other family members, but still. What were the odds that the descendants of people from Padmé Lydonia's past were entwined with her great-niece's life?

"That's not all." Padmé continued, looking at the datapad through Dormé's history. "Veta also had a sister, Xoana who was mute. She was an aide to Lady Eirtaé Veruna while also training to become a handmaiden herself. A couple of months before the bombing, Lady Veruna was murdered by a bounty hunter in her home office, and Xoana was injured fighting the attacker. According to the files, after Xoana recovered she pursued the assassin to Karlinus and was later found dead along with the assassin. They never found out who sent the bounty hunter. At least according to public officials."

She suspected others in the Naboo government did though. When she was elected as Queen, Padmé had access to governmental secrets, but after the reigns of Tapalo and Veruna, much of their illegal activities had been swept under the rug. Padmé had done her best to correct their wrongs and make amends to their victims, but many had fallen in the cracks. Had Xoana Perine been one of their victims? Had her great-aunt known Xoana, and why she and Lady Veruna were murdered? Padmé needed to find that diary. Who knew what secrets it carried.

She set the datapad and holoarticle down and began to pace. "I need to talk to Lieutenant Panaka and Liné again, see if there was anyone else my great-aunt knew and could have trusted," she said out loud. "But who? It sounds like everybody she trusted was killed in that bombing. 'Behind the red flower.' What could that be?"

"What's the significance of the red flower?" Anakin asked. Over the years, in their downtime, Padmé would tell him myths and legends of Naboo, but he couldn't remember anything about a red flower.

Wait a minute!

His dream that morning they were going to see Pooja-

"In Naboo folklore, it was said that Padmé the Pixie was born out of the blooming of a rare red flower. Maybe the location has something to do with the legend," Padmé suggested.

She returned to her pacing. "Her home in Claines? No, she never returned after her mother's death. The palace? Maybe, but where would she hide it that it still wouldn't have been found." She paused and turned to Anakin. "Maybe. It may be in the old Naberrie home here in Theed."

Anakin had a bad feeling where this was going. "I thought your family moved out into a new home after the Occupation."

"They did, but much of the structure remained intact. C-Cordé's family, the Greduns, turned it into a jewelry and tea shop. I remember many of the rooms having flower design on them. It's worth a try," Padmé said.

"You're not going alone!" Anakin protested.

Padmé narrowed her eyes. "I need to do this myself, and until we've cleared everyone of suspicion, it's better if you stay here and keep an eye on everybody."

Anakin protested again, and Padmé stopped him. "We've already cleared Saché and Dormé of suspicion so we can trust them to go to work without alerting anyone. If everyone all of a sudden skipped a day of work, that might alert Palpatine that we're on to him."

Anakin sighed, conceding that she had a point. He needed to keep an eye on everyone, including Ferus. He still needed to figure out what secret he was carrying and if it made him a threat to Anakin's family.

"I'm not happy about this, but fine. You keep a comm on you, as well as a blaster, a knife, and whatever gadgets you have on you, and you keep your hood up."

Padmé took his hands and squeezed them assuringly. "I'll be alright, Ani. In the morning though, I'd like to talk to Sabé and figure out what Dormé had meant."

"About what happened to Karté all those months ago?" Anakin asked.

Padmé nodded. "I don't believe she's the traitor, but I need to know what happened, and I need to know if she's keeping something for fear of hurting me."

"Do you know why Yané would blame Sabé for Karté's death?"

"Yané and Karté became friends during the Occupation. Karté had been chosen as my handmaiden because she had been pursuing a degree in medicine before the bad economy forced her to drop out. In the Occupation, Karté and Yané had been with my handmaiden Moré when the droids shot and killed her. They tried to save her, but… and then shortly after that, Saché was captured and tortured. While they treated her, Yané decided to pursue a degree in medicine as soon as she left my service. Karté became her teacher until she could go back to school," Padmé told Anakin. "I need to hear Sabé's side."

She sighed, feeling as if a huge weight was sitting on her shoulders, threatening to crush her. "I hate this. These are people I've trusted, who have been my friends for years. Now I see in their faces,they know I'm suspicious. They know I wonder and that I'm not sure it isn't them. I've had my secrets and they've had theirs, and we never pried nor confronted each other over them. It makes me wonder if I know the people I love anymore."

Anakin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Padmé surrendered easily, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally.

"We should probably go to bed now. Anyone hoping to make a comm call will be jammed here, so we won't get any unexpected surprises coming for us tonight," Anakin said, glad for the still working jammer he had kept from his war days.

"That sounds nice. You would think with twins we'd be pros at running on a couple hours of sleep," Padmé muttered into his shoulder.

Anakin laughed. "Must be getting old."

A sudden commotion outside the library caused them to jump.

"Now what?!" Anakin exclaimed.

There was yelling and screaming up above their heads.

"That sounds like Eirtaé," Padmé recognized.

Anakin's eyes widened as he felt the rising emotions. "Not good."

He sprinted out of the library, Padmé on his heels as they raced up the stairs towards the commotion.

She flew past Saché and Yané then Rabé, and barely registered doors in the hallway opening. She followed Anakin to what she recognized as the trophy room, and felt her heart leap to her throat at the sight before her.

There stood Ellé next to a broken display case filled with blaster rifles, her hands on one of them along with a charge pack, and a few feet from her stood Eirtaé pointing her blaster pistol at her.

"Put it down," Eirtaé told her.

Ellé shook her head, fear evident on her face.

"I'll put this right through your head," Eirtaé threatened, but there was a shakiness in her voice.

Ellé looked like a scared animal cornered that it broke Padmé's heart.

"Are you guys going to listen to Eirtaé? Are we going to continue staying in this house? The traitor could be her!"

By now everyone had gathered in the doorway and in the hallway outside. Ferus stood behind Anakin, and Anakin felt him prodding Eirtaé and Ellé with the Force. Anakin heard his sharp intake of breath.

"They're both drugged," he whispered.

Anakin felt his wife's fear as well as his own spike up. Drugged? He felt Ellé and Eirtaé's presences with the Force, and sensed their anxiety and paranoia growing. He delved deeper and found the chemical flowing through their systems.

This was not good. Both of them had blasters, and one wrong move could hurt someone.

He slowly approached them, and felt Padmé do the same.

"Hold on. Take it easy," he told both women gently. "Put the rifle down Ellé."

Ellé didn't. She just turned her fearful gaze at him.

Padmé took another step, becoming shoulder to shoulder with Anakin. "Put it down, Ellé. Eirtaé, you don't want to hurt anybody."

Eirtaé shook her head. "No."

"Put it down, Ellé," Anakin repeated.

Ellé hesitated.

Anakin tried to appear relaxed, while secretly planning to use the Force if he needed to. Slowly, Ellé kneeled down, setting the rifle down on the floor, her eyes never leaving Anakin, Padmé, and Eirtaé's blaster.

Some of the tension left the room, but not all of it. Eirtaé was still pointing her blaster at Ellé.

"It's on the floor, Eirtaé," Anakin reminded her.

Eirtaé spun around as if she had forgotten all about them and was startled to be reminded. She pointed her blaster at them and the others gathered behind them. "I didn't kill Vatié! I swear on my father's grave and my son's life I didn't do it."

Padmé remained calm as she approached Eirtaé with her hands out. "I believe you, Eirtaé. You and Vatié were close friends. It's been a long and rough day, and we're all tired, scared, and grieving. Let's sit down and talk."

Eirtaé hesitated as Padmé held her hand out for the blaster.

"I promise I will find the person who really did this, and I will protect you," Padmé swore.

She didn't like the scared and paranoid look in Eirtaé's eyes, but she had to try and save her friend from herself. Eirtaé's hands trembled, but she managed to place the blaster in Padmé's hands without incident.

Anakin and Padmé guided Ellé and Eirtaé to separate bedrooms. While Padmé took care of Eirtaé with the help of Yané and Sabé, Ferus followed Anakin and Ellé along with Moteé. The poor girl in Anakin's arms stumbled and was on the verge of collapsing. Anakin guided her to her bed, and motioned Moteé to attend her.

"Is she going to be alright?" the older woman asked worriedly.

Ferus held Ellé's wrist, felt her pulse and nodded. "Her pulse is starting to calm down. I don't think she took much of whatever caused her to do this. Our best bet is to let her sleep it off until we find out what exactly she took. Do you know what happened?"

Moteé shook her head. "No, I was getting ready for bed when Ellé left to go get a drink. Next thing I heard was Ellé and Eirtaé shouting at each other, then when I stepped out, I saw Ellé running up the stairs, down the hall towards the trophy room with Eirtaé chasing after her."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't right. He could sense it. When he glanced at Ferus he saw the same suspicion in his own eyes.

"Do you know why Ellé and Eirtaé would argue like this?" Anakin asked.

Moteé shook her head. "I don't know. Unless there was a misunderstanding and Ellé might have heard something and became suspicious of Eirtaé."

Anakin nodded, sensing that part as truth. A couple of minutes later, Dormé came in to help tend to Ellé who had fallen asleep, and Anakin and Ferus left them. Since their discussion of the traitor it had been decided that they would all sleep in groups of three since no one knew who exactly the traitor was. Dormé, Moteé, and Ellé would sleep in one, Saché, Yané, and Rabé in another, Padmé, Sabé, and Eirtaé together as well, and finally Anakin, Ferus, and Typho would be in another as well. Anakin didn't much like this arrangement, with Padmé rooming with a couple of potential suspects, and himself rooming with Ferus and Typho, the latter of whom he wanted to punch for Padmé an Dormé's sakes. However, Padmé argued that it would make things more difficult for the traitor to secretly comm someone with more eyes and ears open, and Anakin couldn't disagree with that kind of logic no matter how much he wished to.

He and Ferus hurried down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen to find what Ellé and Eirtaé could have eaten or drink that drugged them.

They were in luck.

There were two sets of tea cups on the kitchen island, another set shattered on the floor near the entrance, and an overturned tea pot on the counter with tea spilled all over the island and dripping onto the floor.

Both men rushed to save the running liquid.

Anakin grabbed the pot and noticed something inside. He had never personally made Naboo tea, but he had watched on occasion his wife make her own which allowed him to recognize some of the tea leaves in the pot. The healthy green leaves he recognized as Karlini tea leaves, but among them he found a couple of dark purple leaves.

"Here it is," Anakin showed Ferus.

Ferus took the pot and sniffed it. "I can smell the Karlini leaves, but these other leaves, I can't detect any odor."

"I didn't know you were familiar with this particular tea," Anakin said, a little suspicious.

If he remembered correctly, Padmé once told him that they never imported Karlini tea leaves outside the Chommell Sector until near the beginning of the Clone Wars. To his surprise, there was a hint of sadness in Ferus' eyes.

"I… knew someone who developed a taste for it during the war. He liked to drink it on special occasions."

There was a tenderness in his voice, making Anakin realize that this someone was special to Ferus. Was this the same Ferus Olin Anakin knew five years ago?

Anakin shook his head and turned to the two tea cup sets on the island. "This one looks half empty while the other looks barely touched," he observed. He looked towards the broken cup on the floor. "There were at least three people in here."

"Two of them were definitely Eirtaé and Ellé. The third must have been the poisoner," Ferus deduced.

But who?

000{{*}}000

65 bby

Padmé struggled to concentrate writing in her diary in the dim light, her mind distracted with thoughts of Sheev.

Today had been wonderful. She had woken with a slight headache that went away after eating breakfast. Later on, the entire household had gone out swimming.

It had been so much fun.

Padmé got to see Celestine- Nadié out of her Queen ensemble, Pooja, Liné, Veta, Peggé, and Sagé out of the shadows, and playing in the water like a group of young normal friends. Despite the numerous people, Padmé's father did well, only asking where he was a couple of times as he and Mammy rested in the shade. Luke was carefree and happy away from any political talk as he played with Ruwee in the water. Ryoo and Winama were able to relax on the sand, taking a break from the stress of clothing orders. The best part of the day for Padmé however, was when Sheev showed up. After clearing it up with Captain Blantyre who was guarding them, Sheev joined her and Jobal in making sandcastles. Padmé was having so much fun she didn't notice Pooja had taken a holo of her, Sheev, and her entire family until they were preparing for tonight's events.

The Costil faction was hosting a cruise down the Lake Country that night, using their own private yacht as well as the Palpatines' to garner votes and allies in Reggie Costil's campaign for the throne. Padmé had hoped to see Sheev again, but as luck would have it, the yacht that picked them up belonged to the Costils, not the Palpatines.

Perhaps it was for the best.

Padmé needed to focus on her mission. The cruise was lovely. The Costils had hired the best caterers, serving all different kinds of dishes as well as wines and sparkling ciders. Among the Queen's entourage, there were several members of the high council as well as other powerful Naboo officials here. Padmé had to be careful and discreet in her listening to their conversations. She needed to determine who were the bad eggs, and help Celestine dispose of their power before she left office.

She was now hiding near the stern of the yacht, trying to write down all the things she heard in certain conversations. Nothing incriminating had been said, but suspicious enough to investigate or suspect. She would report her findings to the Queen as soon as possible, and hopefully Pooja or one of the other handmaidens could look into them. There were so many leads to follow however, and not enough trustworthy people to investigate.

Padmé sighed, slamming her diary shut as she leaned back into the bench. There was a cool breeze in the night air which felt soothing.

Padmé nearly closed her eyes to relax and enjoy the peace when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Her eyes flew open and she turned her head to see the intruder.

It was only Pooja, to her relief. She almost blended into the darkness dressed in her midnight blue handmaiden robes. A perfect shadow.

"I was wondering where you disappeared off to." She went over and sat down on the bench next to Padmé. "Any progress tonight?"

"Maybe," Padmé admitted, looking at her diary shut and locked securely. "Many of the nable classmen seem to be looking towards Tapalo based on some of the comments I've been hearing."

Pooja nodded, not seeming surprised. "He must be offering them deals or future cuts."

"They know better than to admit it in such a public setting," Padmé told her.

The Tapalos were a wealthy family from the plasma industry, which was why Bon Tapalo wanted to open trade negotiations with the Trade Federation: to expand their business. Governor Tapalo seemed different however. From what Padmé had heard, Toun Tapalo had been training to take over his family business by helping to manage one of their plasma mines. One day while inspecting, the mine collapsed, trapping Toun and dozens of miners for days and killing many others. The event had shaken Toun Tapalo so much he left the plasma industry and pursued a career in politics, hoping to better conditions for the poor, hard-working miners. Toun, however, was different from the rest of his family who sought power and wealth for their own ambitions. When Padmé had first come to Theed years ago, she never thought that the people, especially the noble classes would ever consider Bon Tapalo as their future monarch.

"Perhaps Tapalo won't be elected as King," Padmé pondered out loud. The idea sounded naive even to her.

"He might not," Pooja conceded. "The nobles would prefer Costil who would be more like a puppet King. Cosinga Palpatine would fight with all his power to prevent Tapalo from becoming king."

"How can you be sure of that?" Padmé asked. From what Sheev had told her of his father, Cosinga Palpatine didn't seem to care for the actual power, only the illusion of it.

Pooja looked at Padmé with surprise. "I forgot. It's not well-known or talked about. I don't know if Sheev's told you this, but it's been rumored that during the Gungan Wars, many of the mercenaries hired to claim plasma sources were hired by the Tapalo and Veruna houses. When the patriarch of the Palpatine family, I believe Sheev's great-grandfather, found out decades later, he challenged the head of the Tapalo family, Toun and Bon's father, to a duel of honor. The duel caused the Palpatine patriarch to be severely injured, and he died from his wounds."

The information surprised Padmé, but it made sense. It explained why Cosinga Palpatine allied himself with a fool like Reggie Costil against Bon Tapalo, as well as the hostility Padmé had witnessed in court. It did tell Padmé what kind of man Cosinga Palpatine was: one who was a traditionalist. It did not bode well for her and Sheev if Cosinga decided his son should find a bride of higher class.

"Are you alright?" Pooja asked.

"Huh?" Padmé was pulled from her thoughts.

Pooja looked at her in concern. "Earlier I noticed when you were conversing earlier, you seemed… distracted."

"Oh," Padmé was surprised. She really needed to focus on keeping her mask up and improving it. "I… I may have a lead on the woman Veruna is seeing."

It was a deflection, and one Pooja obviously saw through, but thankfully didn't call her out on. Padmé told her of her run-in with Veta's sister Xoana and the information she discovered, as well as her struggle in following all these leads on her own.

"We handmaidens can help pick up some of the slack. Once Veta is informed, she'll get a hold of her sister, and help us get to the bottom of this," Pooja told her.

Padmé nodded, feeling relieved and a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be there for it.

The two of them descended into silence, enjoying the night air with the distant idle chatter of the passengers.

"Your Lifeday is coming up," Pooja said out loud.

Padmé had nearly forgotten until Mammy had mentioned it that morning. "In two weeks. We haven't made plans as to how we're going to celebrate, but given the past year I doubt we'll make a big fuss over it."

She remembered the plum cake her mother made, the presents her family had made for her, and the games she and the other children of the village had played. Now, with it being her first lifeday without her mother and Jon, with the state of her father's mind, and so many other things going on, she didn't expect it to be like any previous lifedays.

Pooja disagreed. "Nonsense. You'll be sixteen going on seventeen. On some systems like Alderaan and Corellia, you would be considered an adult.'

Padmé smiled ironically. "Unlike here where if I complete the exams can I vote and even become an official. I'm still considered under the protection of my parent or guardian until I'm twenty-one."

Pooja grimaced. "I wouldn't complain too much. Many of the nobles have been discussing lowering the legal age of Naboo. Veruna has been spearheading the motion."

Padmé grimaced as well, having a good idea why Veruna wanted to lower the legality age.

There was a sudden scream that broke through the quiet night, causing both women to jump to their feet.

"What was that?" Padmé whispered.

That scream sounded too distant to have come from their own yacht. The women went over to the stern's railing and looked out into the darkness. A mile upstream behind them was the Palpatine yacht, its lights still beaming in the darkness. However, even at a distance, Padmé could see the commotion of people running, jumping overboard into the water, followed by the sounds of screams then blaster fire.

Padmé gasped, but Pooja was already digging into her robes for her commlink. "Captain Blantyre, we have a situation," she said calmly, but urgently. There was no response. "Blantyre? Captain Blantyre?" But the only response was static. Pooja cursed. "My commlink's not working. I have to tell Blantyre we're in danger."

Padmé had gone over to the lights and lamps hanging around the deck, shutting them off. "I'll find Blantyre. You go find whoever is steering this yacht. Have them shut down all the power before whoever is attacking detects us next."

Padmé couldn't believe what was happening. It was as if something hidden inside of her woke up and took control.

Amazingly Pooja didn't argue, but nodded. "Alright. I'll do that. Be careful Padmé. We can't cause a panic just yet."

Padmé understood and the women separated for their different missions.

Padmé hurried to the front of the yacht, slipping and pushing herself through people, ignoring their outrage as she located Captain Blantyre standing by the Queen's side, and made her way over to them. They were quick to read the urgent fear on her, and when she told them what she and Pooja had seen, they along with the two handmaidens at Celestine's side looked at her in alarm.

"Are you certain?" Blantyre asked.

Padmé nodded. "There's no mistaking what I saw."

Blantyre still looked out towards the Palpatine yacht and took out a pair of binoculars. In the light, Padmé could see his skin turn pale before taking his commlink out. He barked a series of orders, but like with Pooja, the only response he got was static.

"Blast it!" he cursed. "Whoever is attacking us must have a long-ranged jammer."

"We're further downstream than the rest of the noble estates. Even if someone swam to shore after the power's turned off it would take too long to get help," Celestine observed.

"What about the cabins down below?" one of the handmaidens, Sagé asked. "If we could pile everyone down in them and barricade ourselves until help arrives."

Blantyre shook his head. "Too risky. I couldn't tell who exactly was on the Palpatine yacht, but they were definitely offworlders, and there are at least a half dozen of them. We can't leave our lives up to fate."

"Then we have to evacuate to the shore," Celestine said.

"How?" the other handmaiden, Liné asked. "I toured this yacht and the Costils have one lifeboat to carry their family, and there's the chance that not everybody here can swim."

That was a good point. As ironic as it was to hear a Nubian who couldn't swim, Padmé had met a couple.

The lights suddenly powered down, and the engine cut off. There were panicked yells and screams from the passengers, and they increased as they all realized what was going on at the Palpatine yacht. Everything was loud, worrying Padmé that their attackers wouldn't need to see them to find them.

Celestine seemed to have the same worry as well, and spoke in her queenly voice over the crowd, "You can see that the Palpatine yacht is being attacked. If you want them to come at us next, by all means, continue screaming."

That quieted everyone down, even if some of them whispered in fear.

"Costil!"

The timid man came forward. "Y-Yes, Your Highness?"

"Take out any lifeboats you have. Those who are unable to swim must pile into it while those who can swim to shore do so."

There were cries among the crowd as everybody realized they were being evacuated. Some protested that they didn't want to get their nice clothing ruined, others that they weren't strong enough to make the swim, but one person cried, "What about those on the Palpatines' yacht?"

Padmé felt her heart in her throat as she thought about Sheev, and prayed that he'd ignored his father and didn't get on. She looked at Celestine and in the moonlight saw the conflict in her. She wanted to help the people on Palpatine's yacht, but must look after the people in her care.

"My guards and I will stay behind and draw their attention until help comes."

Now, Padmé didn't need to look to see that Captain Blantyre was ready to blow a gasket.

"Now we need to hurry. Go!"

Costil had two of his servants begin to assemble the lifeboat, and everybody looked around nervously. Some people began to remove their outer clothing and jump down into the water. Padmé hurried and was relieved to find Luke and Winama who had come aboard this cruise, and even more relieved that the rest of her family had stayed behind on Varykino.

Winama took Padmé into her arms for a tight hug. "Who's doing this? We've been a peaceful planet ever since the end of the Gungan Wars," Winama whispered.

Luke, who had been looking over the side towards the attacked yacht, went over to his wife's side. "I don't know. Right now, we need to focus on surviving the night. If I'm right, we should be five miles from Varykino right now. Even if we can get into contact, it will take help a while to get here," he said, then frowned, looking out towards the shore. "The Kim family's estate is the nearest shelter. If we can make it to the shore, we'll just have to hike two miles to get there. But Padmé-" Luke looked at her desperately. "The Queen must not stay behind. It's admirable, but right now Naboo needs a leader not a martyr."

Padmé knew he was right. If Celestine was killed, the government would be in chaos. Tapalo and Costil would fight over the throne, and Shiraya knows what damage they would cause. She knew what Luke was telling her: to persuade Celestine and convince her that staying behind was a bad idea. Padmé agreed. She had to try.

"Both of you get out of here, and get to safety. I'll be behind you," she told them.

Winama looked like she wanted to protest, but Luke stopped her, his look expressed his worry and faith in her.

Padmé turned and hurried after Celestine who went up to one of the upper levels of the yacht. It gave them a better view of the approaching Palpatine yacht and an advantage point. There, Padmé found Celestine, Blantyre, and all her handmaidens. The Queen and her head of security were already arguing.

"My decision is final, Andrei. Now please, you and your men make sure the passengers get to safety. Make sure those who need to get on that lifeboat do so."

"But-" Blantyre argued.

"You have your orders, Captain."

The man sighed, looking as if the weight of the world was falling on him, but complied to Celestine.

Once he was gone, Liné was next to argue."Need I tell you how foolish this is?"

"You might, but it won't change my mind," Celestine said as she looked out the viewport.

Padmé stepped forward. "They're all right. We don't know who's attacking us, or what they really want. We can't take the chance that they'll kill you."

Celestine turned to Padmé, her expression softening. "I appreciate what you're all trying to do, but stop. Yes, I am important, but so is the body of the government as well as the innocent people onboard these yachts. If their aim is important officials, then why would they resist having the Queen of Naboo?"

The resolve in her told Padmé no amount of cajoling would change her mind.

"My decision is final." She turned away from them.

Liné sighed. "Then forgive me for this, my Queen." She pulled out a blaster from her robes, shot a stun bolt, and the Queen collapsed in a heap.

Padmé and the other handmaidens cried out in shock or outrage.

"Liné!" Pooja scolded.

"What? You all know that she's not going to listen, and we all need to protect her even from herself."

As the handmaidens argued, Padmé looked upon Celestine's unconscious form. Liné's actions suddenly reminded her of a story she had accidentally uncovered while training under the handmaidens, and it gave her an idea. She looked at the violet gown Celestine was wearing, then the headpiece she was wearing.

"Do you guys have your makeup kit?" she asked.

Her question startled the handmaidens out of their argument.

"Yes. Why?"

Padmé began to undo the clasps and ties of Celestine's gown. "We're going to pull a Polana and Qiané."

The handmaidens looked at her in awe. Anyone who's served in the Naboo guard, knew the story of the brave queen and handmaiden. When faced with capture, Polana's handmaiden Qiané disguised herself as Polana and sacrificed herself so her mistress could escape and rally their troops to defeat their enemies.

Understanding what Padmé was trying to do, the handmaidens quickly followed her lead.

Sagé and Peggé continued to undo Celestine's gown while Veta undid her hair, and Pooja began to apply the ceremonial makeup on Padmé. Liné stood guard by the door while also keeping an eye on the approaching Palpatine yacht.

"Costil should have the lifeboat set up now. We'll need to hurry if we want to get Nadié off," she told them.

Veta began to set up Padmé's hair as Celestine's, while Padmé tried not to sneeze as Pooja hurried. If they all weren't so tense and pressed for time, Padmé would have been impressed at the skill and speed they went. Celestine, now Nadié's hair had been brushed out, her face wiped clean, and the top heavy layers of her gown had been removed, leaving her in a purple underdress that would be covered by Padmé's gray cloak. As for Padmé herself, Pooja finished by applying the scar of remembrance on her lip, Sagé and Peggé assisted in putting Celestine's gown on, and Veta completed the look by the light over her head.

"How do I look?" Padmé asked.

The handmaidens looked at her with awe and respect.

"Close enough," Liné answered. "We could probably fool our attackers long enough until we can get the real queen to safety, but watch your voice. Celestine has a deep tone."

Padmé tested it while Peggé and Sagé covered Nadié and lifted her.

They made their way down to the lifeboat which was nearly filled. Blantyre saw them and there was relief on his face. When they got closer however, the Captain frowned. "Your High-"

"Padmé is unwell, Captain, and is unable to make the swim. Put her in the lifeboat along with Sagé and Peggé. They'll be needed to help the passengers get to safety," Padmé told him.

The whole time, she kept telling herself that she was Celestine, to be Celestine. She saw the realization in Blantyre's eyes through the veil, saw him bite his lip before he reluctantly nodded. "Very well, Your highness."

Sagé and Peggé looked at her, surprised, but they could not disagree with her, not while she was dressed as their Queen without giving up their ruse. Nadié would need at least two handmaidens while the rest stayed to keep up their act. The three women boarded the lifeboat and set off.

Blantyre turned to Padmé and there was absolute respect in his eyes. "That's the bravest thing I've ever seen."

Padmé swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling some of her fear threatening to escape.

Blantyre turned to those still on the yacht. There were four of the Queen's guards, one of them Padmé recognized as Gregor along with a couple of private guards who stayed behind, and several frightened servants who were left behind. Blantyre ordered the guards to get into position, and for the servants to either swim to shore or hide. With just Padmé and the three handmaidens left, Blantyre turned to them.

"Can you shoot a blaster?" he asked Padmé.

"It's been a while, but yes."

"Good." He pulled out a spare blaster out of his boot and handed it to Padmé. "You saved her life, and for that we'll defend you as if you were really her, but if you see any of those bastards, don't hesitate to blast them."

Padmé nodded, trying not to shake.

Pooja, Liné, and Veta began to lead Padmé to a place to hide, and that's when their attackers finally arrived.

Blasters were fired.

Padmé couldn't make out who was attacking them through her veil, but she could make out their figures. Blantyre tackled one of them, and began to wrestle with him.

"Run!"

Padmé felt Liné's hand, and she led the younger woman away from the fight. Padmé ripped the veil off, and was able to see better. They ran inside the yacht, down the halls, coming out on the other side of the yacht. Padmé could feel her heart beating loud and tried to control her breathing as she and the handmaidens hid in the shadows.

They could hear the screams of the poor servants discovered by the assassins. They pleaded with them to spare their lives, that they had nothing, and that their employers had already fled. Padmé could hear them laughing before they fired their blasters followed by the collapse of the poor soul's body. It went on until one servant girl cried, "The Queen's on the rear deck!"

Blast it!

She felt Liné, Pooja, and Veta tense, preparing for the upcoming fight. Padmé and Veta hid behind the bench facing the doorway the assassins would have to come out of while Pooja and Liné hid in the shadows. When they came, Padmé and Veta fired their blasters, killing the first attacker while Pooja and Liné tackled the second one. He was a giant fellow and lizard-like, and when Liné and Pooja struggled to take him down, Padmé and Veta helped by firing several shots.

"Over there!"

Padmé was panting. Celestine's gown was making it difficult to move, and that thing nearly killed Liné and Pooja.

"I think we've got their attention," Veta said.

More assassins were coming.

"I think we can retreat now," Liné said.

They hurried over to the railing. Veta was the first to jump followed by Pooja. As Padmé prepared to jump next, their assassins reached them.

"Go!" Liné screamed as she fired at them.

Padmé hesitated before jumping into the cool water.

Padmé had grown up in the mountains where there were rivers to swim in. She was an excellent swimmer, but as she surfaced, she realized how heavy the Queen's gown was. The heavy fabric soaked through, becoming an anchor too heavy to carry. Padmé sank beneath the surface. She tried not to panic. She tried tugging the gown off, but no luck. Next she reached for the clasps and ties, but her fingers fumbled with them and the water tightened the knots. Her lungs were burning. She tried kicking her legs and moving her arms, but it was difficult.

She was sinking, and she could do nothing, but watch the moon shining above the surface. Was this it? Was this how she was going to die? She didn't want to die. She wasn't even seventeen yet. She wanted to live, to help Naboo, to see the galaxy. She wanted to marry and have babies.

She saw something gleaming in the dark. Her pixie comb! It must have fallen out of her pocket. She reached out and held it close to her chest.

She thought of Padmé the Pixie. In one version, the pixie died protecting the children from Wraith. In the other version, she died as a result of Wraith's jealousy. In either version Padmé the Pixie died. Perhaps that was to be the same fate for Padmé Lydonia. She tried to comfort herself that soon she would see her beloved Mama again.

The last thing she remembered before everything went black was the sound of a splash and the image of someone swimming towards her.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Padmé was struggling to calm her racing heart as she helped Yané and Sabé lay Eirtaé down on the queen size bed. The sight of her friends preparing to shoot one another had shaken her already tattered nerves, plus the information that Eirtaé and Ellé had been poisoned was icing on the already hellish, mad cake.

Padmé took off Eirtaé's boots while Sabé removed the outer layers of her clothing until she was left in her shift.

Eirtaé was mumbling half-consciously as Yané felt her forehead and pulse.

"She must have consumed enough poison that her body's trying to sweat it out. It honestly looks like she just got into a drug stash which explains her behavior earlier," Yané told them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Padmé asked, concerned.

The younger woman nodded. "Best case is to let her ride it out. Just keep her covered and make sure she takes plenty of fluids."

Relief eased the tension in the room. Padmé then noticed the dark circles under Yané's eyes. "Go get some rest, Yané," Padmé told her.

She looked like she wanted to protest, but stopped then nodded, proving that she was indeed too tired to even argue with Padmé.

When Yané left, Padmé and Sabé continued their care of Eirtaé. Padmé wetted a washcloth from the private fresher to wipe Eirtaé's face while Sabé made sure she was tucked under the blankets. Padmé filled a glass of water as well, and as she returned to Eirtaé's bedside, she observed the blonde woman's restless and anxious features. Even before the blockade, Eirtaé had always been a restless sleeper

Padmé remembered the early days she met Eirtaé Lasara.

They had been respected colleagues during Veruna's reign, then rivals in the election. Eirtaé's family had great ambitions for her, especially her mother. However, rumors of corruption in the family had hindered Eirtaé's chances of winning the election. Because of her being a political opponent, it had surprised many, including Padmé herself when Panaka selected her as a handmaiden candidate. Her blonde hair and blue eyes made her stand out amongst the other candidates, very different to what Panaka had originally planned. However, while Padmé had trained with them under disguise, she began to understand why Panaka had chosen Eirtaé. As well as having an extensive knowledge in politics and etiquette protocol, Eirtaé was also a lover of art, music, and science, and she excelled in combat training. A very skilled, clever, and knowledgeable handmaiden. She even designed the hidden compartment in the throne that kept a pair of blasters for the Queen's protection, as well as creating outfits and headdresses that were lighter and could help protect Padmé.

Because of her growing friendship with Padmé and fellow handmaidens however, it caused a strain on Eirtaé's relationship with her mother. After defeating the Trade Federation, Padmé had invited Eirtaé's mother to one of the celebrations. She had hoped that in the midst of all their losses, mother and daughter might repair their relationship. She was wrong. If anything, her invite had made things worse. Emé Lasara had almost caused a scene if not for Rabé and Mariek's intervention. Padmé had been close enough to hear Madame Lasara beg Eirtaé to leave Amidala's service, to not throw away everything they had worked for, and that her family needed her. Then when the name Veruna slipped from her mother's mouth, Padmé knew Eirtaé would have lost it based on her fisted hands and strained face if Rabé hadn't wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Mariek didn't have Madame Lasara escorted out of the palace. That night, Eirtaé had explained to Padmé, Sabé, Rabé, Saché, and Yané the reason behind her mother's ambitions.

There had been rumors of Emé Lasara's affair with Veruna before and after he became the King of Naboo. Some rumors even said that Eirtaé and her younger brother were Veruna's bastards. Eirtaé confirmed that while Veruna and her mother had indeed been lovers, there was more shadiness to their relationship. Back when Lasara Tradings was struggling, Madame Lasara made a deal with then Prince Veruna. They not only became lovers, but Madame Lasara got into the business of hiring girls not only for Veruna, but many high class officials of Naboo. All in all, Emé Lasara became a high class Madame. She had saved the Lasara family business and gained enormous wealth for them, but their name had been besmirched throughout Naboo. When Eirtaé had been born, and she showed remarkable intelligence, it became her family's hope to put her on the throne and redeem their name. They put her in the best schools and worked with her until she wanted it as badly as them. When she lost…

None of Eirtaé's friends had to think hard about the disappointment her mother must have felt. Padmé then realized what Eirtaé truly lost in the election, and felt horrible for coming in between Eirtaé and her mother. Eirtaé forgave Padmé, but asked her to never intervene in her family matters again. Her mother's affair and the question of Eirtaé's paternity had destroyed their relationship beyond repair. Padmé had then promised that if she couldn't repair the damage in Eirtaé's family, she would strive to be the best friend to Eirtaé.

The loss of her oldest brother and many other members of her family generated a great deal of sympathy towards the Lasara family. Eirtaé had continued her duties as Padmé's handmaiden until the end of the latter's second term, assisting in Naboo's reconstruction and military. By the time of the elections, Eirtaé had become a popular candidate to succeed Amidala. However, when it seemed likely that she would win, her opponent Klisté Sensari Jamillia, a hero of the resistance, struck her hard. She spread rumors that Eirtaé's intelligence was due to being border-lined Force-sensitive. She revealed Eirtaé's relationship with Kitpat Arthi, a former palace guard and soon to be shipbuilder whom she had been secretly dating to the public. Her worst blow came from wracking up Eirtaé's mother's relationship with King Veruna, and the possibility of him being Eirtaé's biological father, even reminding the public that Eirtaé shared the same name as his late mother. It had cost Eirtaé a lot of ground, and allowed Jamillia to pull even with her. Then came the voting. It took five hours to count up all the votes. In the end, Jamillia won by a few hundred votes.

Eirtaé had been devastated, and her friends did their best to comfort her. She rallied herself together though. She gave up politics, and decided to pursue her love of art by going to Otoh Gunga. She hoped to study how the Gungans grew vacuums to experiment art and possibly expand Naboo's agriculture. With her father's blessing, a week after Amidala left office, Eirtaé married Kitpat, surrounded by friends and loved ones. It seemed Eirtaé's life was improving: she had the love and support of her father, she was married to a wonderful man who adored and loved her for who she was, her new dream became a success in improving the growth of blue algae that was used to improve Naboo's food production, and months after her marriage, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy whom she named after her beloved father. After all that she had suffered, it seemed Eirtaé had finally found love, success, and happiness in her life, and Padmé was happy for her.

Then the war happened. Padmé had been unable to stay in touch as she use to, but she knew that during that time Eirtaé lost her father in an assassination due to Lasara Tradings and Kitpat's growing shipbuilding business. Jamillia had been forced to resign, and Queen Neeyutnee had asked Eirtaé to become her Minister of Agriculture on the Advisory Council. Eirtaé went through so much during that time, and Padmé had been unable to be there for her friend.

Now, she looked down on her poor friend, drugged, and unable to determine if she was truly her friend still or not. Guilt filled Padmé.

Eirtaé did not deserve this.

She realized she said that out loud when Sabé said, "Nobody deserves this."

Padmé looked at her old friend. Sabé looked as if she had aged years, leaning against the wall, and sliding to sit on the ground.

"People like Ellé and Moteé think that because this is Eirtaé's house, she could be the traitor, but she's not."

Padmé frowned. She went around Eirtaé's bed, and sat across Sabé, leaning against the bedside. "How do you know?"

Sabé sighed. "Because I've been having her smuggle ships and supplies to the new Rebellion."

Whatever Padmé had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "What?"

Sabé nodded. "Arthi Dealings and Lasara Tradings both specialize in ships, weapons, and medicine, and since Eirtaé is the Minister of Agriculture, she has unlimited access to food supplies. We've been figuring ways to smuggle it to the Rebellion ever since word of it reached our ears. But in one of our runs, we were careless, and Eirtaé was caught by Panaka. He wanted to use her to spy on our doings, but we had her playing double agent with him, feeding him false information while discreetly learning of his own doings. That's how we found out it'd been him who told Palpatine of your marriage to Anakin. Unfortunately, Panaka quickly figured out our ruse, and he threatened Eirtaé with her family. That's why Kitpat's on Alderaan with his mother's family along with their son, and why her mother and brothers are on Coruscant."

Padmé could see some of the pieces coming together. It was beginning to make sense. She knew that Eirtaé was not the traitor, not only because of Sabé's testimony, but also because of tonight's events. Eirtaé never liked drugs, not even to experiment with when she was young, and while she use to be a good actress back in the day, there was no way she was pretending when they found her and Ellé. She was terrified, and Padmé realized now it was because of Eirtaé's threats.

"When did Panaka figure out the ruse?"

"About three months ago."

Three months. The timing seemed convenient.

"Does that have anything to do with Karté's death?" she asked.

Sabé winced, and Padmé knew she hit it right.

"In a way," Sabé admitted. She shifted and stretched out her legs so that they were beside Padmé. "After Panaka discovered and threatened Eirtaé, Typho and I finally tracked down the priest who married you and Anakin, and that was the confirmation we needed to know how dangerous he had become. Threatening a handmaiden was one thing, but threatening our mistress, you, was crossing a line. While everybody was arguing over how to deal with Panaka, I made my decision, and that's why I asked Karté for her help."

"What did you do?" Padmé asked in a whisper.

Sabé explained. "The plan was while Panaka was visiting Otoh Gunga, Karté would serve him dinner. One of the dishes she would serve him would have had midnight berries mixed in the syrup."

Padme's eyes widened with that information. Midnight berries were a toxic sedative. Once ingested the toxin would slow down the heart rate until it would eventually stop it. If Karté and Sabé had planned to use them at a diplomatic dinner, and somebody else tried it-

"Do you realize how risky it would have been if someone else took that dish? Or if Panaka had indeed died, what would have happened to all the citizens of Otoh Gunga?"

"I do, Padmé," Sabé told her. "I chose Karté because she knew what kind of poison to use, how to use it, and had access to Panaka. She had planned using the toxin to make sure Panaka wouldn't feel the effects until he was asleep in bed. That way it would have looked like he had a heart attack in his sleep."

Padmé couldn't believe what she was hearing. Before, she never would have condoned assassination, especially through poisoning. She remembered the time she herself had been poisoned by Lott Dott. How helpless and vulnerable she felt, the dryness in her mouth, the aching in her head, and the fear that she would die. If Anakin hadn't been there, she doubted Clovis would have gotten the antidote to save her life. So yes, she hated the thought of poisoning someone and considered it cowardly.

"I understand you hate it, Padmé, but Panaka was too dangerous to continue to live and still is. Anyway, Karté never was able to even plant the berries. The night before the dinner, Karté and her fiance Velé were killed in their bed and their house set on fire to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. I never figured out how Panaka knew about our plot until tonight when I heard about Vatié's death, and realized that there was a traitor among our group."

Padmé was silent, trying to absorb this information. From the way it sound, Sabé and Karté were the only ones in on the plot. Then Padmé remembered what Dormé had said about Yané, and also remembered the glare she had thrown at Sabé as they were laying Eirtaé down.

"Was anyone aware of your plans?"

Sabé frowned as she thought for a minute. "We didn't tell anyone for fear of implicating them. However-" Sabé winced. "Eirtaé, Saché, and Typho would have also known about Panaka's visit to Otoh Gunga. Yané could have discovered the midnight berries on Karté. Anyone could have tipped Panaka that one of us was after him."

"Did Yané-" Padmé stopped herself, but it was too late.

Sabé's eyes widened. "You think it was Yané? No Padmé, she wouldn't. She-"

"What?" Padmé asked worriedly.

Sabé looked uncomfortable. "Yané has been helping Eirtaé in smuggling the supplies to the Rebellion, using her own father's business to help. It would explain why Panaka found out about Eirtaé."

Padmé felt sick to her stomach.

"And," Sabé added. "Remember those twin girls Yané had been fostering?"

"Mimé and Zinyé? Yes." Padmé remembered. After the Blockade, Yané's mother opened her in caring for the orphans. Over the years when Yané would help in her spare time, she developed a fondness for children. When Padmé's terms as Queen ended, Yané took on a pair of baby twin girls whose parents were killed in a speeder accident. Despite her busy schedule in her studies and medical duties, Yané was a wonderful mother, raising them with the help of Saché and her parents. When Padmé last visited Naboo a year ago, Yané had said she had planned on officially adopting Mimé and Zinyé. The twins had to be six years old now.

Sabé took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "A week ago, somebody called Children's Protective Services, saying that Yané had been neglecting and endangering them. They took the twins without a proper investigation."

Padmé was shocked. Anyone who knew Yané, knew that she was an excellent mother, and would never harm her children. On the other hand CPS, while they needed to take such calls seriously, also had to conduct a proper investigation before taking the child away from its parent. The more Padmé thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Yané could be the traitor, and the person responsible for Vatié and Karté's deaths. If someone were holding her children hostage they could compel her to do their bidding.

Padmé shook her head. "We need real evidence. She has the opportunity and the possible motive to be the traitor, but it can still not be her. Tomorrow, I want you to help Anakin look into that."

Sabé nodded. "I can do that. You're certain I'm not the traitor?"

"Not one hundred percent," Padmé said with a wry grin. "Based on the timing, I know it wasn't you who killed Vatié. Besides, you never liked Panaka telling you what to do. I doubt that's changed."

Sabé shared her grin.

A thought popped in Padmé's head and she frowned. "What I want to know is why Panaka didn't take you out at the same time as Karté? If the traitor knew about the plot against Panaka, they would have implicated both of you, but Karté was the one who died."

Sabé frowned thoughtfully. "I've been asking myself that for months. Panaka knows how I feel against the Empire. I'm not nearly as famous as you or even Karté so taking me out would raise few questions.

"Then there's the anonymous tip Panaka got while Anakin and I were visiting Pooja," Padmé added. "The person identified Anakin, but not me. At least not in front of the Queen and Council."

"Perhaps it's a force of habit to protect you as your guard, or perhaps a guilty conscience," Sabé suggested. "It could be Typho in that regard."

"Sabé!" Padmé whispered furiously.

"What? It's not far-fetched. He's Panaka's nephew, but he's always had a crush on you ever since you were queen. Maybe in some twisted way he thinks if he gets rid of Anakin, he can find a way to have you."

Padmé shook her head. "This is turning into one of those horrible mystery-holo-novels we read as girls."

She was still plenty upset with Typho for what he's done to Dormé, but she wouldn't accuse him wrongly.

"Again, I need you to help Anakin find the evidence tomorrow."

Sabé narrowed her eyes. "You sound as if you're not going to be part of the investigation."

