"Did you try his comlink?"
"Yes, but he's not answering!"
"Then knock louder!"
Rabé began a much more aggressive rapping on Captain Panaka's door. She found her hand hanging in mid air now that it was finally opened.
Sabé gulped slightly at his disheveled and aggravated appearance.
Captain Panaka glanced at them for a moment before confusion ebbed and awareness settled in. "Is there an emergency? What's wrong?"
"It's the Queen!" Yané tried not to sound desperate, but from the look on Panaka's face, she had not succeeded.
"What's wrong with the Queen?" He had quickly moved to the side to grab his coat, belt, and blaster and began putting them on.
"She snuck out of her room! And Knight Kenobi is missing as well!" Sabé explained.
"They are together!" Yané screeched.
"You have to help us!" The three echoed in unison.
Panaka smirked, one eyebrow shooting up. The handmaidens were notoriously loyal, but this was getting out of hand. "She is a grown woman you know. Just let her be."
A firm arm came across the door he was attempting to close and a Sabé gazed at him intently, repeating a part of the handmaiden's vow. "To honor and protect from all harm, deny oneself and serve her majesty."
A heavy sigh escaped Panaka's nose and he exited his rooms, shut the door behind him, and proceeded to assist in their search of the missing couple.
---------------------------------
The loud booming sound of the hyperdrive engines coming out of lightspeed filled the bridge of the small Coruscant ship entering the Naboo atmosphere. Its three Jedi occupants appeared slightly apprehensive.
"It's the middle of the night on Naboo." Healer T'Pal glanced at the ship's chronometer. "Nearly third hour. Kenobi should be sleeping in the palace somewhere. This won't be so difficult after all."
Mace Windu shot her an incredulous look. The woman needed to get out of the Temple more often. She surely wasn't this naive. He then looked at Master Yoda, who was pensive, but as usual did not appear that worried. Perhaps he shared in the Healer's optimism.
However, the words Yoda spoke confirmed that was not quite true.
"Too late, I hope we are not."
-----------------------------------
"Did you check the gardens?"
"Yes, yes!"
"How about the grand balcony off of the ballroom?"
"I looked there." Rabé called out, approaching the other two handmaidens, who were waiting at their designated meeting place in the main entry.
"Good, here comes Captain Panaka. Maybe he's had better luck."
"I've checked the security monitors. She left her room at 0310 hours and went down the north hallway. Kenobi left his quarters at 0315. They met in the hallway outside of his room." He paused.
"What? Where did they go? Yané was near panicking.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know!" Sabé sounded even more panicked.
"Apparently, Kenobi did something to the monitors. I saw him raise his hand up toward the cameras and then everything blacked out."
"Damn Jedi." Rabé muttered, intending on her frustrated message to be picked up only by the surrounding ears. She blushed however, as she looked upon the faces of the others who were now looking over her head, and turned slowly to face three Jedi Knights.