The Gift
AN – It's been a delay since the last chapter – ut you get an extra long one to make up for it! It's taken me some time to get this one down, and a lot of editing, so I'll be interested to see how you like it.
Disclaimer – As ever, I don't own Buffy or Star Wars. A few lines are inspired by Episode I.
Chapter Thirteen – The Camps
Obi-Wan steered between large rocky outcrops, trying to keep the damaged bongo in one piece. The exclamations from the excitable gungan sat next to him weren't helping him to concentrate and he was relieved when his master leant forwards and used the force to calm Jar Jar down.
"I think you overdid it," Obi-Wan noted absently as the gungan nearly slid off his seat in a daze. Qui-Gon ignored his padawan as he leant forwards and directed him to take the bongo through another tunnel. It had been quite a journey so far and Obi-Wan could see why Jar Jar hadn't wanted to do it. Still, they had been lucky so far with some of the bigger predators finding themselves outmatched, and one just toyed with them for a while before spitting them out.
Still, they weren't out of the woods yet. A much smaller fish but one that was still significantly bigger than the bongo and that sported a predatory look had tailed them since they left the gungan city. The fact that it had tailed them for so long without trying to attack them yet worried him more than anything else. It spoke of a more cunning predator than most that they had passed.
Qui-Gon directed him to take another tunnel through the centre of a mass of rock, fighting against the flowing current the whole time. On exiting, Obi-Wan looked straight into the eyes of an eel-like fish, sharp triangular teeth opening wide as it reared forwards and latched onto the nose of the bongo. It shook its head, causing the passengers to have to brace and Jar Jar to start wailing again. Obi-Wan threw the bongo into reverse and the creature's grip slipped. Deep scratches where the teeth dragged along the craft were left down the nose, but Obi-Wan began to think they might be able to get out of this. That is, until a second eel clamped down on the already damaged right wing.
"Any suggestions are welcome at this point." Obi-Wan told his master, whilst trying not to lose control of the craft that was being pulled apart at its seams. "Because I'm running out of ideas."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Right, that's it." Buffy unbuckled herself from the navigator seat of the heyblibber and pulled out her breather. "I'm gonna have to go and rescue them."
"They will see yousa," Captain Tarpals warned her. Buffy shrugged in response.
"It doesn't really matter at this point, does it? They're headed to Theed, we probably won't see them again. If we don't do anything they're gonna become fish food, and I'm fairly sure that trumps 'keep Buffy away from the Jedi so they don't run creepy experiments on her'.
"Experiments?"
Buffy waved it off. "Never mind. How close can we get before the fish detect the heyblibber?"
Roos studied the young moringua fish that were on the verge of going into a feeding frenzy. The slayer was right, if she didn't intervene now it would get pretty rough for the bongo. It was their bad luck to have followed a tunnel right into a nest of the carnivorous fish and the Jedi were just lucky that there were no adults present. Still, the younglings were double the length of the bongo and there were five of them in the nest from what he could see.
"Mesa think we can get a bit closer, not much."
"To the edge of the tunnel? That will give me some cover, as well as a chance to scope out the cavern."
"Wesa can try." He moved the heyblibber closer to the edge of the tunnel, where the whole of the spherical nest could be seen. There was a variety of seaweeds on the edge, proving the cover Buffy had hoped for. Another tunnel directly above the nest explained the strong current that was buffeting the heyblibber even as he tried to keep it steady. "Be careful." He told Buffy. She grinned back at him, electropole in her hands and breather already in her mouth. With a nod, she dove out of the door of the heyblibber and into the fray below.
Obi-Wan was still wrestling the bongo when an exclamation from Jar Jar diverted his attention to the eel thing that had hold of the right wing, just in time to see a diminutive figure hit it hard with something that shocked it enough to send it rearing back away from the bongo. He couldn't help gaping as she then effortlessly glided to the one on the nose of the bongo, swinging the electropole again. Incensed, the eel let go of the bongo to snap at her. Instead of flinching, she drove the pole straight into the roof of its mouth.
The blood drifting on the current must have sent the others into a feeding frenzy, because they all left their pursuit of the bongo to dive on top of the injured one. The small woman watched for a moment before kicking off the top of the bongo to disappear behind them.
Qui-Gon leant forwards and tapped his padawan on the shoulder. "I think this is our cue to go."
