Chapter 4 - Recovery

The weeks after Eirtaé's heroic sacrifice were bleak. Queen Amidala and her handmaidens mourned for their lost comrade and sister. They combatted their sadness by throwing themselves into work, trying to find who had hired the assassins to kill the Queen. While they came up with no answers, the time spent together healed them and dulled the ache. Sabé spent most of her time with Saché, who was helping her recover from her loss. While no one could replace Eirtaé, she and Saché were becoming fast friends.

A month after mourning, Captain Panaka came to the handmaiden's quarters to retrieve Sabé. He brought her to a private sitting room where Padmé was waiting.

"It is Her Highness's wish you be promoted to primary handmaiden," he began. Before Sabé could muster up a response, Panaka continued. "I disagree with her decision. You are unfit."

"Your points have been considered and dismissed, Captain," Padmé replied coolly. "Sabé is the most qualified person for the position. She singlehandedly gathered her fellow handmaidens and successfully led an attack against the assassins sent here to kill me."

Captain Panaka opened his mouth to protest, but Padmé continued. "We were pinned down in that room and outnumbered. If Sabé hadn't come, we all would have died. My decision to promote her stands."

She turned to Sabé, who had sunk onto the couch, speechless, a warm glow inside her as she listened to Padmé's belief in her.

"Of course, the position is yours only if you want it. I wouldn't dream of forcing it on you."

Sabé stood and embraced Padmé. "I would be honored, my lady."

"Oh, none of that 'my lady' nonsense while we're in private. You must call me Padmé, as always," Padmé smiled warmly, relief in her eyes. She guided Sabé back to her seat on the sofa and sat down next to her. "Now, I'm sure Captain Panaka would be more at ease if you told him more about your talents. He's just worried about my protection."

"Of course," Sabé replied. What should she tell him? "I am adept with blasters, knives, swords, and I've been practicing with that weird staff Eirtaé bequeathed to me."

"That's a songsteel staff," Padmé informed her. "It's unbreakable, even against Jedi lightsabers."

Really? That was amazing! But Sabé pushed that thought away as she saw Captain Panaka's unimpressed face. Time to bring out the big guns.

"I have shapeshifting abilities."

Now that got a reaction, albeit a suspicious one. "That didn't come up on your application."

"I didn't want to put it on there. It didn't seem relevant at the time. Besides, I listed my parent's species, which shows I got my abilities from my mother," Sabé replied.

"Are you using them right now?" Padmé asked curiously, still holding her hand.

"Yes, I would draw too much attention otherwise. One day I won't have to hide, but for now, I must."

"I see," Captain Panaka said after he pulled up her handmaiden application on his reader and confirmed her parentage. His eyebrows raised slightly at her unique heritage, but he didn't comment on it. "How developed are your shapeshifting abilities?"

"I can change my facial features and skin color, but not much else. I can't fully become another person," Sabé explained, morphing her features to match Padmé's visage. "See? My hair is still auburn and my eyes didn't change color."

"Fascinating!" Padmé breathed out, reaching out to touch Sabé's face, but stopping before she did. "You look just like me."

"That is impressive," Panaka admitted. "Would you be willing to serve as the Queen's decoy?"

Padmé whipped her head around and glared at him. If looks could kill, Panaka would be a smoldering pile of ashes.

"It's alright, Padmé," Sabé said quickly before Padmé could tear the man a new one. "I know my shapeshifting skills make me the ideal decoy, but don't you think I'm a little unqualified to play the Queen?"

"Not during regular days," Panaka waved his hand about. "We both know that could end badly, especially with your temper. But in times of emergency, you would be the best decoy. You have proven you can defend yourself well and rally troops to your cause, and you're approximately the correct height and build. Any diplomatic mistakes you might make could be attributed to stress. Can you modulate your voice to match Padmé's?"

