It was still hours before dawn in Theed when the Royal transport ship that had evacuated the Naboo Delegation from the Penumbra arrived in orbit around their home planet with its escort of fighters. The sky over the ancient capital city had barely begun to lighten when the last of the shuttles landed, discharging its passengers directly into Theed's main hangar.
All the Delegation members and staff were tired and short-tempered, and knowing that they had a full schedule of work obligations ahead of them didn't help anyone's mood. The long day would begin with the investiture of the Military Governor first thing in the morning, and afterward there would be an endless round of meetings, briefings, and a final ceremonial meal.
The adults had for the most part managed to remain awake on the last leg of the long journey home, but Balé had slept soundly in her Jedi friend's lap. Sabé glanced over at the pair now and then, wondering about the Padawan and about Balé's complete trust in him. Poulin Brith hadn't turned out to be what she expected. He was patient and calm, and seemingly indefatigable. Now and then he closed his eyes, but never slumped into sleep. He seemed to be elsewhere during those times, and yet his awareness, his…presence, for lack of a better word, was almost tangible.
"Don't you ever get tired?" Sabé had asked the boy once, out of the blue.
"Only when I'm allowed," he had answered mildly, with a perfectly straight face.
Sabé had stared at him. Was it possible that he had a sense of humor?
Out of respect for the early hour and the exhaustion of the Delegation's members, transportation had been provided for the short journey from the hangar to the Palace. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Typho joined Sabé, Balé and Poulin in the vehicle that had been assigned to the Senator. Kenobi looked unnervingly watchful and alert.
"We're almost there," Sabé pointed out after a short silence. "What could possibly happen now?"
"I don't know," Kenobi said briefly. "And even so, the difficult part is only beginning."
Sabé glanced at Balé to see whether the Jedi's comment had disturbed her, but the child seemed to be dozing against the Padawan's shoulder again. She desperately wanted this to be over, for all their sakes, but mostly for the child's. Balé needed to be safely at home with her grandparents, shielded from this grim world of lies and mistrust.
Moments later the group of armored speeders arrived at Theed Palace, and Sabé understood the Jedi Knight's extreme caution. The Republic Army had arrived before them. Several army troop transports cluttered the gracious plaza in front of the Palace steps, and uniformed Republic soldiers stood in front of the Palace doors.
"Do you think the Supreme Chancellor got here first?" Sabé asked Kenobi. Oddly, he closed his eyes briefly before answering her, almost as though he were listening for something. Even more oddly, she saw him glance intently at the Padawan before answering.
"No," he said finally.
Sabé looked at Poulin curiously.
"Soon," the boy said, looking at Kenobi.
Typical Jedi, Sabé thought irritably, to cover a mounting feeling of unease.
* * * * *
"Please tell me that I can get off this ship now," Padmé grumbled. She was stiff from having sat in the cockpit of the Defiance for hours, huddled in blankets to keep warm, despite the fact that they were docked in a little-used cargo hangar on the periphery of Theed's spaceport. Anakin had refused to allow her to disembark while he had crept out to survey the spaceport and find out what he could about the Delegation's planned arrival. He had been gone for ages.
Now that he finally had returned to her, Anakin's face was grim.
"Not yet," he said firmly. "Maybe not at all."
Padmé glared at him. "What are you talking about?"
Anakin sat down next to her and took both of her hands in his own.
"The Delegation arrived at the main hangar and was transported directly to the Palace," he reported. "The Military presence has more than doubled during the last week, and the Army is on high alert. There are checkpoints everywhere."
"The Military Governor's investiture is scheduled for this morning," Padmé said irritably. "Of course they're all on alert. If you hadn't taken so long, we could have made it to the Palace by now, I could have changed places with Sabé, and no one would be the wiser."
"There is a bigger problem," he said gently. "I found out why the Naboo came out to meet the task force. They were sent there to retrieve you before the convoy ships got here."
"But why?" Padmé asked, bewildered.
"The Republic has issued a warrant for your arrest on charges of treason. If anyone from the Republic Military finds you, you will be taken into custody immediately."
