Smoke hung over the devastating sight of collapsed and blown out homes and street shops. The sweet, melodious sounds of the Varykino song birds had disappeared, replaced with the piercing screams and cries of survivors digging through the rubble. It wasn't an uncommon sight for the young Senator of Naboo.

Padmé had spent nearly all her young life traveling to underdeveloped and war torn worlds to offer aid. She had worked with refugees and had even fought against an invasion of her own homeworld. But nothing… nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her childhood home, her family's home that had been the safe harbor in every storm she'd faced, left to nothing more than a decimated heap of rubble. Even the charming shortstone wall that surrounded the front door had been demolished. Smoke rose from the charred and dying embers that had once been flames engulfing the sturdy timber frame.

She approached slowly, watching the placement of her feet in case she stepped on… on a survivor.

"Padmé," a soft, broken voice whispered from underneath the remains of a terracotta roof.

The young senator looked down to find her worst fear come to life, "Sola?"

Padmé raced to pull Sola out from the rubble, unable to even look at the crushed bodies of the rest of her family… gods, even Ryoo… that lay scattered around her older sister, buried deep under the broken pieces of her childhood home… of her family home.

"Padmé," Sola whispered, fighting to speak even as she coughed up the blood filling her lungs, "they took her."

Padmé's eyes narrowed as she strained to hear her sister's raspy voice, tried to ignore the ragged gasps for air that shook Sola's weakening body, "who, Sola? Who was taken?"

"Pooja…" Sola's eyes began to roll into the back of her head.

"Sola!"

Padmé shook her sister, forcing her to open her eyes again… but her once deep gaze, fiery and teasing was dimming, fading into the cold fog that was settling over her bones and clouding her mind.

"Find her… please find her."

Tears flooded Padmé's eyes and rolled down her sooty cheeks. She clutched tighter to Sola, bringing her sister further into her embrace, "I will, Sola. By the gods, I promise you. I'll find her."

Sola's lips tilted into a slight smile as she fought to lift a loving hand up to wipe the trail of tears from her little sister's face, "It's… it will be alright…. little bird."

Fresh tears fell at the pet name. When was the last time Sola had called her that? When had she ever felt this helpless? This lost….

"Sola," Padmé's voice cracked under the sorrow filling her lungs.

"You'll find her…" Sola gave one last bright smile as her eyes began to drift and fade, "you'll find them both."

"Sola," Padmé tried to shout out, tried to keep her sister from closing her eyes, "please just stay awake. The medic droids are almost here. Please… please just hang on."

"You'll find them both…" Sola repeated, "love you, little bird."

"Sola, I love you, please… PLEASE!"

Sola's chest stilled as she let out a final breath and Padmé screamed… pulling her sister's lifeless body close. And as one of Sola's arms fell to her side, Padmé saw it… the scrap of fabric Sola had been clutching. The piece of fabric she'd ripped off the jacket of the person who took her daughter…. And through her pain and tears, Padmé saw blood red sigil of the Hutt Clan.

"Senator Amidala," a robotic voice called out through the dust and death around her.

Padmé looked up, still gripping tightly her sister's body, to find two of the Queen's guard droids.

"Queen Jamillia has requested your presence at the palace."

"The queen…" Padmé had just seen the Queen's body less than an hour ago in the Security counsel chambers.

Of course, one of her handmaidens had been sitting in the council chambers. But that meant that….

Images of the devastation on Naboo, Alderaan, Kamino and Mandalore flooded the HoloNet. Whispers and cries of sadness and hopelessness echoed throughout the cavernous hallways and libraries of the Jedi temple. Obi-Wan could not tear his gaze from the screen hanging just outside the Council Chamber doors. Naboo's Theed Palace and the Security Council Chamber were all but ashes. Kamino's cloning facilities were in shambles and the skylines of Alderaan and Mandalore were blood red and burnt orange as buildings smoldered. And yet through it all, she was alive. Satine's face flashed across the news feeds, speaking out against the attacks but Obi-Wan couldn't hear a word she said. She was alive… she was alive.

