Episode II: Years of Change

In the days following the victory of the Naboo Crisis of 13 NRE, Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, put the next part of his plan into motion. Venturing to an out of the way watery world in the Wild Space region just outside the Outer Rim Territories, called Kamino, and under the name of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, he ordered an army of clone troopers, cloned from the specially handpicked bounty hunter Jango Fett, for the New Galactic Republic. It was scheduled so they'd be ready in exactly ten years from then (3 NRE) when war would take over the galaxy.

The reason Sidious chose to pose as Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas was because Dyas was a distant member among the Jedi. He did not live at the temple on Coruscant with his fellows, choosing to reside in privacy on the Wild Space shipping world of Terminus. Since this planet wasn't that far from Kamino, it was easy for the Sith Master to make a detour stop there before heading back to the capital after the order for the army was made. Finding the Jedi was quite easy, and one simple vibrosword slash across the abdomen had killed him.

Once returning to Coruscant, he emptied the information in the Jedi Archives about the planet Kamino. The Jedi were not to know or find out about the clones until he thought it time.

The murder of Sifo-Dyas came as quite a shock to the Jedi Order. They'd found out a week after the effect by Terminus' local law enforcement police, who'd found the deceased Jedi Master inside his home, dead with his stomach cut open. The obvious work of an assassin vibrosword as closer inspection. So while the Jedi mourned the loss of one of its most respected members, Sidious thought it a good idea to look for a new apprentice, for he did not want Lady Baynetta as his main second-in-command. That was never his intention from the start. He wanted someone he could use in the time being before he converted the Chosen One. Once he had Anakin Skywalker in his grip, he would simply have his new apprentice do the honors of eliminating his former. Although Sidious was simply using his daughter as a means to get what he wanted with Anakin, he didn't intend on eliminating her even after her purpose was fulfilled. She was a valuable and powerful asset one didn't come across often.

Meanwhile on Naboo, a new Senator was elected for the Chommel Sector soon after Palpatine assumed his position as the Supreme Chancellor of the New Galactic Republic. His successor was a Naboo legislator named Vidar Kim, whom fathered a Jedi Knight by the name of Ronhar Kim. Naboo's Queen, Amidala, did not at all like him, and made sure to make this point quite clear to all who'd listen. She considered him to be quite the arrogant man, but learned to deal with him all the same.

During the years to follow, Sidious aka Chancellor Palpatine befriended young Skywalker, and had the boy come over for tea when he wasn't busy. They'd chat about missions, politics, and sometimes, even Padme. Anakin had no friends at the Jedi Temple. He was considered an outcast since he started his training so late, and because of this kept to himself when he wasn't with his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In 9 NRE, four years after the Trade Federation blockaded the vivacious planet of Naboo, the world's teenage electoral monarch, Padme Amidala, was re-elected for another term. And exactly one year after that, 8 NRE, a very interesting occurrence happened: two medium skinned blonde haired twin girls named Antellica and Arica Grievous, about eight standard years in age, arrived at the Theed Royal Palace looking for work.

When one of the Royal Guard had called in saying such, Padme was intrigued and had one of her handmaidens go fetch the girls. The reason she was intrigued was because of the glimpse into the future she'd had when she was twelve. She remembered how she glimpsed the faces of two almost caramel skinned blonde haired twin girls whom she knew she would meet sometime before she turned twenty-two.

Could it be?

Yame returned with the two girls several moments later, and Padme's assumptions were confirmed.

These are the girls! They look just like the ones in my vision.

Upon reaching the throne, after Yame walked off, the girls bowed and the nineteen-year-old Sith-in-training studied them. They were both pretty tall for their age, and looked a few years older than they actually were. The older one, it was easy to tell, had long shoulder length hair, while the younger had short shoulder length hair. Sensing they were both a bit nervous, and even a little frightened, Padme greeted them with a warm smile. "Welcome girls," she said. "Guard Hancock tells me you two came here looking for work. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness," they both said, still bowing.

