Chapter 12- Naboo

Naboo is a proud world, a world of farming, produce and galactic trade. While many look at Manaan as a paradise I believed that Naboo would be the place to get away. The majority of the planet is covered in luscious green hills, canyons, rainforests and waterfalls. The people are a farming people and technically at war with an alien race commonly referred to as the Gungans. Naboo was where the Force was taking me.

I soared over Naboo's conceited communities to the large rural community of Theed. Theed was no more than a village yet he had so much potential. Businessmen and women representing all the different corporations from all over the Galaxy would fly to Theed with propositions. Everyone wanted a slice of the action. Everyone wanted the future of Theed.

I landed just outside of the village, there seemed no orderly place to rest within the community walls. After lowering the ramp I set out to venture into the district. Theed was dirty with only a few houses of decent size, the rest formed by steady hands and mudbrick. As I stepped into the much I was greeted by bustling markets and carts drawn by Banthas. Around me I felt consumed by the hustle and bustle of the busy bodies of Naboo.

I was left with little clue on which direction to take, I had slept in the pilot's chair on the route here. I was comforted in my slumber by the silhouette of a woman. She was the woman guiding me here, I felt it in her soul. For the first time I heard her speak. She spoke of two things, two names. Exar-Kun and Khaylia Saretti. Exar-Kun I recognized, it was the Saretti name I had not made acquaintance with. However, Saretti was my first direction.

"Hello there," a woman began after bumping into me outside the Chieftain's hovel. "are you here to offer a pitch?" she asked me scribbling notes onto a datapad as she waited.

"Uh, no. I'm looking for someone, maybe you could help me."

"It would be my pleasure." She said as she turned away and walked towards the hut. The hut was made of mudbrick like the rest of the houses, only, this hut was large enough to be a palace. "My name's Raia Qualtrayn, advisor to chieftain Poroq."

"Chieftain Poroq? The name is not familiar."

"He is the one in charge of Theed. Everyday we have scores of corporate executives come to our little town and offer us Centillions of credits to allow the seller to be in charge of Theed's expansion."

"And it seems as though you have decided against development."

"I haven't, but he has."

"He?"

"Poroq. At first I was with him, I didn't want Theed to be anymore than a farming community. Now there are scores of settlers coming in monthly and we're running out of room. People want to develop and evolve Theed into a paradise, the people want a capital city for Naboo."

"Couldn't you just get him unelected?"

"The system doesn't work that way, sir, the chieftain stays chieftain until death."

"I'm sure I could persuade him to consider."

"How?"

"With death."

This shut her up. But I wanted to kill, and she wanted Theed. She thought, looking at her feet for several minutes before stating her answer.

"You have a deal. I will arrange a meeting with Czerka tonight. They will be the ones to turn Theed into a wonder, thank you very much. Listen, you persuade Poroq and I'll find your girl."

I turned to walk away and then looked back at her.

"I didn't tell you I was looking for a girl."

She smiled and gave a light giggle.

"Oh please, I know that look. You're killing for love. I've felt what you feel. Now all I want is Theed, and I will have her."

Sunset came within the next few hours. Using my stealth abilities I navigated the hallways to the Chieftain's throne room. There were three guards within, I walked right between the lot of them cloaked in a stealth field. Behind the throne I waited.

I was excited more than anything, no so much for the blood but because Raia was going to allow me to find my girl. The girl of my dreams. Waiting, kneeling I came to the realization that maybe the hallucination woman was giving her own name, maybe her name was Khaylia Saretti. My thoughts were interrupted as they always were. The doors of the throne room burst open as chieftain Poroq wandered down the hall followed by many followers – all made up of corporate representatives and village people.

I peeked around the side of the throne and witnessed the plump fool Poroq. His flabby belly swayed as he approached his little royal stool. The man was massive and clearly pompous. Behind him his cohorts argued and interrupted the beautiful ambience of peace and quiet – a trait the throne room had adopted. Looking around, night had fallen and the throne room was filled with a relaxing chill.

