Disclaimer: Disney owns Star Wars, not me. All the characters and places (except for my OC Analise) belong to them.

"aaaa"-talking out loud."aaaa" (bold and italics)-talking through a holo or com. 'aaaaa'-inner thoughts. aaaaa-talking through a Bond. "aaaa" (bold)-another language.

AN: I'm back:) I hope everyone had a great Christmas:) Mine was awesome!

Thank you Darth Becky 726 for the review:) I did get everything I wanted (a remote control BB-8) and more (like a large, plush R2-D2!).

Also I had a Guest Reviewer ask if I could repost the Sun and Moon Prophcey from Analise of Earth, so here it is:

The Sun will bring Balance to the Force, to the Light; but only with his twin the Moon at his side. They will be the children of Man and the Force. The Sun will be a bright burning light, a warrior with Darkness hidden deep. The Moon will be full of grace and pure Light, a creator and keeper of peace. The Moon's pure Light will balance out the natural Darkness in her brother the Sun and prevent the Darkness from overtaking him. Together the Sun and Moon will create a family for themselves. They will find a father in the Teacher and a sister in the Learner. They will find love with the Negotiator and the Queen.

The Sun will live on sand and in heat. The Moon far away in a world yet to be discovered. Raised apart for safety, they will be brought together in time.

Together the Sun and the Moon will bring changes to the Jedi and make them stronger for the war that is to come. The Moon will expose the Dark Leader who has stolen his throne and the Sun will strike him down.

Beware though. Should the Darkness find the Moon and destroy her, there will be no one to balance the Sun. Darkness shall overtake him and he will destory their family. The Jedi will be all but wiped out and it will be decades before the Light is returned to the galaxy.

I know it hasn't been featured too much in the stories other than a mention here and there. It will start becoming clearer and cleared in Crossing Battlefields and will be a big part of Edge of Peace.

Alight, time to get back to the action. Last time we saw our heros Padme had opted to talk to Jabba's uncle on Coruscant while Anakin, Ahsoka, Artoo, and Rotta began their trek to Jabba's palace. Today's chapter is all Padme:)

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Chapter Thirty-Six

It was easy to find the club owned by Ziro the Hutt.

The neon covered building stood out between its neighbors in an area of town where the goal was not to stand out. To be found only by those beings who had business in those plain, nondescript buildings. Buildings whose owners liked to brag and take pride in the fact that they operated in the very heart of the Republic under the nose of local law keepers and the Jedi Order itself. It was better than admitting the truth that in reality they ranked so low on the criminal totem pole and their dealings so minor that those who upheld peace and justice in the Republic opted to let them go free for the time being when there were bigger fish to fry.

After all, one would never be able to stop all crime everywhere; even if they had the power and numbers to do do. Far better to focus on those crimes that could have negative impact on a galactic scale than the Bith con-man selling knockoffs of designer goods and bootlegged holos of the latest adult movie.

To his neighbors, Ziro's palace as the Hutt who owned it called it was an eyesore and a disturbance. Yet they raised no objection, never stood up to him. For all that Ziro presented himself and came across as a lazy, spoiled Hutt who had allowed the easy living Coruscant offered him to turn his head; Ziro was ruthless. His lust for power ran deep and his grudges were no less weaker just because he lived a life of ease. His temper was quick, masked as it was by a careless and carefree attitude. His displeasure was quicker and his punishments for failure were no less cruel than those of his nephew Jabba.

Jabba...The nephew Ziro hated with a passion. Then again though, Ziro hated all those who sat on the Hutt Council and run the Hutt clan. Such a bossy bunch in his mind. They had sat far too long to do any good anymore for the Hutts. The rumors of the Republic seeking a treaty with the Hutts and Jabba actully considering such a thing had reached Ziro's ears and made his blood boil.

His neighbors, his employees, the patrons of his club had seen the look in his eyes and did their best to be invisible.

The club, the palace of Ziro the Hutt was easy to find.

It was not so easy to leave should he get his hands on you.

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He liked to think that life was good. After all he was Ziro the Hutt, the only Hutt on Coruscant which meant that he controlled all Hutt interests on the massive city-planet. He also held seven systems in his little chubby hands. Seven systems that poured credit after credit into his accounts and he had to do very little.

Ziro took another deep pull from his hookah and studied with well-practiced eyes the shadowy form of one of his Twi'lek dancers behind the curtain. Unlike his nephew's palace or even the seat of the Hutt Council on Nal Hutta, Ziro kept his women, his slaves hidden from sight. Unless he was paid enough by a lonely being who wanted the privilege and honor of being allowed a night with one of Ziro's women, they were for his eyes only.

Besides, tt was risky to publicly display his slaves, no matter their beauty. After all slavery was illegal and it would be stupid to flaunt his law breaking on the capital of the Republic. Even he knew better than that.