Obi-Wan brought his attention back to the matter at hand, turning the bongo to go back down the tunnel they had come down. As he did so, he saw the woman swimming back to another craft that resembled a large predatory fish. The same one that had been following them since the gungan city. Obi-Wan felt more than a bit foolish for not realising it was another transport before, although judging from what he could feel through his force bond with his master, he wasn't the only one. Jar Jar next to him leant forwards and looked at the craft.
"Is a heyblibber!" The gungan turned excitedly to Obi-Wan. "Wesa can follow dem to Theed! Dey will protect da little bongo!"
Obi-Wan looked to Qui-Gon, who shrugged. "May as well follow them. If they meant us harm they would have left us to the eels."
Their small transport approached the larger heyblibber just as the woman was about to climb back inside. She turned to look at the bongo, raising her hand in a half salute. Her hair floated around her face, pulled by the currents in the tunnel and giving the appearance of a living halo. Jar Jar shifted next to Obi-Wan, distracting him for a moment, and then the woman was gone.
The heyblibber turned around and led the way back up the tunnel. Buffy dropped into the navigator seat next to Captain Tarpals. It had been interesting to get a glimpse of the Jedi close up, the younger one only seemed a couple of years older than she was although the other must be nearing middle age. Jar Jar had returned her gesture, letting her know that he was ok. She just hoped that the Jedi now had enough sense to follow them to Theed.
"Yousa quite finished?" Captain Tarpals asked, eyes raised as he propelled down the tunnel.
"I definitely feel better," Buffy replied, flexing her shoulders. "I really needed to hit something. The tension was getting to me."
Captain Tarpals grunted in reply, focussing on steering a course for Theed without going so fast that they lost the bongo. Luckily, most predators were sensible enough not to try taking on both craft – although with Buffy on board the submarines were generally left alone anyway. It's almost as though the deep sea predators knew when they shouldn't pick fights.
Taking the direct route, and with the bongo following faithfully behind them, they reached the waterways outside Theed very quickly. The bongo surfaced and its occupants disembarked, but Buffy and Captain Tarpals stated inside the heyblibber while they dipped the nose above the water to look around.
Buffy could see the Jedi running off towards the city, Jar Jar trailing in their wake. The way the Jedi ducked and weaved to stay out of sight of the robot things that were zooming around all over the place reassured Buffy that they knew what they were doing and would keep Jar Jar safe.
It was strange not to see any people in the normally bustling city though. They had surfaced not far from the docks on the river, where they would expect to see a lot of Naboo going about their business. Instead, there were just several robot patrols.
"Where are all the Naboo?" Buffy wondered aloud. Captain Tarpals was leaning forwards, studying the view.
"Da droids have taken da city." He concluded. "Mesa not know what dey do wid da Naboo – maybe house arrest, maybe worse."
"Worse?" Buffy thought about it. "But who are they? What do they want with the Naboo? Will they bother the Gungan?"
"Mesa not know." Captain Tarpals replied, shaking his head expressively in a rare gesture of frustration. "But if dey have captured da Naboo den dey will not treat Gungan kindly."
"You think they have taken the people somewhere?" Buffy asked, looking out at the shore again.
"Mesa sure," Captain Tarpals stated firmly. "Look, dere are houses here but no droids. If da Naboo on house arrest, da droids would watch da houses. But dey are not, so no Naboo can be in da houses." He stroked his chin, brushing down the few whiskers he had growing there. Buffy looked out at the deserted city and made a snap decision.
"I should go get captured." Buffy said firmly. "I know it's risky, but they will think I am Naboo and hopefully take me to where they've taken everyone else. If you can follow me we can work out where the Naboo are being held."
"Dey may kill you!" Captain Tarpals stared at her in horror. "Is very dangerous, is best to go back to Otoh Gunga and tell da bosses what is happening."
"I can't do nothing!" Buffy argued. "They may not be my people but they are innocents and need saving. That's what I do, I save people. That includes the Naboo."
Captain Tarpals could tell from the set of her jaw that he wouldn't be changing her mind. "Wesa have a tracker and communicator dat wesa use for da exploring da tunnels, yousa can take. Mesa think dat da droids maybe not know dat the planet is water core, not guard all the waterways. Most Naboo not know, why does da droids?"
