Sabé was beginning to get desperate. The Queen had spent the entire day on the mining colony in the company of Master Windu in order to settle the conflict that had arisen there. She had just arrived back on-planet a little while ago. That didn't leave them much time to work out a plan.
To make matters worse, they really didn't have a plan. They had struggled nearly all day to come up with something that would get the Queen and Obi-Wan together for the night, but other than outright kidnapping, nothing seemed like a plausible idea.
Sabé now stood with a silver dinner tray balanced on one hand and lightly rapped on Obi-Wan's guest chamber door with the other. She waited patiently until finally the door creaked open. She looked about, slightly confused before her eyes dropped down to meet thecurious gaze of Master Yoda.
When Yoda said that the couple would be watched, he wasn't kidding!
"Help you, I may?"
"Uhm. I've brought Knight Kenobi his dinner. I'll just place it on the table."
Sabé moved to set the tray down, glancing around the room, finding Obi-Wan kneeling in an obvious meditative pose near an open window. She brought her attention back to the tray and removed the lid. Steam rose from the various dishes, odors of the meal wafting about the room. Yoda sniffed them in deeply.
"Ratalia root pudding, that is?"
"Uhm...yes." Sabé looked toward the small green Jedi, who had moved nearer the table, and then hefted himself upon the chair, breathing deeply. "Do you like ratalia root, sir?"
"Oh yes. My favorite, it is."
"If I would have known you were going to be here, I would have brought you some."
Just then, as if someone had thrown a switch inside her head, the light turned on and the wheels began to spin.
"I tell you what, Master Yoda. If you would like, why don't you go down to the dining hall and eat your dinner there. I would be more than happy to watch Knight Kenobi for you."
Leaning down, she whispered closer to the pointed ear. "You know, neither one of them can be trusted until you can get them both to Coruscant and get that despicable bond taken care of."
"Hmmm." Yoda's gaze turned pensive and for a moment, Sabé was afraid her idea had failed. But then the small Jedi hopped down from the chair and began hobbling toward the exit. "Return as soon as I can, I will."
Sabé watched him leave the area and then ran at a dead run to Captain Panaka's quarters.
"Come on...come on!" She whispered to the closed door as she beat upon it.
"This had better be an emergency!" Captain Panaka flung the door open, not at all surprised to see Sabé standing there.
"What now?"
"I need you to do me a favor." Sabé turned on her sweetest smile.
Panaka merely arched his eyebrow in response, until she continued.
"I need you to... pretend to be somebody...just for a little while."
He opened his mouth to protest before she rushed on.
"It won't be dangerous for the queen, I promise."
"Pretend to be somebody? Who? The queen? You don't want me to pretend to be the queen do you? That's your job Sabé, not mine." He crossed his arms in mock irritation.
"Ha, ha. You're so funny." She smirked at him. "It's not the queen we need you to imitate, it's Knight Kenobi."
"Oh, no worries there. We do look so much alike."
"I'm going to let the sarcasm pass...for now. I need you to come with me."
"And tell me, why should I?"
"Because," an evil grin spread over Sabé's face. "I happen to remember one mid summer's night when a certain Captain of Security had a little too much to drink and ended up waking up the next morning with a certain lady senator..."
"How did you find out about that?"
"Oh, we handmaidens see all and tell... nothing...usually. Don't make us change that."
"Fine," Panaka huffed defeatedly. "As long as the queen isn't going to be in danger."
"She won't be...trust me."
Panaka breathed heavily before closing the door behind him and following Sabé down the hall.
They were soon at the handmaidens' rooms. While Panaka waited outside, Sabé rushed in to inform Yané and Rabé of her plan, and then sent them off to the dining hall to distract Master Yoda, as long as they possibly could.
She asked Captain Panaka to wait and then went to the Queen's chambers. The door was answered by Healer T'Pal. No surprise there. These Jedi were relentless.
She had to play her hand. "Master Yoda has sent me to ask you to join him for dinner in the dining hall, Healer T'Pal." Slight lie there, but nothing she wasn'twilling to pay for later, if her planned worked that is.
"Are you sure? What about the Queen?"
"Oh, I will be more than happy to protect the queen from that awful Knight Kenobi." She leaned closer to the amphibious head, hoping she was at least near her ear. "The sooner you can get him out of her life, the better."
"I see." Healer T'Pal looked hesitant at first and then resigned to depart, moving stealthily down the hallway toward the dining hall.
Sabé bolted down the opposite direction, grabbed ahold of Captain Panaka who was still standing in the hallway, and then returned to Obi-Wan's room.
She burst in, finding him eating his meal. He looked up at the sudden intrusion, with a genuine look of complete confusion. "Sabé, isn't it?"
"Yes, Kenobi. I have an idea. But first let me apologize for trying to come between you and her highness."
She hurried on, knowing that their time was running short.
"If I had any idea of what actually existed between the two of you, the depth of it, and how happy the Queen could be because of it, because of you -- I would have never interfered. I'm sorry. I hope that now I can make it up to you."
Obi-Wan was on his feet. "What's your plan?"
"I need your robe."
Obi-Wan looked to Panaka, who grinned lopsidedly and worriedly shook his head.
Within minutes, Panaka had assumed the meditative posture in front of the window, his back to the room, the hood up of the robe pulled up to conceal his features as much as he could.
Sabé dimmed the lighting in the room just in case.
She was about to escort Obi-Wan out the door when the jiggling movement of the door handle stopped them both in their tracks.
The door swung open and in walked Master Mace Windu. "What's going on here?"