Star Wars: A Different Choice
Part II: Attack of the Clones
Chapter 1: Old Friends
Office of Chancellor Palpatine. Three hours later. The Chancellor's office is immaculate and dark, almost foreboding. Blacks and reds in varying shades are the main colors of the décor. The Chancellor himself has appeared to aged hardly at all. His piercing ice blue eyes, with a hint of hidden gold, bore into the turquoise eyes of Naboo's Senator of two years Eirtaé Jade.
"I am sorry Senator Jade," apologizes the Chancellor, his tone of voice unapologetic and condescending, "But I cannot allow you to continue to go unprotected with all these death threats against you. That assassination attempt was nearly successful. We are not even certain your decoy will survive. That is why I am putting you under Jedi supervision indefinitely until I have proof your life is no longer in immediate danger."
"That is unnecessary I have a team of bodyguards who…" argues Eirtaé angrily.
"Failed to protect you, several of whom are dead and one of whom is hospitalized," interrupts Palpatine who than continues in his sly, oily voice, "I believe the only way to ensure your safety is to have the Jedi involved. Perhaps a familiar Jedi will be agreeable, hmm, an old friend…"
*Break*
The Jedi Temple of Coruscant. Midday. The architecture is very old, out dating all of the surrounding infrastructure.
"I apologize for the inconvenience," states Eirtaé towards Jedi Grand Master Yoda, she is currently speaking in front of the Jedi Council, " but I will not back down on my stance against the Military Creation Act or my support for the Separatist Party. The Chancellor will not allow me to participate in the debate if I do not have adequate protection. He feels Jedi protection is the only way to guarantee my safety after the assassination attempt earlier today."
"Agree with the Chancellor I do," states Yoda thoughtfully, "Hmm, Knight Kenobi is available for this important mission. Would you find his presence agreeable."
"To be honest I will find any Jedi presence to not be agreeable," admits the blonde woman, "Knight Kenobi would however be the least disagreeable."
"Than it is settled," announces Master Windu emotionlessly, "Knight Kenobi will be your Jedi protection until we have proof that there is no more threat to your life. We will send him to your apartment Senator, in the meantime I suggest you avoid saying anything inflammatory at the Senate meeting in an hour."
Republic Center General Hospital. Room 2013 A. Five hours past midday. Padmé is just beginning to awaken from a short rest after arriving at the hospital. Luckily she has sustained only minor injuries and requires no surgery. Anakin is sitting in a chair directly beside her holding her unmoving hand, worry on his face and partially dried tears on his eyes.
"Ani?" asks Padmé, her voice still a little hoarse but the pain mostly gone thanks to medication, grabbing his hand as tightly as possible, "Where are we? The last thing I remember was blacking out during the ambulance ride."
"We are at Republic Center General Hospital, Angel" states Anakin. Relief evident in his voice at seeing his secret love (he has yet to find the courage to tell her his feelings for her) feeling better, "Best hospital in Coruscant's Upper Levels."
"I sure know how to pick vacations, huh?" Padmé jokes, she is glad to finally have an excuse to relax.
"Yeah, next time I pick the vacation," continues Anakin smiling wistfully.
"Like you pick a better vacation," playfully argues the petite brunette woman, "The last time you picked a vacation for us you ended up in the hospital for, what was it, six weeks on and off in a Bacta Tank?"
"Eight weeks," corrects Anakin with an embarrassed blush on his handsome face, "That is the last time I go hunting with Owen."
"I agree, but visiting your family on Tatooine is important," states Padmé in a more serious tone of voice before going back to joking, "Even if your Step Brother, as ordinary and boring as he seems, has his ways of getting you more injured than any mission you have ever been on."
500 Republica at twenty standard hours. Eirtaé is sitting on a grey chair in her living space in her apartment. The colors of said apartment show a simplest and neutral décor, absent is the influence of her colorful home world of Naboo. She is awaiting the arrival of her new official Jedi Protector, Obi Wan Kenobi. She has thought of Obi Wan often, the ginger haired man with his grey blue eyes and sincere but rarely seen smile. She is aware her feelings for him are inappropriate since he is a Jedi and could never return her affections, but she cannot help it. Still, Eirtaé realizes she will have to hide her true feelings for both their sakes.
Her regular security lets her know he just let in Knight Kenobi into her apartment. Eirtaé is not prepared for the man that walks into her living space. Still tall and muscular from years of Jedi training, Obi Wan has grown his hair to a similar hair style of that which had belong to his former master Qui Gon Jinn. The orange haired man also now sports a medium length beard and a few wrinkles from the passage of time. He wears the same old brown Jedi robes, but he carries himself with a lot more of a cautious baring than he had ten years ago. For her part, Eirtaé is not the same teenaged girl she was ten years ago either, her body more developed and her confidence much improved.