Surprised by Panaka's praise of her, Sabé almost missed his question. "No. Unfortunately, I can't match voices. But I can match her tone and character. Give me a month and I assure you, you won't be able to tell the difference between us."

"Now that this matter is settled, we should break the good news to the girls," Padmé said, pulling Sabé up. "We'll see you later, Captain."

Captain Panaka looked like he had more to say, but he was quiet and bowed as the two ladies left the room.

Padmé huffed as she walked down the hall toward her quarters. "He put up a fight when I said I wanted to promote you, but you have to know it's not a case of personal dislike. Panaka respects you highly. He's just concerned about my security detail after this recent assassin attempt. We have a lot to do to convince him to trust you with my wellbeing."

Sabé smirked. "I think I got on his bad side when I beat him in record time during the trials and then passed the final diplomatic simulation by outright threatening war."

"It's definitely not the way the Naboo conducts foreign policy," Padmé chortled. "But it worked perfectly, so Panaka couldn't complain too much."

The ladies walked into the Queen's quarters, where the other handmaidens were going about their duties.

"Ladies!" Padmé called, getting the trio's attention. "I've successfully convinced Panaka to promote Sabé to primary handmaiden!"

Cheers filled the room and the girls came forward to congratulate Sabé.

"Good job, Sabé!"

"I knew it would be you!"

"Three cheers for Sabé!"

Sabé happily accepted their congratulations, returning hugs and smiles. The mood was a little muted as they remembered why Sabé was being promoted, but they kept their smiles on their faces. Eirtaé was a hero and she wouldn't have wanted them to be grim.

-oOoOoOo-

Sabé was a little worried. Rabé, Voraté, Starré, and Padmé were staring at her with identical evil expressions.

"Alright, sister. Now that you're a primary handmaiden, you've got to have the clothes and gear that go with the job," Padmé tugged Sabé into a secret room connected to the Queen's quarters.

Sabé gasped as she entered the spacious room. Blasters and various daggers were suspended on the wall closest to the door. Tunics, robes, and armor were tucked onto open shelves on the opposite wall. Foreign gear was displayed on the far wall.

"Is this the afterlife?" Sabé breathed. "It's beautiful!"

The handmaidens chuckled and dragged her to the clothing section.

"No handmaiden, or Queen, should ever be without proper attire," Rabé held up different pieces of armor up to Sabé's torso, trying to gauge her size. "I think this one will fit you. Try it on,"

Sabé tugged off her normal tunic, leaving her in her underthings, and strapped on the black long-sleeve shirt and armor Rabé offered her. The armored material covered her entire torso and upper shoulders, leaving her arms free.

"It's very light." Sabé was surprised. It had looked very heavy. She twisted about and did a few punches. "And very flexible too."

"Only the best. We've upgraded the material," Rabé smiled. "Try on this overtunic."

Rabé held out a black tunic to her. It was far better than the one she'd worn before. It was lighter, softer, and had a belt to strap gear onto and a lot of pockets! She slipped it and the matching trousers and boots on and admired the dashing figure in the mirrors.

"Stop preening, Sabé," Voraté teased. She tugged her towards the weapons. "Come see the weapons we get to use!"

Up close, the weapons and gear were even more impressive and sophisticated. High-end blasters glistened on the walls alongside the various styles of deadly daggers. There were also black cuffs, utility belts, blaster slings, and that odd songsteel staff.

"This is the fun part!" Voraté squealed. Sabé couldn't help but giggle. The eleven-year-old was so adorable in her enthusiasm. Soon, Sabé was strapped into a harness that attached to her waist and legs. Starré slipped daggers and blasters into sheaths on her thighs and Voraté placed a few pairs of cuffs into the pockets on the belt.

"Ok, I get the daggers, but what's with the handcuffs?" Sabé asked as she twisted around, trying to follow Voraté as she tucked the thick cuffs into her belt.

"They're special handcuffs I invented," Voraté said. "When engaged, they can suppress a person's ability to use the Force."

