Warrior's Heart Part V, Loyalty

Nine Months Later

Standing at my balcony window, I felt the sun's warm rays upon my face as it set along the horizon. Cradled in my arms was the small form of my daughter. From what the medic said, she looked just like me. Amazingly, no one questioned about her father, and personally, I didn't want to answer any inquiries. Glancing down at her, I said,

"I will tell you about your father in my own due time, Karia. And I hope you understand why he won't be here."

Kari merely stared at me with her bright golden/green eyes. The only feature that she inherited from Khameir was the center of gold surrounded by dark green. Some part of me was a little relieved that she didn't look like her father. It ceased many questions that might have come up from my advisors and soldiers.

There were times at night when I thought that Khameir had come back and was watching over me. But, I knew that he was probably never returning to Haadiak. It was best not to feed false hope to either Karia or myself. But, I couldn't help thinking about him from time to time.

xXx Seven years later xXx

"You're doing great, Kari! Keep it up!" I stated with pride as Karia deflected the droids' blasts at her using my old sai-blades.

Flipping over the small droids, my daughter drove the blades straight through the two enemy droids before returning to her defense stance. She was already learning just as fast as I was at her age. Looking up at me, Kari bowed as I bowed to her. When she glanced up, a grin spread across her face as she asked,

"Did I do good, Momma?"

Gathering her into my arms, I smiled,

"Yes, Kari. You've done very well in your lessons, and you're much faster than others your age. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Momma," she said, hugging me around the neck.

Suddenly, the sounds of war entered into our training area, and I frowned as I saw the Federation's droid army on the move towards Naboo. I had chosen this planet to help teach Kari the ways of war. Nearly everyone in the surrounding galaxies knew about the dispute between Queen Amidala and the Trade Federation. Setting Karia on the ground, I returned my gaze to the droids battling with natives of Naboo. Sighing, I glanced down at Kari as she asked,

"Momma, why are they fighting the Naboo?"

"It's because they are not willing to listen to each other," I answered. "Kari, you must remember that negotiations come first when dealing with disputes like this. One has to listen to all sides when forming a resolution."

"Yes, Momma," she nodded in agreement.

"Your majesty," Lieutenant Agonu declared as he approached us. "I apologize for interrupting your training session with Princess Karia, but the war has come too close to where we are currently located. It would be advisable if we leave Naboo."

Raising an eyebrow, I decided to take the lieutenant's advice. Looking at the other five soldiers with me, I stated,

"Let's get back to the ship and return to Haadiak."

"At once, your majesty," all six soldiers answered as they prepared our speeders.

Mounting one of the speeders, Kari settled in front of me as all eight of us headed towards my planetary cruiser. Reaching the ship, I noticed how much closer the battle was to us. Pursing my lips, I pressed my communicator to the ship, saying,

"J-2LR, we're coming onto the ship. Prepare to take off."

"Yes, your majesty," the droid replied as the door leading inside the storage unit of the ship opened. After loading the speeders, my soldiers prepared to close the ship hangar.

Suddenly, I heard a small voice say inside my mind,

'Amira. I need your help. Please, help me, Amira.'

The voice sounded strangely familiar as I frowned in slight confusion. Then, it said,

'Amira...please come to me.'

My eyes widened as I realized whose voice it sounded like. 'It can't be...it just can't be him,' I thought to myself. 'There's only one way to find out.' Closing my eyes I relaxed my body and projected my mind out into the atmosphere. The presence emitting from the voice was very familiar. I knew it had to be him. Opening my eyes, I glared determinedly towards the Naboo castle where the source of the energy was located.

Heading back to the storage unit, I mounted one of the speeders as Karia came after me, asking,

"Momma, where are you going?"

"There's something I have to do here, Kari," I told her.

"I wanna come with you," she stated, trying to get on the speeder behind me. Picking up my daughter, I gave her a stern look, saying,

"You can't come with me, Kari. It's not safe. Go back home and make sure everyone gets there safely."

"But, Momma..." she tried to protest, but I held up my hand, declaring,

"That's an order, Karia."

Biting her lower lip, Kari nodded to me as I hugged her close before summoning Agonu to me. Handing her to the lieutenant, I stated, "Take care of her, and make sure to get everyone off-planet safely. Hopefully, I'll be following shortly."

"But, your majesty, how can...?" I didn't hear Agonu's entire question as I sped out of the ship towards the Naboo palace. There was no way of knowing for sure where he was, but I knew I had to try and find him. This much I did know; I had to go to the Naboo palace.

After reaching the palace, I vanished into the walls guarding against the droids. Moving stealthily through the grounds, I hid when troops from either side of the battle came too close. It would not be wise to be found by either Federation droids or Naboo warriors.

Closing my eyes, I felt the air, seeking out the life force of the one whom I sought. Gasping, I couldn't believe the life force was growing weaker. Returning my gaze to the outside corridors, I had to hurry inside the very core of the castle.

Once a group of Naboo warriors rushed past my current hiding place, I continued on into the castle. As people dashed through the different corridors of the inner castle, I lifted my body up to a ledge using my mind. Bent low to the narrow ledge, I swiftly made my way further inside the palace, undetected by those below.

