The Arrow smoothly dropped out of hyperspace, its weapons online, shields cranked up to maximum. Before it, Naboo turned slowly, a gem amongst the dark space.
"Sensors showing minimal orbiting presence around the planet, ma'am. We are undetected." Sonya nodded at the pilot, a young man in his 20's or 30's.
"Gun it." The pilot pushed the throttle forward and the Arrow hurtled towards Naboo. The Arrow was fast and sleek, making it extremely fast for a freighter. Sonya suspected its original purpose was to smuggle goods past blockades. However, as they approached something caught Sonya's eye on the port side.
"N-1 Starfighters coming in from above." The pilot said urgently. "They're right on our blind spot. Orders?"
"Tell the tail gunner to stand down." Sonya commanded. "We're here to negotiate, and we could use an escort anyways. Killing allies wouldn't be a great way to start." The comm on the consol blinked and the pilot answered.
"This is Captain Gavin Sykes of the Royal Security Force. Purpose and destination please." Sonya leaned forward to speak into the comlink. In front of them, a squadron of N-1's began to circle like wolves, pilots carefully watching the Arrow.
"This is the courier vessel Arrow. We have an urgent message for the Royal Government of Naboo. Request permission to land within the city of Theed. We are…old friend's one of her predecessor's government." There was a pause again, then Gavin's picture appeared again.
"By order Queen Apailana, you are ordered to approach Theed on these vectors and land your ship within the Royal hanger. Be advised, if you try anything suspicious, I personally will blow your ship into ions." The captain terminated their link with a small click.
"Always polite these security forces." Scout said sarcastically. Sonya sighed and dropped into a seat.
"What did you expect, a party. We aren't exactly arriving under the best conditions."
"Why?" Scout asked leaning over to read the approach vectors.
"Because, the Jedi killed the Senator from Naboo."
"What!" Scout exclaimed. "When?"
"Just after Order 66." Sonya calmly explained. "Supposedly she was assassinated as a part of the Jedi plot and counterattack. Then again, that is what Palpatine says."
"Yeah, everything he says is so reliable." Scout shook her head. "It's a lie you know."
Sonya shrugged and turned back to watch the approaching planet. "Whether it's true or not hardly matters. What matters is that the Queen may not be sympathetic to Jedi right now, so try and keep your whole…Jediness to yourself." Scout opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. Sonya was right. Still, Scout hoped to convince the Queen to help them. At the very least, maybe the Queen might be able to provide them with intelligence on any remaining Jedi.
The Queens Reception chamber was large enough to hold virtually the whole guerilla squad inside it comfortably, which was good because Sonya did not feel at all comfortable leaving her men and the security forces outside by themselves. As soon as her men had seen the spit polished security officers, and as soon as the security officers had seen her rag tag group carrying everything from knives to blaster cannons, they'd eyed each other like a pair of territorial dogs. Even now, while standing behind her and trying to look as professional as possible, she could feel their tension. At least this way, Sonya could keep a closer eye on them. It had taken an hour or two, but finally, they were admitted.
The Queen was sitting behind a desk before them, hands folded elegantly on her desk, face passively waiting for Sonya to begin her story. She was flanked by two high ranking officers, Captain Gavin Sykes, a hero of the Naboo resistance, and Gregor Typho, who had once been chief of security to Padme Amidala. They looked on at the group of guerillas, no doubt nervous having this many armed men before the queen. Sonya wondered why they'd even allowed it. No doubt the Queen had some reason, but still.
Besides Sonya, Scout was fidgeting slightly, anxious to begin the negotiations. She had disquised herself in one of the guerrilla's flak jacket uniforms and had hidden her lightsaber in one of her boots. No point in taking any chances at discovery, but also no point in being unarmed when the time came.
"I am Queen Apailana of Naboo." The Queen began articulately, "Who are you and why have you decided to invade our airspace." Sonya stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the woman. Scout followed suit.
