A Shift in the Force: Chapter Forty-Nine: Dreams and Visions
AN: There's a lot of love for Bail and Breha, which makes me happy, because I really enjoy the pair of them and they make the best parents.
Sabé jerked herself into wakefulness with the sounds of blasterfire echoing in her ears and a yell of a name she couldn't even remember when she woke up, breathing hard, the long-dry cloth falling from her brow as she looked around the room in confusion.
It took her a few moments to remember where she was, because the room was unfamiliar.
"Sabé?"
The metallic voice was punctuated by a confused whirring sound and Sabé blinked a few times, her vision clearing as she took in the optical lights on Jay-Seven's black metal head peering down on her with Arthree concerned at her side.
"Your heart rate is elevated," Jay-Seven informed her flatly and Sabé fell back against the pillows with a loud sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead. Her skin had remarkably cooled since the last time she'd been awake and she didn't feel like her bones were made of lead.
"That happens sometimes, Jay," Sabé said as she scrubbed at her face as Arthree beeped out the information she needed.
BrehaOrgana in recovery from healing, confirmed recovery by TalikShala.
[mistress] SabéAmidala fever broke at 1845, complete recovery.
"That's good to hear," Sabé said dryly, patting Arthree's domed head. "Have you and Jay been keeping out of trouble?"
J-7KR has no use.
Arthree's angry beeping only made Jay-Seven tilt his head.
"I am still present," Jay-Seven responded in a dead-pan voice, spurring a chuckle from Sabé's lips. "And I am of more use than you."
The spluttering beep was too fast and irritated for Sabé to translate.
"I think that's enough from the pair of you," Sabé said shortly. "It's too early for this."
"Technically, the sun rose approximately ten hours ago, so it is actually late," Jay-Seven informed her and Sabé rolled her eyes before throwing the covers off her legs and swinging them over the edge of the bed to stretch her arms out.
Talik's presence close by had been fleeting and Aayla's signature had long since faded; they must've left rather soon after the visit she could barely remember.
Sabé pursed her lips thoughtfully, her eyes fixing on her bag against the wall, the purple glow emanating from her Holocron. She raised two fingers and it lifted effortlessly into the air, the edges twisting off and the hyperlanes flickering into view, the planets so many within the hyperlanes, but also with so many spaces at the edges and between systems.
She brought a hand up to cup her chin thoughtfully. She could see Alderaan among the planets, but it wasn't the planets themselves that caught her interest.
Aayla had been right when she'd said that Sabé didn't like staying in one place for too long, and her travels had always been one of intrigue. Alderaan was interesting, but Sabé knew her interests lay elsewhere.
Tython was a purple circle to counter the blue spheres that were known planets around the planetary map, but Sabé was sure that there was more to be seen, more to be found.
The Force hummed encouragingly.
Sabé expelled a sharp sigh before pulling herself upright in order to make her way into the fresher with a fresh set of clothes.
The water was a welcome comfort after how she'd completely exhausted herself the previous day. Sabé shook out her short hair under the steady stream, embarrassment welling inside her. She'd been the first to admit that her skill in healing was better than negligible but only to sufficient enough. Honestly, she should've suggested Breha go to a doctor instead, but from what Aayla had said, Talik thought she hadn't done too bad, so that was something.
Sabé stepped out of the shower and into fresh clothes, only for something hard to tumble out from within.
She knelt to pick up the small box, opening it in order to see the colorful beads that lay within. There was the thick purple one that held an extra violet lightsaber crystal that she'd had from years ago, the rose shaped one that Padmé had gifted her after the Battle of Theed, the grey star shaped bead that the Organas had given her the last time their paths had crossed, and one silka bead for Talik.
Her hair was long enough now to do a few small braids, so Sabé twisted her fingers into the strands, making a small braid on the side of her head and stinging all four onto it.
The multitude of braids had been something she'd always preferred now seemed like so much of a hassle. One braid would do.
