My many thanks to everyone who has reviewed and left their suggestions. They are always appreciated. I won't comment longer as I am getting ready to run from a hurricane so if the next update takes awhile, you know why. Enjoy!

Emerald Green Queen: Thank you so very much. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. While you do have a point about the 'Naboo' hopefully I will keep you guessing. Thanks again for pointing out my miscue. Even with an extra pair of eyes helping me, we do still miss things. Thanks for your help :). As for Jango, keep reading to find out about him ;).

Lizziemackenzie: You made me blush with your kind comments. Thank you so much. As for the handmaidens, all the last names I use in my stories I have made up on my own or have help in making them up. There are histories scattered here and there throughout the web, but again I have to use a lot of creative license and base things on what I think Padme would need help with as Queen. Touching on your comment about Shmi, I have to agree that I wasn't too happy using Ms. However, in AotC, Threepio did refer to Padme as Miss so there is a precident in the GFFA for the title. Good point though. Will keep it in mind. Hope you are well too and enjoy the chapter!

Dragon: Thanks for reading. Hope you continue to enjoy!

Jedi Knight Anakin Solo: Thank you so much.

Mizra: Glad to you like reading about all the various characters. I like to have a good mix to make things more interesting. Thanks so much!

LaPapillion: Wow! Thank you for your very kind comments. As far as Dark Jedi, it is a generic name for those who have left the Order and have fallen to the Darkside. However, they don't follow the directives of the Sith Order. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks again for reading!

Pokey: Thanks so much!

LetNys: I appreciate you takng the time to read this. Hope you enjoy!

Nini the Electrocuted Sheep: Thanks so much. Things are definitely not looking good for our little hero. Hopefully he can pull another victory out of his belt. Thanks again for reading!

Optimus Primal: Jedi Maximal: Thanks so very much for your kind comments. The name of the sequel is For the Love of the Queen. I shall begin posting it as soon as this story is completed. As for as an AU ROTS fic, anything is possible ;).

NothingFeelsGood: Thanks for your wonderful comments. Glad you are still enjoying!

Lochar: Read this chapter to find out ;).Thanks for reading!

Fortune Zyne: Thanks!


Upon their arrival back at Theed Palace, Anakin unloaded his new pod into an unused area within the hangar so he could begin to work on it. Padmé had offered him the services of her Royal engineers, but he politely refused, saying he only needed Artoo's and Captain Olié's help. The pod that he had selected was a large contrast from his previous.

The engines on this racer had a much larger and round intake with a narrow tube that extended towards the exhaust. It was constructed out of a shiny metallic substance and was painted yellow and red. The actual pod itself was obviously not constructed for a human, the controls arranged in manner that required more than four limbs to operate it.

For days, Anakin didn't sleep and hardly ate as he converted the racer into a form that he could pilot. Ric helped him make sure that neither Jabba nor any of his cronies had tampered with it. It was past the eleventh evening bell and Padmé decided to take some food to Anakin, as she knew that he probably hadn't eaten since that morning; but more importantly, to check on his well being.

She smiled warmly when she entered the hangar. Artoo was soldering something on the pod's right engine; meanwhile, Anakin was slumped over his workbench, apparently asleep. Padmé quietly walked over to him and placed the tray down on a nearby bench before she nudged the boy's small shoulder.

"Ani?"

He mumbled something incoherently as he slowly raised his head with his eyes still closed. "Wha?"

"Why don't you get some rest?"

The boy flicked his eyes open and immediately got out of his chair. "I can't, I need to get the pod stabilizer installed so I can test it in the morning."

Padmé sighed softly as she watched him move clumsily towards the racer. "Ani, you've been at this nonstop for days. Please, just for tonight, try to relax."

"I can't," he muttered while tinkering with a loose bolt on the pod. "My mother doesn't get any rest in that slug's home, so I won't get any either until she's safe."