Padmé shook her head. He must have gotten it wrong. "For what? For stopping briefly on Alderaan? I don't believe it!"
Anakin kept hold of her hands. "Believe it, Padmé. Even Senator Organa said in the message that the meeting had been discovered."
"That's ridiculous!" Padmé snapped. "Treason is a charge of last resort, reserved for the highest crimes against the government! It wouldn't apply to me. There must be a mistake."
"I'm afraid not, My Lady," a new voice said from behind Anakin. Padmé looked up in complete surprise to see Captain Typho squeeze himself into the tiny cockpit.
"And by the way, we have company," Anakin added.
"The warrant was issued on the authority of the Supreme Chancellor, My Lady," Typho said unhappily. "There is no mistake."
There was a short, sharp silence. Anakin still was scowling. "How did you find us here?" Padmé asked her security chief suddenly.
"We've had the Spaceport under surveillance since we arrived," Captain Typho explained briefly. "Master Kenobi seemed to think that the two of you would show up together. He told us what to look for – a small vessel under a neutral registry, arriving between the hours of midnight and 0500."
"Well, here we are," Anakin said bluntly. "What is Kenobi planning now?"
"We're just trying to keep her safe," Typho shot back, with rare heat.
"That's what I'm doing," Anakin growled. "No thanks to you." Evidently he hadn't forgiven Typho for leaving Padmé to her own devices, orders or no orders.
Captain Typho looked from Anakin to Padmé and then back to Anakin. "If we had known where you were, it might all have been arranged differently," he said stiffly.
"You should be grateful," Anakin snapped. "She was far safer with me than the Delegation was with you on that convoy."
"Enough!" Padmé ordered. Both men settled down, but it was obvious that it was only a temporary truce. "What's the current situation, Captain?" Padmé was all business. She wanted this charade to be over.
By the time Captain Typho had explained in detail the Queen's response to the warrant for Padmé's arrest and the intervention of the Jedi, Anakin's scowl had become downright dangerous. "No way," he spat. "Under no circumstances will I allow her to be arrested, or even to appear to be arrested. We're leaving now."
Padmé jumped out of the seat where she had sat listening to her security captain's explanation with growing dread, and thinking furiously. She put a restraining hand on Anakin's arm.
"No! Anakin, we can't just leave now. I have created this mess, and I have to help solve it. Queen Jamillia has already risked a great deal for me. If I don't turn up the consequences for Naboo could be disastrous."
"You can't do this!" Anakin exploded, stopping Padmé in her tracks.
"What?"
"You can't stay here." Anakin's eyes burned into hers, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "It isn't safe. And that wasn't the plan." His expression made Padmé feel as though something was tearing inside of her. She saw fury, and disappointment, and disbelief. But most of all, she saw desperation.
You promised, she could almost hear him saying. You promised you would go away with me. You promised you wouldn't leave me.
"Captain," Padmé ordered her dumbfounded security chief without taking her eyes off Anakin, "give us a moment alone, please."
"But My Lady…" Typho protested.
Padmé cut him off. "Now, Captain!"
As soon as she was certain they were alone again Padmé reached up to Anakin and cupped his face in her hands. He stood stiffly, without making a move to embrace her.
"I will go with you," she said urgently. "I promised, and I will. But if we leave right now it will be worse for everyone concerned."
"How, Padmé?" Anakin flared. "How will it be worse? I can get you completely out of everyone's reach within a few days. If you're not here they can't arrest you. It's as simple as that."
Padmé dropped her hands at his tone. "It's not that simple!" she insisted. "There are so many other people involved!"
"But it can be! You're the one that's complicating this, Padmé. I can double back when the political situation calms down and get Balé. She'll be fine with your parents until then."
"If I don't respond to this warrant, openly and legally, Naboo will suffer for it," Padmé explained urgently. "The Queen's government will most likely be accused of conspiring to obstruct justice. The consequences will go on and on… it will affect everyone, including my family, and including Balé." She was desperate for Anakin to understand her position, so that he wouldn't feel that she was reneging on her promise. His reaction was beginning to frighten her.
