Leia was jolted from her almost-doze as she suddenly remembered that the Nubian girl was aboard the ship. The poor girl ad been the only survivor of the attack on the Queen, so she must have boarded quietly. Leia felt guilty in the realization that she had been left alone the entire time - she must feel terrible.
"I'm going to go check up on the handmaiden," Leia announced, unbuckling herself and leaving the cockpit with a yawn. Walking past Han's various projects strewn about the floors, Leia noticed one hulk of metal that looked similar to an IT-O droid and shuddered involuntarily at the memory it provoked. Not only had Vader tortured her physically, but also psychologically. Only now was she really beginning to understand the sheer power that the Force provided a person with, and while she had long forgiven her father's deeds, she couldn't exactly say that she had forgotten them.
She would never forget them, nor forget how close he had been to attaining her secrets, as well as her sanity. And with that in mind, she also could never suppress the wonder at what might have happened had Anakin Skywalker not turned. Had he stayed on the Light, would she now be a different person? Would she have known a mother who was alive and everything that, in the short time she'd been around, Breha Organa had been?
These musings faded from Leia's mind and were pushed back into her subconscious as she spotted the young handmaiden slouched low in the same chair that had once been occupied by Luke nearly twenty years ago. Memories from their escape from the Death Star caused Leia's movements to flow similarly: find a blanket, drape it over your sorrowful companion, and do your best to console. It seemed almost like motherly instinct now.
Leia turned the handmaiden towards her, pulling off the girl's orange hood as she completed the steps. The gleaming brown hair was stuck in its position, slightly curled, as if it had been sitting in the same position hidden under the hood a long time. Leia placed a soothing hand on the girl's back, moving her hand in circles like she did when her children had nightmares. The girl's sobbing, though quiet before, ceased after a few moments. Despite the fact that the hood was no longer covering her face, the girl was determined not to let her face show.
"I'm sorry," the former Rebellion leader intoned quietly.
Almost furiously, the girl wiped her sleeve across her face, a sniffle escaping from underneath the bilious fabric. "No, I'm sorry for appearing so, Madame Organa-Solo."
"Please," Leia urged, "call me Leia. Though I'm afraid I've forgotten your name."
"P-P-Padmé," she answered through violently vibrating sobs.
With a slight smile, the princess looked down at young Padmé. "That's beautiful. What does it mean?"
Padmé gulped down her tears persistently before replying. "I don't know. My... my parents - I think they named me after Queen Amidala. She wasn't the youngest, but she led the planet through the Trade Federation blockade many years ago."
Leia's body went through a spasm, but it wasn't because of the Padmé sitting next to her. Instead, the name of the Nubian queen stirred something indescribable in her mind. It seemed familiar, that thought. More familiar than all the political science lessons or history lessons she'd ever been given. It was similar to the "Force things" that Luke often received. Padmé Amidala - Leia knew that there was a connection somewhere.
"Can you tell me more about the young queen?"
The girl hesitated a little, slightly confused at the change in subject.
"Y-yes," came the shaky reply. Her words became more confident after that, the pressure in her throat finally gone. "Padmé Amidala was first entered into society when she joined the Refugee Relief Movement, and then went on to the Youth Legislative Program. After that, she joined the Apprentice Legislature and became Queen at the age of fourteen in a record-making short vote. When her two terms ended, Queen Jamilla appointed her to be Senator."
The way that Padmé had finished indicated to Leia that there was more to the story than one act of heroism. She pressed further.
"Now, sadly, many hold animosity towards her because of some of her actions in the Senate. Even though Padmé did get Naboo through the Blockade, she placed a Vote of No Confidence in the Chancellor preceding Palpatine. It was the first of many movements for Palpatine's rise to power, and people see what she did as the trigger to the Republic's downfall." Present-time Padmé stopped before getting a contemplative look in her eyes.
Wistfully, she continued, "There was also... a rumor among the Nubians, about the time my parents were born that she had participated in a secret marriage to a Jedi. I'm not sure what the name of the groom was - he had escorted her back and forth between Naboo. But even worse was the part about her being pregnant with his child just before the Purges. Other than that, no one really knows the truth of it because she died the same day the Empire was founded in a very suspicious way. The rumor upholds that she and her child, or children, perished due to her husband dying and that she had a heart-attack."