"It's a dreadful shame, isn't it"

Obi-Wan turned to see a tall, dark skinned Jedi.

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan bowed respectfully to the Jedi who was second only to Master Yoda within the Order.

A quick, perfunctory nod was Windu's reply.

"I was just catching up on the details of the attacks on the Mid and Outer Rim planets."

"Yes," Windu bowed his head slightly in a display of compassion and concern. But his voice was hollow and Obi-Wan felt a sense of a lack of genuine remorse for the turn of events. Obi-Wan gave a quick shake of his head. Surely he was only focusing on the negative, his own fears and doubts clouding his senses.

"Do we have any leads as to who is behind all of this?"

"Our initial intelligence points to the crime syndicates in the Outer Rim."

"And I take it I have been summoned to conduct a more thorough investigation?"

"No," Windu spoke sharply, "no, you will continue on with your investigation of the Ghost."

The shock must have shown on Obi-Wan's face.

"You are surprised."

"Forgive me, Master, but I feel that it would be a better use of my abilities to help aid in the investigation regarding these attacks. This… Ghost may be a vigilante but for the time being they are keeping the Syndicates in check in the Outer Rim. Surely we can focus on the problem at hand rather than look for trouble with the Ghost."

Mace's intelligent, calculating eyes narrowed as he mulled over Obi-Wan's suggestion. And then his eyes darkened, nearly turning black for just a moment and Obi-Wan's stomach turned slightly at the sight. Something was off with the Master Jedi.

No. He immediately thought, burying himself deeper into the prison of his denial. War is trying… to be a Jedi in time of war is nearly unbearable. That is it. That has to be it.

"We cannot allow the Outer Rim to be taken over in fear by a faceless vigilante. He may be promoting peace now, but I sense dark intentions behind their actions. And if what you have told me in your briefings is true, and they are some Jedi turned rogue, or worse… a Sith Lord? What if they are, in fact, in league with these syndicates? We must find them and capture them. No matter the cost."

Obi-Wan's blood stilled and turned cold.

"You would leave the Order now. When we need you most? When the galaxy needs you most!"

Anakin released a tired, heavy sigh as his piercing blue eyes closed, "Ben," he tried to start but his former master only interrupted.

"No. Anakin… I understand. I know that you and Master Windu often disagree about tactics. I know that you are frustrated with the current state of things. And I know that the events of Ashoka's departure haven't helped."

At the mention of his former padawan's name, Anakin's eyes shot open, dark and fierce and burning with an emotion Obi-Wan couldn't quite place.

"You're right," Anakin grumbled through clenched teeth, "watching Ashoka, one of the best and most promising Jedi I have ever seen be forced out by the Council over something she didn't do most certainly has not helped my mood these past few months. But that is not the issue here."

"Then what is?" Obi-Wan begged his friend… his brother to help him understand, "Why? After everything that has happened, after all we have been through, would you choose to walk away?"

"It is because of everything that has happened that has made me realize that I have to leave, Ben. Please… please. Just try and listen to what I'm trying to tell you."

"So far, all I have heard is that you will not carry out a mission based off Master Windu's orders."

"I have been unhappy for far longer than this. Do not insult yourself by pretending you have not noticed."

"Exactly! You know what I have given up. You know I've damn near ripped my own heart out and soul apart for the Order," Anakin practically shouted through clenched teeth, nearly biting his own tongue to keep his rising anger at bay. He paused his tirade and he and Obi-Wan watched a group of padawans walk around them. It really wasn't the best place for this conversation but Obi-Wan seemed incapable of letting this go. So there they stood in the middle of one of the cavernous hallways of the Jedi Temple.

With a deep breath, Anakin tried to calm down by taking a long look at his former master. Obi-Wan's face was sallow, cheeks sunken in a way that showed just how much the Clone Wars had aged him. He was barely thirty five and yet his frame held the weight of decades more. His sharp, humorous eyes were dulled to a painful degree. Silver and white hair was sprinkled in his light brown beard and streaking along the hair at his temples.

