Darkness surrounded the capital city of Naboo. The streets quickly emptied as regular people and salesmen went home to get some sleep. In the castle gardens, two females were walking in silence.
"Keep your senses open", the older one said. Her posture and face indicated that she came from the far away planet of Delmeron. At first, people would think she was human. Then they would see that her eyes and ears were of a different shape and her figure too slender and gracious but still extremely muscular. Around the top of her head, her brown hair had a lighter tone, which made it look like she wore a crown. The only thing that made the female non-perfect was, probably, an old scar right across her left collarbone.
The younger female sighed.
"You've told me that seven times tonight only, Master", she said, but hesitated. "Master, look!"
She hardly finished the sentence before her Master rushed away towards the Eastern Tower.
"Come on!" she called. "The Senator!"
The younger female hurried after her Master, sneaking round the tower before running up its stairs to the top floor.
"I sense the Force behind that door", the younger one said.
"It's locked", her Master muttered. "Help me…"
Before she finished, a loud scream that was silenced too quickly to be normal was heard from the other room.
"It's Dormé, the Senator's handmaiden!" the Master said, before they both held out their hands towards the door. It burst into the room. Just as the two females entered, a shadow jumped out through the window.
"He knows the Force!" the Master said as she rushed to the female's side. Her apprentice rushed towards the window instead.
"I'll get him!" she called, before leaping out into the night and gracefully landing on the grass about twenty metres below. She started to chase the assassin across the garden, before they both ran out through the gates.
The apprentice would probably at first sight also remind people of a human. She wasn't, nor was she a Delmerian like her Master. Her race lived on Mirial, she was a Mirialian just like her old friend Barriss Offee and her friend's Master Luminara Unduli. Her skin had an olive tone, her hair was dark and her eyes like deep forest lakes; dark green and blue. On her cheeks were black tattoos shaped like two ribbons. In the Temple, she was also known to be one of the fastest runners and she knew she would catch this assassin.
Meanwhile, her Master had turned on a comlink on the wall.
"We need healers and guards to the Eastern Tower immediately, Dormé has been severely injured", she said as she tore of her jacket and made a temporary bandage. The handmaiden was unconscious and it was not the first time that the Master cursed herself for not practicing healing as an apprentice.
"Master", she heard her apprentice say, using telepathy. "He got away; he had a speeder waiting for him."
Her Master sighed.
"Come back then", she answered and rose as the healers and guards came rushing through the door.
"Master Tornyk, what happened?" Captain Panaka wondered.
"Dormé was attacked, by someone who knows the Force", Master Tornyk answered. "Though, I believe that he wanted to get to Senator Amidala. She's usually up her every night, studying the stars."
"We'll have to double the guards", Panaka muttred.
"I doubt that will do the trick", the Master sighed and looked at Dormé as she was carried out through the door. "As you know, Jedi can affect minds and our enemies, the Siths, can do that as well. If it was a Sith that attacked tonight, he might have confused the minds of the guards and therefore been able to sneek in."
"Or, he might work in the castle", her apprentice said as she came back up the stairs.
"If he does, he sure knows how to disguise himself", her Master muttered. "We've been here for three weeks and have been introduced to everyone in here. Still, we haven't found anyone that knew how to use the Force."
Her apprentice sighed and nodded solemnly.
"Well, I guess that we have to return to Coruscant and report all this to the Council", Master Tornyk said, picking up her bloody jacket. "Hopefully, we'll be able to sort this out."