"So what are you suggesting?" Anakin asked icily, crossing his arms in front of him. The sudden change in his mood from hot to icy cold made Padmé swallow nervously. He had never used that tone of voice with her before.
"That I make my appearance before the Queen, and allow myself to be placed under token arrest in the custody of the Naboo government while they negotiate for my freedom. They won't hand me over to the Army – I know they won't."
"And where does that leave me?" Anakin demanded angrily. He looked down at his scuffed boots, and added, "Where does that leave us?"
Padmé's eyes followed his down to his boots. She found herself comparing Anakin's current scruffy, anonymous appearance with his former well-scrubbed perfection as a Jedi Padawan, and even more so with his elegant appearance in the corridors of the Senate. Padmé understood the symbolic uses and value of clothing better than most people. The man who stood before her had, as far as she understood it, given up two different but equally powerful roles, along with everything they represented, to be with her. Apart from the lightsaber than never left his hip, the clothes Anakin now wore indicated neither status nor affiliation. As far as the wider Galaxy was concerned Anakin was a shadow, and answered only to himself.
Not like me. I carry the responsibility for so many…
Anakin also appeared to be in some kind of unnamed danger, and yet he had chosen to come here with her and to protect her. They were in this together. Give and take. If they couldn't work side by side…
"I need your help to do this, Anakin, " Padmé pleaded. "I can't pull it off without you. At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, I'll have to arrange to disappear from custody. Vanish. Escape. Especially if the negotiations don't go as we had hoped. And if it can be done so that it looks as though the Naboo had nothing to do with it, they won't be blamed. And then I'm going with you. Just as we had planned. And we'll take Balé with us."
"I can't let you take this risk." Anakin was still looking down at his boots. He didn't mention the risk to himself.
"You can't let me?" Padmé demanded. "I thought we were making these decisions together from now on."
Anakin's head snapped up. "As far as I can see, Padmé, you've made this one all by yourself. You won't even listen to me!"
"I have to do this, Anakin. Can't you see that? Please don't ask me to choose between you and this duty. I would choose you…" Padmé's voice cracked. She took a breath, and continued. "I would choose you, but at a terrible price."
And then, all at once, Anakin crumpled. It was a sudden, startling change, and Padmé couldn't figure out what had brought it about. In a single moment he changed from hard and obstinate to beseeching. The anger in his eyes had given way to pain …and something else. Could it have been fear?
"Please, Padmé." Anakin's voice had changed completely. It was soft. He was begging. "Come with me now. Right now. I'll come back for Balé as soon as you're safe. Let's not stay here."
Padmé's eyes suddenly, shockingly, filled with tears. She wanted to. Desperately. But she couldn't. "Anakin, I can't leave Balé behind again." Blinking hard, Padmé reached up to rest her hand on his chest, over his heart. "What if someone decides to hold her hostage against my return?"
Anakin's living hand came up and clasped hers against his body. His shoulders slumped slightly. He looked defeated.
"This is 3-D Chak'la, Padmé. A game within a game within a game. You've started something that you can't win."
"That's why I need you, Anakin. We can do this together." Padmé managed a watery smile. "You never play by the rules, anyway."
Anakin swayed back and forth slightly, still clutching her hand against his chest, sunk deeply inside of himself. Padmé waited.
"All right," he conceded reluctantly. "I'll go along with your scheme. But the minute I believe it's about to get out of hand I'm taking you out of there. And I will make that decision by myself, without any discussion."
Padmé nodded. "Agreed."
"And, Padmé… I don't have much time."
She nodded again, clutching his shabby black tunic tightly with her captured hand. "I'll talk to the Queen first. Right away. And I'll try to arrange it so that Balé and I can stay together. It will be easier that way." She wiped her eyes with her other hand. "I'm sorry I'm making this so difficult for you. I know this is putting you in danger from the Jedi …"she looked up into Anakin's troubled eyes, "…and from whatever it is you're not telling me about."
