Chapter 7: Breakthrough

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its related franchises. All credit for the canon characters and canon occurrences in this story goes to the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm, and Disney.

Time passed. Riyo's work for the bill took over her time, and a steady stream of politicians began filling her suite every day. However, Tebathia did not return. It was

Ahsoka and Riyo's meditation fell into a routine. Every night for the next week, they would sit down across from each other and go through the motions. She couldn't say for sure whether it was working or not. Riyo had a lot of anxiety stemming from the Sector Governance Bill, and she only seemed marginally better since they'd started.

And then, a week after they'd started, they made a breakthrough.

"How do you feel?" Ahsoka asked.

"On edge. Restless," Riyo replied, with closed eyes.

Ahsoka shifted forward, sending a wave of encouragement through her hands and into Riyo. "Just concentrate. Keep trying to visualize your feelings."

After being silent for a minute, Riyo sighed. "I don't think this is helping," she said. "We've been trying to do this for a week. I… I don't feel different."

"Don't give up just yet. I still have some things I want to try," Ahsoka said.

Riyo shifted. "All right."

Ahsoka watched as Riyo's face scrunched up with renewed concentration. She considered her options, of which there were fewer every night. There were a couple things she hadn't tried, but the chance that they worked was almost nothing. She was just as discouraged as Riyo, even if she didn't show it. She had never been the biggest fan of meditation, anyway. The old masters in the Temple had always told her that meditation was second to nothing in improving a Jedi's prowess with the Force. She'd scoffed at that notion. How could meditation have ever been a better training tool than sparring and fighting and going out on missions and getting real action? And so far, her assumptions had yet to be disproved. Meditation hadn't given them anything except that nightmarish vision, and Riyo was getting discouraged. Sooner or later, she would want to stop, and Ahsoka would have to oblige.

Kriff it, Ahsoka knew she could help Riyo. If so many Jedi believed that meditation was so great, then there had to be something to it. She had to keep going with this. Partly because of everything that Riyo had done for her- giving her a job, shelter, and money- and partly because Ahsoka just couldn't stand to see Riyo so unsure of herself. But doing this would be so much easier, too, if she just could ask one of the masters at the Temple, instead of having to do it all herself-

She stopped herself. Focus. She couldn't go down that line of thinking. It would only lead to suffering.

Time to try something new, even if she was scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let the Force immerse her, cutting off all outside sensations and letting it flow through her like a river. Now, instead of concentrating on the Force flowing around them, as she had done in their previous meditation sessions, she reached out to Riyo's strong, yet frustrated, presence in the Force.

Like most non-Force-sensitives, her presence in the Force appeared as a shapeless, colorful blur of emotions. Ahsoka drifted towards the swirl until she was immersed in them. Each color in the blur represented a different emotion one as they swirled past her. Joy. Anger. Sadness. Jealousy. Fear. And many more. In the center of the mass of feelings was a bright, pulsing form that radiated life and energy. This was Riyo's consciousness- her soul, the entity in her that proved that she was part of the living Force like every other sentient being in the galaxy. The soul held all of her thoughts, memories, beliefs- all of the things that made Riyo who she was were in here.

Now what? There was a reason that she hadn't tried this before. It was pointless- and vaguely voyeuristic- to drift around in Riyo's feelings. And she certainly wasn't going to try venturing into Riyo's consciousness, because if just immersing herself in Riyo's feelings was a gray area, then poking around in her mind would be a blatant violation of privacy, not to mention an offense of the highest order among the Jedi.

With resignation, she watched the flow of emotions around her. As the mental current around her undulated, a wisp of joy, adorned in twisting yellow, floated up to her. She caught hold of it and stared in surprise (she didn't know that she could catch an emotion, but this was the Force, so who knew); and held onto it, letting the feeling wash over her (laughter and bliss and the feeling of success).

"Go on," she whispered, releasing the joy with a gentle push. It fluttered away, and then, as Ahsoka watched, it did something completely different. Instead of rejoining the cloud around them, it made a beeline towards Riyo's consciousness, and upon contact with the bright form, slowly sank in.

"Something just happened."

Riyo's voice pulled Ahsoka out of her concentration, and she opened her eyes to see Riyo's face, with closed eyes, lit up with excitement. "What is it?"

"I don't know what, but I can… I can see something. It's right there in front of me," Riyo said. "I think there's more, too."

Ahsoka's heart rose. This could only mean one thing. "Riyo, that's what we've been working for all this time! You're learning to see emotions!" Oh, Force, she'd done it, they'd done it, they were finally-

"Really? What- what do I do now?"

"It's easy! Just reach out and touch them!"

"Touch them with what?" Riyo asked.

"Oh… Right." This was supposed to be a Jedi technique, Ahsoka reminded herself. Riyo still couldn't use the ethereal plane the way she could. "Uh… They're your feelings, so you can control them."

Riyo furrowed her brow. "Am I not controlling my emotions already?"

"Well, yes, but not at the level of a Jedi Master. Their control is masterful."

"And you think I can have the emotional composure of a Jedi Master?" she asked, the slightest hint of doubt creeping into her voice.

"Yes!" Ahsoka said emphatically. "That's the point! If you can see your emotions like a Jedi, that's the stepping stone to getting mastery of your feelings!"

She squeezed Riyo's hand, feeling the excitement building in the senator. "All you have to do now is follow my lead."

But in her exultation, a small part of her mind felt triumphant for a very different reason. If she could do things that the Jedi Order had never even attempted, then her life was the furthest thing from finished. She could continue on her own path without the Jedi. That tiny whisper in her mind- it told her: You can show them just what they lost.

