Disclaimer: All rights belong to Disney, George Lucas, and all the men and women that created the Star Wars movies, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The cover art image belongs to peanutbutterroastedchestnuts. tumblr .com (remove the spaces)
Rating: T for violence, disturbing imagery, and dark themes
Author's Note: Feel free to check me out on tumblr myshipsaresunk. My blog is mainly Star Wars and Marvel, and I can answer any questions you might have.
Chapter 4
Mid Rim, Chommell Sector, Naboo System, 39 BBY
Naboo has the best scenery in this part of the galaxy. I park my starship on a cliff, miles from the city, just to get a good look from afar. The sky is varying shades of blue with puffy white clouds floating lazily around. Dense green forests cover soft mountain formations and large hills, creating an interesting topography. The great capital city, Theed, lies on the edge of of a plateau, and small towns and cities lie all around its outskirts, white marble buildings and small wooden huts sticking out of the lush green vegetation. Waterfalls of the brightest blue and the clearest water flow down from the same plateau into large lakes and rivers in the valley below, where a few more small towns are located. People the size of ants make their way around, living their lives, completely ignorant of the galaxy around them. There are no fights, for this is a peaceful little planet. A safe haven in a universe full of unrest and conflict.
The only other inhabitants are an underwater-dwelling species called the Gungans. A few of them mingle with the Naboo Humans, their big, floppy ears, and stalked eyes sticking out, but most stay in their safe, unknown cities. Out of sight, out of mind is what they like.
I have a little cottage in the woods, only a stone's through away from a beach on a secluded lake. No one knows about it, and I prefer to keep it that way. It's a safe house for me when I'm on the run or when I need a break.
You may ask, out of all the planets, why would I pick Naboo? It's simple. My old master, Darth Sidious, or as he calls himself when he's with others, Sheev Palpatine, hails from here. It's his home planet, and not one he likes to link himself with. He has bad memories of this place, and his judgement becomes clouded the nearer he gets. It's his blind spot, so to speak, so I've made it my home base. He would never think to search for me here.
Standing on the beach, out of my winter robes and in my usual red-shirt, black-skirt, and combat boots look, I feel myself soaking in the last rays of the setting sun. The chill from Hoth is finally fading away, and I feel my tension disappear with it.
We watch the sun set, blistering orange hues pouring over the subdued green of the forest. KZ-4 beeps at me as he wheels himself onto the sand. Icicles are still attached to his metal body. I break them off gently, promising him I'll never go back to Hoth. "And next time I'll think twice before acting on a hacked Jedi message." My droid seems pleased at it, and he lets out a comforted boop.
"You see that moon up there?" I ask him, pointing to the one of three moons of Naboo. "That's the only moon in the sky here. It's called Tasia, named after Queen Elsinore den Tasia. She was the leader of Grizmallt when a violent revolution occurred, and all the humans fled. She had an explorer, Kwilaan, who took three ships full of people to colonize new worlds. They all crash landed here and decided to settle permanently. Before they arrived it had just been the Gungans."
KZ-4 lets out another series of beeps and boops. "The other two moons? One of them is Ohma D'un, which is a water moon, and Rori, which is a swamp moon."
The area is getting dark, and I have one more place to show my droid. "Come on," I say, motioning him forward. "You'll like this."
Not far from my cottage is a collection of ruins. "See these? Ruins like these are spread throughout the planet. They belong to an old humanoid civilization that existed tens of thousands of years ago. We call them the Elders. Apparently they died off because they couldn't live in harmony with nature."
KZ-4 lets out a sad noise. "Yeah, kind of depressing, isn't it?" I sigh, walking back to the cottage. "But it's happening again. King Veruna and my master are mining for plasma right in the heart of the city. Apparently there's some high grade veins or whatever. If you ask me, I sense it won't last more than a few years. Eventually the people will rebel and elect a new leader. It's not long before the king goes too far and has a military set up." I shake my head slowly. "And to think my master is behind all of this without anyone even knowing who he truly is. I just hope this turmoil will pave the way for a better ruler, one who will give these people the peace they deserve."
More beeps from my droid. "No, I'm not being sentimental. This is my peaceful hidden home. If Naboo ends up in war then I'll have to make a new safe house. Obviously, the only reason I want peace is for my benefit. You know, you're kinda insulting me right now."
KZ-4 doesn't give up, though. He continues chattering on in his droid language. "What? I'm not growing soft! If you don't stop thinking like this I'm going to drown you in one of the swamps," I grumble. "I'm an evil Sith who does bad things. I'm not sentimental or soft. Sure, I have some morals, but they're about as exclusive and whacky as they get. I'm serious about throwing you in the swamp forever. I'll even replace you. How does that sound?"
He replies with something along the lines of "You would miss me too much," which of course makes me scoff at him. "You're a droid. Easily replaced. I would find one with less attitude who actually helps me. Now go away, I'm going to try and get some sleep here."