Anakin hated it. Hated knowing that he was only adding to the pain and fatigue and disillusionment that seemed to seep out of Obi-Wan's soul. But he had to… he couldn't do it anymore. Couldn't lie to himself or stay out of loyalty to Obi-Wan. Too much was at stake… least of all his own soul.

"Ben," Anakin tried once more to get Obi-Wan to understand, "I let Padmé go, I watched Ashoka walk away. I have killed hundreds and watched thousands die all in the name of the Republic and the Jedi Order. I have given up what little family I have left in Owen and Beru. And I have not wavered in it, Ben. Not one fucking time. I have fought and bled and sacrificed but what I have been asked to do… it is too much. Windu is willing to go too far."

"There are things we must do, Anakin," Obi-Wan argued pathetically, suddenly exhausted from the battle of wit and words with his former padawan, "Things in war that are hard and painful. But necessary."

"But at what cost, Ben?" Anakin nearly shouted again,"when is it too far?"

"To ensure the survival of the Republic? For the safety and freedom of its citizens? You tell me, Anakin. You of all people should know how high the price of freedom is."

Anakin went stock still as Obi-Wan's words echoed around them and drifted around the cavernous halls. Ghosts of past mistakes and deep regrets danced behind Anakin's eyes and broke something inside Obi-Wan… it was a mistake to even think the words, let alone utter them.

And through it all, Anakin held his tongue and displayed a masterful amount of self-control that would have made Obi-Wan beam with pride if it had not been in use as a shield from his own damaging speech.

"And what if we are not fighting for freedom any longer, Ben? What if the best thing for the Republic, for the galaxy is to take a different approach? I'm not saying the Republic should fall… I know from personal experience what it is live without freedom and I know the Republic is the best chance for freedom throughout the galaxy. But not as it is now. Not as it stands. There is nothing wrong with change, Ben. It is necessary to live and grow and become better. And if we are unwilling to change, we can never become all that we are meant to."

"Don't trivialize this," Anakin demanded, "Don't you dare attempt to make this about something that it isn't. Do I wish I could be with Padmé? Of course! Nothing would make me happier. Do I wish I could visit my brother and meet my niece? More than anything. But I know that as much as I want those things, it will mean nothing if everything I stand for and everything I believe in is sacrificed along the way. You taught me that, Ben. Padmé taught me that. I would never betray your trust and faith in me… or hers, for something that wasn't absolutely necessary."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan began to argue but it appeared Anakin wasn't finished.

"And you haven't even asked what he demands I do. What have I done to cause you to doubt me? To have so little faith in me to make the right decision?"

Because the answer is too terrifying to contemplate.

Obi-Wan breathed out an aggravating huff, "Anakin, we must carry on. We must endure and push ourselves. No matter the cost."

"But there is always a cost, Ben. And when we no longer care about paying it… when the Order no longer cares about how much it will take. How many lives will be lost… the cost is too high. And I can't be a part of it any longer. Not even for you."

"Master Kenobi," Master Windu called out gruffly.

"I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan answered Mace, shaking off the last remnants of the memory he'd been trapped in moments before.

"You agree then. Find the Ghost. No matter the cost."

Even as he said them, the words stuck painfully in his throat, "No matter the cost."

"You knew an attack was possible," Padmé spit out.

"Senator Amidala," the queen raised a hand to stop her, "you know as well as I,"

"I know as well as you that the Queen of Naboo is required, by law, to be present for all caucuses and referendums within the Security Council's chambers. Only under significant threat is the Queen permitted to send a double in her stead!"

"What good would a dead queen be to her people?"

"What people?" Padmé nearly laughed at the young queen's audacity to place her own life life above the people she vowed to serve, "hundreds of thousands of your subjects died because you were worried about… what?"

"Panic! Chaos! The moment the fear sets in no one can be ruled or reasoned with!"

"You did nothing!" Padmé snarled, "You operated under the assumption that nothing would happen when you should have acted as if it was an inevitability."

