Title: Rose of Naboo
Author: Ticklesivory
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance/Drama
Rating: T+
Summary: The last two Jedi are in hiding, the power of the Sith is rising, and the rumor is - Padme Amidala is alive.
Warnings: Possibly some adult language and adult situations
Author's Note: I'm going to try my best and slow down and take good care of this story. I believe the plot has the potential to be spun into a decent one. In other words, I'm going to proofread BEFORE I post. ;)
Rose of Naboo
Chapter One: "Escape"
€)-'—,-
Why hadn't they given her any shoes? It was a strange question under the circumstances, but one that kept popping into her mind. It didn't even matter. The durasteel flooring was smooth and wasn't causing her any pain. If she was successful, she was going to need them in the future. Maybe that's what she was worried about. What might be a better idea right now was a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The blaring alarm was beginning to hurt her head.
There was no time to stop and consider her feet or the noise. She needed to keep moving and had already decided the alarm was actually helping. It informed her they'd probably found the body she'd left locked in the cell. She hadn't meant to kill the man, just knock him out. But she'd misjudged her strength and cracked his neck before laying him down upon the single cushion in the room: A thin, black mat covered with scratches in her attempt to keep track of the days. If her math was correct, nearly six months had passed since her confinement. That no longer mattered either.
Her current problem was she couldn't help but feel as if she were running around in circles. It was a strange building. Everything curved to the left. Unless she turned around of course. The ridiculousness of the thought caused a quiet laugh to emerge; a sound foreign to her ears. Up until now, she hadn't had any reason to laugh, much less smile.
The young woman ducked behind a metal beam that stuck out from the wall and waited while a long line of white-clad soldiers rushed by in unison. Good. They appeared to be heading back from where she came, which meant she would go the opposite direction.
Another curving hallway, another door, another hiding place. Hours seemed to pass, but her sense of time was most likely skewed. There had to be a day and night somewhere, but not here. She had yet to see the sky. It was difficult to judge the passing of time without it.
During her captivity, she had learned to be patient and would continue to practice that lesson with the hope it might save her life. It would be catastrophic to rush into anything.
One more hallway, but this time there was a window. On the other side of the transparency wasn't the sky she had hoped for but a large room that held ships and dozens of workers. She waited and watched, looking for an opening; a chance to get out.
It finally came and surprised her with its simplicity.
On the other side of the hangar, they were loading cargo. Large gray crates which appeared to be quite heavy were being carried by skiffs and being placed into the back of a wide transport. Her mind was made up. In just a few minutes, she would be in one of those crates. Just as soon as they found the other body.
More waiting, more hiding, more sneaking and listening. A shuffle of command, an authoritative announcement, and the hangar emptied of most of the soldiers. They'd found one of the guards she'd disposed of in the control room by the prison cells. She had to be close by, they'd said.
They were wrong. She smiled with victory and pulled the crate lid shut, lying quiet and still inside the darkness. The alarm was muffled now and she was conscious of movement as the skiff apparently carried her inside the ship, where it deposited her with a loud thump. It was crowded and uncomfortable inside and there was some type of weapon jabbing her in the back, but she refused to move and hardly dared to breathe.
The engines roared, the transport shook and shimmied, and she began to shiver. It was cold in space and she silently rejoiced because of it. If she was cold, that meant she'd made it. She had escaped. The problem was, she had no idea where the transport was going or what she was going to do once it got there. No matter where it landed, she figured it had to be better than the place she'd been. What was most important was that she was free.
Strange, it was a feeling she couldn't remember ever having before.
The struggles and stealth had left her exhausted and she shivered and slept for most of the trip, jolted awake when the transport finally landed. When all was still and silent, she made her move. They would most likely be coming around soon to retrieve their cargo. By that time, she needed to be out of the crate and well hidden.
When the cargo door opened, the young woman had managed to creep to the bridge of the transport, crouching low beneath the windows. At last, she sighed, there was sky. It was bright blue and was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Voices just outside the hull caused her to shrink behind the pilot's seat and again, she waited and watched. Some time passed before the voices grew more distant. The young woman risked looking out the port window and slid open the door; just enough to allow her slim body to pass through. Much to her dismay, the hem of her simple blue tunic hung on the latch and stopped her. As she worked the garment loose, a hangar worker wearing a cap stepped forward from underneath the transport and saw her. There was no chance she was going to be caught now. Without a second thought, she jumped, hurled her small body against him, and knocked them both down.
In quick succession, the young woman scrambled up and out of the man's grasp and started running, her bare feet slapping against the hard floor. A new sound accompanied sparks exploding about her and she was stunned to realize they were firing blasters at her. Still, she ran, didn't look back and didn't stop until the explosions ceased, the voices were silent, and the blue sky had turned black.