"Now then, you girls don't have to keep bowing." She rose from her throne and walked over to them. "One bow is enough I think, and please don't be shy. I won't bite you."

The girls stopped bowing and looked up with shy smiles. Amidala smiled back before barking, "Rabe! Eirtae!"

The two handmaidens stepped forward.

"What happened to your manners? Go get chairs for my guests."

"Yes your highness." They bowed and quickly ran off.

Taking another look at the girls showed that their arms were slightly dirty and they looked as though they hadn't eaten in a while. "Are you girls hungry at all?" she asked.

"Yes. Quite so your highness."

The Queen found it cute how they always spoke at the same time.

"Sache! Sabe!" she barked. They stepped forward. "You two will go and prepare a meal for myself and my guests."

They bowed and took their leave. By now Rabe and Eirtae had returned with the chairs.

"Place them there," she once again barked, pointing next to her throne.

The two handmaidens did as they were told.

"Please, sit down," she said kindly to the twins in gesture to the chairs. The girls sat and the Queen smiled at them. "I think it's cute two little girls like yourselves want to work. Not many girls your age are interested in working." She paused. "I take it…well, I'm guessing either something happened to your parents or you ran away from home."

Padme knew they hadn't run away. She sensed an air of covered up grief and a sense of loss from the two, and when she gently probed their minds, discovered that their parents had died.

"Oh no, we didn't run away from home," they both quickly said.

"What happened then?" She abruptly rose her hand to silence them from answering. "Hang on a second." She turned towards everyone in the room. "Leave us!"

When all obeyed, she turned back towards the girls. "I felt you two would feel more comfortable discussing this without so many people listening in. Now then; oh and by the way, what are your names?"

The older twin raised her hand. "I'm Antellica." (Pronounced Anne-tell-li-ca, like Angelica)

"And I'm Arica," (pronounced Ah-re-ca, not Erica) the younger twin said, also raising a hand.

"What cute little names. Well my name's Padme, however, most people call me Queen Amidala. You two, well, you can call me either or, I really couldn't care. You two seem like very nice little girls who could use a friend."

Antellica shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

"We don't have any friends," Arica added.

"Ah that's so sad. Everyone needs friends. Although, I myself don't have any either but..." she trailed off and decided to change the subject.

"So," she clapped her hands together, "What happened to your parents?"

"They died in a fire that destroyed our home two days ago," Antellica explained. "Since it was destroyed, we don't have anywhere else to go."

"Oh you poor little girls," Amidala said sadly.

"So we wanted to get a job to take care of ourselves," Arica added.

"Now you say the fire happened two days ago?" Amidala asked.

Both girls nodded.

"Then what have you two been doing the past two days for shelter and food?"

The little girls put their heads down.

"Don't tell me you haven't eaten in the past two days and that you've been living on the streets?!" she exclaimed in horror at the thought.

Antellica and Arica simply nodded with sad looks on their faces.

"So, what type of work were you looking for?" she asked after a moment.

"We don't really know," Antellica said.

"Tell me what you're good at and we'll work around that," the Queen suggested.

"We were taking military arts and dance lessons," Arica said.

"And we know how to cook and prepare food," Antellica added. "Maybe we could work in the kitchens."

"No, no, no. I can not have two little girls like yourselves working in the kitchens," Amidala exclaimed. "No. How would you like to be my handmaidens instead? That way, you'd have a place to live and food to eat. And I can hire a tutor to home teach you so you can keep up with your school studies."

"Um, well I guess so," Antellica said looking at the floor and then glancing at Arica, who added, "We won't be a problem, will we?"

"Of course not. No problem at all."

At that moment Sache and Sabe came in.

"The meal is ready your highness," Sabe announced. "We have it set up in the dining hall."

"Good, good. Well let's eat!" Amidala took both girls by the hands and lead them into the hall.

It turns out that when she'd shooed everyone out of the throne room, they'd all gone into the dining hall. That's where everyone was found standing around in; some eating, some not.

As she and the girls approached the head of the table, Antellica spoke up. "Queen Amidala?"

"Please Antellica, call me Padme."

