Chapter 10 - Hyperdrive
Outskirts of Tatooine, Day 2
"What in the world did they do to it?" Sabé breathed out, aghast at the sight before her. The hyperdrive was sitting out of its compartment, completely disconnected from the ship. Frayed wires sprang out of the machine in all directions.
"It looks like it put up a fight coming out of the terminal," Starré remarked as she walked around it and gauged the damage. She hooked up a device to a port on the hyperdrive and read the readings. "It doesn't matter, though. It's completely unsalvageable. See this readout?"
She indicated a flat graph on the screen. "Even if we could get it reconnected to the ship, the disperser component is destroyed, which renders the entire machine unusable."
"Can we salvage any components to sell?" Sabé pulled up an engineering bill of materials on a reader, looking at all the components the hyperdrive was made of.
"The power source may be of some value if it's still intact," Rabé pondered. She leaned over Starré's shoulder and punched a command into the hyperdrive console. But it buzzed back at her and the power source container refused to open. Rabé huffed and took off her outer robes, pushed up her sleeves, and grabbed a hydrospanner. "Give me a second."
Metal screeched in protest as Rabé skillfully tore her way through to the center of the broken hyperdrive. She grasped something and withdrew it carefully from the machine, revealing a metal box with an attachment on it. Starré frowned.
"What's wrong?" Rabé questioned.
"See that?" Starré pointed at the attachment. "That's not supposed to be there."
"What is it?" Sabé moved closer, taking care not to get her dress dirtied by the grease and dust drifting down from Rabé's hands.
Starré closely inspected it and her frown turned downright thunderous. "It's an energy disrupter. This is why the hyperdrive was leaking."
"Does that mean the rest of the hyperdrive is functional?" Rabé asked, trying to understand the mechanics of what was happening.
"No, the hyperdrive won't work without the disperser. But it only failed because this power source was tampered with," Starré grimly pried the foreign attachment off. The power source hummed as it came back to life, yellow bars lighting up around the edges. "Without energy running through it, the disperser became corrupted and exploded."
"The hyperdrive was tampered with?" Sabé asked quietly, stunned as the gravity of the situation came into focus.
"Someone on board the ship sabotaged with the hyperdrive and forced us to land here," Rabé said incredulously. "Can you find out who did it?"
"Unlikely," Starré said as she took the attachment and studied it more closely. "This is a standard energy disruptor with a time delay function, available throughout the galaxy if you know where to get one. It's designed to activate when a ship goes into hyperspace. There's no telling who bought it or when they put it onto the power source. The person may not be on board this ship, but we'll have to keep our guard up and watch for any more sabotage."
Sabé nodded and handed Rabé a towel to clean her hands. Starré was right. Padmé had hardly ever used the Nubian cruiser since she'd been elected Queen, and she hadn't needed to travel long distances requiring hyperspace travel. The disruptor could have been placed on the ship long before the Trade Federation invaded Naboo.
The engine doors hissed open and Obi-wan Kenobi walked in. He paused and tilted his head, looking as confused as he had the night before. He is so cute, Sabé thought, suppressing the smile she felt rising to her lips. She had to maintain a Queenly persona.
"Good morning, Jedi Kenobi."
"Good morning, Your Highness," Obi-wan replied, bowing deeply. "Is there something I can assist you with?" He pointedly looked at the pried open hyperdrive and Rabé, who was brushing dust off her robes before donning them.
"Perhaps," Sabé said. "We were taking a look at the hyperdrive to see if it could be fixed. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. The energy disperser has been completely destroyed. Out of all the components, we thought the power source could be of some value."
Sabé plucked the rectangular power source from Starré's grasp and handed it to Obi-wan. He looked it over and pursed his lips, gauging its value.
"You're right. This may be worth quite a bit out here," Obi-wan looked up at Sabé. "I'll mention this to my Master the next time I contact him."
"Very good. The rest of the hyperdrive could be sold as scrap," Sabé replied and strolled to the door, her black skirts swishing around her feet. She turned her attention to the reader and pulled up the ship's manifest.
"May I escort you back to your chambers, Your Highness?" Obi-wan asked.
Sabé halted and turned to Obi-wan, startled by his request. And by the look on Obi-wan's face, it seemed he was just as stunned.
