Chapter 11 - Podracing and Gambling
Outskirts of Tatooine, Day 3
"You did what?!" Padmé yelled over the comlink. Sabé, Starré, and Rabé grimaced in discomfort as the high-pitched tone made the receiver squeak. Sabé had told Starré and Rabé what had happened the night before with Obi-wan and they agreed it would be best Padmé knew about it as soon as possible.
Sabé sighed and repeated herself. "I may have gotten overly comfortable with Jedi Kenobi. We had an intimate conversation and I gave him permission to drop the honorifics in private."
"You gave him permission to use the Queen's given name, acting as me?!" Padmé yelled in disbelief.
"No, just your royal alias. I may have also given him a quick peck on the cheek," Sabé rushed out. She waited with bated breath for a complete meltdown from Padmé and she didn't have to wait long. She was surprised the guards didn't come racing into the room, what with Padmé hollering in dismay and groaning loud enough to blow the roof of the ship off.
"I promise it won't happen again, Padmé," Sabé said, trying to speak over Padmé's outraged speech. "I'll keep in character for the remainder of the flight."
"No, I don't blame you for wanting someone to talk to," Padmé said, quieting down with some urging from Voraté. "I just can't handle fending off a lovesick Jedi along with the invasion crisis. You know you can always confide in us, right?"
"Of course," Sabé placated her, trying to ignore the hurt expressions from the women sitting next to her. "It's not like I intended to have a heartfelt conversation with him. I was sitting at the helm and trying to calm my mind when he came in."
"Don't get attached to him, Sabé. He is a Jedi," Starré warned, looking very concerned. "The Code doesn't permit them to have romantic relationships."
"I know," Sabé huffed, disappointment welling within her. "Enough about me. Any news on obtaining the hyperdrive generator?"
"Possibly," Voraté's high voice came through the comlink. "Qui-Gon hasn't told us anything yet, but we think he's concocting an idea involving Anakin. Be prepared for some insane plan."
"Noted. Let us know the minute you hear anything."
The comlink clicked off and Sabé took in a huge breath and let it out slowly.
Rabé chuckled. "I haven't heard Padmé blow up like that since she had that screaming match with Beleré during the trials."
"It's probably just the stress from the invasion," Starré reasoned. "I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"Well," Sabé replied. "Until then, let's stay in here and see if we can crown a new victor of the cards."
"I'll take that challenge," Rabé said happily, grabbing the deck of cards.
Starré remained silent and stared at Sabé with her soft brown eyes, pondering something only she knew about.
-oOoOoOo-
"Jedi Kenobi and Captain Panaka ask that the Queen come to the throne room. There have been some new developments concerning the expedition."
Rabé informed the officer they would be there soon and closed the door. Sabé tugged on those blasted black skirts and Starré reapplied the white face paint and centered the headdress.
"What do you think Qui-Gon Jinn has planned?" Sabé wondered.
"I don't know," Starré said as they left their chambers. "But I trust that it will work to our advantage."
The ladies glided into the throne room where Panaka and Obi-wan were quietly arguing with each other. Sabé gracefully sat down on the throne while Rabé and Starré positioned themselves behind her.
Panaka gave Obi-wan a vicious glare as they broke apart and turned towards her. Uh-oh, she thought. This didn't bode well. Sabé's waist buzzed as the comlink activated. She ignored it as Obi-wan addressed her.
"Your Highness," Obi-wan bowed. "My Master has developed a plan to obtain the hyperdrive generator."
Sabé nodded for him to continue, but he paused and uncertainty flashed across his features. Damn, she really wasn't going to like this.
"We've entered into a bet with the dealer of the parts and if we win the podrace, we win the hyperdrive."
"I'm sorry, Jedi Kenobi," Sabé said with disbelief, lifting a hand for him to stop speaking. "Did you say… podrace?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Obi-wan confirmed. "A young boy by the name of Anakin Skywalker will be racing a pod he built himself. The dealer has bet the parts we need against the boy winning."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Sabé said, letting disdain and disbelief color her voice. "But podraces are incredibly dangerous and most racers don't cross the finish line. And since we're on Tatooine, you must be referring to the Boonta Eve Podrace, which is the most dangerous podrace in the galaxy."
"Yes, Your Highness," Obi-wan said tightly.
"What did Qui-Gon use to place his bet?" Sabé asked dangerously, already knowing the answer. The foolhardy Jedi had bet their starship. So much for Starré's belief that Qui-Gon had a foolproof plan.
