Saché woke, inhaled deeply and stretched her aching body the entire length of the hospital bed. As soon as she did, she regretted it. Gasping with the pain, she focused on controlling her discomfort. After a moment, she felt some relief and turned over.
Sabé was leaning against the doorway of a balcony, still dressed in the black jumpsuit. She had undone the tight bun that kept her long brunette hair back during the rescue, and now it hung down to her waist. Her head was bowed in meditation, her arms crossed. When she heard Saché stirring she looked up and smiled, though she was clearly exhausted.
"Feeling better?"
Saché returned the smile, but hers was not as broad. "Um hmm. Still a bit shaky."
"That's only natural. Yané and her mentor will be working with you to regain your strength. You'll be back on the job as a handmaiden soon."
"What became of The Faction?" Saché asked.
"We've got most of them rounded up. From your reports, we think Dunyan is the key figure. With him in our custody, the odds are the few left will disband and scatter. The Queen is safer now, thanks to your work." Sabé reported.
Saché nodded. She stared at Sabé, curiousity evident in her gaze.
After a few moments of scrutiny, the Minister became uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Sabé asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How did you do it? How could you have possibly known where to find me?"
Sabé uncrossed her arms and shrugged. "I can't explain it all yet. The Force led me, I think. Your focus on your sensations during your move helped quite a lot. You sent out some important clues. Basically what it boiled down to is that I wanted to know where you were, and I followed the direction that felt right."
Saché laughed softly. "So you do have the power. You'll be able to get us through anything. I thought you might be gifted, and so you are. From what I heard of your time with Jedi Kenobi and what I've seen of you with Meira, I could tell that you were able to sense what they needed before they knew it themselves."
Sabé held her hands up. "Wait a minute. I am grateful for your confidence, but I don't deserve it. I can't do that all the time, or with everybody. I'm not properly trained, so I can't call upon it at will. My sensitivity to Kenobi may be only temporary. I think it was so we could have Meira. As for my bond with the baby, that's because she's my daughter, and I must attend to her needs. I won't promise you that I can ever find a hidden hostage again. Don't get reckless on me."
Saché closed her eyes as she relaxed. "Modest too, I see. Very well. Don't worry, Sabé. I will try to avoid dangerous situations."
Sabé walked over to her friend and touched her shoulder. "That's all I can ask. I don't expect you to stop being a free spirit. Just be careful. Goodnight, Saché"
Saché held up her hand as Sabé dimmed the light.
"Meira? You spoke of her in present tense..."
Sabé's soft smile was answer enough.
"Goodnight, Sabé," Saché managed to get out before closing her eyes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
Saché had just finished her first run over the training area, and was shaking out her arms after the exercise. Panaka approached her with a smile.
"So, what do you think? It's not going to take me long to get back into the swing of things, eh?"
"Not at all," the captain nodded. "I had no doubts about you. The big surprise is our Gungan lady. I'm sorry now that I waited this long to train her."
The young Gungan female took her place at the start of the course and waited for the signal. It flashed, and she began her run, leaping and tumbling to dodge the blaster bolts the training droids fired at her. Along the way, she hit the target areas on the droids to shut them off. Even though she made it look easy, everyone marveled at her ability. The course was designed to be tough, so they knew how hard she had been working to get up to speed with the other handmaidens.
Sabé joined Panaka and Saché as they watched the Gungan complete her run. "Looks like we'll have to up the difficulty level for Jeré. She's catching on faster than even I anticipated. Not bad at all for someone who was expected to act only in an honorary capacity."
"You've got to give her credit. She wants to do this thing right. She's only obligated to be here for a year. I wonder if she'll stay longer?" Saché commented.
"I rather think that Boss Nass won't give up his favorite niece longer than that. I don't know for sure, though. Perhaps if she pleads that she needs more time to learn languages..." Panaka mused.
