~~~
The droids led us down a deserted street. It would be a good place to attack them, if only I had my gun. I could jump a droid and grab its gun, but the other droids would stop me unless we all attacked at the same time, plus the droid wouldn't provide much cover for my body. I was skinny, but not that skinny. I was deep in these thoughts, when, much to my surprise, and the surprise of everyone else, two Jedi leaped down from an overhang and attacked the droids, taking them all out within seconds. I stood in shock, not really noticing the Gungan that fell clumsily after the two Jedi, until the older of the two, obviously the Master, spoke to Sabé.
"We should leave the streets your highness." He was very calm and in control, and aura of self-awareness surrounded him. He was very tall, with longish hair, part of which had been pulled back with a leather band and very bright blue eyes. Bibble and Sabé followed the Jedi Master as we ran after them. The younger of the two Jedi, older than me, but still with his Padawan braid, surveyed the area as Panaka told the troops to get the droid's guns.
"I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn-" The older Jedi said. Qui-Gon Jinn! I thought. Wow. "-and this is my Padawan," he gestured to the younger man who had short, sandy brown hair and intelligent blue eyes, that stood by Yané, "Obi-Wan Kenobi. We were ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor."
"Your negotiations seemed to have failed, ambassador." Bibble said, slightly snide.
"The negotiations never took place." Master Jinn corrected him. "It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic."
"They've knocked out all our communications." Panaka told him.
"Do you have transports?" Master Jinn asked.
"This way." Panaka said, pointing to the hanger. I was in shock.
"How did they get down here?" I murmured slightly to Padmé.
"I don't know, but thank the force they did." She murmured back.
We quietly followed Panaka down the twisting streets, to the hanger. The door was partially open, and we stood by it. Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi, the Gungan, Sabé and us handmaidens stood on the right, Panaka, Bibble and the six guards on the left. Panaka took a quick look inside the hanger.
"There are too many of them!" He exclaimed, and there were a lot. From my vantage point, I could see at least twenty, and I was almost directly behind Sabé.
Master Jinn took a casual look inside. "It won't be a problem." He said with the air of experience. Panaka's eyes flashed with incredulity, then suspicion. Master Jinn turned to Sabé. "Your highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us." Coruscant! My mind screamed. No! But I steadied my mind, kept my face calm and tuned back in time to hear Sabé finish telling Master Jinn that her place was with her people.
"They will kill you if you stay." He stated firmly. What!! There was a brief moment of silence as we all took it in and got over the initial shock.
"They wouldn't dare!" Bibble finally sputtered.
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her." Panaka interjected, but I saw the uncertainly that clouded over part of his eyes.
Master Jinn turned back to Sabé. "There is something else behind all this, your highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here." No indeed. I thought. I had always wondered why they choose Naboo. There were other, far more important planets who opposed the tax increase more vocally than Amidala had. "My feelings tell me that they will destroy you, then appoint a leader who will sign the treaty."
Believe him. I thought. Master Jinn was legendary in having good instincts and following through with them, therefore saving many lives and ending conflicts quickly. Oh, Sabé, believe him! Padmé shot a quick glance at Sabé, who had her attention riveted on the young Padawan. Oh, Sith! I thought in a sudden burst of comprehension. This'll be trouble. Padmé's eyes flickered over to me, to Master Jinn, and back. To Coruscant? She seemed to ask. I nodded imperceptibly. She looked away.
". . .Senator Palpatine will need your help." Bibble was finishing up, and I could have hit myself for not paying attention.
"Either choice presents great danger," Sabé said, then looked directly to Padmé, "to us all." Great. I thought. Scream it to the rooftops Sabé! Good Gods. My eyes flicked to Padmé. Go! I thought, fear clouded my thought, but something told me that we couldn't stay on Naboo. We must go!
"We are brave, your highness." Padmé said, and I could hear the subtle anguish in her voice.
"If we are to leave, your highness, it must be now." Master Jinn said.
"Then I shall plead our case before the Senate." She turned to us handmaidens. "Rabé, Padmé and Eirtaé, come with me." I turned to Yané, tears in her eyes at being left behind.
"Be brave." I whispered to her as I embraced her. "Don't let them see you suffer."
"I won't. May the force be with you." She said in a muffled voice.
"And with you. Good-bye carrasera." Which meant closest friend, in Ma'lacian. Her eyes widened as she understood.
"Good-bye carrasera." She whispered back.
"Be careful Governor." Sabé said, and Padmé, Eirtaé and I followed her and Panaka into the hanger. The guards and the Gungan trailed behind us.
"We'll need to free those pilots." Panaka said, pointing to a small group of people surrounded by droids. Why? I thought. So Ric Olié can fly us directly at the blockade and ram us up the nose of a starship? I am a better pilot than he is.
"I'll deal with that." Padawan Kenobi said, restraining Panaka, then veering off towards the pilots. Padmé stared at his back.
"Is he insane?!" She hissed to Eirtaé and me.
"He knows what he is doing." Eirtaé said, her voice bordering on reverence and her eyes very bright as she focused all her attention on the back of the Padawan. "He has the force as his ally."
We reached the boarding ramp. Master Jinn stopped in front of the droid in charge and motioned for us to do the same.
"Halt." The droid said in a mechanical voice. Here comes the hard part. I thought.
"Be ready to move." I whispered to Padmé and Eirtaé.
"I'm ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor." Master Jinn said. "I'm taking these people to Coruscant."
"Where are you taking them?" The droid asked, confused.
"To Coruscant."
"Coruscant, ah, that doesn't compute, ah, wait, ah, you're under arrest." He finally said, pointing a three-fingered hand at Master Jinn's chest. I never thought I would hear a droid stutter.
