"AAAARGH!" Padme howled and held her head in agony as her knees buckled beneath her. That Feeling of energy absorption she had felt weeks ago during the ritual was happening again but this time it was stronger and far more intense. More so this time it was being accompanied by visions. A duel between a cloaked figure that appeared to be a Zabrak, and herself. the sensation felt strange to her. Though the body and eyes she were seeing and experiencing things through were of someone else, it felt completely natural to her almost as if it had been hers all along. It wasn't until the end of the duel, when the Assassin fatally stabbed her and passed on her dying words that she realized who and what was going on. Her eyes widened in shock, horror and grief. Adephagia had fallen, and now thanks to the Sith ritual that she had performed. her mind, soul and experiences were now becoming Padme's own.
"No...No no no no no no!"
Sabe and the other handmaidens quickly swarmed around her.
"My Lady are you alright?"
"Something's wrong...Lady Adephagia...S-she's..."
Suddenly the comlink in Padme's room echoed. "Lady Amidala, the council needs your presence Immediately.
"We'll be right there." Sabe said. "My lady do you need me to go in your stead?
"No!" Padme quickly snapped. "I know what this is about. I need to be the one to go."
"Then let us help you up."
"Two handmaidens grabbed padme's arms and braced her as she slowly walked to the council's chambers. With every step Padme's legs felt more like jelly unable to support her own body. By the time she got to the council chambers the council in question looked to her, with only their hoods obscuring their concerned expressions.
"Lady Amidala, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"N-no Lord Nimmod I am fine. I just feel drained. What is the situation?" Though the question escaped her mouth, Padme already knew the answer. It was confirmed when Darth Skeer came forth holding a large black cloak, that one could have easily mistaken as being worn by a hutt if they didn't know any better. What surprised Padme more than anything was not the cloak, so much as Lord Skeer removing his hood so that everyone could see the expression of rage and sorrow on his face.
"Lady Adephagia has fallen."
Some let out a gasp, others let out nothing.
"When did this occur?" Padme asked.
"Last night. A mysterious sith Assassin broke into her palace and slayed her. They were unable to find the body or the killer but we all felt her death in the force."
"Do we know who ordered the attack?" Padme asked.
"Who do you think?" Skeer said clear anger and bile in his voice.
"Peace Lord Skeer We do not know if the trade federation..."
"No, Lord Nimmod I will not be silent. The Trade Federation is in League with the Banites I feel it in my bones, and clearly the banites know of our existence and more importantly where we are. I say we've been in hiding long enough."
"Our army is still frozen in carbonite somewhere in the unknown regions and the Jedi have ahold of the Holocron that we require to locate and retrieve them. Without our army we cannot risk the Jedi knowing of our existence or else we risk war with the republic."
"And so we let the Banites slaughter us one by one? The Jedi have grown slothful and weak their absolute best are no stronger than we are and the republic cannot even handle the gangs without aid from the Jedi. When will you stop using the threats of old to justify your cowardice?
"My Cowardice?"
"Did I stutter Lord Nimmod? A true sith dies on his feet, he does not hide in the shadows manipulating things like a puppet master or sits and hides waiting for his enemies to pick him apart!"
"If we go to open war without an army we would lose before the year is up! We have to wait until the time is right.
"When...When does that time come?"
"Enough!" Padme cried in a voice that seemed to be an odd blended mixture of Adephagia's and her own. Padme was initially surprised about what came over her, but whatever it was, it was enough to grab everyone's attention.
"This is what the Banites want; us fight amongst ourselves and going back to our own ways. Lord Skeer I understand your sorrow at this moment, I do not fault you for it, but lord Nimmod is right when he says we aren't ready for an open war not yet. The Republic has no Grand Army true, but even they can hire mercenary groups, and then of course there is the threat of the Jedi. Even if the jedi are overall weaker, you still have the likes of Yoda, Windu and Dooku. Do you feel confident enough to be able to defeat all three of them in battle possibly all at the same time?"
Skeer bit the corner of his lip. The three Jedi she had mentioned despite not living in an age where sword combat was common, were all masters of their respective forms. Dooku in particular had purposed in his heart to Fight in the old style waiting for the day where the sith did rise again. Even for as strong as Skeer was and as unorthodox his fighting style may have been, even he was not foolish enough to think he could take on the best of the jedi alone.
"Zaja," he muttered silently looking to Nimmod. "Forgive me my old friend. I speak Passion but also in grief. Know I have the highest respect for you. This burden is as heavy on you as it is the rest of us.
Nimmond smiled and embraced his friend. "Allow your passion to be tempered by wisdom but never dulled by it. Remember. Through Passion we gain strength, through strength we gain power, through power we gain victory and through victory our chains are broken. The time will come when we can avenge Lady Adephagia and make no mistake, when the time comes we will."
"As far as lack of an army, that may not be a problem for much longer. I have someone who says he can get the Holocron for us, the only issue I have is that he hasn't revealed to me who he is, or why he'd be willing to give it to us."
"If he will not reveal himself, how do we know we can trust him?"
"We don't, but if he is speaking the truth, then that gives us a little bit of hope."
Everyone looked at each other with looked at each other unsure what to make of this sudden revelation.
"Perhaps this is something that needs to be dealt with at a later time. For now it is time for us to give our respects to the dead."
"Tradition demands that we honor the fallen the way they would have wished. How would Adephagia have wanted us to remember her death."
Padme gave a smirk. "Oh come now we all know how I...I mean Adephagia would have wanted her memorial to go. She'd have wanted us to make a festival out of it. "
Everyone couldn't help but smile at each other with all but Darth Qarr noticing Padme accidently referring to herself as Adephagia.
"I think perhaps a holiday is long overdue."
Queen Amidala gave a wide grin and turned to Sabe.
"Go to Governor Bibble and the Criers tell them that the queen has decreed that everyone regardless of social class is invited to Festival that will be held in the Theed Plaza in memorial to Lady Adephagia. Try to get as many guest as possible."
"Right away my lady."
"In the meantime, the rest of us should make our own announcements regarding the festival you are dismissed."
As the rest of the council left, Qarr stayed behind with Padme.
"So I noticed you made a little bit of a slip up when discussing the memorial. Plan on dying anytime soon?"
Padme couldn't help but blush. "Sorry, it was instinct."
"No worries. How are you holding up."
Padme sighed and gave a nervous grin. "I can't begin to accurately describe it. I have a whole set of memories experiences and emotions that I know in the back of my mind aren't my own yet they feel natural as if they were. It's like I have two people inside of me."
"Well technically speaking, you do. You have two souls in you trying to merge into one form. It'll take time for it to naturally occur."
"But how much of me will be...well me, and how much of me will be her?"
Qarr couldn't help but shrug. "That I cannot say. Perhaps she will only be a mere voice inside your head. Perhaps you will merge perfectly together and it will be hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. I don't think you have to worry about losing yourself completely if that's what concerns you though, I don't think you have to worry about her trying to dominate you.
Padme chuckled but her face twisted back into a look of sadness. "She knew all along didn't she?"
Qarr nodded. "I'm afraid so."
"What must I do? How do I do my best to honor her?
"Remember her memory and let your passions be your guide that is what she would have wanted."
Else ware in the galaxy Nute Gunray's ship hovered in the vacuum of space. The Viceroy was alone in his chambers when a sudden blue hologram activated. "Ah, Lord Sidious, I hope everything is going as you expected."