A/N: Hi everyone... I still exist. Sorry about the wait. I'll try to be better but, really, expect updates around once a month. Thanks for the kind reviews, hope you enjoy!

To Save the Queen

Chapter 25: Senate

The chambers were silent. Padmé walked back towards us down the hall, her brow furrowed, and Rabé stared at Eirtaé and I in confusion. Eirtaé looked frozen and I was desperately listening for any sign of Anakin's return. Padmé opened her mouth to say something, but I flapped my arm in her direction and she stayed quiet.

Minutes passed.

Anakin didn't come rushing back in.

I sagged with relief.

"Padmé is out on an errand!" Eirtaé abruptly screeched, snapping her head in Padmé and Rabé's direction so quickly it looked like she was going to snap her neck. "There are already three handmaidens here! And he saw the Queen! Now we have an extra handmaiden!"

Padmé turned as white as a sheet. "Oh no, I didn't think of that!" she gasped.

Rabé's mouth fell open. "Oh, no," she breathed.

"Oh no, is right," I agreed, sharply. "We're all just lucky he's so excited about being a Jedi that he didn't realize!"

"Who's to say he won't realize later, though?" Eirtaé demanded, looking very pale and almost frightened.

"He—" Padmé faltered and looked uncertain.

"I'm sorry!" Rabé wailed. "I hadn't thought of that!"

I took a couple of deep breaths. Obviously, she and Padmé hadn't thought at all. Nevertheless...

"There's nothing we can do about it now," I interjected reasonably. "Why don't we just keep looking for something to add to the Queen's outfit?"

"Oh," Padmé said quietly. "I wanted to let you know that I found the sewing equipment, so we should be able to make new things if needed. That's why I came out here in the first place."

I nodded. "Good. So, let's just keep going."

And we did, although we were a bit quieter and a lot more nervous, jumping every time someone made an unexpected noise, half-expecting it to be Anakin coming back and announcing that we'd lied, because there was no fourth handmaiden.

Finally though, Eirtaé found a large black cloak that dragged across the ground, I found a length of orange fabric that matched the dress and could work as an outer lining for the cloak, and Rabé came up with the idea of using another headdress to go across the shoulders of the cloak and make it look like Padmé's shoulders were wider and taller than they actually were.

We finished sewing it all together only minutes before it was time to leave for the Senate. Rabé and I quickly exchanged outfits ("Everyone has heard the queen mentioning Rabé and Eirtaé. They're starting to recognize them. It would be suspicious if there was suddenly a Sabé too," Padmé had explained, trying to be really careful about keeping up the ruse after the slip-up with Anakin) and the Queen fastened on the cloak.

We all stared at it for a moment.

"Well," I said, trying to sound upbeat, "it's a little more even with your hair and your head doesn't look enormous now."

"And you look bigger and more imposing," Eirtaé added optimistically.

"It's a definite improvement," Rabé agreed.

Padmé stared at herself in the mirror and then shook her head. "It's better than nothing, I suppose. Let's just hope that Wicaté isn't watching, otherwise she might have a heart attack."

"It really isn't that bad," I reassured her. "And it's definitely never been done before so you'll get loads of originality points."

Padmé stared at me blankly but then slowly shook her head, causing the beads hanging from her headdress to clink together.

"Let's get this over with," Padmé sighed. "Besides," she added bracingly, "they'll be paying more attention to what I say than how I look anyway."

I didn't say anything about the importance of first impressions. That was not what she needed to hear.

"Good luck." I smiled. "Just remember the plan and I'm sure you'll do wonderfully and that the Senate will listen."

Padmé gave me a severe look. "I will make them listen," she said in a steely voice.

And then they left.

I sighed and buried my head in my hands before taking a deep breath. I didn't think this was going to end well and we didn't know what we were going to do next.

Knowing I'd be too worried to do anything else, I walked over to the holoprojector and turned it on, flipping to the political channel that would display the Senate meeting once it started. Right now, the cameras were just going around the Senate Rotunda showing the arriving Senators and their staff.

With hunched up my knees, I waited anxiously for the Queen, Eirtaé and Rabé to arrive.

While I waited, the commentators began talking about the different members of the Senate. Apparently, I realized with some horror, one of the commentators was a professional fashion designer, who made her living critiquing other people's clothes.

I winced, as she went on a tirade about the 'horrible color and design' of the Malastare delegation's outfits. She then went on to rip the unflattering cut of the Corellian Senator's clothes.

"I am greatly looking forward to seeing the young Naboo Queen's dress, though," the critic, a Twi'lek named Kis'na Pas'snik, announced. "She's the reason today's meeting was called, isn't she?"

"Yes she is," the political analyst, a Bothan named Mineth Kith'ra, agreed. "Queen Amidala is the main reason this special meeting was called. She is here to plead her case to the Senate, asking them to help out the planet of Naboo. Apparently, the Trade Federation—who have been blockading the Naboo for a while now—have invaded, and the Queen is asking for the Senate's help."

