The night air breezed through the open balcony doors of the dark chamber. In the middle of the floor a lone cloaked figure knelt before a small mechanism.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" the figure inquired aloud. Suddenly before him, atop the mechanism, appeared another dark cloaked figure.
"Yes, my apprentice," the hologram hissed. "I have been waiting for your call. Is everything going as I have planned?"
The first figure raised his face to look at his superior.
"Yes, Master. The queen will be arriving within a week. Our sources have successfully relayed the erroneous information as you commanded. She believes she will be ironing out a trade dispute and has no clue about the real reason for her visit."
"Good... good."
"There could be a small problem, however." The younger man hesitated, afraid of his leader's reaction.
"Yes? What is it?" he asked impatiently.
"I received word that two Jedi have been visiting the Theed palace. If they sense anything--"
"Don't worry about them. I already knew, but they will present no problems for you. I have trained you well...... better than my last." The subordinate puffed up with pride at his master's compliment. He knew his predecessor was trained to be a lethal weapon unlike no other, and to be placed above him only added to the man's overwhelmingly large ego. The master continued.
"This young queen has a power that I must possess. She has eluded me before, but this time...... I will have her." The last sentence was spoken with the utmost confidence. "You will persuade her to join me. If she refuses---"
"Yes, Master?"
"---then kill her." The kneeling figure bowed as the hologram faded back into the darkness from which it came, and then he stood. Taking a deep breath, he spoke aloud to himself.
"Yes....... I will take great pleasure in 'persuading' the young queen," he stated as a predatory grin spread across his face. "Persuading is my specialty."
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The week following the arrival of Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was spent preparing for Queen Amidala's visit to Rabeed, the large city on the opposite side of Naboo. Rumors of unrest due to a trade dispute had reached the palace , and Amidala had decided to travel to the city to see for herself what, or who, was at the root of this problem. She took great care to stay attuned to the voices of her people, and now would be no different, despite her council's fear for her safety. It eased their worries and hers that the two Jedi had volunteered to accompany her.
Anakin had been first to insist he come along for protection. Obi-wan had hastily agreed once informed of possible Sith involvement. The Jedi had given up their vacation time and instead opted for more lightsaber practice, much to the delight of all the palace females, the queen included.
During the practice sessions Anakin often felt Amidala watching him from inconspicuous hiding places. Maybe no one else knew what she was doing, but he could feel her strong life force almost as well as his own. It was a connection he had experienced since their first meeting on Tatooine. It pleased him greatly and even prodded him to be more flamboyant than usual, adding extra spins and kicks even when they weren't needed. Obi-wan caught on to Anakin's motivation easily enough and tried to make it as difficult for his padawan as possible. The end result were flashy practice duel that mesmerized any and all spectators that happened to be watching.
One afternoon during the Jedis' training, Amidala stood quietly in the shadows observing every move Anakin made. She was unable to focus on anything but his lean, muscular form, unable to believe that this man was the same little scruffy child who ha so obviously revealed his crush on her years ago. Since the day of his embarrassing defeat by Obi-wan, Anakin had not again been alone with Amidala. He had been busy training himself and others, and she had been readying herself politically for the upcoming trip. However, she always managed to be in transit when it was lightsaber time. Of course, she tried to remain out of sight so as not to be a distraction to Anakin.
'Yeah, right," she had said to herself. 'It's you who are distracted, Amidala!' Despite her self-scolding, she didn't leave. Something kept her there-- kept her eyes glued to Anakin Skywalker and his every move.
'She's here,' Anakin thought as he blocked Obi-wan's swing. With that knowledge came a new surge of confidence, so Anakin swirled around and jabbed at Obi-wan with a flourish of his free hand. Feeling a bit mischievous, as he so often did, he decided to toy with Amidala a bit. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small vase sitting upon a marble stand. Using the Force, he picked it up and moved it sneakily closer to the hiding queen, all the while continuing to successfully ward off any advances by his master. Another quick glance told him that Amidala was not paying attention to anything but him.
'Perfect!' he thought.
Suddenly, he let the vase drop right behind the peeping queen. As it shattered on the floor, Amidala let out a startled yelp and jumped out from her hiding place. Obi-wan noticed her and quickly turned off his saber as did Anakin. The younger Jedi could not contain his snicker after seeing the queen's astonished face. With a suspicious glare, Obi-wan questioned his pupil through the Force.
'Are you responsible for this, Anakin?" Young Skywalker simply burst out laughing, and Obi-wan had his answer. Her heart still racing, Queen Amidala looked at Anakin in confusion.
"Did you do that, Ani?" she asked. Through his laughter, Anakin somehow managed a response.
"I'm truly sorry, your highness." He tried to catch his breath. "I just thought I would coax you out of your hiding place and into the open. No sense being a 'secret admirer.'" After his last remark, he cast a roguish wink her way, and she could once again feel her face heat up underneath all of her royal make-up.
Obi-wan attempted to alleviate some of the queen's embarrassment. "I assure you, Anakin will pay to replace the vase, your highness." He watched as Anakin continued to gaze confidently at Amidala as if he had won a round of sabacc. The elder Jedi knew that his padawan had a deep crush on the young queen, and wasn't sure how far to let it go before intervening.
"No, Obi-wan. That won't be necessary. I shouldn't have been lurking in the shadows. I was just waiting until you were finished." She had to think fast in order to save face. "I had a few extra moments and thought that now might be a good time for my refresher course in self-defense." Feeling a bit more confident and in control of the situation, she stuck her chin up with an air of royal dignity and waited for a reply. The two men grinned at one another in amusement at her attempt at boldness. It was all Obi-wan could do to keep from laughing aloud at her 'cover-up.'
"Well?" she said impatiently.
Clearing his throat, Obi-wan began. "Your highness, I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave you in the care of my padawan." With a quick wink at Anakin, Obi-wan Kenobi was off to enjoy a hot bath and some much needed meditation.
Both Anakin and Amidala watched Kenobi until he was out of sight. Amidala nervously surveyed the area and concluded they were definitely now alone. Her eyes finally came to rest on the smiling face of young Skywalker. He could sense her apprehension at being alone with him, and he had to admit, he liked the feeling of power it gave him. He rather enjoyed having the upper hand for once. She always appeared so calm and in control in her role as queen, but he had a burning desire to delve beneath that public mask and get to know the woman, Padme.