Chapter Twelve


Everett felt relieved as Captain Panaka handed her a blaster.
"Use it only if you have too," he warned.
"Of course," she smirked. "Only if necessary." He gave her a fond smile.
"Should have followed in my footsteps, Senator."
"And not hold a higher position than you?" she shot back. "Besides, Gregar wouldn't have let me."

As she spoke her betrothed's name, she sobered quickly.
"Did you…?" Captain Panaka shook his head.
"There are at least twenty camps, Senator, but don't lose hope." She nodded as he moved on, distributing blasters as he went.

Anakin trotted up to Everett, coming to a stop beside her.
"Hi!" he said cheerfully." She smiled at him.
"Hello Anakin, how are you?"
He shrugged, "There is a lot of green here. I haven't seen this much before. There is so much I've never seen before."
"And you haven't seen the ocean," she added with a click of her tongue.
"What's an ocean?"
"It's a great big body of water," she said. "It almost never goes away, and you swim in it. Can you swim, Ani?"
"I've never tried."
"Well, I'll teach you after this is all over."
"Truly?"

The boy's sky-blue eyes lit up in excitement, much like when she taught him how to climb a tree.
"I'm a good teacher," she told him. "I'll have you swimming like a fish in no time."
"Fish?"
"A small edible creature that swims in the ocean."
"Cool! Will you show me one?"
"Will you eat it?" she countered.
"Eat what?" Qui-Gon asked, joining them.

She fought back a flush at his sudden appearance.
"Fish, Qui-Gon sir," Anakin chirped. Qui-Gon nodded in slight understanding. He looked to Everett.
"Senator Alvera. Speaker of Truth."
"As much as I can," she said. "We should always be candor when in politics."
"I'm afraid, Senator," he said, "that, if you truly believe that, then your stay in Coruscant will not be pleasant and your position not long kept."
"So be it," Everett said firmly. "I have fought to where I am now and will continue to do so until the fates send me in a different direction."

The older man rubbed thoughtfully at his beard, reminding Everett of her father.
"I watched the elections of Naboo closely this year. The young Queen intrigued me and then there was you, Senator."

This confused Everett. What was he talking about.
"You have this way with words, Senator, not shying away from the problem, always levelheaded with your answers. At times, I wonder why you didn't run for Queen." She scoffed at that.
"I climb trees, I speak what I feel without regard to those whose feelings I might injure. I care more about the unjust in galaxy and I would be wasted stuck on a throne."
"I believe misspoke earlier. Your candor might get you everywhere." She gave him a small smile.
"Perhaps our paths will cross when I move to Coruscant."
"Perhaps, but who knows the ways of the force." He moved away from her as Captain Panaka called out to Everett. It was time to go.

She followed him into the palace plaza, along with Rabé and twenty others assorted Naboo troops. She had been partnered with them to get a vantage point. She climbed up to a thin hidden ledge, holding a small red lazar. She had a direct view into the main hanger, watching the droids milling about.

Catching sight of Padmé at the other end of the plaza, she lifted the laser, turning it off and on several times. Immediately, Captain Panaka and his troops began to fire on the droids as Padmé and her troops rushed into the main hanger.
"Senator," Captain Panaka called from below her.

Everett looked down, seeing Captain Panaka ducking for cover. She nimbly climbed down, pulling out her blaster. She fired on a droid, hiding behind Captain Panaka.
"Get to the hanger," he ordered. She nodded, following him.

They rushed the remaining battle droids in the hanger, shooting them down. When it was just the Naboo, Padmé looked to Qui-Gon.
"My guess is the Viceroy is in the throne room." He nodded and Captain Panaka started barking out orders.
"Red Group, Blue Group, everybody, this way."

From inside a fighter ship, Anakin's blond head popped out of the cockpit.
"Hey! Wait for me!" he cried.
"Anakin, stay where you are," Qui-Gon ordered. "You'll be safe there."
"But I…"
"Stay in that cockpit."

Everett spun around to look at the boy.
"Stay safe," she told him. He nodded, slipping back into the cockpit. She turned back, following the group towards the exit, stopping when the door swung open, relieving a man in dark robes.

Beside her, Obi-Wan stepped up a bit, partially hiding her from the new stranger.
"We'll handle this…" Qui-Gon told Padme.
"We'll take the long way," Padmé agreed. Everett moved around Obi-Wan, following Padmé and the others. She glanced back to see the stranger lowering his hood, showing a red and black face with horns growing out of his skull. She shivered as she turned back to the others.

The group nearly reached the far end of the hanger when three destroyers rolled up, transforming into their battle positions.
"Let's go!" Padmé shouted. They ran down the hallways, being chased by the battle droids.

At the end of the hallway, Captain Panaka spun around, seeing that they were trapped.
"We don't have time for this, Captain," Padmé snapped. Everett rolled her eyes, firing at the glass window. Padmé went to scold her, but Everett pulled out her grappling hook attachment.
"I'll pay for the window," she promised.

She walked out the window, stepping onto the ledge. She looked down to see the city below them. She pursed her lips then turned to look upwards. Padmé, Captain Panaka, four guards and Rabé joined her.
"Up we go," Everett said.

The group fired their grappling hooks, the devices attaching to a ledge around four stories up. Everett was the first climbing up the side of the palace. If it wasn't for the fact that she was trying to survive, then she would be thinking that this was a dream. She had always wanted to scale the palace… add another check to the list.

Once on the next ledge, everyone fired their blasters, completely destroying the window.
"I will not be paying for this one," Everett remarked.
"Didn't expect you to," Padmé said breathlessly.

The Queen dropped into the hallway, being careful of the glass. She led the way to the throne room. Everett brought up the rear, slipping on the glass. She let out a quiet yelp, falling to the ground. She grimaced as Rabé tried to help her back up. Small shards of glass were embedded in her palms. She tried her best to pick out the big pieces as Rabé ripped up a strip of her dress, wrapping it around Everett's hands to keep them from bleeding.

The two rushed to catch up with the others, coming to a stop when they saw the group with their hands up, cornered by destroyers. Catching Padmé's eyes, the senator threw down her blaster, urging Rabé to do the same.

They were all escorted to the throne room by battle droids. They were stopped in front of Nute, Rune, and four Neimoidian council members.
"Your little insurrection is at an end, Your Highness," Viceroy Nute told Padme. "Time for you to sign the treaty… and end this pointless debate in the senate."

Suddenly, the door at the other end of the throne room burst open. Sabé, dressed like the Queen, appeared in the doorway along with several troops.
"Viceroy, your occupation here has ended!"

The Neimoidian's were stunned. The Viceroy was the first to react. He yelled at the battle droids that were guarding him.
"After her! This one is a decoy!" Six the droids rushed out of the room after Sabé.

Padmé, having slipped to the throne during the distraction, hit a security button that opened a panel in her desk. She grabbed two blasters, tossing one to Captain Panaka, one to an officer, and one to Everett. The Senator caught the gun, the glass digging into her palms as she fired at the remaining droids.
"Jam the doors!" Captain Panaka ordered his men.

The guards rushed to the door control panel as Padmé hit the switch to close the door. The officer at the door jammed the controls as Captain Panaka threw more blasters to the other guards.

From her throne, Padmé threw one leg over the other, hands folding primly in her lap. She gazed at the Viceroy.
"Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty." Viceroy Nute gulped visibly as Padmé moved her gaze to Everett. "Care to join me, Senator Alvera?" Everett nodding, moving to stand at the Queen's side.


Sorry this update too so long, but we're almost finished with this story! Kinda getting sad, not gonna lie. But it's not finished yet! I really hope y'all are enjoying.
-Amy Thorton

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