Padmè Amidala just caught her yawn before it nearly gaped as a cavern would. She cleared her throat, sat up, and paid fresh attention to the entrepreneurial trader standing in front of her.
This was the last supplicant pleading her help today. And, thank the Force, would be the last one she would see for quite some months. Come morning, she would board her interstellar transport to witness the wonder of the Core. Thirty-four thousand lightyears away from Naboo, it stood. Some likened it to going to see the sun while riding in close orbit. She was 21 now and by this time next year, would step down from being queen to let Princess Denni of Theed take her place ruling. She knew her successor was being primed for the throne now, just as she had been.

Padmè leaned forward and strove to listen to the man, this eager, determined man. In some ways, largely by his peculiar name and constant fidgeting, he reminded her of Jar-Jar, the one-time companion of the Jedi she had met when she was 14 years old. Today, when the would-be trader entered, he had bowed and introduced himself. 'Queen Amidala, I am Cumin Gettit.'
She had covered her mouth quickly to cover a smile. 'You're…I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you correctly.'
He stood tall, and nodded in understanding. 'Of course, my queen. I am Cumin Gettit. It's a common name on my planet."

'I'm sorry.' She murmured, still fighting back a smirk. "How can I help you?"

"Your Highness, I have come to seek your approval. Surely the word of Naboo would stretch far across the galaxy as to the proficiency of this modern blaster. It is the RF-500. Erm. Hah. Have reports reached you of my attempts to market my blasters on Dantooine?"

At that, Padmè bit her lip. Gettit had reached the Duststorm's headlines, a vid that had reached Naboo from Coruscant. In demonstrating the capabilities of his device to the Dantooine council, he had misfired the weapon he had demonstrated through the floor and knocking loose the anti-gravity thruster below. He had promptly made the 'Alerts' list of people to avoid Dantooine thereafter on galactic holovids.
She cleared her throat. "Why did you come to Naboo to get a selling license?"

Cumin beamed and held out his hands, gesticulating eagerly. "My blaster is a step up from most others. This one needs no switches to alternate its power. Short, rapid bursts are automatically non-lethal stuns. Holding down the trigger changes it out for blaster fire automatically."

"Well, that is different and intriguing, I must say. Does it perform ideally to the promises you have given?"
"Yes, your Highness. There are no glitches once it has warmed up."
"Ah. Do you have a prototype?"
Cumin beamed once more and retrieved a blaster from the bag at his side. "Here it is."
Padmè inspected it from her throne. The blaster was wider than her personal one by about 5 centimeters. As promised there was no switch to flick between the settings. "Your weapon automatically stuns first? That is truly remarkable."
He nodded.

"Very well, Mr. Gettit. I will put my trust in you, and hope the fault lay in the wielder's hands, not the weapon."
He nodded again.
"I will take six of your blasters. And I hope no more Senate floors will be set careening into space."

A small smile lit up her face. Smaller than the grin she restrained, but a smile pulled up her features, nonetheless.

Three hours later, she stood in her own quarters, glancing about for the last foreseeable time. Sabè had packed the queen's belongings into a bag that now sat onboard the vessel. Sabè loved her and her loyalty meant Padmè could disappear for a span of three months' time, or so, and Naboo would remain in good hands.

Dear Sabè. For the second time in seven years, she would go under guise as Queen Amidala while Padmè enjoyed a vacation. The Core had long been recorded as the 12th Galactic Wonder, and Padmè wanted to strike it from her records as something else she had done, not merely ruled Naboo well. She exited her chambers and embraced her friend. "Thank you for all your work, Sabè. I will see you again when the nights turn purple and the days come shorter."

"Queen Amidala-" Sabè began.
"Not really the queen now, Sabè. I'm just Padmè Naberrie again. But I do get to use the Queen's vessel, as one final perk."
"Padmè, take care, and have a good time. Stories tell that the Core is beyond anything we have ever seen."
"I will. Thank you. Perhaps I will bring back a treasure." She boarded the ship and sat back while it began to accelerate to hyperspace.

