Every now and then, Marinette had a recurring dream. The predictability was so comforting that she'd grown to expect the scenery changes, yearning for them even. It was always so vivid and soreal that every morning it left her chest filled with a warmth Marinette knew that she was better off not even trying to explain.
She ran across green pastures so plush, that she could almost feel the soft cushion of grass against her feet, all the while surrounded by a gentle breeze gliding all around here. She played along the shore of seemingly endless lakes, the water sparkling under the sunlight. There were parades, loud and beautiful, filled with confetti, people and colors.
A small house, that she couldn't quite remember, built in shades of yellow with phantom voices belonging to faces she couldn't remember anymore.
It always felt like she melted into the dream, it was a feeling so familiar right now that whenever she felt sliding into it she settled into a peaceful sleep. The dream was not structured, there was little to no coherency. Only flashes and images that she couldn't quite explain.
It was all from too long ago.
Force Sensitive children were brought to the temple when they were very young, somewhere around four to eight years old. Marinette could barely remember a life outside of the Temple. It was anhonor to be here, and Marinette treated it as such.
Marinette had stopped trying to make sense of these dreams, she only enjoyed them whenever they came to her. The rational part of her brain knew that it couldn't be as beautiful as she kept on dreaming but the fact that it was always the same kept a flicker of home alive.
But then… Morning would always come.
She was well aware that no one could ever know the feeling of disappointment that washed over her whenever she woke up, still snuggled up in her humble bed at the Temple's dorm. She only allowed the feeling to linger for a couple of minutes; after all, she had chores, tasks and learning that needed to get done. She was a Padawan, and her duty as an apprentice was to learn and follow the instructions that Master Kir would give her.
There was no point pining over a home she couldn't even remember.
Sometimes, Marinette wished that she could talk to Master Kir about this, and all the things that troubled her. But she remembered one time she'd mentioned her dreams to another older Jedi. The older woman had chastised her and told her to go center her emotions and meditate. That she had a duty to her training and there were things far more important. So in the end, she had done so, and after that she'd been keeping everything remotely personal to herself.
Which brought her to Adrien. He was a bit of a curiosity to her. Marinette was well aware that she made him nervous, she could feel it rolling off of him in waves. But now that she was an apprentice, she rarely got to interact with people her age, and people who weren't in the Temple? Even less. In the end, Marinette wasn't exactly sure just how to interact with the boy.
He seemed nice, at least. Even if he barely spoke to her.
It was the main reason she was so surprised when he initiated a conversation with her at the Senator's office. And even more surprising, it wasn't as awkward as she thought it would be.
Adrien was welcoming, if a bit shy, and it didn't take long for Marinette to feel at ease with him. Her attention had been immediately drawn to their differences. Her scuffed brown boots and outfit were in stark contrast with his pristine appearance. But then again, hers was supposed endure and protect her. Not look pretty.
He was curious about her, and she had honestly expected all the questions about her lightsaber. It wasn't the first time. And she had definitely seen the way his eyes had been glued to the silver handle that hung from her belt.
His question wasn't a bad one, to be honest. Was it real? The younger trainees, the ones that still weren't under the direct guidance of one Jedi Knight used a different, lower powered lightsaber to avoid serious injuries, teaching them the proper way to handle their weapons and helping them learn how to wield them.
But the questions kept on coming and Marinette wasn't exactly sure just how she could explain. The Jedi Order had a certain amount of secrecy and Marinette wasn't exactly sure just how much she was allowed to divulge to outsiders. They were bound by ritual and traditions, some of them older than the Republic itself and quite possibly illogical to all outsiders.
There was a reason for all the rules and all the secrecy, she'd been told. And it was to protect them.
But she couldn't help but smile as he fumbled his way through their conversation. Marinette was used to interacting with people much older than her, so the chance to speak with someone her own age was somewhat delightful. So she decided to explain at least a part of the things they did. At least… correct some of his belief regarding the lightsaber. "We make it on our own, it's very ritualistic." She could have ended up right there, but the look on his face was too entertaining.
Sure, Marinette shouldn't have teased him either, but the look on his face was worth it and she broke out in giggles, feeling warmth at the welcoming look on his face because she knew at once, it was fine to relax as well.
It was also the reason she decided to talk to him about her dreams. Well, not the dreams but to share what little she remembered about her past. Cautiously, she decided to let him know that she wanted to visit Naboo. Maybe she wouldn't even see her family, but to tell the truth, she wasn't sure if they even remembered her. But the chance to see if what little she kept on recalling was real. Granted, she could have looked at pictures, she had a large amount of resources that she could have definitely used to find out whether her dreams held even a little bit of truth.
But she yearned for real experiences. To feel the sun on her skin, to touch grass and flowers. Everything was just so grey in Coruscant that the mere idea of something just so different was just implausible to her. Maybe then she'd be able to stop thinking about it so much.
There was a small part of her that feared that he would tell. That she'd end up getting in trouble because keeping a long attachment to a place she'd never even visited before was against every single teaching she had received so far. But he made no sign that he'd filed this information as anything other than two people talking.
He was lonely. It was what she could tell from the little they had been talking. He was being pushed into a path that he wasn't all that sure about. He might have some talent for Politics and frankly, it wasn't unheard of to have people around their age in high positions in the Senate. If that was what he chose, he was likely to have a successful career in that world. Marinette only hoped that Adrien would find his way and find something that made him truly happy.
But the meeting was over before they could talk any longer, and thanks to her fast reflexes, Marinette was able to stand up and into an awaiting stance when the door opened. She spared a small look to the boy as she left, making a small subtle gesture with her eyebrow as she tried to bid her goodbyes.
Marinette was definitely excited about having an actual mission. A real assignment that she was going on with Master Kir. Sure, she was making sure to behave as cool and collected as she could possibly be. Granted, it was mostly a preventive measure, brought on by anonymous threats sent to the Senator, which meant that their mission was to both keep the Senator safe and try and figure out where the threat had come from.
It was a simple assignment, to tell the truth, but still. It counted as her first.
The mission itself wasn't very exciting, to be honest. There was a lot of following around and standing in on boring meetings. Right now, Master Kir had gone off to ensure the safety of the building they were supposed to go into, which left her alone with the Senator.
"Marinette, right?"