"Ok, so here's the plan. I go and get captured, taken to wherever the Naboo are, you follow using a tracker thing and then….what? We try to break out the Naboo?"
"Mesa think wesa worry about dat when wesa get dere. Wesa break out yousa, yousa ask Naboo what has been happening, wesa maybe save some Naboo. Mesa not know, only have one heyblibber though. Mesa think dat wesa den go and tell da Bosses dat da Gungan must leave da city for da Sacred Place."
"What's the Sacred Place?" Buffy had never heard of it, but that didn't mean much. She was still getting used to Gungan culture, even after all these months.
"Is a place where da Gungan clans meet – wesa stronger together. Also, is in mountains and more defensible."
"Ok. Can you make sure Dawn is ok? Tell her... well, tell her what's going on. But make sure she stays safe, preferably with Tabbem. Tabbem is sensible."
"Mesa will do, shesa be fine though. Da gungans look after der own."
Buffy rolled her shoulders. "Right. Let's do this. If I need backup I'll contact you. I'll have the scythe anyway. Wish me luck."
Tarpals nodded at her as she made to exit the heyblibber. A few sure strokes saw her swim to the land, where she quickly got to her feet and shook off the worst of the water. He checked that he could find her – sure enough, the tracker was emitting strongly. He slowly dropped the heyblibber back under the water as Buffy struck off across the docks and into the city.
Buffy pressed against one of the buildings as she watched a patrolling robot pass by. She wanted to be found, but she didn't want to be found close to the docks. That meant that she had to get further into the city before making her presence known.
This was an impulsive move, she recognised that, but she was worried about the Naboo. The city was eerily quiet, she agreed with Tarpals that the Naboo couldn't be here anymore. Instead robots – droids, Tarpals had called them – were patrolling the streets, their mechanical feet rhythmically tapping out a beat. The usual sounds of Theed – people chattering, wildlife and occasional vehicles – had been replaced by a drone of mechanical voices and the rumble of heavily armoured machines traversing around the delicate streets.
Eventually she thought she had put enough distance between herself and the heyblibber, so she carefully dislodged a rock that fell at the feet of one of the patrolling blocks of droids. With a gesture, the one in the lead halted the rest – all lined up in perfect rows behind him with a uniformity that made Buffy shudder – before Buffy ducked into an open archway, making sure the droids saw her as she did so.
It worked; she could hear the drumming of the droids behind her. She ducked into an alleyway that she realised too late was a dead end. Still, the whole point was to be captured, so she squished down the annoyance and worked on putting a terrified expression on her face. Not that she knew if these robots could tell her facial expression or not, but just in case.
"Halt." The lead robot instructed, brandishing a gun.
"I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!" Buffy babbled, raising her hands in surrender.
"You are not permitted to be here. You will follow me." The robot stated, its long face resembling a horse or something similar. There were slits for eyes, though Buffy guessed they were complicated computer sensor things. Willow would have a field day if she got hold of one, Buffy thought idly.
"S-sure, just please don't shoot." One of the head robot's minions came forward and prodded her in the back with its blaster, sending her forwards. One took up a position either side of her, with one in front and one behind. If she wanted to, she couldn't have escaped at this point. Well, not without finding out how well her slayer strength worked against a robot anyway.
They marched her all across the city, keeping up a relentless pace that might have exhausted her if she was a normal human. Eventually, on the outskirts opposite the area she and Tarpals had docked the heyblibber in, they stopped by a large gate near some pretty nasty looking wire fencing.
"Another prisoner to be transferred," the lead robot called out. Another robot from the other side of the fencing came through the gate to look at her.
"She must have been missed. I'll put her with the others."
"Hey, put me where?" Buffy asked loudly. "Where are we?"
Her questions were ignored. "Follow me." The new robot said, gesturing with his gun. Buffy looked around at the ones she had arrived with but they were all standing stock still, looking like creepy metal statues.
"Right, ok then," Buffy walked forwards, following the robot into the fenced off area. As she entered, a metal gate slid into place behind her with a heavy clunk that caused her to spin around in surprise. Now she was inside she could see it was some form of containment structure, the fencing high and deep enough to deter almost anyone from trying to escape over it. Inside the outer fence was a smaller inner one, and inside that were rows and rows of white tents.