The young ruler walked over to Anakin's side and noticed that the fatigue was evident on his face, as well as on his ability to work. He couldn't even tighten the bolt that he was frustratingly trying to put in place. Then, without warning, the boy turned away from her and hurdled his ratchet towards one of the hangar's support beams. "She should be here with me right now. E chu ta, wermo Toydaria! Anakin spat angrily in Huttese.

Padmé's face contorted as she silently watched the boy's brief tirade. She had never seen Anakin angrier, but she knew that it was motivated from both fear and frustration. However, instead of chastising him, the young Queen waited patiently until the sandy haired boy quieted and stood before her in obvious embarrassment.

"Are you finished or would you like to throw something else?" She said with a crooked grin spread across her face.

The boy shrugged as he tore his eyes away from hers, ashamed to look at her. "I'm sorry, Padmé. I know I should not let my anger get the best of me but…" His voice trailed off as tears rolled down the sides of his small face. The boy crumpled to the floor, then buried his face in his hands. Padmé walked over and sat herself next to her friend. She wrapped her arm around him, causing him to nestle against her.

"Ani, it is alright to be angry over what happened. Actually, I think you've been handing the situation quite well."

His face red from crying, Anakin turned towards her. "Until now."

The youthful monarch slightly smirked as she brushed some of the lingering tears from his face. "Even now, still." Padmé's flashed a brief smile before she added, "Anakin, having feelings is what makes us human. However, how we choose to express those emotions defines who we are as people."

The boy seemed to calm as he considered her words. "I think I understand."

"Good," she pointed out with a growing smile. "Remember, you don't have to do this alone. You have friends here that care about you and who want to help you through this."

Anakin slightly dipped his head. "I know and thanks. And perhaps you're right; I need some sleep. Tomorrow I will finish my pod so I can take it out for a practice run."

The Queen smiled as she and the boy returned to their feet. After getting him back into his residence, Anakin fell fast asleep only moments after lying in his large bed. Padmè sighed deeply as she switched off the light to his bedroom. She knew, despite her own fears for his well being, she would have to remain strong with the hopes her confidence will fortify him as the day of the race quickly approached. However, unlike before, there was time to plan for contingencies in case things did not go well. The young Queen hurried back to her private office as she needed to make plans.

"There!" Anakin pointed out at the viewscreen, "That will do nicely."

Ric Olié nodded solemnly as he took over the controls of the Angel Queen to initiate the landing cycle while the young boy went into the rear cargo hold in order to unload the podracer. They had spent the better part of the morning searching for a relatively flat piece of empty land for him to test the racer's responsiveness.

Saché, who was asked by Queen Amidala to accompany Anakin and Olié for the test, turned her head to watch the boy removing the tarp he used to cover the pod. Since making his acquaintance, the handmaiden had admired the intensity in which he did everything. After his actions during the liberation she and the other handmaidens did not see him as a child. Rather, he was a short contemporary with child like wonder still sparkling in his eyes. "Anyway I can help, Ani?"

The short boy raised his head and smiled. "Help me unload the pod when we land."

Saché nodded and continued to watch the former slave preparing his racer when Captain Olié announced over the comm that the ship had landed. Quickly, Anakin lowered the loading ramp and with the handmaiden's help, they got the freshly painted yellow pod out of the ship. Moments later Artoo came down to assist the boy in setting up the racer. After a quick check to make sure all the fuel and steering tubing was connected, the High Protector sat inside his newly constructed cockpit, withdrew two large power cells from his utility belt and connected them into the pod's main power system.

Anakin took a deep breath before he flipped the two activator switches that would start the pod's two giant engines. A jarring shudder reverberated throughout the racer's superstructure, causing the boy to grab hold of the ship's controls to keep himself upright. Once the vibrations lessened, Anakin took this as a sign that the pod's main power systems were not going to overload. He then engaged the craft's massive braking system as he ran through a series of engine checks. Ric Olié monitored the results on a digital relay that was routed through Artoo's subsystems and displayed on a small monitor placed on top of the astromech's domed head.

Once they completed their checks, Saché curiously walked over to look inside the cockpit. Although there was much resting on the success of this upcoming race, the handmaiden almost detected a sense of enjoyment as Anakin's hands were dancing about the flyer's controls.

