Senate Residential District, Coruscant
19 BBY
It took five days of tailing him before Sabe saw Senator Organa do something different.
She almost missed it. She was leaning against the the wall on the building across from his, idly watching a group of tourists. It was clear they were tourists because they wore respirators and walked with all their heads craned back to gawk at the tops of the buildings. Why anyone would come to Coruscant for pleasure she would never know.
Musing on this, she almost overlooked him exiting across the street, but she just caught it out of the corner of her eye, chastising herself for her loss of focus. Melting further into a shadowed alcove, she watched him look in both directions and then back at the comvid in his hand. His expression was one of confusion and consternation. He raised his hand to hail an air taxi, and she slipped into the alleyway to collect the little speeder she was using.
She barely had to concentrate to keep up with the bright blue air taxi, which followed traffic regulations for once. She blinked in surprise when it made a deep dive into the region of the city with the gaudiest and most frenetically flashing lights; the entertainment district. It slowed down right in front of the Fruitful Vine, a building designed to look like a cluster of grapes where each "grape" was actually a private lounge where one could spend time with escorts of all species and persuasions.
Well, well, Senator. You are just blossoming like a flower, aren't you?
But he did not go inside. He lingered for a moment outside the front entrance, continuing to look confused and deeply uncomfortable. Then he looked again at his comvid and circled the structure, all the way to the back where the refuse piles and grease traps from the kitchen were emptied. Off to one side was a large stairwell descending into inky blackness. Sabe was aware that the stairwell descended a full six levels. The Fruitful Vine acted as a gatehouse to the underwold.
The senator stopped, and looked around. His shoulders were tense, and he jumped at every sound. His hand kept creeping toward his hip where Sabe assumed he'd hidden some sort of weapon.
"Thank you for coming," Said a low, hissing voice from the shadows.
A tall, vaguely humanoid figure separated itself from the inky darkness. Sabe couldn't distinguish any other features or tell what species it was.
"Who are you?" The senator demanded. "What is the meaning of this message?"
"We'll get to it," The figure said slyly. "Are you alone?"
"Yes. But I'm leaving in three minutes if I don't get answers."
"Oh, you aren't going anywhere, Senator. We are the ones who are going to be getting answers from you about your little committee meetings."
Suddenly two figures Sabe hadn't noticed before joined the first, and then moved forward to grab the Senator's arms. They were Falleen. Black sun, then. The streetlight glinted off an object in one attacker's hand. He reached forward and jerked the Senator's head to the side in an unbreakable hold, preparing to plunge a needle into his neck.
Sabe cursed loudly. The Falleen started and looked toward her. He loosened his grip just long enough for Organa to knock the autoinjector from his hand and to pull his weapon from his belt. Unfortunately, Organa's weapon turned out to be nothing more than a little aerosol can of eyeburn. No canny underworld criminal this one, Sabe internally signed, and sprang from her hiding place with her twin vibroblades blazing.
The first assailant she took completely by surprise, striking him in the temple and knocking him out cold. The second was faster. He swung a club as thick as her body, missing her by inches. She felt the wind on her face from its passing and rolled away with a grunt, the club swinging back and cracking into the pavement too close to her head for comfort. Arching her back, she jumped to her feet, the vibroblades creating a deadly red arc around her. The assailant dodged them, but she had still managed to position herself between him and the Senator. She saw the Falleen pulling a blaster from his belt and threw one of her blades, knocking away the weapon and leaving a deep burn on his wrist. He howled. The blaster skittered across the slimy pavement where Senator Organa had the presence of mind to grab it and fire at the final Falleen. It dodged behind a dumpster, but Sabe thought it might at least have been hit.
It distracted her, and the injured Falleen with the club was still mobile enough to be a threat. She remembered this with regret as the club struck her in her chest. Luckily it was a glancing blow, but it was still enough to cause the breath to explode out of her and knock her to the ground. Her head thumped jarringly on the concrete and her vision swam. She gasped for breath, trying not to pass out. If that happened, she was dead. Of all the things she wanted for herself, not dying next to a Coruscanti grease dumpster was rapidly moving up the list.
A brown and beige blur glided over her. She drew her eyebrows together, trying to understand what she was seeing. An electric blue glow appeared with a familiar whine before it became a buzzing maelstrom of heat and sparks. "Good timing, Kenobi." she breathed, resting her head back on the pavement.