"Padmé," he said softly, leaning his forehead forward to touch hers, "you are my only hope."
Padmé started to cry in earnest. "I could say the same thing about you."
* * * * *
Despite the early hour, Queen Jamillia's appearance was elegant, polished and perfect. Not for the first time during her tenure as Queen was she grateful for her elaborate costume and makeup. It was so much easier to operate from behind a mask. Back straight and shoulders squared, she stood by the grand window in her office as dawn began to touch the rooftops and plazas of Theed with the soft vermilion of the early morning sun. She observed the gathering of Army troops on the steps to the Palace, and watched the vehicles that were bringing Padmé and the Delegation to her doorstep.
At least they are all safe, she thought gratefully. Then the bright thought dulled. For now.
An exhausted-looking Rowen Farr let himself into her office. The poor man obviously hadn't slept any better than she had, but the worry and lack of rest had taken a much greater toll on him than her. Queens needed to be constructed of plastisteel and blast-proof resin. She resolved that, once this crisis was over, the old man would be given a good long time off work to rest.
"Good Morning, Your Highness," Rowen Farr said formally. "Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is here with Senator Amidala and her Delegation. The ranking Army commander is also here with the Military Governor. Both are asking to see you at once."
The Queen looked out the window. "I want to see Padmé and Master Kenobi first. By themselves. Tell the Governor" – Jamillia still could not bring herself to say the title without bitterness – "to wait." Her Chief of Staff bowed and hurried out again. She remained by the window, watching the sunrise, until she heard the old man's voice again announcing the Senator and the Jedi. The moment she turned around and saw the veiled woman, Queen Jamillia understood, without a doubt, that Padmé was not with the Delegation; nor had she been for the entire journey. The Queen of the Naboo knew a decoy when she saw one.
"Where is Padmé?" Queen Jamillia demanded without preamble, even before the formalities could be performed.
Sabé raised her veil. The two women's eyes locked in mutual acknowledgement and comprehension. "We don't know, Your Highness. She refused to tell us."
"Who else knows about this?" the Queen demanded.
Kenobi spoke up for the first time, at the same time offering the bow that the Queen had not waited for when he first had entered the room. "I do, Your Highness, as do the other Jedi on my team. Captain Typho. The other Handmaiden. And – the Senator's daughter."
The Queen pursed her painted lips. "Padmé has placed us in an untenable position. Our strategy for the negotiations with the Army about her fate is based on good faith and cooperation on our part. What are we to do now?"
"Her daughter is here," the Jedi said calmly. "I imagine Senator Amidala will show herself soon. She might be on the planet already."
The Queen looked at him sharply, wondering whether his statement was based on speculation, foreknowledge, or hard information. You never could tell, with Jedi. "The new Military Governor is waiting in my anteroom, Master Jedi," she said pointedly. "What do you suggest I tell him?"
Before Kenobi could answer, the door to the Queen's office burst open unceremoniously to reveal the very distressed Captain of the Queen's Own Guard. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," the man stammered, "I'm sorry …I was unable to prevent…"
He was pushed aside abruptly by a towering figure in scarlet robes and helmet, who entered the Queen's private office uninvited. Another identical soldier quickly followed him.
The Chancellor's elite guards.
By all the Moons and Stars, Queen Jamillia thought furiously as the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic walked boldly into her office behind his two personal guards, followed by yet two more deadly red figures, he is here to crush us. Walking into her office to interrupt a meeting unannounced was by itself a supremely aggressive move. Doing so accompanied by an armed escort was the act of a conqueror.
The silence in the spacious room was oppressive when the Chancellor came to a stop at its center, boxed in by his protectors. Palpatine was the first to speak. "It is delightful to see you again, Your Highness," he said gracefully, as though he and Queen Jamillia just had met at a reception. "How sad that we must meet under such difficult circumstances."
"Difficult, Supreme Chancellor?" Jamillia replied evenly, without returning his greeting. "How do you mean?"