"My apologies for arriving unannounced." Sonya began in a voice loud enough for everyone to here. "I know you don't get a lot of traffic to your planet and the arrival of mysterious ships in your system probably worries you."
"Not as much as what the ship is carrying." Apailana countered. "Which in this case looks like a squad of heavily armed commandos who looked like they've just spent the last week in a trash compacter."
"You must understand the situation." Captain Sykes interjected. "With the installation of Palpatine's New Order, the Royal Security Force, and through us the power of the Queen, may be severally limited. Therefore, we need to show the Empire that we can protect our sector without the need of clone troopers. Otherwise, they'll see fit to post a garrison here." Sonya nodded to show she understood, than gestured to the men behind her.
"It is the Empire we've come to warn you about. We believe that they will begin moving against the Outer Rim planets soon." The Queen and her officers looked surprised by this and Captain Sykes pulled a comlink from his belt and, with a nod from the Queen, walked into one of the side rooms. Captain Typho looked at the Queen who indicated with a wave of her hand for him to remove all the security officers from the room. Sonya waved her hand, and her own guerillas followed suit. Scout stayed, staring at the silent and apparently well rehearsed act of creating secret conversations.
"My own sources have been quiet on Imperial movements." Queen Apailana said once the room was empty, save the three of them. "We believe they're bribed or threatened into not providing us with Imperial intentions."
"All of them?" Sonya said surprised. "How could the Empire have gotten to all of them so quickly?"
"We can only assume that Palpatine has been planning this since the Clone Wars. Maybe we've been misinformed since then, in an effort to confuse Separatist sympathizers. Either way, it creates a disconcerting situation. And there is another problem." She reached beneath her desk and pulled out a small holo projector. Activating it, Sonya saw a small security officer slowly spinning before them, the famous Captain Panaka.
"Captain Panaka has become unusually friendly with Imperial forces it seems." She looked thoughtful as the figure continued to rotate before them. "We've intercepted private communications between him and Palpatine's Office. It appears that they have a close relationship." Sonya rubbed the back of her neck, groaning.
"Let me guess," She said, "he's a spy."
"We don't know how or when, but Panaka is now effectively working for Palpatine. Therefore, my council and I have kept him busy, but not in a way that he feels he's left out. He still has an enormous amount of influence with the security force and could probably be a major problem if Palpatine starts to set up a garrison here. He could make sure no resistance efforts were attempted." Sonya nodded and took the small Panaka hologram. He was a professional soldier and something of a legend among Outer Rim soldiers. Sonya herself had heard of his exploits over the years and during the Naboo invasion.
"So," Apailana continued, "I don't know what you want to discuss, but whatever it is, we must be careful about what we say. Here, in this room, we may speak frankly for a time. So, what do you wish to talk about?" Sonya grabbed one of the chairs before the desk while Scout stood nearby.
"We would like to discuss the prospects of an Alliance between the Naboo and our…organization. Tell me what your views on the Empire are."
"Publicly, I believe the Empire is the only solution to a stagnant and corrupt Republic. Privately, the Jedi and the Republic saved Naboo from destruction twice. I can't imagine that they would assassinate Senator Amidala and attempt to overthrow the Republic. I ordered our own investigation into the events surrounding Senator Amidala's death, though of course, Palpatine blocked our investigation for security reasons. Since then, I've ordered my council and security fotce to ensure that any Jedi who managed to escape be given refuge here."
"Really." Scout said in an interested voice. "You have! That's great! Have you managed to loca-"She fell quiet as Sonya gave her a withering look, but the damage was done. Apailana looked at them, studying them with renewed interest.
"You understand that any enemy of the Empire is an ally of us." Sonya said carefully. "If would permit, we need supplies and bases from which to strike, and volunteers with which to fight the enemy. If you support us from afar, we could draw the attention of the Empire away from you. A mutually beneficial agreement, yes." Queen Apailana leaned back, steepling her fingers. She watched them, eyes flicking between Scout and Sonya. Sonya was careful to keep her face impassive and emotionless, but she felt like she was being easily read by the politically experienced queen.