Outer Rim Territory, Unknown Sector, Anthan System, 50 BBY
I've given a lot of thought to what I want to do when I grow up. There are so many opportunities out in the universe, but after being stuck on this trash heap for eight of the worst years of my life, I think I want to be a traveller, an explorer. Maybe I could be a smuggler, running from other criminals and law enforcers alike. That would be a fun and interesting life, but unless I learn to be brave and confident I could never pull it off.
Maybe I could be a trader, buying exotic items from one planet and trading them at another. That way I could jump around, experiencing new and exciting things everyday. My older brother always asks me where I would put my home, but he doesn't understand. I don't need a home! When you have a home, you're tempted to settle down. When you're tempted to settle down, you get stuck in a rut and you can never leave. Plus it's easier for people to track you down if you have a home address. If you're always on the move, it's easier to run from your past.
And that's exactly what I plan to do. I plan to leave the person I am now behind and become someone entirely new; someone no one will look at and think, "She's weak." No, people will see my and want to be me. They'll be jealous of me, just like I've been jealous of everyone else on this planet with a good home and childhood. They'll look at me as if I'm perfect, and to them, I will be. This disaster of a life will be gone forever. I will remake myself entirely.
The person I am now will eventually cease to exist.
Mid Rim, Chommell Sector, Naboo System, 39 BBY
The morning sun shining in my face awakes me. That and KZ-4 poking me with one of his outputs. On second thought, it's more of my droid than the sun. I slap him away weakly and turn over, but he's insistent. "Fine! I give up!" I cry, sitting up in bed and rubbing my face with my palm. "What is it?"
He beeps and boops rapidly. "A family? From Naboo? No, I'm not helping them. I'm a Sith. I don't help people."
KZ-4 doesn't stop, though. "There's a kid with them? Ugh, I guess I do have to help them. You know, you're insufferable, KZ. Really. I don't know what stops me from scrapping you the moment I pass by a recycler. Hey, that's actually a good idea." He ignores me, used to the threat. I'm going to have to find something new to threaten him with.
Quickly getting dressed in my normal outfit and throwing the black robes over top, I follow him out of the cottage and through the woods. KZ-4 moves faster than he's ever moved with me, which makes me feel a little miffed. "Really feeling the love," I mutter to him. Of course a random family in Naboo is more important than my needs. Of course. Maybe I can donate him to the Jedi. Nah, he would like that too much.
We come to another lake. There's a woman at the shore, desperately scanning the waters. She has a noble aura around her, and despite her situation, she still is keeping her cool.
"What's up?" I ask, coming up behind her. She turns to me, her calm expression falling to be replaced by relief.
"My daughter went exploring down into the lake. She hasn't come up yet. My husband went down after her, but I haven't seen him, either. It's been a few minutes. I would go in after them, but I can't swim. He can't, either," she adds, her voice sad. "My daughter is only six years old. Please help us." Her voice is softer, but her professional expression has returned.
"They're probably living it up in one of the Gungan cities," I mumble. The woman looks at me with a confused expression, and I realize I had said it aloud. "I'll go find them," I say louder, and slip on one of the Jedi mouth breathing devices between my teeth and shrug off my robe. Yeah, I know. I'm kind of a petty thief, and I have a weakness for Jedi technology. Whenever I can I steal their things, I do. It's a bad habit, yeah, but guess what? It's helping right now.
I exhibit a graceful dive into the lake and pull myself deeper. The lake is murky when I open my eyes, but I can see a small Gungan city's lights ahead. That's probably where they are.
I enter the air bubble, spitting the breathing device into my palm and slipping it back into my belt before heading into the main part. This is more of a town than a city, and I get a lot of double takes as I stroll through. Humans are rare down here, especially ones dressed like me.
Some Gungan security comes, on one of their weird steed things. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called, but I don't really care, anyway. It's not important.
"What are you doing here?" he asks in the Gungan tongue. I understand him due to one of my fancy Jedi tools (another one, I know. Like I said, it's a bad habit) that translates any language both ways. Using it I can speak to him.
"What are you doing here?" I shoot back, and he's stupid enough to mull it over. Rolling my eye, I say, "Have there been two Humans around here lately?"
"Yes," he replies. "Do you know them?"
"In a way. Take me to them." He doesn't move for another beat. "What's the matter?" I demand.
"You're not Gungan," he says slowly, struggling through the words. I sigh loudly.
"You will take me to the Humans," I repeat, moving two extended fingers in a sideways-swiping motion through the air. Rarely do I have to use the force to convince people to do my bidding, and I can't remember who I picked up the hand gesture from. It's not something every Jedi does, but I'm sure I learned it from one of them.
"I will take you to the Humans," he murmurs to himself, spurring his steed into action. I follow them with my head held high and my steps confident, and no one challenges us. Just the way I like it. The Gungans seem peaceful, and I would hate to have to start a war by killing one of them because he stood in my way.
In a holding cell there sit two Humans, just like expected. One is a man, no doubt the woman's husband. He's cradling a young girl in his arms. Even though she's six, she looks wise beyond her few years. I see intelligence in her eyes, and I see glimpses of the future flash by.
