Across The Stars

Chapter 2

.::Max's Point Of View::.

"Excuse me your highness." I said to Queen Amidala as I passed her in the hall.

"Yes Max?" She asked, stopping and turning to face me.

"Have you seen Jedi Skywalker? We were going to start repairs on m'lady's ship this morning."

"Sorry Max I haven't. Have you seen Queen Aurora? There were a few things that I needed to discuss with her."

"Sorry, I haven't seen her since we retired last night. Maybe she's still sleeping."

"I'll have Sabé check. Thank you Max and I'll send Anakin to find you if I see him. You might want to ask Obi-wan though, he should know where his padawan is."

"Thank you m'lady." I bowed my head and Queen Amidala continued on her way. With this new bit of information in mind, I set off to find Obi-Wan.

After walking through several passageways and talking to many servants, I finally found Obi-Wan in his chambers.

"Master Kenobi?" I asked as I entered the room.

"Oh, hello Max. What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for your padawan, Anakin. We're supposed to begin repairs on the ship this morning."

"I haven't seen him since last night. If you give me a second, I'll be able to locate him." Obi-wan replied, as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"He's with Queen Aurora in her chambers." Obi-wan said a moment later, after opening his eyes.

"Thank you master Kenobi." With a bow of my head, I left the room.

I walked down the corridor to her m'lady's room. I knocked on the door. After a muffled reply, the door slid open.

"Sorry to disturb you m'lady." I said once I had entered the room. It appeared that Padawan Skywalker and Queen Aurora had just woken up.

"That's quite all right Max. Is something wrong?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head for emphasis," I was just trying to locate Jedi Skywalker so we could begin repairs on the ship." She nodded.

"I'm sorry that we weren't up earlier Max."

"No need for apologies m'lady. Now that I've located him we can get started. Oh, by the way Queen Amidala is looking for you."

"Thank you Max. Could you give us a moment."

"Certainly m'lady. Anakin, I'll be in the hanger." Anakin nodded. I smiled, bowed my head and left the room.

.::Anakin's Point Of View::.

"Anakin, I think it might be best to not say anything about this. I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression."

"I completely agree. I should probably go help Max, so I'll talk to you later." I kissed Aurora on the cheek and then left to go find Max.

I found Max working on his ship in the hanger.

"Max can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"Can you keep quiet about this morning. Neither Aurora or I want anyone to know and I especially don't want Amidala finding out."

"Sure. Not to pry or anything, but why is it so crucial that Queen Amidala doesn't find out?"

"Well, you see, her and I, we're sort of together and I don't want anything to ruin that. I assure you that nothing happened last night. We fell asleep while we were talking."

"Well, if it's that important to you, I suppose that I can keep my mouth shut. Does Queen Aurora know that you and Queen Amidala are together?"

"No, I haven't told her yet."

"Well, I would suggest telling her before she develops feelings for you. Women and feelings can be a messy thing; not something that I would knowingly put myself in the middle of."

"Thanks for the advice Max. I'll keep that in mind. Now, about repairing this ship."

.::Aurora's Point Of View::.

"Queen Amidala?" I asked walking into the conference room that Sabé told me I could find her in.

"Queen Aurora. Please, have a seat."

"Max said that there was something that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Yes, I was curious as to the current situation on your planet."

"A few months ago two neighboring families were murdered, eleven were killed. Since that night 30 more have been murdered and at least a hundred have suffered. There hadn't been a murder on our planet in over a century before that night. It must be stopped, but I can't do it alone. We need help."

"So you were going to Coruscant for help."

"Yes."

"Do they know that you're coming?"

"No."

"We can send them a holovid from here. They're more likely to help you if they know that you're coming."

"Thank you so much for your help. If there's anything we can ever do to repay you, just let us know."

"I'll keep that in mind. Sabé, will you set up the holovid for us?" Sabé nodded and set about preparing the holovid.

"M'lady, the holovid is ready." Sabé said a few minutes later.

"Thank you. Do you know how to use a holovid."

"Yes." I turned toward the awaiting holovid and began speaking.

"Chancellor Palpatine, I'm Queen Aurora of Asmosia. My planet, which is located on the outer skirts of the outer rim, is in grave danger. Until a few months ago, there hasn't been a murder on Asmosia in over a century. On that night, several months ago, eleven of my people were killed. Since that night thirty more have been murdered and at least a hundred have suffred. We can't stop this alone. We need help. Any help you could offer at all would be greatly appreciated. My most trusted Adviser, Max, and myself are on our way to Coruscant and we should arrive sometime next week. Thank you in advance for your help." Aurora pressed a button on the holovid and it shut off.

"Chancellor Palpatine will most likely respond to your message sometime this week."

"Thank you again for everything that you've done."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry that we met under such grave circumstances, however, I do hope that your stay here is an enjoyable one."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I want to see how the repairs are coming along." Queen Amidala nodded her head and turned to talk to Sabé. I smiled and left the room in search of the hanger where Anakin and Max were repairing the ship.

**Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I really appreciate it! Keep reviewing.**

Love Peace and Yoda Feet

Manda