Soon, the Falleen with the club joined his companion in unconsciousness on the ground. The remaining assailant very shortly elected to flee down the staircase rather than press his case with the Jedi crouched before him like a panther ready to spring. When his footsteps had receded out of hearing, Obi-Wan relaxed his stance and deactivated his lightsaber. He helped the Senator to his feet and together they hurried back to where Sabe lay groaning in an unladylike heap.
"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan said, helping her to sit up.
"Eh," she said, wobbling her hand in a so-so gesture. She sat very still for a moment, waiting for her head to stop spinning. The world righted itself and she looked at Organa. "Okay. I concede."
"What?" the Senator asked.
It was the eyeburn that had clinched it for her. What kind of hardened criminal would bring thatto a blaster fight? "You're a saint. Every bit as squeaky clean as you appear."
Organa stared at her and it occurred to her that she likely sounded insane.
"Don't take this the wrong way, I'm very grateful for your assistance," Organa said. "But what just happened? Why are any of you here?"
"He has an excellent point, Sabe. Why are you here?" Obi-Wan asked.
Sabe tried to glare at him but found she was too dizzy to make it effective. "I was following you, Senator. I thought you might be involved in some illicit activities because of your connection to the Incom Corporation."
Senator Organa looked even more perplexed. "The food container company?"
Obi-Wan smiled. Sabe sighed.
"Well, why did you come here, Senator?" She asked.
"I received this," He said, passing her his comvid.
Sabe took it and read the screen. Your off hour activities have been noticed. Come to the rear of the Fruitful Vine for Information about a new opportunity related to the boss. Come alone.
"They were clearly Black Sun. Why would they want you?" Sabe asked, handing it back .
"Black..what?"
"The primary criminal organization operating on Coruscant. They take cuts from every major business here." Sabe said.
"It's possible they saw an opportunity to collect a sizable ransom," Obi-Wan said.
"Maybe," Sabe said. "But how did they know about his resistance activities?"
"How did you?" Senator Organa asked in alarm.
Sabe chuckled. "Senator, I was standing by the door during your entire first meeting."
Senator Organa's eyebrows lifted in realization, and Sabe understood that as far as he'd been aware, she'd been a perfect stranger come out of the darkness with unexplained motivations to fight his assailants. "Forgive me. I didn't recognize you."
"Not at all, Senator. That's my specialty," Sabe said, smiling.
"I was aware of the handmaidens' ability to disappear in plain sight, but I was not aware of their impressive combat skills in a pinch."
"Or perhaps their remarkable ability to find their way into one," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm very grateful to you," Senator Organa continued. "Will you extend my thanks to Senator Amidala as well?"
"Best to show your gratitude to me by never, ever mentioning it to her," Sabe muttered.
"You should both come with me to the Temple," Obi-Wan said. "The Council will be very interested to hear about all this, and the healers should look over both of you."
"I should be glad to meet with the Council, but I haven't a scratch thanks to you," Senator Organa said.
Sabe shook her head, brushing herself off. "I've nothing to say to them that you didn't see, Obi-Wan. I've been away from Padme for far too long as it is."
The truth was, she was deeply worried for Padme and impatient to get back. If someone knew Senator Organa was involved with the group, there was no reason why they wouldn't know about Senator Amidala as well. Further, she wasn't necessarily ready to share all that she knew with the Council, whose political entanglements were too complex to trust right now.
"I suppose there isn't a fool's hope that you will get your injuries seen to," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
She looked down at the ruin of her clothes and tried to think of a way to sneak past Dorme back at 500 Republica. She paused at the gentle touch of his fingers on her forehead just above her right eye. He lifted his hand away, showing her the blood on them. His eyes were warm and very blue.
"It's just a scrape," she whispered.
Organa looked between the two of them and tactfully walked away, making a show of busying himself with his com and calling an air taxi.
"How did you know I would be here?" Sabe asked.
"Dex," Obi-Wan said. "When you and the Senator were at his place this morning, Dex noticed the Senator had picked up an extra tail. He commed me and told me I had better check in."
"I owe him yet again. I wonder if he is keeping tally."
"Most assuredly. But he is quite selective about the favors he doles out," Obi-Wan said, his lips curving.
Stop looking at me like that. Like I'm your favorite person. Like any of those things that drift through my mind at night could be possible. It made it difficult to shield. To think. To remember her duty and her loyalties. To lie to his face.
