"Perhaps at our destination, you may see more Jedi." Qui-Gon said as he rose, his eyes twinkling. "What is our destination Master, if I may ask?" I asked curiously. Qui-Gon grinned broadly. "Corusant." Memories flashed through my brain as the word rang out. Memories of my father telling me all about the huge city, with it's skyscrapers and air cars that extended for miles on end. "Corusant!" I practically yelled. I couldn't believe that I, Elaina Solo, a slave, was going to go to one of the biggest and most active worlds in the galaxy! And it was the home of the Jedi Temple! It seemed to good to be true. "Corusant." I whispered again, almost devoutly. "Yes Corusant." Qui-Gon said, still smiling. "And you best get some sleep before we reach it." He said, his voice echoing a tinge of laughter. Then he placed his rough hand on my face, gazing into my eyes with something that echoed sympathy. He shook his head and walked out.
I sat in silence for a moment before I looked at around the room. Obi-Wan was still seated at the couch, but his somber disposition had changed to a look of mirth. "What?" I asked, eyeing the immanent smile on his smooth face. "Well," He started, then stopped. Then he surprised me by breaking out into laughter. "What?" I repeated, confused. "You should've seen your face! Your eyes!" He laughed. "They were as wide as saucers! You went plain..........BUGEYED!" He laughed, almost falling over on the couch. I looked at him indignantly. "Well you would be surprised too if you had been a slave on a stupid dustball of a planet that you had never left your whole life!" I said angrily. That stopped him, but only for a moment, when his mirth surfaced again at one look of my serious face. I sighed, took a couch pillow and hit him across the head as I walked away from him, his merry laughter echoing in the halls behind me.
Place: Corusant.
We reached Corusant today. I was able to make my way into the cockpit with Anakin and the captain to get a better look at this amazing world. When I was leaving my room, I noticed Obi-Wan standing in the hallway. I ignored him, walking past him, but I stopped in the cockpit as I noticed he was following me. I ignored him once more, still angry with him at his laughing at me. I looked out over the city world, at the monumental towers and buildings, tall monoliths basking in the early morning sun. Obi-Wan was at my elbow at this point and when I turned to him with an exasperated sigh, he smiled broadly. "What are you doing?" I asked. His smile became wider. "I just wanted to see what your face looked like when you actually got to SEE Corusant." I glared at him. Then he began to pretend like he was going to burst out laughing. He finally got me to crack a smile with all his strange faces, which was obviously what he wanted. Finally satisfied, he went to find Qui-Gon.
As we walked off the landing platform and onto the floating docking bay to meet the Chancellor, I wondered what I should do, where I should go. Qui-Gon had his own personal business to attend to, as did the Queen. As I pondered this, I noticed the Chancellor and another man walking swiftly towards us. This man was tall and imposing, with a superior air and wore dark blue robes of office. I assumed that this was the Senator Palpatine that Padme had spoke of. She had told me but a few hours before, with a hopeful gleam in her brown eyes, that the Queen would meet with him here and discuss the plight of Naboo, the Queen's homeworld.
She explained what was happening there too. The Trade Federation had illegally taken over the planet of Naboo's trading system, cutting off all their communications in the process. They then landed their droid army upon the planet and took over the capital city of Thede. Almost everyone in the city was taken to prison camps, with the exception of the Queen, Amidala. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had rescued the Queen, Padme and her other handmaidens and a few soldiers, hijacking the Queen's personal ship. No wonder at first I had sensed that there was more to Qui-Gon than meets the eye!
I suppose that I should tell about the Queen. True, I have only seen her once, but she is a very memorable person. Padme tells me that she is just fourteen, but she seems so much older. Her short stature is made taller by her exotic wardrobe, her young face disguised as an old one through her pale makeup. Her face is painted all white, two dots of red sit on her youthful cheeks, and a slash of red crosses her bottom lip. Padme tells me that these are symbols of the past of Naboo. The Queen's eyes are a deep brown, but they seem to do more than just see. They speak. When Qui-Gon spoke to her when he returned, her eyes seemed to say, 'Help me. Help my people, my world'.
As the two men drew nearer to us, I realized that I didn't like Senator Palpatine. I know, it is hard to know someone on a first glance, but I do have Jedi feelings and that helps. I don't know why I feel the way I do, but when I see him, I want to run and hide. I fear that he will hurt me. He seems so false behind that coy smile. He seems too sure of himself, but perhaps he has a right to be. Perhaps it is the long journey that makes me feel this way. It must be. I must not be thinking in my right mind.
