CHAPTER 8: THE VISITOR
"You're Highness, wait!" A frantic Governor Sio Bibble called to Queen Amidala who was marching down a hall of the Theed prison toward the solitary confinement cell at the end.
"Yes Governor?" Amidala asked with a hint of irritation in her voice as she stopped walking and turned to face him.
"Why are you doing this?" The aging Governor asked, approaching her, Panaka at his heals.
"I'd like to know more about him. An intelligent person does not make up their mind about something until they have all of the facts." She said regally.
A smile broke out over Governor Bibble's face. He had taught her that. He had tried his best to acclimate Padme Amidala to the responsibilities of the throne and despite what he thought at the time, it seemed as though she actually listened. For a brief moment he saw her not as his Queen and ruler but as his daughter.
"All right, just be careful." The Governor found himself saying. He knew she would go in whether she had his approval or not.
"Wait a minute!" Panaka protested.
The Queen had been relieved that Panaka was silent up to this point, however she knew that with Panaka, silence was always temporary.
"What's wrong, Captain?" She asked with a great deal of irritation in her voice.
"You can't go in there. As head of security, I highly advise against it. The Jedi Xanatos declared the prisoner dangerous, and I highly agree. I've been in and out of that cell and I'll tell you it's no place for a Queen."
"Xanatos declared him dangerous but Master Jinn disagrees." The Queen pointed out.
"Well, I disagree with Master Jinn!" Panaka manifested.
"There's a surprise." The Queen quipped, sarcastically. "Master Jinn's judgment has not lead us astray thus far, despite all of your complaints about it."
"Look," The Captain said, automatically jumping on the defensive, "the Hutts are gangsters! And still, that reckless Jedi took you to that planet and."
".and everything was fine." The Queen said with a commanding sternness in her voice. "Now, Captain. I'm going into that cell."
"All right," the Captain finally conceded, realizing that last statement was not a request from a little girl, but rather a command from his ruler. "but let me go in first." The Captain made a request of his own.
"Fine." The Queen said rolling her eyes. She hated how over- protective Panaka was of her, but he was only doing his job.
Captain Panaka deactivated the three laser-doors, unlocked the large dura-steel door, puffed out his chest and entered the cell. The Queen and Sio Bibble quickly followed. Panaka entered the cell to see Obi-Wan Kenobi, sitting on his sleep mat, cross-legged. The Prisoner then let a small smile cross his face.
"Panaka! Did you come to kiss me goodnight?" Obi-Wan said, he could never resist an opportunity to poke fun at Panaka, it was one of his few joys in this cell.
Queen Amidala entered the room laughing. Obi-Wan took a long look at her. That laugh was like music to his ears. And her smile made his heart melt. She was so beautiful. Obi-Wan was instantly attracted to her. But then he remembered she was ten years younger than him. She was barely on the verge of womanhood. He felt ashamed that he was having such thoughts about such a young girl.
"I'm a bad man." Obi-Wan found himself blurting aloud.
"That's right! And don't you forget it." Panaka chimed in, seemingly oblivious.
"What do you want Panaka?" Obi-Wan asked, with irritation in his voice.
"This is Queen." Panaka began.
"Yeah I know who she is." Obi-Wan interrupted. "It's kind of hard to mistake royalty."
"She wants to talk to you." Panaka said, angry at Ob-Wan for cutting him off.
"Why?" Obi-Wan demanded, looking at her.
"I'm just curious about you." The Queen said with an innocence that attracted Obi-Wan to her more.
"Well, I'd be happy to share." Obi-Wan said in his most suave voice, which he quickly changed to his most serious voice once he realized there were others in the room. "But the old man and laser-brain have to leave."
"Absolutely not!" Panaka said mostly outraged by the insult. "You could threaten her as leverage to escape."
"Panaka." Obi-Wan said in a tone that was calm yet still suggested he was annoyed by Panaka's ignorance. "Are you aware that you gave me a silver-metallic-colored sleep mat?"
"Yes, they are standard issue.So?" Panaka said sharply.
