Padme is great. and Sidious is a dirty old man.
Soniee dropped her datapad on the table and then flopped back onto the couch cushions. "Does it always take this much work to prepare a Senate presentation?" She felt like she'd been studying for final exams. Though she supposed that is what she would have been doing right now if it weren't for everything that had happened. That was exactly the reason she was doing this.
Padme laughed and handed the younger girl a cup of caff. "You actually had a good deal of the research done already."
The two of them had been at it for hours, reworking the information she had presented to the Jedi Council so it would be more fit for the audience of politicians and statesbeings. The advice of a veteran Senator had been invaluable. Padme had known which holos would be more of a detriment than an asset to her message and had helped her figure out how to tactfully remove any content that might reveal her own force sensitivity or Korkie's parentage.
Yes, Soniee had been correct in guessing that the Duchess had confided in the former queen. Sharing the knowledge had been a great relief, just knowing that she had someone she could be honest with. She was already beginning to think of Padme as more of a big sister than just a mentor.
The moment she had arrived with Commander Fox the senator had embraced her and asked if she was okay after her ordeal. Then Padme told her how she had attempted to comm both the palace and the Academy in Sundari. She had no luck in reaching anyone but had assured Soniee that they would keep trying. Soniee was happy confide in her new friend how she had felt Korkie's presence in the force while she was meditating.
Soniee took a sip of her drink. "Do you really think we're ready for this?"
"I do." Padme sat across from her relaxing with a drink of her own. "And I think you have good chance of convincing them that the Republic should send help. They were very close to sending soldiers a couple of years ago and they had nothing like the reasons you're giving them back then."
"And you really think they'll listen to me?"
"Soniee, this is your world and your people that you are defending. I think that the senators could not help but be swayed by your passion."
"Passion." Soniee mumbled the word sent a shiver down her spine. "There is no passion."
"I'm sorry. What was that?" Padme asked.
"N-nothing. When do you think I'll have to make my presentation?"
Padme stretched and sighed. "Not till tomorrow afternoon. So you can get a good night's sleep, and a good breakfast and then I'll let you have your pick from my closet. You'll be surprised how the right outfit can boost your confidence when you're going to speak before an audience."
Soniee set down her mug and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. Not sure I'll be able to sleep but I will try." She picked up her helmet that was sitting on the couch next to her and rose to her feet. "I might just tinker with this for a bit."
There was a nightgown laid out on the bed for her when she entered the guest room. She changed and slipped in between those lovely synthsilk sheets. How would she ever repay everything that Padme had done for her?
She had every intention of working on the helmet, setting up the comm, trying to reach Korkie again, but she was more tired than she thought. After finding a station with some soothing music to listen to she was out like a light.
She dreamed that the Royal Academy of Government was in flames. But when she woke up gasping for breath, the sky outside the windows was already light. Soniee couldn't hear anyone else stirring in the apartment yet, so she picked up her helmet. Working with tech had always calmed her in the past and perhaps she could get through to the Academy and assuage her fears.
Comm systems activated, Soniee went through the same process of hacking into the link for her old dorm room that she had done on the ship just after she and Master Kenobi had landed. She should have been able to leave a message and view or listen to old message. She could do neither.
"Oh you're already up." Padme smiled, poking her head into the room. "Come on. Breakfast time. Big day today."
"Alright, let me just finish up here." Soniee laid her helmet on the bedside table. She would try again after breakfast. If she could manage to eat anything.
Padme was leaning against the counter in the kitchen area with a piece of toast in her hand when Soniee came to join her. "Sit and eat." The senator gestured toward a stool. On the bar in front of it were a selection of fruit and some sort of scrambled egg concoction that seemed to be mixed with vegetables. It smelled wonderful. Soniee supposed she could manage a bite.
Padme set the crust of her bread on a plate and it was whisked away by a server droid. "I'm going to get a shower and then the 'fresher will be all yours. Oh, and there's a datapad there with the schedule of topics that are going before the Senate today and I've made a list of the questions that are most likely to come up after you've said your piece with suggestions for how you might want to answer according to our research."
"Thank you." Soniee smiled and took her seat. She took a bite of the omelet and decided that she could definitely manage more than just one. It was delicious. Then she picked up the datapad and started to scroll through the schedule. It was more than just a list. There were links with information about the topics to be presented and the representatives who were doing the presenting along with their delegations and planets.
