Sabe moved quickly down the corridors to the main stairwell. In the chaos of the previous evening, she had forgotten to request a replacement for Kinlaee. The girl had actually been tasked with caring for the High Chancellor, which freed Sabe up to mind the children. She would have to request someone from Naboo to replace the girl as soon as possible. But for the moment, Sabe herself would have to manage the children as well as their mother. The young clone trooper acknowledged her breathless arrival by cycling the pressure door open, and Sabe scurried inside. She brought the lights up to half-day and made her way to her mistress' bedside.

Amidala looked a great deal improved from the day before. Her color was better; she appeared to be more comfortable than she had been in some time. Sabe couldn't help but smile, she was hopelessly tangled in the leads coming off the monitors. One arm was completely tethered to her body. Sabe chuckled quietly, and Amidala opened one eye to glare at her.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You, milady. Why did you not call for assistance?" Sabe smirked as she began to disconnect the wires. Amidala's eyes widened in sudden comprehension, and then she laughed.

"I didn't even know I was so mired." She admitted.

"Oh?" Sabe freed her arm quickly, and Amidala sat up, rubbing at her wrist to bring the circulation back to it.

"I must have been out." She murmured, her mood sobering as she began remembering what had happened the day before. "Where are the children?" she asked suddenly.

"They're fine." Sabe soothed, pulling the leads on all the monitors. She seemed as though she was well enough to get up for the day, and there was no point in monitoring her when it was unnecessary. "Leia is still abed, and Luke made it back in late last night."

"Did he enjoy his visit with the Emperor?" Amidala asked absently, as she pushed the blankets back and slid her feet to the floor.

"I have not spoken with him, he came in quite late. Just after 0300." Sabe moved to stand before her mistress and held her hands out. Amidala grasped them and slowly climbed to her feet. When Sabe was certain her legs would hold her, she grasped her houserobe and slid it about her. In truth, Sabe had been unable to sleep. She had lain awake for hours, watching the security cams for Luke's return.

"He seemed pleased, from what I could see on the vidscreen." Sabe told her, as she slid an arm about Amidala's waist and helped her begin her shuffle to the fresher.

"Where is Kinlaee?" Amidala asked suddenly, and came to an abrupt halt. Sabe cringed, but spoke carefully.

"She is no longer in your service, my lady. She was declared a traitor to the Empire when she accused the Emperor of impeding your healing."

"That's right.." Amidala whispered. She shook her head as though to dispel the lingering cloudiness from her illness. "Will you request someone from Naboo?"

"Yes, my lady. I will do so immediately. Is there anyone you would prefer to name?" Sabe managed to coerce Amidala into moving forward once more, and guided her into the fresher. "Will you need any help this morning, milady?"

"No." Amidala grasped the sink and shuffled forward. "I will manage. Would you lay out something for me to wear? I would prefer something comfortable as I expect to be on my feet most of the day."

"Where are you going, milady?" Sabe asked in confusion. She expected her mistress to perhaps take up her duties in her office for a few hours. But it didn't sound as though she intended to work from home…

"I might have been ill these recent weeks, but that does not mean I have not been monitoring the situation with the Rebellion. The Emperor has spoken with me, and the situation is getting out of hand." Amidala's eyes flashed coldly, and her spine seemed to stiffen. "We must get the senate to agree on a course of action that will enable us to wipe out the rebels once and for all."

The sun was high in the sky when Luke finally woke. He lay drowsily in bed, basking in the warmth. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and reached behind him to grasp the lightsaber handle and brought it close to his eye to inspect it in the light of day. It hadn't been a dream! The Emperor had given him the lightsaber as his very own.

"Luke!" Leia's high pitched voice called to him from out in the hall, and Luke hurriedly slid from the bed and pulled on his houserobe before stumbling to the door. He quickly shoved the lightsaber in his pocket and pulled the robe closed about himself. He pressed the door switch and found Leia waiting impatiently for him.

"Took you long enough." She told him irritably.

"Sorry." Luke muttered, though he wasn't sorry at all.

"Sabe says to get dressed. We're going with Mother today."

"Where are we going? Mother is in no condition to be—"

"The Emperor healed her, Luke. Surely he told you she was better?"

Luke thought back to their long conversation. He hadn't said anything, but then, was it possible that he expected Luke to just sense it? "No." he admitted. "We didn't talk about it."

Leia stared at him for a moment, and he met her gaze steadily.

"She's going before the senate today." Leia said finally. "She thought that perhaps the Emperor might come before them as well."

"Why?"