"Is everything alright?"

The boy eagerly grinned. "I think it's ready."

She nodded, backing away from the pod as both engines simultaneously powered up. Once they reached maximum power, Anakin engaged the throttle and he and his pod dashed out of sight. The grassy landscape of Naboo's countryside was moving past him in exaggerated motion. Using the Force, the boy sensed that there was nothing in his way as he pushed the racer to its maximum speed and then attempted to maneuver himself around various trees, large boulders and pools of water. Anakin was amazed at how nimble his new craft was in comparison to his first. Then again, he had picked up many new useful ideas when he first studied the schematics of the Angel Queen and used some of those novel technologies to add to his racer.

Aside from enhancements in maneuverability, he was able to add several new failsafe components to the engines that would allow them to run past their red line for much longer than normal. He built in a secondary cooling system that would engage when the main one would overload and in theory, should engage without interruption to either engine efficiency and or output. So far, all the preliminary engine checks and now his test flight seem to show that all his modifications are performing as they should.

Pulling back on the control stick and while throttling down, the pod lurched backwards and Anakin turned around to return to the ship. He again pushed the engines beyond their safety limits, causing the landscape to move by him with blinding speed. The boy sensed that he was rapidly approaching the Angel Queen where the last test remained—the new braking system. One technology that Naboovian engineers were exceptional at building was the brakes that they installed in their starfighters and starships. This trait had caught Anakin's attention when he was trying to evade the swarms of droid starfighters during the liberation. He installed a prototype of the system into his pod racer that he had developed for the Angel Queen.

Now was the moment of truth.

The boy flipped three switches above the throttle before pushing the stick to reverse thrust. Anakin felt as if someone had reached into his stomach and was trying to rip it out from his body while the pod rocked to a stop. The boy who had clenched his eyes shut, opened them to observe that he had overshot his target by only a few meters.

Quite pleased with himself, Anakin jumped out of the pod to join the others who were standing behind Artoo while he was calculating the race times.

"How did it run?" Ric asked in amazement.

The boy grinned. "Totally wizard."

Before Saché could ask anything, Artoo released a series of excited beeps catching both Anakin's and Captain Olié's attention. The boy read through the information displayed on the remote monitor quickly and released an ear to ear grin as he caught his fellow pilot's eye. Anakin then declared, "I think she's ready."


A dull ache pulsated from his temples as his eyes fluttered open. For a brief moment, Jango had forgotten about his precarious situation as he tried to shake off the pain, at first dismissing it to the after effects of an all night drinking binge. However, as the bounty hunter's eyes adjusted to the dim light, he soon realized that he was bound to an inclined surface in the same chamber where he confronted Vosa.

Jango yanked his arms repeatedly in a futile attempt to free himself. They were spread too far apart for him to reach his embedded comlink to call Zam for help. Hopefully she had found another way into the fortress, or else he was going to become a permanent resident of this burial moon. Once he ceased his struggling, the Mandalorian heard movement in the darkness from at least two beings. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to discern their identities; however, moments later the haunting laugh of his mark echoed throughout the room, making her presence known.

"Have sweet dreams, bounty hunter?" she asked with mock affection.

Jango sighed deeply before shifting his eyes towards the Dark Jedi. "Cut the bantha fodder and tell me what it is that you want?"

Komari briefly smirked, admiring his bravado. Under other circumstances, she would have paid handsomely to have one such as Fett at her disposal. But now, there were answers that only he could give her and she would resort to any means necessary in order to obtain them. "So tell me more about this Tyranus. I want to know where he is."

Jango shook his head. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

"Honor amongst thieves," Komari spat. "How touching." The former padawan then ominously stalked towards him. "You will tell me what I want know."

Fett felt a strange sensation within his head. It was almost if someone was trying to tug his very memories out like one would extract a bad tooth. The bounty hunter winced in pain, but all the while befuddled at what the leader of the Bando Gora wanted. He knew nothing of Tyranus or his whereabouts. At that moment it had struck him as odd that the issuer of the bounty failed to give him any details as to where he would take Vosa once he seized her. Perhaps I would of have thought of this sooner had it not been for the five million in credits that he was offering.