Sabé's eyebrows rose in silent judgment at the overcompensation. The odds of them encountering a Force user who wished the Queen ill were pretty low.

"I know, I know," Voraté said, waving her hands about. "But think about it this way. They can still be used as normal cuffs, and if we happen to come across a Force user we need to restrain, we'll be prepared."

Sabé nodded in approval. It was always good to be prepared. "What about the songsteel staff?" She said, taking hers out of a pocket on her old tunic. It shimmered in the light, adding to its mystery. "Where do you guys keep yours?"

"Either on our forearms or on the belt at our lower waist, so we can reach it at a moment's notice," Starré said, taking the staff and attaching it to a clip on the back of Sabé's belt. "Here," She handed Sabé a pair of gloves. "These are made with songsteel threads. They will protect your hands from high-energy beams."

Sabé put them on and placed two blasters in the holsters on her waist and thigh. She moved about, getting a feel of her mobility in the new outfit. Everything was placed perfectly. None of the weapons got in the way as she ran, jumped, and rolled.

"Come back, Sabé! There's one more piece of gear," Rabé called out. The girls laughed as Sabé pranced back quickly, practically salivating at the idea of more cool gear.

"This is a life signature scrambler," Rabé explained as she tugged Sabé into a chair and removed her right boot. She attached a thin silver anklet around Sabé's slim ankle. "All of us are wearing them. They obscure our life force signatures."

"How does it work?"

"Well, each being has a unique life force signature. These bands prevent a Force user from identifying our signatures by deflecting their mental probes," Padmé explained. "In theory, they won't be able to feel who we are."

"Oh, so no one will be able to tell the difference between us."

"Exactly," Padmé said. "There's no point in having a decoy if a Force user can immediately tell she's not the Queen. And based on how the anklets work, Force users also won't be able to use any mind tricks on us."

"Right," Sabé was so excited she could barely contain her glee. "This is so amazing!" Sabé cheered. The girls laughed with her.

"If you think that's amazing, just wait!" Padmé said, joy in her eyes. "We also have a secret language of hand signals we use to communicate with each other. One of our previous queen's handmaidens from decades ago was from Sygnlengue where they communicate solely in gestures, and she helped develop a variation that we use today."

"Cool. Teach me!" Sabé couldn't wait to start this new chapter of her life. She would make Eirtaé proud of her.

-oOoOoOo-

"You have got to be kidding me," Sabé couldn't believe her eyes. The monstrosity loomed before her, huge and red.

"Don't look so scared. It's just a dress," Padmé said, concerned as Sabé turned paler by the second. "It will be over before you know it."

"Uh-huh. Sure," Sabé was faint and dizzy and a bead of sweat was forming on her brow.

It had been a month since Sabé had been promoted to primary handmaiden and it was time to test her ability to be the decoy queen. She'd spent every moment shadowing Padmé, learning her mannerisms and character. She'd even worked on her shapeshifting abilities to get her visage to match Padmé's perfectly.

"Come on, you can do this," Padmé hugged her. "It's not like you're going to make an irreversible mistake. This is just a briefing with Captain Panaka, Governor Bibble, and some of the ministers about an agricultural program in the eastern provinces. Minister Hela Brandes is Force-sensitive so we'll be able to see if our anklets are working. Just breathe and act naturally. Well, act like me."

"Ok," Sabé drew in a huge lungful of air to steady her nerves. "Let's do this."

"Ladies! Let's turn Sabé into the Queen of Naboo!"

"We have one hour until the meeting starts," Rabé said as she grabbed Sabé's icy hands. "Voraté, grab the hairbrushes."

"We're going to need longer than an hour," Voraté quipped as she grabbed the brush sets.

Sabé gasped in mock outrage, all fear about her upcoming performance forgotten. "Come here, you little snip," She raced after the girl, who stayed out of her grasp by nimbly ducking about the furniture.

"Alright, enough of that."