"Thank you for your consideration, Jedi Kenobi. But my handmaidens and I shall be traversing the ship today and searching for any items that may be of value."
"That won't be necessary. I have already gone through the ship's manifest, Your Highness," Obi-wan said cautiously. "I'm afraid there are no other items of considerable value on board."
"I am not questioning your thoroughness," Sabé retorted coolly.
"Your Highness," Obi-wan tried to protest again.
Sabé cut him off, annoyance seeping into her voice and somewhat ruining her Queenly persona. "Jedi Kenobi. I refuse to stay sequestered in my quarters, doing nothing. I will be examining the ship's cargo myself, is that understood?"
Obi-wan nodded and bowed again. "Yes, Your Highness."
Sabé swept out of the room, followed by Rabé and Starré. Sabé and Rabé swept down the corridor, discussing the items on the manifest. They halted when they realized Starré was not with them. Obi-wan had gently caught Starré's arm on her way past him, pulling her to a stop.
"Have we met before, my lady?" Sabé heard Obi-wan ask curiously. He was studying Starré's face intently.
"No, we haven't," Starré gently shook off his hand, raised her hood, and caught up to where Sabé and Rabé were patiently waiting.
"Where in the world would you have met Kenobi before yesterday?" Rabé asked.
Starré shrugged. "I don't know. Never mind about that. Calm down, Sabé," Starré placed a hand on Sabé's hand. She was rifling through the documents on the reader far too quickly for her to be reading them. Rabé looked like she wanted to talk more about that odd exchange, but she allowed the topic to change.
"I'm trying to stay calm. I just need to feel like I'm contributing something," Sabé beseeched the two women, hoping they understood what she was going through.
"We understand," Rabé took Sabé's hand and squeezed it gently. "What's first on the list?"
Sabé grinned and looked down at the reader. "The mobile holo-emitters in storage room A. Class Dorn-Osk."
"Oooh, I've always wanted to get my hands on one of those," Starré said with glee. "Let's go!"
-oOoOoOo-
Sabé sighed as she lay next to Rabé and Starré, who had fallen asleep quickly after their exertions that day. Obi-wan had been right. There was nothing of intrinsic value aboard the ship. Sabé tossed and turned, but for some reason, she couldn't fall asleep, so she slowly crawled off the bed and tugged on a dark-colored handmaiden robe. The doors made a slight hiss as she walked out of the room. Sabé made for the throne room, but paused, remembering Obi-wan might be meditating or practicing in there. So instead, she ambled towards the cockpit.
The lights were all turned off, but Sabé didn't mind as she curled up into the pilot's seat. The open cockpit gave her a perfect view of the starry sky. Sabé let her mind relax and drift as she stared up at the sky, all her worries and doubts floating away.
Her eyes were soon drooping, heavy with sleep, but they shot open when the cockpit door hissed open. She heard someone amble forward and she quickly shifted her features before glancing over. She saw Obi-wan jump as he realized he wasn't alone in the cockpit.
"Your Highness," he said, bowing.
"Oh, let's dispense with the formalities," Sabé waved her hand dismissively. "It's just the two of us in here. Please, have a seat," She gestured to the seat next to hers. "May I call you by your given name?"
Obi-wan slowly walked forward and sat down, looking at her strangely.
"Yes, my lady."
Sabé gave him a pointed look that promised death if he continued addressing her formally.
"Yes, Amidala?"
Sabé smiled at the poor, confused Jedi. Damn, she was disappointed she couldn't tell him to call her by her true name. She liked the man.
"That will suffice, Obi-wan," She turned her gaze back to the stars. "Did I interrupt your attempt to meditate again?"
"No, I actually just came from the throne room," Obi-wan admitted. "I was going to check the communications before going to bed."
"You should try meditating in here," Sabé recommended as she turned her head toward Obi-wan. "The stars are so peaceful. It's easy to clear my mind of everything that's going on when I look at them."
Obi-wan turned his gaze skyward. "You're right. The stars do have a serene, calming quality to them."
Sabé admired his strong features as he studied the stars. The moonlight accentuated his high cheekbones and the red highlights in his auburn hair. He looked back at her, concern etched in his features.
"Did you come here last night too?"
"No," Sabé murmured softly, gazing into his blue-grey eyes. "I couldn't fall asleep tonight. Too many worries, I suppose."