"You're Jedi, aren't you?" Sonya and Scout exchanged looks, worry passing between them.
"Well," Sonya began hesitantly, "She is." Sonya then explained to the Queen how they'd come to Naboo, how they'd hijacked an Acclamator and how they were looking for allies to fight the Empire. How Scout and a fellow Jedi had fled the Temple and were looking for several survivors. They told her almost everything, save the Mandalorian's involvement, which no one knew about except Scout and Semreh. By the end of their explanation, the Queen looked thoughtful and, for some reason, not at all surprised.
"I have no doubt there are others like you who wish to take the fight to the Empire right away, but why would you come to Naboo? We have virtually no army, no real political authority, and no reason to go to war. I ask again; why come here?"
"Because, you trust the Jedi." Scout said, "And because once, we worked together to bring the Trade Federation to justice. And because, you owe us." Queen Apailina sighed and stood up, fingering the headdress to her elaborate dress.
"Well, I won't be remembered as the Queen who turned her back on those we owed a great debt." She reached down and pressed a small button on her desk. It buzzed and a second later the door to the chamber opened and Captain Sykes walked into the room, pistol halfway out of its holster.
"You rang your highness." He said respectfully. He eyed Scout and Semreh like an attack dog.
"Put that away Sykes." The Queen commanded. "These two and their companions are our friends and allies. I am placing you and your squadron under their command. You are all to leave immediately." Scout's jaw dropped in shock and Sonya had to admit even she was surprised.
"Yes ma'am." Sykes said grabbing a comlink from his belt and leaving the room. "I'll get the pilots to their ships immediately."
"One thing captain." Queen Apailina said before he left. "You are not to use any call sign that could be traced to Naboo. You and your squadron are to be considered rouge from now on. Do you understand Captain?" The man stiffened and turned. His face looked concerned in the failing light.
"Does this mean what I think it means your highness?"
"Yes Captain," She answered gravely, "Time to begin Operation Hawkbat Shield. You know what to do."
"Absolutely ma'am." He turned and hurried from the room, already talking into his comlink.
"What's operation Hawkbat Shield?" Sonya said, already reaching for her own blaster. The Queen stood up and began pacing the room.
"After Naboo was invaded by the Trade Federation, we set up several contingency plans in case we were ever attacked or threatened with attack again." She was at the consol of her desk now, punching in codes and apparently random sequences of numbers. "The plan in this case is to begin preparations for rapid mobilization of officers. You know, begin a constant alert status for off duty officers and have retired officers subtly prepare for reentry into service. Basically, we are preparing for the time where the Empire moves against us. It could come in a couple of week, it could come in a year, but this alert status will make sure we're ready."
"In the meantime, will you continue to harbor fugitive Jedi?" Scout asked with a small smile. This was so far; better than any of them had hoped for. "It would be an enormous help if you could add to our numbers."
"Of course." The Queen said smiling back. "But do me a favor and do not contact us until you are ready to openly move against the Empire. We would rather our alliance remain a secret for as long as possible, so we may be better prepared."
"As you wish your highness." Sonya said with a bow. "You won't hear from us until the time is ripe." Turning about, they walked as quickly as they could towards the door. Outside, the squad of guerrillas joined them, asking what had happened in there, but Sonya only brushed them off and ordered them to make for the ships as quickly as possible.
Minutes later, they all clambered onto the Arrow, which took off with a burst of speed towards space. About halfway towards the atmosphere, they were joined by a squadron of twelve sleek N-1 starfighters, the Queens promised contribution to the cause.
"What are the coordinates for jump, Arrow?" Captain Sykes said over the ships comlink. "We need to get out of here before we are missed or spotted by one of our own patrols."
"Here you go Sykes." Sonya said punching in the coordinates to the Acclamators location. "Jump as soon as you're ready."
"Yes ma'am, beginning jump procedures." Moments later, the Arrow, the squadron of N-1's, and the newest additions to the Jedi rebellion disappeared in a flash of light.