On his way out of Theed, Obi-Wan stopped briefly at the new Qui-Gon memoria. He took the time to think of a few choice things he might have been brave enough to shout out loud, if not for the spectators gathered around.
When he had regained his center, he turned away from the gigantic sculpture and started on the road that led to the forest.
An older man in a speeder pulled up to him, and smiled. "Need a ride?"
Obi-Wan looked up and saw it was Sabé's father. He nodded. "Thank you, I wouldn't mind at all."
They had polite conversation on the ride, but soon they were at the edge of Theed.
Pulling over, Hasin asked, "You've got everything you need?"
Obi-Wan reached over and checked his pack. "Yes, sir, thanks."
Uzza looked concerned. "Out here, all alone...all you sure you'll be all right?"
The Jedi assumed an expression of mock indignation.
The guard laughed. "I know, I know; you're quite capable of taking care of yourself. It's just that I am a family man, and trust me, my young ladies would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to you. You've made quite an impression on little Meira."
Obi-Wan shrugged as he smiled. "I hope a different impression than the one Jar-Jar has left on her."
"I would say so," Uzza grinned. Then he turned a bit more serious. "Here," he said, reaching into a compartment on the speeder. "Take this comlink; it's a spare. Any message will sent directly to the Royal Guard office. Don't hesitate to call us if you need more supplies, a lift back, anything at all."
Obi-Wan started to wave it away, but Uzza wouldn't have any of that. "I mean it, Jedi Kenobi. Take it, if not for yourself, then for my girls. We'll all sleep better at night."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand." He took the device and tucked away in the pack. He held out his hand to the man.
Uzza grasped him and gave him a firm encouraging handshake. "Good luck, Jedi. I hope you find what you're looking for."
Sabé and Panaka met in the Captain's office, their normal routine before their reports were presented to the Queen. This morning she found Panaka staring at notes on his datapad. He was slouched back in his chair, head in one hand, an air of grief around him.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
He sighed. "Things are progressing with the investigation of the incident after the parade a couple of nights ago. Jaquill did cooperate."
"As well he should," Sabé commented, her tone indignant and haughty.
Panaka looked up, irritated with her. "It's not that simple. I've worked with him for years now. What you saw...well, it wasn't the man I knew." He hesitated, then went on. "There's something I've been thinking about showing you. I wasn't sure if I should, but now, it makes little difference. It's a holo of his testimony after he came out of detox."
"Detox? What was he taking?"
"He was loaded with a lot of weird stuff. The chemists haven't tracked it all yet. Here, I've got to go down the hall. Please watch it before you judge him," Panaka implored. He sat the projector down on the table and left.
Sabé activated the holo. Jaquill appeared to be looking straight at her, though she knew that he was talking to an investigator.
He glanced up, a hollow look in his eyes, then faced forward. "Thank you for coming. There are things I must say to all of you now, just in case....," Jaquill swallowed hard. "In case something happens to me. I want to make my peace with everyone."
Sabé knitted her brow, and looked at the image hard. The investigator echoed her thoughts. "Are they that dangerous?"
"They are," he replied. "They took me and made me into that thing that attacked Minister Calle. I want you to know that what I said there was not how I feel, not about her or the Queen. Please get them before they ruin another life. My career, my dreams, are over now. Stop them, whatever you do."
"I plan to," the investigator assured him. "Tell me more. How did they get to you?"
"They are insidious. They find out what you want most of all, and they promise they will get it for you if you work with them, no matter how impossible it sounds. I think they started drugging me before they approached me directly. It's the only way I would have ever joined them, at least I hope so."
The investigator remarked, "I checked your record and asked around. Everyone who knows you assured me your service has been outstanding until recently. What could you want so much that you would turn? Wealth? Power?"
He seemed to look at her with apprehension in his eyes. "A woman," he choked. It's Minister Calle I want. I've been in love with her ever since she came into service as a handmaiden."