Her own presentation was about halfway down the day's roster. She wrinkled her nose at the still of herself smiling in her academy uniform. "Representative Soniee Ordo from the Neutral system of Mandalore," it said. She looked young even to her own eyes. She knew that Padme had been younger than she was now when she spoke before the senate as the Queen of Naboo but that didn't make her feel much better. She was sure no one would pay any attention to her when there were far more pressing measures.
Soniee went back to the schedule and frowned. "This says that an Admiral Tarkin is going to bring forward a motion about the Temple Bombing," she called back over her shoulder toward the 'fresher. "I thought that was a Jedi matter."
There was no answer as Padme was still in the shower. Soniee would ask her about it later. But when she looked again at the datapad the schedule had rearranged into a different order. Her own presentation had been shunted to the beginning of the list and the time was no longer showing as afternoon but instead, in one standard hour's time.
"What? Padme!" Soniee stared at the datapad. She heard the water shut off and then looked up as her friend entered the room in a robe with her hair wrapped up in a towel.
"Something wrong?" Padme asked.
Soniee's eyes were wide with fear. "They changed the time." She handed the datapad to the senator.
"Well this is inconvenient." She smiled at Soniee encouragingly. "Go on and get your shower."
Soniee frowned, worried.
"It'll be fine. This is good. It means they're giving your presentation a higher priority."
"Okay." She walked slowly toward the 'fresher deep in thought.
Then Padme called after her. "I left something in there for you to wear. I hope it fits."
Soniee couldn't help but smile at the lovely blue dress that was hanging on a hook just inside the door. It reminded her of her costume for the play and then she thought of what the Jedi Masters had said about the Senate being something like a theatrical drama. Well, she had her lines and now her costume. She just wished she had her leading man at her side.
She allowed her mind to wander to Korkie as she undressed and then stepped under the warm water and let it cascade over her. She reached out in the force for his star again. She remembered with a blush when she had projected a vision into his mind. She was sure he was too far away for anything like that now but she still spoke to him. "Where are you? I miss you so much. They moved up the time and I think I'm prepared as I can be to speak to the senate but I still wish you were here."
His presence was clear in her mind and then it seemed clouded like the steam from her shower was obscuring her vision. Then suddenly she felt a deep cold like she had in the meditation chamber and an evil laugh echoed in her mind.
Quickly she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. Had she opened herself up to something by reaching out too far into the Force? She stood shivering until a knock on the 'fresher door made her jump.
"Soniee, are you alright?" Padme's voice asked through the door.
"I'm - I'm fine."
"Does the dress fit? We need to hurry now. Come on and I'll help you with your hair and then we need to get over to the Senate building."
"O-okay." The dread that had settled over her seemed to dissipate slowly with the steam. Soniee shook herself and tried to focus. She dried off and put on the dress. It was a little tight across the shoulders but other than that it was a pretty good fit. She felt much more grown up in it than she looked in that Academy still. But then it didn't really mater what she looked like. What was it Padme had said before, that they would be swayed by her passion for her cause?
Good, good! she heard the words in her mind. And another shiver slipped down her spine. Through passion I gain strength. What was that? That wasn't the Jedi Code.
Soniee looked down at the palm of her hand where the words were still faintly visible from the pressure of the meditation beads the day before. "There is no passion. There is Serenity." She whispered to herself and took a deep breath. Then she stepped out of the 'fresher.
"Well that looks fine." Padme smiled. "We'll get you some dresses of your own made up if you're going to do much more of this but you look lovely for today."
"Oh I hope I don't have to do this more than once!"
Padme then noticed her face. "You're very pale. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Just nervous." No passion, just serenity, she thought to herself.
"Do you think you could eat anymore? It might help."
"No, thank you. Do you have that list of questions? I didn't get to look over it before."
Padme handed her the datapad and set her in a chair so that a droid could dry her hair and set it up in a dull metal headband.
Soniee noticed again the item on the schedule about the Temple Bombing. She pointed it out. "Padme, why is this a senate issue? I thought that the Jedi were taking care of it."
"Clones were killed in the bombing." Padme explained. "That makes it a Republic Military concern and I've found out that the woman they think is responsible was a civilian, someone who didn't like the Jedi's participation in the war."
"I don't like it either." Soniee whispered and then hurried to amend. "I mean I would never..."
Padme patted her on the shoulder. "I know what you mean. If only we could all remain neutral as Satine wanted."
Soniee nodded.
"But right now is the time for action. Are you ready?" the senator asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."