"Padmé" the Queen spoke too quietly as it became clear that she had entered an argument she would not win, "I understand…"

But Padmé did not let her finish.

"Words cannot begin to express how thankful I am that so many were able to be spared from the pain I feel today. How thankful I am that even you, Your Majesty, cannot begin to fathom this unbearable sorrow," Padmé bit back, clenching her teeth as she attempted to curb the rising anger in her voice, "but the fact remains that your family is safe because of the extra protection you provided. Protection that you did not extend to the rest of Naboo. Gungan and human alike. That you do not understand the sin you've committed is baffling."

"Enough!" Sio Bibble shouted out "Senator Amidala… Padmé, please."

Padmé knew what he was asking of her. To hold her tongue, to pull from her deep reserves of patience and diplomatic experience to remain objective and logical… but too much had happened in the never ending day she seemed trapped in.

"I am sorry, Governor Bibble. But too many people have died today. Too many people have been hurt or lost because of her need to protect herself over her own people. My… parents, sister, and niece are among them."

Padmé turned her attention back to Queen Jamila, "You could not prevent every death today. But you should have tried. The people that you vowed to protect, that I vowed to serve, deserved at least that. But you did nothing."

"Senator Amidala,"

"No," Padmé cut off the young queen, "I am no longer the Senator of Naboo. I am leaving to find my niece. She's the only family I have left."

"And if she is already gone," Bibble swallowed painfully at the thought, but carried on, "what will you do then?"

"I don't know, Governor," Padmé answered calmly, "but I have to try."

"You wanna cup of caf?"

Obi-Wan's eyes shot to the service droid rolling by as it picked up dirty dishes and empty cups. It wasn't a droid he recognized. Dex must have finally upgraded.

"Yes, please. Thank you," the Jedi Knight's voice was gruff and heavy with exhaustion.

"Sit anywhere you want," the serving droid informed him and Obi-Wan obeyed, walking wearily to the empty booth on his left.

"Obi-Wan!"

The Jedi looked up to see Dex, scratching the top of his head and squinting his eyes. He was already walking from around his cook station and over to Obi-Wan.

"Hello, Dex," Obi-Wan tried to sound as jolly as his old friend, but just couldn't muster the pitch required.

The old Besalisk took immediate notice and flashed his old friend a comforting grin, "Everything okay there, old buddy?"

Obi-Wan grimaced slightly as he took a sip of caf the service droid placed on their table as it rolled on by. The bitter liquid did little to settle his spirit or still his racing thoughts. Where to begin….

"What do you think of the Jedi, Dex?"

Dex's eyes shot open in surprise and confusion. A playful smirk danced across his thin lips.

"I love the Jedi, Ben."

A weak smile flashed across Obi-Wan's face. But it was short lived.

"I don't mean me. I mean the Order. The Council. All of it."

"Ahh," Dex bellowed, scratching the skin of his stomach that poked out from beneath his shirt, "well that's a different story."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked earnestly.

A deep frown settled into Dex's features. Where to begin….

"My friend," Dex's voice was deep and pained, "I'm not sure you're ready for that answer."

"It makes no difference if I'm ready or not. I need you to answer."

Dex's huffed as he sized the young Jedi up.

"I believe the Jedi Order as you knew it to be, you believed it to be, is gone. I think it has been long before you were even born."

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed at his friend's answer.

"Would you have the Jedi disbanded? Leave the galaxy to those without honor or compassion in their hearts?"

"Do the Jedi have those things?"

"Of course!

"Did the Jedi have honor and compassion when they destroyed Geonosis? Kristophsis? Do they have empathy and honor every time they take children from their families if they have even the slightest sign of being force-adept?

"That's… not entirely accurate, Dex."

"What's inaccurate?"

"Well…" Obi-Wan tried to defend the Council. He searched for the words to make his friend understand.

"I say that the Jedi Order's willingness to fight in this war is proof that they no longer follow their mandate of peace and order. You cannot be a peacekeeper and a soldier. You cannot leave chaos in your wake and claim it as control."