Padmé shook her head. "I've already discussed it with Anakin. I need to continue the search for my aunt's diary. Time's running out, and mine and Anakin's window for escape is getting smaller. Everyone who's cleared from suspicion has to continue their daily lives as if nothing's amiss, and Anakin needs to be here to keep an eye on the rest."

As Padmé explained to Sabé her plans, she noticed how her friend wanted to protest, but then shifted to reluctant acceptance.

"Be careful when you go to the Greduns. We know that they didn't blame you for Cordé's death, but ever since the Empire's formation. I've seen opinions change drastically against you from people I thought were friends," Sabé warned.

Padmé nodded. "I know, but I have to take the risk. Not just for those families Palpatine can manipulate, but for my family as well. He's taken so much from us already. I will not let him take anymore."

She thought of all the years of lies and manipulation Sheev Palpatine had inflected on the galaxy. Anakin and Obi-wan had told her that he had orchestrated the Clone Wars, and most likely had used the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo all those years ago so he could gain power over the Senate. Now that she thought about it, she realized he had helped her take down King Veruna by providing the evidence of his corruption just so he could put her on the throne. After all, how easy it would have been for him to use her idealism and love for her people, and force her into a desperate situation that she would call a vote of no confidence just so he could be chancellor of the Galactic Republic. And now, because of her, the entire galaxy has paid for it in blood and tears.

Sabé shifted and moved to sit beside Padmé, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Your life these past six months, Padmé, have you been happy? Does Anakin make you happy?"

"I…" Padmé was taken aback. She hadn't expected Sabé to ask her that. Her heart had broken the day the Jedi purges began, the Republic died and became an Empire, and she herself declared a traitor and an outlaw. It had become more painful with the realization that she might never see her friends, her family, or even her homeworld again as long as the Empire lived. But on the same day she lost everything, she had also gained something that had given her life new meaning: her beautiful twins, Luke and Leia. She and Anakin began a new life on Tatooine, raising their children and being a family. So yes, she was happy, as selfish as that was. She was happy seeing Luke and Leia's smiles every day. She was happy soothing their cries and singing lullabies. She was happy waking up and seeing Anakin in her bed every morning, and not worrying about him being out on the battlefield. Most of all, she was happy to have a normal, boring life she had secretly craved for years.

"Yes," she answered honestly.

Sabé squeezed her hand, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Then my hands are yours. I'll help Anakin find the traitor, and bring them to your judgment. I won't let anything happen to your family," she said, but then Padmé heard her mutter, "Shiraya knows I kriffed up my own."

Padmé frowned. "What do you mean?" Then she remembered Sabé's ex-husband. "Do you mean Oklin?" She could see the pain in her friend's expression as she nodded. Padmé remembered when her terms as Queen ended, Sabé's family had arranged for her to marry her childhood friend, and the son of their business partner, Oklin Verderrie.

"I told you guys the reason our marriage ended was because of unreconciled differences, but that was a lie," Sabé said. She took a deep breath, and her pain was evident to Padmé. "The reason our marriage fell apart was because I was having an affair."

Padmé managed to keep her jaw from dropping, barely. "Who-" Her eyes widened in realization.

"Tonra."

Sergeant Tonra, one of her former guards while she had been Queen. When her terms had ended, and she was asked to serve as Senator, Sabé had volunteered to fulfill her dream in freeing the slaves on Tatooine and look for Shmi Skywalker. Tonra had also volunteered to assist Sabé as backup. They would spend weeks to months together with just the two of them.

Sabé nodded. "Yes. Oklin had always been a dear friend, and we knew that we would marry once my service to you ended, but… I wasn't satisfied. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life as a businessman's wife. I wanted the adventures that had come from serving you, and Tonra was a part of that adventure. It went on throughout my marriage. My family suspected, but wasn't sure, and even Oklin began to get suspicious. It wasn't until a few months after the war started that they finally knew the full truth."

Sabé had to pause and take a couple of shaky breaths. "During one of my family visits, I had severe pain in my abdomen that caused me to pass out. My family took me to the hospital, and that's where I found out I had a miscarriage."

Padmé gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She tried remembering what she knew back then, but it wasn't much. All she remembered was that Sabé had commed her, saying that she needed to take some time off for family, and the next she heard was that Sabé and Oklin were annulling their marriage. "I didn't know."

Sabé shook her head. "Nobody knew except my family, Oklin, and Tonra. I was so ashamed. I didn't love Oklin the way I should, but he was a good man and he certainly didn't deserve my betrayal. Everyone in my family, except my mom and Aunt Liné, refused to speak with me for years after the annulment. I ended things with Tonra so we could continue to work together, and so I wouldn't be reminded of what we couldn't have."

"Do you mean the baby?" Padmé asked softly.

"The doctors who treated me told me my uterus had been damaged long ago. Most likely from that assassination attempt during your reelection."

Sabé had been playing decoy while Padmé had been disguised as a handmaiden. They had gotten into a speeder crash that had injured them all. They all feared Panaka, Sabé, and Yané weren't going to make it while Saché suffered a broken arm, Rabé a concussion, Eirtaé a long cut up her leg, and Padmé being the luckiest with only minor cuts and bruises thanks to Tabé and Eirtaé shielding her.

"Apparently the doctors back then neglected to tell me that I could never carry a baby to term," Sabé finished with sad bitterness.

Tears welled in Padmé's eyes.

She hadn't known, hadn't known the pain Sabé had hidden all these years. She wrapped an arm around Sabé's shoulders and rubbed her arm as tears slid down her face.

"You know," Sabé said, her voice wobbly. "I told you guys that didn't want kids, but after my miscarriage… I-I would have nightmares, and in them I would see a little girl. She would ask me why I didn't protect her, why I didn't love her."

A sob escaped her, and Padmé pulled her into her arms in an embrace, and allowed Sabé to sob into her shoulder. Guilt filled Padmé as she listened to her friend's sobs. How did she miss the signs of her friend's pain? Was everybody in this house hiding their own pain? Was the traitor hiding their own pain and that's why they were doing these things?

Sabé's sobs subsided, and she wiped the tears with her sleeve. "I know what you're thinking. Stop. We all make choices, and I made a lot of bad ones. I did, not you," she told Padmé.

Tears escaped Padmé. "How can you not blame me? I put you in that position. The reason you can't have children is because you were injured protecting me. How can you not blame me? How can you not hate me?"

Sabé squeezed her hand. "Because I knew what I was getting into when I became a handmaiden. I knew the risk of being your decoy, I knew my mission on Tatooine could keep me away for months from my family, and I knew having an affair with Tonra would be disastrous on my marriage, but I did it anyway. I made my own choices, and so did the traitor, Padmé."

Padmé wasn't certain.

A knock on the door interrupted them before it opened to reveal Anakin. He came into the bedroom, but stopped when he saw Padmé and Sabé sitting side by side against the bed, obviously to have been crying.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked Padmé worriedly.

Padmé nodded. "We're fine. Just… catching up."

Anakin looked suspicious, but thankfully knew better than to push. It was then Padmé noticed the teapot in his hands.

"What's that?"

Her husband glanced at Sabé. Padmé almost rolled her eyes. "It's alright, Ani. She can be trusted."

Anakin still looked unsure, probably wondering what they had discussed that had assured Padmé of Sabé's loyalty, but nodded. He knelt down and opened the pot. "Do you recognize these?"

There was little tea left in the pot, but the leaves used to prepare it were still there. Padmé recognized the Karlini tea leaves all Nubians used, but it was the dark purple leaves that caught her attention and alarm. "Atinama leaves."

Sabé sat up and took the pot, and her face paled. "Kriffing bantha!"

Anakin's worry grew as he watched the women's reactions. Sabé's shock and worry was too genuine to be faked, and he couldn't sense any deception. Padmé however, had identified as if they were a dangerous snake, and that worried him more. "Padmé, what are they?"

Padmé explained, her voice shaky. "Atinama is a deadly plant that grows deep in the swamps on Naboo. Not even insects dare to land on their leaves. If you eat an atinama leaf, you can die within twenty-four hours if not treated. However, centuries ago the Gungans discovered that by boiling the leaves they can use it as a hallucinogen. Several school students have boiled atinama leaves over the years to experiment along with many other drugs. If you boil it wrong, or consume too much of it, it can be fatal."

Anakin's eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly checked Eirtaé and Ellé through the Force. Their Force presences were stable and calm. Relief flooded him. "They're in no danger," he told Padmé and Sabé.

Both women sagged against the bed in relief.

"Thank Shiraya for small favors," Sabé muttered. "They must have only drank enough to where it caused the hallucinations, but wasn't toxic enough."

"They were obviously tricked into drinking it, but by whom?" Padmé asked.

Anakin told them of the cups he and Ferus had found and his suspicions of Moteé.

"Moteé?!" Padmé was surprised. Sabé less so. They told Anakin the history between Moteé and Eirtaé, how Moteé and her sister had hurt and humiliated Eirtaé by reopening old wounds, and how Eirtaé had kept Moteé off the handmaiden panel until the deaths of Cordé and Versé when Padmé's security could no longer afford to brush aside potential candidates.

"Moteé and Eirtaé hate each other, but I don't think Moteé would resort to murder, and Ellé, Moteé practically cares for her like a younger sister. Not to mention, Moteé has absolutely no love for the Empire thanks to her own sister's sympathies." Sabé said. "I can't imagine why she would kill Karté and Vatié to help Panaka."

Anakin frowned. "Whatever happened to Jamillia after she resigned?"

Padmé thought for a minute, remembering. "After she stepped down, she moved back in with her father and became an artist. Moteé kept in contact with her sister, until a few months before the war ended. That's the last I had heard."

"Word is," Sabé added. "That she ran off with her Separatist lover on Nooroyo."

Anakin sighed. "So there's no chance Panaka would use her against Moteé?"

"Looks like it." Padmé yawned, unable to stop it.

Anakin and Sabé looked at her in concern.

"Better get some sleep."

"He's right Padmé. You've already got plans tomorrow, and Anakin and I will keep an eye on the others, and look after Eirtaé and Ellé until they wake up," Sabé said, as she and Anakin lifted Padmé to her feet and directed her how to set up her bed on the floor.

"How will you find the traitor?" Padmé asked.

"Leave that to us," Anakin said.

Padmé was out before her head hit the pillow.

000{{*}}000

65 bby

Padmé felt peaceful.

It was calm, and she felt warm and soft. She could stay in this oblivious state forever.

Sadly, the memories flashed inside her dream: seeing the Palpatine yacht being attacked, watching Sagé and Patté carry the real Celestine out onto the lifeboat as she and the other guards stayed behind, Blantyre tackling the assassin, herself shooting assassins wanting to kill her/Celestine, and Liné yelling at her to run. Finally, Padmé remembered sinking deeper and deeper into the water, unable to reach the surface. Air! She needed air! That last thought caused her eyes to fly open, and she gasped for air. It smelled musty and had an old fish smell to it, but it was air, and she could breath!

After catching her breath, she finally took in her surroundings. She was in a hut, a fishing hut by the looks of it, considering the numerous fishing tools. She looked down and realized that she was in some kind of cot. With the big space and with it being in such good condition, Padmé realized she must be in one of the noble family's fishing huts. Farther down the river, away from the other housing areas was a spot popular for fish to gather. A few noble families had huts like this where members could come out and fish in peace.

Who's fishing hut was she in? How did she get here?

The last thing she remembered was drowning because of the Queen's heavy gown. Speaking of which, Padmé noticed that she wasn't wearing it or even her own evening gown she had worn underneath it. Instead someone had changed her into a pair of gray pants and a white shirt. Her face had also been washed clean of the ceremonial makeup, and her hair had been combed out although it was still damp. Did her savior change her clothes?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the hut opened. A little boy walked in, carrying a cup and a rag. He had to have been a few years younger than Jobal and Ruwee.

"You're awake. Good. my brother thought you were dead," the boy said cheerfully.

He handed her the drink, and Padmé sat up so she could sip it. Whatever it was, it was good and sweet. "Thank you," she smiled at the little boy. "Tell me, did your brother or father save me?"

The boy shook his head. "No, Father's friend did."

Padmé looked down at her attire, worried that a man had changed her. She struggled not to blush. "Did your father or his friend change my clothes?"

The boy shook his head. "No, Mama did."

Relief filled her. It was a little odd that a noblewoman would join her husband and children on a fishing trip, but she wasn't going to complain about her good fortune.

The boy continued. "Mama's hanging your clothes to dry. She says it's the Queen's gown and you were wearing the Queen's makeup. Are you the Queen?"

Right, she had been pretending to be Queen Celestine. Celestine had refused to leave, but Liné had knocked her out, and she and Padmé had switched; the real Queen would escape while Padmé remained to distract the assassins. Did Patté and Sagé get Nadié to safety? Did Luke and Winama make it back to Varykino? What about Pooja, Veta, Liné, Blantyre, Gregor, and the other guards? Were they alright?

"Young man, you said your father's friend saved me, did he see anyone else in the water? Or on land?" Padmé asked, worried.

Before he could answer, a dark haired man stepped into the hut. "Salor, have you been nice to our guest?"

Padmé gasped as she recognized him. "Vidar Kim?"

The man smiled at her. He was a good friend of Sheev's and had graduated from the LYP along with Padmé. Rumor had it that after the break, he was going to join Senator Maddox's staff as one of her assistants. Padmé was surprised but grateful he was one of her rescuers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, sitting down and picking up Salor to place on his lap.

"Good actually," Padmé answered honestly.

Vidar looked relieved. "Good. we don't think you were in the water long enough to cause any brain damage, but I would have a med droid scan you to be sure."

Padmé nodded before asking, "Do you know what's going on out there?" She had to know if her friends were alright.

Vidar looked grim. "From my understanding, many on the Palpatine yacht were either killed or severely injured. Our hut is a good distance away, but it was close enough to see the attack on the yachts."

Dread filled Padmé. He couldn't be dead. He would have figured out an escape. "Sheev-"

"I'm right here, Padmé." In walked Cosinga Sheev Palpatine II, hair soaking wet, wearing oversized dry clothing, but none the worse for wear. He was alive! All the breath had left Padmé before she threw the blanket off her, and attempted to get up, but Sheev went over to her before she could, preventing her from getting up. Instead, Padmé threw her arms around Sheev's neck, and held him close to her. He felt warm, strong, and solid. He was alive! Padmé felt like crying.

"I was so scared! How did you escape?" she whispered in his ear.

"How else? I jumped and swam for it."

Sheev pulled away, and Padmé was surprised to see the fury on his face. "What in the hells were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how lucky you are? You almost drowned! Those assassins could have killed you! If I hadn't-" Sheev paused in his angry rant, grabbing her shoulders, and slightly shaking her. "Why in the kriffing hells did you risk your life like that?!"

"Sheev!" Vidar yelled, obviously surprised by Sheev's outburst.

Padmé was shocked by Sheev's anger. "It was you who saved me," she realized. "But… how did you know it was me?"

Sheev rolled his eyes. "After I made it to shore, I started heading down river. I remembered Vidar's hut being nearby and thought I could seek shelter. As I was making my way, I saw a lifeboat from Costil's yacht reach the shore. I saw your gray cloak, but when I saw two handmaidens helping the person up, I knew it wasn't you. I didn't see you among the survivors, so I looked back at the yacht, and saw the other three handmaidens and a woman dressed up as the Queen, but I knew it was you. Then I saw you jump into the water and didn;t resurface. I knew something was wrong, so of course I dove in. I had to use CPR to bring you back, but you were conscious for a minute before you passed out again, so I brought you here to get help."

While he had been telling the story, Padmé observed his expression. He was obviously angry, but there was something else there too. She saw fear. Had he been afraid for her as she'd been for him? Or was she wrong?

Sheev and Vidar told her how the assassins had stormed the yacht. They'd been looking for Bon Tapalo and Ars Veruna. When one of the nobles resisted that's when they started blasting and chaos had happened.

"And your parents?" Padmé asked. He had to be worried about him.

She was slightly wrong.

"Father grabbed his whore and ran while my mother was so scared she fainted. I couldn't get to her, and I was forced to jump or risk getting shot at."

He was furious at his father, and worried for his mother, and Padmé couldn't blame him.

He asked her what happened on Costil's yacht, and Padmé told him how Celestine had volunteered to stay behind to distract the assassins, and buy everyone time to escape. She told him how she and the handmaidens managed the switch of her and Celestine in order to get the real queen to safety. She told him how she, the guards, and the handmaidens had fought off the assassins until they could make their escape, but when Padmé jumped into the water she realized how heavy the Queen's gown was and had been unable to free herself from it.

She looked at Sheev and Vidar pleadingly. "Please tell me if anyone else made it off the yacht."

Just then, Vidar's wife came into the hut with their other son. An elegant woman even in clothes suitable for fishing and camping, she told them she had just gotten off the comm. The rest of the Queen's security had arrived at the scene, and had scared away the killers, but had managed to capture one.

"There wasn't nearly as many casualties compared to those on Palpatine's yacht, but there were still a few dead, and many injured."

Pooja and Veta had managed to escape before Padmé had made her attempt, but Liné had still been on the yacht, and Padmé didn't think Blantyre, Gregor, or any of the other guards would have fled.

"I have to get back home." Padmé tried to get up, but was held down by Sheev.

"And you will, but you also need to take it easy until you see a doctor," Vidar told her, standing up, and putting his son down. "I'll get the gondola ready to take you both back to your respective homes."

With that, he left, followed by his wife and two sons. Sheev and Padmé were alone.

Sheev sighed, and it seemed that the anger in him had evaporated. "You scared me, Padmé. I don't like that feeling."

Padmé stared at him, until he shifted uncomfortably, reaching into the pocket of his borrowed vest. "You might want this back."

He pulled out her pixie comb, shining in the dim light. Padmé took it in her hands and examined it. She couldn't check to see if the recording device was alright in front of Sheev. If worse came to worse, she would ask the handmaidens to help her replace it. She was so happy she'd put her diary in her gray cloak when they were changing Nadié. Nadié would keep it safe. She smiled at Sheev, unable to convey how much it meant to her. "Thank you."

Sheev looked uncomfortable, and Padmé realized he was blushing.

"Thank you for saving my life," she told him.

This time Sheev ducked his head, suddenly shy.

Padmé remembered stories her Mammy use to tell her of heroes rescuing maidens from perilous danger. In many of those stories the maiden offered herself to the hero in marriage out of gratitude. Now Padmé, while she admitted to liking Sheev very much, she wasn't going to offer herself in marriage yet. She did remember other ways the maiden thanked her hero. She looked around the hut and spotted a pair of sheers nearby on a table at the foot of her cot. Perfect. She crawled and reached out for them.

"What are you doing?" Sheev asked.

"You'll see."

She took a lock of her still damp hair, measured a couple of inches and snipped it.

Sheev looked at her amused. "Kind of forward of you isn't it?"

Padmé looked for something to tie it up with. "During the Gungan Wars, many women gave locks of their hair to their husbands, lovers, close friends, or male relatives before they went off to battle. The lock of hair was used as a good luck charm to protect the soldier from harm. Lots of cultures do the same thing," she was rambling, a little embarrassed, but it was too late to turn back now. She found gauze in a medkit next to her cot, and decided it would work.

As she began to cut out a strip, Sheev commented, "That's kind of cliché but thank you."

Padmé felt her cheeks burn. She was trying to show him her feelings, and he was making fun of her. "This is the best way I can show my gratitude. We mountain folk can't afford wealthy and expensive finary so the gifts we can give are from the heart. There aren't many people I owe my life to. There's my parents, my nursemaid Mammy, my sister Ryoo, and of course the Naberries," she scolded him.

He looked chastised and appropriately ashamed.

Padmé turned back to her cutting.

"What about your future husband?" Sheev asked her.

The question threw her off, causing the shears to slip from her grasp. She hurried to catch them, only for them to slit one of her fingers.

"Stang!" she cursed. Drops of blood fell, and she quickly stuck her finger in her mouth to staunch the bleeding.

"Let me see," Sheev tried to pull her hand, but Padmé resisted.

"Let me see," he repeated more firmly, though Padmé could certainly hear the concern in his voice. She conceded, allowing Sheev to examine her finger, before declaring it was only a minor cut, and put on a bacta bandage. Once he was done, he took the gauze Padmé had cut out, now stained with a couple drops of her blood, and tied her lock of hair with it.

At Padmé's questioning look, he grinned. "I accept your favor, fair Maiden. It's mine now."

Padmé bursted out laughing. Oh, Sheev Palpatine was one of a kind.

Vidar returned to the hut and told them the gondola was ready. Padmé and Sheev were both given a pair of Vidar and his wife's spare boots. Madame Kim told Padmé that she was unable to save the Queen's gown, and Padmé reassured her, hoping that Nadié wouldn't be too upset at the loss. As Vidar paddled the gondola up the river, Padmé's nerves were tense. It was too quiet compared to the chaos and death that had happened mere hours ago. She gripped her pixie comb tight in her hands before she felt Sheev place a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. It helped a little.

It felt like an eternity as they went across the dark water, but when Varykino came into view, her heart lifted. Oh, she couldn't wait to see Mammy and Ryoo. they must be worried. She hoped Luke and Winama made it along with Nadié, Patté, and Sagé without trouble. She hoped to see Pooja, Veta, Liné, Blantyre, Gregor, and all the guards who had stayed behind on the yacht, safe in the walls of Varykino.

They were nearing the dock of the lake house when a beam of light hit them, nearly blinding them.

"Halt!" a Naboo guard ordered as several other guards joined him. Padmé recognized the guard.

"Shon! It's me, Padmé!" she shouted.

"Padmé?!"

The light was lowered, and once the spots cleared her vision, she was able to make out the surprised looks on the guards' faces. Shon immediately helped her out and led her into the house before she could thank Vidar and say goodbye to Sheev.

"Everyone's been worried sick about you. They'll be relieved to see you unharmed," Shon said as he lead her towards the throne room. Lights were on in there, and when Padmé entered the room, she was astonished at the scene before her.

Nadié sat on the throne, wearing a soft blue tunic and gray leggings with her dark hair down, and not a trace of makeup on her face.

Sagé was helping Liné put on a sling for her left arm, the latter having changed into pants and a simple top.

Pooja and Veta had both changed into a comfortable version of the handmaiden uniform, leaving their hoods down to allow their damp hair to dry as they stood beside their Queen with Patté.

Captain Blantyre stood tall and proud despite the heavy bandage wrapped around his head as he barked orders on a commlink.

The guards who had stayed behind on Costil's yacht, sat off to the side, treating each other's wounds with the help of Governor Tapalo and his wife.

Finally, Padmé spotted her family. Luke and Winama had changed out of their evening clothing and into some warm comfortable ones with their hair still damp as they held one another tightly. Ryoo and Viola sat on either side of Mammy who stared into nothing as they did their best to comfort her.

Everybody in the room looked shakened and terrified. Padmé couldn't stand it.

"Mammy! Ryoo!" Her cries startled everybody.

The next thing Padmé knew, she was being swept up hug after hug. Viola reached her first, followed by the Naberries, the handmaidens, Nadié, the guards who took turns picking her up and spinning her despite their injuries, Blantyre, until finally her sister, who had been assisting their old nursemaid over, reached her.

Mammy was crying for her, and Padmé went into her embrace, feeling the warmth and love she had always felt as a child surrounding her. Mammy was shaking as she sobbed, begging Padmé to tell her where she'd been and why she didn't come back sooner. In her whole life, Padmé had never seen her Mammy cry as such, not even during the mass funeral at their village nearly a year ago. Despite her reassurances that she was alright, Mammy continued to sob, her tears dampening Padmé's shoulder. They had to sit her back down on the recliner when Padmé could finally turn to her sister. Tears slid down the older woman's face as she took Padmé in.

"Thank Shiraya you're safe. Thank Shiraya." Ryoo's embrace was stronger than Mammy's had been, but no less loving.

Padmé felt so overwhelmed. She felt like the prodigal daughter returned home. She realized how worried everybody must have felt, fearing that she had become one of the many casualties. Once Ryoo released her, they had Padmé sit down and explain to them what had happened to her. She told them how she nearly drowned before she was saved by Sheev who took her to Vidar Kim's fishing hut where the Kim family took care of her until Vidar and Sheev brought her back to Varykino.

"Are they still here?" Mammy demanded.

Shon shook his head. "No, right after I helped Padmé out of the gondola, they seemed to be heading towards Convergence."

Padmé was disappointed, but understood. She turned to Nadié and Blantyre and asked who had attacked them.

"We're not sure yet. There were ten assassins total. We managed to kill four of them and capture one, but the rest escaped," Blantyre told her.

"The Lake Country has always been peaceful. Who would attack and kill people here?" Winama asked, concerned.

"They were offworlders. The Trade Federation could have sent them," Liné said darkly.

"Or Damask Holdings," Veta suggested.

"It could have been one of the noble families hoping to cause dissension among us," Blantyre added.

Nadié shook her head, having clearly been thinking this over. "I believe this has to do with the upcoming election this fall. I spoke with survivors from the Palpatine yacht. The assassins were asking for Bon Tapalo and Ars Veruna."

"Do you think someone from Costil's faction hired the assassins? Sagé asked.

"Palpatine seems more likely to hire an assassin than Costil," Princess Blantyre said. "For a candidate running for King, the man is so cowardly he would have taken that lifeboat by himself, and left us all to the assassins if the Queen hadn't ordered him."

"It could have been someone from the Tapalo faction," Luke suggested. He looked over to Governor Tapalo apologetically. "I know that Bon is your brother, and that this suggestion puts you in a tight spot, but-"

"My duty is to the people of Naboo. I swore an oath that I would protect and serve them before any gain. As much as I love my brother, I will not stand by as he hurts others for his own personal gain," the Governor assured him.

Padmé felt a great sense of respect for Governor Tapalo. If only he was a monarchy candidate instead of his brother, Padmé and many others would feel reassured of Naboo's future.

"Not even Costil would be stupid to hire assassins tonight of all nights," Padmé said. "Tonight was supposed to improve his image and help his campaign. Instead, assassins come on his and his closest ally's yachts, looking for his political opponents. If anything, this night made him look worse and Bon Tapalo and Ars Veruna both escaped unharmed."

She hoped she didn't seem biased because she was dating Palpatine's son, but it did all seem convenient.

"She had a point," Liné agreed with her. "Bon or Ars could have hired them or had the Trade Federation hire them in order to make Costil seem like a conniving coward while winning the people over to their fraction."

"For now these are only speculations," Nadié said, speaking in her Celestine tone. "The only evidence we have that can tell us who's behind this is our captured assassin. Captain."

"Your Highness," Blantyre stepped forward.

"Make sure the assassin is secured. I don't want to take any risks of someone coming and disposing him, or worse, he disposes himself," Celestine warned him. "Get what information you can out of him that will lead us to who hired him."

"Yes Your Highness, and might I suggest for your own safety as well as the medical care of our people, you return to Theed immediately?" Blantyre asked.

The Queen looked at her battered guards, an injured Liné, and Padmé who had mentioned losing consciousness as she was drowning, and nodded. "So that everyone can receive proper medical attention, I agree to your suggestion."

She turned to Luke. "I thank you for you and your family's hospitality, but I'm afraid my party and I must depart."

Luke bowed his head. "Of course, Your Highness. I understand. Know that you are always welcomed here at Varykino."

Celestine smiled at him before turning to Viola, her eyes sad now. "Princess Blantyre, may I ask you to stay behind and gather all the names of the wounded and dead? I would like to personally give my condolences to their families."

Blantyre looked like he wanted to protest, but his sister, the Princess of Theed, agreed to her request. "Of course, Your Highness."

"It's settled then. We'll leave for Theed as soon as a ship arrives to take us back.."

Everyone nodded to the Queen's announcement. She then turned to Padmé. "I agree with Vidar's assessment that you should be looked at by a doctor to make sure you're alright. I'm asking that you join us back to Theed."

Padmé protested. As much as she wanted to talk to Nadié and the handmaidens, she didn't want to leave her family right now after such a scare. It took her sister Ryoo convincing her to leave after reassuring her that everyone would be alright, and that they would return to Theed in the morning.

Padmé packed her essentials, trusting Ryoo or the Naberries would send the rest back home before she joined the Queen's entourage. As they made their way back to Theed, Padmé had a bad feeling.

The elections were getting closer, but there was more at stake than ever. Now people were dead, lives were endangered, and Padmé almost drowned tonight. There was more pressure now to find and uproot the corrupt officials. Padmé realized now how fully dangerous her mission was and remembered giving Sheev her favor tonight. She cared for him, and realized he cared for her deeply as well, but she couldn't guarantee that she would make it through this unharm or even alive. She feared for their possible and impossible futures.

000{{*}}000

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

‘ This has to work ,’ Anakin thought as the clones from his own 501st escorted him to where he hoped Palpatine- no Sidious- was waiting for him.

After meeting Rex down in the lower levels, Anakin hesitated. Should he spare Rex, and risk the lives of the surviving younglings in his care, or… dispose of him? Rex had been his right hand man in this war, they had survived danger against all odds, and he was even one of the very few Anakin had confided in his secret marriage to Padmé. He trusted Rex, and yet he had trusted every man in the 501st, only to see them attack the Jedi Temple, kill so many Jedi, even the younglings, and try to kill him. He had been about to draw his lightsaber when he noticed the long scar on Rex’s head. When he had left Rex on Mandalore to help Ahsoka, there hadn’t been one on the Captain turned Commander’s head. His hesitation gave Rex the chance to explain.

After they had captured Maul, Sidious had contacted them to execute Order 66. Rex explained how it felt like he couldn’t control his body, and had tried to kill Ahsoka before she managed to have his chip removed, freeing him from Sidious’s control. It reminded Anakin of Fives and what he had been trying to tell them before he died. It suddenly became more clear to Anakin. Rex told him how he and Ahsoka had to fight their way through his brothers before escaping to Coruscant because Ahsoka had sensed Anakin in trouble.

Where was she now? Heading towards the Jedi Temple looking for him!

This alarmed Anakin. The Jedi Temple -kriff- the planet of Coruscant was the last place any Jedi should be right now.

He was urging Rex to contact Ahsoka when a couple of younglings had woken up and screamed. This alerted the other younglings, and even Shaak Ti who was jerked from her healing trance, but was prepared to fight when she saw Rex. It had taken Anakin several minutes to calm his group down and explain that Rex was no threat to them. He had sensed the truth in Rex, and knew that they could trust him. Now, they had to get off Coruscant. 

They had been heading to steal a ship and meet Ahsoka when they ran into trouble. Anakin had told Rex and Shaak Ti to run as he fought off the clones he recognized as his own men, and led them on a chase. His trick seemed to work. It seemed the clones were more interested in taking him alive than killing a few Jedi, and that worried Anakin. He had been scaling a series of window ledges when a stun bolt had clipped him, causing him to fall down on the ground hard. The wind had been knocked out of him, allowing the clones to catch him. He hoped his capture gave Rex, Shaak Ti, and the younglings the chance to escape, but he also had another reason in his capture.

The clones were ordered to take him to Palpatine. They may have binded him and taken his lightsaber, but Anakin would be freed and then he would kill Sidious. After what he went through at the Jedi Temple, he could no longer believe Palpatine cared for him. He remembered the many Jedi who sacrificed themselves so the younglings could escape, the padawans who had fought but were outnumbered and outmatched against so many troops, the younglings who fell as they desperately tried to escape, and Madame Jocasta Nu, Masters Vokara Che, Cin Drallig, and Knight Serra Keto’s last stand in the Jedi Archives. Such death unlike anything Anakin had witnessed even in the war. A man capable of all the death, destruction, and lies inflicted upon the Jedi, the Republic, and even the Separatists alike, how could Anakin trust him to save Padmé?

Come to think of it, how did Palpatine even know about Padmé? About his nightmares? Had all his years of friendship towards Anakin been a lie? Anakin had so many questions. Questions he would have his old friend answer before he ran him through and ended this.

His escort reached a set of doors. They had gone underground near the Senate a long time ago. Anakin wondered if these were the same passageways Palpatine used to sneak out as Darth Sidious. The doors opened, and Anakin was brought face to face to the scarred and ugly face of Darth Sidious.

Anakin woke up gasping, silently thanking the Force for waking him up in time. Thunder continued outside and a flash of lightning showed Typho and Ferus still sleeping in the twin beds of their assigned room. Anakin felt like he was suffocating, so he got out of his makeshift bed on the bay windows and went out into the hallway.

He took shaky deep breaths, trying to calm his beating heart. He felt sweaty, but chilled. Using the Force, he felt Padmé and all her former handmaidens in their rooms. He sensed Sabé lightly dabbing the sweat off Eirtaé’s skin while Padmé slept fitfully next to her. Anakin sent soothing waves out to her, and felt her relaxing under his touch. He sensed Yané, Saché, and Rabé all asleep in their assigned room. He sensed Dormé and Moteé helping Ellé to sit up and take sips of water. Anakin began to feel himself grow calmer when he felt it, the cold darkness that threatened to consume him.

“Why are you doing this?”

“You’re smart, my dear boy. You know why.” Sidious was standing in the hallway, his dark robes moving as if a wind was hitting them.

Anakin scoffed. “You’re not all powerful as you claim to be, otherwise Windu wouldn’t have been able to give you the new look, Obi-wan and Yoda wouldn’t have freed me from your grasp, and you wouldn’t be using us to find your dead girlfriend’s diary.”

He could already hear Obi-wan chastising him for trying to provoke a Sith Lord. he was too tired and kriffing pissed at this tooka and numa game to care.

Sidious scowled at him, but Anakin pressed on. “I don’t believe your claim that you and your master ‘created’ me. My mother would have remembered.”

At this, the Sith Lord chuckled. “So certain, are you?”

Anakin remembered when he had foolishly tried to kill Sidious back then. He used the Force to free himself from his bonds, retrieve his lightsaber, push the clones out of the way, and lunge at Sidious… only for the Sith to parry him. It was like he was toying with him the longer they fought. Anakin was tired and injured from escaping the Jedi Temple, fueled only by his need to protect Padmé, Obi-wan, Ahsoka, and all the remaining Jedi, and avenge those who had fallen. Their fight ended with the Force lightning from Sidious which led to him torturing Anakin. In between the shocks as Anakin struggled to recover, Sidious revealed to him how deep the Sith’s manipulations went. One of the secrets he had shared was of his master Darth Plagueis experimenting with the midi-chlorians to create life and implied that Anakin was the product of that experiment. Anakin denied it, refusing to accept that his existence was made to be the Sith’s pawn.

Anakin looked at Sidious with utter loathing and without remorse, asked, “Who killed Padmé Lydonia?”

Once again, he thought he saw something flicker in Palpatine’s eyes before it disappeared. Sidious came closer to him.

Anakin’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t really know. That’s why you killed all the ones you suspected. That’s why you want Lydonia’s diary: to make sure you didn’t miss anyone.”

Sidious seemed amused, as if all the people he killed so long ago were a pleasant memory. He enjoyed killing them, Anakin realized with horror.

“We are not as different as you want to think us,” Sidious told him. 

His words reminded Anakin of the sandpeople he killed, Count Dooku, and countless others he had killed in anger. He pushed back. “Did any of them do it?”

Sidious was circling him like a Corellian slice hound preparing to strike. “They all had blood on their hands. Once their usefulness was over, nobody missed them. Corruption can’t be eliminated as those fools in the Delegation of the Two thousand seemed to think, but it can be controlled.” He stopped in front of Anakin, his yellow eyes boring into him. “I don’t want us to be enemies my dear boy. I want us to be allies. Get me the diary and give me the Jedi Holocron, and your family will be spared,” he said in a way reminiscent of how he used to talk to Anakin. Like a father.

Yet Anakin was no longer that naive boy who looked up to him. He glared fiercely at Sidious. “My answer is the same as it was all those months ago: ‘Go kriff yourself.’”

Sidious looked at him murderously. “Then the consequences will be on your head.”

“Anakin.”

Anakin turned to see Ferus standing at the bedroom doorway, looking at him in concern. Anakin turned back to Sidious, only to find that the Sith Lord was no longer there. A lot of the tension in him eased, but he still felt shakened. Sidious’s threats remained with him. Would Sidious go after the rest of Padmé’s family?

“Are you alright?” Ferus asked him. 

Anakin glanced at him and nodded. “Yeah, just having trouble sleeping.”

He did not want to tell him about the Force bond between him and Palpatine. He wasn’t sure how the bond formed, or why the connections were happening now after all these months.

Ferus looked unconvinced, but thankfully did not press.

Anakin went over to the stained glass windows at the end of the hallway. They depicted some warrior trying to spear a sea monster from his boat. Lightning flashed, giving the scene an eerie look as the monster’s mouth opened to sharp teeth ready to devour the hero, who himself was prepared to leap at it and risk certain death. Anakin felt Ferus approach him until he was at his side. He remembered their time as padawans. He remembered how everybody had practically worshiped Ferus Olin, the perfect and obedient padawan. His holier-than-thou attitude always upsetted Anakin. He could admit that he used to feel jealous of Ferus Olin. The Jedi Council never disapproved of him, whereas they made Anakin feel as if he was a burden they were forced to hold on to. Ferus was sought after by all the other padawans wanting to be his friend whereas they shunned Anakin. It always felt like no matter what Anakin did, he could never measure up to Ferus Olin, the perfect padawan. For Obi-wan and Siri’s sake, Anakin had honestly tried to get along with Ferus, but with failure. He quit trying when he heard of Ferus trying to warn Obi-wan away from him. Anakin and Obi-wan had their differences, and ups and downs, but Obi-wan was one of the very, very few beings Anakin knew he could trust. To have someone like Ferus interfere with their relationship, Anakin stopped trying to play nice. He would have been glad to see Ferus go if his departure wasn’t shadowed by Darra’s death. They were no longer teenage boys striving for attention though. Anakin had fought in wars for years and was now an outlaw in hiding, whereas he had no idea what Ferus had been up to since he left the Order five years ago.

“Did you know Ellé was Force-sensitive?” Ferus suddenly asked him.

Anakin turned to the other man, and Ferus explained. “While we were examining her, I felt her presence in the Force. She’s borderline which probably explains why she wasn’t taken to the Jedi Temple.”

Of course. Anakin should have figured that Ferus would discover Ellé’s secret. He felt protective of her, and was worried about anyone finding out. Ferus probably sensed his feelings because he continued, “Since the Empire’s formation, anyone who’s Force-sensitive has been disappearing.”

Anakin looked at Ferus worriedly. “What’s been happening to them?”

“While I was undercover, Sidious put me in a secret division of Imperial Intelligence called the Inquisitors.”

Inquisitors? That did not sound good to Anakin.

Ferus continued. “They bring in people and test them, train them, and examine them before presenting them to Sidious. If they pass, they are taken into the Inquisitors’ ranks.”

“What happens if they don’t?” Anakin asked.

Ferus took a shaky breath and looked away.

Anakin swallowed at the horrid realization. “I see.”

He looked back at the stained glass window and watched as the raindrops slid down the colored glass. “Padmé’s handmaiden Teckla was killed in service. Normally her security would handle getting her replacements, but Padmé wanted to choose herself. During one of my leaves, she invited me to come to Naboo for my expertise.” As well as spend some quality time together. “We went to the Academy where they trained handmaidens, guards, and law enforcement, and came upon a class conducting a combat exam, and that’s when we saw Ellé. She was brilliant in her fighting and shooting skills, and lasted the longest compared to the other candidates. When it came out that she had scored the highest, all of the girls started harassing her, saying that she had cheated in the course.”

“How?” Ferus asked curiously.

“They accused her of having information on the test as well as previous exams,” Anakin answered.

What he did not tell Ferus was that among the accusations, one of the candidates had accused Ellé of having an affair with Meklé Alaka, a former handmaiden of Senator Oshadam, and now a member of the Handmaiden Panel who had given Ellé the advantage in her training. When confronting both trainee and trainer, the women admitted to having been in a romantic relationship for two years, but had recently broken it off so Ellé could focus on her training, having not been able to make it into Apailana’s service as she hoped. They denied allowing their relationship to give Ellé any advantage over her classmates, and that she had passed the tests on her own merit. With the Force Anakin was able to see that they were both telling the truth. However, the information had put them all in an awkward situation. Anakin was able to sense the borderline sensitivity in Ellé, and knew that she would be the perfect handmaiden to serve and protect his wife, and Padmé had agreed with his choice. Typho, however, had been forced under obligation to report this to the Handmaiden Panel. As luck would have it, Sabé had joined the Panel not too long ago, and had become good friends with a few members. Once Anakin and Padmé explained the situation to her, Sabé pulled some strings. By that time, Ellé had become more than just a potential handmaiden for Padmé. It had been a few months since Ahsoka left the Order, and Anakin saw her in Ellé as she had been when he first met her: young and eager to prove herself. It made Anakin want to help Ellé the way he tried and failed to help Ahsoka. In the end, Sabé convinced enough Panel members to not only not kick Ellé out of the Academy, but accept Padmé’s request to have her serve as one of her handmaidens. Despite the wonderful chance to fulfill her dreams, Ellé had been saddened when her former lover Meklé had been forced to resign from the Panel despite Sabé’s efforts.

Anakin didn’t tell Ferus any of this because it was Ellé’s private information. He was worried enough about her borderline sensitivity attracting the Empire’s attention.

“In the end, we cleared everything with the Panel, and Ellé was accepted into Padmé’s services,” Anakin finished.

Ferus nodded, looking thoughtfully. “Does anybody in this house know about her Force sensitivity?”

Anakin thought for a minute then shook his head. “No, only Padmé, Typho, Sabé, and I knew for certain. It’s possible she confided in Moteé given how close they are. Do you think somebody is threatening to turn her over to the Empire?”

“It’s always a possibility, but no. I don’t think Ellé is the traitor if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ferus said.

“It’s not,” Anakin told him. He suddenly remembered what his wife and Sabé told him about Atinama leaves, and explained the information to Ferus.

Ferus’ eyes widened with realization. “If we can put Ellé in a healing trance to help her heal faster-”

“She can tell us who served her and Eirtaé the tea,” Anakin finished with a grin.

“Exactly,” Ferus said, but then he frowned. “But I haven’t healed anyone with the Force in years, and even back then I wasn’t that good.”

Anakin resisted the urge to groan. “I guess that means I have to do it, and I’ve only done it with Obi-wan and Ahsoka, people I’ve forged bonds with. Not someone who’s only borderline.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to wait for her to wake up on her own, or risk causing further damage.”

Anakin reluctantly agreed with Ferus. As much as he wanted to catch the traitor ASAP before they harmed anybody else, he didn’t want to risk Ellé’s life. They were lucky not to lose Ellé and Eirtaé unlike poor Vatié still lying in the Lasaras’s cellar. Anakin did not envy Saché’s task in telling the Bibble family and wished her luck. “I hope we can find the traitor tomorrow. The sooner the better.”

Ferus agreed. “Although, I don’t see it being as smooth and easy as we hope. There’s a level of trust and love everyone here has for Padmé. It’d have to be something extreme to compel one of them to betray Padmé, kill Vatié, and endanger Ellé and Eirtaé’s lives.”

“I hope there is a reason for all this treachery, and yet I don’t. Nothing can excuse this level of treachery,” Anakin growled.

“Not even if the lives of your family were at stake?” Ferus countered.

Anakin faltered. He remembered the night of Order 66, waiting in the Council chambers. His thoughts, like a chaotic whirlwind. The dreams of Padmé dying and Sidious’s offer to save her. Anakin remembered how scared he was. He was so terrified at the thought of losing her, he would have done anything to save her. Perhaps if he hadn’t hesitated, he would have gone off to stop Windu and the Jedi. Perhaps he would have helped Palpatine and pledged his loyalty to him. Perhaps he would have saved Padmé or perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. One thing was certain, Anakin would have gladly thrown his life away if it could save Padmé and their children.

Ferus nodded. “One of the main things the Inquisitors learn is how to inflict fear and how to control. That’s how they operate.”

Anakin wanted to be irritated with the way he stated the obvious, but then lightning flashed. It was only for a brief second, but in that time, Anakin saw the flash of gold hanging off a string around Ferus’ neck. The gold piece looked circular, and Anakin realized that it was a ring. 

A wedding ring.

“You’re married!”

Ferus’ hand flew up to his neck, taking the ring, and hiding it under his nightshirt.

Anakin sensed the feelings that escaped his childhood rival. Embarrassment. Fear. happiness. Sadness. Determination.

“What’s his name?” Anakin asked.

Ferus raised an eyebrow, obviously asking how he knew his spouse was a “he”.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Please. I’ve known since we were fourteen. Remember that incident on Carida?”

He would swear to his dying day, Ferus Olin was blushing.

Ferus cleared his throat. “His name is Roan. Roan Lands.”