"Senator?" she answered, wondering if the older man had a request or something along those lines. The older man had barely acknowledged her during the whole trip, but maybe now that they were alone, he wanted to fill the silence. Many people were like that.
"Ah, I was just wondering if that was your name."
Marinette nodded, "Ahh, yes Sir, That's my name." she answered politely, certain that it was the end of the conversation. While she had no issue with polite small talk; it somehow felt odd this time. After all, the Senator acknowledged her in limited occasions, since most of the time he simply addressed Master Kir with whatever it was he needed.
"Where are you from, child?" the older man asked her, turning his grey eyes towards her.
And it would seem that the Senator wasn't done talking just yet. "The temple…" she trailed off, unsure of how to properly answer the question.
"No," he chuckled, "I meant your home?"
"Ah," she shrugged one shoulder, regretting the gesture immediately, it was not formal enough for the situation she was in. The subject of homewas always a weird one. Did the place you were born count, if you hadn't been there in more than a decade? "I was born in Naboo."
"Oh." the look on the Senator's face lost its spark, turning somber in an instant.
And that definitely caught Marinette's attention. The young Padawan turned her full attention to the older man, worry flickering on her young face. "Oh?"
"With everything in Naboo, I'm sure you're worried enough. There's really no point in worrying you any further, right?"
It took every little bit of energy she had, all the knowledge she possessed to not react. To even her breathing. To tell the truth, she'd been perfecting her battle skills lately, it had barely left her any time to stay current on the galaxy affairs. Which seemed to be an error that she definitely needed to fix now. "Oh, right." She finally answered, doing her best to keep her calm.
She was not calmed.
After that, the Senator returned to paying little to no attention to her, instead preferring to converse with Master Kir. To tell the truth, she didn't mind. This was her first mission and she was still processing everything that was going on. And aparently, talking with the older man was not conductive to her peace of mind. And she needed to be calm to be effective. Perhaps it was better to let Master Kir handle the conversations with the Senator.
Kir Fayar was a very good Jedi Knight and most certainly a good instructor. He was a member of the council, and Marinette understood that she was privileged to be the apprentice to someone with the amount of experience that her master had. This was why Marinette felt so bad about doing anything that might disappoint him. And keeping a decade long attachment would certainly be a disappointment.
The trip went by uneventfully, not even a sign of the supposed imminent danger the Senator was in; right until the last minute, when they were boarding the ship to head on back home. The ship, with its official logo sat on the landing pad, in wait for the moment where they could finally board and leave.
There was a feeling, a strange pang of something she couldn't quite name yet, deep in her chest. She turned towards Master Kir almost immediately, finding that the older man's face mirrored the worry she felt. Something was definitely wrong.
"We should leave soon." Kir said, turning his attention towards the crew, his posture cautious as he looked around. "Is everything loaded?"
"Almost!" The pilot called out from inside the ship. "I'm checking the levels for now. We should be ready when they finish loading the cargo.
Kir walked towards her, his voice low and careful. "Stay alert." he told her, and Marinette nodded, looking around carefully.
The Senator arrived when they were almost ready to leave, engines about to start and just a few more items to load. It was then when everything happened. The sound of a blaster being fired in their direction was enough to send everything into chaos. The crew started running and they were left wide open for the incoming fire. A masked individual floating on in a jetpack advanced in on them, his weapon shooting nonstop at the people in the port.
"Marinette!" Kir called out, "Get the Senator inside!"
It took her little time to reach the older man, grabbing his arm and leading him towards the awaiting ship. Unfortunately, the Senator was older, and his movements weren't as fast as hers, and Marinette had to push him towards the opened hatch. "Senator, we have to hurry up!" she urged him, before chancing a look behind her to see just how dire the situation actually was.
To tell the truth, she didn't see it happen. She felt it, a sharp pain shooting through her left side, immeasurable heat burning her skin. "Inside!" She urged, gritting her teeth as she tried to ignore the searing pain on her side, almost pushing the Senator towards safety and stumbling towards the pilots. "Start the ship!" She yelled, and the pilots began to work the switches, eager to get out of danger.
Kir entered the ship quickly, and the door closed, clearing them for take off. His dark brown eyes focused on the blaster mark on the wall, and his eyes fell immediately on Marinette and the Senator. "What happened?"
There was no point in hiding the singed mark on her robes, she gritted her teeth. "It grazed me."
His eyes examined her carefully. Marinette tried to appear as nonchalant as she was able, but it was really hard to do when she was clearly favoring her left side. She could try to hide it as much as possible, but it hurt. A lot. And Master Kir wasn't dumb. "Let's go." the older Jedi finally said, offering his hand to her and leading her to the back of the ship.
She took off her cloak, wincing as the effort to move stretched out her injured torso. Kir noticed, a disapproving look flickering on his face. "You should have used your lightsaber," he said, looking for the first aid kit.
"I was trying to get the Senator inside the ship," She explaining, though she knew it wasn't a good enough excuse. This was basic training and she'd failed it. She should have been able to deflect the blaster beam without losing track of her mission.
The look on the Jedi's face showed that he clearly agreed. "You need to be able to focus on more than one task at a time."
A loud sigh was the only answer she was able to give at first. "I know." Marinette was aware that she'd made a mistake. She watched as the Jedi looked through the kit, and Marinette removed most of the layers in her clothing, wincing at the way it would brush against her injured skin.
The Jedi pulled a chair, to reach the proper level to examine the wound. "It's not that serious," he told her, cleaning the blood away, shaking his head and tsk-ing at her hissing. "It's only for a minute Marinette, hold still."
She tensed, but did as asked, "How does it look?"
"It's alright, but you probably should get it properly looked at when we get back to Coruscant."
"I will." Now that she had the certainty that she wasn't going to die.
"You were really lucky," he pointed out. "A little more to the right and we'd be telling a whole different story." There were no medical droids on board, which would have meant that unless they were able to cart her off to proper medical treatment… Well, her path towards Knighthood would have ended before it actually began.
She shrugged her shoulders, nodding. Marinette was well aware that she had made a mistake. She knew it the minute that blaster grazed her side. At least luck had been on her side this time, but Marinette was well aware that she needed to be more alert next time.