"You've got this up really quickly," Buffy murmured, amazed by the speed the camp had been erected. As she continued to follow the robot she realised why – she could see where the Naboo had vanished to now, some were sitting around despondently but most were busy erecting the tents that filled her surroundings.
Eventually the robot stopped by a bundle of fabric next to clear ground. "This is your space. You need to erect the tent for yourself. Water is to be drawn from the pools and carried in those canisters back here. Your rations will be delivered later. You are not permitted to leave." This information was provided to Buffy in a monotone, before the robot turned and strode away.
Buffy peered at the bundle of fabric. "Yeah… I'm not really one for camping." She turned and looked around the site. The tents nearest her were the ones that were least built, telling her that this was an area that was still being filled up. The size of the camp was staggering, but then if all the Naboo in Theed – possibly even the whole planet – were being held here, then perhaps that wasn't a surprise.
Buffy made a snap decision, grabbing the water canister so she had an excuse if any of the robots found her and heading into the camp. She wanted to see if she could find any of the Naboo she knew – Thaila, Erida or the traders.
Unfortunately, the sea of white tents was endless. Each was home to around ten people from what Buffy could see when she poked her head inside one. Her curious gaze was met by either hostility, hopelessness or denial. One woman came up to her to ask her if she was from the government, because surely this was all a misunderstanding and she had a very important appointment for the next day. Buffy brushed her off, preferring the people who watched her suspiciously as though she was planning to steal any of their meagre possessions they had brought with them. Worst of all were those who looked hopeless, their blank gazes cutting straight through Buffy. She walked on quickly past them.
The robots didn't seem to pay much attention to a single human female walking through the camp. The only time she saw them do more than watch was when a fist fight broke out between two young men. The cause was something trivial, but Buffy thought the true cause to more likely be the elevated tension and worry that was tangible everywhere she went. From the snippets of conversations she heard around her, the Naboo had had no warning before the robot army descended on Theed and took the city, marching each and every citizen they found into this camp.
None of the camp residents seemed to be from anywhere other than Theed, leading Buffy to assume that there were likely more of these camps scattered about the planet. Well, the Naboo side of the planet anyway. There were also no gungans, which either meant that the robots hadn't found them, were ignoring them, didn't know about them, or didn't consider them worth rounding up. Buffy really hoped it wasn't the last one.
She spent what felt like several hours wandering around the tents, but failing to catch a glimpse of anyone she knew. She then spent another hour or so trying to work out how to find her tent again, at least until she realised that there was actually a crude numbering system.
When she got back to her tent, Buffy was initially confused to find that it had been erected. When she entered to see a pair of scared girls huddling by an older woman, she realised that more people must have been allocated to it in the meantime. The woman watched her warily, though Buffy waved the full canister of water.
"Do you want something to drink?"
The woman nodded, so Buffy rummaged through the supplies and found something that resembled mugs. She poured out a little water into four of them, offering the girls some before handing a third to the woman. This simple act appeared to wear down some of the woman's fear, she croaked out a thank you as she took the cup from Buffy.
"No worries!" Buffy replied with a smile. "I'm Buffy."
"My name is Melia," the woman said. "These girls are my nieces, Sahira and Indal." The girls said nothing, remaining huddling next to their aunt.
"Hi," Buffy said with a smile, crouching down to make herself less threatening. "Did you help to put up the tent? I'm sorry I hadn't started, I was looking around the camp to see if I could find some friends."
"You were able to move around?" The woman asked, a hint of hope coming into her voice. "My brother… we were separated. His wife passed a few years ago and now he is the only parent they have." She gestured towards the two girls who were still huddled silently, large eyes watching Buffy move around.
"They didn't take any notice of me. If you like, I can help you look for your father tomorrow." Buffy promised the girls, who looked comforted by the idea. "It's getting late though, and I think maybe you should rest. I'll see if I can find out when we are going to get some food." She nodded at Melia, who gave her a tight smile, and then Buffy left the tent again. She paused only long enough to throw one of the bedding rolls into the entrance before leaving to go around the camp again. She didn't have far to go before she saw a robot doling out packs by each of the tent. Correctly guessing that these were ration packs, Buffy headed back to her tent. Before she got there, she walked over to an area where no tents stood although piles on the ground suggested that was only because they wasn't any Naboo allocated to them.
Pressing a button on the discrete tracker Roos had given her, she quietly spoke into it.