"Just go get dressed." Leia threw her hands up in despair. "You'll learn it all soon enough." Muttering to herself, Leia turned and stormed back down the hallway. His mind whirling, Luke threw himself back into his room and hurried into the fresher. Yet even as he showered, and readied himself for the day, his lightsaber was never further than ten centimeters away.

Sabe was grateful that Leia had inherited her mother's inherent bossiness. For the child's tender years, she was very astute when it came to the matters of running a household. She had quickly organized the staff to accompany the High Chancellor to the senate, leaving Sabe the time to prepare Amidala herself. Despite her near miraculous recovery, she was still weak. She had managed to shower and ready herself in the fresher, but she needed a great deal of assistance to walk back to the bed to get dressed. Sabe longed for Amidala to stay abed at least one more day to recover her strength, but that didn't seem likely. Leia had even gotten Luke up and moving, and amazingly, both children were waiting for them at the foot of the stairs when Sabe carefully helped her mistress make her way down to her waiting transport.

"Good morning, mama." Leia greeted cheerfully. The child had dressed herself; she looked radiant in a little white gown with a wispy silver ribbon threaded about her waist. Luke was dressed in a black jumpsuit with a fitted Academy tunic. Smiling up at his mother, he offered her his arm and she took it, leaning down as she did so to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Good morning, mama." He said. "Are you feeling better?" he asked solicitously.

"Yes, I am." Amidala was smiling mirthfully as she tousled Luke's hair. "And I am grateful that you can both accompany me today. Although I do have some important matters to take care of, I hope to be able to spend a little time with you today."

"Of course, mama." Luke smiled. He urged his mother to lean on him and he helped her forward. Her gait was a bit unsteady, but she seemed determined. Sabe slowly relinquished her mistress' elbow, for Luke was a sturdy boy and he supported his mother's slight, quaking frame with little effort. Leia quickly took Sabe's hand, and she smiled down on the girl.

"You look beautiful, Leia." Sabe told her, and delighted in the way the child's eyes lit up.

"Thank you."

"Are you excited to go to the Senate?" Sabe asked as she guided them out into the courtyard of the residence, where a speeder escort awaited them. Luke was relinquishing his mother's hand to General Typho, who helped her up into the speeder. Luke smiled as the General turned to lift Leia up, and then the boy offered his own hand to Sabe.

"Thank you, Luke." She fondly tucked a lock of his errant hair back and moved to step up into the speeder when she saw it hanging from his belt.

A lightsaber.

With an intensity she herself hadn't expected she pushed Luke back quickly from the doorway and shoved him into the fuselage of the speeder. Typho gaped at her and Sabe knelt quickly and put both her hands on his shoulders.

"Where did you get that?" she demanded in a loud whisper. "Where did you find it, Luke?" Luke looked stunned, Sabe was reaching for the saber to examine it, but he flailed wildly and pushed her away. His eyes were wild; he cradled the lightsaber to his chest protectively.

"It's mine!" he shouted furiously. "You can't have it!"

Sabe struggled to bring her own raging emotions under control. Where had he gotten it? Did he know what it even was?

"Luke, I'm sorry." Sabe took a deep breath. Some of the anger left the boy's eyes, but he still watched her warily. "I am sorry."

"The Emperor gave it to me." Luke said defiantly. "He said it belonged to my father."

Sabe felt her blood freeze and drain from her face at the same time. "Luke, we don't have time for this." She reached for him, and sighed, deeply, when the boy skittered out of reach. "Your mother will be wondering where we are. You need to put it away, Luke. I don't want you to let her see it."

"Why?" Luke asked softly. His blue eyes were filled with confusion.

"It hurts her to think of your father." Sabe told him softly.

"She lied to us." Luke hissed angrily. "She said he was dead, but he's not. The Emperor said he was alive. She lied to us."

"Luke. We do not have time for this. We need to leave, now." Sabe said firmly. "We will discuss this later. For now," she bit her lip anxiously, "just keep it out of her sight. Please?" Sabe pleaded, and after a moment, Luke tucked the saber deep into his tunic and eyed her.

"Thank you." She said quietly. She held out a hand, and Luke took it warily.

"Not a word of this to your mother. Not now. She has enough on her mind." Sabe cautioned. Luke nodded woodenly as he climbed up into the speeder and settled beside his sister. Leia eyed her brother silently; some innate sense told her that their delay had not been coincidental. Amidala, too, eyed them surrepitously from her seat near the window. Sabe gave her mistress a slight nod as she settled beside Luke.
"Is everything all right?" Amidala asked after a strained moment.

"Yes." Luke said softly. "Everything is fine."