Jedi don't like being arrested, and Master Jinn's lightsaber flashed through the air before I could blink. I jumped, as did the rest of the entourage, and I heard commotion to the left. I looked and saw Padawan Kenobi split kick two droids and take out a third with his lightsaber. The pilots watched in dumbfounded amazement. I unconsciously moved with the group up the boarding ramp. I was absolutely enraptured with the fight, and wished I had my gun.
I felt a hand on my back and saw Lt. Aloian guiding me up the ramp. I blinked in surprise; he wasn't a normal member of the Queen's Personal Guard.
"Come on." He said. "We need to get you and her highness strapped in." He snorted in derision. "With Ric at the controls you can bet your hairy wookiee it's gonna be a helluva ride."
"Oh no." I moaned. "Not Ric! Why not Taj Sa'keel or Jorré Blancha?"
He shrugged, and we went our separate ways, me to the throne room, where I strapped in next to Padmé, and he to the cockpit. I wish I could have gone to the cockpit with him. Padmé was tensed up, and I could tell that she wanted to be in the cockpit too. I took her hand and squeezed it as the ship rocked back and forth. She squeezed gratefully back as we jostled around some more. I had traveled on a lot of starships and never once been sick, but I was getting close this time, and I was not the only one.
Sabé rocked back in forth in the throne with her eyes closed, hands grasping the arms of the throne tightly, taking deep breaths; Eirtaé's face was most defiantly green, I could see it from the other side of the room; and Padmé looked ill. I closed my eyes and started a breathing exercise that Zak had shown me a year and a half ago.
The ship rocked violently, and I heard alarms go off in the cockpit. I looked worriedly at Padmé, and I could see that she wanted to jump up and run to the cockpit at that very moment. Her duties, like all of our duties, held her back. I couldn't disagree with her though, I wanted nothing more to run up there and take over the controls.
"What is that idiot doing?" I asked as the ship rocked back and forth, trying to relieve some of the tension.
"If I had known he was this bad," Padmé growled, "I would have forced him into retirement a long time ago."
It finally stopped, but I didn't feel the rush that was usually associated with the jump to hyperspace. I unbuckled and so did Padmé and Eirtaé, and we flanked Sabé as Panaka, Aloian, the Jedi, and one dirty little astromech droid came into the Throne room.
"Captain," Sabé said, "what is our situation?"
"Our hyperdrive is down, your highness." Panaka reported. Not good. I thought. "However, we managed to get past the blockade thanks to an extremely well put together little droid. Without a doubt, it saved the ship, as well as our lives."
"It is to be commended. What is its number?" Sabé asked regally.
Panaka looked down at the droid's registration. "R2-D2, your highness." He said, straightening up.
"Thank-you R2-D2." The droid whistled something I don't think anybody quite understood, but which everyone could approximately translate into 'You're welcome.'
"Padmé!" Sabé said. "Clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude." Padmé walked over to the droid, in front of Sabé. Clever Sabé. I thought. Good way to see what Padmé is telling you to do, although Padmé did need to pull her hood down more over her eyes. "Continue Captain." Sabé said.
Panaka looked at the Jedi, who had been standing quietly to the right. Master Jinn stepped forward.
"With your permission, we are heading for a remote planet called Tatoonie. It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation." He added that last sentence almost as reassurance for her, which insulted me greatly. I'm just as brave as you are Qui-Gon Jinn. I thought to him. He turned and looked directly at me. Oh Gods. I thought, horrified. He probably read my mind. I cleared my brain and focused on the floor. Master Jinn looked back to Sabé.
Panaka stepped forward, his eyes dark. "I do not agree with the Jedi on this."
"You must trust my judgment, your highness." Master Jinn said.
Sabé looked at Padmé, who nodded slightly. "So be it, Master Jedi." Sabé stood up, and Eirtaé and I stepped forward. Padmé, R2-D2 and Panaka stepped back to the left, and the Jedi stepped back to the right. "I shall retire for now. Alert me with we reach Tatoonie, Captain."
"Yes, your highness." Panaka said with a bow, and we left the room and walked to the Queen's room.
"Rabé, get this headdress off me before my neck snaps in two!" Sabé commanded as she flopped into a chair.
"All right Sabé." I said as Eirtaé went over to the consul and had some soothing music piped in.
"Did you see that Jedi Padawan!" Sabé cried. "Whoa! Talk about a hottie!"
"Sabé," I said patiently, "He's at least ten years older than us."
"That can't stop me from looking." She said haughtily.
A retort hovered hot on my lips, but Eirtaé interrupted. "Did you see the way they took out those battle droids!" She asked, thrill in her voice. "I nearly screamed with excitement! I can't wait to get to Coruscant. . ."
I stopped listening then, and wandered over to a chair. To Coruscant, and the Senate. I closed my eyes and I could almost smell the ozone and hear the hiss of Zak's lightsaber. The image of father falling to the ground came to mind, and my hand unconsciously went to my neck, where Riv's necklace hung against my breastbone. I clutched it tight and hoped it would bring us good luck. I tried not to think of him or Dek or Joss or Yané or Natan or anyone else I had left behind.
But then it came, Riv's wicked grin when we went especially fast on his speeder bike, Dek's boisterous laughter when he knew we were doing something dangerous, the mischievous twinkle that haunted Yané's eyes, the way Joss would raise his hands to the sky and ask, 'Why me?' in slightly mocking tones. Natan, my only brother left, how could I sum him up in one feeling? My grandparents in Oxon, what could they be thinking? Would they survive the invasion and the camps? I felt sick. I forced myself not to think of it and quickly stood up.
"I-I need to walk for a moment." I said. "I'll be back soon." Sabé nodded absentmindedly as she and Eirtaé continued to talk about Padawan Kenobi.
~~~