again it helps to have a big sister/mentor around.


The first thing Padme did when Soniee's 'gift' was delivered to her apartment was to have the entire contents, including the droid, scanned for monitoring devices. She shared Soniee's skepticism that it was given out of the goodness of the Prime Minister's heart.

"Maybe he just did it to put me off guard or to judge my reaction." Soniee suggested after the scans came back clean. "I mean he could have sent them any time it didn't have to be right there in the Chancellor's office."

"Oh I'm sure he wanted to see your reaction. I'm just not sure what he was hoping your reaction would be." Padme frowned. "You said he mentioned Korkie?"

Soniee nodded. "He said if Korkie had been the heir and he and I had been married that ... I would have been the next Duchess." The thought still turned her stomach. She had never even considered such a thing much less wanted it. But what if that's what people thought, that she only wanted to marry Korkie for his position?

"You hadn't told anyone in Sundari about your engagement?"

"I hadn't accepted his proposal yet when I left. I don't even know if he knows that I said yes. I left a message on the comm system ... in my dorm room." Soniee paled. "You don't think someone else got the comm before they destroyed the Academy?"

"Honestly?" Padme thought. "No, I don't. They knew that you and Korkie were friends that would have been enough for them to make an assumption. You covered well, by saying that you stayed in Sundari to be with Amis."

"It was the first thing that popped into my head."

"Now that you are certain I am not a bug or a bomb, can we please pick out a dress for Miss Ordo to wear to the party tonight?" The bunny droid's unexpected question caused them both to burst out laughing.

"Ugg." Soniee sighed. "Why does there even have to be a kriffing party?"

"Soniee Ordo, does your mother know you use this kind of language?"

"It's her fault." Soniee giggled. "She used to have a jar when I was a kid, and had to put in a credit every time she said a word that I wasn't supposed to say."

Even as she explained this 1K0 had Soniee stand up and started taking her measurements. "Hm I may have to take in some seams..." The droid carefully rustled through one of the crates and pulled out a bundle of burgundy colored fabric.

"I don't know," Padme started looking in another of the crates. "You might have to get your own apartment just to have a place to put all of these." She stopped talking when see saw the dress that the droid had laid out on the bed with a matching gold belt and hair comb. "I can remember her wearing that..."

It wasn't flashy, just a simple long sleeved gown, fitted with a long skirt that had a slit just to the left of the center front.

"I'd forgotten how tall she was." Soniee reached out to brush a speck from the cloth.

"The skirt fell to the Duchess's ankles but she preferred flat soled shoes." 1K0 informed them. "With heals it should be sufficient for your height."

Soniee drew her hand away. "I couldn't possibly..."

"You must try it on now so I will have time to make any necessary alterations." The droid lifted the dress and put it into Soniee's arms.

She looked to Padme for help.

"You'll look lovely in it." Padme smiled. "And I do think Satine would have approved of you being the one to receive these things whatever Almec's intentions were."

"Do you really think so?" Soniee hugged the dress.

Padme laughed. "Go try it on!"

Soniee took the dress to the 'fresher and carefully lifted it over her head. What would Korkie think? She thought while she looked in the mirror and again wished they could be together.

"Come on. Don't keep us in suspense!" Padme called.

The extra length of the skirt pooled around her bare feet as she stepped out of the 'fresher but the modest bodice hugged her curves nicely. "What do you think?"

"I think we're going to have to get a holo for Korkie," said Padme.

1K0 put the belt around her waist. "Yes, it will do. Now remove it so I can prepare it for this evening." and she took the belt off again.

Soniee laughed and saluted the droid, "Well, yes ma'am."

"You will not know how you survived before my arrival," 1K0 squeaked cheekily.

Back in the outfit she had borrowed from Padme, Soniee joined the senator in looking through the rest of the garments.

"Now forgive me if I'm wrong." Padme said holding out a maker's tag for Soniee to see. "But isn't this the Deathwatch symbol?"

"It's a common misconception." Soniee nodded. "That's the Viszla Clan mark. Most of them were not very happy about the Ex-governor using it for his extremist group."

"Clan Viszla," Padme mused. "That's right, I remember Satine telling me something about a dressmaker from Keldabe."

Soniee looked at her, interested but Padme just shook her head. "Something I need to check on later, nothing for you to worry about."

Soniee shrugged and went back to looking through the crates. She found a white flower and twirled it between her fingers. Then seemingly out of nowhere a thought came to her. "I wonder where Ahsoka is now, if she found what she was looking for."

Padme sighed. "I don't know. I hope she did. Oh but that does remind me of something I was going to tell you. If he isn't called in for an emergency, Commander Fox wanted to escort you to the party tonight."

"I didn't know he was invited. I thought it was only for senators."

"Well he's not. He wants to make sure you get there and back safely but he might stick around nearby, I think he heard or assumes that Lux has been invited."

"Gah," Soniee rolled her eyes. "Why are boys so di'kutla? And anyway it's not fair. Fox should be able to come if he wants to."

Padme spoke softly and a little sadly, "Some people think clones shouldn't mix with the rest of society."

"Well that's just osik! Fox is an individual. He's got thoughts and feelings and he's just a person like everybody else. I didn't even think of him being a clone when I met him."

"Still that is what he is, a created being who had his growth accelerated to be sent out to fight and who will have a shorter life expectancy because of it even if he does survive the fighting."

It made Soniee want to cry. "It's not fair," she said again. "It's even more reason that he should have something good in his life. Well, it is my party, maybe I'll just invite him."

Padme smiled. "Going to start lobbying for clone rights in the senate now?"

"I just might!"


if you've read Duchess Diaries you might have an idea what Padme is thinking about when she remembers the Keldabe seamstress ;) don't want to get Soniee's hopes up though.