"Knight Kenobi, how wonderful to see you again," comments Eirtaé in an attempt to break the ice, "I wish we were meeting under more pleasant circumstances."
"As do I Milady Jade," replies the Jedi Knight, his voice revealing emotion his blank face will not show.
"You may refer to me as Eirtaé when we are alone or with close friends," announces Eirtaé, attempting to hide a blush on her face, "as we ourselves are old friends, aren't we?"
"Yes, I too believe we had went beyond mere acquaintances after our meeting in the Palace of Naboo's Gardens so long ago," agrees Obi Wan thoughtfully, "But I insist under these same conditions you refer to me as Obi Wan as well."
"Okay, so how about I show you around my apartment," states Eirtaé, her voice the happiest it has been since before she left Naboo after her cousin's accident, "I don't mind if you watch me sleep tonight either, after the assassination attempt today I would rather not be alone."
"What happened during that attempt?" asks Obi Wan curiously, "One of your decoys was hurt from what the news reporters said."
"Well, what you will not hear from the news is that my decoy who was injured was a stand in who is not really a decoy, but one of my best friends," answers the blonde woman, "And also happens to be the famous former Queen of Naboo Padmé Amidala, although she does not involve herself directly in politics anymore and goes by her real name now, she left the Amidala name behind after she refused to run for a second time as Queen. Anakin Skywalker, who has grown up so much, was with us earlier. They are both in Republic Center General Hospital and I would love to visit them again but my security argues against it."
"We can visit them first thing tomorrow morning," announces Obi Wan, "The Jedi Masters and the Chancellor himself have put me in charge of your security. While they would disagree with you, what they wont know wont hurt them, as long as I keep you close to me you will be safe."
Republic Center General Hospital Room 2013 A. ten and a half standard hours. Anakin has stayed the night over in Padmé's hospital room. The nurses decided to leave the man alone because he was both not disturbing anyone and wonderful to look at. Padmé appears to be feeling much better and both are awaiting her diagnosis, hopefully saying that they would be either able to leave later that day or early the following day.
There were no assassination attempts on Eirtaé's life the previous evening although Obi Wan had seen something suspicious outside the Senator's bedroom window. Both the Senator and the Jedi are walking through the door to Padmé's hospital room. The former Queen and the pilot are fast asleep, leaving an opening for Eirtaé to tease them.
"Wakey Wakey Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker!" states Eirtaé loudly, the nurse passing by the hallway gives the senator a strange look but just continues walking. It was not like Padmé had a roommate to bother, the other hospital bed in the room had been empty this whole time. Obi Won does not even try to hide his chuckles at these old friends' antics.
"Huh? Eirtaé! That was uncalled for," complains Padmé, angry for being rudely woken up in a similar embarrassing situation that had occurred ten years prior, she wonders how Sabé is doing back on Naboo.
"Senator you need knew material," comments Anakin jokingly, "That one was used a decade ago."
"Anakin how many times must I insist you call me Eirtaé when its just us friends," comments the senator, "You went from calling me handmaiden to Queen/your highness, to now senator even when the situation does not call for it and you know it annoys me. Also, there is nothing wrong with the good old classics, I'm still waiting to hear you and Padmé eloped somewhere on one of your romantic "vacations"."
"Anakin and I are just friends Eirtaé," states Padmé with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "And our vacations nearly get us killed and we only go on them because everyone around us says we work too hard most of the year."
"They're right you know. I work less than you and I have been the Senator of Naboo for over two years," agrees Eirtaé as she than pulls Obi Wan into the view of her friends, "Also, I'm sure you both remember Knight Kenobi."
"Obi Wan, how go it is to see you again!" exclaims Padmé, "What are you doing here though?"
"After the assassination attempt yesterday, the Chancellor and the Jedi agreed that I needed I better body guard, no offense Padmé," answers Eirtaé.
"None taken I was never really decoy material," comments Padmé, "Or really one for politics, that's why I returned to my previous work in the Galactic Refugee Relief Movement. I like being a normal working instead of having the fate of a world on my shoulders and the paparazzi to avoid."
"So we will be seeing more of you, Obi Wan?" asks Anakin, "I take it you are the Jedi ordered to guard our good friend the Senator of Naboo here."
"Yes, I was surprised to be chosen for this mission," comments Obi Wan slightly bitterly, "After all I still have yet to be a Jedi Master myself."
"I'm sure you will meet the right padawan eventually," reassures Anakin, "I'm still sorry I was not the right one."
"That is in the past Anakin. We must keep our minds focused on the here and now," comments Obi Wan, "My former master was always one to remind me of this."
"I'm sure Qui Gon would be proud of all of us," states Padmé positively.
"I am not so sure," mumbles Obi Wan to himself as he turns his head sharply away from everyone else in the room, so no one else can here him. Not that anyone is paying attention to him as the doctor just walked in to state that Padmé was free to go home and was lucky to not only be alive, but to not have sustained any serious injuries.