The next morning, Riyo and several other Anti-Governance politicians were seated at the couches in Senator Amidala's suite in a conference, while Ahsoka, in her silent role as Riyo's bodyguard, looked on. As she observed the meeting, she kept a worried eye on Riyo, looking for any difference in how she held herself.

But it wasn't hard to notice an improvement. Riyo was relaxed and professional, and more importantly, seemed much more confident in herself. All of the nervousness that she usually carried simply wasn't there.

As Riyo outlined a plan of action for attracting support from various galactic sectors, Ahsoka felt a surge of pride for her friend. This was what they'd been working towards- to have Riyo at her finest, powerful and poised. Now it was time to see if she could retain that sense of authority in high-pressure situations.

And speaking of higher-pressure situations…

At the end of the meeting, as the senators began filtering out of the room, Senator Amidala approached Riyo.
"Senator Chuchi, do you have a moment?" she asked.

"Of course," Riyo said, turning to face the senator. "What do you need?"

Amidala paused for a moment before answering. "Senator Tebathia requested to speak with me today, but I have a prior obligation that I cannot reschedule. Would you be willing to meet with her in my place?"

Ahsoka looked at Amidala, not quite believing what had just been said. And neither did Riyo.

Riyo stared at Senator Amidala with an expression of outright disbelief. "Senator, I don't understand. Are Senator Organa and Senator Iblis indisposed as well? There are plenty of others who would be much more capable of debating with Senator Tebathia than I am."

"I noticed that you were quite active in the discussion. The initiatives you suggested have a great deal of merit."

Riyo nodded. "Thank you."

"That professionalism that you displayed- it's the reason why I'm asking you this. I feel that you are as capable as anyone else in this Anti-Governance coalition. Would you do it?"

For a moment, Ahsoka watched nervously as Riyo contemplated Amidala's request.

"I'll do it," she said finally.

Ahsoka gave a silent cheer.

"On one condition." Riyo folded her arms. "I have some questions."

Amidala shifted. "I cannot give any guarantee of an answer, but ask away."

"You haven't given me an explanation for why you deliberately told Senator Tebathia to come to me last week," Riyo said. "I asked you twice, and you've done nothing but evade an answer. And now you want me to meet with her again." She tilted her head. "This isn't like you, Senator. You don't usually put such a veil of secrecy over your actions. What are you trying to do? Why are you so intent on setting up encounters between Senator Tebathia and me?"

Amidala fidgeted with her hands for a moment, and took a deep breath before answering. "This is a long story, Senator Chuchi."

"I have more than enough time to hear it," Riyo said insistently.

Amidala nodded. "As you know, when the Senate goes to vote on the bill, the proponents of the bill and its opposition will both be given a chance to make a speech before the vote is cast. Obviously, as the leader of the opposition, I am the one who will make the speech. But, on the chance that I am somehow unable to deliver a speech on the day of the vote, it would fall to someone else to give the speech. As of right now, there is a sizable chance that that exact scenario may happen." She put her hand on Riyo's shoulder. "And in that case, I want that person to be you."

Riyo's eyes widened, as did Ahsoka's.

"What?!" Riyo said in pure shock. "Me?! Why?"

"You've addressed the Senate before," Amidala said. "Most notably, during the Trade Federation's blockade of your planet."

"But- that was two years ago!" Riyo protested. "I haven't done anything noteworthy since!" She stopped, and took a moment to compose herself. "Senator," she began in a much calmer tone, "Why not Senator Organa? He has just as much clout in the Senate as you do."

"Bail is the smartest man in the Senate, but he's a thinker. A pacifist. He may have power, but his actions have always spoke much louder than his words. And in this case, we need words, not actions. And that's where you come in, Senator Chuchi. I've seen you speak. You're passionate, convincing, and ardent in your beliefs. That what this coalition needs, come voting day." Amidala smiled. "Do you know what I see when I look at you? I see myself."

Riyo blushed. "Senator, I hardly think that-"

"Think about it. A young senator's planet falls under unjust siege from the Trade Federation. When the Senate refuses to take action despite her pleas, she is forced to return home and successfully stop the blockade by herself. Does that not describe both of us?"

Riyo opened her mouth to reply, stopped, and finally, shrugged in defeat. "Senator... I'm tremendously flattered, but I think your trust is misplaced."

"I have confidence in you," Amidala said. "After all, you have Ahsoka at your side." She nodded to Ahsoka.

Surprised, Ahsoka stammered for an answer. "Er- Senator, I wouldn't exactly count on-"

"No, I know this." Amidala said, smiling slightly. "You two complement each other perfectly. And as I've learned, when I team up with a powerful Jedi, good things happen."

Riyo looked at Ahsoka briefly before turning back to Amidala. "Senator Amidala," she said. "I can understand your reasons for wanting me as your alternate. But I have one more question. Why do you think that you won't be able to give the speech in the first place?"

For the first time in the conversation, Amidala looked uncomfortable. "This is a question that I can't answer fully, Senator Chuchi."

"Tell me what you can," Riyo said.

"There are things going on right now that nobody can know about," Amidala said. "Secrets that would shake the Republic to its foundation if they were known. Eventually, it will be found out, but I plan on concealing it for as long as possible."

"What could possibly be more important than the future of democracy?" Riyo asked.

Amidala winced. "Believe it or not, Senator Chuchi, I've asked myself that very question."

A/N: I'm so sorry that I made all my wonderful readers wait this long, only to get such a short chapter. But believe me, I will be updating this fast and furious over the next couple of weeks. I had a serious case of writer's block, as I was stuck on what to write for this and the next several chapters. But now all systems are go. I have a question for my readers: Where do you think this story will go?