Nearly everyone in the hall looked shocked at that, but wisely said nothing. "Ok…Padme. I was wondering something?"

"Shoot."

"Well, according to my history book, it said that an elected King or Queen could only have five handmaidens or servants at a time."

"True, from a certain point of view I suppose." Amidala shrugged. "The law does say that but..." she trailed off.

"What my question was, how can you make us your handmaidens when you already have five?"

Once again Padme sensed shock from everyone, but most especially the handmaidens. "Quite simply. I'll just get rid of two I already have."

Yet again, shock radiated in the room.

"But your highness, we don't want to be a problem," Arica protested.

"That's right," Antellica quickly added. "Why should you have to get rid of two handmaidens you already have just for our sake? Maybe we should leave."

She and Arica started to get up, but Amidala stopped them.

"I don't want you to leave. Besides where will you go? It's not like you have a home or anything."

But before the Queen could say anymore, everyone was suddenly interrupted by a crashing sound. When they turned, it was seen, to the Queen's disgust, that the presently twenty-one year old Sache had tripped and spilled the bowl of fruit punch she'd been carrying and its contents all over the floor.

Amidala turned to the girls; the disgust still etched on her face. "You see Antellica and Arica, eventually I would've needed to hire new handmaidens anyway. Sache here," she pointed a disgusted finger at her, "she's always been a clumsy slob. You should see her room."

Turning her attention to Yame she said, "Yame, you will help Sache clean this mess up."

"But I didn't do it," said the twenty-four year old handmaiden, who was still as arrogant as ever if not more. "Why should I help clean up a mess I didn't make?"

"You see girls," the Queen said, turning back to them. "Here's another handmaiden I intended on getting rid of eventually. But it would seem that eventually has finally come at last."

She turned back to Yame with a look of triumph. "After you help Sache clean this mess up, you two will go to your rooms and pack your bags. You're fired."

There was a moment of gasped silence before, "What?! No!" Sache cried. "You, you, you can't do this!"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do you stupid girl!" Amidala spat. "I am Queen and around here I make the orders. I say what goes. Not some stupid handmaiden girl!"

Yame, who had been in a state shocked silence with everyone else, finally spoke up.

"But, but, but you can't have us replaced with two little orphan girls. They can't be your handmaidens. They are too young. They are only little girls."

"Little girls!" Arica growled with anger. "I beg to differ."

"Oh shut up you stupid little girl!" Yame shot back.

"You shut up Yame, you arrogant little-" Amidala abruptly stopped herself for Antellica and Arica's sakes. "You know what, I changed my mind. Rabe! Eirtae! You two clean up this mess. If Sache were to clean it up, she'd end up making even more of a mess than it already is. Captain Panaka!"

He stepped forward. "Yes your highness?"

"Have yourself and some other security escort Yame and Sache to their rooms, and have them put their junk in bags. Afterwards, escort them out of the palace and make sure they never come within a hundred yards of it again."

Panaka nodded. "It will be done your highness."

"But milady please," Sache began to beg. "We don't have anywhere to go. Where are we to live? My family lives off planet, and they're not very rich. I don't have any money! I'll have to live on the streets!"

"I missed the part where that's my problem," she said in cold fury.

"There are homeless shelters and such where you could stay," Antellica offered. "So it's not like you'd have to live out on the streets."

"Shut your mouth girl!" Yame snarled with hatred. "Maybe that's where you two should have gone instead of here."

"Take them away!" Amidala shouted. "Get them out of here at once! Just throw them out! Don't take them to their rooms, or should I say Antellica and Arica's new rooms, just get them out of here now!"

Yame swore with fury as she and Sache began to be dragged away. "You won't get away with this Padme. I'll kniffin' kill you!"

She continued to scream more insults at Padme and the girls, saying how she was going to give them all slow and painful deaths, while Sache cried and screamed with anguish.

