*** Chapter Twenty-One ***
This part of the Padme's story alludes historians. She fought in the Clone Wars, though no one is sure how she ended up in the throes of battle. Even more elusive is how she lived to survive the opening altercation of the first galactic war in a millennium.
The Life and Times of Amidala, the People's Queen, By: Softa Jiane, Oralist and Historian
True to her word, Palak helped Luke reach the edge of the palace grounds undetected, but this is where her aid ended. Palak returned to the Oralist Center. It didn't matter, Palak's returning to the palace would just cause more questions than answers.
When Luke reached the palace, he was unsurprised to see the garden party still going on. He had not been gone long and the Queen had expressed her desire for long lingering events.
Luke was still dressed in the uniform of the House of Madden, having left his normal clothing in the now lost speeder at the edge of the ground of the House. His presence would most likely cause intrigue which in turn was likely to cause alarm as would a call on a Comm Unit.
Instead he dodged into one of the outbuildings, a garage where the royal speeders were kept and looked for Leia in the force. It was easy enough, everyone around her seemed like pale stars while Leia was like was burning sun, her presence in the force strong and powerful.
Only a few moments later, Leia found Luke in his hiding spot.
"That's another new look," Leia said dryly to the uniform Luke was sporting.
Luke rolled his eyes, but otherwise let the comment go, there was not time for jest. "I've got a lot to tell you." Luke explained what had transpired at the House of Madden, between both Madam Rajel's call to war and Palak's confession.
"And why would even trust Palak?" Leia asked.
"I don't, but she got me this far and I think it's likely the House of Madden is headed for the palace. I think we need to get the Queen and the dignitaries to safety." Luke asserted.
Leia nodded, "We need a distraction, something that's won't alarm everyone. Do you think Artoo could hack a weather droid?" Leia questioned.
"Probably." Luke realized where she was going, if they could convince the Queen it was likely to rain soon, they could move the party inside and secure the palace without inciting panic.
"Come on, Erickson is using Artoo to try to connect outside the planet, but it's likely a lost cause if there is a blockade." Leia informed Luke as they left the outbuilding and headed to the palace proper, using a back entrance to avoid the party.
On the way, they were able to procure the weather droid from the palace conservatory. They found Erickson in the makeshift command center the small New Republic Security force set up in the palace once it was eminent that negations to enter the New Republic would begin.
Erickson raised his brow a bit when they entered but seemed to be able to hold back the snide comment, he was certainly eager to make. They caught Erickson up on what Luke had learned at the House of Madden.
"This is something to work with at least, we know the enemy. Let's get party moved inside, I would prefer to tell the Queen, adding the palace guard would help thing considerable, but Princess, I will leave that decision up to you." Erickson explained plainly.
"That's a good plan, but let's make sure we get everyone inside first, I don't trust the Queen to not announce the issue to the party outside and cause panic." Leia explained.
After a bit of encouraging by Luke, Artoo agreed to work with the Weather droid and in turn encourage it to tell a lie. Droids technically were not supposed lie, but Luke had owned Artoo long enough that the droid was willing to bend the truth with the right encouragement.
Luke stayed with Erickson in the command room and Leia went to find the Queen along with the weather droid.
"You Highness," Leia interrupted a discussion with Count Lunta, from Aubergine, a world famous for their deep purple skies and oceans. Routinely, Intergalactic Leisure, a travel publication that catered to wealthy, labeled the planet a top travel destination the past 10 years in a row. In addition, Aubergine also had a lucrative luxury apparel industry. "My security was consulting with the weather droid and it seems we've had a sudden change in weather." Leia explained, pointing to the little cylindrical floating droid next to her.
"Oh, certainly not, I have double and triple checked the weather." The Queen proclaimed.
"I'm afraid this is very sudden," Leia explained and then turned to the Droid. "W-1, what's the weather in the next two hours?" Leia questioned.
"In the next two hours, expect heavy rain and thunderstorms, chance of flash flood likely." The Droid repeated the line that Artoo had fed to him.
"Oh, that is very unfortunate, we must move the party inside then." The Queen concluded, and then wondered off, alerting her handmaidens.
Leia was shocked but relived as she watched the Queen's Handmaiden's staff make quick work of the party. Within 30 minutes the party had been efficiently relocated inside.
Leia found Toula and the Queen and sequestered them in a small dining room off the main ballroom, Toula deserved to know the risk as well. She had her own team that she was responsible for and she was a Minister for the New Republic.
"Your Highness, Minister," Leia elected to use formal titles for both, hoping to communicate the gravity of the situation. "There is no rain expected, but there is a plot to kill you, Your Highness, and to take the New Republic representatives' hostage. We have a confirmed report that the House of Madden is about to attack the palace. We need the royal guards to secure the palace. We, of course, will lend the aid of the New Republic security force, but we need to start now." Leia explained and then continued to tell the Queen about the inability to communicate, the lost X-Wing pilots, what actually happened in the Lake Country.