At first Sabé was too surprised for thoughts. Her mind reeled at what he had just said. She reached back for the arm of the chair near her, and fell into it.
He continued, "Let me go on before I lose my nerve. I never felt I could approach her. When she received her promotion not long after the war, I knew she was out of my league."
Painfully, he went on. "I do have to beg her forgiveness for this. What pushed me over the edge was seeing her in the Square with the Jedi a couple of nights before our incident. She was on his arm like she belonged there. I couldn't take it, so I went to have a couple of drinks, and found I couldn't stop. They told me never to take alcohol. I thought they were just upholding high moral standards, so I didn't have a problem with abstaining before. But it reacts badly with the drugs they fed me and that's what she saw in the alley. Believe me, if I had been in my right mind and witnessed anyone treating her the way I did then, she wouldn't have had to break any bones. I'd have done it for her. That and anything else she asked."
Sabé switched off the holo and sat silently for a moment, reflecting on the testimony. It wasn't long before Panaka returned.
She glanced up at the Captain. "What will happen to him?"
Panaka looked as if were going to cry. "He turned up dead on the way to the detention center."
Sabé gasped. "We're really in trouble, aren't we?"
Panaka replied, "Yes, my friend, we are."
Sabé rose, and bowed to Panaka. "I'll meet you in court in an hour. First, I believe I should send a prayer to the Gods."
"I think that would be most appropriate at this time."
As she left the office and walked down the ornate hall, she whispered under her breath, "Farewell, Jaquill. May you find peace."
After the business of court, Sabé and Panaka headed back to their respective offices to take care of their other duties. When Sabé entered the room, she noticed that there was something different. The place was not as she had left it. She looked around, trying to see if anything had been moved, but the room appeared to be untouched. Realizing that it didn't seem to be an object out of place, she inhaled, and caught the slight aroma of a perfume. It was not hers, and she didn't recognize it as the scent of any of her regular friends and visitors.
She closed and locked the door, sat down and began working at the terminal. Under "Personnel Files" she typed in "Liraé, Handmaiden to Queen Amidala"
When he had regained his center, he turned away from the gigantic sculpture and started on the road that led to the forest.
An older man in a speeder pulled up to him, and smiled. "Need a ride?"
Obi-Wan looked up and saw it was Sabé's father. He nodded. "Thank you, I wouldn't mind at all."
They had polite conversation on the ride, but soon they were at the edge of Theed.
Pulling over, Hasin asked, "You've got everything you need?"
Obi-Wan reached over and checked his pack. "Yes, sir, thanks."
Uzza looked concerned. "Out here, all alone...all you sure you'll be all right?"
The Jedi assumed an expression of mock indignation.
The guard laughed. "I know, I know; you're quite capable of taking care of yourself. It's just that I am a family man, and trust me, my young ladies would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to you. You've made quite an impression on little Meira."
Obi-Wan shrugged as he smiled. "I hope a different impression than the one Jar-Jar has left on her."
"I would say so," Uzza grinned. Then he turned a bit more serious. "Here," he said, reaching into a compartment on the speeder. "Take this comlink; it's a spare. Any message will sent directly to the Royal Guard office. Don't hesitate to call us if you need more supplies, a lift back, anything at all."
Obi-Wan started to wave it away, but Uzza wouldn't have any of that. "I mean it, Jedi Kenobi. Take it, if not for yourself, then for my girls. We'll all sleep better at night."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I understand." He took the device and tucked away in the pack. He held out his hand to the man.
Uzza grasped him and gave him a firm encouraging handshake. "Good luck, Jedi. I hope you find what you're looking for."
Sabé and Panaka met in the Captain's office, their normal routine before their reports were presented to the Queen. This morning she found Panaka staring at notes on his datapad. He was slouched back in his chair, head in one hand, an air of grief around him.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
He sighed. "Things are progressing with the investigation of the incident after the parade a couple of nights ago. Jaquill did cooperate."