My heart pounded harder in my chest as it felt I grew nearer to him. Somehow, I could feel something was wrong as the life force throbbed in the air, trying to stay alive. Urging my feet to move faster, I didn't know how much time I had left. I had to reach the source wherever it was.

Suddenly, the source felt stronger to the right, and so I headed down that corridor, leaping across to another ledge. It didn't feel much further as my heart seemed to draw me closer to the source of the life force. Then, I was directly above it.

Looking down, I saw what appeared to be a cold, circular incinerator below my current perch. On the floor just below, I discovered two warriors of great strength with the Force. 'Jedi,' I thought to myself. 'One of them is dying, but that wasn't the life force I felt fading away.' Moving back into the shadows, I waited until the younger Jedi left the sector before glancing down into the dark pit of the incinerator. The source was down there, I could feel it.

Surrounding myself with a mental cloak, I dove down head-first into the deep cavern of darkness in the floor. Flipping to where my feet were down first, I cushioned my legs as I landed on the ground. Lying on the metal floor was one side to a lightsaber. Quickly, I picked it up and tucked it into my belt alongside my sai-blades. Bending low to the ground, I felt around using my mind until I came across something hidden in the shadows.

Slowly moving in that direction, I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my mouth after what I saw. It was Khameir. He had been severed in half, the top half lying closer to me and the bottom a few feet away. Tears that I had not felt since that day when he left returned to my eyes as I knelt down next to him. Taking his hand into mine, it felt rather cold. Closing my eyes tightly, I couldn't bear to see him like this.

Instantly, a wave of warmth passed through Khameir's hand as I felt him grasp mine. Opening my eyes again, I saw the same pair of fiery, golden eyes staring at me as he said,

"I knew I felt your presence here, Amira."

"Oh, gods, who did this to you?" I questioned. Then, shaking my head, I said, "No, it doesn't matter. I cannot believe after these past years...we are together again."

"Amira...there's very little time," he whispered, still gripping my hand close to him. "You must...push in...the code on my...wrist communicator."

Glancing down at his wrist, I saw the communicator and immediately had the code in my mind. Punching several buttons, I asked,

"What will happen?"

Inhaling slowly, Khameir replied,

"We must...wait, Amira." Then, his gaze returned to me as he released my hand and placed his against my face, saying, "I have missed you...my warrior princess. Even if I don't survive, I had the chance to see you once more."

"Don't say such things," I ordered him, swallowing hard. "You are so much stronger than that, Khameir. I know."

Suddenly, I heard a door slide open to the left of where Khameir and I were. Pulling out a sai-blade, I replaced it when Khameir put his hand on mine, saying,

"It's alright."

Three small, floating, black droids holding a hovering stretcher entered the incinerator. Two of them extended their arms and lifted Khameir's lower half onto the stretcher. Then, the third turned to me, saying,

"My lady, we need your help in lifting our master onto the stretcher."

Placing my arms under Khameir's remaining half, I set him gently on the stretcher, fitting both halves together. A glass soon covered his body as he kept his gaze on me before closing his eyes. Light green liquid filled the area enclosing Khameir, and I knew this would only be a temporary solution in keeping him alive.

Holding the stretcher, the two droids pushed it through the door while the third and I followed behind it. Facing me again, the third droid stated,

"My lady, unless we find a planet with the technology to heal our master, he will remain frozen inside that chamber."

"Haadiak has the technology," I declared as we continued through the passage. "The problem is how are we going to get off Naboo without anyone spying us?"

"Our master's ship is at the end of this corridor, my lady," the droid informed me. "All we need is for you to pilot it to our destination."

Throwing a wary glance at the droid, I thought, 'Easier said than done, but I have no choice. I have to save him now that I've found him again.' "Show me to the ship and I will get us to Haadiak."

The ship was just as I remembered it, black and sleek, perfect for stealthily getting off-planet. One of the first droids detached its cable from the hover-stretcher and pushed in the code, opening the hangar. Once Khameir had been moved and stored safely inside the ship, I strode into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat.

Glancing around at the different controls, I didn't have the faintest idea of what I was doing. I looked back at the three droids as they watched over Khameir, and knew they would be of no help. Then, I became totally at ease as comforting warmth ran through my mind. It was as though the instructions were laid out before me, and I started the ship. The craft rose gently into the air before heading towards the open hangar door in front of its location.

Moving slowly into the sky above the battle for Naboo, I threw one last glance around, making sure that my own vessel was gone, too. Sighing in relief, I pulled back on the control levers as the ship made its way beyond any of the barriers outside Naboo's atmosphere. Setting a course for Haadiak, I placed the space vessel into hyper-speed to reach my planet as soon as possible.

Within a few hours, we had reached Haadiak where I immediately searched for the vessel that left Naboo just hours before us. Spotting it on the landing pad below, I smiled that they had arrived here safely.

Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that those in the palace might think this ship was hostile. Patching into the communications unit as I landed the vessel, I heard the com reader say,

"Unidentified vessel, please state your name and pilot."