"Obi-Wan, there's something I have to-"
But before she could say anything more, the air taxi arrived with its forward lights blazing. A squib hopped out and looked around, seeing the two unconscious Falleen, one imploded refuse bin and the bedraggled trio of potential passengers. His eyes, already comically wide, grew wider still. "S-s-someone call for a ride?"
"Yes!" Senator Organa said brightly. "And an extra tip in it for your trouble."
Since she would not accompany him to the temple to see the healers, Obi-Wan insisted upon escorting her to a corner medical clinic instead. In the end she had to admit that it was probably a good idea. She tried to get off the air taxi at the wrong stop twice and needed to lean heavily on him while climbing down at the right one.
"Do not make any stops," Obi-Wan told the still-nervous taxi driver, and then looked at the Senator. "I'll be along directly. The council is awaiting your arrival in the next few minutes."
"I'll be fine," the Senator told him. "Get her home."
With that the air taxi zoomed away from the curb toward the towering silhouette of the Temple just a few miles distant. The two of them turned toward the disreputable-looking clinic that advertised cheap medical droid diagnosing 24/7. Obi-Wan pressed a panel to open the door and it emitted a sad whir and a puff of smoke before rattling open.
"I would probably be better off asking Dex for some kind of remedy," Sabe said.
"You've seen Dex's hangover remedy, have you not?" Obi-Wan asked.
At least the place was empty. Or perhaps that was a bad sign. A medical droid buzzed up to Sabe immediately, deploying its series of scanners over her body. Sabe leaned away, but was shortly distracted by Obi-Wan's low chuckle at her distrustful expression and the movement of his thumb over the back of her hand.
"Grade II concussion," the droid chirped helpfully and then buzzed away, presumably to retrieve the appropriate tools.
Sabe swallowed nervously and forced a smile for Obi-Wan. "See? I've lost more brain cells on duty in Senate Committee meetings. I'm sure you have better things to do."
"I will see you home," He said implacably as the droid returned waving a penlight and a bottle of pain pills.
They made it back to her quarters before she would be missed by either Padme or Dorme, but she knew there would be no time to spare for sleep. This was despite the orders of the medical droid who had told her the best medicine for a mild concussion was sleep. It was implied that if she did not follow instructions her IQ might fall precipitously at any moment. Obi-Wan reinforced the droid's orders at her door with a stern face. But she could tell by the twinkle in his eyes that he knew it was a lost cause.
Sabe slogged through her daily routine. She began with giving Padme a report on Senator Organa while editing out her own involvement in his rescue. Then she had the usual tasks of dressing Padme, completing one of her ornate hairstyles, serving her breakfast and going over the days' itinerary.
At midday, Padme laid down her datapad and looked at Sabe. "I don't know what you were up to last night, but you are clearly exhausted. Please go to your quarters and get some rest."
Sabe tried to look reluctant but hurried to her chambers. As soon as her door closed she threw herself fully clothed across her divan and lapsed into a sound sleep that lasted for hours.
A continuous buzzing at her door brought her back to awareness. She sat up, confused by her darkened room. It felt like she had just laid down her head, but her clock showed evening. The buzzing continued, beginning to give her a headache. She swung her feet to the floor and stood, swaying and weaving her way to the door.
"What?!" She snapped as she flung it open.
Obi-Wan was standing there.
As soon as she saw him, it was absolutely clear. This wasn't his first stop. He'd been to see Padme. He hadn't seen Padme for months as far as she knew. His face made it clear what changes he had noticed and the realization he'd come to. Wordlessly, Sabe moved aside to let him enter.
He pushed past her and stood before the window looking out, a shadow against the vacillating, multi-colored traffic lights.
"I've been walking around the city for hours," He said softly. "How long have you known?"
Her mouth was almost too dry to speak. "As long as she has."
"And you didn't tell me," His voice was cracking ice.
"I might have thought you had already worked it out," she said.
"And how would I do that?"
"From the gossip on every street corner and down every hallway of the Senate Rotunda."
It was unfair. She was terribly good at being unfair, but her head hurt so much. She'd always known it was a conversation she would have to have one day, but why did it have to be now? Today? She saw enough of his face to see that the barb had landed, and the look he gave her felt like a gut punch. She crossed her arms around herself to ward it away.
"You knew I didn't have a clue. You tried to tell me last night."
"Yes," she whispered.
"Why didn't you? You couldn't give me the courtesy of a few hours to prepare myself?"
"No."
"Why?!"