"You there?"
"Buffee!" The relief in his voice was palpable. "Mesa worried yousa disappear. Is been a long time!"
"I'm ok Roos, I've been taken to a camp where I think they have put the whole population of Theed. It's huge… and scary. They have those robot things patrolling it, a tall fence and lots of guns. The people here are either terrified or in denial. Have you been able to track me?"
"Yes, mesa under you right now. Mesa think dat dere is a pool close by – if camp is as big as yousa say, maybe on da inside? Could be a chance to bring up da heyblibber."
"I didn't find that on my walk, but I didn't go all over. Which way is it?"
"Mesa send you da location. Den you can looks. What yousa do now?"
"Hmmm…" Buffy thought for a moment. "I'll check out this pool, but I'll stay here overnight. If we can bring up the heyblibber, I'll see if I can persuade any of the Naboo to leave with me. They are being looked after here, but the whole place has an air of… ickiness. I don't like it. Those robots could turn on them at any point, but I don't know what we can do about it. There are so many of them!"
"Okie, mesa will go back to Otoh Gunga to talk to da boss, den come back and stay da night here in case yousa need me. If yousa can find da pool, send a message on da tracker."
"Message, right. Thanks, Roos." Buffy hung up, returning to the tent to find that the rations had been delivered. Melia had put Buffy's share to one side for her. It consisted of a bag filled with a strange gloop, but Buffy was so hungry that she wolfed it down anyway. After they finished she helped to clean everything up in a tense silence, before turning to Melia.
"I'm going out to see if I can find anyone I know… what is your brother's name?"
"Raun," Melia replied softly as her nieces were already sleeping on one of the bedrolls. "He is a bit taller than me, shorter hair, but we look very alike – or so I am told."
"Ok," Buffy took a deep breath. "Well, I won't make any promises as this place is huge, but I'll see what I can find."
She slipped out of the tent again, breathing the night air in deeply with a sense of relief. She liked the night, it was what she was made for, and the changing cycles of day to night and back again were something she had missed when in Otoh Gunga. Yes, there was still day and night of a sort, but it was muted by the volume of water between the city and the sun.
Buffy stalked around the camp. She first went to the body of water that Captain Tarpals had told her about, finding that it was indeed inside the camp and also unprotected. The robots must really not know anything about the planet or the gungans after all. She rattled off a quick message to let the captain know, before continuing her search around the camp.
For most of the night Buffy stalked through the tents, peering in to see who was inside. It was easier now that most people were sleeping as they were all in one place. Eventually, just as she was beginning to think that she wouldn't find anyone, she saw a face she thought she recognised. She crept closer, trying not to disturb the other sleepers, to make sure that the person she was looking at was really Thaila.
As Buffy approached her bedroll, Thaila's eyes snapped open and she started upright with a shriek. Buffy clamped a hand over the older woman's mouth. "It's ok, it's Buffy. The slayer. You're safe."
Thaila's breath became less panicked, her milky eyes straining in the darkness. "Slayer? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. Are you hurt?"
By now the whole tent was awake, although without any light only Buffy could really see what was going on.
"No." Thaila blinked blearily up at Buffy. "But I don't understand, you weren't in Theed."
"I wasn't, but I wanted to know what had happened to the Naboo so I came to find you." The sound of someone lighting a match carried to Buffy just before a basic lantern was lit in the middle of the tent. She could see Erida holding it, her face pale in the flickering light.
"Nona, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Erida. It's a friend." Thaila's wizened fingers grasped Buffy's hand. Buffy squeezed back reassuringly. Erida's eyes widened when she recognised their visitor.
"I've come to help you get out of here," Buffy said. "Be by the large pool on the west side of the camp at dawn, bring as many people as you can without making the robots suspicious."
"Why should we do that? It sounds a clear way to lure us into a trap." A haughty woman said, looking more dishevelled than she probably realised. Buffy tried not to show her irritation, if their positions were reversed she would probably be suspicious too.
"Well come, or don't come. It's up to you. But I'm going to get out of here." Thaila squeezed her hand once and gave her a short nod to reassure Buffy that she would come. Buffy straightened up, retreating as Erida came forward to Thaila's side. The occupants of the tent were already discussing her proposal as she ducked back out into the night.