"As well he should," Sabé commented, her tone indignant and haughty.
Panaka looked up, irritated with her. "It's not that simple. I've worked with him for years now. What you saw...well, it wasn't the man I knew." He hesitated, then went on. "There's something I've been thinking about showing you. I wasn't sure if I should, but now, it makes little difference. It's a holo of his testimony after he came out of detox."
"Detox? What was he taking?"
"He was loaded with a lot of weird stuff. The chemists haven't tracked it all yet. Here, I've got to go down the hall. Please watch it before you judge him," Panaka implored. He sat the projector down on the table and left.
Sabé activated the holo. Jaquill appeared to be looking straight at her, though she knew that he was talking to an investigator.
He glanced up, a hollow look in his eyes, then faced forward. "Thank you for coming. There are things I must say to all of you now, just in case....," Jaquill swallowed hard. "In case something happens to me. I want to make my peace with everyone."
Sabé knitted her brow, and looked at the image hard. The investigator echoed her thoughts. "Are they that dangerous?"
"They are," he replied. "They took me and made me into that thing that attacked Minister Calle. I want you to know that what I said there was not how I feel, not about her or the Queen. Please get them before they ruin another life. My career, my dreams, are over now. Stop them, whatever you do."
"I plan to," the investigator assured him. "Tell me more. How did they get to you?"
"They are insidious. They find out what you want most of all, and they promise they will get it for you if you work with them, no matter how impossible it sounds. I think they started drugging me before they approached me directly. It's the only way I would have ever joined them, at least I hope so."
The investigator remarked, "I checked your record and asked around. Everyone who knows you assured me your service has been outstanding until recently. What could you want so much that you would turn? Wealth? Power?"
He seemed to look at her with apprehension in his eyes. "A woman," he choked. It's Minister Calle I want. I've been in love with her ever since she came into service as a handmaiden."
At first Sabé was too surprised for thoughts. Her mind reeled at what he had just said. She reached back for the arm of the chair near her, and fell into it.
He continued, "Let me go on before I lose my nerve. I never felt I could approach her. When she received her promotion not long after the war, I knew she was out of my league."
Painfully, he went on. "I do have to beg her forgiveness for this. What pushed me over the edge was seeing her in the Square with the Jedi a couple of nights before our incident. She was on his arm like she belonged there. I couldn't take it, so I went to have a couple of drinks, and found I couldn't stop. They told me never to take alcohol. I thought they were just upholding high moral standards, so I didn't have a problem with abstaining before. But it reacts badly with the drugs they fed me and that's what she saw in the alley. Believe me, if I had been in my right mind and witnessed anyone treating her the way I did then, she wouldn't have had to break any bones. I'd have done it for her. That and anything else she asked."
Sabé switched off the holo and sat silently for a moment, reflecting on the testimony. It wasn't long before Panaka returned.
She glanced up at the Captain. "What will happen to him?"
Panaka looked as if were going to cry. "He turned up dead on the way to the detention center."
Sabé gasped. "We're really in trouble, aren't we?"
Panaka replied, "Yes, my friend, we are."
Sabé rose, and bowed to Panaka. "I'll meet you in court in an hour. First, I believe I should send a prayer to the Gods."
"I think that would be most appropriate at this time."
As she left the office and walked down the ornate hall, she whispered under her breath, "Farewell, Jaquill. May you find peace."
After the business of court, Sabé and Panaka headed back to their respective offices to take care of their other duties. When Sabé entered the room, she noticed that there was something different. The place was not as she had left it. She looked around, trying to see if anything had been moved, but the room appeared to be untouched. Realizing that it didn't seem to be an object out of place, she inhaled, and caught the slight aroma of a perfume. It was not hers, and she didn't recognize it as the scent of any of her regular friends and visitors.
She closed and locked the door, sat down and began working at the terminal. Under "Personnel Files" she typed in "Liraé, Handmaiden to Queen Amidala"