"This ship, Your Highness," Obi-wan said quietly, breaking eye contact momentarily. "There is no cause for worry though. I have never known Qui-Gon to act without thinking several steps ahead. I trust his judgment."
The buzzing on Sabé's hip grew more intense as Padmé and Voraté doubled their efforts to contact her. Sabé understood their urgency. This was ridiculous.
"I see," Sabé said dangerously, letting her anger flicker in her eyes. "Leave us."
Obi-wan bowed and fled the room.
"Lock the door, Captain," Sabé directed Panaka. After he secured the door, Sabé pulled out the comlink and activated it.
"Sabé? You're not going to believe what Qui-Gon has planned," Padmé's voice rang into the throne room.
"Oh, I'm going to believe it. Jedi Kenobi just updated us on the plan," Sabé retorted grimly. "What chance do we have at succeeding?"
"It's a game of chance," Panaka growled. "And the odds are not in our favor."
"Gambling is never a wise thing to engage in, Captain, but given the circumstances, we're afforded little choice," Padmé argued. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we may stand a chance at winning this podrace."
"How so?" Starré questioned.
"The boy, Anakin Skywalker. There's something special about him," Padmé said curiously.
"And I've been working with him on his podracer. It's one-of-a-kind and promises to be very fast," Voraté added confidently. "This may be our best chance at getting the hyperdrive. None of the other junk shops have what we need."
"That may be," Sabé doubtfully agreed. "I just wish it didn't come with the unnecessary stress of wondering if we'll have a ship tomorrow."
-oOoOoOo-
Obi-wan walked through the empty corridors of the ship, checking everything before he retired. The guards, pilots, and technicians had already retreated to their quarters for the night. He wanted to do the same and get a few hours of sleep before the suns rose. He was examining the control panels of storage room C when there was a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw the tail of a dark cloak whisk around the corner. He quietly followed, using the Force to lighten his footsteps. He caught up to the person as they were entering the code to the door of the cockpit. It was Amidala. She entered the room and the doors hissed behind her.
Obi-wan followed after her but paused at the door as he considered whether he should deliberately initiate another meeting with her. He was becoming far too familiar with the Queen, but he couldn't help himself. He punched in the code. He entered the room and immediately tried to halt his momentum as Amidala was standing only a few feet inside the doorway.
Amidala squeaked as he ran into her and they both plummeted to the ground. Obi-wan twisted so she would fall on top of him instead of getting flattened by his bulk. Amidala reached out to the sides, trying to find a purchase to stop her fall. She managed to grab a hold of something, but it was an open water container left by one of the guards. It spilled over them as they landed with a thump. Obi-wan's Kyber crystal screeched as it got wet yet again.
"I am terribly sorry, Your Highness!" Obi-wan tried to get up to help the Queen back to her feet. "I didn't think you'd be standing so close to the door!"
Amidala put a hand on his shoulder to still his movements and chuckled as she looked down at him. "I was admiring the stars from this position," she gestured up at the skylight above them. "Is this how most of your interactions go, Obi-wan?" she giggled again.
"No, Your Highness," Obi-wan looked up at the disheveled woman, grinning as he saw he was forgiven. "I am normally much more graceful."
"I'm sure," Amidala teased as she got up. As Obi-wan stood up, the Kyber crystal screeched again in unhappiness and Amidala frowned.
"What is that?" Her head tilted and her face crinkled as she concentrated. "I heard it when you bumped into me."
"Oh, it's just the Kyber crystal in my lightsaber," Obi-wan took out his lightsaber and grabbed a cloth from a nearby console. "It hates getting wet." He wiped it down hurriedly but then paused. "You can hear it?"
"Yes, wailing like an enraged, high-maintenance woman I knew at the academy," Amidala said as she took a seat in the pilot's chair. "She would scream the roof down whenever she didn't get her way."
She could hear his Kyber crystal. That should be impossible. Obi-wan took the seat next to her, looking at her curiously. "Kyber crystals are attuned to their user and can't be heard by anyone else, especially not those who aren't Force-sensitive."
"I suppose I'm special then," Amidala smirked and gazed up at the constellations.
"You must have some sensitivity to the Force, Your Highness."
"I suppose," she said airily, glancing at him. "And I thought I asked you to drop the 'Your Highness' language," She returned her gaze to the stars. "Why do you suppose I can hear your Kyber crystal?"