He wrapped some bandages around her, and she could feel the ointment beginning to help with the burning on her skin. It wasn't perfect, but it'd do for now. "There. That should be enough until we arrive." Kir rose up, and put the supplies back where he found them. "Stay here. Rest." he ordered, giving her a pointed look before he turned to leave the room.
Marinette sighed and stretched out on a bunk. This was not the way she wanted her first assignment to go.
Once home, her medical inspection went as expected. She was fine and other than changing the bandages on her torso, they did little else but keep her overnight, for observation. She was still a little tender, but she knew that she'd be back to normal in no time. There was nothing else for her to do but head back to the Temple and rest, as she was ordered to.
Marinette almost ran smack into Adrien outside of the medical center. Out of reflex, which were thankfully still good, she held her arms out to keep him from smacking into her tender side and his bright green eyes widened in surprise when he recognized her.
"Hello!" she greeted him, letting go of his arms once she was sure that he wasn't going to accidentally bump her on her tender side.
His eyes gave her a quick once over and she just knew that someone had already told him. Undoubtedly the Senator. "You're alright?"
She nodded, before shrugging a shoulder and biting back a small cringe. Despite being treated, she was still somewhat sore and sudden moves were definitely not the best idea. "I'm okay." she told him, "It was just a graze."
"What happened?"
"I…" Marinette sighed, not really proud of herself, "I wasn't paying attention, I got hit with blaster bolt." She pursued her lips,
The look on his face was enough to let her know that he wasn't taking this as well as she was. "Blaster bolt?" He asked, "You were shot at?"
"We were ambushed." she explained, "But nothing happened!" Marinette hurried to add, seeing the concerned look on his face. She usually forgot that normal people didn't go through life experiencingbattles. "It's not even as bad as it could have been," She said, and amended quickly at his widened eyes. "I got out of the way!" she added, in her best attempt to appease him.
It didn't work.
Honestly, half the Jedi order were covered in scars, and many of them had a limb replaced by a droid simile. A scar on her waist was laughable.
Adrien blinked at her, clearly unsure of how to proceed. "But you're okay?"
"Cleared for duty!" she answered cheerfully. Well… technically. She was probably not going to be on any sort of training or physical activity for at least a week. "Well, I'm sore, but I can deal with that."
"Oh."
Her head tilted, examining the boy in front of her. They were really both fifteen year old, but their lives were just so different. She liked talking to him, but Marinette was aware that perhaps certain aspects of her life were a bit too much for him to handle. He had to be eased into it. "I'm really okay," she said, "and oh! Master Kir said we're going to be escorting the Senator for a little longer."
"Really?"
"There's no reason to think that something will happen to him here," she said; knowing that it would take a right amount of audacity to try something at the Capital of the Republic, "But Master Kir would rather be safe than sorry. And I need to pay more attention to my surroundings," The older Jedi's words were still clear in her mind. "So… anything we should know?"
Adrien's expression turned gentle. "You won't be shot at…" he said, and Marinette couldn't help but laugh, noting how the expression mirrored on his face, "it's really not exciting. Bring something to read."
She grinned, "Will do." She looked over her shoulder, at the passing people, "I should go back to the Temple. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow?"
He nodded, "Tomorrow." he agreed, watching as she bowed her head lightly in goodbye, "Rest!" he added.
"I will!" She said, blue eyes sparkling as she turned back, walking as fast as she could towards her home, "goodbye!"
Well, Adrien hadn't lied. It was definitely not exciting in any way. Adrien was currently reviewing some papers on his desk, and Marinette had simply pulled a chair to the opposite side of the grandiose looking desk to read something on her own.
Master Kir would walk in and out, making sure she was reading her material diligently, asking questions every now and then before heading outside again. During one of his exits, a small scrap of paper slid towards her, and she looked at Adrien. He was seemingly focused on his reading, but the ghost of a smile on his face betrayed him. Her hands reached for the paper, hiding it under her hand until she felt it was safe to read.
[Told you it was boring.]
She hid the scrap of paper in the sleeves of her robes and her eyes darted around quickly, battling the amused smile on her face. Her fingers closed around the little scrap of paper and she quickly jotted an answer down on the edge of the same paper.
[Still better than getting shot.]
She slid it under the book placed on the desk. He picked it up quickly, hiding it under the page he was reading. His eyes would glance around nervously, before grabbing the paper and reading it quickly. Much to her surprise, he snorted. Adrien looked around, his eyes darting around nervously before writing down on the paper.
[Does it hurt?]
Marinette wasted no time to reach for the paper, reading it quickly and hiding it. Well, it was far better than it was before. She had applied some ointment that was definitely speeding up the skin's healing, even if it was going to leave a scar. She was still not mobile enough to battle to her full potential.
[It's still sore, but it doesn't hurt.]
He took the paper immediately, reading it over and flashing a small smile at her. She replied with a small one of her own. It was sweet, him being worried for her wellbeing. Her expression perked up, remembering something else she wanted to add. Her fingers tapped the table quietly, signaling for him to send the paper back which he did immediately.
[Really, we tumble a lot during training… it's really easy to fall down. I'm used to it. ]
She slid the paper back to him, just as the door opened and Master Kir walked in. Adrien stuffed the paper under a stack of paper and looked as innocent as he was able to.
"Marinette?"
"Master Kir?" She replied, turning attentive blue eyes at the Jedi.
"How's the reading?"
"I'm finishing Chapter six," she informed him. Granted, she had been reading the same paragraph for about thirty minutes, but that was not important.
The older Jedi nodded, before turning around on his heel and leaving the room. Both teenagers shared a look, eyes widened and the telling signs of a smile on both of their faces. They'd been almost caught. Marinette's finger went to her lips, motioning for him to be quiet. They couldn't risk getting caught. He nodded, amusement flickering in his bright green eyes and they sobered up quickly, returning to their reading.
The notes ended up passing back and forward all day, both of them making sure that neither Master Kir nor the Senator caught them. Marinette knew she should have just read and finished her assignment, but she could always do that before going to sleep. Besides, she had to admit, that it was oddly freeing. Sure, it was silly, and playful and completely immature, but she was loving it.
Not long after, it was time to leave, and she bid her goodbyes, reading the mirth in the boy's eyes and she did her best effort to downplay hers.