"Quiet!" he yelled.

The throne room dropped dead in silence as the chieftain turned away and towards his people. He backed up to the throne and assembled himself. He edged his rear back against the back rest of the throne and sat.

"I said it before and I'll say it again. I will not give up Theed to business!"

He was a fat, piggy, disgrace for a human. He looked almost Gammorean.

"Why do you keep pestering me? I will never give up Theed to scum such as yourselves. Who are your bosses? Who? Are they Hutts? No doubt they are, all scummy business leaders are run by dirty Hutts."

A Czerka representative stood from above the crowd.

"We at Czerka are run under a council of hierarchy leaders. No Hutt sits as a member of the board toda-"

"Silence! Who runs the board? Hmm? A Hutt. Bet you that you didn't know that, did you. You are all blind! The lot of you is all blind!"

The snotty pig man was getting on my nerves. I stood, back arched as to stay hidden behind his seat.

"The next time Czerka approaches me- the next time any representative approaches me I'll lock down the Throne Room and kill the lot of y-"

Blood spouted from the side of his neck where I plunged the small Gran dagger. I pulled the dagger across the front of his neck with my right hand and followed by pushing his head forward with my left. His fat head fell over the blade and detached itself from its body. A small fountain of blood squirted from the large whole between his shoulders, droplets spraying on the delicately designed tapestry carpet. The body fell under its own weight and rolled off the throne at the feet of the people.

The silence stayed.

A Twi'lek working for the Exchange raised his voice.

"Wh…Wh- Who will sit the throne?"

Still there were three seconds of silence followed by a commotion in the grand hall outside the Throne Room. In stepped Raia followed by twice the entourage that Poroq had gathered within the Throne Room.

"I will."

She said as if to draw attention to herself. She wandered in gracefully, stepping over the bloodied corpse of Poroq.

"Sorry old friend, the things you do for love."

Placing herself on the throne the room built up will a large amount of yelling and arguing once more. From behind the throne I revealed myself and took place at the side of Raia.

"Silence!" She yelled, followed by a quite understandable awkward silence. "I present to you Queen Raia Qualtrayn the first of her name, Queen of Naboo. As my first royal decree, I will accept the business proposal pitched by Czerka Corporation. For four milliard credits I hand Theed's expansive industrial and economic interests in your hands."

The throne room roared to life again as more followers argued against her wish.

"And for my second decree," she began. Her words had magic in them, she again silenced the people. "I would wish to hear the Sith proposal. It has come to mine ears that you have a non-business associated dead you would like to make with me. Khai, you may speak."

I recall stepping down into the crowd as a female officer made her case.

"On behalf of the Sith Empire I would like to propose an arrangement of safety. For one thousand credits every Naboo moon cycle, we will protect you from the Republic."

The Queen laughed, understandable.

"Protection from the Republic? Like the agreement you had with the wookiees on Kashyyyk? When they refused to pay protection fees you decided to burn down their villages and enslave the natives. The only thing we need protecting from is you."

Smart. Usually the Sith would come and attack, but at this stage (and for the next few hundred years) Theed would be no more than a farming town and not worth spending any munitions on. Not even as an example. The Sith woman bowed and turned away. I looked at Queen Raia at just the right moment. She nodded towards the officer whom she called Khai. Was Khai my mystery woman, she didn't appear nearly as lovely as I had suspected.

"Hey wait." I stopped her outside the palace. "What is your name?"

"I am a Sith representative-"

"Yes, I know you're Sith. I am Sith too. What is your name?"

The woman was confused and reluctantly gave her name to me, a complete stranger.

"I am Khaylia Saretti of Correlia. Why do you ask?"

I continued heading down the steps to the village. She trailed behind me.

"Does the name Exar-Kun mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does." She replied, I had forgotten that all Sith knew the name and what it meant.

"No. What I mean is, does that have any actual significance here on Naboo?"

"I assume so. There was an old shrine commemorated in his honor. It was supposed to signify Sith importance on the world. A long ago battle with the Gungans lay waste to the site."