Obi-wan considered this. "Well, when Jedi Padawans are ready to construct their lightsabers, they journey to a mountain on Ilum where Kyber crystals are formed. We listen to the Force and follow the call of our Kyber crystal. We bond with our crystal and it powers our lightsabers."
"Fascinating," Amidala's eyes lit up with interest. "What was it like for you?"
"I wouldn't know," Obi-wan smiled as he remembered that day. "When I opened myself up to the Force to hear the call of my Kyber crystal, it led me back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I followed it to Master Yoda's quarters; he's the Grand Master of the Jedi. He had a Kyber crystal that wanted to bond with me. Everyone was very confused, but Master Yoda handed over the crystal and it bonded with me. It's been in my lightsaber ever since."
"That must be an anomaly," Amidala remarked. "Has that ever happened before?"
"Only with this crystal," Obi-wan confirmed. "It called to Master Yoda's former apprentice from the Temple vaults; she left it with him when she resigned from the Order. She used to visit me all the time when I was a toddler in the crèche," Obi-wan smiled as he remembered the powerful yet kind woman who was an inspiration to him.
"I suppose it's only right her Kyber crystal is yours now."
"I guess," Obi-wan chuckled. "It's very temperamental though. Always yipping at me when it's displeased."
"Like when it gets a pitcher of water dumped on it," Amidala gestured to the empty water jug, laughing all the while.
"Exactly," Obi-wan chuckled with her. His Kyber crystal chose that moment to chime in, sounding like it was laughing too.
The two paused and listened to the crystal's jubilant tone.
"I guess you can hear my Kyber crystal because it likes you," Obi-wan mused, blushing slightly. "It's never done this with anyone else."
"I'm honored," Amidala beamed. "You know, I wanted to stay mad at you, but how can I when you gallantly let me crush you when we fell?"
"You hardly crushed me," Obi-wan countered. Her light, muscled figure was anything but heavy. "Besides, you should be mad at me. I delivered some pretty shocking news and then I ran you over."
"I'm not happy about pinning our hopes of escaping Tatooine on a nine-year-old boy winning a podrace, but this may be our only chance to get a hyperdrive," Amidala's face turned serious. "I hope you and Qui-Gon are right about this boy."
Obi-wan wanted nothing more than to bring back the happy, spirited woman he knew was inside her. "Amidala," he began, reaching out to take her hand. Amidala fixed her resigned eyes on him. "Qui-Gon may seem very reckless, but he wouldn't take a chance like this if he wasn't sure the boy would win."
Hope came back into her eyes and she placed her other hand over his. Her trust in him warmed Obi-wan's heart and made his stomach flutter. The light of the rising suns filled the cockpit, making Amidala's beautiful auburn hair glow. Wait a minute… Obi-wan looked out to the horizon where the suns were rising.
"It's daybreak. You should get back to your quarters."
"Hmm," Amidala said softly, still gazing trustingly at him. She made no move to get up.
Obi-wan shifted in his seat. "Amidala, the suns are rising. Your handmaidens will be looking for you."
"Oh, right," Amidala blinked and stood.
Obi-wan also made to stand, but remembering yesterday evening, he blushed and chose to remain seated instead.
"What are you…" Amidala looked at his stiff posture and laughed. "Are you thinking about last night?"
"Yes," Obi-wan's blush deepened and he shuffled his feet. Kriff, what was it about this woman that made him feel like an adolescent teenager? He was usually much better at controlling himself. "You're probably tired of me smashing into you."
"Not at all," Amidala's face brightened with joy and before he could react, she crawled into his lap, thrust her hands into his hair, tugged his head down and kissed him.
Obi-wan's brain shorted out. As a Jedi, he normally wouldn't entertain the idea of being intimate with another person. Attachments were forbidden, and he'd always done well suppressing those feelings. But now, they sprang to the surface and he returned Amidala's kiss with vigor, wrapping his arm around her and plunging his hand into her soft hair. The world around them seemed to melt away as the kiss went on and on. As Amidala shifted closer to him and let out a breathy moan, Obi-wan hugged her tightly to his chest.
The passionate kiss gradually became less steamy and they broke apart, breathing in some much-needed oxygen. Obi-wan touched his forehead to Amidala's as he caught his breath. Her beautiful brown eyes were bright and slightly dazed and a smile graced her lips. This close to her, he noticed her eyes had gold flecks in them.