Anakin could hear and sense the love that came from saying that name. It was the same love he carried for Padmé. He waited for Ferus to continue.

“We met at a cafe a few months after I left. I was hopping from planet to planet, taking any work I could get. Then one day I just ran into Roan. We connected instantly. I never felt such a connection with anybody, not even with Siri, you know?”

“Actually, I do,” Anakin said amazingly. He felt the same way with Padmé the first time they met, and the second time after ten years. Padmé may not have been Force sensitive, but Anakin knew that they were connected no matter how hard they tried to fight it at the beginning.

“We became such good friends, and when I proposed a business idea, Roan sold everything he owned, and we moved to his home planet Bellassa where we started our business. Olin and Lands. We would offer protection to whistleblowers who would testify against corrupt officials and criminal gangs, and provide them with fake identities. We did good work. One day we got married, and I was happy.”

“‘Was happy?’” Anakin asked, intrigued by the story.

“When the Clone wars starte, Roan and I served as officers until Order 66 happened. I managed to slip under the cracks for a while since I resigned from the Jedi so long ago, but… eventually Roan and I couldn’t sit idle while the Empire enslaved our home. We started a resistance group called the Eleven. Soon the Empire was after us. One night, we had a stupid argument, and I stepped outside to cool off. One of our neighbors ratted us out and Imperial troops invaded our home. They took Roan, and I wouldn’t have survived if our friends hadn’t rescued me.”

Ferus had to pause to control his emotions. He took a steady breath, and Anakin realized how close to crying he was.

“We made a promise to each other: if the Empire captured one of us, the other wouldn’t attempt to rescue.” Ferus chuckled humorlessly. “I broke that promise as soon as I was strong enough to leave my medical bed. I was on my way to Coruscant to rescue him when I ran into Obi-wan.”

“And that’s how you got into spying on Palpatine,” Anakin surmised, beginning to connect the dots.

Ferus nodded. “It wasn’t easy, but I managed to get into the Inquisitors’ Program. I would keep an eye out on any Jedi or Force sensitives the Empire looked into while Obi-wan looked for Roan for me.”

“Did Obi-wan find him?” Anakin asked.

Ferus shook his head. “No. I think Palpatine knew from the beginning I was a double agent. He used information on Roan to keep me in line. I knew he was being kept somewhere and that he was alive. Some days that was the only thing that kept me going under Palpatine’s thumb. One day, I was trying to take as many Jedi holocrons that had survived the Purge as I could, but I was caught. By Malorum, no less. I fought my way and managed to escape.”

“That’s when Obi-wan sent you here to Naboo,” Anakin stated. He felt himself softening towards Ferus as he listened to his story. That had been a great fear of his since the night Sidious had tortured him: to be under the man’s thumb with the threat of harm to his family. Anakin knew full well that if anyone threatened his family, he would butcher them and feel no remorse.

“I know Roan’s here,” Ferus said. “I’ve felt his presence ever since Palpatine came here for the funeral.”

“And you’re here with us, instead of storming the palace?” Anakin was astonished. If it had been Padmé in Roan’s place, Anakin would have long left their group to go rescue her.

Ferus nodded. “Yes, Palpatine knows that I was with Ryoo Thule when she died. He most likely brought Roan here, hoping to draw me out. If I attempt to go rescue him on my own without a plan, I’ll most likely be taken in, and Sidious will make me watch as he kills Roan.”

Anakin believed him. Sidious had threatened to kill Padmé and their unborn child if that’s what it took to turn Anakin. He was torn. They had limited time left before Karrde left the system, but there was also no guarantee Palpatine would let Roan live if Ferus didn’t give himself up. Well, Anakin Skywalker always enjoyed turning an impossible situation into a slightly difficult one.

“We’ll find a way to get him back, Ferus.”

Ferus looked at him in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe what Anakin had said. “W-What? How?”

Anakin thought for a minute, ideas running through his head. “Once we find the traitor we’ll figure out where Palpatine is keeping Roan, and come up with a plan to get in. Hopefully, Padmé will find that diary Palpatine’s been looking for. That way if we get caught, perhaps we could barter our way out.”

“You’re making it sound as if we just walk in, try to trade off Roan with a diary, and hope for the best,” Ferus said.

His tone reminded Anakin back in the day when Ferus would call Anakin’s plans reckless. It made Anakin glare at him. “We’ll figure something out.”

Ferus’ expression softened. “I’m sorry. Thank you, Anakin. I really appreciate your offer. I hope you know how much this means to me.”

A year ago, Anakin would have thought the Seven Hells had frozen over if Ferus Olin had apologized and thanked him. Now, well the galaxy was not as it had been the last time they saw each other. Anakin felt his irritation fade away. “I might have an idea.”

Ferus held up his hand, and Anakin took it. 

The years of rivalry, misunderstanding, and hurt could not be undone or forgiven yet, but there was a truce in their handshake. A… sense of peace.

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 bby

“It’s beautiful, Pooja,” Padmé breathed in awe of the beautiful painting Pooja had gifted her. It depicted the lovers' version of the Pixie and Wraith painted by Pooja, and the wooden frame had been made by her mother out of pinewood with flowers carved into the woodwork. It was a beautiful and thoughtful gift for her seventeenth lifeday.

Pooja smiled at her. “I’m glad you like it. I had finished painting it before…” she trailed off, and Padmé understood what she had meant to say.

Before the trip to the Lake Country.

It had been weeks since the attack, and everybody was still shaken by the event. Princess Blantyre had counted up the casualties to thirteen people and tallied the injured, including Padmé, and the Queen’s guards up to twenty-seven. 

Padmé learned that those on Palpatine’s yacht suffered more casualties compared to those on Costil’s yacht. The majority of the deaths were mainly servants or bodyguards with only a couple of nobles. Many who jumped off the Palpatine’s yacht nearly drowned due to their heavy clothing they forgot to remove in their haste to escape, kind of like how Padmé nearly drowned in the Queen’s gown. She heard that’s what nearly happened to Lady Veruna. While Xoana had been fighting off one of the attackers, Lady Veruna used the opportunity to jump out into the water to escape. However, her big billowy skirts and long heavy sleeves made it difficult for her to paddle, and she barely kept herself afloat until Xoana joined her and helped her remove the troublesome layers so they could escape.

Padmé also learned that Lady Palpatine, Sheev’s mother had survived, though suffered a concussion and was being cared for at their mountain estate. Captain Blantyre and the guards who stayed behind to fight had suffered numerous injuries, most of them minor mercifully, and Liné suffered a blaster shot in the shoulder before she managed to escape. 

The physical wounds had healed, but it would take a long time for the mental ones to heal if ever. Padmé had been checked by a medical droid who said that she hadn’t suffered any brain damage from her near death experience, but she still had nightmares of her attackers chasing her and her friends, and of herself drowning. She knew Celestine and the handmaidens were having nightmares as well when they managed to fall asleep. Makeup could only cover so much. 

The assassin they had caught had refused to answer any questions, and he had attempted to take his own life three times now just as Celestine had feared. The only information Blantyre and their experts had found on him was that he and the other attackers were most likely from the Assassin’s Guild. It would take months of investigation to track down this guild and discover who had hired so many assassins.

Meanwhile, Celestine and her staff were busy contacting the families of the victims, and making arrangements for their funerals and medical bills.

“Thank you for the painting, Pooja. I love it,” Padmé said, wanting to show Pooja how grateful she was to her.

Pooja smiled. “I’m glad. Actually, I was wanting to ask you for a favor.”

“Anything,” Padmé replied.

“Well, you know Monié has been taking art classes at the university, and one of the topics is Naboo Mythology. She had an idea for a painting this summer, and was hoping that I would ask you if she could use you for a model,” Pooja suggested. 

Padmé looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. “Me? Um- Well- I’m flattered, but is she sure she wants me to be her model? Didn’t you say the topic was Naboo Mythology?”

“Yes, and the character she’s painting, she says would be perfect if you modeled for it.”

“I don’t know, Pooja. I mean, I don’t see myself as beauty model worthy,” Padmé said. It was true. Ryoo was the beautiful Lydonia daughter, and Padmé was also worried about having time in between her duties to Secretary Bowen and keeping an ear out on the nobles for Celestine.

“Please Padmé? Monié is twelve and shy, and there are few people she feels comfortable enough to spend hours at a time with. It will be nighttime when all the officials have gone home. She says it’s for dramatic effect in her painting,” Pooja added in the last sentence when she saw the look on Padmé’s face. 

Padmé sighed. “Who would I be posing as?” 

“Veré.” 

“Veré, the immortal beauty who sacrificed her eternal life to save her mortal lover Set and live a mortal life with him? That Veré?” 

“Well, I don’t know any other Verés in Naboo mythology,” Pooja snarked. Her expression softened as if she could sense Padmé’s insecurities. “Please Padmé. You’re more beautiful than you give yourself credit for. You obviously don’t notice the looks you catch when you walk by, especially from the males.”

Padmé blushed. If she agreed, her evenings would be taken up, and she wouldn’t be able to spend much time with Sheev. Yet this seemed important enough to Monié that Pooja was practically begging Padmé.

Padmé sighed. “You’re lucky I love you.”

Pooja smiled and threw her arms around Padmé. “Thank you so much.”

Padmé rolled her eyes, but she smiled and returned the hug. When they pulled away, Padmé moved the painting behind the desk to take home later.

“We better get going. The Queen’s having lunch with Secretary Bowen.”

Padmé nodded, grabbing a datapad she carried just in case. “Yes, Bowen is bringing in his daughter Fayé to visit her aunt.”

“Good. I know Nadié always loves seeing her niece. Although, I have to ask, this isn’t a power play for a favor is it?” Pooja asked cautiously.

Padmé paused, thinking, and then shook her head. “No. I think ever since he broke things off with Senator Maddox, he’s become more and more burnt out with politics. I think he’s planning on stepping  down once Celestine’s terms end and a new monarch is elected.”

Pooja looked relieved. “Good. Her Highness has been stressed enough since the attack. She needs a break to spend quality time with her family.”

“Her father will be joining them today, won’t he?” Padmé asked as they left her office and made their way to the Queen’s quarters.

Pooja nodded. “Yes, President Cesare just returned from a relief mission on Serenno. There’s been an outbreak of pirates attacking and kidnapping people ever since the late Count Dooku was killed a year ago, and now the new count has done nothing so far to track down the pirates or the missing people.”

After reaching the lift and then going through security, the women finally reached the Queen’s chambers. Her private dining room was ready with servants from the kitchen setting out trays and trays of food.

Padmé could feel her mouth watering at the sight and smells. Everything looked so delicious.

Secretary Bowen was already there, his young daughter swinging her legs as she sat next to him on the recliner next to the large window overlooking the waterfalls outside.

Padmé made her way over to them.

“Fayé , look who it is,” Bowen nudged his daughter.

The little girl looked up and smiled. “Hi Paddy.”

Padmé  smiled. “Hello Fayé .”

Although she could see traces traces of Bowen, Fayé  seemed to take more from the Cesares’s side of the family. Padmé had seen a holo of Fayé ‘s mother, Tifaya Cesare in the Queen’s bedroom once during one of her reports. Tifaya had died from birthing complications around the time of Celestine’s reelection. She had been beautiful with an enchanting smile and her absence had left a hole in her family, as well as her community. In whispers Padmé  had heard that she had been a bitter rival of Senator Maddox’s, and some found that her death seemed suspicious and convenient. 

Before Padmé  could contemplate further, a steward came in and announced the Queen’s arrival. “Her Highness, Queen Celestine and President Cesare of the Refugee Relief Movement.”

The Queen and her father entered the room, eliciting curtsies and bows from everyone. 

Fayé however squealed and ran towards her aunt. “Aunt Naddy!”

The Queen, in her long billowy gown, and heavy headdress, kneeled down to the floor to catch her niece in her arms. “Hello Fayé. My, you’ve gotten so big!”

Fayé  wrapped her arms around Celestine’s neck and giggled. “I’ll be turning four next week. Do you have my present?”

“Present?” Celestine gasped. “I didn’t know we were supposed to have it ready now.”

“You’ll have to wait until your Life Day, Sweetie. Now come on. Let your aunt get up so we can eat,” Bowen said as he came up to them.

Fayé released her grip on Celestine, and President Cesare helped her back onto her feet. Once she was steady, he then lifted his granddaughter to the air. The little girl squealed and laughed. As she watched the family interact, Padmé  was smiling. Already she could see the tension and stress in Celestine ease away. Secretary Bowen seemed more at ease for the first time in weeks. Even President Cesare seemed years younger as he tossed and played with little Fayé. The sight warmed Padmé ‘s heart.

Princess Blantyre joined them and everybody sat down to eat. Captain Blantyre stood beside Celestine while her handmaidens were positioned around the room, observing as the servants served the table’s inhabitants. As Padmé sipped her goober fish stew, she listened to the conversations.

Cesare asked where Celestine and Blantyre would live once her terms ended and they could announce their engagement in public.

“Papa!” Celestine scolded while Blantyre shifted nervously beside her.

“What? I’m only asking. It’s only natural for a father to wonder about his daughter’s future.”

Padmé felt a little embarrassed for the couple. She was one of the few who knew for certain of their secret relationship. She glanced at Viola who sat across from her at the table, and found an amused grin on the Princess’s face. She was probably enjoying her brother’s embarrassment towards his future father-in-law.

Dessert was soon served. There were slices of surra fruit with whipped cream and nut caramel to dip them into, along with candied Chee-chee berries.

fayé  instantly snatched a couple of berries before the plate was even set on the table.

“Slow down, Fayé ,” Bowen admonished. “Remember your manners.”

Padmé smiled at the little girl, but as she watched the kitchen girl serve the desserts, she felt something was off. When the girl reached Padmé and began to serve her, Padmé  finally realized what was wrong. The kitchen girl was serving with her left hand instead of her right, and as she set the Chee-chee berries down and reached for the surra fruit, Padmé noticed her sleeve ride up enough to see the beginnings of a dark tattoo. Alarms went off in her head, but she managed to keep herself calm and composed as she asked. “Are you new?”

The girl stopped, as did all conversations at the table, and everybody’s eyes were on them.

The kitchen girl tried to smile, but her nervousness was obvious. “I am. Is there a problem, Miss?”

Padmé’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “When did you start working?”

“About three days ago.”

Padmé shook her head. “No, I visit the palace kitchens daily. I know everybody’s face, and I would have noticed you.”

“Y-You must have missed me,” the girl stuttered.

“I know the head chef as well. She would never let someone so new serve the Queen and her company, especially left-handed. Etiquette requires you to serve with your right to avoid crossing arms with the patron. Who are you really?”

There was tension in the air. Blantyre and the handmaidens looked like nexus ready to spring at her, while everybody at the table looked at Padmé and the kitchen girl with worry. The silence broke when Fayé began to violently cough.

“fayé !” her father and aunt cried out.

The kitchen girl reacted, pulling out a vibroknife with her eyes targeted on the Queen.

By instinct, Padmé grabbed the silver tray on the table and slammed it against her back. The force was enough to knock her off balance and allow Liné  and Pooja to tackle her down and subdue her. As the fake servant was being taken care of, Fayé began to cough up blood.

“Sagé!” Celestine cried out.

Blantyre yelled for the guards and the medic.

The handmaiden ran over to the little girl’s side and felt her pulse. “Her pulse is dropping. She needs to get to a hospital now!”

Bowen picked up his daughter and ran. Celestine, President Cesare, and Princess Blantyre quickly followed him. Once she was certain the attacker was secured, Padmé  hurried after them, and prayed to Shiraya and all the Naboo gods and spirits.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Back home in Claines, they didn’t have a large hospital, only a small medcenter that did checkups and treated minor cases. If it was an emergency, patients were flown to the nearest hospital that could provide the care they needed. The few times Padmé had gone to see the doctor with her mother, she always hated it, and today was no exception as they waited for news about Fayé.

Celestine sat next to her brother-in-law in the waiting room, still wearing her big sunset gown. President Cesare was restlessly pacing back and forth. All five of the Queen’s handmaidens were positioned throughout the room, keeping guard around her. Several of the Queen’s guards  had been ordered to stand guard throughout the hospital inside and outside. Finally, Padmé sat off to the side, observing everybody.

She had commed Luke and then her sister to let them know that a situation had arisen and that most likely she would not be home until late that night. They had been worried, but Padmé was not allowed to speak of the attack yet. However, she assured them that she was fine and safe.

Captain Blantyre entered the waiting room, looking very haggard and beaten down. Padmé and Celestine both stood up from their chairs and made their way over to him.

“What did you find?” Celestine- actually Nadié since they had to wipe off her makeup due to her tears smear- demanded.

Blantyre sighed. “The girl is Ceramé Tullu, sixteen years old, and lives at Lake Paonga. She admits to poisoning the chee-chee berries, and that she was planning to assassinate the Queen herself if the poison didn’t work.”

Padmé felt her anger boiling, and she knew Nadié was using every ounce of her will-power not to go to Ceramé Tullu and kill her with her bare hands.

“Why did she do it?” Padmé demanded.

“She claims her main target had been the Queen because she disliked many of her policies, but I had one of my guys slice into her personal file, and found around fifty thousand credits deposited into her account,” Blantyre answered.

“So she was paid to do it? What about the tattoo I saw on her wrist?” Padmé asked.

“From what we learned, the tattoo is a colo claw fish. It’s what members of some gangs down at Lake Paonga get when they’re brought in. She does have a criminal record for breaking and entering, but my guess is that she owed her boss a great deal of money who was probably threatening her life as well, and that’s why she took the job.”

“How did she get past security?” Nadié whispered, throwing a cautious look at her still brother-in-law.

“I had my men look into it. She was hired three days ago, but as a dishwasher. She would have been stationed outside the main kitchen area which is probably why you didn’t notice her until today.”

Padmé conceded to that point even though it still pricked her. She always tried to pay attention to the servants. Now because of her negligence, an innocent child’s life was at stake.

She was surprised when all of a sudden, Blantyre kneeled before the Queen, removed his captain’s hat, and then pulled out a vibroblade to hand to Celestine. She could hear gasps from the handmaidens and Princess Blantyre, and see President Cesare stop pacing, Celestine’s shocked expression, and even Bowen’s attention was caught for Padmé to know how shocked everybody was at Blantyre’s actions. 

Padmé realized what he was doing and it horrified her. The handmaidens had explained to her the oaths they and the Royal Guard took, binding themselves to protect their mistress/master with their lives, and if failing them, subjecting themselves to punishment. Padmé had heard stories of handmaidens committing suicide for failing to protect their Queen, or guards who were executed because the assassin had killed the King’s children. Such practices hadn’t been used since the second century the Naboo had settled on the planet. They were less strict, but in some extreme cases the guard or handmaiden were executed either by their mistress/master or by their head guard. Padmé knew that Blantyre was overwhelmed with guilt, but he did not deserve to subjugate himself to honorable execution.

Celestine seemed to think so too. “Captain Andrei Blantyre, get back on your feet. Now!” Tears were falling down her face as she ordered her head of security and fiance.

“I failed to protect you, Your Highness, and now my failure endangered an innocent child, your niece’s life. I do not deserve to serve you any longer.”

Bowen got up and stormed over to Blantyre and forcefully pulled him to his feet. “Forget your kriffing honor! You want to make things right? You find out the karking bastard who sent that fracking cur who tried to kill my daughter!”

Whatever Blantyre was going to say next was cut off when Dr. Renamé Corma, Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, and Sagé’s mother came into the waiting room. She had been in charge of treating Fayé when she was brought in. Now, as she removed her surgical mask, Padmé felt her heart stopping as she read the grim and sad look in her eyes.

“Dr. Corma,” Bowen released Blantyre and looked at her.

The older woman sadly shook her head. “We did all we could, but the poison acted faster than we could. I’m so sorry. She’s gone.”

Padmé watched as Bowen’s knees collapsed under him, and she rushed over to him. She held him in her arms as he sobbed. She distantly heard the others crying and yelling in the background, but her focus was on Bowen. 

She remembered the first day she started working for him, remembering all the rumors about him sleeping with his father-in-law’s girlfriend. She remembered him mentoring her, and showing her the ropes on dealings within the palace and the planet. She remembers him with his daughter Fayé, and the love and happiness she brought to him.

She remembered little Fayé. sweet and innocent little Fayé who liked having her nanny chase after her, have her Aunt Naddy weave flowers into her hair, and hide under her father’s desk. Fayé, who had her whole life ahead of her to grow up, go to school, follow her dreams, marry the love of her life, and have a family, but was cut off from ever doing any of those things.

As Bowen cried into her shoulder, and Padmé felt herself mourning the loss of Fayé Bowen, she swore that she would find the person responsible for her death. The corruption was growing more bold and more deadly, but she would not stop.

Padmé would continue to fight the corruption destroying her planet and the lives of the people around her.

Padmé Lydonia would not stop until her planet, her friends, and family were safe and free from tyranny.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 21

The rains had stopped around the time of dawn, but many parts of the city of Theed were flooded from the ankles to the knees. In some parts that veered down, water rushed like the famous Virdugo Plunge down steps, making it hazardous for any pedestrians brave or foolish enough to venture out in this.
Such was Padmé Amidala-Skywalker’s luck. The rain boots she had found in Eirtaé’s closet were already filling up with icy cold water, and her jacket barely protected her from the elements as she trudged her way down the streets of Theed. Sabé had thought her crazy and asked if she was suicidal to want to go out in this weather.
Perhaps Padmé was a little crazy.
She had gotten on a public transport that her carried her to within a couple blocks from her old neighborhood, and from there she made her way over to the Greduns’s jewelry and tea shop. On normal sunny days such a walk would be no difficult, but in flood-like weather the trek was dangerous. The slightest misstep could plunge Padmé into the cold water, and she would be swept off in the current. It took about two hours for Padmé to finally reach the shop.
It had been three-and-a-half years since the last time she had come for Cordé’s memorial. She remembered Cordé’s family, her parents Osco and Hara Gredun, her recently widowed sister Tifay, and her two little nieces, three-year-old Cordyn and two-month-old Fay. the Greduns were a merchant family that use to be in the plasma industry up until the Blockade when they switched to the mineral mining industry. Cordé used to tell Padmé that after Panaka removed her from the handmaiden candidacy, she would have joined the family business if the Trade Federation hadn’t blockaded Naboo. Their days in the camps influenced her parents’ decision to change their business, and Cordé instead helped her sister start her jewelry business, purchasing the old Naberrie home, remodeling it, and then designing jewelry. When Cordé became her handmaiden, Padmé
Got to meet Tifay Gredun who designed most of the jewelry she wore in the Senate. Broaches that doubled as listening devices or trackers in case Padmé was taken. Hair accessories that could become weapons or lock picks, and many other pieces of jewelry that were very useful in Padmé’s line of work. But when Cordé was killed, Padmé didn’t have the heart to keep asking for things from the Gredun family. She heard that Osco had retired because of his failing health, and that Hara had stepped down to care for her husband, and help Tifay run her business and raise her two daughters.
As Padmé neared the shop, she felt her nervousness grow, remembering when she last spoke with the Greduns. All of them had been emotional. Cordé’s parents couldn’t even look at Padmé, so strong was her resemblance to their deceased daughter. Tifay had kept a strong front, but although she never blamed Padmé, Padmé wondered if she secretly resented her for surviving while her sister didn’t. Given the Empire’s formation with everyone’s loyalties shifting out of admiration or fear, it made Padmé’s visit a huge gamble.
The water was ankle deep now in this section, so it was much easier to trek through. However, the water carried debris of trash, leaves, and even some pieces of outdoor furniture. There were a few people out on the streets, retrieving what furniture they could grab before it was swept away. Among those few was Tifay Gredun. The chairs and tables she used to serve her customers tea and caf, she was gathering them up and tying them next to the building.
Padmé swallowed her nervousness, and approached her handmaiden’s sister. “Tifay?”
The woman stopped and turned to Padmé. Her face turned pale, and she glanced at her busy neighbors fearfully.
“You can’t be here,” she whispered.
“Tifay, I-”
“No!” The woman fiercely told her, keeping her voice low, so her neighbors wouldn’t hear above the running water. She shook her head. “No!”
She was angry and scared. Padmé knew she had to approach this carefully. “Tifay, please, I need your help. I need to-”
“No! The Empire is looking for you! If they find out I helped you- Padmé, I have two small children, and my parents are elderly. You’ve already killed my sister. Please don’t kill the rest of my family.”
Her words cut into Padmé, and she couldn’t speak as Tifay turned away from her. That’s when a little girl, the same age as her niece Pooja stepped out of the shop’s front door.
“Mama?”
“Stay inside with your sister, Cordyn,” Today told her, climbing up the steps, out of the water, and tried to send her back in.
“But Grandpa’s missing.”
Today stopped, and that’s when Padmé saw an older woman she recognized as Hara stepped out. “It’s true, Tifay. I searched the entire house and shop, but I can’t find your father.”
Padmé watched as Tifay turned back to the neighborhood, fear and worry evident in her expression. She stepped back down into the water and called out to her father. Soon, the few people who were out, joined her, searching for Osco Gredun
Padmé joined the search. A voice in the back of her head was telling her how stupid this was, that she should stay out of this and not risk being recognized by one of the neightbors, but she ignored it. Floods even in Theed could become dangerous. Many died a year in Theed alone when the rains poured and caused flash floods. Padmé couldn’t turn her back on someone who needed her help, especially when that person was her friend’s father.
She trudged through the water, keeping close to Tifay as they searched. “Do you know why he would go out?” she asked.
“The doctors diagnosed him with severe Alzheimer's last year, and it’s been getting worse. He’ll get confused, forget where he’s at, and mistake someone for someone else. He’s already been mistaking my girls for me and my sister,” Today answered as they left the block, looking in alleys and anywhere an old man could hide.
That didn’t sound good to Padmé. Osco Gredun was in his late sixties, and on top of his Alzheimer’s, Padmé suddenly remembered Cordé mentioning that his time in the Trade Federation camps had caused him to have respiratory ailment and that it had weakened his health. It was cold, their search had led them to knee depth water, and it looked like it was going to rain again soon.
They had to hurry.
They climbed a series of steps and that’s when they heard the cry for help. Tifay picked up her pace up the pouring stairs with Padmé right behind her. When they made it to the level and looked down the stairs on the other side, Padmé felt horror at the sight she saw.
Osco Gredun clung to a stone pillar as a river of water ran down the street at waist length.
“Dad!” Tifay screamed.
“Help me!” the man cried out.
Several people had joined Padmé and Tifay, murmuring that he couldn’t hold much longer, and wondered what to do.
Padmé knew what to do.
She reached into her jacket and pulled out her grapple gun, thanking her husband and friend for insisting that she bring it with her. She began pulling out the line of the grapple.
“What are you doing?” Tifay asked, panic in her tone.
Padmé tied the line around her waist and handed the gun to Tifay. “When I have him, hit the reverse button and that will pull us back out.”
Tifay looked at her, surprised, but thankfully followed her instructions without question. Padmé handed her jacket to one of the ladies watching and turned to the rushing waters that stood between her and Osco. She loved swimming. She considered herself a strong swimmer ever since her parents taught her how in the rivers of Claines. She could do this, but she prayed to Shiraya and the Force to give her strength and to bring her and Osco back safely.
Taking a deep breath, she jumped in.
It felt like a thousand knives were stabbing her throughout her body. The water was so cold this time of year, and she could feel her teeth already beginning to chatter. She kept her focus on Osco though, wading through the filthy waters and carefully avoiding debris by the skin of her teeth.
The water was rising. It was halfway to her chest, and the string current threatened to pull her with it. Padmé didn’t fight it, but allowed it to guide her to Osco. She prayed to Cordé’s spirit that she would help Padmé save her father. Finally, after a fierce battle with the crossing, Padmé reached Osco. she had no idea exactly how long the man had been there, but he was shivering, his skin felt like ice, and his grip was beginning to slip.
“Give me your hand!” Padmé told him, over the current. She could tell that he was terrified to let go of the pillar, and scared of being swept away.
“Give me your hand!” she repeated, reaching out to him.
He shook his head.
Padmé moved closer, trying to reach him. “Give me your hand!”
Finally, he looked up at her, and his face morphed into shock. “C-C-Cordé?”
Padmé felt her heart being stabbed again and her eyes burning with tears. “Please, give me your hand.”
At last, the old man reached out for her hand, and she wrapped her arms around him, telling him to hold on to her before she called out to Tifay. It felt weird, the sensation of being pulled through such a strong current, but Padmé held onto Osco as they were being pulled in. She could barely feel the grapple line digging around her waist thanks to the cold water beginning to numb her body, but she knew that she would have a nasty long bruise there.
When they were half-way through, Padmé felt a jerk, and then she was submerged with Osco on top of her. It was so cold, and Padmé had been taken by surprise, she hadn’t been able to take a breath. Now, she struggled not to panic as her airways filled with water. Osco was so heavy, and Padmé’s first instinct was to push him off so she could break the surface and breathe in air. But the image of Cordé dressed in the white gown, her face bloody and covered in soot flashed before her eyes. Despite her instincts, Padmé held on to her friend’s father, and didn’t let go.
As suddenly as they were submerged, they emerged out of the water, coughing up liquid and gasping for air. Padmé felt the grapple continuing to pull them until they finally made it to the stairs, to safety. They were swarmed by Tifay and the people with them. Many took off their coats and wrapped them around Padmé and Osco, or patted their backs to help them cough up the water they took in. Padmé’s numbed fingers fumbled with the grapple line still tied around her waist until Tifay stepped in and undid it herself. Once that was done, Today wrapped her arms around Padmé.
“Thank you,” she whispered in Padmé’s ear, on the verge of tears.
“Cordé?”
Tifay and Padmé pulled away to look at Osco wrapped in people’s cloaks. His face broke into the biggest smile Padmé had ever seen on him.
“Cordé!”
He flung his arms around her and pulled her into a hug so strong Padmé almost couldn’t breathe. “My little girl. I knew you’d come home. I knew it! My beautiful, brave little girl!”
It was too much for Padmé. She broke into heaving sobs as she clung to the confused man she risked her life to save. She wished it was true. She wished Cordé was alive and here in her father’s arms where she belonged. She wished she was in her own father’s arms, soothing and comforting as she sobbed her heart out for the people she loved and lost.
“There, there. It’s alright. It’s going to be alright. We’ll just go inside, get some hot chocolate, and tell your mother where you’ve been,” Osco soothed. “Right, Tifay?”
“Yes Dad,” Today answered, sounding on the verge of tears herself.
It was hard, but Padmé forced herself to stop crying so they could pull themselves back to their feet. She looked at the people surrounding them. Most of them seemed relieved that Osco had been rescued, yet heartbroken when he called his rescuer by his deceased daughter’s name. However, some of them looked at Padmé with suspicion. Padmé felt her heart quickening. She had hoped that her bedraggled appearance made her unrecognizable. She had to look the exact opposite of her styled and collected public image.
“Do I know you?” one of the onlookers asked.
“She looks like-”
“She’s my cousin, Nadié Corderrie,” Today interrupted them. “That’s why she looks like my sister, Cordé.”
Padmé made certain her surprise didn’t show. She was grateful to Tifay for covering her, but would it work? Everyone was staring at her now, analyzing her features. She used the mask she had worn in the Senate, refusing to reveal how scared she was.
“But-” the man protested, but Tifay interrupted him again.
“Remember when your business was failing, my father loaned you the credits that helped save it.”
That shut him up. Tifay looked at all the people gathered around them. “She is my cousin who saved my father, your friend and neighbor, got it?” Her tone broke any argument anyone would have brought up.
Everybody nodded and Padmé realized that they all knew who she was, and yet they wouldn’t say anything to anyone, even the ones who had looked at her suspiciously. Her gratitude towards Tifay increased.
Tifay turned to Padmé and her father, and her expression softened.
“Let’s find some dry clothes and get you both warmed up.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé learned that when Tifay had been reeling them in, the grapple had broken off the blaster, unable to stand against the strong current which was why Padmé and Osco were submerged and nearly taken by the current. Tifay had quickly grabbed the grapple before it was lost, but would have been taken in by the current herself if her neighbors hadn’t stepped in to hold her and help pull Padmé and Osco out of the water. It helped restore Padmé’s faith that not all of the people of Naboo had been taken in by the Empire’s lies.
Now, she was sitting in the Gredun home, formerly Naberrie residence. She had changed into some old clothes Tifay had provided her, and she was now sitting next to the heater, sipping hot chocolate while her clothing was being dried.
Osco, after a hot bath and some warm drinks, had been laid down to rest, much to Padmé’s relief. She didn’t think she could handle him mistaking her for his dead daughter again.
She looked around the parlor, remembering nights she and her sister would play games after completing their homework while their father studied blueprints for work, their mother sipped her tea, and her Grandma Winama worked on her lacemaking. She remembered her Grandma Winama, sweet, kind, and resilient with her hands always busy making lace. Her father once told Padmé that she used to make clothing for the upperclassmen when he was a boy until his father’s death when she got tired of dealing with snobby, rich people and decided to make lace that everyone could buy. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer while Padmé had been Princess of Theed, and had died shortly after she had been elected Queen. Her death had devastated Padmé. She hadn’t been able to see her grandma in her last moments, but she had taken a couple days off, leaving to attend the funeral with Sabé and having Eirtaé fill in her stead, much to Panaka’s grief.
Padmé’s thoughts then shifted to her grandfather Luke Naberrie. She remembered the stories her grandma use to tell her of him. How they met. How they fell in love. How they supported one another’s dreams: his to serve in the palace as a representative of the people, and her’s to open her own business, making things for people to wear. The way her grandma had portrayed her grandfather in the stories, it made Padmé wish that she could have met him. She knew her grandma had missed him, and prayed that when she died, her grandma had reunited with her love and found peace.
Tifay entered the parlor, interrupting Padmé’s thoughts.
“Emergency services won’t be able to come until the floods have receded in a few hours, but Mom thinks as long as we keep him warm and a close eye, we’ll prevent him from catching pneumonia. It could have been a lot worse,”she said as she sat down in a chair next to Padmé.
“Thank you,” she whispered, seeming on the verge of crying again.
“It was the least I could do. For Cordé. For your family,” Padmé told her.
Tifay shook her head. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier: saying that you killed Cordé. I shouldn’t have said that. Cordé always felt like she could never amount enough, especially when Panaka dismissed her from the handmaiden program. Personally, I think Mom and Dad were relieved, especially when they heard about the Yelnina girl being killed, Councilor Aeyinson being tortured during the Occupation, and the many assassination attempts made against you over the years. Cordé, though, never felt as confident about herself until Saché contacted her, asking if she wanted to serve you in the Senate. I had never seen her so happy as she was serving as your handmaiden. She admired and respected you, and considered you her friend.”
Padmé moved to wipe the tears shedding from her eyes. “She was my friend too.”
They were silent for a moment, remembering the woman they both loved and missed.
“You said you needed my help?” Tifay asked.
“Yes.” Padmé explained to her what brought her back to Naboo, the search for her great-aunt’s comb, and now the search for the diary that possibly had the clues as to who had caused the Celestine Bombing forty-seven years ago.
“I suspect my aunt possibly hid the diary somewhere in this building. I was hoping that I could search and look for it.”
tifay was silent for a moment before she stood up. “I’ll be back with my mother. I think you’ll want to hear what she has to say.”
She left the room, leaving Padmé surprised.
She tried to remember what she knew about Hara Gredun which wasn’t much. Did she know something about the bombing?
Tifay returned with her mother in tow. Padmé saw that she was carrying a holo to her chest and was suddenly reminded of Liné.
“Tell her what you told me,” Tifay said to her.
Padmé repeated the story and watched as Hara tightened her grip on the holo in her hands. She was a few years older than Padmé’s parents, old enough to remember the bombing with much more clarity. Did she lose someone in the bombing?
“Mom, it’s okay,” Tifay soothed, resting a hand on her mother’s shoulders.
Hara sighed then she turned the holo around and turned it on.
Padmé saw a man in a Refugee Relief uniform they used to have decades ago. In front of the man were two girls, one who looked to be the same age as Padmé’s nieces while the other looked to be twelve years old, and in her arms was a toddler who stared at the camera.
“I was the youngest of three girls. My mother died when I was a baby, and my father was President of the Refugee Relief Movement. I was mostly raised by my eldest sister Tifaya who was the closest thing I had to a mother. She and my other sister Nadié both entered public service while I was in school. Tifaya served as Senator Joaquin Mar’s aid and had tried to become senator herself when he died, but Maddox was chosen instead by the Royal Council at that time. She married Secretary Bowen and was very happy. My other sister was elected as Queen Celestine.”
Padmé was surprised by this information, so unexpected it was. Cordé never told her.
Hara continued talking. “I was seven when Nadié was elected, and I had no interest in joining politics. I was old enough for my father to take me on his trips and I rarely saw my sisters. That is until Tifaya became pregnant. We were all excited, until her due date when she had severe cramp issues. The birthing was hard on her, but she managed to give birth to a baby girl we named Fayé. Then she kept bleeding no matter what the doctors did, and she didn’t make it.”
Hara had to stop for a moment to gather her emotions before continuing. “We were all devastated. At twelve years old I blamed Bowen for getting my sister pregnant, and poor little Fayé for causing her death. I was angry at everyone, so I attended school off planet on Coruscant. I didn’t come back until I heard that Fayé had been poisoned and died. She was three years old.”
Padmé her heart aching, imagining her little Luke or Leia in Fayé’s place. “Why would someone poison her?”
“It had been an attack on Nadié. Fayé just happened to eat it before she did. When I came for the funeral, Nadié told me that they had caught the assassin, but were investigating who had sent her.”
“Did they find out who did?” Padmé asked, already suspecting the answer.
Hara shook her head. “No, when the bombing happened, whatever information they had was lost and the case went cold.”
Padmé was saddened by the news, but pressed on. “Did you ever meet my great-aunt, Padmé Lydonia?”
“Once,” Hara admitted. “It was right after the funeral. People in the palace called her the ‘Queen’s Pet’, but Nadié considered her a good and loyal friend, and she was kind to our family during that difficult time. She had asked me questions about Tifaya’s death.” Hara looked ashamed. “I might have snapped at her at the time, but I later realized that she had asked because of the rumors going around that Tifaya’s death had not been natural. I learned after the bombing from Nadié’s handmaiden Liné, that Lydonia had been spying for Nadié, trying to uncover how deep the corruption in the governement went and how to take those people down.”
“You know Liné?” Padmé asked, surprised that the former handmaiden hadn’t mentioned it.
Hara nodded. “Yes, after the bombing, friends and family would get together to honor those who died in it once a year for several years. It was difficult. Many of the victims didn’t have much family. Nadié’s handmaiden, Patté, had none at least sober enough to realize she was dead. Handmaiden Sagé wasn’t close with her father’s family and only had her mother to mourn her until she died of heart failure ten years after the bombing. Handmaiden Veta’s mother had lost both of her daughters within a couple months of each other, and focused on raising her granddaughter, only coming every few years until her health prevented her. Captain Blantyre and Princess Blantyre’s step-family only showed up for publicity as long as it was convenient, but they obviously didn’t care for them. Governor Toun Tapalo’s wife and children came every year until we couldn’t do it anymore. The same for the families of Treasurer Mikael Excenil, Councilor Tie Bibble, Councilor Suya Tonsort, and Councilor Luke Naberrie. Actually, your Grandmother Winama Naberrie was the one who helped organize the memorials every year. Wonderful woman.”
Padmé smiled sadly, agreeing.
“However, there were some like your Grandmother Ryoo Thule who didn’t come because it was too painful for them. Most of the guards who died were single and only had parents and siblings to mourn them. We tried inviting the survivors to the memorials. One of them died right before the first memorial, Handmaiden Pooja’s mother would bring her in a hover chair until she passed away, Lieutenant Gregor Panaka always came and he was good as long as he wasn’t in his cups yet, and Liné always led the memorial. Out of all my sister’s followers, Liné had been the most devoted to her, and her words about Nadié and all the men and women who had died because they had supported her dream of a free and better Naboo always led us to tears.”
Hara had to stop again and wipe the tears from her eyes. “I wasn’t a good sister to Nadié when she was still alive. I use to blame her for allowing men like Bon Tapalo and Ars Veruna rise to power and ruin Naboo from the inside out. Only now when I look at the Empire do I realize the trouble she had. Corruption is like a cancer. Even if you catch it, it can spread no matter how you treat it.”
Her words were disheartening. Padmé used to hear the same words when she was in the Senate, and fought against corruption for the welfare of the people.
“We can’t give up,” she said.
Hara shook her head slowly. “No, we cannot. So many lives and dreams were destroyed that day. Nadié wanted to step down from politics, she wanted to teach law, and marry Blantyre, and have a family. Tifaya’s death hurt my father, Fayé’s crippled him, but it was Nadié’s death who destroyed him. My brother-in-law resigned as secretary shortly before the bombing and cared for my father for the rest of his days. Many of the victims’ families, including myself, lived in fear for decades, terrified that the people responsible would come after us. All the while, people like Tapalo, Veruna, and Maddox lived in luxury and power. Many of the families have died off without knowing who had taken our loved ones from us,” Hara’s voice grew more fierce and there was a fire in it.
She looked straight into Padmé’s eyes. “My Cordé believed in you, and that’s why I will help you on one condition.”
Padmé nodded, feeling determined. “Name it.”
“I understand the Empire will never allow such information from the diary to be published in public, but when this Empire is gone it will be. When you find the diary, and uncover its secrets, you will share them with the remaining family members of the all the bombing victims so they can finally have that closure before they die, and when the Empire is finally gone, the diary will be published for all of Naboo to know the truth behind the curruption and murders behind the Celestine Bombing and beyond,” Hara told her.
Padmé nodded. Palpatine would ensure the diary was never made public, but when he was dead and couldn’t stop them, the diary would be published, and the truth revealed. Until then, she could at least give the victims’ families the answers they had sought for decades. “I will. I swear on Cordé, and the lives and graves of my family, I will do that.”
Hara nodded, looking relieved and a bit hopeful. “Thank you. Now, come on. We’ll help you search.”
While the shop level down below had been remodeled from a clothing store to a jewelry shop and café, the home floors above had remained unchanged. There were four bedrooms and a nursery, a study, two front parlors, two freshers, and a large kitchen. The building itself was three levels with most of the bedrooms on the top floor.
Pamdé remembered Grandma Winama telling her how the building pre-dated to the Gungan Wars. her great-grandfather had bought it when he was newly married with hopes of turning it into a restaurant, but by the time her Grandfather Luke had married her Grandma Winama, the business had begun to fail, so Winama had changed it into her fashion shop with better success. There were so many memories in this building for Padmé. She remembered how heartbroken she was when her parents told her that they were moving along the outer edges of Theed in a house Padmé’s father had built himself. However, since Grandma Winama had died, the shop had remained closed and was heavily damaged during the Occupation when the droids had forced the Naberries into the camps. Instead of repairing the damage, Ruwee Naberrie felt that it was time for a change in the Naberrie family and had moved them so they could have a new start.
Padmé recognized the paintings on the stone walls dictating stories from Naboo mythology. She remembered running her hands over the heroes’ faces, imagining them fighting battles and monsters, and rescuing damsels in distress. There were carvings in the stone as well as symbols of Naboo’s religion, houses, trees, flowers, and even some fish and animals. Padmé kept an eye at every sculpture or painted image of a flower she saw. “Behind the red flower,” but she wasn’t having any luck finding a secret passageway or hole.
Grandma Winama had told them there were hidden hideaways throughout the home, but she could only remember where a couple of them were and how to open them. Padmé and her sister Sola would spend hours searching for them when they were bored, and had even managed to find one in the kitchen pantry. During the invasion, Padmé’s mother had tried to hide in it, but when she heard her husband and daughter in trouble, she had rushed out and was captured by the droids.
They felt, twisted, and knocked anywhere they believed a hidden pocket could be.
Eventually, Tifay’s girls joined in the search. The idea of finding a hidden hiding place and finding treasure was so exciting to them their mother and grandmother didn’t have the heart to refuse them. Little Cordyn had been named after her aunt and great-grandmother’s maiden name, and was considered a tomboy by her mother. Fay was so beautiful and looked so much like her Aunt Cordé and her great-aunts in Hara’s holo, Padmé sent a silent prayer to Shiraya that she would have a happier life than them.
They searched the main floor with Cordyn happily finding a hidden nook in the east front parlor behind one of the sofas. Nothing in there, so they moved up to the bedroom floor. They started with the nursery room. There were images of the Pixie Padmé and several other pixies helping the settlers’ children painted on the walls.
Padmé loved this room when she came to live here as a child, even when Sola used to call it the baby’s room. There was a hidden cupboard in the room, big enough for a little Padmé to sit in comfortably while she read her sister’s books she wasn’t supposed to have and nobody could disturb her. The cushions she used to lay on were still there as well as the romantic holo novel Sola used to read back then. Of course, Padmé made certain Tifay’s girls didn’t see it while she tucked it in her pocket with a silent promise to return it to her sister fifteen years later.
There was still no sign of the diary.
Padmé tried to think. The master bedroom was where her grandparents used to sleep back at that time until Padmé’s own parents moved in and Grandma Winama gave it to them, so her great-aunt would have no reason to be in there. Besides, Padmé remembered the room being painted with an ocean at sunset and a ship sailing into it. No flowers.
There was a side bedroom her Grandma Winama had moved into, and if she remembered correctly, Grandmamma Ryoo had stayed in it back then. Padmé used to call it the deity room, because it was painted with the image of Shiraya. In the painting, Shiraya was officiating the marriage of a pixie prince and a nymph princess with all the forest creatures in attendance, even the human child Sola from the Pixie Padmé’s story had been invited to bless the marriage because of her growing friendship with the pixies. Padmé remembered Sola loving the room because of that story. She decided to start looking in that room next.
Tifay lived in there now. It took a long time for the women to search the room. Because it was a forest wedding there were flowers painted everywhere. They knocked on stone, felt around the images, and twisted every carved flower, but nothing.
Padmé was getting frustrated then her head lit up. Of course! She felt like such an idiot. There was a smaller bedroom down the hall. Sola had stayed in it and called it her big girl’s room, and when Grandma Winama first opened her shop, her assistant had stayed in that room until she got married. Padmé’s Great-Aunt Lydonia had also stayed in that room!
Padmé hurried over to it and felt around. The room was painted of the immortal Veré and her mortal lover Set. Veré was painted looking down her tower window longingly to Set who held up a bouquet of exquisite wild flowers to her. Among those flowers was a vibrant red flower. Padmé ran her hand over it nervously when she felt it. It was barely covered by the sandpaint, but she could feel the dents around one of the flower petals.
A switch!
Padmé felt excitement welling within her. She pressed the button. There was a loud groan in the room before a whoosh was released and some dust swept the room and everybody coughed, waving the dust away. Padmé looked and saw a loose stone at the head of the bed with an old light to be used as a handle. She reached out and grasped the light and pulled. The stone slid sideways, revealing a large hole in the wall. Padmé looked in and found… fabric. Dusty and moth bitten fabric. Padmé took them out. They were probably once fine fabric materials, lovingly stitched by skilled hands, but years hidden in a dark hole in the wall had allowed them to become ruined. The material was also made heavier when compared to modern clothing. Padmé took the rest of the fabric out and shook them out in the hopes that they hid something. Nothing but dust. There was nothing else in the secret hole.
“Is that it?” Cordyn asked, her tone echoing everyone’s disappointment.
“Could Pooja have been wrong?” Tifay asked, more gently.
Was Pooja wrong? Had she made it up when she told Lieutenant Panaka? Padmé shook her head. “No. no it has to be here somewhere. Where else could she have hidden it? What about the guest room?”
Hara shook her head sadly. “After we bought the building, we had to renovate that room because the walls had begun to crumble. We didn’t find anything.”
Padmé slumped on the bed, her hope beginning to shatter. “No. No. No, it has to be in this house. Anywhere else it would have been found a long time ago. Maybe we need to double check everything, make sure we didn’t miss anything. We should-”
“Padmé!” Tifay startled her.
She knelt down in front of Padmé and gently took her arms. “Is it possible that the diary had been lost in the fires? That maybe your great-aunt had it with her when she died?”
It… It was possible. But if it was then what was the point of all this? Had her grandmamma been murdered over a melted old comb? Was this all just a messed up game to lure her and Anakin into a trap? Padmé wasn’t Force-sensitive, but she strongly felt that the diary still existed, but where did her great-aunt hide it?
A loud bang caused them all to jump.
“Open up! Open up in the name of the Emperor!”
Padmé felt herself grow cold as did Hara and Tifay. Fay began to cry. In a flash, Tifay grabbed all the old fabric and pushed them back into the wall. “Quickly, you must hide!”
She helped Padmé climb into the hole in the wall before sealing it. It was a tight fit, but by pulling her knees up to her chest, Padmé was able to fit in the secret hole, but with limited space she felt claustrophobic. She could hear Hara and Tifay running downstairs, and felt so alone. She could feel her heart beating faster, sweat pouring down her neck, and she tried to take slow breaths. She remembered the stories she read about the Gungan Wars. In order to survive a Gungan invasion, citizens hid in secret hideaways they instilled in case of such an event. Padmé wondered if anybody who hid in this hole felt like she did now: scared of being caught, having trouble breathing, and terrified of being stuck in here.
She heard footsteps stomping upstairs, and knew that it wasn’t Tifay, Hara, or either of the little girls.
“Search up here!” She recognized the voice of one of the clones. She held her breath as she heard them searching through the bedrooms.
“Make sure to search under the beds. My daughters swear there’s a furry monster hiding under one of them,” she heard Tifay tell them, sarcasm heavy in her voice.
“We’re just doing our job, Madame Gredun,” one of the clones, the leader of the team said, obviously annoyed by her. “We got a call saying that you were seen with the fugitive Padmé Amidala. That’s a serious allegation.”
“A call from who?” Tifay demanded. “Captain, I am a businesswoman and a widow with two small children and two elderly parents to take care of. I don’t have the time nor desire to get into trouble by hanging around with any fugitives. I have enough on my mind today with my store beginning to flood, my girls staying home from school, and my alzheimic father deciding to take a walk around the flooded neighborhood. If one of my crazy neighbors decides to denounce me based on little evidence there will be real trouble.”
Padmé listened as Tifay and the clone argued while also listening to the other clones search the rooms. She felt her heart in her throat as she heard the tapping on the stone walls, checking to see if they were hollowed or not. She’d read and heard about the clones’ equipment being able to scan for lifeforms and prayed that the wall was thick enough to hide.
It felt like forever before they finally stopped and moved out, Tifay’s voice fading in the distance. Padmé prayed that was it. Prayed that they were satisfied and that they wouldn’t take Tifay or any of her family in. After another eternity, but was really ten minutes, she heard Tifay’s footsteps rushing back to her, heard the loud groan of the switch being pushed, and felt the swoosh of cold, fresh air of the door being released. When Tifay slid the hidden door open, Padmé tumbled out, gasping for air, relieved to be out of the dark cramped hole, and even more relieved that the clones didn’t find her or arrest Tifay and her family.
“That was too close,” Tifay said. “One of my neighbors must have decided to denounce me when they saw you with me. You have to leave as soon as possible.”
Padmé nodded, catching her breath. “I will. Thank you for the help you’ve given me. For everything. But what will you do with the person who denounced you?”
Tifay grinned, darkly. “Oh don’t worry. Those of us who haven’t fallen for the Empire’s lies, know exactly what to do with denouncers.”
Padmé decided to leave it at that. She had already risked Tifay and Cordé’s family enough by coming here, and being seen with Tifay.
She hadn’t amnaged to find her great-aunt’s diary here as she'd hoped, but she had to keep looking. Hopefully, Anakin and Sabé had more luck finding the traitor than she had in her search.

