The next day is a nice ceremony for the late senator. I attend with Padmé to provide support. Her uncle is now dead. She is devastated. She needs someone who knows her better than anyone to help her get through this without breaking down. Yeah, we've seen people die, but no one who was as close to her as Ono was.
Ono's male Rodian aide, Silood, stands behind Ono's casket and gives a eulogy about him. Jedi, Senators, and Representatives alike are all in attendance. Even Duchess Satine of Mandalore. I stand tall by Padmé's side, but not as tall as I would like because of Mace Windu and Yoda's presence. Jedi can sense life and I don't want to give them any reason to see if I'm pregnant. Granted, their first suspicion probably wouldn't be that Obi-Wan is the father.
"And we are all aware that Onaconda was a flawed man," the Silood proclaimed. "He knew better than anyone of his own mistakes." Like joining the Separatists for a short while. "But he never compromised his principles, and what he did, he did for his people. Their needs always came first." That is most likely why Padmé loved him so dearly, despite his treachery during the beginning of the war. The casket lid darkens and hovers through the line of soldiers, who give their farewell as the casket floats onto the ship in order to be brought to Rodia.
Bail Organa turns to Padmé as she watches Ono's casket. "Senator, if you need anything-" he began, but Padmé cut him off.
"What we need is to get his resolution passed." Padmé's hard look of determination sold it for Bail. The docking bay door closes and the ship slowly rises up from the platform. The engines whirr as they work to bring the ship off of Coruscant.
Padmé then spots Lolo, Ono's other aide and Representative, standing off to the side alone as the other attendees depart. She goes to comfort Lolo as I stand by Bail. But Padmé isn't gone for long before one of the Senate guards approaches the Senator and Representative. A flash of worry graces Padmé's delicate features as her and Lolo follow to guards. "Wait in my office," Padmé tells me as they walk passed.
I glance up at Bail before watching Padmé carry on. The interaction did not sit well with Bail either. His usual strong expression was contorted with suspicion. "Would you like an escort?" Bail asks. I resist the urge to chuckle lightly for fear that he would not take it well, but ever since the assassination attempt for Padmé on Alderaan, Bail has been oddly protective of both Padmé and I.
"Yes, please," I reply and we begin to make our way off the platform before Bail and I are intercepted by a guard as well.
"Chancellor Palpatine requests your presence in his office," the guard states. Bail began to go with him. "Both of you." I glance up at Bail once again, but even he looks confused. We oblige the guard and follow him to the Chancellor's office, right behind Padmé and Lolo.
Police droids, Mon Mothma, Chancellor Palpatine, and Palpatine's aides were all in attendance. Padmé took one look at the assembled group and asks, "What's happened?"
"I'm afraid, my friends, that Lieutenant Divo here has some questions about Senator Farr," Palpatine explains as he turns to a short man who I had not noticed before.
As soon as the man began speaking, I wanted to hit him. "Do you know of anyone who, uh. . . uh, how to put this? Hated Senator Farr? Enough to kill him?" My eyes widen, as does Bail's.
"What?" Padmé exclaims.
The Lieutenant is not fazed. "I'll need to find out who wanted to hurt Senator Farr-actually, kill him would be more accurate, what with him being dead." Bail stays standing as Padmé, Lolo, and I take seats on the couches with Mon Mothma.
"No one wanted him dead," Lolo states as she sits down. "Everyone loved him."
"Well, that's obviously not true, or I wouldn't be here and he would," Divo replies.
"Lieutenant," Bail says, drawing the officer's attention, "even Ono's political enemies respected him. We need time to deal with this situation."
While Bail's statement was diplomatic and marred with patience, Divo did not appreciate it. "Time, time, there's not time for time." Divo gets increasingly more agressive with each word. "A murderer is on the loose, and it's my job to find him."
He starts mumbling something, but Padmé clears her throat. "What makes you think it was murder?" she asks. A fair question. Everyone in the room thought Ono was having a heart attack. But Divo simply looks at Padmé as though she was dumb.
"Poison, of course. The politicians' preferred method." He walks towards the window, followed closely by a small droid. "Found a chemical in his bloodstream, killed him right away. It's an obvious case. Politicians always have something to hide, and it always comes back to haunt them." Every politician in the room has the decency to look uncomfortable. The Lietenant is not wrong, but he obviously has something against politicians. Divo pauses before looking up at the room. "Am I right?"