Sabé nodded. "Oh, yes, that is why she wanted to come over in the first place isn't it? That's taking a bit more time, but I'm sure she will excel at those skills as well. She is truly one of the best and the brightest. I'm glad they chose her as the exchange."
The three Naboo watched Jeré complete her run. She caught sight of them and approached them, so that Sabé and Panaka might evaluate her efforts.
"Howsa," Jeré began, then shook her head in frustration. "How did I do?"
Panaka nodded at her. "Very good. The Minister noticed that you've improved so much, that we'll have to continue your training on an advanced level." He nodded toward Sabé.
"Yes," Sabé agreed. "We'll begin with that tommorrow. I'll see you in the morning. You're dismissed 'till then. Thank you, Jeré."
The Gungan beamed. "Thank you!" As she reached the gate to the training range, Eirtaé entered, accompanied by a striking redhead. When they met, Jeré and Eirtaé exchanged brief greetings. The new girl remained silent but cast a critical gaze over the Gungan. For a moment, Saché thought she spotted the same expression she had seen so often on the faces of Faction members, but if it had been there, it had been covered up so quickly, that she could not be sure.
When Eirtaé finished the conversation, she brought her charge over to Sabé, Panaka and Saché. "I would like to present the latest addition to our corps. Liraé has just arrived, so I thought I should bring her over right away to meet you."
Panaka nodded. "Welcome. Chancellor Palpatine himself has recommended you highly, so we're expecting great things. Come with me and the Minister, and we'll get you set up. See you later, Saché."
As they departed, Saché studied the redhead. She was the same height as the rest of the Naboo girls, and she walked with a regal bearing. On the surface, she seemed to fit the profile of a handmaiden well. However, Saché felt something strange, as though this girl should not be taken at face value. She dismissed the notion as the result of what her mission had done to her imagination, and turned her thoughts to her schedule for the rest of the day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a small room located in a Theed warehouse, those who remained of The Faction were in discussion.
"So when do we get our revenge on the spy--now or later?" a woman coughed.
The man in a dark cloak at the head of the table rose, holding up his hands. "We don't make that decision. We await orders from Coruscant. Nothing will be done 'till then."
End
(Next up--"Connection")
Sabé was leaning against the doorway of a balcony, still dressed in the black jumpsuit. She had undone the tight bun that kept her long brunette hair back during the rescue, and now it hung down to her waist. Her head was bowed in meditation, her arms crossed. When she heard Saché stirring she looked up and smiled, though she was clearly exhausted.
"Feeling better?"
Saché returned the smile, but hers was not as broad. "Um hmm. Still a bit shaky."
"That's only natural. Yané and her mentor will be working with you to regain your strength. You'll be back on the job as a handmaiden soon."
"What became of The Faction?" Saché asked.
"We've got most of them rounded up. From your reports, we think Dunyan is the key figure. With him in our custody, the odds are the few left will disband and scatter. The Queen is safer now, thanks to your work." Sabé reported.
Saché nodded. She stared at Sabé, curiousity evident in her gaze.
After a few moments of scrutiny, the Minister became uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Sabé asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How did you do it? How could you have possibly known where to find me?"
Sabé uncrossed her arms and shrugged. "I can't explain it all yet. The Force led me, I think. Your focus on your sensations during your move helped quite a lot. You sent out some important clues. Basically what it boiled down to is that I wanted to know where you were, and I followed the direction that felt right."
Saché laughed softly. "So you do have the power. You'll be able to get us through anything. I thought you might be gifted, and so you are. From what I heard of your time with Jedi Kenobi and what I've seen of you with Meira, I could tell that you were able to sense what they needed before they knew it themselves."
Sabé held her hands up. "Wait a minute. I am grateful for your confidence, but I don't deserve it. I can't do that all the time, or with everybody. I'm not properly trained, so I can't call upon it at will. My sensitivity to Kenobi may be only temporary. I think it was so we could have Meira. As for my bond with the baby, that's because she's my daughter, and I must attend to her needs. I won't promise you that I can ever find a hidden hostage again. Don't get reckless on me."