"I know nothing."

Komari noticeably frowned as his brain was unconsciously erecting mental barriers to prevent her further invasion into his mind. Had she not been so intent on extracting the information, she would have taken merit in his innate abilities. However, the Dark Jedi was too obsessed with learning more about her master. If he indeed was a Dark Lord of the Sith and knew that she had passed the information of the clone facility to Sifo-Dyas, it would only be a matter of time before he would seek her out. Komari's original notion of helping the Jedi find a means to combat the rising of the Sith, with hopes both groups would annihilate one another, had dangerously turned on her.

Her station within the Bando Gora would make it impossible for her to simply disappear. That and the fact that Dooku was one of the most gifted Jedi when it came to locating people through the Force, it was only a matter of time before the Master would pay her a visit. However, if she could learn of his whereabouts first, then perhaps she could take the fight to him, slaying him before he was aware of her presence.

Withdrawing from his closed mind, Vosa glared at the bound Mandalorian as she contemplated another more promising way to extract the information. At that moment, an idea formed.

"You know, bounty hunter, I am in need of someone like you for our…operations."

Jango gazed at her reluctantly. "What are you talking about?"

"Our ventures are often times quite rewarding and if you were to join us, you could become rich beyond your imagination," Komari goaded.

"What's the catch?" Fett asked knowingly.

Komari smirked. "The catch is you tell me everything you know about Tyranus and then swear allegiance to the Bando Gora. Then all will be forgiven and I will release you."

The bounty hunter looked at her wryly as he contemplated her words for a moment. "But I have told you everything I know."

"Come now," Vosa said, moving to within inches of his face. "Surely there is more you wish to share."

Jango was about to lie his way out of the situation when out of the corner of his eye he noticed movement near the room's entrance. Feigning to be deep in thought, the seasoned warrior moved his head slightly away from the hovering woman and fixed his gaze towards the doorway. A split second later, the slight form of his 'partner' filled the doorway, pointing a blaster precariously in his direction. As he returned his focus back on Komari, she was about to speak again when she suddenly sensed Zam's presence. Jango unconsciously recoiled as he heard several shots from a high powered blaster rifle echo throughout the room followed by the discernable sound of a lightsaber deflecting the incoming fire.

Fett instinctively flinched when he felt a searing pain radiate from both his wrists. To his amazement, his previously bound hands were now free. Shifting his gaze back to where his captor was, all that remained was empty space as Jango then realized that the hum of the lightsaber had vanished. He reached over to pull at the restraints that were continuing to bind his legs when the changeling ran over to assist him.

"What took you so long?"

Zam sneered. "You were the one who wanted me to find a back way into this drab place so it took me awhile to get in."

While they were removing the last of the bonds, Jango chuckled, "Point taken." Moments after he was free he glanced about the stone room, looking for his mark. Wesell immediately pointed to a small portal. "Vosa ran that way."

The Mandalorian nodded curtly as he rushed over to pick up his two blasters that had been forcibly thrown against the wall. He twirled them in his hands quickly before placing them back into his holsters. Turning to Zam he requested, "Get back to the ship and get her ready. I doubt Vosa's followers will be happy with us taking her." The changeling nodded without argument. "But, if I am not back at the ship within one standard hour…leave."

"But Jango…"

The bounty hunter waved his hand to cut her off. "Consider it my thanks for saving my hide again."

Before she could protest, the armor clad warrior ran into the darkness, leaving her little choice but to comply with his wishes. Meanwhile, Jango maneuvered himself quickly down a narrow stone hallway which led to a large staircase. Fett immediately pulled out his two blasters as he sensed that he was not alone. Cautiously, he traversed the stairs and turned right, heading down another dark corridor. He used the shadows for cover as he moved from corner to corner then would dash behind a pillar whenever they emerged. As he was about to venture further he heard the portentous laughter of Vosa bristling in his ears.