The Queen spoke with the Senator and the Chancellor for a few moments before she walked off with the Senator. She motioned to her handmaidens and Anakin. Jar Jar followed behind not far behind him, his ears flip flopping as he tried to catch up. I looked around frantically, not knowing where to go. But then my eyes caught Qui-Gon's. He nodded in the direction of the departing handmaidens. I nodded back to him gratefully and ran after them.
Place: Corusant, Building of the Senators.
Ani and I have been waiting outside Senator Palpatine's door for a very long time. Almost two hours it seems. He and the Queen had entered it talking intently and from the looks of things in the room, they were still talking intently. During this time, Ani and I caught up with each other on our adventures and reminisced. Jar Jar merely paced back and forth, a daft look on his reptilian face. Occasionally he would stop his pacing to listen in on our conversation, but then he would return to pacing again. "And then, Padme said that I was a funny boy. But I'm sure she means that in a GOOD way. Don't you think so Elaina?" Anakin asked, finishing his recounting of the first time he had met Padme.
I smiled and nodded. "Certainly. Why?" Anakin blushed. "Well, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you know. That you thought the same." I looked at my friend curiously. "Anakin, do you like Padme?" Anakin's face turned bright red. "Of course! She's a very nice girl." He faltered. "But you like her more than a friend would?" I pressed. He brought his face up and grimaced. "Yes. I think, I love her." I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Is that a bad thing?" Anakin shook his head. "Oh no. It's just that, it's such a new feeling. It's altogether new to me and I don't know how to respond. You know? It's alltogether different from the love I feel for Mom. Have you ever been in love Elaina?" He asked. I shook my head. "No. I don't think I ever will either." Anakin laughed. "Yes you will! You'll get married and be a Jedi Knight and have two children!" Suddenly, Anakin's face darkened in confusion. "I don't know where that came from 'Laina." He said, his face furrowed in confusion.
Before I had the chance to answer him, Amidala and her handmaidens emerged from the office. I looked for Padme to follow, but she was not among the handmaidens. When I looked down at Anakin, I noticed that he was looking for Padme as well. He pulled the sleeve of one of the other handmaidens, Rabe I think her name was. I keep getting them confused. "Where is the Queen going?" He asked in a whisper. She smiled and bent down to speak to him. "The Queen is going to her quarters to prepare to bring her case to the Senate." Then she straightened and began to walk briskly away as she saw the other handmaidens turn the corner.
Ani and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But we were saved the wondering as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rounded the corner. "Come on Anakin. I've arranged for the Jedi Council to have a hearing with you." Anakin's face lit up like the sun. "Really? All right!" He shouted loudly, jumping into the air. "Easy! You're not a Jedi yet." Obi-Wan said with a smile. I could tell that Anakin didn't even care. Just being able to see the Council was enough to satisfy him, for now.
I sat in silence for a moment before I looked at around the room. Obi-Wan was still seated at the couch, but his somber disposition had changed to a look of mirth. "What?" I asked, eyeing the immanent smile on his smooth face. "Well," He started, then stopped. Then he surprised me by breaking out into laughter. "What?" I repeated, confused. "You should've seen your face! Your eyes!" He laughed. "They were as wide as saucers! You went plain..........BUGEYED!" He laughed, almost falling over on the couch. I looked at him indignantly. "Well you would be surprised too if you had been a slave on a stupid dustball of a planet that you had never left your whole life!" I said angrily. That stopped him, but only for a moment, when his mirth surfaced again at one look of my serious face. I sighed, took a couch pillow and hit him across the head as I walked away from him, his merry laughter echoing in the halls behind me.
Place: Corusant.
We reached Corusant today. I was able to make my way into the cockpit with Anakin and the captain to get a better look at this amazing world. When I was leaving my room, I noticed Obi-Wan standing in the hallway. I ignored him, walking past him, but I stopped in the cockpit as I noticed he was following me. I ignored him once more, still angry with him at his laughing at me. I looked out over the city world, at the monumental towers and buildings, tall monoliths basking in the early morning sun. Obi-Wan was at my elbow at this point and when I turned to him with an exasperated sigh, he smiled broadly. "What are you doing?" I asked. His smile became wider. "I just wanted to see what your face looked like when you actually got to SEE Corusant." I glared at him. Then he began to pretend like he was going to burst out laughing. He finally got me to crack a smile with all his strange faces, which was obviously what he wanted. Finally satisfied, he went to find Qui-Gon.