For the first three hours, everything was fine. Captain Resollo cued comms a half hour later. "Captain here. I just read the read-outs, and it appears we are approaching a planetary void."

"That sounds uncommon. Can our path avoid it?"

"Yes, but the gravity of the void makes our system unresponsive, my Queen."

"What about the boomerang effect? Perhaps we could escape it that way."

"I have attempted to make a small alteration, but the resulting change in our velocity and momentum would divert our course for a new system."

"I understand, Captain. I hope we will come out of this black hole somewhere other than a flaming nebula." Padmè bit her lip. Her diplomatic speech had not given away how tense her gut was, and the fear this dreamed of trip was going to remove her from Naboo, the system, but biggest loss of all would come to her parents. She looked out the window, watching the stars fly by, and wondered what would be the next thing she would see.

The flying spots that were stars were gradually overtaken by black nothingness. 'This is not what I expected the Core to be like,' she thought.

One star shone in front of her, and gradually got bigger. As they neared, it took on a definite shape. It was conical and resembled a pillar of stalactite clinging to a cavern roof, not unlike what she had seen on Cervant, a distant moon. Then as her ship neared it, Padmè gasped. It wasn't a stalactite, clinging to clouds, but the underside of the most fantastic city she had ever seen. Gilded towers, a castle resembling an organ soared up and there was a streak of rainbow jutting away from the city. Without instructions, Captain Resollo managed to steer the craft to a watery landing not far from the bridge's origin by the city.

"It doesn't look so different from Naboo! Did we go around in a circle, Captain?"

He emerged from the pod, shaking his head. "No, my Queen. We have gone through a black hole and come to a foreign world. I continually tried to raise someone on the comms, but no one answered."

Padmè rose, tucking her new blaster in the folds of her dress. "Perhaps we went to the other end of the galaxy. Who knows what we would find here?"

Or whom they would find. Guards wearing golden helmets quickly appeared on the ground near their ship.
"Halt! What is your business here in Asgard?"
'Asgard? It has never been a location of mention in the starcharts. It rivals Coruscant…except for the lack of transport. Have I jumped galaxies?' Padmè nearly spoke her thoughts aloud, but Cpt. Resollo stepped up.

"I am Captain Resollo of Naboo. This is Queen Amidala of Naboo." At the quizzical looks, he continued, "Naboo is a part of the Galactic Republic, from the Chommel sector of the Mid-Rim region of the galaxy. What sector is this?"

"What business have you here?"

The warriors with golden armor gave way to a white-haired and bearded man, who had a silver eye-patch over his right eye.

"Leisure." Padmè answered. "We had intended to get within view of the Core, but it seems our coordinates were faulty. Can you set us straight?"
"You are near the height of Yggdrasil's branches."
"I'm sorry, but what? Your explanation makes no sense, sir."
"I am Odin, king of Asgard, this realm that you have landed upon."
Padmè smiled. "I see. Then surely we can discourse about how to reach a path back home diplomatically, sire."
"Finding your homeworld should not be too hard."
"Thank you, your Highness." Padmè rubbed her hands together excitedly.

Odin scratched his chin. "It could well be that 'Taboo'-
"-Naboo."

"-is what you call your home on Lighalfheim?"

Padmè frowned, lost again. "No. Naboo is a whole planet within a sector of the galaxy."

He tried again. "Midgard?" Padmè shook her head. Odin glanced at the guards. "I will consult with our Gate-Keeper, Heimdall. It may be that your home is known to him. Since you are stranded here by the skies, you shall be our guests."

"Thank you." Amidala nodded, feeling relieved now she had been given a new direction. "Where is here?"

"Asgard."

Padmè blinked, confused, but turned back to the ship. "Captain, grab your commlink, and I will keep the spare. Surely there is someway to return to our own galaxy with ease."
The captain nodded, handing her the comm she had requested. "This planet seems peaceful enough."