"I know you can hear me, bounty hunter. Catch me, if you can."

Jango darted his eyes around the small room, but all that was present were a few dimly lit torches and himself. Any lingering doubts he had about Vosa being a Jedi had completely disappeared. Fett would not make the same mistake of underestimating his opponent or her abilities. He would have to draw on his few experiences with fighting Jedi and hope that he could use that in conjunction with his cunning to tip the odds in his favor, or else he would never leave this place.

Nervously, the bounty hunter moved from hiding and continued into the next passageway. However, this direction led to a dead end as there were no obvious openings on any side of the room. Jango was about to turn around when he noticed the torches flicker as if the flames were caught in a breeze. He looked about and then spotted a large opening directly above him, which appeared to lead into another level of the fortress. Fett activated his rocket pack which propelled him upward until he cleared the portal and reached another walkway. The cackling, he heard before, grew louder as Vosa again goaded him.

"You're more cleaver than I thought. You're getting closer."

The bounty hunter sneered as he hastened his pace down another eerie corridor. As he reached the end it extended into a large room, which at one time appeared to function as a sort of waiting area before entering into an adjoining room that was separated by a black, eloquently designed, metallic grill door. Jango was about to withdraw his blowtorch when he heard a loud crash from behind. He immediately spun around to see that five cultists had sealed themselves into the room with him. Once again, Jango fired both of his blasters rapidly, trying to aim for the creature's heads. But, the members of the Bando Gora, who looked as if they had been buried for years, deflected his shots with their extended vibroaxes.

Pointing his arm in their direction, Jango lit his flamethrower, causing his would-be attackers to halt. With a wry grin on his face, the bounty hunter released a flame in warning, which made the cultists further retreat. As they continued to back away, Fett noticed that they were moving under an archway which was supported by another set of columns. He withdrew slightly and gave them a salute of feigned respect before he fired one of his rocket propelled grenades into the roof, causing it to cave in. The unsuspecting cultists were crushed as the huge pieces of the ceiling collapsed upon them, killing them instantly.

Returning his attention to the gate, Jango removed this obstacle quickly with the use of his blowtorch. He crawled through the opening which led him into what appeared to be a large audience chamber. It was made of the same type of rock that was used in the other sections of the fortress. Six giant columns, two on opposite sides of each other, led up towards the front of the room which was raised several feet from the floor. A row of flat stairs led towards the back of the room where a large granite statue stood, and at its base, knelt Komari.

"It took you long enough, bounty hunter."

"No more games, Vosa. You're coming with me."

The Dark Jedi slowly rose from her place and causally turned to face him. Stifling a laugh she answered, "Quite right, Fett. Time for you to meet your maker.

At that moment, Komari unhooked two arch handled lightsabers from her belt, instantaneously igniting them. Jango crouched down and aimed both of his blasters at her torso. For an instant, neither combatant moved as they seemed to be measuring one another. The silence was then broken as Jango fired his blasters in rapid succession towards the Dark Jedi. Vosa deflected each of the incoming bolts and redirected some back at Jango who barely managed to escape as they hit the place where he was only seconds prior.

Fett rolled himself back up into a crouching position in order to fire several more unobstructed shots at his attacker. Like before, Vosa flicked them away with her red hued lasersword effortlessly.

She sighed deeply as if bored with the situation. "Is that the best you can do, bounty hunter? Surely you could do better."

Baited, Jango ran at the Dark Jedi, firing his weapons wildly; meanwhile, each blaster bolt flew away from her as quickly as they were hurdled. When Fett was close enough, Komari pulled back the lightsaber in her right hand and flicked the blade towards the bounty hunter with hopes of attempting to separate his head from his body. Reacting just in time, the Mandalorian rolled underneath her outstretched lasersword and when he returned to his feet, he was eye to eye with her. Without thought, Jango threw a punch that hit Vosa on the side of her jaw. She dropped both of her weapons as she recoiled backwards, mostly in shock over being physically struck. He then extended his arm and unleashed a large flame at her.