"And since you are a man of great knowledge, you also know how well these mats reflect light, don't you?" Obi-Wan said, his tone not changing.
"Is there a point to all this?" Panaka said, his irritation growing.
"Yes, my point is that there's no point in me using the Queen in leverage to escape because if I did that, the entire palace guard would be chasing me, when I could have just popped open the vent in the ceiling, used my sleep mat to reflect the laser-bars, and been out without anyone being the wiser, if I really wanted to escape." Obi-Wan said.
Captain Panka just stared blankly, not knowing what to say.
"So, I'm going to have to ask you to just come back after I've had my discussion with the Queen. Now, could you go? I'm kind of busy." Obi-Wan said smugly, while the governor and the Queen chuckled to themselves.
"All right, but I'll be back in ten minutes, and I'm bringing a non- reflective sleep mat!" Panaka said trying to show he was still in control.
Panaka stormed out of the cell, and with half a smile, Sio Bibble slowly followed and shut the door behind him, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the Queen. The visitor looked around the cell. It was bare except for the sleep mat. She felt bad for him, nothing but stone walls and a sleep mat. She propped her back against the wall across from him and sat down on the floor.
"Alone at last." Obi-Wan said uneasily.
"I'm sorry about the conditions." Amidala said sheepishly.
'Don't be." Obi-Wan said. "It's my fault. It was a very nice room until I started to force-throw things at Panaka and they took everything away. Even-still, it's nice. The food is good and at least I have a window.
Padme felt sorry for this man. If he described the conditions he was enduring as "good" she could only imagine the barbaric conditions he must have endured elsewhere.
"So what do you want to know?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing Panaka would be back any minute.
"Xanatos told me about you a little. I just want a more complete picture." The Queen explained.
"What would you like to know more about?" Obi-Wan asked although he already knew the answer.
"I know it's probably dragging up a lot of painful memories and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but." Padme paused, not quite ready to ask.
"It's okay. What is it?" Obi-Wan coaxed her.
The Queen took a deep breath and finally blurted out the question that had been weighing on her mind: "What happened on Melida/Daan?"
"You're Highness, wait!" A frantic Governor Sio Bibble called to Queen Amidala who was marching down a hall of the Theed prison toward the solitary confinement cell at the end.
"Yes Governor?" Amidala asked with a hint of irritation in her voice as she stopped walking and turned to face him.
"Why are you doing this?" The aging Governor asked, approaching her, Panaka at his heals.
"I'd like to know more about him. An intelligent person does not make up their mind about something until they have all of the facts." She said regally.
A smile broke out over Governor Bibble's face. He had taught her that. He had tried his best to acclimate Padme Amidala to the responsibilities of the throne and despite what he thought at the time, it seemed as though she actually listened. For a brief moment he saw her not as his Queen and ruler but as his daughter.
"All right, just be careful." The Governor found himself saying. He knew she would go in whether she had his approval or not.
"Wait a minute!" Panaka protested.
The Queen had been relieved that Panaka was silent up to this point, however she knew that with Panaka, silence was always temporary.
"What's wrong, Captain?" She asked with a great deal of irritation in her voice.
"You can't go in there. As head of security, I highly advise against it. The Jedi Xanatos declared the prisoner dangerous, and I highly agree. I've been in and out of that cell and I'll tell you it's no place for a Queen."
"Xanatos declared him dangerous but Master Jinn disagrees." The Queen pointed out.
"Well, I disagree with Master Jinn!" Panaka manifested.
"There's a surprise." The Queen quipped, sarcastically. "Master Jinn's judgment has not lead us astray thus far, despite all of your complaints about it."
"Look," The Captain said, automatically jumping on the defensive, "the Hutts are gangsters! And still, that reckless Jedi took you to that planet and."
".and everything was fine." The Queen said with a commanding sternness in her voice. "Now, Captain. I'm going into that cell."
"All right," the Captain finally conceded, realizing that last statement was not a request from a little girl, but rather a command from his ruler. "but let me go in first." The Captain made a request of his own.
"Fine." The Queen said rolling her eyes. She hated how over- protective Panaka was of her, but he was only doing his job.
