Chapter 8 - Insanity
Chommel Sector
Sabé had just straightened her outfit with Rabé's help when the doors to the throne room hissed open. So instead of a flustered Queen and her disorganized handmaidens, the Jedi and Captain Panaka saw a composed Queen and her handmaidens standing in formation behind her as they stepped into the throne room. A grimy, blue-silver droid rolled into the room after them.
"Your Highness, are you and your handmaidens alright?" Captain Panaka asked, worriedly.
Sabé's heart melted. No matter how gruff his exterior, Sabé knew Panaka cared about each and every one of them. "We are fine, Captain. Please report on our situation."
"We have successfully made it past the Trade Federation blockade, thanks to Lady Voraté," Captain Panaka nodded at the handmaiden, "And this astromech. An extremely put-together little droid. Without a doubt, he played a large part in saving the ship by restoring the shields."
"It is to be commended," Sabé said. "What is its number?"
Captain Panaka brushed some soot off the droid's ID. "R2-D2, Your Highness."
"Thank you, R2-D2," Sabé spoke to the droid. Lights lit up on the droid as it beeped and booped back at her. Awww. It was so cute. The enormous stress Sabé was feeling lifted a little and she gave a slight smile to the droid. "Padmé."
Padmé gave a slight jump and walked forward looking confused.
"Clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude."
Padmé nodded and stood next to the droid, giving Sabé a questioning look.
"Continue, Captain," Sabé said, returning her focus to Panaka.
A frown came over Panaka's face and he turned to the elder Jedi.
"Your Highness," the Jedi spoke softly yet surely. "With your permission, we are heading for a planet called Jatheia to repair the ship. It is beyond the reach of the Trade Federation."
"I do not agree with the Jedi on this," Panaka interrupted gravely.
"You must trust my judgment on this," urged the Jedi, looking deep into Sabé's eyes.
Ha! Sabé couldn't believe the insanity of this plan. To land on the planet of the Mercenary Collective? It was foolhardy to say the least. The entire plan would hinge on luck and hoping they wouldn't be noticed. Who were they kidding? They would be back in the hands of the Trade Federation within hours.
Not to mention, the people of the Mercenary Collective weren't the kindest of people. Sabé could still remember the wrenching pain as her leg was crushed by one of those mercenaries. She turned her head and caught Starré's imperceptible headshake. She too agreed that they shouldn't be heading to Jatheia.
"Please do not take this the wrong way, Master Jedi, but have you lost your mind?" Sabé could tell she'd taken the Jedi off-guard by his slightly stunned expression at her non-acquiescence to his plan. "The Mercenary Collective is not a group to underestimate. We will not remain unnoticed for long on the planet."
"There is no other planet within reach, Your Highness."
Sabé turned her focus to the younger Jedi as he spoke. His voice was deeper than she thought it would be. And now that they weren't under attack, Sabé had time to fully examine the handsome young man. His short, spiky auburn hair was several shades lighter than her own dark auburn locks and he had piercing blue-grey eyes and chiseled features. Sabé couldn't help but blush as she looked at him, thanking her lucky stars the white face paint hid it.
"I agree this is a risky plan, but we have no choice," he said.
Sabé inwardly smacked herself and refocused on the problem at hand. "How long until we run out of power?"
"About two standard hours, Your Highness," the younger Jedi replied. The elder Jedi remained silent and stared at Sabé.
Sabé ignored the man's intense stare and thought about their options. Two hours didn't give them a lot of time. There weren't many habitable planets near the Chommel and Far Xandil Sector and those that were close weren't friendly to the Republic. Then Sabé thought of something.
"What about Tatooine? It's far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation and far less likely we will be discovered," Sabé continued before Panaka could explode. "Yes, I know it's controlled by the Hutts, but word won't get out that we'll be on the planet as quickly, unlike on Jatheia. What do you think, Master Jedi?"
"A good alternative plan," the Jedi nodded his appreciation while Panaka grumbled quietly. "But Tatooine is six hours away. We won't be able to reach it before the hyperdrive fails."
"Use the Camoryn Wormhole." Sabé returned. "The entrance is in the Ryndellian Sector near Farstine and lets out near Tatooine. The ship's navigation charts have the wormhole's location stored in its memory. There should be more than enough time to make the journey. Send for Lady Voraté the moment we reach the wormhole's coordinates. She is the only one who has successfully navigated the asteroid field around it before."
"Very well, Your Highness," The Jedi gave her a mildly questioning look and bowed and made to leave the room.
"Wait," Sabé commanded. Both Jedi aborted their movements to leave and turned back to face her. Sabé beckoned to Captain Panaka still by her side and directed him to relay the new plan to the pilot. Panaka hesitated, reluctant to leave her alone with the Jedi, but complied and left the room.
Sabé turned back to the Jedi, who were waiting patiently for her next comment. "I'm afraid that during all the excitement, there was no time for introductions. As you know, I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. May I know your names?"