That thought made Sabé scowl. Yet another thing that had changed about her after Carina. The braids had practically been a trademark of her, but perhaps that was for the best.
There was a polite knock at the door and Bail called: "Come on!" in time for Sabé to peek her head inside and smile.
Breha was resting on what appeared to be a sea of pillows, with a wrap wound around her stomach, keeping the area cold, her husband next to her, evidently doing his paperwork in bed.
Breha beamed when she saw her. "Sabé!" Then she gave a wince, dropping a hand lightly to her stomach.
"You seem to be in good spirits," Sabé noticed as she approached, dropping off a steaming cup of tea that smelled rather heavenly. "I heard Talik stopped by to make sure I hadn't done any serious damage to you."
It was with great strain that Breha forced herself not to chuckle. "She said you did a rather fine job, she was very impressed."
Sabé rolled her eyes. "She's generally impressed with my healing abilities; I don't use them very much. So, what did she say?"
"Breha's to stay off her feet for the next week, and that it'll take another week after that for the swelling to go down," Bail said for Breha, as she'd been mostly out of it by the time Talik had finished looking over her. "So thank you."
Sabé shrugged. "It was nothing."
"It wasn't," Breha assured her, her eyes gleaming. "Without you, we'd never have known that it was actually a condition that I suffer from…we'd all but given up hope of having a child, and you've kept that hope alive. That is not nothing."
Sabé turned pink. "You give me too much credit. I just did the heavy lifting, Talik just finished what I started."
It seemed rather like they were never going to agree on the matter.
"You have our undying gratitude," Bail cut across her smoothly, "and anything you want, just ask."
Breha nodded, but for some reason the words made Sabé's expression close off.
"You'll want to be careful about promises like that, Bail," she said, "they can bite you when you least expect."
She'd had more than enough experience to know that.
Caleb was dreaming, that was the only explanation for it, because he'd never been in a place like this before. It was like some kind of factory, with and fumes spouting around him.
There was a girl no more than sixteen, brown braids swinging around a face pale in fear, trying not to let her hands shake where they gripped twin violet lightsabers before rushing forward, beating them against a saberstaff of crimson.
Her scream split the air when the 'saber cut through her arm.
And then Caleb blinked and the scene shifted.
There was a smile on the woman's lips. "You ask a lot of questions, Caleb Dume, you have an inquisitive spirit…never lose that. And never forget this, it could save your life one day."
Then the terrain was rocky and consumed with blasterfire, a figure in red Mandalorian armor standing protectively in front of him, two blasters drawn.
"Run, Caleb," the order was barked. "Don't look back!"
And Caleb shot up in bed, breathing hard and covered in sweat.
"Caleb?" the whisper came at his side and the boy jolted in his bed to see a familiar face at his bedside.
"Ahsoka!" he hissed, his heart leaping in his chest at the sight of his Togruta friend kneeling beside his bed. Her blue eyes were big and wet and it sometimes hard to remember that she was actually two years older than him, despite aging at a much slower rate as was the norm in her own species. "What—?"
"Wanna sneak into the Room of a Thousand Fountains?" Ahsoka asked instead and Caleb, thinking of the blaze and the sound of blasters going off, pushed the covers off his bed, tip-toeing past their fellow sleeping initiates to hit the button by the door and disappear outside.
Not that many Jedi were really out and about at time like now, but the ones they did run into didn't pay them any heed. Bedtime hours weren't strictly enforced for initiates, just classes in the morning.
"Bad dream?" Caleb guessed and Ahsoka bobbed her head, her short lekku swaying with the movement as they sat down on the edge of one of the fountains, the coolness of the air soothing to their shared frayed nerves.
Ahsoka shuddered. "Don't remember much…just the anger and the dark…what about you?"
Her eyes were concerned and Caleb thought about telling her, but he didn't know if it was a vision or if it was just a nightmare.
"Something like yours, I guess," Caleb muttered, "can't remember it."
Ahsoka took his hand and squeezed.
She was so open and Caleb couldn't help but wonder if she had a skill in Force-persuasion or if being friends with her made him want to open up.