The way back to the Temple was mostly silent. It was only once they were close that Kir spoke up. "Marinette?" His voice was solemn and Marinette was instantly intrigued.
"Yes?" Marinette turned her attention towards the older Jedi, feeling a slight sense of dread.
He slowed his walk, standing still near the Temple's entrance. "You are extremely talented." he said, and Marinette felt her chest swell at the praise. "But there's still a long way until you're ready to be knighted. You shouldn't risk all you've worked for."
"Oh…" she said, evidently confused just at what had prompted this particular topic.
"I know that sometimes people your age…" he trailed off, clearly trying to find the best way to phrase his concerns. "Sometimes you have certain pull to people your age. I know you've barely interacted with the rest of the people in your level back at the Temple…"
Ah. So they were nowhere nearly as secretive as they thought they had been. Still, Marinette felt the need to defend herself. She knew it wasn't completely right, since she was supposed to be reading, but it wasn't wrong either. She had advanced a good deal in her reading, after all. "We just talked."
"I know." Kir said, looking at the door, "I'm Just saying that you need to focus on your training. You've made a commitment when you joined the Order, and you should be mindful of that."
"I understand." she said, feeling properly reprimanded. That was the thing about Master Kir. He had rarely raised his voice at her, during all the time she'd known him. But the tone of sheer disappointment on his voice when she did fail him, was enough to make her be sure she wouldn't do it unless extremely necessary.
Kir nodded, clearly taking her word at heart. "Tomorrow we won't be going, the Senator will be at session all day." Kir told her, resuming his usual pace as they entered the Temple. "There's the issue of Naboo and it will probably be discussed all day."
Marinette did her best to seem just curious. "Oh?"
The older Jedi continued, "The situation in Naboo is escalating, and there are rumors that a Droid Army has invaded the planet,"
A cold fear gripped her heart. She had been reading about this, she did so the minute she was alone after returning from the trip with the Senator. The situation in Naboo was dire, and if there were rumors of an invasion… then it was probably the truth. "I see."
"I'm going to the High Council now," he told her. "And we will probably be meeting all day tomorrow. There are very important matters that need to be discussed. You should do some reading in the Temple's library tomorrow and rest properly. We will train your defensive moves when I am done." He motioned her in the direction of the Padawan's sleeping quarters. "Go rest!"
"Yes Master Kir," she said, "I'll do that."
She barely slept through night, dozing off slightly only to wake up with a startle. In the end, she gave up and simply waited for the slightest hint of sunrise to jump out of her bed and head towards the Senate. Her pace was slow enough to be considered a walk but she was moving as fast as possible, while still looking calm.
It didn't take him long to spot him, Adrien was walking through one of the Senate's hallways, possibly heading towards the session, which should start any minute now. "Adrien!" She said, jogging to close the distance between them.
"Marinette?" His voice was curious, and she couldn't blame him. It was possibly the first time they'd seen each other outside of what had been official duties.
There was no time to waste with explanations. "They've invaded Naboo," She can't help the way her words tumbled out in an urgent whisper. "Armies, they're going to kill everyone!"
Adrien's expression turned somber, "I heard." he answered, taking her arm as he led her to somewhere more secluded. "I heard Naboo's Queen is at the Senate, she's going to ask for help."
It was a relief. Naboo was a democracy, but their system's elected governor was named a Queen, but if she had been elected, it was clearly because she cared about her people. Things might just turn alright. Still, there was no harm in covering all bases. "Can you talk to the Senator?" She pleaded, "There has to be something they can do."
"I will," he nodded, his hands squeezing hers, and she didn't even notice when she'd reached for him. "I'm sure they'll side with the queen." He turned to look away, "I'll let you know as soon as I hear something."
Adrien left her, to go join the Senator at his post and Marinette began pacing around, always keeping the door in view. She waited, as the session seemed to go for longer than anything she'd ever expected. But then, the door opened and Adrien came outside again.
The look on his face as he carefully closed the door behind him told him everything she needed to know. "They're not doing anything…" she said, her expression falling when he simply nodded in agreement. What good was having a senate, if they wouldn't help!
"They tried, but everything is a mess." Adrien explained, and Marinette felt her chest tighten at his words. "They started discussing about the merits of the Chancellor, the vote for Naboo was postponed. I'm sorry."
Postponed? She couldn't believe it, "What?" her voice was surprised, because how could the Senate focus on something so inane and useless, when there was a real problem. Real danger to a whole planet right under their noses and they were going into a struggle for who was going to lead the senate? Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out just what she was going to do. "I have to go." She still had no plans, but she knew that she needed to do something.
He reached for her arm, and she stopped, turning around to see the worried look on his face, "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know." It was the truth, she had no idea just what her plans were, but she knew that she had to try and do something.
His hand released her arm, "be careful, alright?"
"I will." She said, taking a breath before turning around to exit the building.
A plan, she needed a plan.
Would Master Kir help her? Perhaps, but he was still meeting with the High Council and barging into their meeting was not going to win her any points whatsoever. Especially if she considered that Master Kir had already reprimanded her for playing around the previous day.
And probably would again, if he noticed that she wasn't at the Temple, like she should have been.
Marinette walked around, trying to think of something and trying to make her anxiousness subside. The young Padawan was desperate for any ideas, and unfortunately, she wasn't coming up with any plans. She was beginning to feel discouraged.
That was, until she saw them. Two people, dressed up in full pilot gear watching over their ship. She began heading their way before she actually formulated a plan, figuring that asking for help was worth a shot.
"Good day," she greeted the pair, trying to look as reassuring as she was humanly able to. It was young man and a woman, only slightly older than she was, but fully dressed as pilots. Marinette figured that their age might make them more receptive to her plea.
"Hello?" The girl turned towards her, brown eyes curious as they clearly took in her outfit. There was no way of hiding she was a Jedi, so she never bothered to.
Still, it didn't matter. She needed to ask some questions. "Where are you travelling?"
"We're going to the Chomell sector," he answered, before his eyes turned wary. "Why?"
"I need help getting to Naboo," Marinette explained, figuring she'd simply lay it all out there. It was a simple yes or no answer. "Can you help me?"
"Naboo is blocked right now." the male pilot told her, his voice slightly confused at the request.