"Of course, Your Highness," the elder Jedi moved forward and gave an official bow. "I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my apprentice, Obi-wan Kenobi." The younger Jedi moved forward as he was introduced and gave a deep bow.
Sabé blinked in surprise. Qui-Gon Jinn had been a dear friend of her parents when they were a part of the Jedi Order. No wonder she thought she'd recognized him. She'd seen him before in the photos her mother had shown her; he just looked older and wiser now. She nodded her head slightly. "Thank you for coming to our rescue."
"It is an honor to protect you, Your Highness," Qui-Gon said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we must make plans for our arrival on Tatooine."
"Of course," Sabé nodded her permission.
The Jedi bowed and swept out of the room, followed by Padmé and the dirty astromech droid. The doors hissed shut and Sabé let out a deep breath and slouched in her seat.
"Well, that was intense," Rabé came forward to sit on the throne's arm and hug Sabé.
"Are you kidding? It was hilarious!" Starré's calm exterior cracked and she broke out into laughter. "Reprimanding the Jedi like that! Ha! Their faces were priceless!"
"Their faces didn't express any emotion, Starré," Voraté said dryly.
"You have to read the microexpressions and undercurrents, sister," Starré said. "They were shocked at Sabé's forcefulness and command."
"I suppose that's a good thing," Sabé preened at the praise and hefted herself out of the chair, trying not to trip on her hem. "They're convinced I'm the Queen."
"No doubt about that, Your Highness." Starré mock bowed, still giggling.
"Alright, reign it in," Rabé said, exerting her command over the handmaidens. "Let's go to the Queen's quarters, where we can talk more freely."
-oOoOoOo-
An hour later, Voraté flew them safely through the dangerous asteroid field and returned to the Queen's quarters. Padmé had yet to come back from cleaning up R2-D2, so Voraté regaled the ladies with how she flew the ship past the Federation blockade.
"…Pilot Olié had been knocked unconscious and his nephew took over the helm and wasn't doing any flying. So I threw him out of the seat and took command of the starship!" Voraté's eyes gleamed with triumph as she relayed her story to Sabé, Starré, and Rabé. They were sitting on the bed in the Queen's spacious quarters, still in their handmaiden and Queen garbs, though Sabé had elected to remove her feathered headgear and revert her features back to normal.
"It was no wonder we were getting hit every few seconds. The man was completely focused on the astromech droids and forgot about flying the kriffing ship!"
"We're lucky to have you, Voraté," Sabé said, hugging the twelve-year-old.
"Yes, you are," Voraté said primly, before breaking down into giggles and hugging Sabé back.
"By the way," Sabé looked down into Voraté's bright blue eyes. "Are you going to be okay going to Tatooine?"
Voraté's eyes became shuttered and her grip on Sabé tightened. "It's our only viable choice. I'll be alright. It's been four years since I escaped that hell-hole."
"I won't let anything happen to you," Sabé whispered into Voraté's hair. "I promise." Rabé and Starré echoed her promises and hugged the girl too.
A few months before the Trade Federation had erected their blockade, Voraté had broken down after a sleepless night and revealed her backstory to her fellow handmaidens. As it turned out, Voraté had been traveling with her parents through the Ryndellian Sector when she was two years old and slave traders had attacked her ship, killed her parents, and brought her to Tatooine to be sold as a slave. For six long years, she had been forced to repair droids, fly cruisers, and obey her master's every command. But one day, her master let slip that she came from Naboo, so she worked to deactivate and remove her slave tracker. She succeeded and stole a starship and flew back to Naboo. When she had told the story, the women's hearts had broken for the twelve-year-old girl who had suffered so much so early in life. Sabé swore to protect the girl then and she'd be damned if she let anyone harm Voraté now.
"So, what should we do while we wait?" Sabé asked softly when there was no reply from a snuffling Voraté.
"I think there are some cards in the drawers over there," Starré indicated with her head.
"Sounds fun," Sabé said dryly as the doors whisked open.
"I'm going to kill you, Sabé Rhydater!" Padmé's enraged voice cried out.
Sabé squealed and rolled off the bed as Padmé gave chase. "I had to do it! I couldn't show you favor just because you're the Queen!"
"That doesn't mean you have to command me to clean a droid!"
Sabé looked over her shoulder at Padmé as she ran and smiled. She was worried she had crossed a line, but Padmé's threats were made empty by the huge smile she wore on her face.
Hampered by her voluminous skirts and a leg that was beginning to ache, Sabé couldn't stay ahead of Padmé and was tackled onto the bed and tickled mercilessly.
"This is your punishment for demeaning your Queen," Padmé said primly with an evil grin on her face.
"Ahh! Stop it!" Sabé gasped between laughs. Padmé laughed and dropped down onto the bed next to her. Sabé waited for her racing heart to calm down before asking. "Did we make the right decision, Padmé?"
"Yes," Padmé said immediately. "It wasn't smart to stay on Naboo any longer. As much as it breaks my heart to leave my people when they need me the most, I must speak to the Senate personally or else there is no hope for us."
