Anakin and Padmé landed their starfighters in a small clearing along the outside of the densely populated area that R2D2 had indicated to them. The dense underbrush surrounding them and the shadow of a smaller Sith Temple complex near the clearing, helped to obscure their starfighters from view.
Once landed, Anakin departed his starfighter and started walking to a large mass of the ancient Sith structures where he suspected the majority of the population lived. "R4, stay with the ship."
"Wait!" Padmé called out as she scrambled out of her own ship, having been the last one to land. "Where are you going?"
Anakin rolled his eyes, but did not bother turning towards Padmé. He simply kept walking as he answered her question. "To find those life-forms R2 indicated. You can stay here if you want. I do not need you to join me."
"But shouldn't we form a plan or…." Padmé began to voice her feelings, but was interrupted by Anakin's sharp retort.
"Talking about the problem will not solve it, Naberrie. We must act on R2's findings. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to complete."
"But…." Padmé started to protest as she sprinted towards Anakin's retreating form. Behind her, R2 gave out a series of squeals and beeps as he emerged from his space in her starfighter which caused Padmé to hastily call back, "No, R2. Stay with the ship." The little droid gave a wistful whistle as he watched his mistress disappear into the underbrush with Padawan Skywalker, but he followed the orders she gave him. However, he did not go back to the spot inside her starfighter. Instead, he stayed on the ground next to the tiny ship, ready in case his mistress needed him.
"Anakin, wait up! We really should talk about this. We do not know what we are going to face out there." Padmé called out as she jerked her Jedi robe loose from a low hanging branch it had snagged on.
Anakin paused for a moment and turned towards his fellow Padawan, shaking his head in frustration. "And what will talking get us? You don't know what we are going to face either. Neither of us will know till we face it. If you are scared, go back to the ship. Otherwise, stay out of the way and let me handle this." Turing on his heel, Anakin continued on his journey.
Sighing with frustration at Anakin and the fact that the end of her cloak had just torn, Padmé stated. "You are reckless. We should have formed a plan before stalking off into the unknown. Did Master Kenobi teach you nothing?"
"Obi-Wan is not here, nor is Shaak Ti. It will be just as easy to make a plan as I go along."
"We go along." Padmé corrected. "The Council sent both of us on this Jedi Trial."
"Yes, well the less talking we do, the sooner we can finish this Trial and I can start avoiding you once more." Anakin answered back.
"You will not have to bother with that because I will be happy to avoid you." Padmé spoke with disdain as she cast a disgusted look at Anakin. She knew that neither of them knew what they would eventually face, but she still would have preferred a brief discussion of what they intended to do. At a minimum they could have discussed their strategy with dealing with the life-forms. Padmé was all for diplomacy, but she feared Anakin would strike out before trying a non-violent method of greeting. It was this fear that pushed her forward to keep up with his fast pace through the underbrush. She hoped that if she stayed close to him she could stop him before he tried something foolish that ruined the mission for both of them.
Anakin and Padmé fought the tangle of branches as they wandered together towards the unknown. Both remained silent after their initial argument, neither acknowledging the other nor asking for help when they became caught up in the mass of branches, brambles, and vines. It was not a long distance to the ancient Sith Temples, but the dense underbrush impeded them in reaching their destination quickly.
Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Anakin grabbed Padmé by the cloak and pulled her down to the ground with him as he caught sight of a small group of people walking nearby.
Having not seen what her fellow padawan had, Padmé indignantly replied, "What are you doing?"
Anakin grabbed her chin and jerked her head towards him as he pressed a finger to his lips indicating she should be silent. For a moment, their eyes met and some unknown force seemed to pass through the two of them. Padmé felt her skin warm against Anakin's calloused fingertips, and Anakin felt something that resembled electricity as his fingertips grazed Padmé's creamy flesh. However, the moment was broken when a young woman called out to the two padawans. "You two, come with me. My Master has been expecting you."
Wrenching their gazes from each other, Anakin and Padmé looked up at a woman dressed in a simple blood-red gown. Her long brown hair was piled high on her head in an elegant knot. She resembled a handmaiden or other dignitary of a system's royal house or Republic seat. She appeared to be waiting for the two padawans to move even though her gaze was held by something in the distance rather than them. Under normal circumstances her presence might have given the two padawan's a sense of calm, but they were both taken aback by the sickly yellow color of her eyes.
Standing up from his position on the ground and holding a hand out to help Padmé as well, Anakin was the first to speak to the stranger. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sabé, I am a loyal servant of my Master, Lord Sidious." Sabé answered automatically. Her eyes continued to stare out at the horizon rather than the padawans. In response, Anakin turned and squinted out into the distance to see what had captured the woman's attention, but all he could see was dense forest.
"It is nice to meet you Sabé." Padmé answered cordially. "Can you tell us who your Master is?"
"Master Sidious is Lord of all you see, and soon more. He is very powerful." Sabé answered in a monotone.
Reflexively, Anakin reached for the lightsaber secured to his belt, but Padmé caught the motion and raised a hand in warning to stop him. Sabé's behavior was suspicious, but she had not done anything to hint at aggressive behavior. So far she had answered Padmé's and Anakin's questions, and Padmé knew attacking the woman would do nothing to get more answers.
"How long have you been here?" Padmé asked gently, so as not to startle the woman.
"I have come to serve my Master, as all his loyal servants do." Once again, Sabé did not look at the two padawans as she continued to speak in a monotone.
"All his servants?" Anakin's eyebrows rose in intrigue. He knew that information would explain the population on the planet that was supposed to be deserted, but he hoped his question would prompt the strange woman to reveal more of what was happening on the planet. "There are more of you?"
"Yes." Sabé answered and then turned on her heel. "Now come. My master awaits. He will answer all your questions."
Anakin and Padmé cast the woman and then each other a look of confusion. However, as their eyes met with each other, they found it difficult to turn away. It was not until Sabé's monotone voice pressed them to, "Move along, now," that they were jerked from their respective musings and moved to follow the woman.
"Look, whatever happens, stay close to me." Anakin whispered to Padmé as they followed Sabé towards the largest Sith Temple they had yet to see. The large stone edifices towered over the jungle canopy and cast a shadow over the surrounding area.
"Yes, well…." Padmé paused as she glanced a mass of people walking towards the Temple Sabé was guiding them to. To her horror, Padmé noticed that they all had yellow eyes the same shade as Sabé's. "…follow my lead. I have no intentions of starting a war here." A shiver ran down Padmé's spine as she glanced at another mass of people walking towards the Temple. Even if she and Anakin had the Force, it was already apparent that they were outnumbered. "Perhaps, I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess."
Anakin scoffed at Padmé's suggestion as he watched the parade of yellow eyed people march mindlessly to the Temple they were being led to. "Well you do that. In the meantime, keep your defenses ready. I have a bad feeling about this."
