Hello again! As always, thank you to those who have followed and supported the story thus far. Special thanks to julesley for being, yet again, an amazing editor and supporter of my obsessive fangirl ways. You're the best.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars
These shoes are not made for waterfall passages.
Why do I make this statement, you ask? Could it be the many times I've nearly slipped and fallen on my backside since we entered Theed? Or perhaps it could be the squeaking of the left sole that began as soon as I stepped in a puddle?
All I know is this: the next time we willingly enter into combat, I'm choosing my footwear. Rabé can't nail fashion and practicality every time she's presented with the challenge. Not that I would ever tell her my less-than-complimentary thoughts towards her decision. Having slippery and somewhat noisy shoes are much easier to deal with than potentially hurting a friend's feelings.
I follow closely behind Padmé, cursing under my breath when my left foot slips forward. Artoo rolls up to my side quickly, just as I clutch the top of his head to regain my balance, proving once again that he is still the best-kriffing-droid-in-the-galaxy.
"Thank you, Artoo," I whisper to him.
"You are welcome, decoy-unit."
One of these days, I'll get him to call me Sabé.
We follow the winding passageway, keeping our conversation to a minimum, until we reach the roughly-carved flight of steps I'd forgotten about until just now. Kriff, I know I'm going to slip and break my neck in the process. I glare at said flight of stairs as if it had made improper allusions to my mother.
"Was it something the stairs said?" I turn at the familiar Coruscanti accent, offering Obi-Wan my most-polite expression that he likely sees straight through. His expression mirrors mine in response.
"Can you distract Rabé long enough for me to throw these shoes in the river?"
"Perhaps, though I will fully deny any association with your deceit if it is discovered."
I shake my head and begin my wobbly ascent, cringing at the loudest squeak I've heard from my left sole thus far. "Fine, then. But if you're really scared of her, you could let me borrow your lightsaber and I'll protect you."
I can picture him rolling his eyes without needing to turn around. "I shall keep that in mind."
In the darkness of the passageway, I can't help but grin. I wonder if that answer is supposed to read: 'That's never going to happen in a million years.'
After managing to navigate the stairs with only one instance of slipping, and the quick action on Eirtaé and Anakin's part to keep me from tumbling, we enter a large cavern filled with people of varying age and size. Their mixed rumbling of voices quiets down as they spot us.
It is hard for me to maintain my royal façade, now that we're in a group that isn't aware of the switch, as I recognize one girl running toward us, her hood flying back to reveal her face. The dimple in her left cheek gives her away as she smiles brilliantly.
"Saché!" Rabé calls out, breaking protocol by running to meet her. The two crash together, flailing arms wrapping around each other in a hug. As soon as we reach them, Padmé, Eirtaé, and I are pulled into the embrace. I'm not sure which concept amazes me more: the fact that I can participate in a group hug while styled as the Queen, or the fact that Eirtaé hasn't complained once about being involved in said group hug.
The most we can ever get from her is a celebratory fist-bump.
"It's good to see you, all of you." Saché pulls back first and I narrow my eyes on the vivid bruising I see on her forehead. She defers to me, quickly falling back into proper procedure. "Yané told us you were on your way, Your Highness. We get to send the Federation to Chaos now, right?"
"That is our plan." I say, catching Padmé's flick of her left hand. "Have you spoken with the Resistance members about assisting us with our distraction?"
Saché nods, stepping aside to reveal a rather fierce looking, red-haired girl sporting a blaster. The stony expression on her face makes me glad we're on the same side. I'd hate to run into her in a dark alley. "This is Dané, my lady. She has offered to lead a group of fighters."
"Your Highness," she bows her head curtly. "We're happy to dismantle as many droids for you as possible."
"Thank you, Dané," I look over her shoulder and barely keep myself from gasping aloud. Standing right behind her is a small, blonde version of me, her face smudged with ash. The girl narrows her hazel eyes in scrutiny. Halleth… "Your bravery and valor is appreciated. Who else is accompanying you on this mission?"
I listen as Dané names each person who offered their services, ending with my little sister stepping forward and bowing. Her voice is quiet as she says: "Your Highness, are all of the Handmaidens fighting with us?"