The cockpit doors suddenly hissed open and admitted one of the handmaidens. She was the one Obi-wan was sure he'd met before, though he wasn't sure where or when. Amidala jumped back into her seat, but it was too late, judging by the woman's incredulous expression. She looked like a mother who'd just caught her child doing something naughty.
"My lady," Her face smoothed over and a cool expression dropped into place. "We were worried when we couldn't find you. We should be getting back to your quarters."
"Of course," Amidala hurriedly stood up, smoothing her mussed hair back into place. "Good day, Jedi Kenobi," She curtly nodded to him as she fled the cockpit.
The handmaiden stayed where she was and gave Obi-wan a stern glare. "I was not aware the Jedi allowed attachments now."
"They do not, my lady," Obi-wan gulped as he stood.
"I see. Take care of your actions," The handmaiden serenely said. "The Queen is under enough stress without having to deal with any additional complications." With that, she glided out of the room.
Obi-wan inhaled deeply, trying to center himself and make sense of the last few minutes. The kiss with Amidala had been magical, but it couldn't happen again. She was the Queen of Naboo and he was a Jedi. It would never work.
-oOoOoOo-
Starré advised Sabé not to conceal her kiss with Obi-wan from their fellow handmaidens or Padmé so she wouldn't be caught off-guard if Obi-wan mentioned it. They ran into Rabé on their way back to their quarters.
"What happened?" Rabé asked, curious about their stony silence.
"I'll explain in a moment," Sabé huffed.
When they entered their quarters, Sabé sullenly explained what she'd been doing and to say the lead handmaiden was displeased was an understatement.
"Are you insane, Sabé? Getting romantically involved with a Jedi while masquerading as the Queen? You're supposed to be the level-headed one!"
"I know, I know," Sabé groaned as she flopped onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know how this happened! I just feel a connection with him."
"Come back to reality, Sabé," Rabé begged her. "Even if he knew you were not the Queen, he's training to be a Jedi Knight. The Code forbids romantic relationships. It would never work between you two."
"I know," Sabé swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's not going to happen again, so let it go. Don't worry, I'll tell Padmé when she's back on board." She glared up at the ceiling, fuming at the unfairness of the world.
-oOoOoOo-
Starré and Rabé let the matter go and the ladies returned their focus to their mission and the hyperdrive generator. The day grew stressful as they waited for word if Qui-Gon's risky venture had succeeded or failed. The hours dragged on and the women eventually got so revved up that they staged mock bouts in their cramped quarters as they waited for the comlink to buzz. It was a risky venture, considering Sabé almost brained herself on the corner of the table after dodging a kick.
"I can't take this anymore!" Sabé yelled after a while. She dropped her fists and headed for the door. "I need to know what's going on!"
She gave an oomph as Starré tackled her onto the bed.
"Going out and demanding answers they can't give isn't going to do anyone any good," Starré calmly stated while Rabé murmured in agreement. "The only thing we can do is wait and trust it will work out in our favor."
"That's easy for you ladies to say. You're Force-sensitive," Sabé complained, fighting against Starré's strong arms. "I can barely feel the Force."
"Shhh, calm down," Rabé soothed her and stroked her hair. "I have a good feeling about this race."
"Well, I don't," Sabé fumed, crossing her arms. "I feel all jittery and uneasy like something horrible is going to happen."
"I think…" Starré began, but was interrupted at a knock on the door.
Sabé sighed and hopped into the fresher while Rabé answered the door.
"Jedi Kenobi requests Her Highness's presence in the throne room."
"We'll be right there," Rabé turned back into the room as the door hissed shut. "It looks like we don't have to wait anymore."
"Great," Sabé muttered, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She tugged on the black silk costume, slathered on the face paint, and secured the feathered headdress. "Let's go see if we've screwed ourselves over."
"Be positive," Starré said mildly as she followed her out of the room.
The ladies glided into the throne room where Obi-wan and Panaka awaited them. As Sabé took a seat, Obi-wan greeted her and smiled. Sabé felt a weight lift off her shoulders. If he had bad news, he wouldn't look so cheerful.
"I'm pleased to report our gamble has paid off, Your Highness. My master has secured the hyperdrive. The expedition group will be back on the ship within a few hours. We should be off-planet by this evening at the latest."
"I'm relieved to hear that, Jedi Kenobi," Sabé couldn't hide the relief in her voice. "Please inform me when the expedition returns."