"Perfect. Which way would I head if I were to go looking for it."

"The shrine is completely destroyed, the battle permanently changed the mountainside where it is located. Your best hope is to head for the range itself. It is called the KipokianMountains."

"Thank you. Is there anything else I should know?"

"If you head towards the Theed exports where the waterfall lay and beyond that in that direction shall be the mountain range. It is a weeks hike and I am not quite sure how far away it is. There are about nine ranges in that direction, one is the one you're looking for. The Kipokian is the only mountain range littered with ancient Gungan statuettes. You wouldn't be able to see them from a ship, but on ground is where you are most like to find them."

I held her hand and pressed my lips on it gently. She blushed.

"Thank you for your extremely generous and kind services."

Without a second's thought I set off. I left Sleheyron's Bishop behind me. I left Theed behind me. I left all provisions behind me.

…I was growing tired by the fourteenth day. It had taken twice as long as the woman had originally told me it would. I felt betrayed, maybe I had wandered too far and missed the shrine. Had I been too busy trying to stay alive rather than die of malnourishment that I had completely missed the statuettes?

The weight over the past few days had become unbearable to the extent that I had unclipped my cloak and removed my weapon's belt. I was now without a weapon and a robe. In saying that, I wasn't exactly naked either. I was wearing some clothes, a training outfit made from material and light leather.

On this fourteenth day the rain had begun to pour. I wished I had kept my cloak, it would have kept the rain off my face. Thinking about my cloak made me realise that my blue lightsaber was gone for good and that I was never going to get that one back.

I began to run, the sooner I found a cave the sooner I would become dry. I tripped. I had stubbed my toe on a rock and as to prevent myself from sliding on the mud grabbed hold of a nearby tree. It cracked as my weight pulled it down so I was forced to pull myself to my feet. Letting go the tree flung itself away, a branch flicking across my face and slicing deep into the skin of my upper left cheek revealing the flesh beneath.

My face was stinging more than ever, purely because the rain salts where seeping under my skin on the exposed slash in my cheek. My pain was interrupted by the sounds of rushing water. I looked down as to remove myself from the bog so that I could move quick, the rock I had tripped on was in fact one of the statuettes the woman had informed me about. The rushing water would no doubt be a river, following it down would potentially bring me to a cave.

It was no river but something far better. It was a waterfall, and at the top of it the water was seeping out of a small crevice in a rocky mountainside. The mountain was hollow thus a cave was inside. I stopped and closed my eyes. I allowed the Force to flow through my mind, my eyes glowed with a passion for this deity I would hopefully discover.

And there she was. She was behind the wall of water.

Weakly I stepped over to the cliff face and began to climb until I reached the mouth of the cave hidden behind the water. Here was where the woman was. Though I could not see her I felt her presence. She had made a life here in the cave, a bunk had been made up, a personal library and other everyday living essentials. This home was paradise.

From behind a curtain a young woman entered. She had long hair of jet black, gorgeous ripples formed at the bottom as the small fragments of sunlight that entered the cave shone off her hair. She was gorgeous. She smelt like Felucian diamond flowers and was as beautiful as… as… nothing could have been compared in beauty to this divine masterpiece. She had a towel wrapped over her arm and a plate of food in the other.

She approached me and placed the warm meal on the bedside table behind the bunk. With the same hand she touched my shoulder. I felt warm, I felt also as if I had blushed. Her hand slid up my neck and onto the cheek right below the cut. She stared for a few moments into my eyes before removing her hand and unwrapping the towel. In one motion she placed the towel over my shoulders and hugged me, sitting me down onto the bunk.

She was so young, so fragile – yet she was strong and independent. She was inspiring. There was something about her that I didn't understand, something about her that made her complete. She wasn't just the most attractive woman this side of Muunilist, but just morally kind. She was… I was… I loved her. And there was no way that it could be one misinterpretation, I loved her.