Sensing the imminent danger, the former Padawan used the Force to launch herself backwards, and away from the oncoming flames. Jango lowered his arm when he saw that he hadn't consumed his prey with fire to immediately dive for the idle lightsabers. At that same moment, Vosa sensed his intentions and drew upon the Force to summon her two weapons back into her outstretched hands. Before the bounty hunter could see what had happened, the Dark Jedi was hovering ominously before him with her weapons in a ready position.

He rolled onto his side to fire at her, but again she deflected the bolts with one of her sabers and with the other she sliced the blaster down the middle, causing it to explode in his hand. Jango recoiled as he drew in his burned hand, causing him to drop his other weapon. Vosa seized the opening and lobbed her blade into the armor that covered his exposed shoulder. The searing pain instantly caused the seasoned bounty hunter to clench at the wound, forcing him to cower in front of his supposed mark.

Komari sneered at the display. "Fool. Did you really think that you could capture me like you did with all your pathetic prey in the past?" Fett continued to writhe in pain while Komari was twirling her right handed saber, preparing to strike the killing blow. "You could have been richer than you could have possibly imagined if you had joined me. But now…now you shall die."

The Dark Jedi spun both weapons several times before readying her blades for the death strike. As she reached back, Jango quickly reached out with his right arm and fired his suspension rope which caught the attacking woman completely by surprise. Both of her ignited lightsabers once again fell to the floor as she struggled to free herself. Taking advantage, Fett reached for his remaining blaster and fired two shots at his opponent. Komari staggered backwards and fell onto the floor as the two blaster bolts hit her directly on both her shoulders.

The bounty hunter, ignoring the pain of his wounds, gathered the woman's two laserswords and secured them within his armor. Jango stood in front of his mark, watching her yell in pain. "Impossible. You should be dead, bounty hunter."

"Apparently not," he retorted. Fett was about to collect her when a look of terror filled her face. While this was the normal response of those that he would capture, something told him that he was not the source of her fear.

"The Master….the Master is here."

At that same moment, Jango became aware of another presence filling the room. He whipped around to see the darkly dressed figure standing behind him, silently evaluating all that had transpired. Meanwhile, Komari began to scream. "If you have an honor left within you, Mandalorian, you will cut me free and give me my weapons so I can defend myself."

Unsure of what to do, Fett turned back towards the Sith apprentice who gave him a curt nod before approaching his fallen former student.

He grinned slightly as he knelt to face her. "Komari Vosa…It has been a long time."

"Get away from me, you traitor."

"Traitor?" Dooku remarked, cocking an eyebrow up. "I hardly think you are one to judge me, Dark Jedi and leader of a band of criminals. How far you've truly fallen, my apprentice."

"Me? You betrayed everything only to become a lapdog of the Sith. I only did what I had to in order to survive, Dooku."

Tyranus walked calmly around the slumping woman. His face momentarily softened as he knelt to face her. "As have I, Padawan."

Ignoring his comment, Komari spat, "You killed Sifo-Dyas. Didn't you?"

The look of sympathy that had filled his face was immediately replaced with the anger and bitterness that now drove him. At that same instant, a snap-hiss echoed throughout the large chamber as Dooku held his activated crimson hued weapon by his side. He stared silently at Vosa for a moment. "I'm afraid that I must now set you on the path to join him. My Master demands it."

Komari screamed as she saw the blade coming down towards her head. A second later, her cries of fear and outrage were replaced by silence. Dooku placed his weapon back under his cloak, and then turned his attentions back to the dumbstruck bounty hunter. "She was much too dangerous to keep alive. Her cult will now fall apart and will be of no further concern."

Trying to show no fear, Jango retorted, "I captured her as promised. I would like to take what is owed to me."

The Sith apprentice smirked as he drew closer to the Mandalorian. "Yes, quite right. I believe that was for five million credits, was it not?" Fett silently nodded, keeping his eyes locked on Dooku's. "However, if you are interested, I have another proposal that could more than triple that amount."

Greed got the better of Fett when he asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"Although I could have tracked Vosa myself, the real purpose of the bounty was to see if you had the ability to successfully hunt and capture one trained in the Jedi arts."