She will be very important, that much is evident, both to Naboo and to the entire galaxy. She will have contact with two Jedi who seem familiar… I can't see them, but I can sense them. Seriously, this is killing me. I have a feeling they were the same two Jedi that I encountered in Hoth, but I couldn't tell who they were.
"Are you here to bring us back?" the man asks. He has short, dark hair and brown eyes. Unlike his wife he doesn't have the same royal sense to him, but he has more...compassion. His daughter must get it from him. She is kind and caring like he is, but strong and put-together like her mother. A powerful combination.
"Yes," I answer, kneeling down to the girl. "We're going to have to swim up. How long can you hold your breath for?" Normally I would use a softer, almost gentle voice with a kid her age, but mentally she's years ahead of that. Instead I feed her the truth. I can tell she appreciates that by the way she lifts her chin.
"For however long it takes," she replies confidently. I like her instantly.
"What's your name?" I question.
"Padmé Naberrie," she answers proudly. "And this is my father, Ruwee Naberrie."
"Well, young Padmé, I believe we have a jail to break out of." She beams, and her father stands. "Follow close to me, and we shouldn't have any problems," I promise, leading them out of the prison-like building. Once again the Gungans stare at our little odd group, but no one questions us. I make sure of that by keeping one hand on my lightsaber handle. The aquatic creatures take that subtle hint to heart. They may live under a rock - well, an ocean, to be exact - but they know the legends about the Sith and Jedi.
"Here's where we are going to have to swim," I say, putting in my breathing device. I turn to Ruwee. "I know you can't swim, but just pull yourself up with your arms and kick with your legs. I'll help pull you guys up." We step out of the air bubble and into the ocean. Padmé swims quite well, and her father follows my instructions perfectly, only needing a few pulls here and there for help. In about thirty seconds we pop up on the surface to the relief of the woman. She still maintains her professionalism as she accepts a wet hug from Padmé and a kiss on the forehead from Ruwee. "I was so worried! Are you okay?"
"Of course we are, Jobal." They all turn to me, as if to thank me, but I won't give KZ-4 the satisfaction of it.
"Just stay away from the water, okay?" I tell them. I pick up my robe and tuck it over my arm as I start walking, but Jobal catches up to me. I stop when we're out of hearing distance from Ruwee and Padmé. "What is it?" I question, a little irritated. I had saved her family, what more does she want from me?
"I saw your lightsaber," she admits quietly. "But you're no Jedi. They don't wear black and red."
"So?" I'm not sure what she's getting at, which is pretty rare for me. Well, I get that she's inferring my Sith origins, but for what reason is where I'm lost.
"You're strong with the force. And the way you're looking at her… you look at her like she's incredibly important. Like she's the queen." There's a moment of silence before she continues. "You know her future, don't you?"
"Parts of it, yes," I answer honestly. "What's it to you?"
Jobal is silent for a moment. "I have horrible dreams. I'm wearing all black with a hood covering my face. There's a large procession, with a young woman with dark hair lying in a coffin. She's wearing a flowing blue dress on, and a stomach thick with a child who was never born…" she trails off, and I don't have to imagine what she's seeing, because I had seen it when I'd first met Padmé. "She dies at a young age, does she not?"
I duck my head, not wanting to get mixed up in all these emotions. "The future can be tricky," I say, but Jobal catches my meaning. Her face falls for a moment. "I'm going to have to bury my baby…" she whispers to herself, and a small tear tracks its way down her face. I'm getting uncomfortable, but the woman collects herself, wiping away the tear. "One last question," she begs. "Does my daughter have a good life?"
I swallow hard. "She achieves many hard things, and she becomes an incredibly good person, caring and kind but also wise and strong. She'll fall in love and live happily for a while, but the man will be heavily influenced by evil and she will die at his hands. His remorse will fuel his anger. She'll give birth to two children who will become legends, and her husband will eventually find his way back to the right path, making peace with their children before death. Her son will have her fire and gentleness in him..." I trail off. "You can't tell anyone this, of course."
"You didn't answer my question," she says, searching my eyes. There's a pause. "You don't know what constitutes a good life, do you?"
Avoiding her gaze, I turn away. "I hope I have told you enough to answer your question. Goodbye, Jobal." First I'm walking, but somehow it turns into a jog, and then a flat-out sprint. A few minutes later I collapse on my knees in the sand on my private beach, dropping everything so I can place my palms on the ground to steady myself. Why had I told that woman those things? She shouldn't know them. I had made a huge mistake.
KZ-4 finally wheels his way to my side, bumping into me lightly. I clench my fists and stare straight ahead into the water. "I'm losing it, KZ. My emotions are everywhere. What happened?" I was once so powerful and untouchable. Now I keep making mistake after mistake. I'm losing touch on reality, and I'm losing control of myself.
"We need to get out of here," I tell my droid. He beeps in protest. "I know we just arrived, but I'm compromised. I need to collect myself. I need to refocus."
He lets out a boop. "Yes." I stand, collect my things off the ground, and head towards my ship. "We're going to the Sith Temple."
His response is a scared whimper.