Hey, I'm back after FOREVER without updating. Episode III re-inspired me. Please RR!

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I'm very relieved that Zanni is awake. I was terrified for the longest time that she was going to die. I don't know what I would have done had she died. I feel like this is all my fault. I shouldn't have let her near the battle. What had happened? What was that trace she was in? I'm going to ask Master Yoda when we return.

We land on Coruscant, however we're unable to meet with the council until morning. Qui-Gon and I settle the Queen and her entourage into a suite down the hall from our quarters.

Zanni's able to walk, but that's about it. The wound is pretty severe. She told me though that she's working on healing it faster. I help her around (she refuses to stay in the infirmary) and carry her bags to her room for her, while she sits in the common room of the Queen's suite with the Queen and her handmaidens.

I come back out of Zanni's room and she hands me a blaster. "I'd rather not have this thing on me. Could you please put it in my trunk? On second thought, just set it on top of the trunk."

I smile and do as commanded. She's always hated guns, I don't blame her. I walk to her room and set the blaster on the trunk. I start to walk away and stop. I don't like leaving weapons lying around. I go back and open the trunk to put the blaster in it, and gasp as what I see. A dozen things race through my mind, but one stands out: I must find Qui-Gon quickly.

I close my eyes and rest my head on the back of the couch. I feel like a useless lump of flesh. I hate being wounded and not being able to do anything. I've been trying to heal this thing quickly, but it's a pretty severe wound. How the hell did I walk into a lightsaber battle? Why? What happened?

Obi's been very nice helping me about. I don't know what I'd do without him right now. I feel him walk through the room very hurriedly, and hear him distantly call down the hallway, "Master!"

I open one eye as Padmé sits next to me. "Well, we made it!" she says perkily.

I close the eye again. "I almost didn't," I laugh.

I can feel the sympathetic look on her face, and then a startled one as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon enter the room hurriedly. I instantly perk up and open my eyes, sensing something wrong.

"Miss. Cloudbearer, may I have a word with you?" Qui-Gon asks.

"Of course." I sit forward. What's going on? He looks at Dormé. "The Queen and handmaidens stay. Say what you will as we are."

"As you wish. I was wondering if you could explain something that my Padawan found in your belongings." He produced my lightsaber.

Why does Zanni have a lightsaber in her case? How would she have one? I've only heard of a non-Jedi having a lightsaber twice before. Once the person found it after a battle, and once…the person killed the Jedi to whom the weapon belonged.

I hurriedly take it to Qui-Gon. He'll know what to do. When I show him the weapon and tell him where I found it, a worried look crosses his face.

"Do you think she killed…" I whisper.

He shakes his head. "I don't know how. It is very difficult to kill a Jedi if you're not trained to use the force."

That's true. However she sure managed to beat me back on Naboo at the games. "Do you know whose it is?"

He shakes his head once more. "I don't recognize it. It could belong to a Padawan learner. In which case she could have…"

I'm scared. I don't know what to think. Could Zanni be a killer? A Jedi killer? I realize just how little I really know about my friend.

I follow Qui-Gon as he brushes past me to the room where Zanni and the Queen are. When we enter her eyes are still closed.

"Miss. Cloudbearer, may I have a word with you?" Qui-Gon asks.

"Of course." Zanni sits forward. She looks very concerned and interested.

Qui-Gon looks at the Queen to ask her to leave, but Zanni seems to sense that she's in trouble. "The Queen and handmaidens stay. Say what you will as we are."

Qui-Gon sighs. "As you wish. I was wondering if you could explain something that my Padawan found in your belongings." He holds out the lightsaber.

Zanni's eyes widen for a second. Her eyes fly to me then quickly away, scanning the room. I can sense her uneasiness but can't see her thoughts. What is going on?

I choke on the air I'm inhaling. Qui-Gon Jinn has my lightsaber. Oh Force, Obi must have opened my case. I told him not to! I quickly look around. Padmé's the only one here who knows that I'm a Jedi, and she's the only one who is supposed to.

"Can you please explain how you managed to acquire this?" Qui-Gon looks at me forcefully.

"No, I can't," I think. "I-," I start to come up with a feeble excuse when Padmé stands.

"That's not hers, it's mine," I hear her say, and look at her in surprise.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan…in fact everybody…blink at her. "Excuse me?" the Jedimaster asks.

Padmé raises her chin. "I said it's mine. I was hiding it in her bags. I figured that since she is security, that it would manage to get past security."

"How did you acquire the weapon?" Qui-Gon asks her, skeptically.

"I…" Padmé looks around. "I…I stole it."

Everyone in the room gasps. I'm pretty sure she does too.

Qui-Gon looks from her to me and then back to her. "Do you understand how grave of an offense this is?"

Padmé lowers her eyes and nods her head.

Qui-Gon looks at both of us again. "I'm not sure just what is going on, but both of you are going to see the council first thing in the morning, and you can explain to them what the meaning of all of this is." After a moment he speaks again. "It is late. We are all going to go to bed now."

Dormé and handmaidens disperse to their rooms and Padmé helps me slowly stand. I lean on her for support as we go to the room that we share together, next to Dormé's room. After we're in the room I hear the door lock and sense Obi right outside. He and Qui-Gon are probably going to guard our door all night and then escort us to the council.

We don't say a word as we get into our beds. I lay awake for quite a while and can sense that she is awake as well. "Pamé?"

She remains silent but I can tell she's listening.

"Thank you."

I sigh and lean against the wall. I really don't know what to think. What the Force is Zanni doing with a lightsaber? After a minute I hear her voice in my head.

"Obi, you trust me, right?"

I shake my head, then stop when I realize she can't see it. "I don't know. I just don't. I don't know you anymore."

Her voice comes back, with a hint of anger in it. "Yes you do. You know I'd never steal something like that, much less kill a Jedi."

"Well you did something. Padmé is quite obviously innocent. What did you do, Zanni?"

There is a long pause. What did she do? Finally, I hear her again.

"I didn't do anything, Obi. You have to believe me."

I frown. "I can't believe you."

"You have to!"

I shake my head to the air again. "Well I don't."

I don't hear her voice again that night.

Padmé rolls over in her bed, and she starts as she sees a pale green light coming from the other side of the room. As she sits up, she sees that it seems to be coming from her roommate's eyes.