My heart begins to break at the concern in her voice. No one else would be able to hear it, but I know her far too well. Her eyes glance around the room in search of someone… in search of me. Never have I wanted to ruin my disguise more than at this very moment.
"All Handmaidens will be assisting. From what I've heard from one Handmaiden in particular, you're something of a crack shot." Halleth's eyes land on me and I can visualize the gears turning in her mind. After a quick pause, her eyebrows lift as she grins.
She knows.
"I take after my idiot sister in that regard." She ignores the scandalized looks others give her and I smirk, despite myself. Seeing her in person and witnessing her unnervingly swift mind is the largest relief I've ever felt. I wish I could hug her properly;, and then shake her for putting herself in so much danger.
"She must be a rather gifted shot indeed." I turn to Panaka, whose brows have furrowed to the point of nearly joining. "Captain, you have the floor."
I move back as Panaka relays the plan in great detail, dividing us all into groups labeled by color. A group of guards and pilots join me while I lock eyes with Halleth. She crosses her eyes at me, proving I'm not the only one with the tendency to make faces.
The Trade Federation doesn't stand a chance against the Averna siblings.
By some way of artful maneuvering, Saché manages to draw all the Handmaidens and Padmé away from the bustling crowd arming themselves in the cavern. She leads us to another room, close enough for us to reappear quickly when needed, but far enough for private conversations that need to be had.
Our voices tumble over each other as questions fly between us.
"Saché, what happened to your head?" Eirtaé points to the bruise that Saché quickly covers with her hood. "Have you been experiencing any dizziness? Blurred vision?"
"Calm down, Nurse Eirtaé, it's nothing serious,." She grumbles back at her.
"We were so worried about you and Yané," Rabé's voice shakes slightly. "I'm so glad you're both okay."
"We were worried about you, too! Did you manage to get the Senate's help?" The four of us that have recently been off planet share a look, before Padmé clears her throat.
"Not exactly, Saché. To make a long story short, there will be a new Supreme Chancellor in the very near future."
Saché's eyebrows nearly rise into her hairline. "Kriff, really? Who's up for election?"
"Senator Palpatine is a likely contender for the position." Rabé answers and Saché's jerks her head to me.
"I'm sure you're thrilled to hear your favorite person is about to have even more power."
I cross my arms. "Don't remind me." The thought of Palpatine's schemes still managing to succeed irks me. I really need to look into whoever resides in Eriadu. "Where is Yané now?"
"She has stationed herself near the palace with a temporary communications array that allows us to keep contact." Saché shrugs one shoulder. "Between her and your sister, Sabé, it's like watching two geniuses plot world domination." Her eyes widen. "Hold on one moment.,"
We watch in confusion as she leaves us behind. Eirtaé is the first to comment on her disappearance. "What is she doing?"
"I don't know, it's Saché, remember? She's not exactly known for explaining her actions," I pause. "Except for times when she rants about pilots that pissed her off.,"
The others share a quick laugh, all very aware of our fellow Handmaiden's opinion on pilots in general. Eirtaé shares a sly smile with Rabé before she focuses on me. "She's almost as bad about bantering with them as you are with Jedi Kenobi."
I'm thankful for the makeup that covers the sudden blush crawling up my neck and face. "I do not banter with him that much."
"'You could let me borrow your lightsaber and I'll protect you.' Honestly, Sabé." I'm torn between being impressed at Padmé's impression of me, and annoyance that she heard the conversation to begin with.
"Okay, so maybe I banter with him a little too much, but that tends to be my modus operandi with people that aggravate me!"
"It's true; she's always been that way." I turn and see Halleth grinning in the entryway, Saché perched right beside her.
In an instant, I'm across the room and hugging my little sister. She hugs me back for a short while until I feel her arms start to loosen around me. "Uh, you're starting to cut off oxygen there, big sister."
"Shhh, don't ruin the moment."
"You'll ruin the moment by killing me from asphyxiation!"
"Aw, isn't she just so cute with her multi-syllabic words?"
"Says the girl who used, 'modus operandi!'"
The others laugh as I finally release Halleth and take a long appraisal of her. She looks the same, aside from being covered in dirt and ash, but her eyes have a depth to them I haven't witnessed before. It's a look of fear I've seen in my own reflection.