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 BBY

A somber air covered the entire castle. The death of Fayé Bowen, Queen Celestine’s three-year-old niece had sent the entire planet into mourning. Many sympathized with the Queen and her family while others blamed her for putting the little girl in harm’s way in the first place. The latter infuriated Padmé. It wasn’t like Celestine took her on a mountain cliff or a swamp land, it was supposed to be a simple family luncheon in a place they should have been safe.
The funeral had been yesterday, and a very public affair. Dignitaries had come from all over the Chommell Sector to pay their respects as well as family members who had been offworld.
That’s how Padmé met the third Cesare sister, Hara, a young lady a little younger than Padmé herself who had been studying abroad these past few years. The impression Padmé had gotten was that of a very angry woman. She had been close to her sister Tifaya and her death had been very painful for her, she never got to look at her niece in the three years she had lived. Despite never meeting her niece, Padmé could see that Hara was deeply aggrieved at the loss of her sister’s child.
The rest of the Cesare family had been struck even harder. During the funeral, President Cesare had to have two of his assistants help him walk beside his granddaughter’s coffin, and was now abed, sick with grief. Celestine had publicly held herself together with envious strength, but Padmé knew from Pooja that Nadié cried often in the privacy of her chambers.
It was Bowen who worried Padmé the most. He had gone through Fayé’s funeral as if he was in a daze, like he was still in shock. Padmé had been forced to take up his secretary duties because he hadn’t come back to the palace since that horrible day. She made sure to check up on him everyday, once in the morning before she went to work, and once when she left and was on her way home.. She would make him food to eat, but he would stare out into space, not even acknowledging her.
It broke Padmé’s heart. It also filled her with rage.
Investigators had been working to find out who had sent Tullu to kill the Queen, and how she had managed to get into the Palace. The Head Chef had been questioned, saying that Tullu had been recommended by one of her cooks who had grown up in Lake Paongo with her, saying that Tullu had fallen on hard times and needed a place to work. That cook had been arrested and was being questioned. As to how Tullu came to serve the Queen’s luncheon that day, the servants said that the person in charge couldn’t be found and Tullu had offered a hand to help them since they were running behind schedule. They later found that missing person dead and hidden in a cleaning closet. As for Tullu, she had been found dead in her cell the morning of Fayé’s funeral. They were never able to find who had ordered the hit out of her.
While the investigators searched for the person who ordered the hit and most likely Tullu’s death, Padmé’s new responsibilities lead her to investigating the food stores in the palace kitchens. The head chef had been complaining about food shortages, and according to the list of orders in Bowen’s file, something wasn’t adding up. According to Bowen’s list, there should have been more than enough supplies. Before her mother passed away and her father’s mind was still intact, they taught Padmé how to keep track of everything they sold and bought on the farm back in Claines. Those skills had come in handy when Padmé helped Ryoo and Winama at the shop. They had to keep track of every needle and thread they purchased and the credits they earned in the items they sold. If Padmé’s suspicions were true, then someone in the palace was pilfering the kitchen’s food supplies.
Padmé didn’t believe it was the head chef. She was an excellent cook, but a hard taskmaster, and she considered the kitchens her home. However, Padmé couldn’t be certain until she went down and went through the storage rooms herself. That’s why she reported her suspicions to Celestine when she was available to see her. She had loaned Padmé her handmaiden Patté to help her in the investigation.
Patté was the youngest of Celestine’s handmaidens, having joined her services at the age of twelve years old and was now twenty. She was nice if a little rough around the edges due to growing up on the streets compared to her colleagues’ upbringings. She once told Padmé she had been found by Blantyre, then a sergeant when she had been caught trying to pickpocket him when he tackled her as she was trying to run off. Impressed by her quick hand and street smarts, Blantyre put her in the handmaiden training program where she scored with impressive results, and was able to become one of Celestine’s handmaidens in her first election. In her years of service she had also developed a great deal of knowledge of the palace kitchens which was why she was sent to help Padmé in her investigation.
She met Patté in the royal dining hall. The handmaiden wore black robes with hints of lavender mixed in the fabric in honor of the Queen’s niece. Almost everyone in the palace wore black, including the servants and guards who wore black armbands over their uniform in memory of Fayé Bowen. Padmé herself had dug up her black and lavender dresses in mourning for her mother, and now wore them in Fayé’s memory, and respect for Celestine’s grief.
“Are you ready?” Patté asked Padmé.
She nodded. “Let’s go.”
Patté nodded at the guard standing by the fireplace and he hit the switch next to him. The floor under and around the dining table shifted down. It was a recent redesign to help the kitchen staff carry and serve food to the Queen and Royal Council faster and easier. Ingenious in Padmé’s opinion. It also provided a quicker way into the kitchens.
It came down where they stored, cut, and cooked the meat. Next to the meat section was a pot large enough to feed all of Theed over a roaring fire with meat already stewing for tonight’s supper. Padmé could also see giant slabs of meat twice her size hanging in the side coolers.
The Head Chef was waiting for them, a scowl on her face as Padmé and Patté approached her and her two assistants.
“Head Chef,” Padmé greeted.
“Miss Lydonia, Handmaiden. If you’ll follow me please.”
She was obviously upset between the investigations on the Tullu case, and Padmé’s investigations into the kitchen’s food supplies. It couldn’t be helped though.
Padmé and Patté followed her into the main kitchen where cooks were cutting, cooking, and mixing foods together, and servants were washing and peeling vegetables, and setting plates down. The Head Chef cleared her throat and everybody looked up at her, then put down their work and hurried over to line up before the Head Chef, Padmé, and Patté.
“I know you all have been a little tense and stressed lately,” the Head Chef said to them. “With Madame To’s death, Fayé Bowen’s death, and the attack on the Queen. Miss Lydonia and Queen Celestine’s handmaiden are here to ensure that nothing is amiss. Answer any questions they ask and show them anything they wish to see. The sooner we get through this without any struggle, the sooner we can get back to normal.”
Many of them nodded.
Padmé observed their expressions. Many of them were nervous while several others managed to keep their expressions blank.
She spoke next. “I understand you all have been thoroughly questioned about Ceramé Tullu. We will be investigating anything that was missed in the original investigation. In the meantime, please return to your tasks. When we have questions we will ask you, but if any of you have information on any suspicious activities, we ask that you come forward to us.”
Nobody came forward, not that Padmé was surprised. Eventually, everyone returned to their work.
Padmé turned to the Head Chef. “I want access to all your menus and supply records, as well as any keys and access codes to your pantries and storage lockers.”
The Head Chef sighed, but gave Padmé everything she requested. When they were finally alone, Padmé turned to Patté. “Any thoughts?”
“Somebody knows something. Whether they’re hiding because they’re scared or are a part of it is another question. You look through the records and storages. I’ll stay close and keep an eye on everyone else,” Patté suggested.
Padmé agreed and got to work. She looked through the menus, calculating the amount of ingredients used in the dishes and matching them up to the records. So far they matched, but Padmé wanted to look into the pantries and see what ingredients were left. So she headed towards them with Patté shadowing her. As they looked through them, Patté told Padmé her observations and assessments so far.
“We should definitely be on our guard. There are many different kinds of people who come to work in the palace, especially the servants. Some come to work here to learn and improve their work experience outside. Others come here to escape their past. Runaways from a strict or broken home or even an arranged marriage. Whatever the reason, they all have their secrets,” Patté told her.
Padmé observed her.
Out of all the handmaidens, Patté was the one Padmé knew the least about in concerns of personal history. She knew Patté had grown up on the streets, but almost nothing about her own family background. Not even Pooja had told her about it. Did Patté accept Blantyre’s offer to become a handmaiden to escape her own past?
They searched the pantry where the fruits and vegetables were kept.
“There’s definitely less vegetables here than there should be,” Padmé commented, noticing a bunch of crates were empty than there should have been.
“Or they could have gone bad and been thrown away,” Patté suggested.
“Possibly,” Padmé conceded. She made a mental note to ask the Head Chef.
They continued on, moving to the wine cellar. There were very expensive wines stored here from Naboo to the different planets in the Chommell Sector, dating back all the way to the Gungan Wars. Padmé paid close attention to the bottles’ labels, marking the ones on the list, and checking the missing ones off the menu. Everything was organized by year which was very helpful. The cellar itself was very big, expanding at half of the kitchen’s level up above. There were other servants coming down and bringing fresh wine to be either served to drink or used in the cooking. Padmé felt like she was down here for hours searching through so many bottles that she swore to never enter a wine cellar again if she could help it. Maybe she should have asked Celestine for a droid to help her and Patté’s search go quicker and easier, but oh well. Their search did come up with fruitful results, however. Between Padmé and Patté, they discovered dozens of bottles, maybe up to fifty were unaccounted for.
“These are very expensive bottles. This one here dates back nearly eighty years during the reign of Queen Votorina. It’s worth at least thirty thousand credits,” Padmé listed off, for once grateful for all the boring wine stories her father used to tell her during harvest season back when she was still a child.
“What about this one?” Patté asked, pointing to another missing wine bottle on the list.
“That’s the most valuable one on the list,” Padmé explained. “It was made in the last year right before the Gungan Wars right before Queen Gradana died. The harvest had been so plentiful and so sweet they were all nearly drunk up before the war started. It’s worth nearly two hundred thousand credits.”
Patté’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “For a bottle of wine?”
She then looked at the list with different eyes.
“If my calculations are correct, we’re missing over a million credits worth of rare wine,” Padmé summed. “And we haven’t even gone through the other pantries. Like the ones with expensive spices and herbs.”
Patté’s eyes widened in alarm. “That’s highway robbery. Someone could be selling these things on the blacked market.”
Padmé nodded. “I’d like to complete a full inventory of everything missing in the palace kitchens before I present the case to the Queen.”
She didn’t see it coming, but Patté did.
She screamed. “Watch out!”
The next thing Padmé knew was being shoved on the ground by Padmé, arm covering over her head as a ton of wine bottles on a shelf fell on top of her. She felt a piercing pain, as if somebody had slammed a sledge hammer on her right hand before she blacked out.

<<000{{*}}000>>

The first thing Padmé registered was the smell of bacta and kolto. The next thing was the dull ache in her head, the numbness in her right hand, and the soreness throughout her whole body. She had to be in a hospital. Padmé slowly opened her eyes, thankfully realizing that the normal bright lights in the hospital had been dimmed.
She looked down at her body, or tried to due to the neck brace she was wearing. She had been changed into a whote hospital gown. There were bandages up her left arm, but her right hand was thickly bandaged. The doctors must have numbed her hand so she wouldn’t feel the pain. Sje remembered it feeling like it had been crushed before she blacked out.
Patté!
She had shielded her when the shelf of wine had fallen on top of them. Padmé turned her head, trying to figure out where she could find her when she realized that she wasn’t alone.
Ryoo was asleep in a chair next to Padmé’s hospital bed, and was beginning to wake up. She blinked blurrily, but when she saw Padmé looking at her, she became fully awake.
“Oh thank Shiraya!”
She took Padmé’s left hand and kissed it. The action was too similar to that day she had woken up, surviving the Plague.
“Ryoo, where’s Patté?” Padmé asked urgently before her mind fell into those painful memories.
“I’m over here, Padmé,” came a voice from her right.
A curtain was pushed aside, revealing a very bruised, but alive Patté. The entire right side of her face was swollen with black, blue, and purple bruising, there were cuts and scratches along her exposed skin, and her right arm was in a sling.
Patté smiled painfully. “‘Bout time you woke up.”
About time?
“How long was I out? What happened?”
Ryoo answered Padmé’s questions. “Yesterday, you and Patté were in the royal cellar when a shelf of wine accidentally fell on top of you. The doctors said that your right hand had been crushed, and that you got a concussion, but if Patté hadn’t protected you, you would have fallen into a coma.”
Padmé looked at Patté alarmed, who waved off her concerns. “I’ll be fine. Just some bruising, bruising, swelling, and a broken arm. I’ve got a thicker skull than yours. A couple more baths in bacta and I’ll be good as new.”
Padmé slumped in her bed, a little relieved by Patté’s carefree attitude. She turned to Ryoo. “You didn’t comm and tell Mammy, did you?”
“Of course not. She’s still shaken from that attack at the Lake Country. I chose not to tell her when the doctors said that you were out of danger.”
Padmé was relieved even though she felt guilty. Mammy cared and treated Padmé and Ryoo like her own flesh and blood, but she was getting older, and caring for their confused father already put enough stress on her.
Padmé looked at her sister and realized something. “Have you been here since yesterday?”
Ryoo nodded tiredly. “Yes. They called me while Winama and I were dealing with a customer, and Luke managed to leave the palace early to pick the children up from a friend’s house.”
The accident must have happened early afternoon yesterday and it was early morning today. Padmé felt so guilty at the stress and worry she must have caused on her older sister.
“Ryoo, go home and get some rest. I’ll be fine, and I have Patté here to keep me entertained.”
Ryoo looked reluctant, but she was obviously tired. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Padmé reassured her. “If I need anything I’ll contact you at the shop.”
“Alright, but I’ll be back around lunch,” Ryoo agreed. She sighed and stood up, her black mourning clothes giving her the appearance of a wraith. “I don’t know what you’re doing for the Queen, Padmé, but I wish you’d be more careful. I hate seeing you get hurt like this.”
Padmé’s guilt increased tenfold, at all the lies and secrets she was forced to keep from Ryoo.
Once Ryoo left, Patté turned to Padmé. “It was no accident. That shelf was too heavy for someone to just bump into it. It was pushed down on purpose.”
“Did they catch the person who did it?” Padmé asked.
“They did, despite his claims of it being an accident.”
Padmé frowned thoughtfully. “There’s definitely more to this. We must be on the right track. Were any of the records I was holding damaged in the fall?”
“Amazingly, no.” Patté carefully got up and leaned on her IV pole as she went over to the pile of folded and cleaned clothing, and the bag Padmé had gotten into the habit of carrying her diary in. Patté carried the bag over to Padmé where she found the datapads carrying the menus and list of supplies accounted for and missing.
“Your body managed to protect the records from impact, and your clothes managed to protect them from the spilled wine.”
Padmé wrinkled her nose. “I will never drink wine again.”
“You and me both,” Patté agreed.
Celestine and the other handmaidens planned to visit them as soon as they got out of the last meeting for the day, so Padmé and Patté got to work. Based on the few places they had managed to visit in the royal kitchens alone, they had enough evidence to mount a full investigation. Despite the attempt on her life, Padmé wanted to go back into those kitchens herself. The doctors however, wanted to keep her in the hospital a little longer. They planned on doing another surgery on her hand, and submerged her for several bacta treatments before even thinking of releasing her. But this was Padmé’s investigation, her responsibility.
Patté told her about all the people who had come to visit her: Ryoo, Jobal, the Naberries, and of course all their friends from the palace.
“You’re lucky to have so many people who care about you,” Patté told her.
Padmé noticed the sadness in her eyes and wondered if Patté had anyone to visit her.
Patté read the question in her eyes. “I don’t have any family. At least none who are alive or care to keep track of me. My parents used to run a restaurant until my father’s business partner took the money and ran off. We were forced to sell everything to pay the taxpayers. We ended up becoming homeless. My father lost himself in whatever bottle he could get his hands on, and began begging for scraps. My mother sold her body to buy glitterism and whatever substance that would take her mind off reality. My brother and I only had each other to rely on. He died two years ago in a hit and run. Authorities never caught the being responsible.”
Padmé’s eyes teared up and her heart went out to Patté. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I promised my brother that when my service to Celestine ended, I would rebuild our family restaurant, and I would never let anyone push me down again,” Patté told her. “If it hadn’t been for Blantyre taking a chance on me, I would never have the opportunities I have now compared to what I had then, and I would never have the friends I have now.”
Padmé squeezed Patté’s good hand with her own. They continued their work.
Eventually Patté mentioned Sheev. “I think he would have punched his way through the doctors, despite the family only policy.” She then warned Padmé to be careful with Sheev. “He reminds me of some of the criminals I’ve seen growing up on the street. The ones that can be volatile, but knows they’re in control. Those are the most dangerous.”
Padmé protested. Sure, Sheev had a temper, but he would never hurt Padmé. However, she couldn’t shake off Patté’s warning.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 22

Sabé looked on with worry as her friend and former mistress made the trek down the street to get on the transport to take her to the Greduns’ neighborhood. Eirtaé’s home was positioned in a higher section in Theed so for now the waters just flowed down in a shallow stream.
The cellar where Vatié’s body was being kept hadn’t flooded yet, but they would have to move her eventually. Saché had left to attend court, excuse Eirtaé’s absence, and to inform Governor Bibble of his daughter’s death. The school Dormé worked at had canceled classes, allowing her to stay and help care for Ellé and Eirtaé while Sabé, Anakin, and Ferus tried to figure out who the traitor was. Typho, Yané, Rabé, and Moteé were the ones who hadn’t been cleared yet.
Sabé supposed it was easier for her to accept the fact that one of her friends was a traitor than it had been for Padmé. Maybe there was a small part of her that had already suspected it ever since Karté’s death. That didn’t mean it wasn’t a difficult pill to swallow. Sabé had trained and served alongside them for half her life. They had become her family, even Moteé whom the original handmaidens had barely tolerated because of what she and her sister put Eirtaé through.
Because of their suspicions, Yané and Moteé were the most likely candidates. Which one of them was it though? Both? Or was it neither of them?
After Anakin and Ferus updated her on everything they knew, they proceeded on their next course of action. While Ferus watched over their suspects, Anakin and Sabé began to search Eirtaé’s garden for Vatié’s bag. Eirtaé seemed to have been convinced Vatié had hidden it before her attacker had managed to kill her. Sabé wanted to believe she was right even if there was the possibility the bag had been taken and the computer destroyed.
From the heavy rains, the garden had become like a swamp and every step submerged their feet. It left Sabé very little hope that they would be able to find the computer intact even if Vatié had hidden it up a tree.
As they searched the garden, Anakin spoke up. “Here’s what I don’t get: why did the traitor poison Ellé and Eirtaé? Why them? Why not the whole house? It seems pretty sloppy to me.”
Sabé had to agree. “It seems impulsive. Maybe Eirtaé and Ellé saw something, or maybe it was random to cause some kind of chaos in the house. Unless-”
“Unless they were pressured into doing something drastic?” Anakin finished, pushing aside an uprooted shrub.
“But why pressure them? And how did they do so on such short notice? Nobody has left the house since yesterday and your jammer has been working since we all got back. There’s no way they would have gotten word from the palace or even gotten those Atinama leaves on such short notice,” Sabé commented.
They reached the gateVatié had probably ran through to escape her attacker in a desperate attempt to save herself.
Anakin looked out the alleyway towards the street, and Sabé saw him frown. “What do you know about the Yelninas?”
Sabé felt herself stiffening, her mind remembering Moré. “Acros Yelnina, the patriarch of the family was a cruel man, still a cruel man to this day. He was one of Veruna’s political advisors and he tried to make Padmé’s life miserable while she was the Princess of Theed. He was always trying to involve her in some kind of scandal to ruin her public image and eliminate her as a threat to Veruna. When Veruna abdicated and Padmé became Queen, she had enough evidence to expose his part in Veruna’s web of corruption. He was forced to resign. He tried regaining his power by having his daughter Moré apply to become a handmaiden.”
Sabé remembered those days. Back then before Panaka had become Captain of the guard, he and his wife were among the then Princess Amidala’s small security. Sabé herself wasn’t an official handmaiden yet. She was still training at the Academy when Panaka had approached her and had asked her to become the Princess’s aide until her training was complete and she could become an official handmaiden. She had agreed, not yet knowing the full dangers in the court of King Veruna. She pushed past the set of painful memories.
“Back then in the Academy, the Handmaiden Program had very few candidates. Naboo had had Kings for over thirty years and there weren’t enough female officials that required handmaidens. There are hundreds of students in the program today, but back then there were only a couple dozen when I started the program.”
She could feel Anakin’s surprised gaze on her, but Sabé continued. “When word of Veruna’s abdication spread around, more girls applied in the program. There were twenty-five girls who met the criteria, but only thirteen would be chosen to be Amidala’s handmaidens. Panaka almost didn’t let Moré make the cut because of her father, and his fear of allowing a serpent into Padmé’s circle. It took the head of the program, Aemiliaé Phoenia, before she became Lady Bibble, to strong arm him. Moré was the last of the remaining candidates she thought suited Padmé. She had tutored many girls in Theed over the years and believed Moré to be very different from her father. Padmé trusted Aemiliaé’s judgment and accepted her as her handmaiden. I feel bad when I think about how prejudiced we were towards her. Yané and Karté told us she had died while taking out a droid factory the Trade Federation had begun to build. She was only fourteen years old.”
Sabé sniffed and she had to wipe the tear that shed from her eye, remembering the young woman so determined to prove herself. “She was so brave, so smart, and even nice despite how everybody treated her with suspicion. Unlike her selfish and cowardly father. He had disowned her, and didn’t attend her funeral. He even forbade his family from going, so his wife and second daughter Tessé had to sneak out in order to attend.”
And even then, Sabé remembered they had watched from a distance, so scared were they of word going back to Aros. “We kept an eye on them over the years. Aros made Tessé go into the Legislative Youth Program and when she graduated, she served as ambassador to many different planets over the years. The rest of his daughters he married off to money, hoping to rebuild the Yelnina family glory. Last I heard, he and his wife were visiting relatives in the far southern hemisphere of Naboo, but no doubt they’ll come back for Tessé’s swearing in as Senator.”
Anakin was silent for a moment, no doubt pondering Sabé’s words before he spoke again. “What are your thoughts on Tessé?”
“I’ve never actually interacted with her,” Sabé admitted. “I’ve only seen her a handful of times since Moré’s funeral, but based on what I’ve heard, she’s definitely loyal to her family and seems to embrace the new Empire.”
“Would she be a threat?” Anakin asked.
Sabé didn’t have to think too hard to know what he was implying. “Possibly. Based on the type of household I’ve heard about, Aros could have molded her into whatever he wanted. If she thinks gaining the Empire’s favor will also gain her father’s approval she might be willing to do anything.”
Anakin nodded as if she had already confirmed his suspicions.
“What?”
“Panaka might not be the only one the traitor informs. Stay sharp.”
With that they continued the search for Vatié’s bag. Sabé had to watch herself as she trudged through the mud puddles, trying to feel a hint of Vatié’s bag. If Vatié had been chased, why would she bother to hide the bag if she was running for her life? Common sense would have been to just drop the bag and run for the house. She had been found close to the house. Maybe if she hadn’t taken the time to hide the bag she would have reached the safety of the house, informed them who the traitor was, and still be alive? Oh, Vatié why? Did she already know she was going to die?
“What made you want to become a handmaiden?” Anakin suddenly asked, making his way through a couple of dead shrubs.
His question caught Sabé off guard. “What?”
“What made you decide to become a handmaiden?” Anakin repeated. “You said yourself that back then there weren’t many handmaiden positions open, but you applied and trained to become one before Padmé even became Queen, so… what made you decide to become a handmaiden?”
Sabé was silent for a moment. “I’m sure Padmé has already told you I come from a large family?”
Anakin nodded and Sabé continued. “In my family there were two directions to go in careers: becoming a hallikset player or joining the family business in merchandising. I, on the other hand, wanted to become a professional bolo-ball player. I joined the Handmaiden Program to keep in shape and help my credentials. It also seemed cool to twelve-year-old me at the time. However, the longer I was in there the more I wanted to learn. They told us about how being a handmaiden was more than just being a bodyguard or servant. A handmaiden is an extension of her mistress. They told us stories of so many who had bravely served as handmaidens to queens and officials of Naboo, and that’s how I found out about my Aunt Liné’s service under Queen Celestine. Growing up, our parents told us to never ask how Aunt Liné got her scars, and I didn’t find out the truth until I joined the program. One of our instructors showed me her service record, and I realized how much she went through.”
“The fact that she had been so injured as a result of the bombing didn’t deter you?” Anakin asked.
“Not at all. It gave me a new awareness as to what I was getting into, but I was determined to succeed as a handmaiden. Becoming Padmé’s handmaiden and shadow had its ups and downs and a set of pain, but I never regretted my choice.”
“Thank you,” Anakin said.
Sabé looked at him. She could admit that when she found out about him and Padmé she had her doubts that their relationship would last. Yet as the years went by, she saw how happy and carefree Padmé was, something she hadn’t seen since the Blockade, and after talking with Padmé last night, she realized that she had been wrong. He was good for Padmé and she was good for him. Too aggressive for Sabé but then didn't people always say the same thing about her? She knew she could trust Padmé’s life to Anakin. Her best friend’s life.
She bowed her head. “It is my privilege and honor.”
They continued their search. Another storm was beginning to brew and they needed to hurry. When Sabé felt like throwing in the towel, that’s when Anakin finally found it.
Sabé wanted to laugh and cry.
The bag was hanging off a tree limb pointing inside another tree. If you hadn’t been looking for it, you could have missed it. Anakin tugged the bag free. “Think it will work?” he asked.
Sabé looked at the bag soaked through. “Let’s find out.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

Anakin kept his face expressionless as he and Sabé entered the library where Ferus was watching over Typho, Rabé, Yané, and Moteé. Anakin could feel their irritation and worry.
Everybody looked at him and Sabé.
“Did you find it?” Typho asked impatiently.
Anakin kept his anger tightly wrapped. “We found it.” He observed their reactions and felt a great sense of fear.
“What condition is it in?” Moteé asked.
“Vatié kept it off the ground which kept it from getting completely ruined from the mud puddles, and the material of the bag just barely protected it. It’s still damp, but once it’s dried I can access it, and with any luck we’ll know who the traitor is in a few hours,” Sabé explained.
With that being said, the two of them left, followed by Ferus. He closed the door behind him and approached them.
“Can you really find the traitor out in a matter of hours?” he asked in a low tone.
“I made it up,” Sabé revealed.
Ferus’ face was filled with surprise. “You what?”
“The computer was out there in pouring rain all night. The greatest technician wouldn’t have been able to save it. It’s fried,” Anakin told him.
“Then why-” Ferus stopped himself, and Anakin felt him realizing their plan. “You’re pushing the traitor into making a move.”
Anakin nodded. “You’re pushed into a corner with no way out, they’ll do something to get themself out.”
Ferus looked unsure. “It’s risky.”
“It is,” Sabé agreed. “But we’re running out of options. Vatié’s dead, Eirtaé and Ellé could have died, and Anakin and Padmé have been nearly captured more than once. We can’t waste anymore and keep endangering everyone.”
“In the meantime, keep an eye on those four. Sabé will go upstairs and help Dormé with Ellé and Eirtaé, and try to give off the impression she’s decrypting the computer,” Anakin explained his plan to Ferus.
“And what will you be doing?”
“I’ll be watching from the hidden passageways as backup.”
Ferus still thought it was risky, but agreed to it.
While Ferus returned to watch their suspects, Sabé showed Anakin how to get into the passageway he had been in the day before. Using a glowrod, Anakin made his way through the hidden passageways, kneeling and crawling through narrow holes when he had to until he reached the library. There was a peep hole he could see out of and observe the inhabitants. As he watched them, Anakin wondered which one of them was the traitor.
He recalled meeting Yané and Rabé as a child. Yané was a renowned hero of the Resistance despite her young age, having figured out ways to communicate with the other cells through passing fabric materials with weaved patterns as well as leading several attacks on droid patrols. Rabé, who had been kind to him, a newly freed slave boy in a new world, and had stayed by Padmé’s side, and protected her as they fought to liberate their planet. Moteé, who despite the bad history she had with the original handmaidens had kept Padmé’s secrets and protected her in the Senate. Even if she had disapproved of their relationship at first, whenever Anakin came to visit Padmé, she and the other handmaidens had made Anakin feel welcome, and it almost felt like he and Padmé were a regular couple among friends. As for Typho… Anakin wished that he was the traitor. With Panaka being his uncle it would make so much sense, and it would excuse Anakin for wanting to beat him to a pulp for lusting after his wife and getting Dormé pregnant and leaving her alone. The more Anakin thought about it, the more appealing it seemed, until he remembered Clovis.
He remembered walking into the apartment, hoping to apologize to Padmé for the way he talked to her earlier when he walked in on them. Clovis was holding Padmé in his arms, leaning down to kiss her while Padmé tried to push him away and telling him to stop. Anakin had reacted on instinct, wanting to pull the serpent off his wife. He used the Force by grabbing his throat. He wanted Clovis to suffer for even attempting to force himself on Padmé when she obviously didn’t want it. Of course the idiot had to challenge him. Ha! Even Bail Organa would have put on a better fight compared to this stupid coward. Forget the Force, even without it, Anakin was a warrior who fought in many hand to hand combat and bore the scars for them. This coward was nothing, and as Clovis ran his mouth, Anakin felt the dragon he always kept in check, release inside of him. He unleashed his anger onto Clovis. Punch after punch, fist after fist, Anakin unleashed it all.
For allowing Padmé to be poisoned.
For claiming to love her, and yet willing to let her die if Anakin hadn’t strong-armed him.
For betraying the Republic.
For coming back into their lives and causing havoc.
For pursuing Padmé.
For being allowed to love her openly while Anakin had to hide his love like it was immoral.
If Padmé hadn’t stopped him, Anakin probably would have killed him. When it stopped, all Anakin could feel was shame and self-loathing, but it was the fear in Padmé’s eyes that stuck to him the most. Fear of what he was capable of when he lost control. Anakin would not repeat his past mistakes, he couldn’t lose control again, but if Dormé needed a hand in beating Typho up, Anakin would gladly volunteer.
Time passed slowly, and as Anakin wondered how Padmé was doing, he kept an eye on them. Pretty soon the traitor would have to make a move. If they thought they were being closed in on they would do something in self-preservation. The longer they waited the more anxiety Anakin felt in that room.
Moteé was trying to relax herself in her chair, but was obviously tense. Rabé leaned against an end table with one hand holding her hold while the other tapped against her leg. Yané was looking outside the window, one hand playing with something around her neck, a necklace most likely. Typho walked around the shelves, looking at titles of holo and flimsi books in an attempt to distract himself.
Anakin hadn’t been on a stakeout since the war, and his muscles were beginning to cramp from standing still for so long.
Finally someone broke.
Moteé had to use the fresher.
“Make it quick,” Ferus told her.
Anakin moved, making his way back to the passage Sabé had shown him through just in time to hear Moteé’s footsteps passing by in the direction of the downstairs fresher. He felt a nudge from Ferus in the Force, signaling he was clear.
Anakin opened the passageway, and hurried to the kitchen, going out the back door. He hurried around the house, going where he figured the fresher’s window was just in time to see Moteé climbing out of it.
Anakin nearly laughed.
Desperate indeed and foolish.
He approached her from behind when she jumped down and grabbed her shoulder.
She turned around, startled.
Anakin grinned at her coldly. “Hi.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

Sabé never tried drugs when she was young. She was in the Handmaiden Program and trying to get into bolo-ball. They screamed often and kicked out everyone who failed the drug screening. She couldn’t afford to risk it, and throughout her life as Padmé’s shadow she had to keep herself on constant alert, never doing more than several alcoholic drinks.
Eirtaé hardly drank more than a couple glasses of wine in the evening. Like Sabé, Eirtaé liked to be alert and in control. So while neither of them had been in the habit of partying hard, they did have friends who did and therefore knew how to take care of them. So as Sabé wiped the sweat off Eirtaé’s forehead, her thoughts split into two directions back and forth.
She thought of Padmé risking a trek to the Greduns who may or may not help her. She thought of Anakin and Ferus watching Rabé, Typho, Yané, and Moteé, and trying to figure out which of them was the traitor.
She felt useless.
Ever since Palpatine had declared himself Emperor and had named Padmé a traitor and outlaw as well as the Jedi, she had sought to make herself useful. Padmé had disappeared without a trace, and Sabé and her friends were interrogated heavily by Admiral Tarkin. Sabé remembered how he’d questioned her. He knew about Padmé and Anakin’s relationship, and that Anakin was the father of Padmé’s unborn child she had tried to keep hidden. Sabé had revealed nothing, and neither did Typho or any of her sister handmaidens. However, the interrogations had revealed information of their own to Sabé. She had no way of knowing if Padmé was alive or if Anakin had survived the purges, but if Tarkin and Palpatine knew of them, their lives were in danger. It was one thing to suspect that they were having a secret affair, but it was another to outright know they had been secretly married. No one, but Padmé’s close circle knew about them, as well as the priest who married them.
It became Sabé’s goal and mission to discover who had betrayed such personal information to Palpatine, endangering Padmé and Anakin’s lives, and eliminate them as a threat. In the meantime, Sabé got into contact with Senator Bail Organa, an old friend of Padmé’s and now secretly leading the developing Rebel Alliance to restore the Republic. While she investigated the traitor, Sabé used the connections she had formed secretly smuggling slaves to freedom, as well as Eirtaé’s and Yané’s connections to smuggle ships and supplies to the Rebellion. She felt that’s what Padmé would have wanted.
Then she found out it had been Panaka who had betrayed Padmé to Palpatine. The sense of betrayal Sabé had felt had nearly overwhelmed her. Panaka, who had trained all of them, who devoted eight years of his life serving and protecting Amidala. They had looked up to him, and Padmé had trusted him, and yet he had betrayed her for Palpatine. With his rising powers and the rumors that he would replace Bibble as Governor instead of Saché who had been diligently serving the Naboo for years had infuriated Sabé as she recognized the price for his betrayal. She had remembered the oath Phoenia, Mariek, and Panaka himself had made her memorize and swore as Amidala’s handmaiden. Panaka was a traitor and therefore was to be eliminated as one. Her sister handmaidens had been torn as to how to deal with him, but Sabé had been determined to take out Panaka.
An outright assassination would have had devastating consequences for Naboo, so she would have to resort to other methods. Poison. It left a foul taste in Sabé’s mouth, and if done incorrectly the consequences would be dire, but it was the best method to use without drawing too much suspicion. First, she needed someone skilled in medicine to figure out the poison as well as having access to Panaka. Karté had been the best choice. Although she had dropped out of medical school before becoming a handmaiden and later going into politics, Karté had kept up with her medical skills and knowledge. Sabé had thought her the best option in eliminating Panaka. They had kept the secret between them (or so Sabé thought), and told none of their friends for fear of implicating them. When Sabé heard about Karté and her fiance’s deaths, she was shocked. She could remember Karté’s happiness when she told them of her girlfriend’s proposal, and she remembered the looks on Karté’s elderly parents’ faces as they buried their only child. For months Karté’s death had haunted Sabé, and now she realized it was because one of their own had betrayed Karté to Panaka. Now, Vatié was dead, and Padmé, Anakin, and all their lives were in danger. Sabé wouldn’t let the traitor off or Panaka for that.
Eirtaé shifted, drawing Sabé out of her thoughts.
Eirtaé blinked her eyes blurrily. “What… what’s going on?” Her voice sounded groggy and weak.
Sabé helped her sit up and held a cup to her lips. “Take it easy. Do you remember what happened last night?”
“Um…” Sabé watched as her friend struggled to remember through her foggy mind. “I remember… I remember moving Vatié to the cellar. I remember Moteé accusing me, saying I was the traitor. I-” Eirtaé broke off like she was struggling not to cry.
Sabé wanted to comfort her and tell her to take her time, but this was their chance and they were running out of time. “Eirtaé, do you remember drinking anything after that?”
Eirtaé struggled to think. “I… I remember wanting to drink some karlini tea to relax myself before bedtime. It tasted weird… like… like minty. That’s the last thing I remember.”
“But do you remember who brewed it?” Sabé asked, struggling to keep her impatience in check.
Eirtaé was quiet for a long time. Finally, she answered. “Yané. It was Yané.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 bby