No one volunteers anything and Divo laughs. "Oh, look who I'm asking: a room full of politicians." He grabs one of the data pads his droid helper was holding and saunters back towards the group. "So one of Farr's secrets must have, uh, resurfaced."
"Ono had no secrets," Padmé says with absolute surety. I want to tell her to just not talk, but that would make her and I look suspicious. "That's not it. Perhaps someone was upset about the clone-troop bill currently on the floor. It's very controversial."
Divo did not look convinced. "Thank you, Senator. . . Amidala, is it? But I already have my theory, and I'll follow my hunch if you don't mind." What is it? That someone in this room did it? Sure, we were all at the party where Ono keeled over, except Palpatine and his attendants of course, but that does not mean someone in the Loyalist Committee would kill another in the committee. They are all working towards the same goal. "After all, I am the inspector. You're the senator. So I'll handle the inspecting, and you can stick to the, the "senating". Good day." Divo bows slightly to the group before leaving, followed by the police droids.
The three senators, Lolo, and I head to Padmé's office together. "Who would wish Onaconda harm?" Mon Mothma proposes. Probably Deechi or Burtoni would be my guess, but I did not voice my opinion out loud.
Lolo rubs her arm, not meeting any of the senators' eyes. "What if it's the bill?" she asks. "What if we're all being targeted?" We better not all be getting targeted. Padmé has been the subject of too many assassination attempts. And I don't think anyone would dare try to kill Bail or Mon. They're too high risk, even for senators.
"Speculation gets us nowhere," Bail cuts in. "There is work to do. We should double our efforts on the vote. It will be even harder with Ono gone."
"No." Padmé shakes her head. "No. We should delay the vote."
"But why?" Mothma asks.
"No one will give the vote their full attention until they know what's happened to Ono," Padmé explains as we enter her office.
Bail did not like it, but he understood her reasoning. "Well, maybe I can put a motion on the floor. I don't think anyone will object, given the circumstances."
"Good." Padmé turns around. "Then we'll have time to conduct our own investigation." I want to groan or sigh, but nothing I say will change her mind.
"Detective Divo specifically asked us not to interfere," Mothma argues.
"Well, he didn't exactly inspire confidence, did he?" Padmé counters. "He didn't know Ono. We did. We'll have a far easier time looking into this than detective Divo will."
"Running around could disrupts our coalition," Bail adds.
"Yet you still seem determined to see this through," Mothma continues.
"Indeed, I am," Padmé says.
Bail turns to me. "And you? What do you think?"
I shake my head and raise my hands slightly. "I've learned to just follow her lead and try not to argue as much as long as it won't get her into physical danger."
Mon sighs as she looks from me back to Padmé. "And I. . . don't supposed you'd consider bringing Captain Typho with you."
Padmé shakes her head. "No. I'd rather do this quietly."
"Then perhaps, Senator Organa, you should accompany her," Mon Mothma says before looking at me. "No offense, but you aren't the best liar." I simply shrug. I'm not going to argue with that assessment.
Bail smiles lightly. "I think that's an excellent idea."
All the while, Padmé is the one offended. "I don't need a guardian."
"Of course not, my dear," Mon soothes. "Think of it as precautionary."
"Don't worry. I won't get in your way," Bail assures.
Padmé took no time to think it over. "Very well. I have no objections." Spoken like a true negotiator. I feel like I'm in court. "And I know exactly where to start." Then she took off, leaving Bail to bow to the rest of us and follow her out.
I wait in Padmé's office as she runs around with Bail. I spend my time cleaning what was left over from the party the other day as well as dust the room. Then I spend my time reading holobooks. Sadly, most were based on real events and not fictional, so I had a hard time finding one that was actually interesting. Mon and Lolo had left me to my own thoughts and devices. Shortly after I started reading, Padmé messaged me and told me to head back to her apartment. Apparently she and Bail has spoken to Deechi and Burtoni and they had actually gotten intel. While extremely sketchy, I wanted to puke because of an aide passing by the office with food, so I decided to heed her words.
I walk into Padmé's apartment and immediately head for my own bed.