"Do you remember Master Amidala?" he asked her and the white pigmentation over her brow furrowed.
"The one everyone's talking about?" Ahsoka remembered her better as their teacher. She had come in to teach them about Form VI, Niman and its application with Jar'Kai. Ahsoka remembered her smile the most as she patiently explained the correct way to utilize both 'sabers in combat. "Yeah, why?"
"I don't know…it's like I get this feeling," Caleb didn't know quite how to describe it, "like we're connected. It sounds strange, I know."
Ahsoka furrowed her brow thoughtfully, thinking of when she'd run into Padawan Skywalker's legs a few weeks ago, a warmth against her mind as the boy smiled and helped her stand once more before taking off after Padawan Shala.
But all she could do was shrug.
"Sounds strange," she repeated in agreement.
Evaan Verlaine served Queen Breha, and though her skills were primarily in piloting, her skill in combat was at least commendable. Still, she was surprised when she entered the palace training room at such an early hour to find it already in use.
The woman was older than Evaan, who was just barely out of childhood herself at the tender age of nineteen, a few beads in her short curly brown hair, an artificial arm of black and silver and several rather obvious scars.
She was wearing a tight black training outfit and holding a quarterstaff between her hands, twisting it around her like a seasoned warrior to combat against the electrostaff wielded by what appeared to be a hulking security droid, a rather unfamiliar droid to those on Alderaan; clearly the woman had brought it herself, as well as the astromech against the stretch of the wall.
Evaan had seen her with the Prince Consort –the queen had been recovering from an illness for the past week, else Evaan was almost certain that she would've seen her with the woman as well– a few times in casual dress but standing tall with two blasters strapped to her legs.
There had been a few rumors around the palace that she used to be a Jedi and she was personal guest of the Organas, but nothing had really been confirmed, other than the fact that the Organas were very fond of her.
The woman ducked, the electromagnetic pulse of purple missing her by inches as she slammed the end of her quarterstaff into the ground, using it as a vault, kicking the heel of her boot into the security droid's head, knocking to the ground with her landing on the floor far too lightly.
"Ow," the droid said without feeling and the woman laughed.
"Need a partner?" Evaan found herself voicing rather abrasively and the woman turned her brown eyes onto her as the droid pulled itself upright. The eyes were old, Evaan noticed, with a wisdom that only came from experience.
"I wouldn't mind someone new to spar against," the woman acquiesced, bending down to grasp the electrostaff that the droid had dropped and flinging it towards Evaan with a surprising amount of power that almost made Evaan drop it. "Sabé Amidala," she added, gesturing to herself before pointing out the droids, "that's Jay-Seven and the one against the wall is Arthree."
"Evaan Verlaine," the young pilot responded in kind, offering her hand and Sabé took it. She had a strong grip. "Are you really a Jedi?" she blurted out shamelessly.
Sabé arched an eyebrow. "No," she said with certainty, "just a friend of the family."
"Oh," Evaan said, almost disappointed, "do you work in security, then? You move a lot like the palace guards."
"I was the captain of the royal guard on Naboo," Sabé said with a shrug, neglecting to inform her of how brief that tenure was. "Are you familiar with staff fighting?"
"Somewhat," Evaan had to admit, "probably not as good as you are, though."
Sabé smiled, snapping her quarterstaff up. "We'll see about that." And then she struck, forcing Evaan to quickly block.
She was good, very good, forcing Evaan back with enough successive strikes before Evaan managed to regain her footing and make her own, swinging wildly in a move that Sabé easily ducked to avoid, laughing lightly.
Her eyes were gleaming and Evaan didn't think she could remember the last time she'd actually enjoyed a good spar, but here was Sabé, living in the thrill of it.
Evaan had been holding up fairly well when she'd miscalculated her footwork and crumpled to the ground with the end of Sabé's quarterstaff at her throat.
"You sure you're not a Jedi?" Evaan wondered aloud as Sabé offered her a hand.