He'd only raised his voice at her once before. She flinched. "You expect me to follow the tenets of the oath you swore, but you haven't the slightest regard for the one I took. My loyalty is to her. It has always been to her. Not the Order, not Anakin, and not you."
His voice faltered. "I thought that we..."
"You thought...what? That we had an understanding? That is precisely what you and I don't have, Obi-Wan," She could hear her voice getting thick and swallowed impatiently. "We have spent quite a while avoiding understanding between us like the plague."
His face softened until she couldn't look at it anymore, fearful there might be pity there. She lowered her eyes and felt rather than saw him moving closer, until he was nearer than he'd been since that night in Theed when he'd walked her home. Though it seemed an age ago, she hadn't forgotten a detail; not the scent of pine and salt ocean spray that moved with him and enveloped her, not the feel of his cool tapered fingers touching her cheek, not the way his lashes were the same sandy gold as his hair. He rested his forehead against hers, and his eyes opened, looking into hers and asking some question she couldn't quite understand. She'd remembered them accurately, too. Not blue, not green, not grey. His lips were so close that if he had spoken she would have tasted the words...
And how long would it take to find equilibrium this time? Nothing had changed since then. She pulled away, turning from him and exhaling shakily. "I can't do this anymore."
His hands dropped away as if burned, and it seemed she could feel his eyes boring into her back. The weight of the silence was unendurable. Then she heard his steps moving away and the door slamming behind him.
"Sabe?"
She hadn't heard the door open again. She straightened immediately, rubbing at her eyes. "Yes, I'm sorry. Did you need something?"
Padme studied her for a minute and then came inside, shutting the door carefully. She folded her voluminous skirts beneath her as she sat beside her on the sofa.
"No. Dorme came and got me. She said she could hear you crying. What is it?"
"It's nothing. I'm just tired, and the Coruscanti smog burns my eyes."
"Cut it out, Sabe. What did he say?"
"Who, my Lady?"
Padme glared at her. "It was about me, wasn't it?"
Sabe stared at her hands, unsure which thought to give voice too. My head hurts. He's angry with me. Perhaps this is the last time I will see him. Once I would have told you all of this and accepted your comfort, but lately it seems as if you can barely stand on your own two feet. I'm so tired.
"Of course not, Padme."
Padme sighed. "He was angry with you for not telling him. I know you wanted to. I've hurt you. Both of you. Probably Anakin, too."
Sabe straightened. "We'll figure it out, Padme. Each of us. You don't have to take the burden of all of our problems on your shoulders. Especially now."
"But I've caused so many of them..."
"No!" Sabe slipped an arm around her neck and pulled her into a tight hug. "You have only ever given love, Padme. To everyone around you. Never apologize for that!"
They leaned into one another then, each supporting the other in equal measure, and an old, old lesson from the academy came back. The double keystones. Most stone arches had one keystone, but a peculiarity of classical Theed architecture was two, specially shaped to interlock and bear the weight of the whole structure. If either of them shifted, the arch would fall. For just a moment it felt the two of them had that balance.
Then Padme leaned away. "You could go to Naboo for a few days, you know."
"Why?" Sabe asked.
"Preparation," Padme said, touching her belly lightly. "You could help get the lake country house ready. Eirtae and Sache are there. And Captain Panaka has been asking for help getting security in place."
"I can't leave you, Padme. Your due date is approaching, and there is this threat to Senator Organa to consider."
"No offense, Sabe, but I think Dorme has a better bedside manner than you for laboring," Padme winked. "I would join you shortly."
"Why don't you come with me now, Padme?" Sabe said, suddenly feeling an urgency. The walls of her flat and the buildings outside seemed to press in on the two of them, like a mouth poised to chew them up. What a relief it would be to trade the concrete and the smog for the crisp lake country air and arching cloudless skies.
Padme hesitated. She was turning her wedding ring on her finger, her smooth forehead creased. "I can't. There are some crucial Senate actions coming up that I have to be present for. This could be the most consequential week of my career."
Her brow cleared. "Besides, Dorme, Captain Typho, and Anakin have faced a more direct threat against me. You know you can trust them to look after me for a few days."
Dorme and Captain Typho, surely. And despite his strange moods, Sabe had no doubt that Anakin would be laser focused on his pregnant wife. No assailant could possibly hope to get close to her through the three of them.
"It feels like running away." Sabe said.
Padme smiled wanly. "Sometimes strategic escape is the best means of survival."