"Princess, with all due respect, I have little reason to believe you. The House of Madden has been a superb business on our planet for over 40 years, how am I to believe the citizens of my planet would turn against me." The Queen insisted.
"Turn against you… Your highness, I've been on this planet less than a week and there have been large numbers of protestors, their message clearly against your planet's joining the New Republic, it is very conceivable that a threat was hiding behind that." Leia declared.
"The people of Naboo are very loyal to the Monarch and the decisions I make, and I find it unlikely there would be any threat." The Queen seemed to bypass Leia and continued with ignorant declarations.
"I understand, but would you be willing to make a deal?" Leia asked, hopefully.
"What do you propose?" The Queen's voice was stiff, but she was receptive.
"For tonight, the New Republic Security Force and the Palace Security work together to secure the palace. We have already moved everyone inside, so we won't alarm anyone. In the morning, if no threat materializes, then we open the palace and take everyone to the lake country. Besides for a small group of people, no one will even know." Leia explained calmly, calling upon every bit of diplomatic training she had.
The Queen nodded, "Very well Princess, for tonight, we will secure the palace." The Queen made the call to her handmaidens and her security force and Leia called Erickson and Luke.
Leia and Queen Shear gave the address to the small group assembled, the final instruction was to keep it a secret, it would not do to have panic among the leisure class of the New Republic.
The Queen, Toula and Leia returned to the party, as much as Leia would have rather stayed and helped secure the palace, she had a job to do and that was to appear clam and unburdened.
"Princess," Lord Theon, of Curro, found Leia moments after she had returned to the party. He had been looking for her all night. The world of Curro was known for its its exotic fruits that had certain desirable properties, earning the farmers large sums. Theon was an unarguable attractive human male with flawless dark brown skin and large, innocent brown eyes. He was young, not yet out of his twenties and famously single. Leia had first met Theon before the war broke out, when she was still a senator. At the time, Theon's mother saw Leia was a valuable asset to their holdings and now that Leia had emerged as a war hero and leader in the New Republic, his mother had double downed on her desire for the current Princess of the Former world of Alderaan to join the family.
"Lord Theon, it's so nice to see you again." Leia was politely but could already feel the impatience rising in her chest. Of all people here, she was least excited to see Theon and this moment was the least opportune.
"Why don't we go somewhere a little more private and you can tell me how negations are going." Theon requested, this wasn't the first time, Leia had turned him down at least half a dozen times in the past six months.
"Lord Theon, I have told you no over and over again. I find it offensive and really repulsive that you would not respect my wishes," Leia said with a sharp tongue. It was perhaps an unfair delivery, but Leia had little care for the consequence.
"Princess, I didn't mean disrespect, can I get you a drink, maybe you could talk here. I am interested in the politics of this planet." Lord Theon asked again, unfazed by the Princesses harsh rebuttal.
Before Leia could again offer yet another lecture on how she was uninterested, her comm unit beeped.
"Princess Leia, can you come up to the high tower." Luke said through the local Comm that still worked within the palace walls.
"Of Course, Commander Skywalker." Leia responded, looking smugly at Lord Theon.
"Him, some under bred, Jedi wanna be, seriously Princess." Lord Theon threw his temper tantrum, but Leia ignored him as she hurried to the high tower.
The palace was mostly sprawling instead of vertical, but a few hundred years ago a young Monarch had become obsessed with a fairy tale of kingdom on a far way planet that romanticized high towers. The Monarch had ordered her own spire constructed.
When Leia arrived at the tower, she found Luke perched on the window, looking out into the setting sun of the planet. "There," Luke pointed to the palace grounds where the party has been in full force less than an hour ago. The grounds where still filled with people, but instead of the New Republic Dignitaries dressed in the finery from their home worlds, it was the House of Madden Employees wearing Steel gray uniforms.
"I wish the Queen were right," Leia said, referring the Queens reluctance to believe the palace could come under attack from her own people.
"What do we do now?" Luke asked, so used to deferring to the officer that out ranked him.
"We hold the palace and wait until we are either defeated or less probable, the end comes." Leia explained gravely.
Luke nodded and hoped off the ledge of the window. "I'm going to make sure we have properly secured all of the doors." Though they both know the action is futile, only delaying the inevitable and providing a distraction.
Luke turned toward the door but before he made it all the way he turned back to Leia. "May the Force be with you." He said.
Leia nodded, and their eyes met for a moment, there were plenty of things to say now, while they had a private moment, before the battle began in earnest, but saying these things would only acknowledge the truth and neither were ready concede that this may the end, especially when it had felt that way so many times before.