Padmé’s days in the hospital gave her a lot of time to think. Celestine, the handmaidens, and Captain Blantyre had all come in to keep her updated on the events happening in the palace.
Ever since her and Patté’s things had become more intense as word spread inside the palace. The man they had arrested for pushing the shelf onto Padmé and Patté still claimed it was an accident, and nobody who witnessed it came forth to deny it, so they were forced under law to release him after so long. Padmé realized that they all must be in on the missing kitchen supplies or they were afraid. They would have to investigate further.
In the meantime, Padmé tried to focus on her healing. Her hand had responded perfectly to the bacta treatment, allowing the doctors to remove the pins in her hand, but her hand still ached, especially when she wrote for too long. She couldn’t write as often in her diary to arrange her notes, instead, having to type them down on a datapad using her left hand. It was slow work, but Padmé didn’t trust anyone else to write them down. The Queen had loaned her Patté and Veta to help lighten her load in the secretary office until she and Patté had recovered their full strength. It helped significantly, giving Padmé the free time to fulfill her promise to help Pooja’s daughter with her project.
Speaking of which…
“You look so pensive,” Monié scolded from behind her easel. “You’re supposed to look out with longing like you’re waiting for Set.”
Padmé had come to Pooja’s home where her mother and daughter lived to pose for Monié’s painting of Veré. She had even changed into a blue gown of flowing shimmersilk Monié had borrowed from her school’s costume department, as well as having white blossoms weaved into her cascading brown locks. Her hand was still wrapped in bacta bandages, but they had arranged for it to be hidden from view as Padmé sat on the bench of the bay windows with moonlight shining down on her face. The twelve-year-old was an artistic prodigy and had a good eye in arranging the perfect setup.
Padmé shook herself from her thoughts. “I’m sorry,” she apologized before resuming her pose. She noticed Sheev in the background move closer to look at the painting Monié was working on.
Ever since the incident, Sheev had stuck to her side, even going so far as to skip classes and sit in Bowen’s office while she worked. It was as if he was afraid if he turned his back, something would happen to Padmé. It was rather sweet, if somewhat stifling. Padmé enjoyed getting to spend more time with Sheev, talking about their families, school, and palace intrigues, and even sneaking kisses when no one was looking, but too much time together was… too much for Padmé. They only parted when Padmé returned home and Sheev was reassured that she was safe.
She saw Sheev smile as he studied the painting. “What?”
“Nothing. You look…” Sheev pulled his gaze away from the painting, his pale blue eyes meeting her soft brown eyes. “Ethereal.”
Padmé couldn’t contain her blush, certain that he was exaggerating like he always did when it came to her beauty. Pooja always commented that she was a beautiful girl as did her family, but it felt different when others commented as such.
Sheev moved closer to her, making sure he wasn’t in Monié’s way as she painted. “What are you thinking, Padmé?” he gently asked her.
“So many things,” Padmé admitted. “The people involved in mine and Patté’s ‘accident’, the upcoming elections, but most of all the upcoming anniversary of the Plague in my village.”
It had been nearly a year since she had lost her mother, brother-in-law, and many neighbors and friends. Padmé herself had barely survived it, and she could still remember how weak and drained she had felt.
Sheev looked at her with the rare sympathy he only showed for her. “Are you planning anything for it?”
“They’re hosting a memorial back home in Claines,” Padmé answered. “Ryoo and Jobal will be going to visit Mammy and Papa, and Ryoo’s mother-in-law.”
“And you?”
Padmé had to look away from his peering eyes as she admitted guiltily, “I’ll be staying here.”
“Posture Padmé,” Monié reminded her.
Padmé corrected her posture while Sheev asked her why so.
“I’m needed here. Celestine needs me helping to arrange documents, meetings, and filling in for Bowen,” Padmé explained. “I also need to keep an eye on Bowen. I’m worried he’ll do something foolish, so I had his manservant give me the key to his blaster cabinet and lock up any sharp objects.”
She had even gone through the trouble of hiring a housekeeper to help the manservant keep an eye on Bowen.
“You really think he’ll try to commit suicide?” Sheev asked.
“I can’t be sure. I hope not, but Fayé was the light in his life, and his only family. With her gone it’s like the life in him has been sucked out. Celestine has too much going on to check on Bowen and the rest of her family is too wrapped up in their own grief to worry about him.”
It was understandable, but concerning. From what Padmé had heard, President Cesare had locked himself up in his estate and was in a depressive state. Nadié’s younger sister, Hara, had gone back to school on Coruscant and had buried herself in her studies, according to what Padmé had heard. There was no other family. It saddened Padmé.
However, the other half of her was afraid to return home. Could she return to Claines, knowing that so many people who were once in her life were now gone? Could she enter the kitchen in their home where her mother spent hours cooking and baking? Could she go into their backyard where Jon would play ball with her and Jobal? Could she roam the vineyards where she and the neighborhood kids would run around and play, passing workers gathering the harvest? Padmé didn’t think she could. At least not yet. Perhaps it was selfish and cowardly of her, but she hoped Ryoo, Jobal, and Mammy would understand. With so much going on and so little time, Padmé was needed at the Palace more than ever.
Shortly afterwards, Monié finished painting for the night.
Padmé changed into her own clothing, fixed her hair, and said goodnight to Monié and Clotia before making her way back home with Sheev beside her. The streets were dark early in the evening this time of year. The street lights provided little light, giving the neighborhood an eerie feeling. It made Padmé glad to have Sheev walking beside her.
When they had walked a block in perfect silence, Sheev spoke up. “Is this what you had in mind when you entered politics? Your life constantly in danger?” he asked.
“No,” Padmé admitted. “I never expected my life to be in such danger, especially when I’m so young and early in my career. But then, perhaps I should have expected it. Senator Maddox’s predecessor Joaquin Mar was killed in a mysterious accident, as has many past politicians. It’s unavoidable when politicians make enemies so easily.”
“But you’re only a secretary,” Sheev pointed out. “You don’t speak out in public. You’re actually an aid, but you've only been in that position for a few months, and you’ve currently been in charge of the secretary’s duties for not even a fortnight and somebody’s already attacked you.”
“Because I’m doing my job!” Padmé told him, slightly miffed at how he referred to her position. “I may be a secretary, or aid, or even the “Queen’s Pet”, but my job is to help run the Palace, make sure everyone is doing their jobs right, and assist the Queen in running the Sector.”
She quickened her steps, putting a few steps between her and Sheev.
The nerve of-
Sheev hurried up after her and grabbed her arm. “Whoa, whoa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound that way. I’m just worried about you.”
Padmé’s anger eased, realizing that what Sheev said came from a good place even if it stung. “I appreciate that Sheev, but I can’t stop if that’s what you’re going to ask me.”
“Why is this so important to you?” Sheev’s question made her pause.
This whole year had changed her that she had almost forgotten why she had started on this path in the first place. She took a deep breath. “You know how my family are farmers who harvest grapes for wine?”
Sheev nodded.
“Growing up we had very little money, especially around the poor harvests. I remember my parents toiling all day from dawn till dusk with the other adults. My mother’s hands would be torn up from all the weeds she would pull, and my father would be so tired and worn he would collapse and fall asleep on the couch for the night without eating dinner. Around harvest time, Ryoo, Mammy, and I would help squish the grapes into wine. Our hands and feet would be stained for days. Even with all the work we put into, sometimes- a lot of times- it wasn’t enough. Then I scored high on the aptitude tests. My mother always highlighted the importance of an education, especially for women, so she constantly had me study whatever educational book she could find. I was nine when I scored well on my tests and my parents were proud. My teacher said that I belonged in a more advanced school, and that I would do well in the Legislative Youth Program.
‘We had no money. Our other option was scholarships, so I applied, studied, and worked for as many as I could while my parents did extra work to afford the tuition fees. My father worked even after dark to make sure the harvest would grow, and my mother washed clothing around the neighborhood to earn extra credits. It took three years for us to earn the credits, and while we were trying to get me accepted at the program, we also had to find living conditions for me that we could afford. After several months, Ryoo got in contact with Winama since they were childhood friends, and she remembered Winama moving to Theed years ago. Winama and Luke had plenty of room, so they agreed to take me in while I studied at the Legislative Youth Program.”
Padmé paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “My family sacrificed so much to give me the opportunities I have now, and I’ve learned so much from the Program, Luke, Lady Veruna, and all my friends in the Palace to know how important the work I do is.”
“But don’t you wish you could have a more safer job, but still be able to help?” Sheev asked incredulously.
“Of course I do!”
Truthfully, however, Padmé felt a sense of thrill when she could spy and listen in on conversations without getting caught, but times like the attack in the Lake Country, Fayé’s death, and Celestine’s assassination attepmts, and the recent attack that almost killed herself reminded Padmé how vulnerable she was and how lucky she was to be alive. So yes, while spying on corrupt officials was thrilling, Padmé did not want to have to constantly worry about her life being in danger all day long.
“It would be wonderful if I didn’t have to constantly worry about someone trying to kill me, but if I don’t do the job who will?” She looked up at Sheev, silently pleading with him to understand.
“Can you promise me that you won’t put yourself in jeopardy?” he demanded.
Padmé couldn’t promise that. She had talked to Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort earlier today. They had heard rumors that one of the noble families in the plasma industry was treating their workers unfairly, even abusing them. Padmé had already discussed it with Celestine, and she agreed to send Padmé as soon as the doctors declared her fully healed, with Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort to investigate the mines. It would be dangerous, especially if the rumors proved to be true, and Padmé would be out in the country where she could easily disappear.
“I have to fulfill my duty to the Queen and to Naboo. You know that Sheev, but I can promise that I will be careful and aware. If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask the Queen to assign a guard to watch over me. I have friends among the Royal Guard; they won’t let anything happen to me.”
It prickled Padmé, but if it could get Sheev off her back and lessen his and her family’s worry for her, she would do it. Sheev didn’t look too happy or convinced, but his sigh told Padmé that he conceded.
Before she could celebrate her victory, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Sheev stiffened in her arms and his gaze hardened as he looked past her. Padmé turned her head.
Several yards from them, near the corner of the street were several figures. Padmé couldn’t see their features in the dark, but instinct told her this was a gang. Theed was a wonderful city, but it still had its bits of criminal activity.
“Well what do we have here?” one of the gang members asked, most likely the leader. “A couple of lovebirds out for a lovely stroll at night.”
Padmé could feel Sheev tense beside her. These men made her skin crawl, and she would like to slap them from the way she felt their eyes roving down her body, but there were five of them to her and Sheev’s duo. They wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight, so it was best they get out of the situation as quickly as possible.
“Come on, Sheev. Let’s go,” Padmé said, taking his arm and steering them away.
That is when the leader blocked them. “What’s your hurry, Beautiful? Too good for us? The night is young. We can all show you a good time.”
His friends behind them laughed, jeered, and made lewd comments that made Padmé’s blood boil. Sheev obviously had enough of them too because he grabbed the leader by the collar and threw him behind them where he landed at his friends’ feet. The gang looked up at them as if they couldn’t believe someone dared to lay a hand on their leader, until he pulled himself back up.
“Tough guy wants to play, huh? Let’s play boys!”
Padmé saw the gleam of vibroknives being pulled out, and her anger turned into fear.
“Padmé run!”
But Padmé couldn’t. She found herself frozen as she watched Sheev attack. He moved so fast it was almost like he was a blur. He moved gracefully too, ducking and dodging as if he was dancing. And when he struck it was brutal. He hit one of the boys in the throat, the guy falling to his knees with his hands holding his throat and gasping for breath, Padmé feared his windpipe had been broken. Sheev grabbed the arm of one of the others holding a vibroblade while ducking the swipe of another.
The logical part of Padmé’s brain told her she needed to run and call for help, but what about Sheev? Although there were four now he was still outnumbered. By the time she got help, would it be too late for Sheev before he was overwhelmed? Padmé knew despite how stupid it was, that she couldn’t leave him, but how could she help? Her bag had some solid weight, carrying her diary, a couple of law books, and some datapads. It would do.
Grabbing it, Padmé swung as hard as she could, aiming for the head of the guy closest to her.
Thrack.
The guy stumbled, falling down to the ground. The boy next to him looked at her in surprise, unable to believe this slim girl had taken out his buddy. Then he lunged for her. Padmé swung her bag again, hitting the arm with the vibroblade, but unfortunately, not knocking the knife out of the boy’s grip. He lunged again and this time, Padmé used her bag as a shield. The blade stabbed the bag and got stuck. Padmé used the distraction by kicking the boy in the abdomen, glad for all those self-defense lessons the handmaidens and guards had taught her.
When she turned back to help Sheev, the guy she thought she had knocked out earlier, snuck behind her and locked her head with his arm. Padmé dropped her bag and she struggled to fight back until she saw the vibroblade and felt it close to her exposed neck.
“Enough!”
The fighting stopped.
While she had been fighting, Sheev had seemed to have broken the arm of one of the gang members, and stabbed the other in the leg. In the streetlight, Padmé was able to see the look on Sheev’s face. She couldn’t accurately describe it, but it was something that would have frightened Padmé if she knew it was directed at her.
“If you so much as harm a hair on her, I will drag you down to Death myself.” Sheev’s threat sent shivers down Padmé’s spine, and she could sense the guy holding her hostage shaking.
She had to do something. The slightest mistake would lead to her throat being slit and bleeding to death out on the street. She had to stay calm and focused. That’s when she remembered the safety pin holding her cloak together since the strings had fallen apart earlier that day. As carefully as she could without alerting the gang member, she reached towards her collar where the safety pin was fastened. She kept her eyes on Sheev, hoping that he saw and understood what she was doing. There was a slight question in his eyes before he realized her plan, locking his jaw and preparing to attack the second he had the opportunity. Padmé undid the safety pin and jabbed as hard as she could down the gang member’s hand holding the vibroblade.
He cried out, jerking his hand away from Padmé’s throat. Padmé wasted no time. As soon as the vibroblade moved away from her throat, she ripped herself out of the guy’s loosening hold.
Once she was free, Sheev tackled the guy onto the ground. Grabbing her dropped bag, Padmé turned and watched as Sheev and the gang member wrestled on the ground, fighting over control of the vibroblade. padmé
Could feel her heart in her throat. It would take the slightest mistake and someone could get hurt or killed. Sheev!
But Sheev overpowered the gang member, his fury a major factor. His expression scared Padmé. He looked one second from murder, and as he raised the vibroblade over the gangmember, Padmé screamed.
“No Sheev!”
He stopped, frozen before he turned his head and looked at Padmé with wild eyes. It shook Padmé.
“No. not like this.”
Sheev turned back to the gang member. The guy’s face was bruised and bleeding from where Sheev had punched him repeatedly, and his eyes were filled with fear.
It frightened Padmé.
A tense moment passed before Sheev got up off the scared fellow, still holding the vibroblade. He turned to Padmé, took her arm, and together they hurried down the street, away from the injured and frightened gang members, and towards the safety of Padmé’s home. As they quickly made their way home, Padmé’s mind kept seeing what had just happened.
How Sheev fought so many like it was nothing to him, the cold anger in his eyes as the gang members jeered and threatened Padmé, the violence, and how ready he seemed to plunge that vibroblade into that gang member. It was like she was seeing a different side of Sheev. Sure, Sheev had a temper, but he never lost control of it until now. Was that really Sheev or something else? Padmé was afraid to find out.
They reached the Naberrie home, and as Sheev was about to leave her at the door, Padmé grabbed his arm. It was instinctive, even as her injured hand ached and every cell in her brain was screaming how stupid she was. Sheev looked at her. The anger and coldness in his eyes had left them since they left the fight only to be replaced by fear and trepidation. Padmé knew that he would never harm her. It was so late, and she didn’t want Sheev to walk out there alone in case he ran into trouble again.
“Stay.”
Sheev didn’t say a word, only his stiff posture relaxed as Padmé tugged him into the Naberrie home. He would have to sleep on the sofa tonight, and Padmé would have a lot of explaining to do in the morning, but she wouldn’t worry about that now.
As she and Sheev prepared to get some sleep, Padmé couldn’t get the image of Sheev’s cold eyes as he prepared to stab his attacker out of her mind.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 23

When Padmé entered the Legislative Youth Program at the age of eight, one of her mentors had warned her of the trials in a politician’s life. They warned her of all the hard work, the feeling of burning out, the few rewards, and the dangers of corruption.
“Never take what someone says at true value if there’s something to be gained on their end.”
Padmé never fully understood the truth of their warnings until she entered the court of King Veruna as Princess of Theed. The majority of the court was in Veruna’s pocket, and Padmé had few allies to help her. Among the few she trusted was Senator Sheev Palpatine, her mentor and friend. He helped her choose which of the members to trust and who to investigate. Then when Veruna abdicated, Padmé exposed all his allies’ corruption, and was elected Queen of Naboo. She replaced the vacated seats with people she knew were hard-working and cared for the people instead of their own gains. After the Blockade, the court of Amidala was united to rebuild their homeplanet and clean out the corruption Veruna and Tapalo had inflicted upon them. Over her two terms, Padmé had relaxed her guard, believing in her allies and friends to help her in leading their people to a better future.
When her terms ended and the newly elected Queen asked her to serve as senator however, Padmé Amidala was given a harsh reminder. The Senate was a completely different stage to the Naboo court. Unlike the time when she was Princess or Queen, Padmé learned that she could not depend on Palpatine if she wanted to gain a foothold. She did not know who to trust at first. She became friends with Senator Mina Bonteri of Onderon, and after a struggle became allies and later friends with Senators Bail Organa of Alderaan, Mon Mothma of Chandrila, Anaconda Far “Uncle Ono,” and many other senators. Then the Separatist movement began, and Padmé discovered a new sense of betrayal when Mina and several other senators she had worked with left the Republic. Then the war began, and there were few left in her diminishing circle of allies she knew she could depend on. Some stayed for their planet’s interests and others for their own personal ones, but Padmé knew she could depend on Bail, Mon, and Uncle Ono until he too was betrayed and murdered by his own aid. Padmé felt the ultimate betrayal as she watched Sheev Palpatine, her former mentor, advisor, ally, and friend destroy the very democracy she had fought to preserve and protect, order her arrest, send thousands of troops to destroy the Jedi Temple, kill everyone inside including her husband, and declare the Republic an Empire.
Or so she thought.
Now she felt as if the knife in her back had been twisted as she looked upon Motée and Yané.
When Padmé had returned from her risky visit to the Greduns, Anakin and Sabé had filled her in on everything that had happened this morning from finding Vatié’s bag, their ploy, Motée’s attempt to flee, and Eirtaé waking up to say it was Yané who had poisoned her and Ellé.
Everyone had gathered in the parlor, even Eirtaé and the newly awakened Ellé. Both women were still weak, sitting down on the sofas with Rabé helping Eirtaé sit up, and Dormé assisting Ellé, the youngest handmaiden looking so sad and betrayed as she looked upon Motée. Padmé sat in a chair as if she was the Queen of Naboo sitting on her throne again with Anakin, Ferus, and Sabé by her sides. Saché stood behind the sofa where Rabé and Eirtaé sat while Typho stood behind the one Dormé and Ellé were sitting, all eyes on the two accused traitors. Both women were on their knees with their heads bowed, neither one having spoken a word since Aankin and Sabé had caught them both.
This was a situation Padmé had hoped and prayed she would never be in. Since their foundation, the sisterhood of handmaidens had followed a strict code. Padmé remembered how Panaka had explained the duties of a handmaiden, and later reading up on the information Phoenia had provided for her to know and understand the rules and laws in dealing with them. It’s what made her trust them with practically everything in her life, believing she had friends and companions who could help her and always have her back. She never worried she would have to act as judge, jury, and maybe executioner to them. Until now.
“Yané Carinda. Motée Sensari. The two of you stand accused of betraying your mistress, endangering her, and harming your sister handmaidens. How do you plead?” She forced her voice to be strong and not show any pain, grief, or guilt she felt. She was projecting the mask she had formed and worn when she was Queen, pushing aside Padmé Naberrie Skywalker and letting Amidala come out and take control.
“Guilty, My Lady,” Motée admitted. She didn’t even try to deny or defend herself.
Padmé looked upon Yané who hadn’t raised her head up either. “I am guilty as well, My Lady, but Motée isn’t. She was just trying to help me.”
“Yané-”
It was so subtle an outsider could have missed it, but Padmé had worked with her handmaidens for over a decade to recognize the signs. It was a slight twitch of two fingers, but Padmé had used it plenty of times to know Yané was signaling Motée to be silent. What was this? Padmé thought of everything Anakin and Sabé had told her, as well as everything she knew about Yané and Motée’s whereabouts in recent days and their history. Something wasn’t right. Before the Empire’s formation, her original handmaidens had wanted nothing to do with Motée so she and Yané would have never associated with each other unless it had to do with Padmé herself. Other than that, nothing connected them. Perhaps Motée was innocent. Perhaps her foolish attempt to sneak out had been out of fear and paranoia. But then, why would she admit guilt and try to protest when Yané defended her? Something was missing, and Padmé was determined to find out what it was.
“Explain why you are guilty, but Motée isn’t.”
Yané brought her head up, trying not to show any emotion on her face like she had been taught as a handmaiden. Padmé could tell she was trying to hide her fear, and noticed that she couldn’t bring her eyes to meet Padmé’s own.
“I needed atinama leaves, but I couldn’t leave the hospital I worked at without drawing suspicion. I contacted Motée and told her I had ordered a refill of one of Saché’s prescriptions to be dropped off at our apartment, and asked her to go get it and bring it here for me,” Yané explained.
Padmé turned her head and looked at Ellé. The younger woman looked distressed and heartbroken, but she was able to understand what Padmé was silently asking.
“Yesterday before the rains started, I was too busy checking my half of the house perimeter and then making tea for General Skywalker. I never realized where she was the whole time,” Ellé admitted.
Padmé turned her gaze back to Motée. “Is this true?”
The once handmaiden lifted her gaze, and Padmé saw a glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when Anakin spoke up. “Remember there are two former Jedi here, so try not to lie.”
Padmé sensed the restrained anger in her husband, and hoped that he would keep a hold on it while they got to the bottom of this.
Motée closed her mouth then glanced towards Yané. It seemed like she was trying to convey an apology towards her before she turned back to Padmé. “I was contacted to retrieve a medical package for Yané, but it wasn’t Yané who contacted me.”
Padmé leaned forward in her seat. “Who contacted you?”
Motée looked scared. She glanced back at Yané who was furiously shaking her head as tears fell down her face.
This couldn’t be acting. There were few things that could shake her handmaidens, but Padmé had believed in Lolo Purr’s act that she had been attacked and nearly killed before her deception had been uncovered. But what if it wasn’t an act? A voice whispered inside Padmé’s head. What if someone was really scaring her former handmaidens into doing this?
“I want to help, and I need to know what or who has caused you to do this,” she told them kindly. Both women looked so scared. Padmé thought about what she knew and realized something. “The person behind this is the one who took your children away, isn’t it?” she asked Yané. the expression on her old friend’s face told Padmé she had guessed right.
“Yané,” Saché breathed. Her voice sounded betrayed and heartbroken. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell any of us?”
“I couldn’t,” Yané whispered. She sank down from her kneeling position, and her tears flowed down her face. “She said that her position allowed her to keep them from me, and if I didn’t follow her, she-” A sob escaped her.
The implications were clear to Padmé. She could feel her blood boiling with anger to rival her husband’s who was also seething beside her.
Ferus was the one who asked the next question. “She? Who?”
Yané took a steadying breath before she answered. “Tessé Yelnina.”
Yelnina.
Padmé should have known. After Moré‘s death, Padmé had her people keep an eye out on the Yelnina family. Half the reason was in memory of Moré, the other half was out of concern that her former political adversary would try to cause trouble during her time as Queen. She remembered all the trouble Aros Yelnina had caused her and the harm he nearly did while she was Princess of Theed. From nearly involving her in a scandal that entailed a the royal treasury being compromised, kidnapping her and Sabé to keep her from interfering in an important meeting of the Royal Council, to drugging and leaving her out on Veruna’s bed to be raped. Thankfully she had been saved from those situations by Palpatine, her security, and Sabé as well as other situations that had nearly destroyed her and her political career. If Aros had been willing to use such diabolical tactics, it shouldn’t have surprised her that he had raised his daughter to do the same, like threatening little children.
Eventually, she regained her voice to ask. “What leverage does she have on you, Motée?”
While Motée seemed more inclined to talk, she seemed just as distressed as Yané. She began to speak. “You know about my parents’ families: the Sensaris and Klistorins?”
Padmé did as did the other handmaidens and Typho, but not Anakin and Ferus.
Motée explained. ”The Sensaris and Klistorins are ambitious people, but by my parents’ generation they had hoped that by intermarriage to produce Force-sensitive children that could be sent and trained at the Jedi Temple. My parents were tested and showed the highest midi-chlorian count among their other family members, so my grandparents arranged their marriage to produce a possible Jedi in the family. But when their marriage produced my sister and I, neither of us Force-sensitive, my parents saw no use in maintaining their sham of a marriage and divorced. I was ten years old.”
Padmé remembered all this when she first accepted Motée as her handmaiden, and it still disgusted her what the Sensaris and Klistorins did in forcing their children to marry, produce children they didn’t want and discard them all for ambition and glory.
Motée continued. “We grew up feeling inadequate. My sister Klisté found a way to funnel her feelings into politics. When the Blockade happened and we lost our mother, Klisté led the reconstruction efforts in our homeside with me by her side. We gained popularity, and Klisté was urged to run for Queen in the upcoming elections. Around that time the Separatist movement had begun. I was involved with a man, Kharl, who had sympathies for the movement.”
Motée paused, and Padmé could tell that this was hard for her to talk about. She could sense everyone’s interest, wondering where this was leading.
“He was… different. He was passionate and made me feel loved, but with the elections coming, I ended our relationship so I wouldn’t invite any scandal to Klisté’s campaign. He left for the planet Nooroyo and I never saw him again. Shortly after he left, I discovered I was pregnant.”
Padmé didn’t have to be a Jedi to sense everyone’s surprise.
“I kept my pregnancy secret throughout the election and in the beginning of Klisté’s reign, and I gave birth to a boy, Cortin.”
“Your godson,” Ellé said, shocked by Motée’s revelation.
Motée nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. “They tested him, and it proved that he was Force-sensitive, but he was too young to be sent to the Jedi Temple yet. To avoid any scandal, my family arranged my cousins, Toki Klistorin on my mother’s side, Hastré Sensari, another couple whose marriage they arranged, to claim him and raise him as their own son until he was old enough to join the Jedi, but then the war started. Hastré and I couldn’t bear to send him away after hearing about all the Jedi being killed on the battlefield, so we kept him and denied our family’s wishes to send him away as he grew older. Then the Purges happened and every Jedi from young to elderly being murdered.”
Motée had to stop, a couple of sobs escaped her while everyone looked at her in shock.
Padmé couldn’t believe it. She had allowed Dormé and Typho to go through her file and interview her before accepting her as a handmaiden, and yet judging by their expressions, neither of them had known either. What Motée had to have gone through… to sacrifice her love for her sister’s career and give up her child… Padmé could sympathize with her. When she found out about her pregnancy, Padmé knew her political career days were numbered. She had hidden her growing pregnancy for months, wanting to tell Anakin before the media found out, but also to help as much as she could in the Senate before she was forced to step down. Even though her generation had slowly stopped looking down at out-of-wedlock pregnancy, it was still frowned upon and add to the fact that if anyone found out that Anakin was the father and her secret Jedi husband, it was political suicide to her career. Padmé had used to fear the Jedi Council taking her child away due to being Anakin’s child and being as strong in the Force as him. So yes, she could empathize with Motée’s situation.
“Did Tessé find out?” Sabé asked for her.
Motée nodded. “Yes. I don’t know how, but the other day Hastré had commed me. Stormtroopers were searching their neighborhood before the call ended abruptly. I received a transmission from Tessé, telling me that Hastré and Toki had been arrested, and that she had Cortin in her custody.”
She looked at Padmé desperately. “She threatened to hand him over to Palpatine’s Inquisitors. They say the Inquisitors take Force-sensitive children and they’re never seen again. Please! I don’t care what happens to me, but Cortin is only six years old. He’s a good kid. He loves chocolate covered Chee-Chee berries, and he wants to be a swoop racer when he grows up. If the Empire finds out about him-” Motée broke into a series of sobs.
Padmé stared at her friend and former handmaiden, her mind trying to process the information of her having a secret illegitimate child who was Force-sensitive, and was now in the hands of the woman who also had Yané’s twins and was threatening both mothers into doing her bidding. She turned to glance at her husband.
He seemed torn. Padmé did not have the Force to sense his feelings, but she knew his body language to have an idea what he was thinking. On one hand, he seemed like he wanted to strangle both women or perhaps Tessé. On the other hand, she saw the thoughtful look in his eyes to know he was thinking of their children, Luke and Leia. Their birth had been traumatic on both of them, but the moment Anakin and Padmé had held them in their arms they had been united like they had never been since the day they married. They had vowed to love and protect their children with all that they were from anyone who would dare to threaten the Skywalker twins. The idea of Palpatine discovering them and using the twins, twisting them until they became monsters under the Sith had haunted both Anakin and Padmé’s nightmares. Padmé Naberrie Skywalker, the wife and mother sympathized and understood the position both Yané and Motée were in. However, Eirtaé, Ellé, Vatié, and Karté’s friend demanded answers, no matter how it broke her heart.
“Why did Tessé order you to poison Eirtaé and Ellé? What else have you done for her?”
Motée answered first. “Tessé has been trying to solidify her position for Senator. With Palpatine removing Jar Jar, the Senator’s position has been coveted by Palpatine’s followers and your enemies. Tessé hopes to secure his favor by getting information on yours and General Skywalker’s whereabouts.”
Yané added in, “She had my children taken from me a week ago. For their safety, she told me to keep her appraised of what we handmaidens did as well as any word we learned about you and General Skywalker. When you returned to Naboo and word of your sightings got out, I was to keep an eye on you both. I told her about your search for your great-aunt’s diary and then her history with Palpatine. She seemed very interested in that. I think she hoped that by securing it first she would gain Palpatine’s approval.”
“But why did she have you drug Eirtaé and Ellé?” Anakin asked.
“Eirtaé is a political rival of Tessé’s who has been openly against her replacing Jar Jar in the Senate, and she has no leverage on Ellé that nobody knows about, and therefore sees her as a loose cannon she can’t have when she enters the Senate. I think she wanted to cause chaos in the house. Divide us and make us do something irrational,” Motée answered.
“Do you realize how much danger you put Eirtaé and Ellé’s lives in last night? Ellé looks up to you as her mentor and best friend, Motée, and Yané, you and Eirtaé served together for eight years and are close friends. Do you know how close you came to killing them last night?” Padmé asked, struggling to contain her rage as she stared down her two former handmaidens (friends?).
Both women lowered their heads in shame, even as Yané explained. “I measured the Atinama leaves and was careful in how I boiled them. My goal was to ensure Eirtaé and Ellé only drunk enough to cause the hallucinations without being fatal.”
“You deliberately provoked Ellé last night,” Eirtaé spoke up from her perch. “I remember now. You purposely allowed her to hear my dealing with Panaka a while back and made her think I was the traitor.”
Yané nodded as fresh tears fell from her eyes. “I never wanted to harm you or anyone here.”
“And what about Vatié and Karté?” Sabé angrily asked them.
The two women looked up, startled. “What?”
“Don’t deny it. Vatié was killed because she discovered who was sending messages out. And Karté was murdered because someone told Panaka she was planning to poison him. You yourself blamed me for involving her which led to her death, or was it to deflect blame from yourself?”
Yané looked surprised and outraged. “How dare you- I had nothing to do with Karté’s death or Vatié’s. Karté was my friend. When I was struggling with my medical classes, Karté was the one who helped me study, and encouraged me to keep at it. Vatié was my friend too, and I couldn’t have killed her based on where I was at the time of her death. Take my comm and see for yourself.”
She handed her commlink to Anakin who checked her locator’s records. After a minute, Anakin found out Yané had been leaving the hospital around the time Saché had stumbled upon Vatié’s body, and had not left the premises since coming in to work that morning. He showed the evidence to Padmé, proving that Yané indeed hadn’t been the one to murder Vatié.
Padmé turned to Motée. “And you Motée?”
Motée shook her head vigorously. “No, I swear on my oath as a handmaiden and my child’s life I had nothing to do with either of their deaths.”
“Can you swear that neither of you contacted Panaka on what you knew?” Sabé asked skeptically.
“Yes!” both women answered.
“After the way he betrayed Padmé and how he’d been willing to turn Eirtaé in and threaten her family, we both kept our distance from him,” Yané answered. “The reason Tessé managed to get us was because she had better legal connections to take our children and place us under her thumb.”
Padmé looked at her husband who returned her gaze.
They’re telling the truth, his eyes told her.
Padmé was a mix of relief, tension, and worry. Neither Yané nor Motée had answered to Panaka, and neither had either of them killed Vatié and Karté. But if it wasn’t them…
“What about Malorum? Did either of you talk to him?” she asked them.
They both denied it even more furiously than they did with Panaka. Padmé believed them. But if it wasn’t either of them that killed Vatié or turned Karté over then that left Rabé or Typho, unless they were missing something. Padmé still needed to punish Yané and Motée. While neither of them had murdered their sister handmaidens, by the Handmaiden’s Code they had betrayed their mistress and sisters by endangering Eirtaé and Ellé’s lives and betraying Padmé’s secrets. But they did it to save their children, that voice whispered inside Padmé. She thought of her twins Luke and Leia. If someone had taken them and used them against her, would she do the same? Padmé wanted to say no, but she couldn’t honestly be sure.
No, she would find another way to save her children instead of betraying her morales. But she couldn’t leave three innocent children in the hands of Tessé Yelnina. Padmé made her decision.
“Rabé!”
Her friend jumped, startled.
“I want you to hack into Tessé’s security system, give me the layout of Yelnina mansion and any security she has, and what inhabitants are there right now.”
Rabé was a skilled slicer back in the day, and even after completing her service and becoming a dancer, she had maintained those skills to help Padmé over the years during the war. She looked surprised and confused at Padmé’s order at first, but then she nodded and took out a datapad to begin her work.
“Padmé?” Sabé asked.
“We have three children to rescue before Tessé realizes the game is up,” Padmé told her before she turned back to Yané and Motée’s surprised faces. “As a mother myself I understand your betrayal, but do not excuse it. We will rescue Cortin, Mimé, and Zinyé from Tessé, and then I will sentence you to whatever punishment I deem necessary. Understood?”
The surprised women could do no more than nod their heads. Padmé turned to the rest of her friends and former handmaidens. “Are there any objections?”
Everyone was obviously surprised by Padmé’s verdict. Eirtaé looked like she wanted to protest, but seemed to accept Padmé’s decision and said nothing. The cold acceptance stung Padmé. Typho looked like he wanted to object as well, but kept silent. Rabé, Dormé, Saché, and even Ellé (despite the betrayal she probably still felt) looked relieved. There were no objections to Padmé’s verdict.
“It will be dark in a few hours. That will be the best time to break into Tessé’s home and rescue the children.”
The next few hours were spent devising a plan to invade the Yelnina Mansion. For a Senator, Padmé had a smaller security team compared to some of her colleagues, at least when she was home on Naboo. The Yelninas had a more strict security system and with the recent events it was bound to be even more tight. The landscape was slightly larger than Eirtaé’s, but no doubt the rains had made it swampy and muddy. There were only a few live guards, the rest of security was made of droids according to what Rabé had uncovered.
Yané and Motée were being watched closely, offering what intel they had on the inside of the mansion in order to narrow down where the children would be kept. There were arguments on who should be where, but they figured out what everyone would do, how they would find the children, and deal with Tessé. Their last order of business was where to go after the rescue.
“If Tessé knows we’ve all been hiding here this whole time we’re compromised. We’ll have to go to another place to hide until we can get offplanet,” Padmé stated.
“My grandfather would be willing to hide us at least for a night,” Typho suggested.
Padmé could feel Anakin bristle, wanting to protest when she spoke up. “That will work.”
She believed Lieutenant Panaka would help them and protect them as best as he could. They wouldn’t be able to stay long in case his son showed up, but it would be enough for them to catch their breath before finding another safehouse.
There were a couple of hours left before it was dark enough to make their move. In the meantime, everyone gathered their belongings, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to return. It broke Padmé’s heart seeing Eirtaé grab a few momentos and leave the rest behind. As difficult as her family was, and the bad history associated with this place, it was Eirtaé’s home. If they did this: invade a newly appointed Senator’s home, all of Padmé’s friends would become outlaws. They would be forced to run and never return as long as the Empire was in power. It was a lot Padmé was asking of them.
She was alone in the library, staring at the burning flames in the fireplace when she heard her husband approach her.
“I don’t regret my decision,” she told him before he spoke.
Anakin sighed behind her. “I know better than to argue with you over that. I actually approve your decision to rescue the children, but I’ve got to ask: are you sure we can trust Yané and Motée?”
Padmé turned to face Anakin, her expression thoughtful. “I thought about this hard. I put myself in their shoes. If it was Luke or Leia, I-” she cut herself off.
Anakin’s hardened expression softened a little.
Padmé took a deep breath to calm herself. “It is difficult to judge someone when they do such things for their children. Do I forgive Yané and Motée for endangering Eirtaé and Ellé, and betraying my trust? No. I don’t know if I ever will after this. But I cannot in good conscience let their children’s lives be kept in the hands of a dangerous woman.”
“I know,” Anakin softly whispered, taking Padmé’s hands in his own.
“Tell me Anakin, please,” Padmé begged as she looked up into her husband’s eyes. “Were Yané and Motée telling the truth about Karté and Vatié? That neither of them had anything to do with their deaths?”
“I sensed no deception from either of them. Based on the timing, Yané wouldn’t have been able to leave the hospital and come back, and I remember talking to Motée right before Saché found Vatié. She wasn’t wet or damp at all anywhere which means she had gotten those leaves before it started raining, making it too early for her to have killed Vatié and slip back inside without a clue.”
Padmé accepted Anakin’s answer, and nodded before turning to look out the window. The rain had paused in its downfall, but there were still rumbles of thunder going on in the clouds.
“Saché told Governor Bibble about Vatié,” she informed Anakin. She felt his grip tighten around her hands. “Once we leave the Lasara Home, Saché will send a signal to him to come and retrieve his daughter’s body.”
She, Sabé, Saché, and Dormé had done the best they could to wash Vatié’s body of the mud and traces of blood they found, not wanting Bibble to see how his daughter had been found. While they were washing her, that’s when Padmé had found a clue that had been missed the first time they had looked at her.
“Ani,” Padmé whispered, feeling small and frightened. “I found something on Vatié as we were cleaning her.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 BBY