"Vessel: Infiltrator, and piloted by Haadiakan warrior queen Amira," I replied sternly.

"Your majesty, I shall send down those from your party of Naboo. They have been expecting her majesty," the com reader informed me as I lowered the hangar and strode off the ship.

Almost instantly, I spotted Karia, Lieutenant Agonu, and J-2LR rushing down to meet me. Karia ran straight towards me before screeching to a halt and bowing to me out of respect. When I smiled at her, she dashed into my outstretched arms as I hugged her, overjoyed that she was safe. Then, she asked,

"Momma, where did you go on Naboo? Why did you want us to leave you behind?"

"I'll explain it all later, Kari, I promise," I reassured her.

Hearing the droids whirring behind me, I turned to see them unloading Khameir from the Infiltrator. Then, I remembered that I still had Karia in my arms, and, turning to J-2LR, I stated,

"J-2LR, take Kari to her chambers. She needs rest after the long journey home."

"Yes, your majesty," J-2LR answered as he took hold of Kari's hand after I set her down on her feet.

"But, Momma..." Kari tried to protest, but stopped when I gave her a firm stare, declaring,

"We'll discuss it later, Karia. Now, go rest."

"Yes, Momma," she replied, following J-2LR inside the palace.

Returning my gaze back to the droids, Agonu at my side asked,

"Um...your majesty, was he the reason you ventured into the battlefield on Naboo?"

Giving him a stern look, I affirmed,

"Yes, Lieutenant. Is there a problem?"

"None, my queen," he told me with a quick bow of respect. "It's just that we have not heard from Lord Maul or Lord Palpatine in years. And by sheer chance, you come across Lord Maul on Naboo. It's very strange if you ask me, your majesty."

"Lieutenant, it is not your place to question me," I reminded him. "You have been one of my trusted advisers ever since I was crowned queen, and you have always trusted me, too. I am asking you to please trust me. There are reasons that I...helped Maul, but you must understand that those reasons are to be kept secret."

Sighing, Agonu nodded his head as I beckoned the droids to bring Khameir inside after me. Once inside the elevator, we headed down two levels where medical facilities were located. Glancing around, I saw one of the doctors look up and immediately rushed over, stopping only to bow to me before he inquired,

"What's happened, my queen?"

"Doctor Lokhan, I need you to put Lord Maul back together," I informed him. "I know we have the technology."

Striding over to the hover-stretcher, Lokhan inspected my beloved inside the chamber before saying,

"Your majesty, we have the technology to put lost appendages, like arms or legs, back onto their bodies, but what you ask for is great. We will do our very best to heal Lord Maul's severed body, but, you must realize it will take time."

Nodding, I stated,

"I understand, Doctor Lokhan. I would appreciate it if you contact me as soon as he is whole again."

"As you command, my queen," he replied with another bow.

Striding down the corridor, I suddenly remembered Karia and my promise to her. Frowning at myself, I knew I owed her an explanation for my actions. Approaching her chambers, my old ones, I knew she wasn't trying to sleep as I suggested she do. If I knew my daughter, Karia wasn't resting.

Once the door opened, I saw a blue blur fly through the air and land on Kari's bed. I tried to stifle my giggle, but seeing Kari try to trick me as I entered the room was too much for me. Going to the bed where my daughter was "sleeping", I placed a hand on her head, saying,

"It's alright, Kari. I know you haven't been sleeping all this time."

One eye opened and looked straight at me, as Kari grinned,

"I guess I can't fool you, Momma."

"It's hard to fool me with the same tricks I used to try with my mother," I gently informed her. Then, sighing, I focused on the reason that I was here. "But, that's not why I came to see you, my little one. I feel I owe you answers to your questions."

"Well, why did you leave us?" she inquired. "I was worried you'd be caught in the battle...and I'd...lose my momma."

"I had to save someone. Believe me, Kari," I tried to reassure her. "It was very critical that I did what I did."

Accepting that much, Kari asked,

"Where did you get the ship?"

"I found it after my task was complete," I replied. "And apparently, it got me home safely. Anymore questions?"

"Just one," she answered. "What was inside that hover-stretcher?"

Stopping, I was hoping that she hadn't noticed it behind me. Taking a deep breath, I said,

"Someone very...important to me, Kari. That was the reason I took off on my own. That was why I wanted you and the others to get safely off-planet without me."

Gazing at me with her green/golden eyes, Kari looked as though she was trying to find answers in my eyes. Smiling inside my mind, I knew she was just like me, always trying to see beyond what was there. To answer her unspoken question, I declared,

"You will see who he is once he has healed. And I will leave it at that, Karia."

Patting her soft, long hair that matched my own so well, I pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed over her, saying,

"Now, go to sleep this time, Kari."

"Yes, Momma," she told me as she laid her head against the pillow and closed her eyes.

Smiling at her, I walked outside of her chambers, praying that Lokhan would be successful. More than anything, I wanted Khameir to be alive with me, and I wanted him to see Karia, the daughter he never knew. I also prayed that she would understand my reasons to save her father and why he had to leave us.