Captain Panaka deactivated the three laser-doors, unlocked the large dura-steel door, puffed out his chest and entered the cell. The Queen and Sio Bibble quickly followed. Panaka entered the cell to see Obi-Wan Kenobi, sitting on his sleep mat, cross-legged. The Prisoner then let a small smile cross his face.
"Panaka! Did you come to kiss me goodnight?" Obi-Wan said, he could never resist an opportunity to poke fun at Panaka, it was one of his few joys in this cell.
Queen Amidala entered the room laughing. Obi-Wan took a long look at her. That laugh was like music to his ears. And her smile made his heart melt. She was so beautiful. Obi-Wan was instantly attracted to her. But then he remembered she was ten years younger than him. She was barely on the verge of womanhood. He felt ashamed that he was having such thoughts about such a young girl.
"I'm a bad man." Obi-Wan found himself blurting aloud.
"That's right! And don't you forget it." Panaka chimed in, seemingly oblivious.
"What do you want Panaka?" Obi-Wan asked, with irritation in his voice.
"This is Queen." Panaka began.
"Yeah I know who she is." Obi-Wan interrupted. "It's kind of hard to mistake royalty."
"She wants to talk to you." Panaka said, angry at Ob-Wan for cutting him off.
"Why?" Obi-Wan demanded, looking at her.
"I'm just curious about you." The Queen said with an innocence that attracted Obi-Wan to her more.
"Well, I'd be happy to share." Obi-Wan said in his most suave voice, which he quickly changed to his most serious voice once he realized there were others in the room. "But the old man and laser-brain have to leave."
"Absolutely not!" Panaka said mostly outraged by the insult. "You could threaten her as leverage to escape."
"Panaka." Obi-Wan said in a tone that was calm yet still suggested he was annoyed by Panaka's ignorance. "Are you aware that you gave me a silver-metallic-colored sleep mat?"
"Yes, they are standard issue.So?" Panaka said sharply.
"And since you are a man of great knowledge, you also know how well these mats reflect light, don't you?" Obi-Wan said, his tone not changing.
"Is there a point to all this?" Panaka said, his irritation growing.
"Yes, my point is that there's no point in me using the Queen in leverage to escape because if I did that, the entire palace guard would be chasing me, when I could have just popped open the vent in the ceiling, used my sleep mat to reflect the laser-bars, and been out without anyone being the wiser, if I really wanted to escape." Obi-Wan said.
Captain Panka just stared blankly, not knowing what to say.
"So, I'm going to have to ask you to just come back after I've had my discussion with the Queen. Now, could you go? I'm kind of busy." Obi-Wan said smugly, while the governor and the Queen chuckled to themselves.
"All right, but I'll be back in ten minutes, and I'm bringing a non- reflective sleep mat!" Panaka said trying to show he was still in control.
Panaka stormed out of the cell, and with half a smile, Sio Bibble slowly followed and shut the door behind him, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the Queen. The visitor looked around the cell. It was bare except for the sleep mat. She felt bad for him, nothing but stone walls and a sleep mat. She propped her back against the wall across from him and sat down on the floor.
"Alone at last." Obi-Wan said uneasily.
"I'm sorry about the conditions." Amidala said sheepishly.
'Don't be." Obi-Wan said. "It's my fault. It was a very nice room until I started to force-throw things at Panaka and they took everything away. Even-still, it's nice. The food is good and at least I have a window.
Padme felt sorry for this man. If he described the conditions he was enduring as "good" she could only imagine the barbaric conditions he must have endured elsewhere.
"So what do you want to know?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing Panaka would be back any minute.
"Xanatos told me about you a little. I just want a more complete picture." The Queen explained.
"What would you like to know more about?" Obi-Wan asked although he already knew the answer.
"I know it's probably dragging up a lot of painful memories and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but." Padme paused, not quite ready to ask.
"It's okay. What is it?" Obi-Wan coaxed her.
The Queen took a deep breath and finally blurted out the question that had been weighing on her mind: "What happened on Melida/Daan?"