Ziro's good mood faded as a old, somewhat worn droid made its way on legs that might have been shaking to his dasis. While droids had their uses, Ziro wasn't a big fan of them.

They made good assassins though and this particular droid had never failed him.

"Oh Exalted Majesty..."

"What is it KRONOS-327?" His tone was sharp beneath the lazy fluid of his words. It was a warning that KRONOS-327 heard and took heed of. Ziro had been in a good mood, but its appearance was snapping Ziro out of the good mood, and its news would only make things worse for the droid.

"My mission to the twelfth moon of Yout has...Has failed..." If it wasn't for its programming, KRONOS-327 would have left the room as soon as its messaged had been delivered. Not for the first time it wondered why Ziro had been the one to order it and not Jabba. The ruler of the Hutt Clan was just as cold, just as harsh in his punishments as Ziro, but only after so many mistakes had been made. Even on his worst days, Jabba was five times than Ziro the Hutt.

"Hahahaha!" Ziro's gravelly laughter echoed through the halls. "To think that my most trusted of assassins has finally failed me. Hahaha!" He had been wondering how long it would be until the scrap of metal and circuits that had cost far too many credits failed in on his missions. Ziro's amusement was mixed with anger. That mission was an important one and if the stupid droid had actually succeeded it would have removed another competitor from the galaxy and he would be one step closer to become the High Exalted Leader of the Hutts.

After all, Jabba got there by murder and bribes. Surely Ziro could take the same route, only he was a gentle Hutt. He would use others to reach his goal and strike bargains that would raise the Hutts in the galaxy. Brute force belonged in the past after all.

"I am deeply sorry Your Highness...It will not happen again." Maybe it if grvoeled and begged for forgiveness, as much as the programming allowed for; KRONOS-327 would be allowed to operate another day.

"I know...Because it will not happen again!" Ziro roared over the music the Bith band that had been pressed into playing at his club was currently using to set the mood. "Take him away and turn him into scrap parts! Maybe I can earn back a little of what I've spent on him."

"No! NNNOOO!"

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She had thought that she heard the screams of a droid. One yelling out in fear. Fear that had quieted the music and voices that she had been hearing as she made her way through the corridors to the main club rooms escorted by a tall assassin droid that was stuck with guard duty.

Not that she hadn't been hearing things. Even the lift shaft she had taken seemed to ring with cries of pain and pleasure.

The music had started again. The tempo was fast and upbeat. Happy music to make beings dance and smile. Talking resumed though Padme doubted she was the only one who would take note that the voices were quieter now. Maybe even a little timid.

'Maybe I should have asked Father Jinn to come with with me...Ana would have been better..." As soon as the thoughts entered her head, Padme pushed them away. She couldn't ask her father-in-law to come with her simply because she was nervous and he read beings better than her. He had too much work to do; juggling his duties as a Master and Council Member of the Jedi Order with being a parent, adviser to the Senator of Naboo, and a member of the FoJ. Likewise even if Analise was on planet, she wouldn't even bother to ask. Analise would say yes of course, but then Obi-Wan and Anakin would be tagging along.

Anakin would be tagging along regardless if he was here. He didn't like Hutts and knew what they were capable of thinking, doing when they saw a lovely female being. She had heard the rumors too...Sweet young females that were lured into Ziro's club, Hutt palaces on other worlds, and than never heard from again.

Padme took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus and praying to the Force for calm and wisdom. She trailed her escort into the main room and felt every eye turn to stare at her. Only the dancers, hidden away with their shadows giving them away did not pause in their actions to gaze at the veiled Senator in their midst.

It was clear that here was some being that didn't belong to their world, to their way of life. Here be an outside.

Ziro wasn't what she was expecting. The purple-skinned Hutt was skinny...for a Hutt at least. He had yellow tattoos running from his left eye, up over his head, and down his tail while a larger tattoo of a sun covered his stomach in a shade of purple darker than his skin. Ziro seemed to have taken a love for the ease and luxary that came with being a wealthy citizen of Coruscant for he wore a headband with feathers on it. A poor being was rubbing the Hutt's skin while Ziro himself did nothing more than take long pulls of the hookah sat on a table nearby.

Padme wondered if he ever left his dais since it was piled high with pillows, blankets, and rugs. He had created for himself a throne that screamed cheap elegance even though she could see with just a glance how expensive it all was.

"Most excellent Ziro the Hutt...You have a visitor." The droid bowed and stepped out of the way. Padme noticed with a little grin that he made sure he was near enough to be ready when called, but far enough away to attract little notice. She pulled the heavy shawl she had worn up high on her face to keep her identiy as hidden as possible, using every ounce of her training as Queen and Senator to step forward.

"Greetings Ziro." She kept her voice cool and calm. There could be no hint of her true feelings, no matter what. "I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress." There was no need to rattle of her full title. Her last name along easily identified her to anyone who kept up with the news. Besides, the only title she really wanted to use she could not say aloud. At least not yet.