Rabé snagged Sabé around the waist and dragged the giggling woman back to Padmé and the huge dress. The little rampage had helped calm her nerves. Rabé plopped Sabé down onto the chair before the huge vanity.

"First things first. Hair and makeup."

Makeup dust and powder flew and brushes tugged as the handmaidens and Queen prepared Sabé for her first attempt at being the Queen's decoy.

-oOoOoOo-

"…reports about the agricultural yields from Dee'ja Peak are coming back positive. I think we should move ahead with the program."

The minister continued to speak and Sabé nodded along. Padmé was right. This was relatively easy. Well, keeping the headdress from tilting off her head was no picnic, but no one was giving her strange looks. Minister Brandes looked completely at ease and didn't even spare a glance at Padmé to her right.

"What do you think, Your Highness?"

"I concur with your assessment, Minister," Sabé said, matching Padmé's cool tone, moving her head minutely so as not to disturb her headgear's balance. "The reports from the district are promising. Continue implementing the program and keep me updated with their progress."

"Yes, Your Highness," the minister beamed, excited about the new program.

"Court is now adjourned. We will reconvene at the same time tomorrow," Captain Panaka said, looking at his timepiece. "Good day, ministers, governor."

Governor Bibble and the ministers bowed to Sabé, murmured some farewells, and left the throne room.

Captain Panaka turned to Sabé and bowed. "Is there anything you require from me before you retire for the day, Your Highness?"

"Yes, Captain. I would like your opinion on something," Sabé said regally, before dropping the act and smirking at him. "What do you think? Have I surpassed your expectations?"

"What?" Captain Panaka was at a loss for words at the strange question and jovial tone. It took a few moments and Padmé giggling before he realized what was going on.

"Sabé?!" Panaka squeaked, his eyes widening in a stunned fashion.

"Yes, it is I. What do you think?"

"I… I…"

"I think you broke him with your stunning performance," Padmé lowered her hood and walked over to sit on the throne's armrest. She grinned at Panaka. "Close your mouth, Captain."

"Yes, Your Highness," Captain Panaka managed to get out, looking between the two women and trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "I can't tell the difference between you two. This is quite extraordinary."

"Well, this was just the test run," Sabé conceded, nodding slightly. "I might not fare as well when I need to speak more… and move. Damn this headdress!" Sabé reached up and adjusted the headdress sliding off her head.

"Watch your tongue, Sabé," Rabé smiled and stepped up and helped fix the headdress' position.

"Regardless of this being a test run, I think you've proven you're more than capable of being my decoy," Padmé affirmed, lightly nudging Sabé's shoulder. "Don't you agree, Captain Panaka?"

"Indeed, Your Highness," Panaka frowned as he thought of something. "What about Force-sensitive people? Did Minister Brandes give any indication she thought something was amiss?"

"Not that I saw," Sabé said while Starré nodded in agreement.

Padmé shook her head. "Hela never even looked at me. Her attention was focused on Sabé. The anklets work."

The handmaidens congratulated Voraté, who beamed with pride that her invention had worked as intended.

"Well, then I retract my objections about Sabé serving as your primary handmaiden," Captain Panaka bowed formally to Sabé. "My lady, it is an honor to be working with you. I hope we can overcome our differences."

"Of course, Captain," Sabé was elated at having won over the hardened soldier. "Thank you for trusting in me. I won't let you down. Any of you." She looked around at Padmé, Starré, Voraté, and Rabé.

"None of us ever doubted you could do this," Starré said proudly. "You've always had the ability to be exceptional."

Sabé beamed with pride and sat up taller… and ruined the moment by scrambling to catch the headdress as it tried to escape her head again. The handmaidens laughed and came to her rescue. They disentangled the headpiece, removed it from her head, and swarmed her in a big group hug. No matter what came their way, be it a fight or a troublesome headpiece, Sabé knew they could handle it together.

A/N: Sabé is ready to be the decoy Queen, but can she take on the Trade Federation?