Sabé laughed. "I'm flattered, but no."
She politely inclined her head before gesturing to the two droids to follow after her, leaving Evaan a bit bemused in her wake.
"If we ever have a girl, we're naming her after you."
"Stars, please no," Sabé said with a rather pained expression, "The universe is too small for two Sabés, trust me."
Laughter bubbled from Breha's lips and she looked far lighter than she had been since Sabé first met her at that royal ball.
Breha looked her over silently. There was a new black fingerless glove that extended past the end of her blue sleeve just under her elbow, and a worn green jacket that looked like it was bearing yellow Corellian bloodstripes down the sides of the arms, but it must have been a knockoff of some kind, as those were only given to those serving in the military on Corellia.
"Already ready to leave?" Breha asked, not unkindly and Sabé gave her a sheepish smile.
"I'm not the best at staying in one place for too long," Sabé admitted. It had already been two weeks, and there was nothing to hold Sabé to Alderaan like on Naboo, and though it was beautiful, Sabé's uses could be put to work elsewhere. "I give it another week before I actually leave."
"Any plans?" Breha asked, keeping her arms looped with Sabé's as they walked.
"Nothing dura-crete," Sabé conceded, "but charting the Unknown Regions…there's a lot of appeal for me. I think seeing more of what the galaxy has to offer will be helpful to me…" Her eyes were cloudy with thought as the Force hummed around her.
She shook her head slightly. "Don't worry, I've got a ship worked out, so I'll be out of your hair soon."
"We don't mind having you around," Breha insisted almost heatedly, "and we wouldn't mind giving you a ship."
A faint smile twisted Sabé's lips. "I prefer to work with what I've got and I had more than enough credits to purchase a small light freighter."
Arthree tooted a reply from where he was rolling beside the pair at Sabé's side, and Sabé smiled, though Breha couldn't comprehend what he'd said.
"I have more than enough contacts within the Coruscant underworld to keep me busy with jobs to keep me flying," Sabé added.
"I'm not sure if that's an entirely good thing," Breha said under her breath, and Sabé's eyes gleamed.
"I don't suppose you would," she replied, unsurprised.
They walked in silence for a short stretch as Sabé contemplated which areas of the galaxy to fly through first in search of undocumented planets and Breha contemplated the situation.
"What will be the ship's name?"
"Hm?" Sabé was pulled abruptly from her thoughts, looking to her companion.
"All ships have names, don't they?" Breha probed. "What's yours?"
A huff of amusement escaped Sabé. "The Dawning," she said. "Not my idea of a good name, but I don't have enough imagination to change it, so it'll remain that."
"You don't have enough imagination?" Breha gave a doubtful laugh. "Seems to me that you'd have to have a bit of imagination to be a Jedi Shadow, if what you've been telling me is true."
"Ah, well." Sabé gave a helpless shrug looking rather sheepish, but she didn't bother to deny the truth of Breha's words.
Sabé was sitting cross-legged on the round seat at the balcony, breathing in and out deeply as she meditated.
Alderaan was peaceful and lovely beyond measure, just as Naboo had been, but just as she had with Naboo, the pull to leave the planet was strong. Perhaps it was because she'd become far too paranoid as Carina and that feeling hadn't left her, because Sabé knew that the woman she'd been before would've taken this time to enjoy the relaxing environment that was Alderaan and Naboo, but Carina would've jumped at the chance to get away, knowing full well that if you stayed in one place too long, you were more likely to end up dead.
Sabé was missing something, she could feel it and the Force thrummed around her in agreement.
There were only three Jedi Shadows in the Temple, well, two now that she'd been exiled, and they were trained to be exceptional, to hide in plain sight, to disappear into nothing, to find what couldn't be found. Sabé was almost completely certain that when she and Taria had thought someone was slicing into the communication tower it wasn't unfounded.
But that was the troubling thought, a Jedi attempting to sabotage their fellows.