"Promise me you'll be careful out there." I order as she crosses her arms.
"I'm not the one dressed as the Queen here. Speaking of which, whose great idea was that?"
"Hey! I'll have you know I've managed to fool everyone until someone spilled the beans yesterday."
Padmé looks sheepish for a moment before she lifts her chin in defiance. "That was a mutual decision, which Captain Panaka is now fully aware of."
Kriff. We're all going to hear a lecture from him once this is over. My ears are ringing already.
"Lovely, I was just thinking he hadn't had enough opportunity to chastise us,." Eirtaé drawls. "I give him thirty minutes after the battle before he lets us have it."
"Thirty?" Saché smirks. "Try fifteen. I'm so glad I won't have any part in that."
"You will if I tell him that you gave us the idea before we left Naboo."
"That is evil and you know it!"
As they bicker I take in all these girls that each have special places reserved in my heart. If only Yané were here, then my circle would be complete.
As if on cue, Saché's comlink lets out a crackling noise. "Saché! Are they there yet? I need to let them know about the chances of secondhand exposure to plasma burnoff in the main hangar."
Saché stares at the communication device incredulously before shaking her head. "Yané, please don't ever change."
Even though I know what's supposed to happen… I have a bad feeling about this.
I adjust my grip on my blaster as we sneak towards our target. The hangar in question is seated near the Generator Complex I warned Qui-Gon about, and the thought of it makes my stomach churn with dread.
Ever since our last conversation I've tried to avoid his scrutinizing looks.
The other thought I keep circling back to is Dané's attitude towards Panaka. (Yes, I'm aware that I'm the last person that should comment on anyone's attitude towards the Captain.) She visibly bristled when he assigned her to lead Green Group; which would move in on his orders to draw attention away from the hangar before we take out the AAT hovering at the entrance.
I couldn't tell whether this was her knee-jerk reaction to authority or if she doesn't like the particular assignment. All I know is this: Halleth is with her and if any harm comes to my little sister heads will roll.
To my surprise, Pilot Var volunteered to join my group. If he feels any ill will towards me for assigning him to shadow Obi-Wan, he hasn't said as much. In fact, he's been more protective than the others despite the fact he's the only one in my group that knows I'm not actually the Queen.
"Be careful, Your Highness," he whispers, after looking around the corner. "Green Group has already moved in and we may come across droids chasing after them."
My stomach sinks to my feet. "What do you mean Green Group has already acted? It's too soon."
"That's what I heard Captain Panaka say over my comm. They moved towards the Generator Complex because there was a larger droid presence there."
Impossibly, my stomach sinks even further. Horror begins to set in. "Give me your comm."
"But the Captain said─"
"That's an order, Pilot Var."
Wordlessly, he passes the comlink over to me. I have no time to ponder whether or not I technically outrank him as my clammy hands fumble with the device. "Green Group, report." Radio silence… "Green Group, what is your status?"
I leave my thumb hovering over the receiver. As soon as I open my mouth once more, a crackly voice replies: "We're falling back─there's a─" I place my hand over my mouth at the humming sound of a lightsaber, followed by pained screams. Blaster fire begins to slow down. "Abort mis─"
The comlink slips from my hands, clattering at my feet as the transmission ends with another scream. My vision tinges red as my mind puts together what I just heard. I know for a fact that there are three lightsaber wielders currently on my planet, and two of them are just ahead of me.
Darth Maul just attacked Green Group and my sister was a part of them.
"Your Highness, we need to keep moving." Rage and hatred boil inside me as I pick up the comlink and move forward. When we fire on the AAT waiting at the hangar entrance, all I can focus on is destroying anything that represents the Trade Federation and Palpatine. My shots never miss when I picture Darth Maul waiting on the other side.
The hangar doors slide open and we move inside. Green and red bolts flash across the room with more droids falling than Naboo fighters. I see Anakin sneak off towards one of the starfighters as we press forward.
"Get to your ships!" Padmé orders above the din. Pilot Var soon leaves my side to join the others, but not before wishing me good luck. I nod, still shaking from anger as another droid falls in front of me.