"She arrived just this morning, isn't that right?" Kis'na asked, while the image continued to show the filling Senate room.

"Yes, that's right," Mineth laughed. "Although, you already knew that, didn't you?"

Kis'na laughed. "Yes, I did. Actually, one of my sources reported her arrival and even managed to snap a holopic of her for me."

I watched in shock as a blurry image of me in the black traveling gown replaced the Senate.

"As you can see, she appears to be wearing an absolutely gorgeous black dress here. Its bulk and the large feathered headdress she appears to be wearing are probably all to add to the Queen's importance. As you mentioned earlier, Mineth, the Queen is only fourteen years old, so she's obviously trying her best to appear older and larger than life. If this picture is any indication, she's succeeding extremely well. However," Kis'na continued, "I also know that most people rarely look good in different outfits twice a day, so I'm afraid that this black travel gown was her good one and that her Senate one will be just as big a failure as Senator Germania's," Kis'na said gravely.

I winced. She was probably right. The dress would be weird and hideous, and it was publicly known that Amidala was only fourteen. We were setting ourselves up for failure. The Senate would think the Queen was a silly fourteen year old girl in a ridiculous dress and not take her or Naboo's plight seriously at all.

I bit my lip to stop myself from tearing up and tried to focus on what the commentators were saying about Naboo's situation and the opinion of the other senators. Unfortunately, all I could see over and over again was the Senate bursting into laughter when they saw Queen Amidala and completely ignoring her as she tried to tell them all why we needed help.

But, before I could begin to properly picture Saché and Yané's deaths, my attention was once again caught by the program.

"And here comes the Naboo delegation," Mineth said softly. "Senator Palpatine is leading the way to their pod. As you all know, Senator Palpatine does have a great deal of power in the Senate and he will no doubt be using all of his political sway in order to convince the Senate to help the Naboo."

"And, once those guards move out of the way," Kis'na began impatiently, "we will have our first real look at the Queen of Na—" Amidala came into view, Eirtaé and Rabé behind her and Kis'na broke off with a gasp.

I winced. This wasn't going to be good.

"Oh my!" Kis'na began to laugh. I felt a little like crying. "What a bold move for the Queen of Naboo! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it, but it seems the Queen of Naboo has mastered what very few others have—looking good twice in one day!"

My jaw dropped. The holoprojector showed Amidala, Eirtaé and Rabé move purposefully up the stairs into the Naboo's pod.

"What a bold move, to use such large shoulder pads and elaborate hair style, but it really seems to be working. She has drawn attention to herself but still looks elegant and powerful!" Kis'na gushed, sounding absolutely enamored. "What astonishing skill. Oh! And look what her handmaidens are wearing!" Kis'na let out another delighted laugh. "What a wonderful choice! Their outfits are just drawing even more attention to the Queen! What a brilliant show!"

Senator Palpatine and Queen Amidala settled into the front of the pod and Captain Panaka, Eirtaé and Rabé sat in the back, all looking solemn and regal.

"Now," Mineth interrupted. "Not to ruin your commentary, Kis'na, but it appears the Trade Federation is entering the rotunda now."

The view switched to show the awful Trade Federation entering, but I paid them no attention. I was too busy laughing and clapping my hands together. The dress wasn't a complete disaster, and maybe, just maybe, we stood a chance. Suddenly, I was hit with a fierce desire to be there myself, not just watching everything happen on a holoprojector.

I quickly shoved that thought away before it could develop in a dangerous way that would probably end in my cover being blown. Instead, I forced myself to watch as Chancellor Valorum began to open the session.

I listened impatiently as everyone talked and I strained my eyes to catch glimpses of Amidala. Every time I did, I felt a small spark of pride for my Queen and firmly squelched down my wish to be there with her.

Finally, after what felt like an age and a half, the holoprojector once again zoomed around the rotunda to focus on Chancellor Valorum.

"The Chair recognizes the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo," Chancellor Valorum announced gravely.

I scooted up the bed further, eagerly leaning close to the holoprojector.

"Now that we've got all the formalities out of the way, it seems the Chancellor is ready to get down to business," Mineth said in a hushed voice. "This is undoubtedly where Palpatine will try to use his political clout to swing people to Naboo's side."

"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate. A tragedy has occurred which started right here with the taxation of trade routes, and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation."

"The Federation isn't going to be happy—here Lott Dod goes," Mineth continued as the holoprojector showed the Trade Federation's pod swinging out into the center of the rotunda.

"This is outrageous! I object to the Senator's statements!" Lott Dod shouted.

"What's outrageous is you invading our planet, you—" I growled, cutting off when I realized that I had no words foul enough to express what he was.

"The chair does not recognize the Trade Federation at this time," Valorum said coldly.

"You tell him!" I cheered as Senator Palpatine continued.

"To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, the recently elected Queen of Naboo to speak on our behalf," Senator Palpatine announced.