As we walked off the landing platform and onto the floating docking bay to meet the Chancellor, I wondered what I should do, where I should go. Qui-Gon had his own personal business to attend to, as did the Queen. As I pondered this, I noticed the Chancellor and another man walking swiftly towards us. This man was tall and imposing, with a superior air and wore dark blue robes of office. I assumed that this was the Senator Palpatine that Padme had spoke of. She had told me but a few hours before, with a hopeful gleam in her brown eyes, that the Queen would meet with him here and discuss the plight of Naboo, the Queen's homeworld.
She explained what was happening there too. The Trade Federation had illegally taken over the planet of Naboo's trading system, cutting off all their communications in the process. They then landed their droid army upon the planet and took over the capital city of Thede. Almost everyone in the city was taken to prison camps, with the exception of the Queen, Amidala. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had rescued the Queen, Padme and her other handmaidens and a few soldiers, hijacking the Queen's personal ship. No wonder at first I had sensed that there was more to Qui-Gon than meets the eye!
I suppose that I should tell about the Queen. True, I have only seen her once, but she is a very memorable person. Padme tells me that she is just fourteen, but she seems so much older. Her short stature is made taller by her exotic wardrobe, her young face disguised as an old one through her pale makeup. Her face is painted all white, two dots of red sit on her youthful cheeks, and a slash of red crosses her bottom lip. Padme tells me that these are symbols of the past of Naboo. The Queen's eyes are a deep brown, but they seem to do more than just see. They speak. When Qui-Gon spoke to her when he returned, her eyes seemed to say, 'Help me. Help my people, my world'.
As the two men drew nearer to us, I realized that I didn't like Senator Palpatine. I know, it is hard to know someone on a first glance, but I do have Jedi feelings and that helps. I don't know why I feel the way I do, but when I see him, I want to run and hide. I fear that he will hurt me. He seems so false behind that coy smile. He seems too sure of himself, but perhaps he has a right to be. Perhaps it is the long journey that makes me feel this way. It must be. I must not be thinking in my right mind.
The Queen spoke with the Senator and the Chancellor for a few moments before she walked off with the Senator. She motioned to her handmaidens and Anakin. Jar Jar followed behind not far behind him, his ears flip flopping as he tried to catch up. I looked around frantically, not knowing where to go. But then my eyes caught Qui-Gon's. He nodded in the direction of the departing handmaidens. I nodded back to him gratefully and ran after them.
Place: Corusant, Building of the Senators.
Ani and I have been waiting outside Senator Palpatine's door for a very long time. Almost two hours it seems. He and the Queen had entered it talking intently and from the looks of things in the room, they were still talking intently. During this time, Ani and I caught up with each other on our adventures and reminisced. Jar Jar merely paced back and forth, a daft look on his reptilian face. Occasionally he would stop his pacing to listen in on our conversation, but then he would return to pacing again. "And then, Padme said that I was a funny boy. But I'm sure she means that in a GOOD way. Don't you think so Elaina?" Anakin asked, finishing his recounting of the first time he had met Padme.
I smiled and nodded. "Certainly. Why?" Anakin blushed. "Well, nothing. Just wanted to make sure you know. That you thought the same." I looked at my friend curiously. "Anakin, do you like Padme?" Anakin's face turned bright red. "Of course! She's a very nice girl." He faltered. "But you like her more than a friend would?" I pressed. He brought his face up and grimaced. "Yes. I think, I love her." I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Is that a bad thing?" Anakin shook his head. "Oh no. It's just that, it's such a new feeling. It's altogether new to me and I don't know how to respond. You know? It's alltogether different from the love I feel for Mom. Have you ever been in love Elaina?" He asked. I shook my head. "No. I don't think I ever will either." Anakin laughed. "Yes you will! You'll get married and be a Jedi Knight and have two children!" Suddenly, Anakin's face darkened in confusion. "I don't know where that came from 'Laina." He said, his face furrowed in confusion.
Before I had the chance to answer him, Amidala and her handmaidens emerged from the office. I looked for Padme to follow, but she was not among the handmaidens. When I looked down at Anakin, I noticed that he was looking for Padme as well. He pulled the sleeve of one of the other handmaidens, Rabe I think her name was. I keep getting them confused. "Where is the Queen going?" He asked in a whisper. She smiled and bent down to speak to him. "The Queen is going to her quarters to prepare to bring her case to the Senate." Then she straightened and began to walk briskly away as she saw the other handmaidens turn the corner.
Ani and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But we were saved the wondering as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rounded the corner. "Come on Anakin. I've arranged for the Jedi Council to have a hearing with you." Anakin's face lit up like the sun. "Really? All right!" He shouted loudly, jumping into the air. "Easy! You're not a Jedi yet." Obi-Wan said with a smile. I could tell that Anakin didn't even care. Just being able to see the Council was enough to satisfy him, for now.