The Queen sweetly waved them goodbye with a twisted smile on her face. Antellica and Arica did the same; even going as far as blowing kisses at them. Yame flipped them off and began to spit with more fury. Amidala gave a few dry laughs while Antellica and Arica roared with it, as Yame and Sache continued to scream until the guards had them thrown out and they could hear them no more.

After their meal, Padme had the girls moved into their new rooms, and later that evening contacted Sidious through their mental bond to tell him about the day's events and the two girls. He decided that they would wait awhile before having the two join in with their plans.

Padme grew very close to the girls over the years, and they to her in return. They became the older and younger sisters to each other that they never had. Two years later, 6 NRE, when the twins were ten and Padme twenty-one, Sidious decided it was time to tell them.

The girls were a bit shocked at first, but then thought the whole idea of Chancellor Palpatine, whom they'd met before, and Amidala being secret Sith to be cool. They swore to both that they would not tell a soul and would be honored to help the duo.

Since neither Antellica nor Arica were Force sensitive, Sidious basically had Padme teach them the methods of sword fighting – lightsaber and vibrosword – and pistol wielding, and the ins and outs of politics. Antellica was a very good swords and gunman, and not all shy. She had a tendency to draw attention to herself, and enjoyed being in the center of attention. Padme mused that she'd gotten that from her. Arica, however, was a bit shy. She was always like that, and would sometimes get a bit overshadowed by her sister. She was coming out of her shell a bit, though, and comparing her to Antellica, she was the much better swordsman. They were about level when it came to guns. Heck, Arica could wield four lightsabers at the same time, two in each hand. Not even Padme or Sidious could do that.

It was also around this time that Sidious finally chose a new apprentice: a rogue Jedi named Sar Dooku, the Count of the Outer Rim world Serenno. Count Dooku was numbered among the Lost Twenty: the Jedi who renounced their fealty to the Order and resigned their commissions of Jedi Knighthood in service of ideals higher than even the Order itself professed. Sidious never really explained to Padme how he found or met Dooku. He just told her one day that he had found a new apprentice. At first, she was angry because she wanted to be his main apprentice, but after he explained to her why he didn't choose her, she calmed down and was totally fine about the reason. And in addition because Dooku was recognized as the elderly rogue Jedi she glimpsed in the future at 13.

A year later, 5 NRE, at the age of twenty-two, Amidala's reign as Queen of Naboo ended, and she couldn't be more relieved. It's not that she didn't like being Naboo's elected monarch, she did, but it was very hard work, and after eight years of it, she was definitely looking forward to a time of holiday. What surprised her the most was how everyone wanted the Constitution of the Republic to be amended so she could stay in office another term. Yet even if this were done, she still wouldn't stay another term, as she told the Naboo kingdom in her swan song speech.

At her finishing, she crowned her successor, Ayesha Jamilla, and intended on moving back to her home, the Amidala Lake Estate, along with the Grievous twins, for they weren't going to remain at the palace as handmaidens. However, during the coronation after party, Jamilla asked her if she'd be interested in staying at the palace to serve as Naboo's Representative in the Senate, as Vidar Kim had resigned a few days previous, saying he refused "to continue serving under a female monarch."

Padme wasn't so sure about the idea at first, and told Jamilla she'd have to think about it. And that even if she did serve, she'd still want to move into her own home. She was tired of the palace. Her home was much more elegant. Later that night, Padme told Sidious of the idea, and he told her to jump at the chance. He'd said that he always intended for her to serve as Senator after her reign as Queen ended. So the next day, she went to the palace and informed Queen Jamilla that she'd love to serve, being as she wouldn't be doing much of anything anyway now that her reign as Queen had ended.

As Senator Amidala, she chose to have three handmaidens: Antellica and Arica, naturally, along with a decoy named Corde Star. Corde was originally going to become Jamilla's decoy, but Amidala requested her instead. She would've had either of the twins be her decoys, and simply have them wear brunette wigs to look more like her if she hadn't of had another glimpse into the future not long before this decision was made. This time she saw that she would have undergo multiple assassination attempts, and if she used a decoy, they'd end up dying. She loved Antellica and Arica far too much to have them die so young in life.