But did she love me? She seemed to, the way she touched me she just couldn't resist. I had never felt this way about a human before. There was no passion, there was just pure awe… Okay, so maybe there was a little passion… or a lot.

"My name is Thalia." She began. Her voice was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. She felt of the Dark Side but a servant of the Light. She felt as though she was so good, so right that she just had to be wrong. But there was only good in her.

"Thalia Evnairis." Such a beautiful name. The name of an angel. Come on Atton, use one of your superb Attonesque pickup lines. Get her to love you back. Get her feel like you're the man of her most wildest dreams.

But I didn't say a word. I just stared at her, blushing. And she stared back, smiling. Eventually I coughed and stared at my feet. She realised that the staring back was awkward and stood to walk back behind the curtain.

"Th- Thank you, for your hospitality. You are very beautifu- kind! You are very, very kind."

She giggled and stared once more. She bit her lip. That was a good sign. They say on Nar Shadaa that if a girl bites her lip she's into you. Come on Atton, go in for the kill.

"I love you!"

You stupid son of a Bith! You are the dumbest Schutta in the whole entire Galaxy! She must think your some Fierfekking Laserbrain!

She smiled and chuckled, covering her mouth when she saw me hit my palm against my head in embarrassment. It was time to recover.

"Well, you see, saying I love you is an Alderaan custom. Yep."

"Oh really? You know I'm from Alderaan."

"Heh, uh… Well, look, now our relationship is clearly evolving. I'm learning more about you already."

She looked at me curiously.

"Our… relationship?"

Oh shoot. Um. Come on Atton, recover, recover. Answer quicker, answer quicker. God damnit think!

"No, I was… I was just teasing." I laughed awkwardly. Damn, what if it was too awkward? Would she see it as awkward and see right through my lies? I hoped not. Keep your cool man.

"Our relationship. Yes, I like it. Our relationship."

She turned away and I couldn't help but fist pump. Score! I looked back at her, she was looking at me still. Checking me out. I stared embarrassed and she simply giggled before hiding herself behind the curtains. I looked down to the bedside table where she'd laid the food. I was starving, it had been two weeks since I'd eaten. This girl's magic of beauty was so powerful I'd forgotten about filling my needs! And after I was done I was going to fill her needs if you know what I mean. …actually, that was a little sick. Come on Atton, be cool man.

We spent the next four days together in that cave. The nights grew colder with each passing day and I had grown used to her company, and her every trait. She was a Jedi, one of the Light Side. Out here I was not of the Sith, I had almost completely forgotten where my allegiance was aligned.

The first night I slept on the rocky ground and the cold forced me to spend the night in the bunk with her – I was eager for some warmth. I was eager for her. This was the time that my love for her was almost completely replaced with passion. And as the Sith always said, passion became strength. That night she cried. When I asked why she did so she replied saying that as a Jedi she could not afford to love. But she loved me as I did her. I hugged her until she calmed herself.

The same situation occurred the following night and I couldn't help but move in for the kill. I kissed her. And she kissed me back. We were young and in love. As the night grew late the Force allowed us to bond. A connection formed and we became one with each other through the almighty powers of the Force. This bond ensured our safety when we were apart.

On the morning of the fifth day together I awoke from the bunk to find Thalia gone. The previous morning my body was so much fueled with adrenaline and infatuation that I had not a care in the world when she announced she was gone. This day I felt different. I felt scared. Where had my beloved gone?

When she returned I was silent and for the first day since we had met I was not smiling. Here in her cave I felt as though I would never have to leave – in truth, if I was never so cruel I could have stayed with her there until death parted us. Reflecting on this doesn't make me feel guilty about Meetra. Technically Meetra and I are not together, but I love her the way I had felt in the past, the way I had felt with Thalia. Though Thalia wanted me and I could have her. Meetra is a love I could never have, it was just a crush. An exceedingly strong crush.

"I am Sith."

I told her as she was bent over building a fire on the cave floor. She was wearing only her undergarments, so beautiful with her hair tied back. She stopped.

"I know."

There was silence. If I a Sith, and she a Jedi we could never be together.