When Buffy finally entered her tent as dawn was creeping across the horizon, Melia looked up hopefully. The woman looked exhausted, as though she too had been up all night. On seeing Buffy's head shake, Melia deflated.
"Can you wake up your girls?" Buffy asked softly. "We can get out of here, but we need to go now."
Melia hesitated, torn between fear and hope. "Out of here? But where to?"
"The Gungan will look after you," Buffy reassured her. "I know that your brother is here somewhere, but this isn't a place for the girls. I have a young sister who will help to look after them until this is over and you can find your brother again."
The girls were tired but uncomplaining as Melia made her decision and roused them. Pressing her finger to her lips, Buffy led the small group to the pool where she hoped a heyblibber would be waiting.
When she arrived, she saw Thaila and Erida standing with another three people. "These were all who would come," Thaila explained when she saw Buffy. "Erida you know, but this is my daughter Hana."
Buffy nodded at the tall and slender woman that Thaila pointed out. The other pair were obviously a couple, the man's arm tight around the woman's waist.
"I couldn't get more to come," Thaila explained sadly. "As soon as I told them you were from the Gungan, everybody refused except for Fren and Dashi here."
"You could have left that bit out," Erida muttered, earning herself a glare from her grandmother.
"What is it we're out here for anyway?" The man asked, biting out the words nervously. "There's nothing here. I knew this was a waste of time." He turned accusingly to his partner. "You said it was worth coming. I told you that you can't trust the frogs."
"Patience, Fren." The woman replied, looking at Buffy with a calm confidence. "I'm sure this lady knows what she is doing."
Buffy rolled her eyes, but luckily at that moment the tip of the heyblibber emerged into the half light of the dawn. The young girls exclaimed excitedly and the man took a large pace backwards.
"What the kriff is that thing?"
"Language!" His wife hissed at him, gesturing to the young girls.
Buffy ignored him and opened up one of the hydrostatic hatches. "Quickly now!" She looked around but there were no robots anywhere near their part of the camp. Even so, she really wanted to be gone before anyone noticed them.
There was a moment of hesitation before Thaila strode forwards and confidently stepped onto the heyblibber. Hana and Erida followed, with Melia and the girls not far behind. Eventually it was just the couple left standing beside the pool. Buffy tapped her foot impatiently. "We don't have all day."
With a sharp nudge from the woman the man eventually moved towards the heyblibber, not hiding the distaste on his face as he finally embarked. The woman sent Buffy a look that was part exasperation, part apology and part embarrassment as she followed him. Finally, Buffy herself entered and swung into the seat next to Captain Tarpals.
"Yousa bring some friends,' he commented as he submerged the craft again.
Buffy glanced back at the passengers, who were huddled together in the hull of the heyblibber. "I was hoping for more. The Naboo really don't like the gungan, do they?"
The captain shrugged. "They no know us. Has been a long time since any but the border traders really talk to us. Is usen fault too. Wesa keep usen separate as much as da Naboo do."
Buffy exhaled. "It's probably time to build bridges. Maybe the new queen will be able to do something, though I guess that depends on what happens with this robot army. In the meantime, I need to talk to Boss Nass when we get to the city, he needs to know that they are keeping the Naboo in camps like... like animals."
"No, yousa need to talk to him when wesa get to da Sacred Place." Captain Tarpals informed her with a grin. "Da city is moving, da Big Boss went first thing today."
Buffy was impressed by their efficiency of the bosses. "Already?"
"Mesa think hesa mind made up when da first reports came in, da Jedi just confirmed it. Dawnee and Tabbem went wid him, dey take da healers first as all hurt gungans going straight there."
"Will it take long to get there?" Buffy asked, breathing a sigh of relief to hear that Dawn was as safe as she could be. If it was up to Buffy, she'd have Dawn on the first spaceship off the planet if she could but she'd settle for her going with the Bosses to their safe place.
"No, an hour or so. Is ok, but wesa still go through core."
"OK," Buffy looked back at the nervous passengers. "I'd better get back there and make sure that they are ok. I imagine life as a gungan is a bit different to what they are used to." Roos inclined his head to agree but didn't reply as he concentrated on steering.
Buffy moved into the rear to show the passengers where to find refreshments before taking a seat among them. As she settled down and started to initiate conversations to help the Naboo relax, she couldn't help but wonder what the next few days would bring.