"To what end, Tyranus?"

"I have been charged with the important task of building an army—a clone army to be more precise. And we needed to find a suitable specimen to serve as a template for the clones that we will design to follow our every order without question." Dooku grinned as he added, "You have more than proven yourself worthy if you wish to accept."

"Fifteen million credits?" was all that the bounty hunter could say in reply.

The Sith apprentice deeply chuckled as he placed his hand on the warrior's uninjured shoulder. "Yes, my friend. That and even more, if you are willing to take the challenge."

Jango paused momentarily. "I will do it on one condition."

"Name it."

"The very first clone you produce, I want it, but with no alterations."

Dooku looked upon him quizzically as he sensed a surge of inexplicable emotions rise from the man. "May I ask to what end?"

"You could," Fett answered stone faced. "But that doesn't mean you would understand my answer."

The fallen Jedi smirked as he extended his hand. "Very well, then. We have an accord." The two men shook hands to seal their pact, as well as the fate of an unsuspecting galaxy. Meanwhile, on the other end of the galaxy, Chancellor Palpatine was staring out his office's bay window that overlooked the Senate district. A wry grin filled his face as he felt the ever-changing tides of the Force suddenly shift into the direction of his choosing. The Sith Master cracked a smile as he realized that everything was unfolding in the exact manner that he had forseen. His power within the Darkside was that great and soon he would be invincible.


Nighttime had befallen the city of Theed and the Palace had grown silently still. After a grueling day of Court, Queen Amidala went to bed early, trying to get as much rest as possible. Aside from the business of running an entire world, Anakin's impending race had been foremost in her mind. She wished that she shared his optimism, but unlike before, they did not have the element of surprise working for them. The Hutts would be keeping their slug eyes on the boy, hoping to take him if the opportunity presented itself.

Padmé tossed and turned fretfully in her large bed, unable to find any comfortable position. After she smacked her pillows several times, she was about to try to fall asleep again when a soft voice called out to her:

"Your Highness." Padmé mumbled something incoherent before the voice called out again. "Your Highness. Wake up."

The young Queen opened her eyes to see the brunette Rabé standing next to her bed, wrapped in a robe.

"What is it?"

"Your secured comm to Master Kenobi has finally gone through. I have him on the holoviewer in your office."

Padmé jumped out of bed and Rabé had to slow her down long enough to wrap a robe around her before she went gallivanting down the hallway in her nightwear. Within seconds she reached her private office and was greeted by a weary looking hologram of Obi-Wan.

"My apologies, Your Majesty for the tardiness of this call."

"Quite alright, Master Kenobi. Is everything prepared?"

The blue hologram nodded. "I have contacted my friend and she has promised to meet us on Malastare the day of the race."

Amidala raised her eyebrow curiously. "Can she be trusted not to inform the Jedi Council of your activities?"

Obi-Wan smirked. "Siri is every bit the maverick that Master Qui-Gon was. I trust her implicitly."

"Very well," the Queen said. "My personal security and the other handmaidens will arrive separately and take their places within the stands in case we need to implement our plan."

The Jedi Knight nodded. "Hopefully it won't come to that. If Siri or I have to engage in battle, it will be rather difficult for us to explain our actions to the Council."

"As I said before, Master Jedi, I will travel to Coruscant and explain how I enlisted your help since Anakin is a Naboo citizen, as well as our High Protector."

"I know, but it will draw unwanted attention to our other...activities."

Padmé looked at him grimly as her jaw tightened. "There is no way I will take any chances where Anakin's life or freedom is concerned. Even if I have to choke the life out of the mighty Hutts myself."

Obi-Wan scoffed as he added, "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, Your Highness."

The Queen nodded. "I hope not either. Then let's pray then that the spirits will be with us all."

The Jedi Knight simply nodded then bowed respectfully before disappearing from sight. Meanwhile, Padmé sat back in her chair, hoping that it would not come to that.

TBC-Reviews, comments and suggestions are welcomed!