"Not as much of a political punch as Palpatine usually packs, he must be saving most of the speaking for the Queen," Mineth commented, as the Queen came forward.

I began to bite my nails.

"C'mon, Highness," I muttered, urging her on and firmly pushing down the image of myself careening through hallways on my way to the Senate.

"I'm sorry," Kis'na interrupted, "I just can't help myself! Look at the way the Queen carries herself! Any doubt I might have had about this outfit has completely washed away," Kis'na chattered. "The shoulders and hair add bulk and strength of presence to her, and the straight lines are powerful and clean…"

No, I thought in dismay. Kis'na was talking over Queen Amidala.

Shut up! I thought furiously. Shut up!

"I've just realized that the symbol in her headdress is actually the seal of the Naboo, reminding everyone of her important status. Queen Amidala has used every bit of her wardrobe to her advantage and—"

"Shut up!" I finally shouted at the holoprojector, my nerves completely fried. Didn't this woman realize that what the Queen said put the future of my planet in the balance? "Shut up and let us hear what she's got to say! And what the Federation has to say! NO ONE CARES, YOU LITTLE—"

"Er…"

I whirled around to see Pilot Jans standing in the door, awkwardly holding a little communication holoprojector. Ambassador Kenobi's holoimage was looking slightly awkward.

"Here!" Pilot Jans shoved the holocomm into my hand and ran out the door.

I stared after him, and then at the image of Kenobi.

"Handmaiden." Kenobi swept into a low bow, his face quickly smoothing out. "I am sorry that it took so long for us to respond to the Queen's message. I realize that this is a little late, but I'm afraid to say that Master Jinn and I will not be able to speak on Naboo's behalf. Our mission to Naboo was a private request from the Chancellor and not an actual mission from the Senate. That makes our actions on Naboo as well as our observations invalid in the Senate's eyes."

"Of course," I responded numbly. We had, of course, figured when the Jedi didn't reply that they'd be unable to help us out at the Senate today. However, we'd hoped that they would be able to speak for us in later sessions if necessary. That hope had just gone flying out the window. "Thank you for letting us know."

"Of course." Kenobi bowed again. "And please, let us know if we can be of any further assistance to you."

I glanced at the holoprojector behind me where Mas Amedda was whispering into the Chancellor's ear.

"Thank you, Ambassador. We will. Good night." And, without waiting for his reply, I clicked him off and turned back to the holoprojector.

"—seems that Mas Amada is passing advice onto the Chancellor while the Queen receives advice from Palpatine. Things seemed to have turned away from the Queen's advantage," Mineth quietly commentated.

"The point is conceded," The Chancellor announced with what could almost be called a sigh.

My eyes widened, darting from Malastare's delegates, to the Trade Federation delegates, and back to the Chancellor. That couldn't be good.

"Will you defer your motion to allow a commission to explore the validity of your accusations?" Chancellor Valorum asked.

"No!" I snapped.

Meanwhile, Mineth lowly said, "It seems the Queen has lost."

Only, of course, just then, I could almost see Queen Amidala lose her temper.

Mineth was wrong. The Queen had not lost. The Chancellor was going to lose, I thought with a strange mixture of giddiness and horror.

"I will not defer. I have come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now," Queen Amidala practically snapped.

"Whoa!" Mineth exclaimed, seemingly unable to stop himself.

"I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee," the Queen's voice was absolutely biting and I found myself beginning to smile.

"The Queen packs a punch too! No wonder Palpatine left the talking to her! She means business," Mineth laughed, sounding shocked and thrilled.

"If this body is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed," Queen Amidala continued, sounding strong and sure.

"She's not going to do what I think she's going to do, is she?" Mineth breathed, sounding like he was in disbelief.

"Oh yes she is," I murmured under my breath, a feral smile now spread across my face.

"Any girl who dresses like that is ready to take on the world," Kis'na disagreed. "She's so going to do it."

"I move for a vote of no confidence -" Here Amidala paused, because unlike certain soon-to-be-former-Chancellors we knew, the Queen was going to regret her betrayal, "- in Chancellor Valorum's leadership," she finished.

"She did it!" Mineth announced, "She actually did it! The fourteen-year-old Queen of Naboo has just moved to vote no confidence in the Chancellor! Who would have expected such a startling turn of events?"

"And with a speech and dress like that, who's going to dare to disagree except the Trade Federation?" Kis'na agreed.

Then, a loud cry began to echo throughout the rotunda.

"Vote now! Vote now!" they all started to shout.

"Look at the chaos the Queen has started," Mineth pointed out. "Chancellor Valorum looks stunned."

"Order!" Mas Amedda shouted.

"Well, that certainly wasn't expected!" Mineth announced, "Now, we'll have to see when the—"

I turned the holoprojector off.

We may have changed things in the Senate. But our crisis still continued.

As I sat in the silent room, the sun setting behind me and adrenaline running through me, I wondered what we were going to do now.