They'd never told Maw of their suspicions…but he had done something rather odd when they were both away…he'd assigned a Jedi Guardian to a Jedi Shadow mission, something that never happened. Taria and Sabé had agreed that it was by far the worst decision to make. Jedi Shadows were specifically trained in a rather grueling process that had almost made Sabé want to give it up, but it taught her how to be the best Jedi Shadow. Siri Tachi might've had some experience with undercover work, but she'd been out of her depth with the mission to Zoist, and it showed.
So why hadn't Maw just waited until either Sabé or Taria were back? Or even gone himself?
It was a troubling thought.
Sabé opened her eyes.
"Arthree," she said out loud, "get me a data-chip."
Late at night, no one noticed a figure steal into a public park to place a datachip with a waterproof covering at the bottom of the fountain there, the substance on it ensuring that it wouldn't be swept away, while, systems away Taria Damsin awoke in her bed to the sound of beeping from her comlink.
"Rations, since you seem to be determined to do things on your own."
Bail was grinning widely at her as Sabé arched an eyebrow, her hands on her hips and, not for the first time in her life, wishing that she was taller.
"You might not be familiar with my family, Bail," Sabé said dryly, "but we're very stubborn and are very bad at following orders."
"You sound very proud of that," the senator responded easily with a glimmer in his eye while his wife laughed beside him.
They'd come to see Sabé off, which Sabé thought was kind of them, but not really necessary, or, that was what she thought until she saw that they'd come bearing gifts.
Exasperated didn't even begin to cover how she felt about it.
"Always," she said dryly, considering the boxes they'd dropped off. "Really, you Organas are too much. I feel like I'm the child being sent off to university and you're the parents sending me with more than I've asked for."
"Good practice for our own little one, don't you think?" Breha cheeked to her husband, winding an arm around her husband as he bent down to press a chaste kiss on her lips, earning them a snort from Sabé.
"Don't mind me," Sabé said quickly, "I was kissed twice on Naboo by the man I love."
Bail's eyebrows shot up and Arthree whirled something out that made Sabé glare down at him.
"If you ever tell him that, I'm rewiring your circuits," she warned before calling back into the light freighter. "Hey, Jay, you want to come bring these boxes inside?"
"I suppose I must," Jay-Seven nearly grumbled as he trudged out to grasp the boxes and disappear within the ship once more.
"He's secretly excited," Sabé said as Arthree expressed his doubts in binary. "I'm rather excited about traveling. It's been awhile since I've been on my own and been me at the same time." Carina was technically her, but also not, so Sabé wasn't counting her time as a Sith.
"Take care of yourself," Breha said, embracing her friend tightly, "and don't be a stranger. We owe you so much."
"Don't be ridiculous," Sabé countered once they parted only for Bail to kiss her cheek and hug her as well. "You two just take things slow for a couple of months, all right? You're going to make amazing parents one day, I know it."
Sabé closed her eyes and saw a flash of an image, a baby in white blankets with their mother's nose and their father's eyes.
"I've seen it," she said as they parted and Breha smiled wetly as Bail thanked her one last time.
And with that said, Sabé ushered the astromech on board and shut the ramp behind them, striding inwards and taking the ladder up to the cockpit.
"Ready for takeoff?" she asked Jay-Seven who was seated in the co-pilot's seat.
"Yes," the security droid said simply, "diagnostics are complete. The Dawning is fully functioning."
"Good," Sabé said fixing the comm headseat over her ear. "This is The Dawning, pulling away."
"You are clear for takeoff, The Dawning, safe travels."
Sabé started the engine and shot off into the sky.
"Where exactly are we going?" Jay-Seven inquired as they broke through atmosphere.
Sabé grinned widely. "Into the unknown, my darling."
Her fingers tapped out a trajectory for the hyperspace jump and she pushed the lever up, the stars disappearing into a stream of light, and them along with it.
AN: You'll see more of the Organas during the Clone Wars, I think, but we'll probably be going between Sabé and the Jedi for the next couple of chapters, maybe some of Sola too.
As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