Saché closed her eyes as she relaxed. "Modest too, I see. Very well. Don't worry, Sabé. I will try to avoid dangerous situations."
Sabé walked over to her friend and touched her shoulder. "That's all I can ask. I don't expect you to stop being a free spirit. Just be careful. Goodnight, Saché"
Saché held up her hand as Sabé dimmed the light.
"Meira? You spoke of her in present tense..."
Sabé's soft smile was answer enough.
"Goodnight, Sabé," Saché managed to get out before closing her eyes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
Saché had just finished her first run over the training area, and was shaking out her arms after the exercise. Panaka approached her with a smile.
"So, what do you think? It's not going to take me long to get back into the swing of things, eh?"
"Not at all," the captain nodded. "I had no doubts about you. The big surprise is our Gungan lady. I'm sorry now that I waited this long to train her."
The young Gungan female took her place at the start of the course and waited for the signal. It flashed, and she began her run, leaping and tumbling to dodge the blaster bolts the training droids fired at her. Along the way, she hit the target areas on the droids to shut them off. Even though she made it look easy, everyone marveled at her ability. The course was designed to be tough, so they knew how hard she had been working to get up to speed with the other handmaidens.
Sabé joined Panaka and Saché as they watched the Gungan complete her run. "Looks like we'll have to up the difficulty level for Jeré. She's catching on faster than even I anticipated. Not bad at all for someone who was expected to act only in an honorary capacity."
"You've got to give her credit. She wants to do this thing right. She's only obligated to be here for a year. I wonder if she'll stay longer?" Saché commented.
"I rather think that Boss Nass won't give up his favorite niece longer than that. I don't know for sure, though. Perhaps if she pleads that she needs more time to learn languages..." Panaka mused.
Sabé nodded. "Oh, yes, that is why she wanted to come over in the first place isn't it? That's taking a bit more time, but I'm sure she will excel at those skills as well. She is truly one of the best and the brightest. I'm glad they chose her as the exchange."
The three Naboo watched Jeré complete her run. She caught sight of them and approached them, so that Sabé and Panaka might evaluate her efforts.
"Howsa," Jeré began, then shook her head in frustration. "How did I do?"
Panaka nodded at her. "Very good. The Minister noticed that you've improved so much, that we'll have to continue your training on an advanced level." He nodded toward Sabé.
"Yes," Sabé agreed. "We'll begin with that tommorrow. I'll see you in the morning. You're dismissed 'till then. Thank you, Jeré."
The Gungan beamed. "Thank you!" As she reached the gate to the training range, Eirtaé entered, accompanied by a striking redhead. When they met, Jeré and Eirtaé exchanged brief greetings. The new girl remained silent but cast a critical gaze over the Gungan. For a moment, Saché thought she spotted the same expression she had seen so often on the faces of Faction members, but if it had been there, it had been covered up so quickly, that she could not be sure.
When Eirtaé finished the conversation, she brought her charge over to Sabé, Panaka and Saché. "I would like to present the latest addition to our corps. Liraé has just arrived, so I thought I should bring her over right away to meet you."
Panaka nodded. "Welcome. Chancellor Palpatine himself has recommended you highly, so we're expecting great things. Come with me and the Minister, and we'll get you set up. See you later, Saché."
As they departed, Saché studied the redhead. She was the same height as the rest of the Naboo girls, and she walked with a regal bearing. On the surface, she seemed to fit the profile of a handmaiden well. However, Saché felt something strange, as though this girl should not be taken at face value. She dismissed the notion as the result of what her mission had done to her imagination, and turned her thoughts to her schedule for the rest of the day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a small room located in a Theed warehouse, those who remained of The Faction were in discussion.
"So when do we get our revenge on the spy--now or later?" a woman coughed.
The man in a dark cloak at the head of the table rose, holding up his hands. "We don't make that decision. We await orders from Coruscant. Nothing will be done 'till then."
End
(Next up--"Connection")