"I am referring to this unfortunate business with our dear Senator Amidala, Your Highness. It has come to my attention that she did not arrive on Naboo with the task force, as she had given us all to believe she would."
Queen Jamillia wondered how he had known about Padmé's absence from the task force, and for how long.
"This is a day for surprises, Supreme Chancellor," she countered evenly. "We are only now learning of the Senator's disappearance. Until this moment we were acting in the faithful belief that she had traveled with the remainder of her Delegation." She paused, and then added pointedly, "Senator Amidala was scheduled to arrive with the task force, and yet she did not; while your passage and your visit to Naboo were not announced, and yet here you are."
For a moment, the Queen and the Chancellor locked eyes. Jamillia felt her heart pounding when she realized that there wasn't the tiniest trace of warmth in Palpatine's. They were engaged in a battle, and she was at a disadvantage because she did not understand his motivations.
"These are difficult times, Your Highness," Palpatine replied smoothly. "Unfortunately those of us in prominent positions can no longer travel openly with any degree of safety."
"So true, Chancellor Palpatine," the Queen conceded, holding Palpatine's cold gaze steadily despite her pounding heart. "So true. I can only imagine that our very prominent Senator has taken the same precautions."
Every person present in the room stood frozen, listening to the exchange. No one made a sound. The red-robed guards who surrounded the Chancellor might have been statues. Suddenly Palpatine gestured once, and the four instantly came to life, stepped back, and arranged themselves along the wall in the background, leaving the Supreme Chancellor directly facing the Queen. She held her ground.
"Senator Amidala's actions have placed your government in a delicate position, Your Highness. I would like to offer my personal assistance in resolving this matter." For the first time since entering the Queen's office, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic bowed to her. It felt like a mockery. "I will gladly place all the resources of the Republic at your disposal to assist you in locating the missing Senator, and in bringing this matter to a successful resolution."
I imagine you would, Jamillia thought bitterly, while nodding her head graciously in acknowledgement.
"We are grateful for your concern and your assistance, Supreme Chancellor," she said formally, "but given that Senator Amidala is our planet's representative in the Galactic Senate, you will appreciate that we see it as our duty to bring her into custody and to arrive at the truth behind the accusations that have been made against her." She squared her shoulders. "Rest assured that the resources of the sovereign government of Naboo will suffice to resolve this situation quickly and appropriately."
Palpatine smiled. "This is a momentous day, Your Highness. Given the special protection that the new military government will provide for our beloved planet, it is only appropriate that we work together in this matter, as a symbol of the cooperation to come."
The door to the Queen's office opened yet again without an announcement. This time Queen Jamillia was grateful for any interruption that would distract her from her from the overpowering urge to slap His Excellency the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic across his smiling face. When she saw the group whom the Captain of the Queen's Own ushered onto the room, she received a very different kind of satisfaction.
The missing Senator strode straight into the office, accompanied by her Chief of Security. She was dressed informally, in a simple white flight suit that emphasized her small slim stature, and yet her presence instantly commanded everyone's rapt attention.
"I am very sorry that my alternate travel plans resulted in a late arrival," Padmé said politely, walking straight over to where Queen Jamillia stood with the Chancellor Palpatine. Padmé bowed, first to her Queen and only then to the Chancellor. "You wished to see me, Your Highness?"
Queen Jamillia's eyes glittered in triumph as she looked at the Chancellor and noticed that his attention was focused fully on the three Jedi who quietly had followed Padmé and Typho into her office. The Queen already knew Master Windu. Two others whom she did not know – a slender, bearded Jedi Knight of about middle age, and a tall young man with dark hair and a long Padawan braid behind his right ear – accompanied him.
Jamillia glanced at Palpatine again. His expression had changed subtly. And he never took his eyes off the Jedi. Standing regally behind her costume and mask, the Queen felt a very un-royal surge of glee. Palpatine would have to watch his step in the presence of so many Jedi – particularly a member of the Jedi Council.
And now, you slithering pond dweller, she thought, we will place this problem in the proper hands.