Padmé was thoroughly checking the notes on her datapad, trying to ignore the knots she felt in her stomach.
After finally being cleared from the doctor, the Queen had assigned Padmé to join Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort’s investigation of the Talstrine’s plasma mine in the western hemisphere, hundreds of klicks from Theed. Among their entourage was Lady Veruna’s assistant and “handmaiden” Xoana. Because Lady Tonsort’s assistant was sick and unable to come, and PAdmé herself had no assistant, Celestine had given them two of her handmaidens, Liné and Veta, to work undercover and help out with the investigation. The last member of their group was Gregor. Padmé had followed through on her promise to Sheev, swallowing her pride, and asking Celestine for a bodyguard while on this mission. The Queen had accepted her request and agreed to loan her Gregor to help watch over her as well as provide an extra pair of eyes on this mission.
Padmé hoped that their large group wouldn’t gather too much suspicion from Lord Talstrine and his men. Lady Tonsort was the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lady Veruna was the Political and Economic Advisor, and Padmé, while not the official secretary, was in charge of Bowen’s duties in his absence, so it was logical that they came to inspect the mines. Liné, Veta, and Xoana, while handmaidens or handmaidens-in-training, would be seen as simple assistants and nobody of importance. Gregor would be seen as a bodyguard to the Queen’s ambassadors. There would be no suspicion whatsoever Padmé assured herself.
“Are you nervous?” Liné, her “assistant” whispered beside her.
They were flying in Lady Tonsort’s private yacht. A luxurious ship that could rival the Queen’s own, it didn’t ooze of the wealth Lady Tonsort was said to have from her maiden family and her husband’s family.
Padmé shook her head. “Just concern. The Talstrine family is one of the older houses on Naboo. They command a great deal of respect and influence in the plasma industry. If Lord Talstrine is abusing his workers, it will be difficult to find undeniable proof the courts can’t waiver.”
“I knew Lord Talstrine through my husband back in the day,” Lady Veruna spoke up from across the table. They had all been reviewing datapads in the ship’s dining hall, preparing any last minute details. “He’s a businessman which makes him a kind of actor. He will do his best to distract us from our mission, and have his minions keep an eye on us. So stay sharp.”
“Based on others’ accounts, Talstrine will be focusing his attention mainly on us ‘older’ people which might give you an advantage, but do not cause any uninvited attention. In past experiences, any visitors will stay no longer than two days, and Talstrine’s mines are very vast. We’ll have very little time to gather evidence,” Lady Tonsort warned.
Around the same age as Luke, Lady Tonsort had served as a volunteer in Naboo’s planetary security at a young age and had risen up in the ranks swiftly before landing in her current position. From Padmé’s interactions with her, she knew Lady Tonsort was quick-witted and vigilant in the Royal Court, and with her military training would be capable of handling herself should any threat present itself.
Padmé nodded, accepting both women’s advice. Then she noticed the tiredness and dark circles under her eyes.
“Are you alright?” she asked, concerned.
Lady Tonsort waved it off. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure, Suya?” Lady Veruna asked with rare concerned kindness she showed outside of court.
Lady Tonsort nodded.
“Has the baby been keeping you up?” Lady Veruna asked.
Padmé remembered that Lady Tonsort had recently returned from maternity leave and that her newborn daughter was two months old now.
“Little Mariek has developed colic recently, driving me, her father, and sisters to near insanity with her screaming,” Lady Tonsort admitted.
Down the table, Padmé could see Gregor and Veta grimace in sympathy.
“I remember those days with my little Ro, i thought my wife and I were going to murder each other from lack of sleep,” Gregor told her.
Veta nodded. “Same. When my fiance died, and I was on my own with Dora, I was certainly worried about breaking down at work and trying to hide how tired I was due to being up all hours of the night from her crying.”
Xoana smacked her hand on the table and signed a series of words Padmé understood meant she remembered.
“Yes, I remember you and Mom helping me out and all the crazy ideas we tried out,” Veta said with a smile.
Lady Tonsort was able to smile too. “This isn’t my first one. I remember my oldest being the most difficult. Once you get through the first one, the others are just refreshers. Do you ladies plan on having kids in the future?” she asked, looking at Padmé, Liné, and Xoana.
Xoana shook her head furiously.
Padmé could feel herself blushing and to her surprise, Line’s cheeks pinkened.
“Not right away,” Liné admitted. “Shon and I want to be fully settled in a house of our own before we start having children.”
Padmé felt eyes on her as she told she would like them someday.
The conversation continued on like that, discussing family matters and interests. The atmosphere relaxed, and Padmé felt the knots in her stomach loosen. Then Lady Tonsort’s pilot commed her, and informed her they were beginning their landing approach. Just like that, the atmosphere returned to seriousness and business. Everyone fastened in, and Padmé felt the knots inside her tighten again. What would they find? And would Lord Talstrine let them leave with it?
Once they landed, everybody filed to the bay. Padmé stood at Lady Veruna’s right while Lady Tonsort stood at her left, Liné, Xoana, and Veta their “assistants' ' stood behind them while Gregor brought up the rear. As they made their way down the ramp, Padmé took in the sight of Talstrine’s plasma mine. Although her brother-in-law Jon had been a plasma miner before his death, Padmé knew little about his occupation. In fact, in preparing for this assignment, Padmé had to read up the process and regulations in plasma mining. The Talstrine plasma mine was as you’d expect any other mine with several supply and maintenance buildings and a tunnel leading deep down Naboo’s crust.
Waiting for them on the landing platform was Lord Talstrine himself. From Padmé’s understanding, Talstrine was a charmer, a ladies’ man, and a man’s man all at once. Indeed, for someone old enough to be her father, even Padmé had to admit he was handsome with his charming smile and dark brown hair with gray side-burns.
“Eirtaé!” he greeted, making his way over to them. “It’s been a long time.”
“Indeed,” Lady Veruna greeted back, a coldness in her eyes Padmé had seen often when she dealt with people she disliked. “I see the mining business has boomed which is probably why it took the Queen’s order for you to accept my visit finally.”
Padmé worried Lady Veruna’s words would threaten their chances of investigation, but Talstrine laughed and waved it off.
“I apologize for my rudeness, but you know how business works. I’m much too busy to accept visitors whenever they feel like it. Come, come. Let me show you mine.”
So began their tour. Talstrine instructed his men and supervisors to cooperate with them and show them the layout of the mine and the mining village where the miners’ families resided.
The reason for the investigation had started when Lady Tonsort had received a comm call from a miner. Padmé didn’t know his name for his own safety, but the miner had reported to Lady Tonsort that he had left the mine due to poor conditions, but his employers had sent bounty hunters after him due to debts he was unable to fulfill. He told them about the low wages he earned as a miner, and the expenses he had to pay, including housing, clothing, and food. All of which were barely covered by the wage he was given. The miner described everything in detail, and Lady Tonsort and Lady Veruna had done the math to know he had a valid complaint. However, they would need more than the word of a runaway miner to shut Talstrine down. That’s why the Queen had sent Tonsort and Veruna to investigate with Padmé to assist.
Although both women were older and more experienced, and more than capable of handling something like this, Padmé suspected it was Celestine’s way of allowing her to gain more experience as well as getting her away from the situation in the Palace. The investigation on her and Patté’s “accident” had reached a dead end, and tensions were high. So this assignment was a reprieve for Padmé from her last one.
Like Lady Tonsort had suspected, Lord Talstrine mainly focused on her and Lady Veruna, not Padmé, or Gregor, or the handmaidens, the “unimportant people.” His men however, did it for him. Padmé could feel their eyes on her and her group as they were shown the plasma mining equipment.
Nothing seemed to be amiss in Padmé’s eyes. She knew Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort were more cultivated in the topic than she was, but they didn’t seem to have any issue either.
“We keep up with our equipment and maintenance, state of the art,” Talstrine boasted.
“And the safety regulations?” Lady Tonsort asked, looking closely at the miner vehicle used to dig for plasma.
“We keep up with the safety inspections-” On he went addressing her concerns or dismissing them.
Padmé heard that Jedi could sense when something was up or something along the lines. While she was no Jedi, Padmé sensed he was truly hiding something. Their presence here disturbed him and made him nervous despite his nonchalant attitude. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, the signal she, Lady Veruna, and Lady Tonsort had agreed on.
“May I look into those records?” Lady Tonsort asked, her tone brook no argument.
Lord Talstrined looked slightly taken aback by her attitude. “Right now?”
Lady Tonsort nodded firmly. “Right now. Is that a problem?”
“Of course not. If you would follow me-”
“Actually,” Padmé spoke up. “I’d like to look around the village before it gets dark.”
“And I would like to continue the tour as well,” Lady Veruna jumped in.
Their plan had been to divide and conquer. One of them would distract Talstrine while the others worked on gathering as much information as they could. Which of them would Talstrine choose, they had all prepared for each scenario. Talstrine looked torn, obviously trying to decide which of them he would need to keep his eye on more. Padmé’s speaking up had reminded him of her presence, but it was Lady Tonsort’s desire to look into his records that should have been more concerning to him. However, it was Lady Veruna who reminded him that she was the head of their team. In the end he chose to remain with Lady Veruna, while he had two of his men lead Lady Tonsort to their offices, and four men to lead Padmé, Liné, and Gregor to the village. Their numbers disturbed Padmé.
“That’s a little excessive don’t you think?” she asked Talstrine, eyeing the well-fit men. It would be difficult for her, Liné, and Gregor to sneak off and ask anyone questions.
The grin on his face reminded Padmé of a tusk cat stalking its prey. “We try to maintain discipline and order here, but even then we have our fair share of hooligans. I would hate anything happening to such a young and pretty lady under my charge. I insist.”
His words made her cold, but Padmé and her group began to make their way into the village. The whole time, Padmé tried to devise a way to ditch her guards. If they were with her, no villager would dare to talk to her for fear of word getting back to Talstrine. She would have to figure something out once they were in the village.
Padmé wasn’t sure what to expect when they arrived at the village. Even for an old mining town it was obviously worn down, but the majority of the structures were held up by people’s hard work and care. Those who occupied the street were women, elderly, and youths too young to work in the mine yet. As soon as they saw Padmé’s group, they quickly avoided eye contact, hurried away from them, or disappeared into the closest building. They were avoiding them, obviously afraid of Padmé’s guards, but hopefully not Liné, Gregor, or herself. There were a couple of people who dared to look up at them. One was an elderly woman, wringing out wet laundry to hang out to dry. She looked at them as they walked by, her eyes meeting Padmé’s. In them, Padmé saw anger, bitterness, and defiance. Towards Padmé, the guards, or Talstrine himself? Padmé needed to speak with these people without the guards supervising them. How to do so was the first question. The answer came when Liné spotted a restaurant nearby.
“We can rest and eat there for a bit,” Liné suggested.
Padmé looked at it. The restaurant was beat up and smaller than the ones in Theed, but it would do. Padmé could feel a plan beginning to form in her head, hoping she wouldn’t be wrong. They entered the restaurant.
“Miss,” one of the guards addressed Padmé. “Perhaps another location or even going back to Lord Talstrine?”
“Nonsense,” Padmé told them, already making her way to one of the booths. “This is fine.”
It may not have been as glamorous as the ones in Theed, but she could tell this was a place people felt at home. Padmé, Liné, and Gregor sat in a booth while the guards sat in another right next to them.
One of the guards yelled for a woman named Johena to serve them. Johena was an attractive woman the same age as Padmé’s sister. As Padmé studied her, she could see the tiredness, stress, and fear in her eyes behind the fake smile as she asked them for their order. An idea popped into Padmé’s head.
“We would like some frozen candied berries and freshly brewed ryoo tea,” she informed the waitress. She pointedly glanced towards the other booth behind them, conversing loudly to the point they would have disturbed the other customers if there were any.
“They’ll also have the same too, and…” Padmé turned to Liné. The handmaiden seemed to read her mind, reaching in her bag for something they had packed just in case. She carefully distributed it into Padmé’s hands. Padmé then grabbed a handful of credits out of her pocket and presented them to Johena. The item Liné had given her was a packet of sleeping tabs she had brought on the mission for a situation such as this.
“Something to take the edge off,” Padmé winked at her.
Johena’s eyes had widened ever since Padmé had made her order. Anyone of the working class here on Naboo knew that if you combined their frozen berries with hot tea it would cause a severe stomach ache. Yet when Padmé told her to give the same to their guards as well as offering her the sleeping tabs and fistfull of credits, Johena’s eyes became gleeful and mischievous, and her smile became more genuine, making her appear more beautiful.
“Coming right up,” she said, quickly hiding Padmé’s offerings in her side pocket under her apron before leaving to get their order.
Gregor turned to both Padmé and Liné, outraged and worried. “Are you both crazy?!” he scolded them in a whisper so the guards wouldn’t overhear them. “Do you know how much danger and trouble you’ll be in- no - all of us will be in if you’re found out?”
“It’s risky, yes,” Liné agreed. “But we need to shake those guards off somehow.”
“No one here in the village will talk to us as long as these men are watching us,” Padmé added. “but we have to chance it if we want to find out what’s going on and help these people.”
Gregor didn’t say anymore.
Liné leaned in to whisper in Padmé’s ear. “Is there anyone in particular you want to talk to?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Padmé answered. “Johena, after the guards quiet down, if she’s willing, and that woman who was hanging out laundry as we passed.”
It was a start at least. Johena seemed willing to work with them, and that woman outside gave Padmé the same impression.
Johena came back and served them their fruit and tea. She leaned down and whispered to Padmé. “Give them fifteen minutes and don’t drink the tea.”
Padmé nodded her understanding.
After serving them, Johena proceeded to serve the guards their order, and Padmé listened for them to quiet down. The minutes seemed to drag on, until finally she heard the guards begin to slur with their words before quieting and all she could hear were their loud snores. Just to be sure, Padmé looked behind their booth, and saw all four of them asleep in various positions. Hopefully the tabs will last them for as long as they need.
Johena returned to their table, and Padmé shared her satisfied smile before becoming serious.
“Did Andrer get in contact with you?” Johena immediately asked them.
Andrer? Padmé had to assume that was the name of Lady Tonsort’s contact.
“Is Andrer a friend or relative of yours?” she asked cautiously.
Johena nodded. “My brother. Please, can you at least tell me he’s alright?”
Padmé probably shouldn’t in case this woman was a spy, but if she was genuine and truly worried about her brother, Padmé could offer her reassurances. “I’ve never been in contact with him. My colleague Lady Tonsort has, but she has reassured me that he is in protective custody.”
Johena sagged with relief. “Thank Shiraya.”
Padmé looked at the booth with their sleeping guards before turning back to Johena. “Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?”
That shook Johena out of her relieved elation. She looked towards the front of the restaurant and out their windows. A couple of people passed by, but that was it. Still, Johena went and pressed the button that closed the windows’ blinds before turning to Padm éand her friends. “Follow me.”
Padmé, Liné, and Gregor got up and followed Johena behind the counter and into the kitchen. They passed two cooks, an elderly man frying meat, and a boy who should have been in school chopping vegetables. There was also a kitchen droid washing, drying, and putting dishes away, but it looked as if it was rusting away and could fall apart at any moment.
Johena led them out a back door, and they followed her down the alleyway and into a small courtyard. Perhaps a long time ago it had been lively with children running around and vegetables growing in the small gardens. Now though, the courtyard was rundown like everything else with a layer of grime, and the flowerbeds overgrown with weeds, despite what looked to be attempts at keeping it neat with the gardening tools nearby.
“Mama!” Johena called out. An elderly lady came out of one of the houses in the courtyard. Padmé kept herself from gasping, but could not prevent her eyes from widening in surprise. It was the elderly lady with the laundry! The one Padmé had wanted to talk to.
The woman seemed to recognize Padmé, Liné, and Gregor based on her expression. She turned to Johena, her daughter. “And their guards?”
“Passed out in the restaurant after eating frozen berries and hot tea, plus some sleeping tabs our guests kindly gave out. They’ll be sleeping for a while and wake up with indigestion,” Johena reported with a grin.
The older woman snickered for a minute in genuine amusement before she turned to the outsiders, and her expression became serious. “I am Madame Wulen, one of the elders here in our village, and who might you be?”
Now that she spoke, Padmé realized she didn’t sound too old, probably in her late forties or early fifties, the same age as Padmé’s mother had been when she died. Perhaps all the hard and stressful years living and working in a miners village had aged her.
“I’m Assistant Secretary Padmé Lydonia. This is my assistant Liné Olnick and our guard Lieutenant Gregor Panaka. We’re here to investigate the claims that Lord Talstrine has been abusing his workers,” Padmé informed.
Madame Wulen humphed. “Abuse? More like exploiting them. Didn’t my son tell you people what Talstrine and his people have been doing to us?” Her voice had risen, her anger and sorrow becoming more pronounced.
“Mama,” Johena went over and placed a comforting arm around her mother’s shoulders.
Madame Wulen sighed, becoming more calm. “Come inside where we can talk in private. My husband and grandson are still in the restaurant. They’ll let us know if your guards are waking up.”
Padmé, Liné, and Gregor followed mother and daughter inside their home, hoping to uncover what secrets Talstrine was hiding and suffering the people in this village were going through.
However, Padmé couldn’t shake the bad feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 24

19 bby;
Padmé had Artoo fly them down a good distance from Republica 500 before landing down in an alleyway. Anakin’s starfighter would catch a lot of attention Padmé wanted to get out of.
Upon landing, Padmé had untied Threepio while Artoo ejected himself out, and the two Jedi younglings climbed out of the cockpit. Next, Padmé led them out of the alleyway as far away from Anakin’s starfighter as possible. Several pedestrians looked at them oddly, especially at Vera and Noor’s Jedi robes and Padmé’s nightgown peeking from her cloak.
They had to change clothes, and quickly.
Luck came when they found a twenty-four hour store. Padmé ushered her group in, leaving Artoo out to keep watch and signal for trouble.
Padmé picked out two children’s outfits that seemed to be Vera and Noor’s sizes. She was helping them change in the changing room when she discovered Vera’s injury.
The young girl had been limping as they were walking, but Padmé hadn’t gotten to look at it until now. The girls told Padmé how they ended up in the hangar to escape in the starfighter in the first place.
Vera loved watching the starfighters fly and couldn’t wait till she was old enough to start her flight training. Noor was fascinated with the engines and watching the engineers at work, saying it was like watching puzzles come together. So instead of joining their clanmates for the last evening class, Vera had talked her friend Noor into skipping class to sneak into one of the Temple’s hangars. Neither of them had known that their rebellious act would save their lives.
The two girls had been studying the structures of fighters when they had felt the disturbance in the Force. It happened so fast. One minute they had been exploring, the next minute the hangar’s doors had opened and Clones started shooting everybody in sight.
Vera and Noor didn’t know what to do.
They ran.
Blaster fire flew everywhere as the two younglings dashed for cover which happened to be Master Skywalker’s starfighter. Vera had been helping Noor climb into the cockpit when a laser hit the back of her right leg, very close to the back of her knee. The pain had nearly caused Vera to collapse, but Noor had held on to her friend and pulled her into the cockpit. The two girls were small, allowing them to fit in the cockpit built for a male adult human.
They had stayed silent, despite Vera’s pain, so scared were they of the Clones finding them. They could only watch in horror as the Clones fired and killed all Jedi in the hangar as well as any technician who tried to help them. When the killing stopped, Vera and Noor’s thoughts flooded them. What was going on? Why were the Clones attacking them? Why did they feel weird in the Force? What about their clanmates? Had they been attacked too? How could Vera and Noor get out of here?
The answer to that last question had come in the form of Artoo. Artoo had received orders from his master, Anakin, to take the starfighter and retrieve his mistress, Padmé. The R2 unit had attracted no attention from the Clones and had made his way to the starfighter, inserting himself, and firing the engines. The droid had been surprised to discover his two stowaways, but it was too late to turn them away (even if it was against his programming). The Clones had noticed the starfighter and had begun to fire upon it. With skilled piloting, Artoo flew them out of the Temple and to Padmé’s apartment.
Padmé was astonished by the end of the tale. When she looked at Vera’s leg she had been even more surprised that the girl had managed to walk so far without passing out. The laserburn had cauterized the wound, but all the walking and movement had caused it to tear and bleed. Vera needed bacta and quickly, otherwise she was going to bleed out.
She was planning to go back out to Threepio who was in charge of their bags for her medkit, when a knock on their changing room door startled all occupants.
“Is everything alright in there ma’am?”
Padmé looked at the girls who looked back at her with terrified eyes. Vera had grown more pale, and Noor was slightly trembling. Padmé herself felt like she was shaking, and that’s when she felt the baby inside her move. It was that movement that made Padmé steel herself, reminding herself that she had to be strong for all of them. Taking a risk, Padmé cracked the door open, praying to all her ancestors, Naboo gods, and the Force itself that she wouldn’t be recognized. She opened the door to a middle-aged female Twi’lek, the manager of the store most likely judging by her uniform. The Twi’lek looked at her with concern before her eyes widened, seeing the blood down Vera’s leg, and Padmé was grateful that the two girls had removed and hidden their outer Jedi robes, leaving them in undershirts.
“Stars above! What happened?” the manager exclaimed, pushing past Padmé and kneeling down to check on Vera.
Padmé had thought of a cover story on their walk in case anyone would ask why a poorly dressed pregnant woman and two children were out at this hour. “My… My husband went too far tonight. Please, do you have a first aid kit?”
“Yes, I do. Hold on sweetie,” the manager assured them before heading out to retrieve it. She returned a minute later and helped Padmé clean and patch up Vera’s wound.
“Are you hurt too, Darling?” the manager asked Noor.
The younger shook her head, too timid and scared to speak.
“What about you, Hon?” She turned to Padmé.
Padmé insisted that she was fine, but the manager pointed at the bruises on her arms her nightgown hadn’t been able to cover. Padmé hadn’t noticed them. They must have come from when she was riding the starfighter and hit her arms while trying to protect her belly. It helped sell her story that she and the girls had run away from an abusive spouse though.
The manager was kind, asking if they needed a ride to the hospital and that’s when another strategy hit Padmé. There was a hospital in the neighborhood Bail’s apartment was at. Oadmé had planned on taking a public transport, but if Clones were searching for her and any surviving Jedi, it would be awfully risky. At least the manager’s offer allowed a safer option.
Padmé and the girls finished getting dressed, the manager refusing any payment Padmé tried to offer her, and gathered Artoo and Threepio before climbing into the manager’s speeder. As they drove through traffic, Padmé held the girls close to her. They seemed to relax under her touch if only a little, but they were obviously still scared every time a Clone gunship roared past them, saw a Clone, or were startled by a loud honking speeder. They clung onto Padmé, and Padmé held onto them.
These poor children, Padmé thought. She could only imagine herself in their shoes, and she struggled not to think of the danger Anakin was in. How long ago had that call been? Was he safe? Did he manage to escape? What about the other Jedi?
Padmé was pulled out from her thoughts when the speeder began to slow down. She realized how far they had flown, and were only a few streets from Bail’s residence. However, the reason for their slowing down, Padmé discovered in horror, was because a Clone patrol was stopping incoming traffic and searching vehicles.

<<000{{*}}000>>

18 bby;
Night had fallen on the city of Theed. The rains hadn’t begun to resume just yet, but it wouldn’t be much longer.
Everything was in place, yet Anakin felt tense and coiled like a snake. It was too similar to his war days right before the beginning of a battle. There was also the clue Padmé had told Anakin she had found on Vatié’s body. That clue Vatié had snatched and hidden that they couldn’t find it on her the first time they had examined her body. Anakin felt ashamed that he hadn’t been able to find it in the first place, but he had been unable to continue a thorough search of the young woman’s body.
He sensed Ferus approach him from behind.
“Everyone’s in place,” the former Jedi padawan informed Anakin.
Anakin nodded. “Good. everything ready for our getaway?”
“Dormé and Eirtaé have everything we’ll need packed in the speeders, and will be ready to depart when needed.”
“Good. That’s good.” Anakin let out a breath. “Now we just wait for Padmé to give the order. Remember to keep an eye on you-know-who during this rescue.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Ferus promised him.
They fell into silence, staring out the window of the front door as they waited for everyone else to come and they could start the operation. Anakin wasn’t sure what to make of this. In their padawan days both of them would deliver snarks to one another until their masters interfered. Of course, that was back before the war, before either of them had married their respective spouses, before the Jedi were outlawed and hunted down to where they faced extinction. Anakin wondered if Ferus was thinking of his husband Roan. Ferus had been the model padawan up until he left the order he had been raised in. Anakin knew that Roan Lands had to be a pretty special being to have captured Ferus’ heart and marry in the short time they knew each other. He wondered how Roan was doing, and hoped that for Ferus’ sake, Palpatine was keeping Roan alive until Ferus was back in his custody.
He was thinking of asking Ferus more about his husband when Ferus asked him. “What made you and Padmé decide to have a kid?”
Anakin was taken aback by the question. “What?”
There was no accusation or shaming in his voice, merely curiosity as Ferus explained. “You were still a member of the Jedi Order, fighting in the warfront for three years then, and Padmé was a well-known Senator in the spotlight often. Why did you decide to have a baby at such an uncertain time?”
“It’s not like we suddenly decided ‘Oh hey let’s make a baby in the middle of all this poodoo going on around us,’” Anakin sarcastically replied. He took a deep breath to calm himself, not meaning to get as riled as he had. “Padmé and I discussed the concept of having kids around the time we got married. She talked about wanting a family of her own, and I wanted one too, but we knew as long as the war went on that wasn’t possible. We were always careful, or at least we thought we were until Padmé found out she was pregnant.”
Actually, it was something he and Padmé discussed during their months of exile. Not that they were ungrateful for their miracle twins, but it had always seemed odd. Anakin always used protection and Padmé was on the pill to help regulate her monthly courses. The chances were slim, and they had accepted that something must not have worked and that it was “the Will of the Force”.
“So you guys became pregnant by accident,” Ferus surmised. “Do you regret it?”
“Absolutely not!” Anakin told him fiercely.
The day Padmé told him she was pregnant was the happiest day of his life. He had nightmares of her dying in childbirth, feared the Jedi Council finding out about them, and then feared what the Sith would do. He almost lost Padmé right after she managed to give birth to the twins. Then they had to go into exile on Tatooine, a place he never wanted to return to until the twins were grown enough to fight the Empire. These six months caring and raising the twins, staying up at night, changing dirty diapers, enduring every tantrum, and the rare use of the Force, Anakin wouldn’t trade them for anything. He cherished every moment of Leia’s smiles, Luke’s giggles, and every time he held both of his children in his arms, safe and content. So yes, he had his fears of Palpatine finding them, but Anakin would never, ever regret their existence.
“I’ve fought battles where I was outnumbered a hundred to one, flown in flights I survived by the skin of my teeth, and cheated death more times than I can count, but no task is as difficult or terrifying as being a parent. You have to protect them, teach them, and be the perfect example to them. It’s even harder when you know they’re different compared to other children and the challenges they are going to face. But it’s also the best thing to happen to you. To me, they give you a reason to continue seeing the beauty in life, to fight for them, and never give in. Even if it seems the galaxy is falling to pieces, your world is already a better place because your kid’s in it.”
During his speech, he noticed how quiet Ferus was and wondered if he stunned him into silence. Then he noticed Ferus’ hand fingering his wedding band around his neck.
“Why do you ask?” Anakin asked more softly.
Ferus stared at the ring in his grasp. “There was a couple that lived on our block. They had a daughter just a few months old. Beautiful red locks, sharp green eyes, and the cutest smile you’d ever seen on a baby with those little dimples. Her name was Shira. Shira Elan Colla. Her parents had fled from Coruscant at the Empire’s formation and had settled on Bellassa. One night, Imperialists invaded their home because it was discovered they were secretly spreading anti-Imperial propaganda. Shira’s mother tried to run with her, but she had been shot while she was trying to escape. She made it to the alleyway behind mine and Roan’s home and hid her behind the garbage bins before she collapsed and the Imperials caught up to her. Roan and I heard the commotion and went out to investigate. That’s when we found Shira.”
Ferus paused in his tale, and Anakin felt the love and anguish inside him as he tried to control his emotions. “I realized she was Force-sensitive. We couldn’t place her in an orphanage in case anyone found her and handed her over to the Empire. Our line of work was too dangerous to keep a child so young, especially one with the Force, so I looked into my contacts and tried to find a couple who we could trust to take care and protect her. It took me several weeks to find one. In the meantime, Roan and I took care of her. Roan fell in love with her, and… so did I. I was terrified of holding her sometimes because I was afraid of dropping her. She would cry, and I would panic, forgetting to use my senses to know if she was hungry, tired, or what. But at night time when I would be up late, she would fall asleep on my chest, and I would feel content. Roan talked about having kids after the war, but me… any wish I had of becoming a father blew away with the death of the Republic and Jedi. I couldn’t not resist and neither could I endanger any kid I had. That’s actually what Roan and I had argued about on that horrible night. I had finally found a couple to take Shira in, but Roan wanted to keep her. He said we could make it work, that Shira was our family now.”
Ferus took a shaky breath, and Anakin noticed the tears threatening to escape his eyes. “I told him he was selfish, and that Shira was better off without us. Our fight got so bad, Shira started crying uncontrollably that I had to get out of there and get a hold of myself. I had walked a good distance when I sensed something was wrong and ran back home, but by the time I got there… it was too late.”
By the end of his tale, Ferus was shaking, and the tears leaked, falling down his face.
Anakin was stunned into silence. Kriff, was this what Ferus had been holding in this whole time? Not only had his husband been taken, but a child as well? It felt like water had been dumped upon Anakin, washing his vision to finally see the real Ferus Olin after five years. How did he not fall to the Dark Side? How was he still sane? Anakin felt his emotions in the Force. Anguish, fear, anger, and hate. Yes, even hate. There was a darkness Ferus was trying to fight inside of him, but there was also light. There was love and the hope he would be able to see his family again. It showed how strong Ferus Olin was to Anakin to be able to resist so long. Anakin laid a hand on Ferus’ shoulder and squeezed it in comfort.
He felt a wave of gratitude from Ferus, before he felt despair.
A heavy sigh escaped the older man. “Shira is lost. I’ve… had to come to terms with that these last few months. Even if I still have this faint hope of seeing her again, Sidious will never let her go. And that… that kills me.”
Anakin squeezed his shoulder again, his heart going out to Ferus. He couldn’t bring himself to imagine Luke or Leia in Shira’s place. But still…
“Do you have any idea where Sidious could be keeping her?”
Ferus shook his head. “No, he was very good at keeping his cards close to his chest.”
There was a feeling of hopelessness in Ferus that Anakin tried to resist. He wanted to tell Ferus that they would find and rescue Shira, but he had no idea where they would even start their search. Palpatine would have hidden her somewhere Ferus could never reach her, and if Ferus had been unable to find anything on her in the months he spent undercover, what hope did Anakin have? He hated how useless he felt and guilty. Safely hidden on Tatooine where Anakin’s own children Luke and Leia while others like them were being snatched away from their families and Force knows what happened to them. He wanted to fight. For children like Luke, Leia, and Shira. Fight so they could live and grow up in a galaxy free from the Sith and never fear for their lives. He remembered the discussion he, Obi-wan, and Master Yoda had all those months ago on Polis Massa before they went their separate ways.
The Fight was done.
They lost.
Now they would go into hiding, bide their time until the moment was right. Anakin hated their decision, but what else could be done? So few Jedi had survived the Purges (that they knew of) and were scattered across the galaxy. The Separatists had been crushed and the Republic turned into an Empire that declared the Jedi traitors. Furthermore, everyone was sick of war. The Jedi couldn’t do anything but hide and bide their time.
What about the ones who didn’t escape? A voice whispered inside Anakin’s head. He remembered the Jedi dying around him on that horrible day, and had barely escaped with his life, only to discover a fate worse than death when he was brought to Darth Sidious.
The voice scoffed at him. Some Chosen One you are! How many are dying and suffering because of you? Because you weren’t strong enough? Or was it because you still cared about Palpatine?
‘No, no,” Anakin said inwardly.
Deny all you want, but deep down you still care about that bastard who you saw as a mentor and friend, even if it had all been a lie.
‘No!’
“Anakin?”
Anakin was startled from his thoughts and turned to see the concerned gaze of his wife who had joined them. He saw Ferus wipe his eyes and harden his expression.
“Ready?”
Padmé frowned, but nodded her assent. “We’re ready. Let’s go.”
Ferus left to join his group, leaving Anakin and Padmé to begin their approach. They had three children to rescue.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé remembered planning for the Battle of Naboo all those years ago when she was Queen. She was fourteen years old, a child in many eyes, but an intelligent one. Her alliance with the Gungans, and her plan to capture the Viceroy, and destroy the droid control ship had been inspired by the battles she had read in history classes during the time of the Old Republic.
Invading Tessé Yelnina’s home reminded Padmé how nervous and scared she had been, and the painful knot she had felt as she mentally prepared herself for the moment Panaka would begin his diversion.
Along with the blueprints they had, Eirtaé had also shared what she remembered from visits her family had made to the Yelnina mansion in the past. Sabé would be leading Rabé, Saché, and Yané through the servant’s entrance. Ferus would lead Typho, Motée, and Ellé up the balcony viewing the Yelninas’ gardens. Padmé and Anakin would walk right up to the front door. Theirs was the most dangerous part of this rescue. While everybody else dealt with the security guards and droids, and searched for the children, Anakin and Padmé would distract Tessé and keep her from calling for help. It was crazy even for Anakin Skywalker, but Padmé had faith in this plan. She also wanted to look into Tessé’s eyes, to see for herself how far Moré’s sister had fallen.
They made it to the gate when Padmé glanced at her husband. He was tensed, preparing to come between Padmé and any oncoming danger should it arise.
“Ready?”
Anakin nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
Padmé pressed the buzzer.
A security droid zoomed out in front of them, pointing its blasters at them. “Halt! Identify yourselves!” it demanded.
Padmé and Anakin both lifted their heads to allow the droid to scan them. A minute later the gate opened and the couple entered the property, only to be stopped by the droid again.
“Halt! I’ve been ordered to not allow you in until you’ve been searched. Please wait while my human counterparts search you for any weapons.”
It had started to rain already, beginning to soak Padmé and Anakin as two human guards came and searched them. If they were surprised to see Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker on their mistress’ doorstep they didn’t show it. Anakin and Padmé had left what few possessions they had brought with them in their getaway speeders, carrying only a couple of blasters and Anakin’s lightsaber. When the search was done, the guards proceeded to take them inside the manor.
The Yelninas’ manor was different compared to the Lasara Home. Instead of the heavy red decor, it was dark stone with paintings that made it seemed more like a museum instead of a home. Padmé hoped that their distraction was working. Where would Tessé hide the children?
The guards led them to what appeared to be a study, and there was Tessé. Padmé had hoped that when she saw Tessé she would find traces of her sister Moré. While she did resemble her deceased sister from her dark hair to her narrow cheekbones, she didn’t have that sweet smile and neither did her eyes light up like Padmé remembered Moré possessing. Instead the smug sneer and evil delight in her eyes as Padmé and Anakin were escorted into her study by her guard reminded Padmé of her father Aros. she was dressed in the dark robes of Naboo’s Senator, sitting in her desk chair as if she were the Queen of Naboo.
“Well, well this is a surprise. I take it Motée was the one who squealed. Or was it Yané?”
Padmé said nothing. Eventually her glare made Tessé cough uncomfortably.
“Why Tessé?” Padmé demanded. The smugness left Tessé only to be replaced by anger. “You really need to ask that?! For over thirty years my family was among the most powerful here on Naboo. My father would have become Senator after Palpatine if you hadn’t destroyed his career.”
“Your father accumulated his wealth and power through stealing, bribery, and blackmail, and ruined the lives of any whom he thought a threat. He was extraordinarily lucky not to go to prison for the rest of his life,” Padmé counteracted.
Tessé shook her head and chuckled bitterly. “So easy to say for someone who grew up in a loving home with no ties to politics. You think your “acts of mercy” were that? Instead of sending all your political opponents to prison, but simply ruin their career to the point they could never show their faces in public again? Oh, you thought my father was a horrible person then, you have no idea what he became.”
Something in Padmé softened as she remembered the stories Moré told her before she died. “I remember what your sister, Moré, told me. He took his anger out on all of you.”
“Oh yes Moré. The sister who abandoned her family for her new mistress only to end up dead not even a year into her service.”
Padmé flinched, and that’s when Anakin stepped in. “Your sister was a hero! She died trying to free all of you from the Trade Federation.”
He was furious. Anakin knew Padmé always blamed herself for all the deaths that happened during that time, believing if she had been stronger and wiser she could have prevented it. Anakin disagreed. Padmé had been strong, wise, and compassionate while the Trade Federation were greedy and didn’t care who they hurt.
Tessé looked startled, but Anakin continued. “I’m sorry for what your father put you all through, but that does not excuse your actions. You blackmailed two mothers into doing your bidding and made them harm their friends.”
“You call those two mothers?! Ha! One of them isn’t really a mother and the other gave up her child the minute he was born.”
“They are children, Tessé! Children!” Padmé shouted. Her fury for Motée and Yané was lit. “They are Yané and Motée’s children, and you had no right to steal them and threaten their mothers. For what? Intel on what I was doing? So you could secure your position?”
“Do either of you know the price on your heads? Ever since the Emperor declared you both traitors, the prices on your heads is enough to grab every bounty hunter in the galaxy, and since you both came here, the price even doubled, but those of us inside Palpatine’s circle were promised something bigger.”
“And what’s that?” Padmé demanded.
Tessé smiled. “Palpatine really wants that diary of your dead aunt’s. He’s even willing to wait capturing you both for it.”
Padmé had suspected, but hearing it confirmed sent a chill through her.
“What does he want the diary for?” Anakin questioned her.
Tessé answered cryptically. “Old secrets? A lover’s momento? All I know is that your aunt had to have left quite the impression on him to go through all this trouble after all this time.”
Before either Padmé or Anakin could reply, the comm on the Senator’s desk went off. “M-ady-in-ers-in-pstaris-ot-afe. St-ere-end-hel-”
The static call alarmed Tessé who sat up and pressed the comm worriedly. “Captain? Captain!”
This time it was the Skywalkers’ turn to be smug.
“Problem?” Padmé asked innocently.
“What did you do?!” Tessé yelled at her.
“You have a lot to learn if you hope to survive in the Senate.”
Their plan seemed to be working.
Tessé looked at them furiously before she calmed herself. “Perhaps, but I do know to always have a backup plan.”
She pulled out a separate commlink. “Fett, you’re up.”
She looked at the couple, her smugness returning. “We’ll see who wins this.”
Padmé and Anakin exchanged a glance, hoping that their friends were up for whatever Tessé had in her pocket.

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 bby;

Padmé bit her lip as she studied her notes, her mind going over to what Johena and her mother Madame Wulen had revealed to them earlier that day.
Lord Talstrine had indeed been exploiting his workers. The properties their families lived on come out of the majority of their earnings, leaving just a bare minimum to feed their families. Housing and food were sold at such a high price that the workers wouldn’t have enough credit left over for other necessities like clothing, medicine, or books for their children. Nobody could leave either if they owed money to the company. Madame Wulen had a friend who’s son tried to leave in order to find a better paying job only to be stopped by Talstrine’s men all because he owed the company two thousand credits.
Slavery was outlawed in the Republic, but Padmé had heard stories, whispers mostly, in court about those who kept slaves, most particularly companies like Czerka. The laws on indentured servitude, however, people found ways to twist them. The people here were stuck and starving.
Lady Tonsort and Lady Veruna had met up with Padmé in the guest Talstrine had provided for her and Liné to share their own discoveries.
“I was able to go through some of the files but only briefly. His secretaries were very angsty when I began to look into the incident reports,” Tonsort reported.
“What did you find?” Veruna asked from her perch on Padmé’s bed.
“It’s what I didn’t find that concerns me. My witness told me of outbursts and protests his coworkers had made over the years, which should have been recorded in the reports, but the one I’m more worried about is the lack of information on the last mining accident they had three years ago. The only reason I even know about the accident is because my witness reported it to me,” Tonsort explained.
“Madame Wulen and Johena mentioned that to me when I was talking to them,” Padmé spoke from the windowsill she was sitting on. “The mountain had been shifting since the earthquake they had a few years before until one day it just… broke. A dozen miners were killed.”
Tonsort nodded. “Yes. My witness said that the mine had been struggling to find more plasma rocks, and that Talstrine had pushed them into using more drastic measures to mine.”
“Drastic how?” Veruna asked.
Tonsort hesitated before answering. “The detonation of charges kind of drastic.”
Veruna let out a slew of curses before getting up and pacing angrily. “That kriffing idiot! What the frack was he thinking? Using explosives on an already unstable mine? He knows better, and now twelve people are dead.”
Veruna was furious at Talstrine’s stupidity or blatant disregard for life, or likely both. Padmé and Tonsort allowed her to stew about it for a couple minutes before the latter turned to the former.
“Did the Wulens tell you anything else?”
“On top of the indentured servitude, the mine accident, and the poor conditions, there were several other topics I could tell they wanted to get into, but then we received word from Johena’s son that our guards were beginning to stir and we had to rush back to the restaurant before they fully woke up,” Padmé answered.
Indeed, Padmé couldn’t remember running so fast in her life to make it back into the diner. Luckily, on top of the sleeping tabs, the frozen candied berries and ryoo tea mixed together had caused bad digestion that none of the guards had been able to pay attention where Padmé, Liné, and Gregor were at first. Padmé had a feeling though that they were suspicious as they returned back to Talsteine’s mines. She noticed Veruna’s angry pacing had slowed and that she was thinking deeply.
“I’m wondering if Talstrine is having secret dealings with the Trade Federation or perhaps Damask Holdings. It would explain his sudden urge to mine plasma as quickly as possible.”
“I’d like to go down in the mines tomorrow, and see for myself the production,” Tonsort suggested.
Veruna nodded. “Agreed. I’ll go with you. Padmé, you, Liné, and Gregor stay up on the surface and keep an eye out on anything suspicious.”
“Alright, but will the two of you be alright going down there?” Padmé asked, concerned, remembering the stories Jon used to tell of gas leaks and cave-ins.
Tonsort nodded and reassured her. “We’ll be fine. Talstrine would be even dumber than he already is if he were to do me and Eirtaé away down there, and my contact gave me a few names of miners who he says are trustworthy. Hopefully, they will be willing to talk, and we can fix all the problems here.”
Padmé had that she was right.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé was able to get a better tour of the mine the next day. She also got to see the miners coming into work.
In their uniforms, Padmé was reminded of her brother-in-law Jon. He always came home covered in grime and dust from the mine that never went away no matter how much he bathed or how hard Ryoo washed his clothing. Padmé looked on at the miners, wondering if she could see jon in them, but these men carried a more worn look than her brother-in-law had even on his toughest days. It was as if life had nearly been drained out of them. Some of the men tried to cheer their coworkers up by telling jokes, bringing a few laughs out of them. It brought a smile to Padmé’s face.
That’s when Veruna and Tonsort both announced to Talstrine that they would like to go down in the mines and see the work in action. Talstrine seemed uncertain, but Veruna managed to persuade him to take them down along with Veta and Xoana. As they put on the safety equipment, Padmé couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.
“Be careful,” she told the four women. It had been almost a year since the Plague and since she first came into the Palace. In that year, she had made so many friends, these women among them. Lady Veruna was her mentor. Xoana whom she had studied and worked beside with. Veta who taught her and faced so many trials with her already. Finally, Lady Tonsort who Padmé hadn’t known as long, but already admired and respected her dedication and courage. All of them had become her friends and respected allies.
Veta offered her a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine, Padmé. Look after yourself as well as Liné and Gregor. While Talstrine will be with us, his assistant manager Soolen will be up here.”
Padmé nodded, accepting the warning.
When they were ready, Padmé watched as Talstrine led Veruna, Tonsort, Veta, and Xoana into the dark depths of the mines.
“Is that the only way in?” she asked Assistant Manager Soolen.
“No. we have another tunnel we use to bring down our heavier equipment. Shall I show you?”
Padmé, Liné, and Gregor followed him to the tunnel entrance where she saw miners drive mining vehicles used to dig deeper into Naboo’s crust. She listened and tried to understand as Soolen went on explaining the equipment, how much plasma they’re able to mine monthly, and the hard work put into it. Padmé felt whatever nerves she had beginning to fade when a miner approached them. He wasn’t covered with dust and grime as the other miners, giving Padmé the impression that he was higher up the chain.
“Sir, may I speak with you?” he asked Soolen.
“Is it important, Donna?” the assistant manager asked through gritted teeth.
“Yes sir. It’s…” he pulled out a piece of broken glass.
The assistant manager grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Padmé and her group. He threw Padmé a clearly fake smile. “One moment, Miss Lydonia.”
Padmé watched them as they moved further away. “Gregor, you grew up near a mine. Do you know what that glass is?” she asked him.
Gregor thought for a moment before his eyes widened. “One of my uncles was a safety inspector. If cracks formed they would place mirrors along the cracks to show them when the mine would begin to shift. If they fell that meant-”
“What? What, Gregor?” Liné demanded when he suddenly stopped.
Gregor gulped. “That a cave-in was possible.”
Alarm filled Padmé. She looked back at Soolen and Donna, the two of them arguing, and she marched over to them.
“What’s going on?!”
Her voice had caused everyone around them to stop and stare at her.
Soolen looked shocked at her outburst. “Miss Lydonia-”
She turned to Donna. “Are you the safety inspector?”
“Y-Yes Ma’am.”
“Show me the glass in your hand.”
Both men looked scared, but Padmé’s tone bordered no argument. Donna took out the piece of glass and handed it to Padmé. She examined it. It was indeed a broken piece off a mirror. She looked back at Donna.
“Do you put mirrors along cracks inside the mine to let you know of a collapse?”
She heard alarmed murmurs.
“Collapse?”
“Is the mine going to collapse?”
Donna looked at his superior before turning back to Padmé. “Yes Miss. As I was trying to tell Assistant Manager Soolen, the cracks have gotten bigger and bigger these past few days.”
Padmé turned to Soolen astonished. “And you’ve been letting these people down in the mine?!”
“With all due respect, Miss Lydonia, you are no miner. I’ve worked in these mines for twenty years-”
“Then you should know better than to send your men down in an obviously dangerous mine,” Padmé interrupted him, in no mood to listen to his excuses.
“Get them out. Now!”
Something in his voice made the workers move, or perhaps it was the fear they felt for their fellow miners. Before they could do anything however, the ground shook. Padmé struggled to maintain her balance. She grabbed onto Liné and Gregor.
Then BANG!
Rocks and dirt exploded like missiles.
The force sent everybody to the ground. Padmé found herself flung onto the gravel with her companions. She tasted dirt and felt her bad arm aching. Dust was everywhere, making it hard to see through the cloud, but she could hear the moans, the coughs, and cries of names.
Gregor got up, and helped Padmé and Liné up to their feet. The dust was so suffocating that Padmé couldn’t help coughing and tried to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve and tried to see through the cloud. She saw figures of men getting up. The cloud began to clear thanks to the mountain wind, but Padmé felt her heart stop when she saw what it revealed.
Where there had once been a tunnel was now a messy rock pile. The mining vehicle they had been in the middle of transferring was buried.
The mine had collapsed.
Padmé was frozen, ignorant of the chaos going around her.
Lady Veruna.
Xoana.
Veta.
Lady Tonsort.

<<000{{*}}000>>

It seemed a blur. Perhaps an hour had passed or just minutes.
Padmé found herself seated on a crate while Liné helped injured miners treat the wounds they had gotten from the collapse, and Gregor helped a group dig the trapped miners’ vehicle to rescue the men inside.
She looked and saw Soolen off to the side, speaking to a commlink. She got up and began to approach him. As she neared him she heard the words, “Yes, I will keep it contained.”
Contained? Did he mean the collapse of the mine?
“I’ll make sure no one leaves,” he said before ending his call, and putting his commlink away.
What? Had Padmé’s hearing been damaged in the explosion or did she really hear what Soolen just said? She felt confused and angry, but as a Queen’s representative, she knew she had to keep a level of professionalism as well. Soolen noticed her and he straightened. That’s when Padmé noticed two of Talstrine’s guards next to him. She eyed them cautiously before focusing her attention on Soolen.
“What do we do now?”
“Now, we will close down the mine, obviously and cease all work,” Soolen answered.
“What about rescue?” Padmé asked impatiently.
“Well, we need to assess the damage to the mine before we mount a rescue,” he told her more hesitantly.
It was like pulling teeth out of him. He was nervous and seemed to be hiding something.
“Lord Talstrine took the rest of my company down there. Is there any way we can communicate with them down there?” she tried again. His boss was down there, surely he cared about that.
Soolen seemed to become more agitated. “Assuming they’re alive, their best bet would be the refuge which is forty clicks below the surface.”
Padmé felt her heart drop. That deep? How far down did Veruna, Tonsort, Veta, and Xoana go? Did they make it to the refuge in time? Or had they been crushed?
Soolen continued. “The refuge was built to sustain fifty people. They’ll have food, water, and oxygen.”
“How many miners were down there at the time of the collapse?” Padmé asked.
“Over forty, I think.
“Sir,” Donna interrupted him, coming to stand beside Padmé.
Padmé looked back, and noticed that the majority of the miners up here on the surface had their eyes on them.
Donna continued. “I’ve done a head count. Forty- eight of our men were down there when the collapse happened.”
Forty-eight!
“The rest of my party and Lord Talstrine all went down there before the collapse. Will all of them be able to fit in the refuge?”
Donna’s face looked grim as he answered her. “It will be a tight fit, but it can work. Assuming they all survived and depending on their conditions, they’ll have to ration their supplies until we can rescue them.”
The way he said ‘rescue’ worried Padmé. He sounded like he had no hope for that.
She pressed on. “How much supplies do they have?”
Donna didn’t answer her, but looked to Soolen. The man looked uncomfortable, as if he swallowed something bad.
“Well?” Padmé asked impatiently.
“Enough for three days.”
Three days?!
“Then what are we waiting for? What about the other tunnels? Shafts? Could we start sending rescue teams down and see which of them we could use to abstract them?” Padmé asked in rapid succession.
Soolen looked at her like she was crazy. “Rescue teams?!” he pointed at the collapsed tunnel. “This mine is over three hundred years old. In my twenty years this is the seventh collapse I have seen. Do you know how many we have been able to save? No one!”
Padmé looked at him in surprise disbelief, and she could hear the miners’ worried murmurs. Then she felt her anger burning like a blazing inferno. “So we just give up? Leave them all to die?!”
The miners’ murmurs became louder and angrier.
“Our friends are down there!”
“My cousin’s down there!”
“My brother’s down there!”
“My son’s down there!” An older man’s voice stood out among the rest. Eyes turned to him. Padmé could see, hear, and feel the anguish as he continued. “I lost two of my older sons in the last collapse. My youngest is down there, and you want me to abandon him too?!”
He turned around, grabbed a shovel, and ran until he was right before the collapsed tunnel. He began to dig, saying “not my son, not my son” over and over again.
Padmé felt her heart breaking as she watched him, and other miners tried to stop him. She turned back to Soolen.
The Assistant Manager’s expression had softened at the sight of the old miner, but his stubbornness held on. “It may be hard to accept, but it’s the truth. Where the refuge is, it took us three hundred years to dig that deep. We don’t have the equipment or money to rescue them.”
“Then let me contact the Queen,” Padmé pleaded with him. “She can send the help we need to rescue them.”
“We are a privately owned mine. The government cannot and will not interfere in this,” Soolen sighed. He turned away from Padmé and made a gesture to his men.
All of a sudden, blasters were pointed at Padmé and the miners. Cries of alarm were made.
“What are you doing?!” Liné shouted over the chaos.
Padmé couldn’t believe it. Was Soolen really going to let everyone down in the mine die, and keep the rest of them quiet by force?
Apparently so.
The men ordered them to back up, and Padmé decided she was through being polite. She ducked under the men, and grabbed Soolen with one hand while using the other to take one of her hair pins out and held it to his throat. After Fayé’s death, the handmaidens had given Padmé a special set of hairpins from their collection. Some could be pulled apart to use as lockpicks while the rest were sharpened to be used as weapons. Up until she and Sheev were attacked that one night, Padmé never wore or used them. Now, she was grateful she had started wearing them as well.
Her quick move had taken Soolen by surprise, that all he could do was cry out, “What are you doing?!”
Everyone’s eyes were on them, shock in every one of them. Even Liné and Gregor were staring in shock. ‘Probably wondering if I lost my mind,’ Padmé thought to herself.
Soolen’s men pointed their blasters at Padmé, shouting at her to let him go. Padmé would not be deterred.
“Put the blasters down and back off if you want him to live!”
The men hesitated.
Liné pulled out her pistol she had hidden in her skirt, and held it to one of their heads.
Gregor pulled out his own blaster and pointed it at another one of Soolen’s men. “You heard her. In the name of Her Highness, Queen Celestine, you are ordered to lay down your weapons. Now!” Gregor ordered.
The men listened, setting their blasters down on the ground.
“The kriff is wrong with you?!” Soolen shouted before Padmé tightened her grip on him, and pressed her hairpin just short of cutting his skin.
“Assistant Manager Soolen, you’re a reasonable man. Along with forty-eight miners, you have two of the Queen’s representatives, not to mention your own boss Lord Talstrine down there. If word got out that you did nothing to save them, the village people would tear you to pieces before the Queen and Talstrine family got a hold of you. Do you understand?” She could feel Soolen sweating, and he shook his head yes, mindful of the hairpin at his throat. “Good. Here's what we’re going to do. First, you are going to help me contact the Queen for help. Second, you will allow these men out to contact their families and let them know what has happened. And third, and most importantly, you are going to help us rescue everyone trapped down there no matter what it takes. Agreed?”
“Y-Yes, My Lady,” he stuttered.
“Good.” With that she released him, and he stumbled away from her. Padmé turned to her audience who looked at her with wide eyes. “Contact your families. Inform them as well as the families of those down in the mines what has happened then report back here. Until help arrives, we need to inspect the mine, try to contact the survivors, and try to find a safe way to extract them as quickly as possible. Please.”
The miners stared at her, and in their faces Padmé saw mixes of emotions: anger with respect, uncertainty with hope, awe yet worry, and many others. After a minute, the miners agreed to Padmé’s request and got to work. Once they dispersed, Padmé felt her legs weaken, and the hairpin slipped out of her grasp, and she stumbled. Hands steadied her to sit on an abandoned crate, as it fully dawned on Padmé what she did. She felt like she was shaking as the adrenaline left her. She finally lifted her head and saw the concerned faces of Gregor and Liné.
“Did that really happen? Did I just take a man hostage and blackmailed him at knifepoint?” she gasped out.
Both her friends looked relieved for a moment before nodding.
“Oh Shiraya!” Her head landed in her hands. “What have I done?”
“You might have just saved dozens of lives, some of them our friends,” Gregor told her.
Liné lifted Padmé’s head and forced her to look into her eyes. “You did what you had to. Soolen’s men outnumbered me and Gregor. If you allowed Soolen to shut us up, who knows what would have happened to us. Not to mention Veta, Xoana, Lady Veruna, and Lady Tonsort and everyone down in the mines would be left for dead. At least you made Soolen own up to it, and now they have a chance. You made the right call, and now we hurry to save them before it’s too late.”
Padmé forced herself up, and allowed Liné and Gregor to lead her back to their ship to contact Celestine. She did the right thing despite how scary it was, but she knew their troubles were far from over now.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 25

Sabé was tense as she and her friends broke the lock on the back gate. The rain pelted them, soaking through their clothes. The gardens of the Yelnina estate had fared better than the Lasaras’ only because they had been built differently. Mounds had been built to elevate the view, and bridges over man-made streams which allowed some of the flood water to drain. Still, the trek was filled with mud and puddles that caused extra seconds of delay.