Well, that much she knew. It was common news, but she needed solutions right now! "I know."
The two pilots exchanged a look, and Marinette could sense the confusion coming off of them in waves. "Why are you going to Naboo?" the female pilot finally asked.
"Jedi business." That was an outright lie. She knew it, they probably could sense it as well, but the least information they had, it was probably better for all of them.
The female pilot placed her hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow "And why aren't you taking official transportation?"
Marinette sighed, this wasn't working out at all. "Alright. It's not official." she paused for a second, clearly considering just what she could tell them. "There is war in Naboo. The Senate won't do anything. I have to try and do something." The duo still looked at her quizzically, Marinette figured that brutal honesty had to do the job. "My family lives there…" Somewhere. Marinette wasn't sure just where, and for all she knew they were already dead. "I have to help."
"You're not jedi…. hypnotizing us."
Marinette gave the pair an amused look. Sure, she could have tried some Jedi mind tricks, just repeating something a couple of times until it seemed like it was their idea all along. But this was important to her, and she wouldn't drag them unless they wanted to. "Would you want me to?"
Both of them shook their heads enthusiastically. But the other girl added in a question. "Why?"
"Because if you help me, I want you to help because you wanted to." She had no idea what waited for them in Naboo, it might be extremely dangerous and if something happened to them, Marinette couldn't deal with the thought that she'd taken their free will from that decision.
"Give us a minute." the girl dragged her partner away, "Pilot Meeting!" Marinette was able to hear the hushed whispers as the pair seemingly discussed their plan of action
Nino's hesitation was clear. "I don't know…"
Marinette didn't even pretend not to listen to their conversation, as the male pilot gestured at his partner. "Active warzone, Alya. You want to fly into an active warzone." He was clearly nervous about the idea, Marinette could feel it. Not that the young Padawan could blame him, she was making a rather risky request.
His partner, apparently named Alya rolled her eyes, and Marinette felt the she was on her side. "We can try and find a safe spot to land, Nino."
He sighed, running a hand over his face, "Alya…"
"Nino…" she countered, the smirk on her face bright, clearly feeling victorious already. "We've talked about this, so many times. Do you not hate this job?"
"That's not the point!" he exclaimed, obviously frustrated.
"What if this is a once in a lifetime chance!"
"Dying is a once in a lifetime thing." Nino pointed out, his brown eyes cautions. "The blockade is probably still going on. Invasion and all. And," he added, when he saw Alya ready to interrupt. "How are we going to explain the travel logs."
Alya laughed. "Alright. A, we're not dying. Did we die that one time we were being chased by two bounty hunters?" She paused for an answer, "Didn't think so. And B… We can handle that, we'll see how it is there. And C, Emergency landing…"
Well, Alya clearly had everything under control.
"Fine." He grumbled, "But, if I say we're in over our head, we'll turn around."
"Deal." Alya shook his offered hand and turned towards Marinette, a bright grin in her face. "Hey, Miss Jedi!" Alya grins as both she and Nino join her again, "hop on board, we're going to Naboo."
Marinette refrains from the correction, from saying that she wasn't actually a Jedi yet, because she figured that distinction wasn't truly important right now. Instead, she smiled at the pair, , "I'm Marinette."
"Alya and this is Nino, and we're the best pilots you'll ever meet" she added a wink for good measure, and Marinette found that she actually believed it. If only because her confidence was reassuring. "It's great to meet you." With that, she was lead on board and they took off.
If there was one thing that Marinette had to say, was that she was incredibly lucky. The two of them hadn't lied. They were excellent pilots and Marinette wondered just why they were simply working as cargo ship pilots, instead of working for the Republic. There were several official positions they would have had more perks than working as cargo pilots.
"Why aren't you pilots for the army." Marinette inquired.
Never letting his eyes stray from the displays on the ship, keeping sure, Nino tapped his glasses, "If only we were able to see perfectly."
"I know." Alya joked, "Apparently our eyesight is not good enough to pilot for the Republic. If onlythere was a way to help our poor eyesight."
Nino snorted, "If only."
"Just… because you wear glasses?" Marinette asked, frowning as she leaned on the back of Nino's chair. "That's just… stupid."
"Yup!" Alya said, before turning to Nino. "Visual on the blockade, what do you think?"
The actual blockade was smaller than what Marinette had imagined. Which made sense, since they were already deploying armies to the planet, most of the ships had found spots to land. Hopefully it would make things easier for them.
"It's… doable." Nino turns his attention to Marinette, who had been intently looking at the instruments on the dashboard. While Marinette could definitely fly some smaller ships, like the ones that are only able to be used within the atmosphere of a planet… she's yet to be trained as an actual pilot. It was fascinating.
"You might want to hold on," Alya said and Marinette strapped on to a seat as fast as she could.
For some strange design of fate, or maybe just sheer dumb luck, they managed to get through the without incident. Either Nino and Alya werereally good and probably needed a better job, or the blockade was really useless. Marinette preferred to think that they were actually that good.
"What do we do now?"
Alya's question was enough to bring her back to reality, and Marinette paused, she honestly had no idea what her plan was. She worried her lower lip for a second, as she looked at the terrain, filled with long expanses of green and beautiful villages. From their spot in the air, she could spot the battle advancing towards one of the towns and an idea, as rudimentary as it was, began forming in her head.
They needed to evacuate those people. There was no idea when and if help would come, and the droid army wasn't known for being too understanding. Besides, news were already that thousands of people had died so far. They had to at least try. Her blue eyes scanned over their surroundings until she found a place suitable. "There!" Marinette said, leaning over Alya's chair, towards a spot in the middle of the village. "Can you make it?"
Alya snorted, "Really?"
Right.
The ship's landing gear hit the ground softly and Marinette shot out of her seat as soon as the door opened. Walking out was an experience on its own. Marinette had honestly spent so much time thinking about what this place meant for her, about all the dreams that plagued her sleep at night that actually being here was surreal.
The town was small, smaller than anything she'd ever seen before, but it was still beautifully built, round domes for rooves and … It felt warm. Nothing like the stark coldness of Coruscant. This place was alive, filled with plants and life and colors, whereas Coruscant was just grey.
But there was absolutely no one on the streets.
