"The Chancellor, he's coming to Naboo?" Teek Epilani shouted.
"Why don't you just tell the whole damn Republic?" Rité proclaimed. The brash, fire-haired woman shot a questionable stare toward Teek. Rité had known Teek since childhood. Growing up in Theed together, the two had become close friends during their schooling years. Rité excelled in her subjects and was seen by many administrators as a future Senator to replace Amidala. Her forte was in the knowledge of droid functions and recordings. She had even heard stories of a young slave boy that had manufactured a protocol droid at the age of nine on the backwater world of Tatooine. Three years later, at the same age, she successfully completed an astromech droid; E3-T4.
E3-T4 erupted in chirps and whistles. The round-domed, red trimmed automaton resembled most astromech droids of Naboo design. The droid's head spun in a full rotation, chirping and lighting its primary lens eye in a fit of what some would consider laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, droid. Keep it up, one day you'll be plugged into a star fighter," Teek retorted. Teek's demeanor often times clashed with Rité's. While the two had been close friends, sometimes his actions disturbed Rité. Teek had grown wearier about the actions of the Republic with news coming out of Coruscant of tightened security and the danger that Senator Amidala faced daily. Teek waved a hand across a loose strand of raven hair brushing against his forehead.
"Never mind him, E3," Rité proclaimed; icing another stare into Teek with eyes as emerald as the Naboo jungles. Rité and Teek; two of the Naboo Academy's brightest students selected personally by Sio Bibble to employ under the new Queen; Teek had excellent skills as a marksman and hand to hand combat while Rité exhibited unparalleled skills in her expertise with droids and her astounding achievements in academics.
"…if I may continue?" Sio Bibble interrupted.
Teek and Rité regained their composure, seated in front of Sio Bibble and the Queen in the Naboo Royal Chamber. Queen Apailana sat motionless in her throne; the same throne where thirteen years ago Queen Amidala had been threatened by the Trade Federation's words of blockade. An elaborate headdress burdened upon her young skull, trinkets dangling with each pass of her glares. Captain Arpa stood by her side; a dark man wearing the traditional garments of Naboo Protectorate. Rité once imagined what sitting in this chamber was like when she was a child, listening to the stories of the young maidens elected to this position tugged her dreams. Her parents instead decided that her skills would work best in the Academy to work off world one day for the Republic, however during the Trade Federation blockade; her parents became a tragedy of that fateful event. An orphan of the government, she placed into the Naboo Academy at a very young age.
A flock of birds rattled by the window outside, the glorious city of Theed's architecture pierced into Rité's soul. Staying on her home world was more important to her than working for the Republic and never seeing this majestic city ever again.
"Chancellor Palpatine is coming to Naboo. His aides say that he has grown tired of the daily struggles on Coruscant and is taking a few standard weeks at his retreat. He has also heard of your accomplishments and would like to personally congratulate the top two students of the Academy," Sio Bibble continued, "Teek, the Chancellor is interested in a display of your skills with a blaster and Rité, and your droid expertise went unmatched at the Academy. The Republic may ask you to join, but we understand that the choice is yours to make."
"I couldn't leave this city, Governor," Rité responded.
"The things I hear about the Chancellor, I wouldn't want to leave Naboo," Teek chimed in.
"The Chancellor will be arriving tomorrow; you two are going to join the Queen and me as emissaries of his home world to welcome him. He looks forward to meeting the two of you. You shall stay here tonight in the palace. Adjourned. Arpa, see them to their rooms."
Sio Bibble seated himself next to Queen Apailana as Arpa escorted the pair and the droid out of the chambers. Apailana had a share of concern on her mind, "What if the Chancellor requires their assets more so than he feels than they are needed here?"
"Who are we to argue with the Chancellor, my lady? They could come in service very well here as our fleet of droids are aging and our security forces have grown weakened by the safety of security provided by the fact that the Chancellor is of our world. Who is to say that when this crisis of the Confederacy has abated, and Palpatine serves out his term, the next Chancellor would not be as sympathetic to our planet?"
"We would have to convince Chancellor Palpatine of that need. I trust your negotiating skills are ready?"
"Yes, my lady. Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare our proposal in the affair about the trade agreement with Corellia. They seem interested in our plasma to be used in their new line of hyper drives. If all goes well, Naboo could be fueling hyper drives across the galaxy in a few years."
Sio Bibble rose, and removed himself from the Queen's chambers.
"I'm telling you Rité, I think something is suspicious about the Confederacy."
"What on Tatooine's twin suns do you mean?"
"I don't think the Confederacy is an enemy at all. This war was too sudden. I think the Chancellor has something to do with the Confederacy. Palpatine has been in office for too long, even before the Confederacy became an army. Is he serving his own agenda, and not for the well-being of the Republic?"
"Teek, have you inhaled ship exhaust? You better not let the Queen or worse, the Chancellor hear you speak like this."
Rité had shown some concern for her friend. They had hardly been apart since their youth and she had grown a slight attraction to him. There were many days where they had stood up for one another in their schooling when childhood bullies would torment them, such is youth. Teek's demeanor always got him in trouble; despite his excellent grades.
Rité continued to place her belongings in her assigned foot locker in her quarters. E3, resting on the opposite end of the room, by the bed, chirped a warbling whistle at Teek's direction.
"Listen to the droid; even he thinks you're delusional."
E3 chirped in agreement.
Teek gazed upon his friend with a combined sense of disdain and interest. She'd always struck him as fascinating, skills he could never learn to use. He reached his hand onto Rité's shoulder, rustling the khaki sleeve of her Academy uniform.
"You trust me though, don't you," he asked.
"Of course, but sometimes I don't know what to think."
She returned his gaze, staring back into his brown eyes; a curl of hair drooping back across his forehead. Rité and Teek had shared many such glances over the years. But they were now professionals, working for their planet. They were no longer children. They both graduated from the Academy a few short months ago and had already been placed into government service. Rité understood her life now; she wasn't so sure Teek knew his.
She reached in and kissed his cheek.
"Now, I think we should be getting to rest, we are meeting the Chancellor tomorrow, after all."
Teek retracted, and headed towards the doorway behind him.