"Sometimes in order to do what is right, you have to pay a price, Dex. To create a more compassionate, peaceful galaxy others have to stand up and fight when others will not."

"What compassion is there in letting hundreds or thousands of innocent beings die simply to gain the high ground? A city here or a monument there. Where is the kindness in letting worlds suffer just to claim a victory? How can we ever call that, peace? When is the cost too high, Ben? Why are the Jedi the ones to decide on the price?"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily as the last four years suddenly felt like a hundred. He could feel every scar, every blaster bolt burn and broken bone healed over. The weight of loss and grief and… Force help him, the anger he'd tamped down for so long pressed painfully on his heart.

"I didn't come here to debate with you Dex."

"Then what did you come here for, my friend?"

"I just… I guess I just wanted to see a friendly face before I go."

"You're blasting off world again? So soon?"

"It's the Council's orders. There is a person of interest they need me to find. Apparently it's vital to securing peace and order int the Outer Rim."

Dex scoffed at Obi-wan's explanation, "From what I hear, peace is shaping up just fine without you lot out there. Rumors of a… Ghost or some such."

Obi-Wan said nothing and sipped his caf. He tried not to catch Dex's narrowing gaze…. And failed.

"What, Dex?"

The grease cook said nothing for a moment and let Obi-Wan squirm under his reptilian stare.

"Are you sure you came just to see my mug before you left? You sure you didn't actually come here for a debate?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do, Old Buddy. I think in the entire time I've known you, you've never questioned the Order. Never asked me what I thought of them or if what you were doing was right…. You sure you're not having doubts? Maybe you wanna talk em' out?"

Anger and bile suddenly rose up in Obi-Wan's throat, "I don't have doubts. I know the Jedi are right."

All four of Dex's arms flung up in mock surrender, "Hey, pal. I'm not attacking you. You just seem… a little lost, Ben. It's not like you."

The weight pressing on Obi-Wan's chest felt just a bit heavier as he looked back up to his friend. Care and concern shone brightly in Dex's cat like eyes.

"I'm just tired, Dex. I'm so very tired."

A line of bulky transports constantly come in and out of the freight docks. Huge floating cranes readily met them and unloaded the millions of tons of supplies that had already begun to poor in from other worlds. And soldiers… the stark white of clone trooper armor nearly blinded her if the warm, Naboo sun caught the edge of a helmet just right.

It was also a place for living passengers, and a great leveler at that. Beings seeking passage off world on the freight levels were often reserved for the peasantry of Naboo, both refugee and vagabond, now mingled with a healthy mix of the working class and even some of the elite.

Padmé made sure to hide her face just a bit more with her dark travel cloak. She couldn't risk anyone seeing her… she couldn't risk any word of her movements reach the ones that had taken Pooja.

She glanced around once more to find a young couple, no more than twenty huddled together as they sat on a bench, waiting for the transport number to be called. Her heart warmed as the young man silently, gently grasped the woman's hand and brought it to his lips. She smiled at him, warm but slightly shy, clearly aware of the onlookers around them, but too enraptured with him to be troubled much by it. She quickly brushed his cheek with her thumb, and a silent nod answered his unspoken question. I'm fine. So long as you're here.

You'll find them both.

She hadn't asked what her sister had meant. But Padmé knew. Sola knew that Padmé would search for Pooja. Knew that she would scour the galaxy until she found her niece… and yet, in her last moments, Sola knew that Padmé would be thinking of him, missing him.

"Suddenly, I'm afraid," Padmé said to him as they walked away, heading toward the giant star freighter that would take them to Nabool. Behind the pair R2-D2 rolled along, tootling cheerily.

"This is my first assignment on my own. I am too." Anakin turned about, taking Padmé's gaze with his own, and grinned widely. "But don't worry. We've got Artoo with us!"

Again, the levity was much needed. Padmé smiled and laughed deeply, harder than she could remember.

You'll find them both.

A large, solid mass bumped hard into Padmé's side.

"Oh, sorry, Milady."

Padmé was about to shake off the stranger when she recognized his accent. The thick, sing song brogue that was followed by a gruff, short breath on every word.