Marinette looked around, calming herself to get a feel of the place. There was so much fear around her, it resonated all around her. People were scared out of their minds and she couldn't blame them. With the battle heading their way, it made complete sense. People were hiding, which… shouldn't have been surprising, considering that she'd just made a ship land in the middle of an unsuspecting town.
The people in it had no way of knowing whether she came to help them or finish them off. This was the Senate's fault. They should have sent help already, things should have never escalated this far.
She walked closer to the building, looking around as she planned her next move when two people exited their homes, and Marinette's eyes widened. She couldn't remember them, not even a little, but she knew them, somehow. And the look on their faces told Marinette that they recognized her immediately. Tom and Sabine. It was what little she did know about them, their names.
"Marinette?"
The words died in her mouth as she looked at them, nodding quietly. What could you possibly say?Mom? Dad? Even their voices seemed new; her memories had always been hazy and muddled, especially when it came to what had been her home and her family life. She couldn't remember voices, mainly feelings and small flashes of sceneries. But they remembered her. Even after all these years, they still did.
The couple approached her carefully, and Marinette felt a weird feeling, like her chest was being held in a tight vice. On one side, she was delighted to know that they were alive and well, on the other… How was she supposed to act? She hadn't seen them since she was a little older than a toddler.
They were… older than what she'd expected, the fine lines surrounding their eyes and marking their expressions, but they seemed gentle. "I can't believe it's you." The woman whispered, holding on to her husband as they approached her.
"You've grown so much."
She felt herself shrink a little, Marinette was so overwhelmed that she wasn't sure how to react. "I'm so glad that you're alright," she finally said, the subtlest hints of a smile tugging her lips upwards.
"Uh…" A voice interrupted their little moment, as Alya approached with a concerned expression on her face. "Droid Army still coming, y'know?"
Right. There was no time for this right now. She turned back to her parents, "We need to evacuate people." Marinette turned to Alya. "Can we fit at least some people in the ship?"
Alya nodded. "It'll be crowded, but it can work." With that, she headed back towards the ship to talk to Nino.
Tom turned away from them and walked towards a near home. Marinette watched as they discussed something with the man who opened and then, the two of them began walking. Soon enough, people were actually coming out of their houses and towards them.
Marinette found herself facing a crowd, and she wasn't exactly sure whether she was fit enough to handle this. She felt small, especially in the face of people looking at her for solutions. Still, she had already gotten this far, she was going to see this through. "I come from the Jedi Order," She announced, "The droid army is heading this way and there isn't enough time for Help to arrive. We need to evacuate. Now."
There was a small part of Marinette that felt that she should have been slightly clearer with her wording, but she decided against it. While she camefrom the Temple, she didn't come with the Order's blessing, so that was a matter of semantics that could prove important.
"There's no time to pack, grab only what you need the most and come to the ship right away. We're leaving soon."
With that, she turned away from them and the crowd began to scatter. Thankfully, there weren't that many people, and she was almost sure that they could fit most if not all of them inside.
Evacuation was swift, the overwhelming urgency hurrying everyone onto the awaiting ship. They were almost able to see the army advancing, the droids' organized marching a low hum in the distance. Marinette headed towards the cockpit, where Nino and Alya were ready for lift off.
"Alright," Nino said, as he tapped some screens, "Where are we going?"
Right. Marinette paused for a second, "East. I saw a clearing there where they can hide out until it's safe. I will stay behind and try to ward off as many of them as I can."
"What?!" Alya practically exploded, "Leave you alone, are you insane?"
"I can handle it. Give me something to keep in contact and go." She looked around. "I'll hide around and I'll let you know how things work out, alright? That way you're all out of harm's way." Marinette's eyes turned stern, "It's not up for discussion." And even if it were, they wouldn't have time for it. They could see the droids advancing and soon they'd be in range for their weapons.
Nino and Alya finally realized that there was nothing to do, and after telling her to be careful, they took off. The army was entering the small settlement and Marinette quickly hid behind a house. From her current spot, she began to carefully watch over the droids, trying to feel their intent.
The mechanic droids were tall, built almost human like with long legs and arms. Their head was long and thin, reminding her of an anteater, and it had a small antennae where she guessed, they received their instructions. Their hands held on to blaster guns, as they marched into the town.
As soon as the squad set foot into the town, Marinette realized the horrible mission. The only goal was to destroy as much as they could. With no people left in town, there was little to do but to shoot at the property.
A voice behind her startled her. "Human. Surrender." There was really no time to surrender even if she wanted to, as the droid simply aimed and shot at her.
Marinette jumped from her spot, narrowly avoiding the blaster beam shot her way and she reached for her lightsaber, the low hum as it activated making her feel safe again. Without hesitation, she swung at the droid that had discovered her, and the robotic creature fell apart with a loud clatter, the robotic voice dying out as she severed the power source. Without hesitation, she extended her arm and a second incoming droid flew from its spot until it crashed against the wall of a house.
She needed to find another spot. This was clearly beyond what she could handle right now. She ran through the town, swinging her lightsaber around her for protection, deflecting as many shots as she was able back towards their sources as she desperately looked for another place to hide.
It was putting a considerable strain on her side, her running pulling at the barely healed skin. This was beyond anything Marinette had ever trained for. And it was beyond what she could manage physically too. She had just returned home a couple of days ago! The droids at the medical center were good, but she was definitely pushing her luck.
Ducking behind a low wall, Marinette fought to catch her breath. She had probably managed to take out a couple of droids, but there was no way she'd be able to take out a full squad. She was in over her head unless help arrived. The young Padawan could hear them approaching. Without any other human in the town, she was their only target. It was then that Marinette realized that she might not live to tell this story.
Until a large and loud explosion lit up the sky.
And the droids began deactivating, their voices powering down as their heads hung low and their weapons clattered onto the ground.
Marinette's breath caught on her throat as she realized that she'd been saved in the nick of time. Her heart was beating in her chest, faster than she'd ever felt it before as she stood up and began to look around. She reached out and pushed the droids, watching it fall to the ground in a loud racket. It was turned off. Whatever had happened up there, had probably managed to destroy the command center, rendering the droids into nothing but junk.
The device hanging from her belt beeped and Marinette picked it up, kicking a fallen droid from her path as she walked, "Yes?"