Obi-wan bowed to her and left the room.
"See?" Rabé said, clutching Sabé's hand. "It's going to be okay."
"Then why do I still feel uneasy?" Sabé asked, confused as to why she felt so anxious.
"You must be worried about Voraté and Padmé," Starré considered, pursing her lips. "Those feelings will fade when they're back on board the ship and we're on our way to Coruscant." Her words were comforting, but her face belied her own worry.
"I hope so," Sabé whispered. But no matter how she reasoned with herself that there was nothing to worry about, she couldn't shake that bad feeling.
-oOoOoOo-
The comlink buzzed as the ladies returned to their quarters.
"Good news, ladies," Padmé's relieved voice came over the comlink. "We have the parts and we're on our way back to the ship."
"We heard," Sabé said. "How did the race go?"
"It was horrible," Padmé said, deadpanned. "I could barely watch."
"Oh, stop it. It was amazing!" Voraté interrupted. "Yes, the race was unbelievably dangerous and he was the only one to cross the finish line, but Anakin was incredible! I don't think even I could have done half of what he did."
Hmmm. That was high praise, coming from Voraté, a gifted pilot. She really liked this kid.
"And that's not all!" Voraté excitedly exclaimed. "I think Qui-Gon is going to free the Skywalkers!"
Sabé stiffened. "How do you think he's going to manage that?"
"When we were bringing the parts into the podrace hangar before the race, I saw Qui-Gon talking to the dealer we got the parts from who also owns Anakin. I saw the Toydarian toss a chance cube. They were making another bet. The Toydarian was furious at the outcome."
"I see," Sabé bit her lip. That Jedi was going to get them into a lot of trouble. Her mother must have remembered her old friend wrong because nothing in her stories had ever indicated Qui-Gon was a risktaker. "We'll talk more when you're back on board the ship. Safe travels."
"We'll see you soon," Padmé cut off the transmission.
Sabé turned to Rabé and Starré with a long-suffering sigh.
Starré smirked. "At least the news broke after we found out we have the hyperdrive. If you knew about this new bet beforehand, you probably would have marched off to Mos Espa to confront Qui-Gon."
"You're damn right I would have," Sabé growled. "That man is far too fond of risk-taking."
-oOoOoOo-
The new hyperdrive was quickly installed into the starship's terminal by Obi-wan, Voraté, and a few other technicians. Sabé was glad to have Padmé and little Voraté back in her sight and she couldn't wait to leave Tatooine. However, they were waiting on Qui-Gon to return from the spaceport, where he was returning the eopies he'd borrowed to drag the hyperdrive parts to the ship. Voraté was sure he intended to do more though.
"I really think he's going to free the Skywalkers," Voraté said, bouncing up and down. "He helped Anakin to sell the pod and the Toydarian was fuming when we went to collect the parts."
"I hope you're right, Voraté," Sabé said, hugging the petite girl close to her, who giggled as she was smothered in the layers of Sabé's costume.
Padmé chuckled and rescued the girl from Sabé. "Let's go strap in and prepare for take-off. Qui-Gon should be returning soon."
An hour passed as they waited for their missing passenger, hopefully passengers, and Voraté and Padmé talked about their adventures in the spaceport.
Starré, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stiffened and unbuckled her restraints. She discarded her handmaiden robes, revealing her black fighting gear.
"Starré? What are you doing?" Rabé asked, eyes darting around as she searched for a non-existent threat.
"What's wrong?" Sabé asked. Dread pooled in her stomach at the dark look on Starré's face. She'd seen that expression before and it hadn't been because everything was fine.
"Take off your costumes," Starré said gravely, unclipping her songsteel staff from its place on her forearm and activating it to its six-foot length. "You too, Sabé."
The ladies didn't question Starré. They got up and discarded their flame-colored robes and Sabé hurriedly wiped off her make-up with a towel Rabé handed her. She tossed the black, feathered costume behind the throne, pinned her hair up, and drew her staff. Padmé and Voraté had their blasters drawn and were looking to Starré for guidance.
"Is something wrong?" Rabé inquired as she held her staff in one hand and made sure her blasters were positioned correctly on her thighs.
"Yes," Starré said as the ship suddenly rumbled to life with no warning and took off. "We're under attack."
A/N: *turning the stovetop knob to medium-high on Sabé and Obi-wan's relationship*
What sort of danger could be coming their way? *intense Darth Maul stare*