"We will reach Coruscant," Obi-wan assured her. "And you will get a chance to convince the Senate to overturn the Trade Federation's wrongdoings. Don't lose hope."
"I haven't," Sabé reached over and placed her hand over his. "But it doesn't stop me from worrying about my people. How old are you, Obi-wan? If you don't mind my asking."
"I'm twenty-one years old. My birthday passed a few months ago," Obi-wan hesitated, obviously curious about her age but unsure of how to bring it up without offending her. He was also looking at her hand like it was an alien tentacle he didn't know how to handle.
Sabé decided to take mercy on the man. She removed her hand and supplied him with the information he sought. "I am seventeen standard years."
Well, the true Queen was actually fifteen. Hopefully, Obi-wan didn't know that.
"A rather young age to become the Queen of a planet," Obi-wan replied with a tiny amount of judgment.
"The Queens and Kings of Naboo are typically young," Sabé defended her culture. "We believe our youth are the most pure and innocent and will make the smartest decisions, unbiased by the avarice and stupidity most adults are corrupted by. Our youngest king was King Veruna. He was elected when he was nine years old and he led our people into an era of great prosperity and peace."
"I see," Obi-wan replied, wonder in his voice.
Sabé smiled and continued to regale him with selective stories of her homeworld and childhood. She even asked Obi-wan to tell a few stories of his childhood too. He told her of a time when he used a plant root to turn his creche-mates' skin purple. He gradually relaxed his stiff posture and sank into his chair. Together, they laughed at the mischief their younger selves had caused. Eventually, they grew comfortable enough to ask heavy questions.
"How did you sustain your leg injury?" Obi-wan inquired.
"There's not much to tell," Sabé considered if she even wanted to tell him. No one else knew about how her leg had been damaged besides her mother and she had only trusted Eirtaé with her story a few years ago.
"Please," Obi-wan insisted, burning curiosity and concern in his piercing blue-grey eyes.
Sabé was touched by his concern for her. She'd never felt a connection like this with anyone before. "It happened when I was eight years old. I was traveling with my mother and we were trying to track down my father. We followed a rumor to Jatheia and went to talk to a warrior in one of the bars by the spaceport."
Obi-wan's face became pinched as she mentioned Jatheia.
"I was on a stool next to my mother, listening intently to the conversation, when a fight at the next table broke out. Before I knew it, I was sprawled on the floor, trying not to scream as this huge ham-fisted alien hammered his fist into his comrade, who happened to land his considerable bulk on my right leg. My mother beat the shit out of both of them and a bouncer tossed them out of the bar. The damage to my leg was pretty severe. All the bones were broken and my hip bone was sticking out of my skin."
Obi-wan looked horrified at this and he took Sabé's hand in his own. Sabé patted him reassuringly.
She continued her story, hiding the fact that her mother healed her. "Luckily, there was a healer present and she managed to heal all the broken bones and restore my leg's function. However, there was some nerve damage she couldn't repair, so from time to time, my leg cramps up when I feel stressed or overexert myself."
"I can't imagine going through that. It's incredible you had the strength to endure that and keep on going."
Sabé's heart melted at those kind words. "Thank you. I've never told this story to anyone outside my family."
Sabé looked at the timepiece on the dashboard and realized they'd spent most of the night talking. She needed to get back to her quarters before Starré or Rabé realized she was missing. She gave Obi-wan's hand a gentle squeeze in thanks for his company and stood up. Obi-wan stood up hastily too, but he misjudged the distance between their chairs and Sabé found herself flush against Obi-wan's chest.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Obi-wan yelped and stepped away, worried about Sabé's reaction to his blunder.
Sabé giggled and stepped forward, closing the distance between them and tugged Obi-wan down by his robe's lapel so his face was level with hers. She kissed his cheek and released him. Obi-wan stayed where he was, looking more bewildered than ever.
"Thank you for keeping me company," Sabé's eyes twinkled with happiness as she stared into his eyes. "I really needed someone to talk to."
With that, Sabé turned and walked out of the cockpit. As she rounded a corner, she caught a glimpse of Obi-wan, who was now sitting in her seat and gazing up at the stars.
A/N: Mysteries everywhere! Who could be behind the hyperdrive sabotage? Will this budding relationship between Sabé and Obi-wan be allowed to flourish?