Nino's voice was clear and frantic as he asked, "What was that explosion? You okay?"
"Droids are… gone." Marinette said, walking around the town, holding her lightsaber ready in case anything appeared. "Their ship was destroyed."
There was a loud shuffling on the other side of the communicator and Alya's voice took over. "What does that mean?"
Marinette took a second, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to feelher surroundings. It was different than before, the dark and threatening atmosphere from before was finally gone. "It's… safe." Help had arrived. She didn't know how, but she was sure of it.
"Awesome!" Nino's voice was cheerful and relieved. "We'll be back as soon as everyone is back on the ship. "See you later!"
Managing to get everyone off of the ship was faster than what they expected, but it was probably due to the fact that most people were eager to check on their homes and belongings. Thankfully, other than some broken windows and small damages, the town remained mostly unharmed.
Alya stood by Marinette, as they helped the last person off the ship, eager to head on back home.
"Are we leaving now?" Nino asked,
"I have to do something first." Marinette said and turned to the two pilots, "can you wait for me a little?" The pilots nodded and she walked away.
Marinette began walking towards the houses, hesitantly going to the place she'd seen her parents come out of.
"Hello?" the young Padawan said, squaring her shoulders in an attempt to look more confident than she actually felt.
Sabine opened the door and let Marinette into the house without saying much.
Marinette looked around, the home wasn't lavish, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. "I have so many questions, I don't know where to start." she confessed, timidly looking at her parents.
"Let me start then," Sabine said, leading Marinette towards a seat in the kitchen. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, there were only a few droids around, when their main ship went down." There was a hint of confidence in her voice, but Marinette was aware that it was sheer luck. She preferred to leave the couple in front of her with at least a modicum of confidence in her abilities.
"Why are you alone?" This time it was Tom who spoke.
"It's not an official visit." Even more than that. It was against every rule she could think of, but still, Marinette shrugged her shoulders awkwardly, "I just couldn't not do something."
"This was really dangerous to do on your own," Sabine pointed out, and for a second Marinette feltyounger. "Something could have happened. Are you already a Jedi?"
"Padawan." Marinette said, feeling reprimanded. She decided to not share the fact that she'd been recently shot at. It wasn't going to help her case.
"I have one more question," Tom said, putting his arm around his wife before looking at Marinette, "Are you happy?"
"I am," It was the truth. She did love training and she truly believed that there was a mission for her to follow. She was going to be a keeper of the peace and balance all through the Republic and while that was a big responsibility, it was also an honor.
And who knew, there was a small chance that the dreams would stop haunting her now that she'd seen her home planet and met her parents. But a small part of her knew, that it was not likely. Tom and Sabine were definitely being respectful of her space, but she could feel it. They missed her, they cared deeply for her and that would not change with distance. And there was a small part of her that didn't want it to change. Knowing that despite everything, she had a home.
A small plate of cookie appeared in front of her, and Sabine urged her to try them. "These were your favorites," she told them and Marinette reached for a small cookie, biting into it without a second thought. Food had always been mere sustenance. She ate because her body needed the energy, but she had never felt flavors that reminded her of feelings. This was childhood, it was running and playing and laughter.
"I still can't believe you're here." Tom's expression was gentle happiness.
Marinette smiled, though her expression was unsure, "I don't remember leaving."
Tom's face took on a wistful look, "I don't doubt that, you were so young," Tom said, "A little over four years old."
"You were four months away from your fifth birthday," Sabine pointed out, and Marinette was able to realize just how hard her departure had been for them. "We weren't sure that it was the right choice, but we had no way of contacting you to see if you were doing alright." the older woman sighed, "They said it was the best thing we could do."
Jedis could be extremely compelling and to tell the truth, Marinette was sure that they'd told Tom and Sabine that she'd be better off in the Temple. It wasn't a lie, to be honest, Marinette was doing very well, she lived comfortably in her modest quarters and she had all she needed. Still, she was curious. "How did It happen?" She'd never been around for any discovery of a force sensitive child.
"There was a delegation of Jedis, visiting the Planet for the coronation of a new queen. We were in the capital too, to let you see the parade and festivities." Sabine began, her face taking on a wistful expression as she remembered the past, "You ran away from us at one point, scurrying between the people in front of us."
"You were extremely good at doing that." Tom interjected, "You didn't bump into anyone. They barely even notice you going past them. You ran straight into one of the knights, and he began talking to you."
"That Jedi sensed something in you."
"Force sensitivity." Marinette said, nodding as the couple helped her remember. "It makes us able to use the energy of the force." she explained to them. Force sensitivity was why Marinette could use persuasion, as short lived as the effects could be, along with some mild telekinesis. Their fighting abilities were also above a normal human, and some of the Jedis back at the Temple were well versed in Force Healing among several other abilities she had yet to learn about.
"That's it." Sabine nodded, "and everything he said made perfect sense. You were always ahead of things, more agile, faster than all the children you played with. You were also incredibly lucky and apparently that's one of the things that comes with your powers."
Marinette listened carefully, carefully piecing together parts of her life she hadn't known until now.
"We really weren't sure whether to let you go," Tom said, "But… you had abilities that we weren't equipped to help you with."
Marinette gave the both a reassuring smile. "I know. I don't blame you…really." Her life was not bad back at Coruscant, other than the fact that there were so many restrictions. "I just wish it wasn't so far away…"
The look on their faces told her that they agreed with that as well.
But still, she had responsibilities that she needed to face. "I should go." Marinette said, standing up from her seat, "The ship is waiting for me,"
Tom nodded and stood up along with her, "Will we see you again?"
"I… want to." she confessed, "I'm… not sure when I'll be able to, but I really want to."
It seemed to be enough for them, as they walked in awkward silence towards the door. "Be careful."
"I will!"
Sabine's hand hovered on the door handle before she turned around and reached for Marinette's hand. "You'll always be my daughter." she said, "You're welcome here whenever you want."
Tom was more straightforward than his wife, "We've missed you little one," he said, simply pulling his daughter in for a hug. "We're really glad you're doing okay."
Marinette's face flushed but after a brief moment of hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Tom as well. "Thank you," she said, her voice thicker than what she had expected it to sound, "I'm… really glad I could do this."