"I have done terrible things in my past. These things would make the Mandalorians shudder in disgust."

"I know. I know of all that you have done. I felt you sever connections in the Force and I felt you strengthen others. I watched you, you are a corruptive influence but I love you."

I was ashamed.

She continued and I left the bunk to put my training uniform back on.

"You know you're Force Sensitive." She said.

"I know. I was trying to hide it from the Sith. But now I'm hiding more than just my abilities."

"You're hiding me, our love."

"I'm hiding myself."

The fire flickered and spread over the wood. She stood chilled and covered her bare upper arms with her left arm and thighs with her right. She was sad, as sad as she was that first night we were together. I stood behind her and held her tight, to warm her.

"Everything will be alright." I assured her. "We can be together, we can beat this." I had absolute faith, but it was clear she was much less sure.

"You can't. You're a Sith! You will forever be corrupt unless you admit to me that you will change! Will you become a Jedi?"

I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready at all. A week ago the Jedi were a blight in my opinion. Now, I had fallen in love with one. And what she was going to make me do, she would break me.

A broken man, just like Tomen.

If I stayed with her, my dark past would tear me to pieces and I would become broken… just like Tomen. If I parted from her and continued to kill Jedi than I betrayed her and myself and son enough the Sith would find me and break me… just like Tomen.

"Please. If you love me as you say you do, give up the Sith. I will give up the Jedi if you give up the Sith. Do it for me."

She pulled off the training uniform I had been trying to fit myself back into and pleaded again.

"Give me a baby and I will excuse myself from the Republic. We can be together in paradise. If you can't bear a child then we may live in passion. Give up the Sith."

She looked into my eyes, into my soul. I was ready, ready to give up everything for her. For the first time in my life I had won – I had gotten the girl and everything was working out. I turned away.

"I'm not ready yet. Give me until sundown and I will resign. You and I will be together in paradise. I love you."

"I love you too."

A heard a small bleep that seemed to come from the breast pocket of the training uniform. Thalia had crouched down by the fire and warmed her palms to the beautiful flickering of the heat. I kicked up my uniform off the floor and pulled out what seemed like a datacron. I pressed down on the button and a hologram appeared. They were the mission details for the assignment Malak had given me so long ago back on Nal Hutta.

I pressed down on the button again and an image appeared. It was Naboo. I pressed it again and a mountain range appeared. Again and it revealed a robed woman. A final time and the name Thalia Evnairis blinked. Caution, expert of Jedi Mind Tricks.

As I read my heart stopped. Was she using me? No. She couldn't be. I shook, rage filled my soulless carcass of an exterior. How could she? She must have felt it too. In the space of one split second I used the Force to open a chest located at the far end of the room. A vibroblade was pulled out and found its way to my hand. At the exact same time this was happening she jumped up and her yellow crystal lightsaber from under her bed and found its way to her hand. We turned around at the same time and our weapons clashed.

I could see her pushing hard, as hard as I was. A tear trickled down her face. She betrayed me.

"No. No Atton this isn't you."

"Of course it is!" I yelled, teeth exposed and gritting. She had betrayed me and was trying to kill me.

"I love you."

"Liar!"

"No."

"You are with them! You brought me here to kill me."

I pushed the blades upwards and pushed her down to the ground with my arm. She sat in the corner, the lightsaber had fallen somewhere but I had no clue where. I didn't care. She crawled up in the corner, eager to get far away from me.

"You would turn against me?" I roared.

"No. Please, Atton. Who are you? You are Atton Rand. You are my friend, my partner. I love you."

"You do not love me."

"Atton, who are you? Say your name. You are Atton Rand of Alderaan. You are a good person. Say your name, please." She cried.

I lowered the vibroblade. Thoughts plagued my mind. I couldn't get sorted out.

"I…I.."

"I love you. Come on, tell me your name."

"My name is… It's… It is A… A…" I stopped, my thoughts collected. "My name is Jaq."

With the declaration I lunged at her blade in hand.