"And going to Tatooine?"
Padmé frowned. "It's not ideal, but it's far better than landing on a planet full of mercenaries. No offense, Starré."
"I take no offense at that," Starré waved off the apology. "We would have been caught and traded back to the Federation within an hour of landing."
"That was my reasoning too," Sabé breathed easier, glad she hadn't made a mess of things. She went to rub her leg and waved off a worried Rabé.
"Are you going to be alright, Voraté?" Padmé sat up and tugged Voraté into a hug.
"Yes, I'll be alright. I would actually like to be a part of the expedition that goes searching for a new hyperdrive," Voraté said haltingly.
"Is that a good idea?" Starré asked cautiously.
"Yes," Voraté said with more conviction. "I know how the system works and I can direct the group towards the shops least likely to swindle us."
"Then I'm going with you," Padmé replied, her face set with determination.
Rabé, Starré, and Sabé all vehemently protested at once.
"Absolutely not."
"Have you lost your mind?"
"That's the complete opposite of keeping you safe!"
"As you said, Sabé, they all think you're the Queen, not me, so I'm not the target," Padmé reasoned.
"That's a flimsy excuse," Sabé frowned. "Thugs don't care who you are. They could take offense to how you're walking down the street and decide to kill you."
"I'll be careful. We both will," Padmé reassured the ladies. "Besides, I'm sure Qui-Gon Jinn will be going, so we'll stick close to him. Satisfied?"
"Hardly, but if you and Voraté have to go, you have to take all your weapons and always be on your guard," Sabé countered. "And both of you will be carrying a comlink so we can contact you."
"Deal," Padmé smiled. "Starré, can you go inform Panaka of my decision?"
"Of course," Starré nodded, though she looked conflicted. "Don't worry. I won't let him veto this venture." The doors whooshed close behind her.
Padmé turned back to the smaller girl. "Now what do the denizens of Tatooine wear, Voraté?"
Brightened by the idea of new clothes, Voraté disentangled herself from the women's embraces and raced to the wardrobe. "Definitely not silks, I think we have some simple tunics in the back," She opened the wardrobe and whistled as she saw a magnificent red, gold, and black dress wrapped in a translucent protective cloth. "Wow, this is amazing. Isn't this your creation, Sabé?"
"Yes, it is," Sabé said proudly. "I almost forgot it was in there."
"You have to wear this when you address the Senate, Padmé," Rabé said, impressed with the dignity and power the ensemble emitted. "You'll knock everyone off their pods."
The ladies giggled at the thought and resumed their search for clothes appropriate for a mission on Tatooine as Voraté recounted her victorious tale of piloting the ship past the blockade to Padmé. They managed to find two non-descript dark-blue cotton tunics that could conceal their weapons when the ship started to vibrate, indicating the ship had entered Tatooine's atmosphere. Padmé and Voraté finished dressing as the ship landed with a slight jarring motion. Sabé shifted her features and reattached her headdress and led the ladies towards the exit ramp.
The dry heat hit them, a sharp contrast to the humidity of Naboo. Captain Panaka and Obi-wan Kenobi were talking near the panels. Sabé would have worried they'd just missed Qui-Gon leaving except the Gungan and R2D2 were waiting off to the side. Footsteps approached from the opposite hallway and Qui-Gon appeared alongside Starré. They were whispering to each other and seemed rather exuberant, despite their controlled expressions. Even Kenobi was giving his mentor an odd look. Sabé raised an eyebrow at Starré, but the woman shook her head, declining to give an explanation as she stepped into formation next to Rabé. Qui-Gon's face took on a bemused expression when he saw Padmé and Voraté in similar civilian garb to his grey tunic.
"I ask that you take my handmaidens with you," Sabé requested, her tone subtly implying it was a command.
"I must disagree with you on this, Your Highness. The spaceport is not going to be pleasant." Qui-Gon said, trying to reason with her.
"I confess I am curious about the planet," Sabé said and continued on as Qui-Gon started to object again. "And Lady Voraté has experience and knowledge that will be valuable for the success of this mission."
Sabé was sure Qui-Gon wasn't completely convinced, but he suppressed his objections and agreed.
"Very well, Your Highness," He turned to Padmé and Voraté. "Stay close to me."
Padmé and Voraté hurried to catch up with the group as they descended down the ship.
"Just what are you thinking, Sabé?" Captain Panaka whispered into Sabé's ear, soft enough so the Jedi apprentice wouldn't hear. "Agreeing to let Padmé go into the spaceport?"
"We need Voraté's input on this mission and Padmé insisted on going with her. I tried to reason with her, but you know how stubborn she is," Sabé whispered back. "She's agreed to take her weapons with her and stay close to Qui-Gon Jinn. It will all work out, I promise."
Sabé turned and walked back into the ship, ignoring Kenobi's questioning blue-grey gaze.
A/N: They made it to Tatooine! What do you think is going on with Starré and Qui-Gon?