"It might be nice to not have impending doom heading our way the next time," Tom offered, an amused smile on his face, which only widened when Sabine swatted at his arm, her face also sharing Marinette's teary smile.
Marinette chuckled, feeling her chest fill with an unexpected wave of affection. "Probably."
Sabine finally opened the door, "You should head back now," she said, "be safe."
"I will," she told them, "It was… really nice to see you."
She returned to the ship and initially avoided the look Alya gave her. Both pilots spared her a few glances but didn't ask her anything. Marinette was thankful for the reprieve, to be honest. After that meeting, she needed a few minutes to digest everything that had happened.
Eventually, Marinette offered, "They were my parents," Marinette said, "I hadn't seen them since I left for the Temple." There was a beat of awkward silence in the ship, and Marinette simply looked ahead.
Alya was the one to speak first. "You okay?"
"I am," Marinette answered. She was, it wasn't a lie. There was just a bit of a tight feeling in her chest about leaving everything behind again. Even if she knew now what she was doing and where she was going.
"Will you come back?"
"I don't know." It was the same answer she'd given Tom and Sabine. "It's not really up to me, really."
Nino and Alya shared a few looks, it seemed like they were having an entire conversation without saying one word out loud. "You know," Nino finally offered, "We can let you know if we have to go to Naboo again."
"Yeah," Alya added, "I mean, with everything happening now… Things will probably go back to normal soon. We'll resume our routes and…" Alya's shoulders shrugged as she steered the ship. "We might be able to let in a stowaway again."
"Mhmm," Nino hummed his approval, nodding along his friend, "You're cool in my book."
Neither pilot was looking at Marinette, both of them making a pointed effort to look straight ahead or at the console in front of them. Marinette was grateful for both their words and the privacy they'd tried to give her. It gave her a few seconds to consider. "That… that might be nice." she finally said. Who knew if she'd be able to sneak away again, but having the chance was actually more than what she'd had before.
Granted, with the little stunt she had pulled; and if she was caught, she might not be able to leave Coruscant in a long time, but that was something she'd solve later. "Thank you," she finally added, feeling a small smile appear on her face as she joined them in looking out the window, into the dark universe they were travelling in.
The ship landed in Coruscant without a hitch, but Marinette was barely able to contain the dread she was feeling. She needed to head back to the Temple right now. Once the ship had docked properly she turned towards Nino and Alya, "Are you sure about what you'll say?" She asked them, pulling her cloak closer to her body as she prepared to disembark.
"Emergency landing, we never saw you." Nino repeated, his voice flat, as they'd had already reviewed this several times on the way back.
Marinette nodded, "Thank you." With that, she hurried away from the ship, covering her head with the hood of her cloak as she heard the two pilots hushed whispers of excitement. Well, as ridiculous as the whole plan was, it had worked out great. They'd managed to get through the remaining blockade, help the people and avoid being caught once help had actually arrived. It was everything she could have asked for.
She was almost at the entrance when her high spirits came crashing to the ground. The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly alerted her to the fact that she hadn't been completelysuccessful. She turned around to see her Jedi Master, standing by one of the magnificent looking pillars in wait. Like a parent waiting for her wayward child.
Which, she figured, seemed to fit the occasion.
"Master Kir!" she said, nervously looking at her Jedi Master.
His expression was serious as he looked at her, his lips set in a thin line before he spoke. "Follow me."
Marinette winced, knowing that she was in trouble. The older Jedi Knight led her through the hallways of the Jedi Temple silently. In the end, they walked into a small empty training space, where Marinette braced herself for the yelling.
"You went to Naboo." It wasn't a question. Kir's voice was even as he glared down at his apprentice. Somehow, the lack of yelling was even worse.
There was no point in even trying to deflect so she simply nodded. "Yes."
"And you… evacuated people."
Again, it wasn't a question. Marinette was becoming quickly aware that Kir knew everything already. Which would mean… she was in deep trouble. "…Yes."
An exasperated sigh left the older man's lips as he "Imagine my surprise, when transmissions informed me that after making sure that the Droids were deactivated, the Jedi mission visited some towns near the army to make sure people were alright. And they find that one town had been thoroughly evacuated and returned safely by the time they had arrived." He gave her a careful look and Marinette swallowed awkwardly. "I go inform my young Padawan of this development, and she's nowhere to be found."
Well, perhaps it hadn't been her smartest move to improvise an operation like this one, when she was supposed to only be in one place the whole day. Kir knew her, it probably didn't take him long to add things up and figure out just what she had done.
Since Marinette didn't say anything, Kir continued, "This is by far, the most irresponsible thing you have could have ever done, Marinette." Kir's voice was even but even Marinette could see that he was reigning in his temper. "You are still not in back in fighting shape; had help not arrived; you, and all those people you tried to help, would have died."
"I had to do something!" Marinette argued back, finally finding her voice. "The Senate wasn't doing anything, and the High Council wasn't taking any decisions either!" She might have not done much, but she had given them time. There were people who would have not been able to evacuate in time, and would have been easy targets for the battle droids.
"And just why did you think it was your responsibility to do something?"
She narrowed her eyes at him and she tightened her jaw, "They're my parents Master Kir." she said, "I would do it all over again."
Whatever Kir was going to say, died in his lips. His brown eyes regarded her carefully, and Marinette held her ground. She wasn't lying. While she didn't know her family, she was not about to stand by and wait for them to be slaughtered. Not if she could try and do something, as reckless and crazy as her plan was.
"You're too reckless for your own good," was what he finally said, his brown eyes giving her a pitying look. "You need to be mindful of your impulses. It is part of your training."
He paced a little, clearly thinking of what he was to do before he spoke again. "I'm not going to inform the High Council of this," he told her, and Marinette's eyes widened. She had been sure she was going to get harshly punished for what she'd done. "But!" he continued, seemingly eager to let her know that she wasn't off the hook for her behavior, "You'll be training solely on the Temple. You will not leave the Temple, unless with me, understood?"
Somehow, Marinette knew that she wasn't going to be leaving the Temple at all in the near future. "Yes Master Kir."
His brown eyes relaxed slightly. "Go rest, you're still not in battle shape, and you're going to be training a lot these next few days." he waved her off and Marinette nodded, hurrying towards her sleeping quarters, thankful that things had actually worked out.