"A Senator? My, my..." Ziro's basic was good. Very few Hutts bothered to learn to speak it though they learned to understand the most common language in the galaxy. Padme knew from her few lessons about the Hutts that they saw Basic as beneath them, but some would learn it. Ziro must have learned it from his time spent on Coruscant for he certainly had the lazy speech pattern of a wealthy Coruscanti more used to dipping their hands in a box of sweets rather than lifting them for any form of work. "What could a Senator possibly want in this neighborhood?" The Hutt took a long pull from his hookah, beady eyes staring down at her as he blew smoke out from his nostrils.

"I know you the uncle of Jabba the Hutt..." Padme waved a head to brush away the foul-smelling smoke from her face where it threatened to choke her and make her cough. She suppressed the urge though. Ziro might ignore the waving of her hand, but he might not ignore a cough and see it as an insult to his Hutt sensibilities. "On Tatooine. I've come to ask a favor of you on behalf of the Republic."

"A favor for the Republic hmmmm? Are you sure it is not a favor for yourself?"

"I am afraid that there has been a grave misunderstanding." Padme pushed forward, not paying attention to the rude question; the veiled suggestion that she could possibly be there to seek some personal favor from Ziro. A loan to pay off some debt that could not be made public, the kidnapping or murder of some rival or another. Those were the favors Senators usually asked for if they sought out Ziro. "The misunderstanding rests between Jabba and the Jedi Order, our defenders."

"How may I serve you Senator? What is this misunderstanding?"

"I was hoping that you and I could work together. That we might be able to form a treaty between that would link the Jedi and the Republic with the Great Hutt Clan in peace. A treaty that might..."

"Treaty? A treaty!? A treaty is impossible!" Ziro's cry echoed and the music, the chatter stopped again. He thrashed a little upon his soft dais. The being rubbing him had fled and Padme could just make him out hiding behind a pillar. The dancing shadow behind Ziro did not even pause in her movements and Padme had to wonder if the dancer was real or not. "I know the truth which you stand there and deny Senator!" She could sense all the beings taking giant steps backward, to distance themselves from the Senator who dared to displease the might Hutt Lord. "The Jedi have kidnapped my precious grand-nephew and even now are moving against my nephew himself!"

"How did you..."

"My knowledge of this is no concern of yours Senator!" Ziro hissed at her. Padme noted how his eyes shifted from side-to-side. Being married to and part of a family of Jedi had helped Padme to pick up on the signs of some being not telling the whole truth. Even without the Force. Something was up. Something that Rotta kept hidden. "As it stands we Hutts will have nothing to do with any Jedi scum!"

"But sir..." Every inch of Padme recoiled as she forced herself to keep her tempers and her manners with the sleemo in front of her. Like most Padme had no love for the Hutts and her dislike ran for them a little bit deeper since the master who had owned Shmi had been a Hutt...A Hutt who would have sold Analise away from her family had not the Force stepped in. She was a Senator though and acting was part of the job. "The Jedi did not kidnap Rotta. I have it on excellent authority that even now that Jedi have Rotta in their care and are making every effort to return him to his father." At least she was telling the truth. "Put me in touch with Jabba so that I may relay this news to him and convince him that the Jedi are not his enemy."

"No!" Ziro waved the hand not currently holding onto the stem of his hookah in the direction of the droid that had escorted her in. "There will be more discussions! Throw her out of her!" His tone left no room for arguement. He was done.

"But Ziro please! Jabba is in danger! He's being deceived and it could cost him his life! Surely you don't want him to die!"

"I said THROW HER OUT!" A metal arm came down around Padme. On reflex she slapped out even as she allowed it to turn her around.

"Don't touch me!" She hissed at the droid. This wasn't over.

She was Padme Amidala Naberrie-Skywalker after all. Giving up was never an option.

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Unable to loose himself once more in the pleasures of his club, Ziro began to panic. This wasn't part of the plan. There was no way, no reason why a Senator would confront him as one just had.

No...Something had gone wrong...Was going wrong...

Pleasure could wait. He needed to make a call...Now!

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AN: Added December 27th, 2016: It is with a heavy heart that I dedicate this chapter to the memory of the one and only Carrie Fisher. As Princess Leia, Ms. Fisher showed me that a princess can be more than just a smart damsel-in-distress. She showed me that a princess can kick butt and fight for her beliefs and the beliefs of others while still looking pretty and finding love. Ever since I saw first saw Star Wars as a little eight, nine year old bullied girl out in the middle of the country, I have wanted to be a princess just like Princess Leia. It was because of Carrie Fisher that I first fell in love with Star Wars which in turned opened my mind and inspired me to reach for the stars even when they seem so far away. May the Force be with you Carrie Fisher and may God bless you.