"I don't think she did," Leia answered, trying to keep her expression calm and her heartbeat at a normal rate. The handmaiden noticed her suddenly tense body language at once.
"What's wrong?" Padmé quirked her brow curiously.
"I think you were... named after my mother."
The girl's brows raised even higher. "Oh, I'm sorry. If I-- if I said anything...out of place..."
"No. No, I...I'm sure that -- it's fine." The words sounded even fake to her own ears, and Leia became distantly aware that a couple of tears had slipped from her eyes. Instantly, Padmé kneeled to face her in a comforting gesture.
"Oh, don't cry, milady -- Leia. She is at peace; most do not believe the ludicrous rumors, and despite the hearsay that has been spread, there is even a place where they honor her. She and you share--"
"Sweetheart, we've got company!" Han's shouting came from the cockpit. Leia sensed his frustration, and quickly wiping her face for any more potential tears, joined him.
"What is it?"
Her husband scowled. "Pirates!" Upon the arrival of Padmé, he barked, "Buckle in , it's gonna be a bit of a bumpy ride!" Han's fingers worked diligently to flip switches and operate the Falcon'scomputer, which was constantly feeding the little green symbols onto the screen. Chewie was roaring in irritation as something hit the back of the Falcon, causing its passengers temporary nausea.
"Yep, I was right. I guess it'll be just like old times..." With that, the ship swerved to one side from being hit again.
"Brilliant! They're firing at us now...Yahoo!" Han exclaimed as one of the smaller ships erupted in flames. But soon, his expression turned grim. His wife noticed and immediately said, "What's wrong?"
"Preybirds," came the dark retort, "Imperial ones."
She gasped, fitting into the melodrama of it all. Then, it was interupted when Padmé asked, "What are Preybirds? I thought we destroyed the last of the Imperial's ships!"
"Well, you thought wrong sister. Watch this!" Han's lopsided grin spread across his mouth and he placed his hands on the controls. In a hail of fire, the small fleet was blasted to smithereens, spare one Sorosuub. Immediately, they engaged a chase and tailed the Preybird.
The small craft tried spinning, swerving, and all manner of tricks, but the Falcon was always one step ahead. But Leia soon discovered that these were no ordinary Preybirds. Just as her danger sense began to tingle, the ship in front of them doubled over to face the Falcon, charged and then once it got in firing range, blew itself up.
Han swore loudly as he dipped the Falcon lower down, trying to avoid the blast. Even so, the ship shuddered from the impact on its hull, and had to go at a slow pace for the rest of the journey.
After the whole debacle was over, Han asked, "You're the Jedi-in-training. Pick up anything on what was going on there?"
"I don't know." She answered warily, "I have a bad feeling about this."
He was clearly troubled, but tried not to show it and instead went back to the reading that scrawled rapidly across the ship's computer. There would be time later; Han was not in a good mood just at the moment.
During that whole time, however, Padmé kept silent. Her expression was stony and blank; Leia couldn't sense anything coming from the young handmaiden, but the last run-in just gave her one of those crazy Jedi queasy feelings. Her suspicions were confirmed: Something was going on, and they were about to find out the hard way.
- - - - - -
"Jacen! It's mine! Give it back! I found it first!"
"Nu-uh! It's mine! Mommy gave it to me!"
"No, Mommy said that I could have Grandpa's book! I'm named after him!"
"Alright you little banthas, what's going on here?" The three bickering children whipped their heads to turn in their Uncle's direction. Three loud, heated explanations came all at once.
"Jacen stole my--"
"No, Jaina says that--"
"I want my--"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, and we can all have some, uh...Lunch!" Luke improvised, happy that he could shut them up and resolve the sibling rivalry later.
It turned out that his brilliant solution caused yet more problems.
"Uncle Luke, I want blue milk please!"
"Uncle Luke, don't listen to Jacen, he stole my holobook. May I please have some hot chocolate?"
Anakin began to sing to himself off-key, "Obi Kenobi sat on a wall, Obi Kenobi had a great fall, all Yoda's Forces oh poor Ben, they couldn't get Obi Kenobi back together again...Obi--"
It's going to be a long two weeks, that's for sure. Luke sighed before plunging into the conservator unit in search of suitable lunch foods.