Seconds that allowed Tessé’s security droids to detect them.

Sabé and her friends split and took cover. Sabé pulled Yané behind an antique statue while Saché and Rabé jumped into one of the fountains that had been drained for the winter.

Lasers hit their covers, shattering stone and filling Sabé’s nostrils with the smell of burnt stone. She took out her blaster and fired at the security droids. They reminded Sabé of the training droids they to train under back when she first started as a handmaiden, only she knew that instead of the painful stings, these droids’ shots would be more lethal.

Yané joined her in firing back, managing to hit one in the eye. The droid sputtered and fell dead to the ground. The next second, Saché and Rabé came out from their hiding spot, firing at its remaining counterparts.

It almost felt like old times to Sabé. The original handmaidens fighting side by side in service to their Queen. Except it wasn’t the old times. Eirtaé wasn’t there because one of their own had poisoned her, betrayed them, and betrayed their mistress. Sabé had to remind herself of that as much as it hurt. They didn’t have time for this.

Ferus’ group would be coming in on the east side of the manor. Although Tessé’s security would be divided between the two groups, they couldn’t delay and risk putting the children’s lives in jeopardy.

She took out a droid popper, one of the few she had taken from her family’s stock and threw it at the droids.

Pop!

The droids fell in a cluster, allowing Sabé’s group to move. They made their way through arches and pillars, getting closer to their destination. They made it in view of the servants’ entrance into the manor when another team of droids met them. Sabé ducked and rolled on the ground, never minding the mud, shooting two of the droids down when Rabé grabbed her, hoisting her up behind the wall shrub to avoid blaster fire. There were four left but at this close range, a direct assault was suicidal.

“We need to take them from the side,” Rabé told her through the screams of blasterfire. “Do you have any more poppers?”

Sabé reached into her belt, but realized it wasn’t there. Alarm filled her as she looked and realized that her belt had come undone and laid in the mud from where she had rolled. Before she could scold herself for her stupidity, the droids reached the turn to their hiding spot. Sabé and Rabé ran, taking cover behind one of the stone pillars as the droids fired upon them. As one of the droids neared, inspiration suddenly hit Sabé. She scooped up a handful of mud and flung it at the droid. Her aim hit it in the eye, blinding it, and allowing Rabé the chance to shoot it down. Sabé took off, making the rest of the droids chase after her. She rounded about a plum tree before shooting at them with her blaster. The blasts grazed their armor, but not penetrating them all the way. She tried running again, but the dark affected her vision, so she did not notice the uneven ground until she slipped and fell.

She was finished.

Pop!

She looked up and saw the droids fizz and shutter as electricity shut down their systems and they fell into the mud. Saché, Yané, and Rabé came and helped her up, Sabé’s belt swung over Saché’s shoulder.

“Very graceful,”the councillor snarked as she picked Sabé out of the mud.

“We’re running out of time. Let’s go!” Yané urged them.

They finally made it to the servants’ entrance where Rabé bypassed the security system, allowing them to enter the estate. The blueprints they had studied showed them how big the manor was, but seeing it in person was another thing.

Tessé hadn’t announced that she had taken in any foster children, so she wouldn’t have locked them up where they would have access to a window where people could see. A basement or cellar would be an option, no one but servants would go down there. If Sabé remembered correctly the door to the cellar would be in the kitchen. She and her team pushed their way through the tight quarters, making their way to the kitchen. When they reached it, it was only Sabé’s already tense reflexes that made her duck and avoid the laserbolt to her head.

“Down!”

She and her sisters ducked behind counters, shelves, and kitchen equipment to avoid incoming fire. From behind the counter, Sabé dared to take a peek at their new attacker, and recognized the Mandalorian armor.

She wasn’t there for the attacks on Padmé before the War, but based on the description of the bounty hunter she had heard of, Sabé was willing to bet that this was Jango Fett’s son, Boba Fett. Even though the bounty hunter was in his early teens, he was obviously deadly with his blasters and flamethrower. He nearly singed the top of her head as she ducked from the blast of fire. Sabé’s mind raced, trying to come up with a solution that wouldn’t get her and her friends killed.

She glanced at her friends, to Yané beside her, to Rabé behind a fridge unit, and Saché behind the wall they had just come from. Then she checked her belt. She had a couple of droid poppers, but it was the flash grenade that grabbed her attention. It was risky, but if the children were in the kitchen cellar, the walls would be thick enough to protect them. Grabbing it, she made eye contact with her sisters, silently communicating her plan. Their eyes widened, Yané’s with worry, but they nodded, agreeing with her plan. Sabé triggered the grenade and threw it towards Boba Fett’s direction before diving towards Saché’s hiding spot to get as much distance as possible. She collided with her sisters behind the wall, and barely managed to cover her head before it went off. Even with her eyes closed, sabé could still see the bright flash go off. Her ears were ringing and her head was pounding. She blindly got up, fumbling with her blaster as she waited for Boba to continue his attack.

He didn’t.

Sabé blinked, and her eyes watered from the smoke and spots she saw until they adjusted. As her sisters picked themselves up, Sabé dared a peek back into the kitchen. She pulled out her thermal goggles she had packed in case, and tried searching for Fett’s heat signature. There was no sign of him in the kitchen, so she helped the other handmaidens who were recovering from their own disorientations. Once back on their feet, they made their way through the kitchen with Sabé leading, keeping an eye out for Fett. She hoped that the grenade had injured him, but figured that was asking too much.

They turned the corner where she believed the door to the cellar was when they found Fett.

Sabé must have blacked out because the next thing she knew, she was waking up on the ground with Yané looking down at her in worry. She heard the sound of fighting, and looked to see Rabé with her arms around Fett’s neck and her legs locked around his torso, and Saché wrestling to pull the knife from his hands as they brought him to the ground. Sabé watched Fett’s kicks slow before he fell limped in Rabé’s hold, and Saché pried the blade from his hands.

“Toughest fourteen-year-old I ever fought,” Saché huffed as she pushed the bounty hunter off Rabé and helped her up.

Yané helped Sabé up, the latter ignoring the pounding in her head as well as the embarrassment of getting the drop by someone much younger. “Let’s keep moving.”

They found the cellar door and made their way down. The first thing they noticed once they reached the bottom was the water beginning to flood the floor. Sabé could feel her heart in her throat, praying that her hunch of where the children were was wrong.

“Mimé! Zinyé!” Yané called for her children, taking the lead as they searched the cellar. They called for Yané’s twins and little Cortin as they splashed their way through the flooding cellar. The water wasn’t high yet, but Sabé knew it was only a matter of time. The cellar was enormous. Tessé would have hidden the children where they couldn’t get out and nobody could hear them. So deeper and deeper they went. The water went above their ankles. Sabé’s worry grew. Were the children down in this flooded cellar? Or were they wrong and Tessé had hidden them somewhere else in her estate? They could be anywhere, trapped, freezing, and scared.

They had reached what had to be the bottom of the cellar where the water reached their knees now when the dimmed lights turned off, plunging them into darkness. Sabé could feel her heart racing as her hands fumbled in her belt for her glowrod. When they finally found it, Sabé switched it on at the same time her sisters switched theirs. Down here in the dark, Sabé’s nerves were heightened. She could hear the sound of the rushing water coming from the small cellar windows above their heads.

Yané called out to her children again and that’s when Sabé heard it. It was so faint and muffled by the rushing water, she almost couldn’t hear it but she did. It was the faint cry of a child crying out for its mother.

“This way!” She trudged through the water, flicking her light to the sides in hopes of finding the door the children were hiding behind.

Yané cried out for her children again, and they all paused, listening for a response over the rushing water.

“Right here!” Sabé realized, reaching one of the doors. She could hear the children crying out on the other side, but the door had a passcode lock. Warning the children to back away from the door, she blasted the lock, and pushed the door open against the rising water.

Yané pushed past Sabé, splashing her way to her children.

Sabé, Rabé, and Saché peered into the room, flashing their glowrods on the scene.

It was a small room that was probably used to store canned goods, judging from the shelves sabé could make out in the dim light. However, it had obviously been emptied enough to fit a cot barely big enough to fit the three wet and scared children shivering just above the waterline.

“Mommy!” The two girls cried out, jumping into Yané’s embrace as soon as she reached them. Both the twins and their mother cried as they held one another, happy and relieved to be reunited.

In the meanwhile, the other three women turned to the frightened boy on the cot wrapped in a damp blanket. Rabé approached him carefully as one would a frightened baby voorpack. “Hello, is your name Cortin?”

The boy looked up, and Sabé lowered her glowrod so as not to blind him. She could see him nodding.

Rabé made the introductions. “I’m Rabé, and these are my friends Saché, Sabé, and Mimé and Zinyé’s mother Yané. We’re friends of your… your Aunt Moteé.”

With Moteé’s revelation, and the arrests of her cousins, the people who had been raising Cortin, everyone had agreed to let Moteé reveal the truth to the little boy.

The boy seemed to perk up at the mention of his “aunt”. “Aunt Moteé is here?” he asked, his skin so pale and his lips beginning to turn blue, it frightened Sabé.

Rabé nodded, smiling at him. “She is. She’s upstairs looking for you, but first we gotta get you out of this water and into something nice and dry for you.”

The little boy agreed, not hesitating to throw off his blanket, and let himself be picked up and carried by Rabé. With the children found, Sabé knew it was time to make their escape, and began to lead their group back out of the flooded cellars.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Since she called in Fett, Tessé had two of her guards come into her office to help watch Anakin and Padmé as well as provide additional security. During that time Anakin could sense the young woman’s anger and fear growing, and knew it wouldn’t be long before she did something irrational. When that happened, Anakin did not want his wife to be caught in the crossfire. The two guards kept their blasters pointed at Anakin and Padmé’s backs, and Tessé had taken out her own hand blaster out of her desk, and was currently keeping it trained on their faces while she waited by the comm to hear from Boba and her security. That’s when they heard what Anakin recognized as the sound of a grenade going off.

After that, so many things happened at once.

He felt the startlement of the men behind them, and saw Tessé reach for her commlink.

Padmé flew at her, grabbing both the hand holding the blaster, and the hand reaching out for the commlink.

Anakin took advantage of the guards’ distraction, using the Force to push them against the wall, and ripping the shelves above their heads. Priceless and heavy antiques fell on top of them, and Anakin knew that they wouldn’t pose a threat from the way they collapsed under their weight. He turned to find Padmé holding Tessé down on her desk, the hand that had been holding the blaster twisted behind her back. She bucked and squirmed, but only succeeded in hurting herself if the pained grimaces were anything to go by. Anakin grabbed the commlink she had reached for and crushed it in his metal hand.

“I think it’s time for you to meet your other guests, shall we?”

Tessé answered him with a murderous scowl.

They tied her hands behind her back with one of her guard’s belts, and as a precaution, tied her unconscious guards with her curtains. During that time, Anakin found his lightsaber and Padmé’s blaster. Their next step had Padmé picking Tessé up and pressing her blaster against the younger woman’s head. Anakin peered out of the study and into the foyer down below.

Ferus’ group was engaged in a firefight with Tessé’s security force. Blasterfire marked the walls and floors of the once pristine room, and remnants of a crystal chandelier were scattered on the ground. Smoke was coming from the kitchen, and that’s when Anakin saw Sabé’s group coming out. Sabé was the only one not carrying a child, and therefore the only one capable of returning fire while Rabé, Saché, and Yané tried to shield the children they had come to rescue. They would have to move quickly before one of them ended up getting killed.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber, deflecting any incoming fire his way as he heard his wife order Tessé into making her men stand down.

“Stop firing!” the woman screeched out.

Just like that, the firing stopped.

Anakin looked at Ferus and Sabé’s teams. Both of them battered and soaking wet from the storm outside. The scared children clinging on to their rescuers, until the one in Rabé’s arms looked up and saw Moteé on the other side of the room. “Aunt Moteé!”

While the handmaiden rushed over to the little boy, Anakin focused his attention on Tessé’s security. “Put down your weapons!”

The men followed his orders, especially when they saw his wife holding their mistress at blasterpoint. The droids were shut down, and the human guards were bound.

“Are there anymore?” Anakin demanded.

Tessé remained defiant, refusing to answer. It took Padmé turning her blaster’s safety off to make one of the Yelnina guards scream that there was nobody else. After a sweep Sabé and Ferus confirmed that Boba was gone and that he probably fled once he realized his boss was in no position to pay him. Anakin wouldn’t hold his breath. If anything, Fett might try to ambush them later to retrieve the Empire’s bounty on all of them.

With the estate secured, and the children they had come to rescue safe in their mothers’ arms, it was time to go before some neighbor reported all this commotion. However, there was one thing left to do.

Eirtaé and Dormé were informed of their successful raid, and were on their way to extract them. The group made their way to the Yelninas' garage. Once there, Padmé made her hostage kneel on the ground. Yané and Moteé had taken their children to another section of the garage with Ellé, leaving the others to surround Tessé. Anakin stood by his wife, finally realizing what was going on: that she was going to pass the Naboo Judgement on Tessé Yelnina. The young woman seemed to have realized this as well, and looked up at Padmé with a challenging look even as her fear began to show in her eyes and her form shook.

“What will you do now, Amidala? Kill me like you killed my sister?!”

It was Saché who spoke. Her words firm yet sad. “Your sister made her own choices. She was her own person, and nothing your father did could change that. In the Occupation she saved so many lives, including our own.”

“That is why Tessé Yelnina, I pass my sentence on to you,” Padmé told her in her Queen voice. “In memory of your sister, I spare your life this time. Our debt to her is repaid, but that does not mean you will go unpunished. You will know the fear you inflicted on Yané and Moteé’s children, and every being on the planet will know the person you truly are.”

Padmé fired her blaster, and a stun bolt hit Tessé causing her body to collapse on the ground. Next, Padmé, Sabé, and Rabé picked up her body and began to carry it outside. Everybody else followed. They trudged through rain and mud, down the garden path, and to a garden shed. Once Padmé told Anakin of her plan, he unlocked it, and Tessé’s unconscious body was dumped on the wet, muddy floor.

Anakin looked at the gardening tools before leaving the shed. “You know she’ll cut herself out eventually, right?”

“Maybe,” Padmé answered before she blasted the shed lock, preventing anyone from opening it. “But it will be a lot more difficult in the dark with no way out.”

Well, Anakin thought, it was not what he would have thought of, and yet he found it poetic. In a way, Padmé had served justice without resorting to killing, even though Anakin felt it was nowhere near what Tessé deserved.

“Let’s go.”

By the time they made it to the front, Dormé and Eirtaé were there with the speeders. Moteé and Yané were already strapping their kids in.

That’s when trouble came back at them.

Through the rain in the dark were fast approaching lights.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber just in time to block incoming blaster fire. He barely heard Sabé screaming to go, or Ferus joining him on the defense. His focus was on the incoming military speeders coming after them.

“Let’s go!” Ferus yelled, grabbing Anakin and pulling him into the speeder. Once in, the speeder flew down the streets trying to outrun their pursuers.

That’s when Anakin took in all the occupants in his speeder. “Where’s Padmé?!”

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé could feel her heart racing, and her body shaking. Whether that was adrenaline or from her soaked through clothes was up for debate. However, her attention was torn between the road in front, and their pursuers behind them. The rain was still pouring heavily, making it difficult to see in spite of the shields and wipers of the speeder.

Eirtaé was driving as fast as she dared, trying not to crash or for their pursuers to catch them. Padmé was squished in the front between Eirtaé and Sabé while Rabé, Saché, Yané, and Yané’s twins were packed in the back. The twins were crying and covering their ears while their mother and the rest of Padmé’s handmaidens were firing back at their pursuers.

Padmé turned her attention back to the road to try and help Eirtaé. They were separated from the other speeder, but if they followed the plan they would meet at Lieutenant Panaka’s house. Before that happened though they would have to lose their chasers. Padmé tried to remember the geography of her home’s capital, which roads, and shortcuts they could use to shake them.

“Turn off here,” Padmé pointed to the alley on her right.

Eirtaé swerved to the right, and it was everything Padmé could do to keep herself and Sabé from ramming into Eirtaé without the seatbelts to hold them.

“Now left!”

Eirtaé seemed to have an idea on the route Padmé was having them take. It was the long way and scenic route to Lieutenant Panaka’s home from the forest area, down the cliff to the Solleu River. Padmé remembered taking this route several times in her youth. It would be dangerous and difficult flying at night and in this kind of weather, but they stood a better chance going through it than the Imperials chasing after them. The handmaidens ducked back in to avoid the foliage and tree limbs outside the speeder as Eirtaé maneuvered them down the path. The rain lightened under the shade, and Padmé recognized the route, remembering the speeder trail they were approaching.

“Dim the lights and turn off here.”

Eirtaé followed her instructions, slowing the speeder as they made their way down the trail hidden by the tree branches before coming to a stop. They listened and watched in the shadows as several units of Stormtroopers flew past them. Once they passed and didn’t seem to notice them, all occupants in the speeder let out a sigh of relief. They waited ten minutes before Eirtaé pulled the speeder out of their hiding spot and went down another path through the forest in the opposite direction the Stormtroopers had gone. Padmé sagged in her seat, her adrenaline leaving her, and her exhaustion catching up.

They did it.

They had managed to rescue the children and escape. She hoped that Anakin and the others had been just as lucky and would meet them at Lieutenant Panaka’s house. As long as the traitor hadn’t informed Captain Panaka of their plans. She wondered if they were the reason those Stormtroopers had surprised them just as they were getting ready to escape, or perhaps Tessé or one of her men had gotten word out, or one of the neighbors had seen something suspicious and reported it. Padmé couldn’t know for sure. She reached down into her pocket where the evidence she had on Vatié was. Her hands inclosed on it-

“Are you sure it was wise to let Tessé live?” Sabé’s voice jerked Padmé from her thoughts.

She could feel Sabé’s eyes on her, and though the speeder’s rearview mirror she could see Rabé, Saché, and Yané’s eyes on her as well, and even though Eirtaé’s eyes were on the road, Padmé could sense the unasked question in her tight posture. The twins had settled down in Yané and Saché’s arms, leaving only the sound of the falling rain to fill in the tense silence. Padmé could sense their anger and curiosity to know why she hadn’t executed Tessé Yelnina, and she couldn’t blame them. Tessé had kidnapped three children, and blackmailed their mothers into harming their friends, Ellé and Eirtaé could have died, and they tried to uncover Padmé’s family secrets. Shiraya knows what she’ll do now as Senator of Naboo.

“Perhaps not,” Padmé admitted. “But I had to do it for Moré.”

The handmaidens were silent, remembering with guilt their fallen sister.

Rabé spoke up. “Despite what her father did, Moré loved them even to the end, so I can see why you would spare Tessé for Moré’s sake, but… she would have harmed the children, harmed us, and turned you over to the Emperor. Now that she’s the Senator, she’ll be able to do more harm and get away with it.”

Padmé was all too aware of that. By sparing Tessé, any harm she would cause in the future would be on her conscience.

“When she does then justice will be served,” Padmé replied firmly. For Moré, Padmé would give Tessé a second chance, but if she spat upon that-

BANG!!!

SQUEEL!!!

Padmé felt herself being lifted out of her seat, her view changing as the speeder flipped and tumbled down.

The shields shattered.

There were screams.

Padmé felt like a rag doll in a dryer as she was flung about.

The pain was the last thing she registered before she blacked out.

When she came to, Padmé felt as if she had come from the bad end of the worst bar fight ever. Her head ached, and her right arm hurt like hell, and she was pretty sure one of her ribs was broken. She blinked several times, trying to adjust her eyesight to the dim light coming from the speeder’s headlights. She seemed to be lying halfway on the dashboard and halfway on the speeder hood. She registered the warmth coming from the speeder’s engine as well as the cold mist hitting her back. She hadn’t been wearing her safety belt, Padmé realized. From the way the speeder had tumbled it was a miracle she hadn’t been flung out and crushed. When Padmé tried to pick herself up, she realized one of the straps to her pack had caught on one of the levers in the speeder, preventing her from being flung off. She now tried to free herself from it. Pain shot up through her right arm when she tried to move it, so Padmé was forced to use her left hand to unravel the strap to free herself. With that done, she turned to her friends inside the wrecked speeder.

The front seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage. The twins had been strapped into Yané and Saché, protecting them from the same fate as Padmé had gone through. Both women were assessing them for injuries, and other than a few minor cuts and bruises the girls were fine if a little shakened. Yané and saché seemed to be fine as well, except they seemed to have bigger cuts from the shattered glass and blood dripping down their faces. The same seemed to be said for Rabé who had also been strapped in when they crashed. She was holding her head, a groan escaping her.

“Are-Are you guys okay?” Padmé croaked painfully. She definitely broke a rib.

Everyone in the back answered yes, so Padmé turned her attention to the front. Eirtaé was slumped on the steering, blood coming from a broken nose, but she didn’t respond to Padmé’s calls. Terrified, Padmé reached to feel her pulse, and was relieved to feel it beating. She then tried to look for Sabé only to find her nowhere in the speeder.

“Sabé!”

She took in their surroundings. The speeder seemed to have crashed several meters from their path, perhaps ten to fifteen. In the dim lights of the speeder’s headlights, Padmé could make out the broken foliage of their fall. What had happened? Padmé had a bad feeling about this, and she wanted to get her friends and herself out of this now.

She ordered Yané to check on Eirtaé then asked Rabé for her glowrod. When Padmé came down on the ground, she was relieved to know that her legs and feet hadn’t been injured in the crash, but she still had to give herself a minute to catch her breath and let a sense of dizziness pass her.

“Padmé-” Rabé began to protest before Padmé cut her off.

“I’ll be fine, Rabé. See if you can contact Anakin and the others.”

She had to find Sabé.

She held the glowrod up in her left hand to guide her way through the darkness, cold rain hitting her as her right arm throbbed painfully at her side. There was a good chance she had broken it, and the pain made her want to cry out, but she pushed such thoughts aside. She would worry about it after she found Sabé, and they found a way out of here before any Imperials came back and discovered the wreck.

She remembered the assassination attempt during her reelection. She had been in the middle of her campaign, and for security reasons Panaka would have her and Sabé switch in between places. Until one day they were returning to Theed. It had actually been raining that day as well, Padmé recalled. She remembered sitting in between Rabé and Eirtaé. All the handmaidens wore blue-black robes while Sabé was dressed in a gown of red and orange as Amidala, sitting between Panaka and Yané. Padmé could remember laughing at some joke one of the guards had made, and the next moment an explosion in the back before everything became black. The next time she regained consciousness, Rabé and Eirtaé were hoisting her up, trying to escape their smoke filled transport. The explosion came from a bomb planted in the transport’s engines, set to go off by a trigger. They had landed in a swamp not far from a waterfall with rocky terrain. It was theorized that the attack was set to look like a storm accident and the river would wash away all evidence. They had been lucky to have just missed the waterfall and the giant rocks surrounding it, and landed in the muddy spot right between them.

Panaka, Sabé, and Yané had been sitting closest to the explosion, suffering third degree burns and shrapnel that had hit them in multiple areas. All three of them had looked so horrible, so close to death as they waited for help to arrive. On their way to the hospital, Padmé could remember wanting to hold Sabé’s hand, but had to stay out of the way as the medics tried to secure the shrapnel in her abdomen to prevent further damage until they could operate on her. Panaka had to be resuscitated twice, and Yané had to have a breathing tube. They all survived the crash, but it had shakened Padmé, reminding her how fragile life was.

This time though, calling for help was dangerous, but if Sabé was still alive she would need a doctor as would the rest of them. Yané could probably do it, but she would need help and tools. There was also the matter of what had caused the crash.

Padmé tried to rack her brain.

How did the speeder rear?

She was trying to remember when her glowrod showed the figure of a body laying a couple of meters from her.

“Sabé!”

She ran to her friend’s side, carefully turning her on her back. A moan left Sabé, signaling she was still alive, but unconscious. Padmé held her glowrod to assess Sabé’s injuries. She had landed in a muddy patch, preventing any broken bones, but the bad news was the many open cuts Padmé found that ran up her arms and legs from the broken glass, particularly a long one up her right leg. Cuts that were covered in mud and risked infection.

Padmé was unsure if she should risk trying to move Sabé, especially with her bad arm, and called for Rabé or Saché to assist her. Now certain that Sabé was alive and found, Padmé turned to her injured arm. Several expletives she had heard her husband used threatened to escape her, but Padmé bit her lip in pain as she tried to get a look at it. It was pretty much her lower arm, nearly an inch or two from her elbow, she saw what she was certain of was a bit of bone sticking out. She would need help putting it back in place and bandaging it. For now she was trying not to get sick at the sight of it. Thankfully, she heard footsteps behind her.

“I don’t think Sabé injured her spine or neck, so I think it’s safe if we-” Padmé was cut off when she felt the barrel of a blaster pressed against the back of her head.

“I’m sorry, Padmé”

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 bby;

Padmé sighed, setting the datapad in her hands down on the table before running her hands over her face and through her hair. The cafe Liné had brewed was beginning to wear off and the exhaustion she had been fighting for hours was beginning to take over her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so tired, not even when she would stay up late studying for her Entrance exams. Her eyes burned, her head ached, and even the thought of laying her head down on the wooden table to rest her eyes sounded heavenly, but she could not.

After convincing (coercing) Soolen and his men to stand down, Padmé had immediately returned to their ship to contact the Queen. Once she had appraised her of the situation, Celestine had agreed to send help to her with Luke among them. Before joining politics, Luke had spent several years working with the Relief Movement, and had experience in assisting natural disasters like mine accidents. With Governor Tapalo otherwise occupied with another issue on the other side of the planet, Luke was the next best option. He was able to get in touch with his old contacts in the Relief Movement before joining them to help extract Veruna, Tonsort, Veta, Xoana, and the miners trapped down below.

While Padmé had been contacting the Queen, Liné had taken several miners to the village where everyone had congregated in the town square after they heard the mine explosion to explain the situation. Gregor had also rallied the rest of the miners in checking the equipment to get a better understanding of where to start their rescue. In the end, Padmé, Liné, and Gregor had come up with a plan with Donna and some of the more experienced miners.

The emergency shaft had been blocked when the mine had exploded, so they would begin work trying to clear it. They had divided the miners to work in shifts to keep the work flowing while also giving them breaks. The villagers helped by assisting the injured and providing meals to keep everyone’s strength up.

Finally, after a day and a half of constant working, Luke’s group had arrived with many volunteers and heavier equipment. Their arrival had lifted the spirits of everyone, including Padmé when she saw, to her surprise, Sheev among the volunteers. Words could not express how she felt when she saw him, and he came up to hold her in his arms. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Sheev had experience in fixing engines, and had been set to work assisting with the equipment.

With all the extra help, Padmé had finally been able to work on what she and her team had come here for: to investigate the happenings of Lord Talstrine’s mines. His office had been locked up and the key given to Padmé after she had forced Soolen to stand down, leaving his files undisturbed. Now that she had the chance, Padmé had gone through them and had been disturbed by what she had found. Theft, coverups, blackmail, and debt, and Shiraya knows what else was hiding in all these files. She thanked the Goddess that the Talstrine family was offplanet and wasn’t here to take care of “cleaning” his office; otherwise Padmé wouldn’t have the evidence and proof of Talstrine all but owning these poor people here as slaves and abusing them. Celestine and the Royal Council would want to see this. After they found everybody in the mine.

Padmé jumped when she saw the office door open, but relaxed when she realized that it was Sheev. He looked at her with a sheepish expression, and she noticed he was holding a blanket.

“I’d hope to find you asleep, so I could cover you,” he admitted.

Padmé felt her heart warm at the gesture. She scooted over for him to sit beside her, glad that Lord Talstrine’s recliner was large enough to seat them both. With Sheev sitting next to her, Padmé couldn’t help but lay her head against his shoulder. The urge to close her eyes and fall asleep was tempting, but she couldn’t. Not yet.
“I need to keep myself distracted, and not think about them trapped down there,” she admitted.

Sheev shifted, lifting his arm to wrap around her shoulders, bringing her closer while also rubbing her shoulders. It was so comforting it brought tears to her eyes.

“We’ve installed the drills, and they’re digging right now to clear the shaft and get to the refuge. If they keep at it they’ll reach them within a day,” Sheev gently informed her.

Padmé shook her head, tears blinding her vision. “It’s been two days already. We don’t know if they all made it to the refuge, what injuries they may have, if they have enough air, or even if the refuge is even intact!”

Sobbs escaped Padmé, and she buried her face in Sheev’s chest as he tried to soothe her.

“Lady Tonsort just had a baby, her third. Lady Veruna has gotten better, focusing on her sobriety. Veta’s daughter has just begun preschool, and Xoana is the same age as me! And all the miners down there? They have families worried sick for them. I heard one of them was supposed to retire next week, and another has a baby on the way. It’s not fair!”
She sobbed some more, her heart crying out to all the people in this mining town and the injustice of all this.

“I feel like it’s happening again,” she whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Sheev asked, perplexed.

“My village. Last year when the plague hit us,” Padmé explained. “It happened so suddenly, none of us were prepared for it. I had come home for break, and I was playing ball with Jobal and all the other children. I began to feel light headed, dizzy, and then my head ached like it had been beaten, and then I blacked out. Whenever I came into consciousness I struggled to even breathe. It was a constant battle. I remember warm soup going down my throat, and my mother wiping my brow, but it felt like nothing was working. I felt like I was dying. Then when I finally had the chance to wake up it was to find out my mother had gotten sick taking care of me and died. And not only her, but over a hundred people in my village had died. That was half our population. My sister’s husband, our neighbor who traded jams and honey with us, the couple down the street engaged to be married that month, and many of the children my niece went to school with and played with all gone in a cruel twist of fate.”

Padmé cried and cried, her tears creating a wet spot on Sheev’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “This situation is too much like last year, and I feel helpless. Like there’s nothing I can do.”

“Padmé!” Sheev shouted. “You have done something! You forced Soolen and his men to stand down, and now all those people down there, trapped, have a chance at being found alive, and it’s all thanks to you.”

He ran a hand through her hair and pulled her face back to look into her brown eyes. “You’re amazing, Padmé. I’ve seen you take on stuck up nobles, protect the Queen from assassins, survive everything the corrupt officials in the Royal Court throw at you, and now take on a corrupt plasma mine owner to save lives. You don’t know how incredible you are, Padmé Lydonia!”

Padmé was speechless, overwhelmed by Sheev’s words that the only way to express herself was pressing her lips to his and kiss him with all her passion. What did she do to deserve him? This arrogant, vexing, and wonderful boy who looked at her as if she was a goddess? That made her smile and laugh, and have fun? She loved him. The thought sent a jolt through her, but Sheev had been returning her kiss with equal passion, so consumed that he hadn’t noticed.

Padmé Lydonia loved Sheev Palpatine.

Before she could process that thought, a knock and a cleared throat startled her and Sheev. They separated, flinging themselves on opposite ends of the recliner. Padmé looked up to see the amused expression on Liné’s face, and the cold glare Luke shot at Sheev, like a brother who caught the bad boy kissing his little sister.

“Luke, Liné, has something happened?” she asked to get their attention off Sheev.

Liné answered her, unable to hide her amusement. “We were just coming to check up on you and see what progress you’ve made. It seems you’ve made some.”

Padmé felt her face heating up at the innuendo, and Luke’s glare turned into a scowl.

Sheev coughed awkwardly. “I should go check and see if the engineers need me.”

He got up and made his way out the door. Luke’s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. He and Liné turned back to Padmé and their expressions turned to concern.

“Have you eaten anything, Padmé? Or even slept?” Liné asked, coming over to her and taking the spot Sheev had vacated.

“I…” Padmé rattled her brain trying to remember the last time she had eaten anything. “I had a ration bar, I think. For lunch.”

“Padmé,” Luke spoke. “I saw you eat that ration bar yesterday. Nobody has seen you since you’ve come down for that. Have you been up here this whole time reading files?”

“I…” Padmé trailed off as she realized with alarm how long she had been running on nothing but cafe.

Liné felt her forehead. “You feel warm, and your eyes look terrible. You need to take a break and get some sleep, Padmé.”

“I can’t,” Padmé protested as she looked at the files scattered on the table.

Luke began to collect them. “We’ll continue your work, and discuss your findings after you get some sleep, and after you’ve eaten a decent meal,” he told her firmly. “Don’t worry
about any of Soolen’s goons coming and stealing them. He’s got bigger problems to deal with at the moment.”

Liné coaxed Padmé into laying her head down on the recliner, ignoring her protest.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé dreamed that she was back home in the mountains of Claines. She was in the vineyard. The grapes hung from their vines, fat and ready to be harvested.
Padmé walked down the path before her, passing workers she recognized who smiled at her as she passed them, picking and depositing the grapes in bushel baskets. She heard laughter and turned her head to see her father several rows from her. He looked happy, healthy, and aware of his surroundings as he laughed with a few other workers. He caught sight of Padmé and waved at her. Padmé waved back, a smile on her face. This was the Papa she remembered.

She continued down her path, until she noticed a woman several paces away. As Padmé came closer to her, the woman’s features became clearer, and Padmé recognized her mother Hané Lydonia.

“Mama!”

Her feet picked up and she raced towards her. Her mother was smiling at her, her arms opened to receive Padmé. Yet when Padmé got closer, she sensed something was off. Her mother’s smile disappeared, replaced by a deep sadness, her arms dropping, and she turned away, disappearing into the vineyard.

Padmé cried out to her mother, yet when she happened to turn around, she realized that the vineyard was on fire. There was nothing now but fire, ash, and death. She could feel the flames licking at her. Her body was beginning to be consumed, and she cried out.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Padmé woke up with a jerk and a cry.

She felt as if she was still on fire, sweat pouring down her skin, she could feel it even under her underclothes. Someone had covered her with a blanket and placed a glass of water on the table where she had left all the files and datapads.

Padmé pushed the blanket off and grabbed the glass, gulping it down, and feeling her heart slow from its fast beating. Once she finished, Padmé got up and headed towards the fresher in Talstrine’s office to freshen up. She couldn’t do much without her toiletries, but she was able to wet the towels to wipe and clean the sweat off her skin, making her feel better and shake the disturbing dream off. Now freshened, Padmé dared to look at her chrono on her wrist.

She had slept for over twelve hours!

In spite of her nightmare, Padmé did feel a lot better, especially after she had freshened up. She was also startled to realize that she felt hungry, starving. Perhaps a long rest had been what she had needed. Checking her chrono again, she realized that they would be in the middle of eating breakfast. She would go down and grab a bite as well as check on any progress in the rescue. As she was getting ready to step out, Padmé noticed all the files and datapads scattered on the table she had been working on. She cringed at the disorganized mess, especially the empty cups of cafe among them. Perhaps she should straighten them up and take the cups down to wash on her way to breakfast.

She started gathering up the files, the ones saved on datapads and written on flimsi, and tried to organize bills, lists of supplies, and personal backgrounds. It would be enough for Celestine to mount a full investigation on Talstrine, and to at least try to make things right for the people who suffered here. As she placed the files on stacks, Padmé realized that one datapad was missing. It had a series of messages from different companies with offers that Padmé hadn’t gotten to go through yet. Where was it? Padmé struggled not to panic as she searched through all the stacked piles, looking under the table, the recliner’s cushions, everywhere in the office. She practically tore the office open.
Where could it be?

So consumed with her search, Padmé didn’t hear anyone enter the office until they knocked on the door. Padmé jumped with a startled scream, and over her racing heart as she tried to calm herself. It was Gregor who jumped as well, not expecting Padmé’s startled reaction, the tray of food in his hands rattled, but not spilled thankfully.

“Sorry,” Gregor apologized sheepishly. “Luke and Liné wanted to check on you to make sure you were alright, but were detained by a message from the Queen, so I volunteered to come up instead.”

A smile crept on Padmé’s face even as she felt an embarrassed flush bloom on her face as well as guilt for the worry she had inadvertently caused her friends, and yet warmth for their thoughtfulness and care.

“I’m sorry too. I was looking for a datapad that seems to have gone missing.”

Gregor frowned, placing the breakfast tray on Talstrine’s desk. “You’re certain?”

“Yes. I had hoped to start with the homebase and work my way through the galactic trade, but there was so much more data than I was expecting I wasn’t able to get to it before I laid down last night. There were eight different datapads lying on the table among the flimsi files. Now there are seven,” Padmé explained, motioning to the now organized piles.

Gregor’s frown deepened in thought. “Perhaps someone came up here and took it? Who all has been up here with you?”

“Sheev, Luke, and Liné as far as I’m aware. Someone else could have come up here while I was sleeping. Did any of Soolen’s goons act suspiciously?”

Gregor shook his head to Padmé’s disappointment. “We’ve all been keeping a sharp eye on them. If they’re not helping with the heavy lifting, they’re too dead tired to get out of their beds.”

Padmé sighed. “It’s possible Luke or Liné took it to check themselves and just didn’t return it.”

Gregor agreed. “Come, let’s get some food in you.”

The porridge had a hint of syrup mixed in it, and the biscuits had a thin layer of jam on them, and the cup of blue milk made it the most delicious breakfast she had in a long time. She was so hungry that she had the dishes cleaned of any crumb or drop before she knew it. When Gregor offered her a couple of suras, she immediately accepted them, and began to dig into them. In between bites, Padmé asked how the rescue was going.

“We believe we’re getting closer. According to our scanners, if we keep up the pace and don’t come upon any thicker stones, we should be able to reach them by nightfall.”

That was cutting it close. Nobody knew what the situation really was down there. Some of them could be dead already, or they could have run out of oxygen down there. There were no guarantees.

Padmé turned to Gregor who seemed to be lost in thought. “Gregor,” she prodded gently.

He jerked for a moment before he met her gaze. “Your father and uncle were miners. Is it possible for fifty-three people to survive in such conditions?”

Gregor sighed as if he had known she would ask such a question. “It would depend on their health and any injuries they could have gotten in the explosion, but assuming they rallied together and rationed their supplies really, really, carefully, it’s possible that they all could still be alive.”

Padmé felt a spark of hope followed by a hint of caution. She followed Gregor outside, locking the office door. As far as she was aware, there were only two key cards to unlock Talstrine’s office. One of them Soolen had given her when he had been detained, and the other on Talstrine himself when he had taken her party down below. The office and its files should be safe until Padmé returned.

Despite the tense atmosphere outside it felt good to be out in the fresh air. She ran into Johena and several ladies camping right outside the mine’s entrance. None of the villagers had been able to leave its gates ever since the collapse happened. Instead they waited to hear updates from Padmé, Luke, or any passing miners. Padmé felt guilty that she had not checked in with any of them since Luke had arrived, so busy had she been from looking into Talstrine’s files. Luckily, neither Johena nor any of the other women held it against her. They had heard from the miners how she had forced Soolen and his men to stand down, and get help to try and rescue their loved ones trapped down below, and they all felt great respect and admiration towards Padmé. Without the fear of Soolen and his men overhearing them and punishing them, they had agreed to answer Padmé’s questions about their working and living conditions. Padmé recorded it all either writing in her diary she had taken with her or recording it with her comb’s listening device. Padmé recorded it all. The working conditions, the rations, outdated appliances and machines in the village, the lack of tools, and healthcare. They had a doctor that Talstrine provided for his workers, but he was too overloaded to care for the family members who didn’t work in the mines. Instead, the villagers dealt with an herbalist, a recluse who sold natural remedies, provided stitches, and maybe fixed some minor breaks, but no more. And nobody owned a speeder or could even afford one, except Lord Talstrine and his higher ups. With each reveal, Padmé felt her anger grow hotter and hotter that it threatened to burst. These people were slaves in all but name, and this place was little more than a labor camp. As soon as they rescued everyone, Padmé would be pleased to see Talstrine and all his goons led to cells for this.

Before she knew it, the day passed by quicker than she would have expected. The women fed her lunch with the supplies Luke and his volunteers had brought. Everyone kept busy, either talking to Padmé, setting up cots and stations to treat the survivors when they were rescued, or feeding the miners to keep up their strength.

Finally, the time Gregor had appointed came.

The drills came to a stop.

All was silent, not even the wind whispered.

Padmé was clutching Liné and Johena’s hands as she watched the miners try once again to make contact with the refuge.

Then Luke raised his hand, silencing what little noise was being made. That’s when Padmé heard it:

Bing! Bing! Bing!

On and on it went, a faint echo.

Padmé felt the spark of hope growing.

“It could be a loose rock banging on the drill,” she heard one of the volunteers caution.

“Bring the communicator closer,” Luke demanded.

She watched them bring the communicator closer to the drill and tried to make contact again.

Then a hologram sputtered to life.

Padmé gasped.

The figure was beaten up, but she could recognize the figure of Lady Eirtaé Veruna, and if that didn’t convince Padmé, hearing her voice did. “All… in the refuge! All… Fifty-three!”

With those few words, the entire atmosphere changed. Cries filled the air.

Cries of joy!

Padmé found herself swept in Johena’s arms, tears wetting the younger woman’s shoulder.

“They’re alive! They’re all alive!”

Padmé saw everyone hugging each other, matrons praising and thanking the gods for protecting their sons and husbands, and miners crying as they held each other.

The spark of hope had grown into a raging fire, and Padmé let it sweep through her as her eyes found Luke’s and she smiled at him. He returned her smile, happy and relieved.