We duck low as the starfighters begin taking off. The noise of their engines nearly drowns out the power coupling that explodes to my left. I avoid the shower of sparks. Soon, but not quickly enough, the number of droids lowers until there are only a few left. The stragglers that remain are swiftly dealt with and my group joins the others in the center of the hangar.
"You know what you need to do," Padmé says to me and I nod once more, lips pressed firmly together. It's our job to move in through the secret passageway in the south side of the palace. While we cause a distraction in the side corridors, Yané, with her excellent slicing skills, will be opening doors for us and shutting them on the Trade Federation.
I barely hear her words about the Viceroy's location, or Qui-Gon's orders to Anakin to remain hidden while they walk towards the exit. The doors slide open, revealing the face I've been waiting to see ever since the last communication from Green Group. Darth Maul.
"Your Highness," one of the guards urges, "We need to move out."
Without warning, I lift my blaster and fire just as Darth Maul moves his hood away from his face. He moves slightly to the right and the bolt scores the wall behind him, leaving a scorch mark. I don't care whether or not he can hear me, but I pour every ounce of hatred into my next words.
"That was for Halleth."
"I can't believe she fired at him!"
"Did you see his lightsaber? There were two blades!"
I ignore the guards' comments as we enter from the south, meeting up with various mixtures of battle droids and destroyers on the way. I swear vehemently when a group of five destroyers rolls in, their shields activating as they unfurl.
I grab the comlink I forgot to return to Pilot Var. "Yané! How dangerous would it be to overload a few power couplings?"
"Extremely dangerous, Your Highness," is her reply. "I can't initiate a controlled surge from here without potentially catastrophic damage to the electrical grid."
I lean around the pillar and fire, the blaster bolts firing harmlessly off of the destroyers' shields. I kriffing hate these things. An idea occurs to me. "What if you shut down the containment forcefields in the main Generator Complex? Won't that cause a power surge?"
"What!? If I do that, all of the power may shut down indefinitely!"
All I can envision is the red, glowing dividers that Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul may have reached by now. "It's our best chance of getting through this group, Yané!"
I fire multiple times while waiting for Yané's response. The destroyers press towards us and one of the guards falls from a bolt to the chest. I've been trained to defend my Queen and myself, but nothing prepared me for seeing others die like this.
A power coupling by the stairs bursts open, sending a wave of electrical power outwards. The shields on the destroyers begin to flicker. We move forward and fire down the droids before their defenses can kick back in.
"Good work, Yané!" I lift the comlink again. "You just saved us."
"Get moving, Your Majesty! The first group is nearly to the throne room!"
Oh kriff.
I motion for the guards to follow me as I take off down the corridor. I can't be late. I can't miss the window of opportunity when Padmé encounters the Viceroy.
Why do we have so many kriffing stairs!? Whoever designed the Palace should be reincarnated just to have to fight this battle themselves! I have to get to Padmé, I have to get to Padmé.
"Your Highness, look out!"
I lift my right arm wildly, firing at a battle droid that tried to approach us from the side. Sweat pours down my face. At this rate, I won't be able to see anything by the time I get to the throne room.
More droids attempt to intercept us, and Yané's masterful slicing continues to overload power couplings along the way. I only hope that the electrical engineers won't have my head for coming up with this plan once the battle is said and done.
Lights around us flicker and doors open partially. I wince when I hear an explosion behind us. That did not sound good…
Another flight of stairs, a turn to the right, flying down the corridor and skidding to a stop brings me to our destination. I catch my breath before saying the words I've been longing to use ever since the Trade Federation approached our borders.
"Viceroy! Your occupation here has ended!"
To Mari: I'm so glad you like the interactions between Padmé and the handmaidens. Out of everything, they're my favorite to write! Sabé and Obi-Wan have a ways to go before any romance could happen, but I like your take on how the things that make them different from everyone else gives them some common ground. I can't picture Qui-Gon being anything but compassionate, even if a Handmaiden essentially predicted his death right before a battle. As far as the years that aren't shown in the movies and Clone Wars series, I have two definite story arcs planned. :) Thank you for reviewing!
A/N: Well... did anyone else enjoy the visual of Sabé running down the halls with power couplings popping off? The aftermath of the battle will be in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a review!