What was a Mandalorian doing in the freight stations of Theed City?

Padmé looked up to a set of bright, painfully blue eyes in deep sunken sockets. He had a sharp jawline and sharper gaze. He knew here. Recognized her. That wasn't good.

"No harm done," Padmé spoke swiftly, "if you'll just excuse me."

"Senator," the Mandalorian spoke softly, ever aware of the crowd around them as he scanned the crowd, "if you would wait just a moment."

So he knew she didn't want to be recognized. What was his play?

Padmé stopped and turned to stand squarely in front of of the young man. He wasn't overly tall but a quiet confidence radiated from him, tempered with an overdeveloped sense of duty. Everything about him screamed soldier from the solid, broad build of his shoulders to the short, tapered cut of his nearly onyx black hair and exacting clean shaven face. Not an inch of him was out of regulation.

"Look," Padmé spoke sharply, "I don't have any time to waste. I know that Naboo wasn't the only world that was attacked today. I know that Mandalore must be suffering but I cannot help. I must leave now so if you would please." Padmé moved to walk past the young soldier, but was stopped by the sharp grasp of his hand around her arm.

Padmé immediately reached for her blaster, hidden underneath her thick traveling cloak.

"Milady," the Mandalorian whispered harshly, "My name is Matthias Daag. I am a Mandalorian Commander sent to you on the order of Duchess Satine Kryze. No one is asking for your help. It is being offered."

Padmé stopped in her tracks before whipping back around to face the young man. "Mandalore has suffered just as many casualties as Naboo. Why would the Duchess spare even a single soldier to help a Republican Senator searching for her kidnapped niece," Padmé questioned.

"But you're not a Senator anymore, Milady. You said as much moments ago."

"And you did not answer my question, Commander."

"Because…" Matthias paused for a moment. It was a moment too long.

"Leave me alone, Commander. Go back home and help your people."

A quick flash of panic danced behind Matthias' eyes as he launched into one final attempt at convincing her to accept his help, "These attacks happened on worlds that were seceded from or contemplating secession from the Republic, Mandalore notwithstanding," Matthias spoke quickly and quietly, careful not to let anyone in the bustling space sport overhear his conspiratorial speech. After a quick glance, he pulled Padmé into a narrow, empty alleyway, "not only that, they were the homewards of politicians outspoken against Chancellor Palpatine's abuses of power. You, Senators Organa and Mothma. Kamino was even bombed and as a result, there is already talk of granting further emergency power to the Chancellor."

"Satine thinks it's all connected," Padmé finished his unspoken conclusion.

Matthias gave a quick nod, "And it is what you suspect, I imagine."

Padmé didn't trust herself to reply.

"Milady," Matthias continued, "Mandalore is still a neutral planet, we cannot act against any side without being drawn into the war. But a single soldier, under the guise of a bodyguard…"

"So you accompany me and aid in my search while… gathering evidence to confirm or deny Satine's suspicions."

Matthias let out a small huff and a gave his head a sharp tilt down in the affirmative.

Padmé stared the young Mandalorian for a moment more.

"Very well, Matthias Daag," she spoke softly, ever vigilant of any potential spies tracking her movements and words. "You will accompany me to the Outer Rim. But you will do exactly as I say."

"The Outer Rim?"

"I found this in searching the rubble of my family's home," Padmé tried to fight the tremor in her voice as the memory of her dead sister burned hot and painful in her mind, even as she pulled the Hutt Clan insignia patch from underneath her black traveling cloak. Matthias took the patch from her, rubbing his thumb across the frayed stitching.

"The Hutt Clan's home base is in Mos Espa," she continued, "so that's where we'll start."

With that Padmé Nabierre Amidala, former Senator of the Galactic Republic, made her way to the mass transport headed to the far reaches of the Outer Rim to find Pooja… and an even more precious dream she'd dared not hope for.

"This is the way," Matthias muttered under his breath, like whispering a prayer, as he slung his heavy pack, filled with his beskar armor, and started off after her.