Now they had to bring everyone back up.

<<000{{*}}000>>

Chapter Text

Chapter 26

“Rabé?!”

Even with the barrel of a blaster pointing at her face, Padmé didn’t want to believe it.

Remorse was evident in the former handmaiden’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I didn’t want it to be like this. Get up.”

Padmé couldn’t get up, too stunned and in shock to move. Even when the suspects had dwindled down one by one, evidence was found, and more and more pieces came together, seeing the proof before her eyes was another matter entirely. Her mind raced at lightspeed. She remembered Panaka introducing them, saving Rabé from a training droid, talking and listening to each other for hours as they prepared for the day, worrying for their families as they ran from the Trade Federation, and all the trials they faced in her years as Queen and afterwards.

“Rabé?” Saché’s horrified exclamation woke Padmé from her shock.

She looked back at the wrecked speeder to see the fear and the realization in Yané and Saché’s eyes. Yané was still in the speeder, holding Eirtaé who was still unconscious. Saché had climbed out to come to assist, but had stopped once she saw Rabé, and Yané’s twins were watching out the speeder window behind Saché in terror at their mother’s friend pointing a blaster at one of their rescuers.

Rabé moved before Padmé could, coming behind her and yanking her up with her good arm. The movement jostled her injuries, causing Padmé to cry out in pain, which was silenced when she felt the tip of the blaster pressed against her head.

“Don’t!” Rabé warned.

The fear in Saché’s features morphed into fury. “Why Rabé?!” she screamed at her. She took a step toward them, and Rabé pulled Padmé back away from Sabé.

“I’m warning you!” Rabé told her former sister, pushing the blaster more to Padmé’s head.

The action stopped Saché in her tracks.

“It was you!” Yané spoke in shock. “You killed Vatié, you betrayed Karté, and you sold Anakin and Padmé to Panaka.”

Rabé pulled Padmé further into the trees. She couldn’t use her right arm and her left arm was held by Rabé’s strong grip. If she head bunked Rabé there was a good chance the blaster would go off and kill Padmé.

“I didn’t want to,” Rabé told them. Padmé could hear the genuine remorse in Rabé’s voice. “We had served with Panaka for years. He was our mentor, our friend, our comrade who fought side by side with us during the Blockade. If anything, that warranted him the honor and respect to hear him out before we passed our judgement; and Sabé and Karté were planning to murder him in a disgraceful and cowardly way. I just hinted to one of my husband’s colleagues that Karté wished him harm. I thought that they would just arrest and question her, and then release her on account of her position, not murder her and her fiance the way they did.”

“You thought?” Padmé cried out in disbelief, regardless of the blaster at her head.

Rabé tightened her grip, continuing, “Vatié figured out that it was I who tipped Divo and then Panaka. I couldn’t risk being exposed, and she wouldn’t surrender her computer without a fight. I couldn’t risk-”

“Risk your husband’s life or your family’s?” Padmé guessed. She could hear Rabé’s surprise in the drizzle. “I found the chrono in Vatié’s boot. It’s Naboo security standard for members of the Royal Guard. As the suspects got fewer and fewer, I realized it had to be you or Typho. The only reason you would have your husband’s chrono would be to keep it as a keepsake in which case meant that he was in danger,” Padmé deduced.

She could feel Rabé shaking. If she talked, perhaps Padmé could distract her until Saché could get the upper hand. She met Saché’s eyes in the dim light. Saché didn’t nod her head, but there was understanding in her eyes. She held her hands out in a nonthreatening way, her voice a little gentle.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Rabé? We just risked our lives saving Yané and Moteé’s children from the woman blackmailing them. We could have rescued your husband too.”

“Tessé is nothing like Panaka!” Rabé cried out. “Tessé’s only beginning to set up connections. Panaka has had powerful alliances for years. He’s used Malorum to hide Ecros. My sister Rosalié… She's the only sister I have left. My parents say she has a bright future. I can’t destroy that.”

Padmé remembered Rabé’s sister Versé, and another flash of guilt hit her before she could stop it.

“I’ve always been the disappointing child to my parents. I could never pass the political exams. I copied and sold paintings to pay for my dancing classes before I got caught and was compelled to take the handmaiden courses to stay out of trouble. Versé was the one who was going to succeed, Rosalié can succeed, but Ecros… he never wanted me to be anything but what I was. I can’t lose him. I can’t!”

Her vulnerabilities were exposed to Padmé. She could hear the raw pain in Rabé’s voice. Like Eirtaé, Rabé had been born into an upper family with high expectations pressured on her. She had failed all five political exams she had been forced to study and take, and had rebelled in her own way, pursuing her passion of dancing, and getting involved in a bad crowd copying and selling paintings illegally to pay for her private dance classes until she was discovered. To straighten her out, her family had placed her in the hands of her Aunt Mariek’s husband, Quarsh Panaka. In the handmaiden selection, Panaka had her chosen to be his eyes on Padmé’s doings. Yet he hadn’t taken into account that Rabé still had that spark of defiance in her. She had been upfront and honest with Padmé and her sister handmaidens, earning their respect and trust. After that, Rabé was loyal only to Padmé.

Or so Padmé had thought.

She remembered Rabé’s husband Ecros Talstrine. When her handmaidens and guards had lured Gunray’s guards so Padmé and Panaka could capture him, they were pinned down. Ecros had taken a blaster bolt from shielding Rabé before the droids had shut down. Rabé began to visit him to thank him for saving her life, and after he was released, she always found some excuse to approach him and talk to him. Padmé did nothing to stop it, the complete opposite in fact, and so years passed, and their romance blossomed. They became engaged upon Padmé’s reelection, and Padmé was happy for her handmaiden and friend. Ecros was a kind man and a dedicated bodyguard who loved Rabé and everything about her. When Padmé’s terms ended, Rabé and Ecros were married in a lovely small ceremony in the palace gardens with their closest friends and family. Even Rabé’s parents begrudgingly accepted Ecros because he was from ont of Naboo’s oldest and noble families (even if the Talstrines had been ruined and disgraced for decades). Padmé knew Rabé loved Ecros with all her heart. If his life was in Panaka and a mad Sith Lord’s hands, Rabé would have done anything to get him back safe.

Padmé felt sympathy for her, but Karté and Vatié’s deaths, and the blaster on her head reminded her that Rabé was a dangerous traitor. Another thought occurred to Padmé, and she spoke again. “You never used my name.”

Rabé jerked, turning her focus to Padmé’s face, and allowing Saché to sneak a couple of steps.

Padmé continued. “At the Lake Country, Inspector Divo only called out Anakin and Ferus, and that day Anakin and I went to see Pooja Janren, Panaka received a tip that Anakin and “an Unidentified Woman” were in the market sector. Obviously, Panaka and Palpatine knew it was me, but nobody else could make the connection. Why?”

Rabé was silent for a long minute, the rain beginning to pick back up and pelt on the trees above them.

Finally, Rabé answered her. “I know it doesn’t mean much now, but I sill care for you Padmé, and I tried not to endanger you if I could avoid it, but as time went by and you still couldn’t find your great-aunt’s diary, Panaka became more impatient. Then when I discovered Vatié had sliced into my comm accounts, Panaka said that I had to ‘deal’ with her or he would deal with my husband, and I couldn’t avoid breaking my vow anymore. I’m sorry, Padmé.”

Saché was finally close enough to make her move and she lunged.

She never managed to touch Rabé.

One second she was poised to strike and the next she was on the ground, a blaster bolt burned into her forehead, and her eyes staring up at Padmé sightlessly.

“Saché!”

Padmé could barely register Yané’s screams and those of her children’s, shocked by the suddenness.

Saché.

Dead.

Just like Moré, Cordé, Versé, Fé, Duja, Teckla, Karté, and Vatié.

Dead because she had served and tried to protect Padmé.

Padmé moved without thinking. She head bunted Rabé and kicked her shin before elbowing her in the gut with her good arm. Now free from her grasp, Padmé ran to Saché and sank to her knees. It was no use though because Saché had no pulse and was beyond help. But Padmé didn’t focus on that. She thought of meeting a twelve-year-old Saché in handmaiden training, short, but clever and sneaky. Making Padmé and the others laugh with her humor and antics. Finding out that the Trade Federation had tortured Saché, leaving permanent scars throughout her body, and yet she had kept her silence to protect the Underground Resistance. Protecting and supporting Padmé throughout her two terms as Queen. Toasting Saché for her victory in being elected into the Planetary Legislative Assembly as they mourned the ending of one chapter and celebrated the beginning of a new one in their lives.

A hand roughly grabbed Padmé by her bad arm, tearing her from her memories and causing her to scream in pain. She was thrown back into Rabé’s arms who steadied her and allowed her to look up and recognized the familiar pale face, the tied auburn hair, and the hating green eyes of the Palliduvan who had tried to kill her on more than one occasion.

Aurra Sing.

“As much as I’ve been enjoying this little soap opera show, I much prefer getting out of this rain and getting paid,” the bounty hunter announced, her sniper rifle hoisted behind her back. She pointed a hand blaster at Yané who had been charging at them. The former handmaiden stopped in her tracks, especially when Aurra threatened. “One more step and the next bolt I shoot will hit one of your brats.”

Yané immediately stepped back, moving to shield her twins from Aurra’s view.

Padmé could hear the snicker from Aurra.

“Or perhaps I should put your friend here out of her misery.” She pointed her blaster at Sabé’s unconscious form.

“NO!” Padmé screamed as she struggled in Rabé’s arms. She couldn’t lose another friend.

Not Sabé.

Gods not Sabé!

“You’ve got what you came for. You have me! Just let them go and I’ll go with you without a fuss. Please!”

“Padmé!”

She met Yané’s gaze, grief and guilt evident in her features even in the dim light. Padmé tried to give her a forgiving and comforting look, but knew she failed. She could only hope Yané would be able to contact Anakin, and get her children, Eirtaé, and Sabé out of here alive.

“We have to go,” Rabé reminded the bounty hunter.

Aurra sneered. “Lead the way then, Handmaiden.”

Padmé grimaced at that title. Rabé no longer had the right to call herself a handmaiden. Now, she was responsible for not only endangering her mistress, but she was also the cause of three of Padmé’s handmaidens’ deaths. Still, she allowed Rabé to guide her up the hill, too weak and unable to use both hands to climb up the slippery hill from the mud and rain, and also very conscious of the sadistic bounty hunter pointing a blaster at her back. They climbed higher and higher, past the road they had taken, and up behind a cluster of trees where a speeder was hidden. That must have been where Sing must have been hiding when she shot at them, Padmé realized the cause of their speeder crash. Sing took Padmé’s pack from her, and made her and Rabé sit in the back.

“Either of you try anything, and you’ll beg me to kill you,” she threatened.

She tossed a medkit to Rabé with orders to patch Padmé up because the bounty was worth more alive than dead. She then fired up the speeder, and they took off.

Now both buckled, Rabé reached for Padmé’s bad arm. She flinched away, glaring at her former friend.

“‘Didn’t want this,’ didn’t you?”

Rabé looked down in shame. “No, I didn’t. It was not supposed to be like this. Nobody else was supposed to get hurt.”

“And Karté, Vatié, and now Saché are dead because of you,” Padmé snarled, unable to contain her anger. She hissed when Rabé took her arm and began to dab around the wound with alcohol wipes.

“I know what you think of me now, but whether you believe me or not, I don’t want to see you hurt, and I don’t know what kind of medical treatment Palpatine will give you.”
Palpatine.

Padmé felt as if ice had been dumped on her.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no no.

Her greatest fear was drawing near.

Palpatine was going to use her to get to Anakin and find her children. The man who had corrupted and destroyed the Republic she had devoted her life to, and who, she had recently found out, played a part in the deaths of her great-aunt, her grandfather, and so many others.

Wait a minute!

She remembered one of the Celestine Bombing victims’ names: Suya Tonsort. The mother of Rabé’s mother, Ramé Tonsort and her Aunt Captain Mariek, Panaka’s wife, and Rabé’s grandmother. So consumed with her thoughts, Padmé didn’t register what Rabé was doing until it was too late.

Crack!

Padmé cried out, pain shooting up her arm as Rabé popped the bone back in. Tears burned her eyes, and she tasted copper, biting her lips to hold back her screams, but unable to prevent the whimpers that escaped her. Rabé used bacta patches to cover the exposed wound before she began to set Padmé’s arm in a splint, using broken tree branches she must have grabbed before they took off. Already, Padmé felt a lot better, the bacta working to soothe the pain in her wound, and soon she was able to focus on something other than the pain.

“Your grandmother was killed in the Celestine Bombing.”

Rabé stopped her ministrations for a moment before continuing. “Yes.”

“You’ve been following my investigations to know that Palpatine played a part in the bombing, and yet you’re helping Panaka help him. Why?!” Padmé asked desperately.

Rabé looked at her incredulously. “You think I have a choice?! Gods Padmé, my mother was eight years old, and she basically had to raise her sisters by herself because my grandfather could barely function when my grandmother was killed. Panaka wanted me to bring you in sooner, but I delayed because I wanted to know the truth too, but then he threatened my husband’s life, and I couldn’t delay anymore. My grandmother is dead, but my husband is still alive. As for Palpatine… his mother was my great-grandfather’s sister, and he’s always been closer to the Excenil family than his father’s side. When he became Emperor, my family was so pleased and thrilled I couldn’t fight and change their minds if I wanted to. All their dreams and ambitions are about to come true, why wouldn’t they support Palpatine?” Rabé explained, a sad resignation in her.

It made Padmé furious.

At Rabé.

At her family.

At Panaka.

At Palpatine.

For power they would excuse the foulest deeds. Even if Rabé had done it to protect her husband, Padmé couldn’t forgive the way she did it: endangering her and Anakin’s lives, and killing Vatié and Saché.

So angry was she that she tried to ignore Rabé even as she offered a pain pill to Padmé, until finally she couldn’t take the pain, popping the pill in her mouth with a swig of Rabé’s canteen water. Her injuries and exhaustion seemed to catch up because the next thing Padmé was aware of was darkness.

<<000{{*}}000>>

19 bby;

Padmé forced herself to remain calm as the Clones approached their speeder. She could feel Vera and Noor trembling as they hugged her sides. Even Threepio was uncharacteristically silent as he and Artoo were crammed in the back.

A Clone trooper knocked on the driver window, and the manager rolled it down.

“Evening, Officer,” she greeted.

“What business do you have down here?” he questioned her.

The Manager motioned to Padmé in the back. “My friend and her two daughters are in need of a doctor. Scumbag husband roughed them up. Is there a problem?”

“Jedi attempted to assassinate the Chancellor and take over the government. We’re searching to make sure there aren’t any loose to harm the public,” the Clone informed her. He moved towards the back, flashing a glowrod at Padmé and her two charges.

Padmé reflexively looked down from the bright light, hoping that her hair covered enough of her features.

“We’re also looking for Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. We have reason to believe she conspired with the Jedi, and betrayed the Republic.”

Padmé wanted to scream that she was not a traitor and neither were the Jedi, but that wouldn’t help any of them. She could not let them get a closer look at her or either of the girls, but how? The answer came when the baby kicked hard at her ribs, causing Padmé to gasp painfully, startling everyone.

“My- Mother?!” Vera corrected her address, looking at Padmé in worry.

“My… my baby!” Padmé gasped, embellishing her pain a little.

“Can we please get to a hospital to make sure everything’s alright?” The Manager turned to the Clone trooper. “Are you seriously going to make a pregnant woman while you guys search the vehicle and she’s in pain?”

The trooper apologized and let them go.

Once they were a good distance away from the checkpoint, the manager met Padmé’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Was that real or fake, Senator?”

Padmé looked up, startled, and the girls clenched her arms tighter.

“I…” she hesitated. The Twi’lek knew who she was. But if she meant them any harm she would have given them away earlier. “Why did you help us?”

The manager’s features softened as she looked at Padmé and the two girls. “I was born on Ryloth, and I came here to start up my business just before the war started. My sister and her family were trapped in our home city Nabat until the Jedi liberated them. After that they would have continued to starve in the streets if it hadn’t been for yours and Senator Organa’s sponsorship that got them out and helped them relocate here on Coruscant. They would have died if it hadn’t been for you and the Jedi.”

Padmé was speechless. Throughout the war she had been working to help in any way she could, inspired by her memories of the Blockade. Among her many projects had been helping the countless refugees of the war with food, medical supplies, clothing, and even relocation. She had spent many a sleepless night, working to get over the hurdles to help as many lives as she could. Now, to hear how she had made in a difference even if it was just this woman’s family made all her hard work and sacrifice completely worth it.

Tears welled up, and Padmé thanked her.

They couldn’t go to the hospital. With all the Clones patrolling the area it made it too risky, so Padmé told her savior her original intent: the Alderaanian Embassy.

Padmé pulled up her cloak’s hood to hide her features from surveillance, and had Vera and Noor do the same with their own cloaks they had gotten from the manager, Jaylah (as she had told them). She even threw an old cloak over Threepio to hide his gold plating. There was nothing she could do for Artoo, but she hoped to pass him off as an average astromech. She thanked Jaylah deeply for her help, and holding the girls’ hands, she then began her walk up to the embassy. She hoped that Bail’s staff would recognize her, and that Bail himself would be able to help her.

She rang the residence, and waited anxiously.

At this hour, most beings would be in bed by now. She rang again, struggling to hide her fear from the two Jedi younglings.

Finally the entrance opened.

Padmé recognized Bail’s aide, Sheltay Retrac flanked by two of his guards. Sheltay’s eyes were wide with surprise. “Senator Amidala?”

“I need to speak with Senator Organa. Please Sheltay.”

The aide took one full look at Padmé, her two charges, and Threepio and Artoo carrying everything she had managed to grab before her escape, and quickly ushered them in.
Padmé followed Sheltay down the hall, continuing to hold Vera and Noor close to her when they ran into Bail. The man looked as if he had walked out of a nightmare, clothes covered in soot and ash, and a vacant, haunted look on his face before he noticed them.

“Padmé?!”

“Bail!” Padmé threw her arms around her friend as she was hit by the overwhelming relief of seeing her friend, and the knowledge that they were finally safe that she started crying. Bail held her steady, unknown to herself that her presence anchored him from the horrors he had just witnessed and escaped from when he had gone to the Jedi Temple just earlier. He soothed her as if she were one of his sisters, and when she finally calmed down enough (damn pregnancy hormones), she spoke.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

Bail nodded grimly, having a sense of what happened when he saw Padmé’s attire, the two young girls, and the two droids beside her.

“Tell me everything.”

<<000{{*}}000>>

“Wake up, Senator!”

Padmé gasped awake when Aurra Sing roughly pulled her awake. Everything from last night came back to her: rescuing Yané and Moteé’s children from Tessé Yelnina, the chase that had separated her from Anakin, the speeder crash, Rabé’s betrayal, and Saché’s death. It all hit her so hard, Sing had to grab her and pull her out of the speeder to shake Padmé from her shock.

Her bad arm was in a makeshift sling, ripped from Rabé’s dress Padmé realized as her former handmaiden walked beside her. Her next recognition was that it was dawn as the Naboo sun shined its light through the trees and reflected off the water before them. That clued Padmé as to where they were.

”The Lake Country? We’re not going to the Palace?” she asked, confused. That was where Panaka, Naboo’s leaders, and Palpatine and his staff would be. Why would Sing and Rabé bring her here?

Oh.

Padmé sagged as she remembered that the Emperor was staying in his ancestral home of Convergence where his half-sister and her daughter were living, and dread filled her.

Sing smirked cruelly as it hit Padmé. “Someone wants a word with you.”

Rabé said nothing. Instead she helped Padmé walk the terrain along the lakeside. It burned to let this traitor touch her, and she tried to shake her off a few times before she slipped and jerked her bad arm so painfully tears came to her eyes, and she finally accepted Rabé’s help.

How could she have missed it? All these years Padmé thought she knew her friends well, but each of them had carried their own secrets and insecurities. Did that make her a poor friend? Perhaps if she had made a different choice all those months ago, but what? Left for Naboo with Anakin instead of staying on Coruscant until it was almost too late? Grab all her friends and loved ones, and their families and live on the run? Every scenario Padmé ran through was pointless, she realized. She couldn’t undo the past. Every one of her friends were flawed, but she loved them, all of them, even Rabé despite everything. Maybe that’s why she tried reaching out to her old friend one last time.

“It’s not too late, Rabé. we can find another way,” she whispered to her, careful of Aurra Sing overhearing.

Rabé stopped and looked at her. In her eyes, Padmé saw sadness and regret. Had Vatié seen the same before she died?

“There is no other way, and besides I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Padmé followed her gaze and realized that they had reached the docks, and to her horror that they were not alone.

Before a speeder boat was Malorum accompanied by four Stormtroopers, and two of them were holding a beat up Naboo guard: Rabé’s husband, Ecros Talstrine, who looked upon Padmé, Rabé, and Aurra Sing in horror.

“Rabé, what have you done?”

“I thought I told you she was to be brought in unharmed?” Malorum demanded, not giving Rabé a chance to respond.

“There was a slight complication,” Sing responded. “But it’s nothing your medics can’t fix.”

Malorum frowned, clearly displeased, but accepted her answer. “Do you have it?”

Aurra held up Padmé’s pack and handed it to him. “As requested.”

Malorum dumped it all: Padmé’s remaining jewels, the holos and keepsakes her grandmamma had kept that she had taken, her extra clothes, an extra blaster, and most importantly, her great-aunt’s pixie comb. Malorum picked up the last piece with a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

“Well done, Bounty Hunter.”

He tossed a chip to her. “One million credits as promised.”

Sing grinned, satisfied. “A pleasure doing business.”

Malorum turned to Padmé and signaled the other two Stormtroopers to take her.

“Wait!” Rabé shouted.

Everyone stopped and looked at Rabé, and Padmé felt a flicker of hope. Had Rabé had a change of heart? But her gaze was torn between looking at Padmé, her former mistress, and looking at her husband.

“Ah.” Malorum motioned to his men holding Ecros. “Here’s your husband, Madame talstrine.”

The troopers released Ecros who stumbled over to Rabé. Rabé wasted no time and embraced her husband, tears running down her face as she cried.

At the sight, Padmé felt her heart softening towards her former friend, even after everything, but then she saw the malicious grin on Malorum’s face.

“As promised.”

Then before Padmé could do anything, Malorum ignited his blood red lightsaber and ran it through the couple.

“NO!”

Padmé was once again filled with horror as she watched her friend and the husband she had betrayed her friends for to save were murdered before her eyes. Malorum’s saber had pierced Ecros from the back and into Rabé’s chest. The couple fell like puppets to the ground, limbs still holding on to one another. Padmé couldn’t fight as she was forced into the speeder boat, but when they started away from the docks, she struggled with her captures until she was stunned.

<<000{{*}}000>>

65 bby;

Padmé sighed, turning the datapad off and finishing off her daily notes before stuffing the flimsy piece in her diary. Lately, her diary has become so full. She was running out of pages to write in so she had taken to stuffing folded pieces of flimsy filled with notes in between the pages as well as the recording chips. It was getting more and more difficult to close her diary and lock it the thicker it got. She might have to get another one soon if this keeps up.

She had been unable to find that missing datapad, but the other information she had found was enough to shut down Lord Talstrine’s mine and arrest him, and his lackeys for the many violations against the miners and the villagers of Jaspo. Oh how satisfying it had been to see those arrogant brutes cuffed and lead away. The next course had been the matter of the villagers’ debts. At that time, Governor Tapolo had completed his business and came over to assist Padmé, Luke, Lady Veruna, and Lady Tonsort; then hearing the issue, paid the whole debt off. It had been an enormous amount of money, and Padmé dreaded to know what he had to do to withdraw that much money from his family’s fortune. It placed Toun Tapolo in a vulnerable position within his family, but when Padmé saw the looks on the villagers’ faces, the relief and hope as they all cried tears of joy, she took one look at Toun’s face to know he did not regret it. At least they were finally free to leave the mine and make a better life. Johena had embraced her, thanking them all for their help. Now, she and her whole family could be together again and make a new start. Still, it had infuriated Padmé to know that the money Governor Tapolo had spent to pay off the villagers’ debts had gone to the Banking Clan whom Talstrine had been indebted to. However, shortly after they had returned to Theed, Lady Veruna told them that an informer of hers said that after the Governor had paid the debt, the Banking Clan had been hacked and lost a significant amount of money. Not enough to bankrupt them, of course, but enough to sting them for a while. That had put a smile on Padmé’s face.

Speaking of Lady Veruna, while she and their friends had survived the mine collapse, they had not escaped unscathed. Lady Veruna had nearly been crushed in the debris while seeking the Refuge in the Collapse. Xoana, Veta, and Lady Tonsort had managed to free her, but the injuries to her legs had required surgery and multiple baths in bacta, and even now she was under orders to recuperate at home. Xoana and Veta had both inhaled poisonous fumes when their suits were compromised due to the force of the explosion flinging them hard against the rocks and tearing them. Only Lady Tonsort had come out the most unscathed, suffering only bruises and a fractured wrist. It had been her who had rallied the miners, preventing them from killing Lord Talstrine in their anger, and had made them ration their supplies carefully until help arrived to rescue them.

Queen Celestine had thanked them and congratulated them on their work in the Talstrine case, and had ordered all of them, including Liné, Gregor, and Padmé to stay home to recuperate and spend time with their families. That had been three days ago and already Padmé was beginning to feel antsy.

Secretary Bowen was still not attending to his duties at the Palace, leaving it all to Padmé to deal with. At least he was now eating, if only a little from what Padmé had been told, which was an improvement from eating nothing. She would have to pay him a visit before she saw Lady Veruna tonight.

Grrr

Speaking of eating, Padmé felt her stomach growl, reminding her of the very light lunch she had shared with Winama and Ryoo. A little afternoon snack wouldn’t hurt. Hiding her diary in her favorite spot, Padmé made her way down into the kitchen. Ryoo had made her famous buttermilk cookies that Padmé loved. When she reached the kitchen, she found Ryoo focused on stitching flower patterns on a beautiful piece of blue satin at the kitchen island.

“Who are you making this one for?” Padmé asked as she snatched a couple of cookies from the jar.

“For you actually,” Ryoo answered. “For your wedding trousseau.”

Padmé choked on her cookie and had to wash it down with some milk before she could speak again. “I’m awfully young to be worried about that, aren’t I?”

Ryoo chuckled. “Never too young to begin preparing for that happy day. Actually, Mama had started working on it when you turned fifteen, until…”

The humor left her face, and Padmé’s heart filled with grief. Her mother had begun her wedding trousseau. She crept closer to Ryoo, and noticed an old box sitting in a chair next to her. In it were sheets of silk fabric with intricate stitching of flowers and bird patterns. Some of the fabric was made to be bedsheets and pillow covers, and a couple of small pieces she discovered were handkerchiefs. Tears burned in her eyes as she brought the pieces up to her face and inhaled. They still carried the herbal scent of her mother from working in her garden.

“Mama made these for me?” Padmé choked out.

Ryoo nodded. “Yes. After supper, before bedtime she would take out her sewing kit and work on it piece by piece. She had actually begun sewing pieces of your wedding gown.”

Ryoo reached into the bottom of the box and pulled out more pieces of fabric, only these patterns were different. The patterns had gold vines and silver flowers sewn in, making Padmé wonder what her mother had traded to afford such thread. Then in one pattern, a pixie made of gold thread seemed to be climbing out of a red threaded flower. It was beautiful. The tears escaped Padmé as she held the fabric. Her mother had made these for her future wedding. A wedding her Mama would never be able to attend. More than anything, Padmé wished that her mother was here so she could hug her, thank her, and tell her she loved her so much.

Ryoo wrapped her arms around Padmé, and the younger woman leaned into her embrace.

“I miss her too,” Ryoo whispered to her.

Padmé cried in her sister’s arms for a minute before she recovered herself. Carefully, she refolded and put the fabric back in the box. She would have to keep it in a safe place.

The hidden nook Winama had shown her in her room would probably be a good place.

“Thank you.”

Ryoo smiled. “Mama did the same for me before I got married. I’m glad she did it to me because Shiraya knows Naré wouldn’t have done so much as lift a finger for me back then, and Mama and papa were close to disowning me.”

“You never told me why,” Padmé said, sitting down next to her. “I mean, I always heard how you were so wild up until you married, but I thought Mama and Papa liked Jon. I just assumed they were upset because you were so young when you married.”

“That was one of the reasons,” Ryoo admitted as she picked up her sewing project and continued on it. “Another was that Mama and Naré never got along.”

“I always wondered about that, but Mammy never told me why. I do remember Old Jakumir mentioning that they had a rivalry when they were young,” Padmé said.

Ryoo nodded. “From schoolyard fights to all kinds of drama. Mama never told me what started it, but I do know that it came to a head over a man.”

That caught Padmé’s attention, and she sat up. “Really? Who?” Then her eyes widened. “Do you mean-”

“Papa?” Ryoo finished with a grin. “Yes, indeed. Do you remember those holos of him when he was young? Dark brown, wavy hair, those gray eyes, and that charming grin? So handsome.”

Padmé laughed. “Yes, I guess I could see why the girls back then would chase after him. Mama was the lucky one to catch him.”

Ryoo nodded. “So you can see why Naré hated me? Especially when she found out that the daughter of the woman she hated who stole her love was secretly dating her son.”

“So how did you guys get legally married in Claines if neither one of you were of age?” Padmé asked.

Her sister and Jon had both been nineteen, and would have needed their parents’ consent before turning twenty-one.

Ryoo looked at her. “There’s a reason Jobal was born healthy eight months after our marriage.”

Padmé blushed, realizing the implications. “Oh.”

“Indeed. As much as Naré hated the idea of me marrying her son, she hated the idea of having her son live in “sin” and an illegitimate grandchild even more,” Ryoo said, tying off the thread.

Padmé shook her head. It made sense now why Naré Thule was always so horrible to her family, Ryoo especially. Growing up, Padmé had chalked it up to the stereotype of mother-in-law being cruel to her daughter-in-law situation. It explained a lot and gave Padmé a new perspective on her sister.

“So she lost the man she loved to her rival, marrying the next eligible bachelor Mr. Thule, and ended up having her rival and former lover’s child for a daughter-in-law? The gods have a wicked sense of humor,” Padmé commented.

Ryoo snorted. “Indeed.”

Padmé looked down at the island at the other piles of fabric. One bolt was a beautiful red that stood out to her. She ran her hand over it, enjoying the soft smooth touch on her fingers.

“You like that one?” Ryoo asked. “It’d be good for an autumn cloak with some gold sewn into it.”

Padmé glanced down at her sister’s hands, covered in calluses from all the sewing.

“Do you enjoy working for Winama?” Padmé asked before she could help it.

Ryoo frowned in puzzlement. “Of course. Granted, dealing with the noble customers can be frustrating, but Winama is amazing to work with, splits the earnings fairly, and we make incredible creations together.”

“But is it something you want to do for the rest of your life?” Padmé clarified.

Ryoo looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I guess I could take up projects in Claines, but there wouldn’t be many. At least not enough to live on. I loved to cook with Mama ever since I was little. If there’s one constant thing people enjoy it’s food, and there would be good business in Claines since there’s only one restaurant there.”

Padmé nodded. Her hands ran over a lilac bolt of satin. Jobal’s favorite and a smile appeared on Padmé’s face. “Will you have time to work on Jobal’s trousseau in all your plans?”

“Ouch!” Ryoo cried, pricking her finger and bringing it to her mouth to stop the bleeding. “Let’s worry about you first before we marry off my eleven-year-old daughter.”

“Ha!” Padmé waved her finger at her. “Nice try. Luke and I both know that you and Winama are planning an arranged marriage between Jobal and Ruwee.”

“So what if we are?” Ryoo asked. “Ruwee’s a nice boy, and I know he’ll grow up to be a wonderful man thanks to Winama and Luke. That’s the kind of person I want my daughter to be with. Nothing wrong with that.”

Padmé laughed as she shook her head. “You know they only see each other as friends, right? Aren’t you afraid they’ll find it weird?”

“Lots of couples marry their childhood sweethearts and have wonderful marriages. Things will change for them as they grow older and become adults,” Ryoo answered.

Padmé rolled her eyes. “I hope you’re right, otherwise this will be very awkward years from now if they marry other people.”

“They won’t, not if Winama and I have any say in it.”

Padmé glanced at her chrono and stood up. “As much as I’d love to continue to debate this subject, I’ve got to go. I got to check on Bowen and meet with Lady Veruna.”

“Be careful,” Ryoo warned. “Try not to be out too late. With everything that has happened this year, I’d feel more comfortable if you were home before dark.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Padmé assured her. “Gregor and Pooja have been teaching me some self-defense moves, and I’ve begun carrying a blaster.”

Ryoo nodded. She hated blasters, but the knowledge that her sister carried one helped to reassure her of Padmé’s safety.

“I’ll be back for dinner.”

With that, Padmé set off, making her way to Bowen’s home. Knocking on the door, she was greeted by Hanla, the maid she had assigned to help keep an eye on Bowen.

“How is he today?” Padmé asked as she followed Hanla upstairs.

“He still stares out into space most of the time, but he’s been eating more. For lunch, he ate most of his vegetable and shaak soup and even a biscuit. I think your threat to take him to the hospital got through to him,” Hanla informed her.

Padmé cringed. It had not been her finest moment. She had just been released from the hospital and was preparing for her trip to Jaspo. She’d been stressed and worried, then noticing how thin Bowen was from lack of food, she had just snapped. She had said his wife would have been disappointed in him, his daughter would have been sad to see him like this, and if he was going to continue this hunger strike she would drag him to the hospital and have Dr. Corma shove a feeding tube down his throat if that’s what it took to get food in his system. He looked as if Padmé had slapped him, but she stormed out before he could say or do anything. Looking back, Padmé felt ashamed of her actions. She shouldn’t have said those words, and yet they had made him start eating again.

“I’ll go see him and apologize for what I said, but I won’t apologize for making him eat.”

Hanla nodded in understanding then leaned forward to whisper. “By the way, you told me to let you know if my sister found anything in the palace kitchens?”

Padmé straightened at this. “She found something?”

Hanla’s sister, Easta, worked as a cook in the palace kitchen. Although she hadn’t come forward during Padmé and Patté’s investigation, she had her sister, Hanla offer up information she couldn’t share among the other kitchen staff.

Hanla nodded. “Yes, she said that she’ll meet you at the secret entrance by the waterfall side after serving dinner the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Padmé told her gratefully.

Perhaps she could figure out who was all behind the thefts in the kitchen and if it was widespread throughout the Palace. One problem at a time.

Padmé knocked on Bowen’s study room doors before entering. Bowen was found in his usual chair by the fireplace, staring into the flames as he had been known to do since Fayé’s funeral. The sight broke Padmé’s heart and filled her with guilt. Bowen had been filled with passion and a zeal to help Celestine help their people. He had been a strict teacher, but he taught Padmé so much in how to handle the many tasks to help the Queen with, and yet when his daughter died, it was as if all the joy and passion had been sucked out of him. It felt like looking at her father back when they first lost her mother. So lost like a ship adrift in space. As she crept closer to Bowen, did Padmé notice the datapad in his lap. It was lit up with a children’s article she recognized from the ‘Tales of Finn Cruizo’ set on a chapter titled ‘Search for the Treasure of At Attin’. Jobal and Ruwee loved reading the Finn Cruizo series and playing out his adventures. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Fayé loved them as well despite her young age. Had loved them, she corrected, with a pang.

“This was the last thing I read to her,” Bowen’s voice startled her. He was still looking into the flames as he spoke. “I loved reading adventure stories when I was a boy. Loved them so much I wanted to be a pilot someday, fly across the galaxy and discover uncharted planets like Finn Cruizo.”

Padmé never would have expected that, not from Bowen of all people. He seemed so… down to the planet.

“What happened?” she asked.

He had spoken so few words since the funeral that this felt like progress. She hoped that continuing to talk would help him process his grief, and she was also curious about his background. Thankfully, he continued, much to Padmé’s relief.

“My parents told me there was no stable way to live as an adventurer. My aptitude scores got me into the Legislative Youth Program. It turned out I was good at leading group projects, even impressed my professors at how I made even the laziest classmate participate in the assignment. I was always concerned about not letting my parents down. Then one day in class I got into an argument with one of my rival group leaders: Tifaya Cesare.”

His wife and Celestine’s sister. Padmé had never heard of the story of how someone like Bowen ended up with Tifaya, the daughter of a well respected community member. She knew that Bowen still loved her even after three years after her death, the wound in his heart still fresh from her loss.

Bowen chuckled. “My siblings used to tease me endlessly. She was so beautiful, kind, and brilliant. First time I asked her out, she thought I was joking. Took me two years to convince her that I was serious.”

He frowned. “Of course, Tolemi Cesare didn’t think a boy with his head in the clouds and no stable plan for his future was good enough for his daughter. Tifaya was devoted to her family, but she wanted to serve the public. She had seen how corruption had nearly destroyed whole worlds and wanted to fight back at it in the Senate. I wanted to help her achieve that dream, and so I changed my career into politics. It seemed to make everybody happy. After graduation, Tifaya and I took up positions in Senator Mar’s staff. He had his faults but he was a good man. He taught me how important my part was and the good I could help people to achieve. Then one day we were preparing to return to Naboo on break.”

Padmé listened as Bowen described the attack. He, Tifaya, and Jessé Maddox were held up at the Naboo Embassy and had gone in a separate speeder to the platform where their ship was. The Senator had just boarded with the rest of his entourage, and the three latecomers were rushing to board when the ship exploded.

“It was horrible,” Bowen said, his eyes staring out, lost in the grim memories. “The assassin had planted a bomb near the ship’s reactor that activated when the pilots started it. Nobody on board stood a chance.”

The incident had devastated Bowen and Tifaya with the loss of Senator Mar and their colleagues. Maddox on the other hand took a head start, rallying political allies to assist her in taking over their former mentor’s spot, beating Tifaya to the punch.

“Shortly after that, Tifaya’s sister Nadié was elected as Queen Celestine. She offered me the position of Secretary, and Tifaya as her Minister of Internal Affairs. The positions kept us home near our families and they paid well.”

They still did good work, but it wasn’t the same as serving in the Senate with Joaquin Mar. The investigation into his death yielded nothing with the assumption it had been disgruntled spice miners he had been dealing with. The case went cold. They were dissatisfied, but Bowen and Tifaya were forced to let it go by the authorities of Coruscant. They moved on as best they could, then Tifaya found out that she was pregnant.

“It was the best moment of my life,” Bowen admitted, a tear falling down his face.

Padmé watched broken hearted.

“We had talked about having a family of our own, and then there it was.”

They set up their nursery room with flowers hanging over the crib, argued about baby names, and Tifaya even wrote up a plan on what schools she would go to depending on what career path she would lean towards. They were so happy and excited to meet their baby when it happened.

“The doctors say it was a placenta abruption. Tifaya was taking a nap when all of a sudden she was screaming in pain,” Bowen said, his voice shaking. “We rushed her to the hospital, and the doctors had to perform an emergency C-section on her. I remember waiting outside the Emergency Room, terrified of losing them both. Then I heard the best sound I ever heard: Fayé crying. She was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Tifaya thought so too.”

Sobs escaped Bowen as he leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. “She was the last thing Tifaya ever saw.”

Padmé placed a hand on his back and rubbed him in soothing circles. As she listened to his story, tears had fallen down her face as she wept to his story. In the months she had been spying, Padmé had learned that the best way to get information was to simply listen. Since she had begun to work under Bowen this was the most vulnerable she had ever seen him with the exception of when he received the news of his daughter’s death. Of course she had known some of his personal life outside his office, but Bowen was a private man. He never discussed any of his relationships except the one with his daughter, and since her death he had become even more recluse. If sitting here just listening to him was all it took to break him out of this cycle he had fallen into, Padmé would do it. Her heart went out to him. He had admired Senator Joaquin Mar as his mentor, and yet he had lost him, his beloved wife Tifaya, and now his little girl. Padmé’s thoughts went to her mother. She had been devastated losing her, but she still had her father (despite his mental state), she had Mammy, Ryoo, Jobal, the Naberries, Sheev, Gregor, Pooja, Celestine, and all her friends and coworkers she had made in the Palace. Where did that leave Bowen? She watched him hold the datapad with the children’s article.

“I used to imagine what Fayé would become when she grew up. What career she would take, who she would marry, and how many kids she would have? Would she become a politician or a pilot? Would she want to marry? Would she want to have kids? Tifaya had it all planned out, but then she died and I promised I would support our child in whatever she would choose to do with her life.”

Another sob escaped him at the knowledge that she would never do any of these things. Poor Fayé Bowen existed in the galaxy for three short years. Although her death shocked the Naboo eventually their memory of her would fade. The only ones who would remember would be her family and their closest friends. It was so unfair, Padmé thought.
Bowen continued. “Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if I would have been if I made a different choice.”

Padmé jerked back, surprised. “What do you mean?”

“I mean if I had chosen to follow my dream in the beginning to become a pilot how different my life would have been,” Bowen clarified. “If I hadn’t yielded to pressure and expectations, would I be happier? Would Tifaya and I still have gotten together? Would Fayé have been born? Would she still be alive? I keep wondering if I had made a different choice she would still be alive. Not take her to see Nadié, or even continue to serve with the increasing danger in the palace?” he asked, his voice rising in volume.

Padmé could hear the anger in his voice. “Do you blame Nadié?” she asked.

Bowen shook his head. “No, perhaps a part of me did in the beginning at least, but I know Nadié. In many ways she’s like her sister: both have hearts full of compassion and devoted love to their people. Nadié could never hurt her loved ones anymore than Tifaya could, but… I can no longer stay and work in the palace.”

“What?!” Padmé asked, shocked by his words. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Bowen had worked in the palace for years. He was among the few whom Padmé and Nadié both trusted, and he knew pretty much everything in how the palace was run. He had taught Padmé so much that even though people praised her and were beginning to expect her to take his place, she was nowhere near his level in experience and knowledge.

“But… We need you!” Padmé bursted.

Bowen chuckled hollowly as he shook his head. “No you don’t, Padmé. None of you have needed me for months. Just because I haven’t worked in the palace for months doesn't make me ignorant. Hanla has told me about all the work you’ve done in the palace. You’re terrific at it Padmé.”

Padmé could feel her cheeks flushing, and she looked down at the holobook in Bowen’s hands to avoid his gaze. She won’t lie, but his words did flatter her. In the months since she took over his duties, she felt as if she had been floundering between them and her mission. She felt certain she would have drowned if it hadn’t been for Luke, Nadié, Pooja, Gregor, Lady Veruna, and all her friends she had made in the palace. They had offered her guidance and a helping hand whenever she had needed it. And because of them, she had improved. Still, whenever she thought of the circumstances, guilt would hit her.

“Bowen, I… I can’t!”

“You can, Padmé! You have hope within you to improve Naboo, save it from its corruption. I’m burnt out, Padmé. I have been for a long time,” Bowen said.

He sighed. “It’s time for me to live for myself, to move on, and I can’t if I continue to work in politics in general. My affair with Maddox… it sucked the life out of me. The guilt of betraying Nadié, Tolemi, and Tifaya’s memory threatened to consume me. And now with Fayé…” he choked.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. “There are too many ghosts in the palace for me, Padmé. Ghosts I doubt I will ever have the courage to face. Please, don’t make me face them.”

Padmé recognised the losing battle, saw that Bowen had made his mind.

“I understand.”

She did. After all, wasn’t she avoiding the trip to Claines because of all the ghosts awaiting her there?

“What will you do then?” she asked, curious.

Bowen sighed. “My parents are both dead, and the rest of my family all have lives of their own. I’ll keep in touch with the Cesares though. Despite our rough start, Tolemi has always been kind and fair to me even when I didn’t deserve it, Nadié has always been my conscious ever since my wife died, and Hara… she’s so young that even though she hates me, Tifaya would have wanted me to watch over her.”

He wiped his eyes and turned to Padmé. “Thank you, Padmé.”

Padmé looked at him, shocked. “For what?”

“For listening, for being there for me, and for all you’ve been doing, including searching into Fayé’s death,” he said. “You’ve been a guiding light in a maelstrom, Padmé. Don’t let that die, and don’t let anyone try to change it.”

Padmé felt overwhelmed by Bowen’s words. At times she felt like she was going nowhere with her investigations, and every event and death that happened this year threatened to pull her down. Then there was everyone’s faith in her, from Ryoo to Luke to Pooja to the Queen herself that pulled her back up. This was why she chose this path, Bowen’s words reminded her. To be a beacon in a storm of corruption to navigate their way until they were finally out of it. She would help her planet and nothing, nobody would stop her.

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