The tabby-striped Na'tave crouched in the lookout tower, perching on the railing in blatant disregard for safety regulations. He did this at the request of Meisheb, looking off into the distance, searching for he knew not what exactly. His great emerald eyes were very nearly as accurate as a pair of binoculars, that being why he was on watch duty.

He straightened suddenly, tail twitching in anticipation of confirmation of what he thought he'd seen. Sure enough, there rose in the distance a cloud of dust, which very nearly concealed the advancing Separatist troops. He dropped down from the railing and hissed, hair ridging along his neck.

"There are droids invading from that direction," he told Meisheb.

"Very good. Do not sound the alarm, I will take care of it. As for you, I want you to make a list of all who are posted to guard in that area. I want their names, I want their records, I want to know why they aren't doing their jobs. Go now,"

The tabby scampered away hurriedly. It was unwise to argue with a white Na'tave. They were known for their ferocious tempers and exceptionally unforgiving natures. Meisheb smiled to herself as the guard disappeared, a self-satisfied purr escaping from her. While the rumors of white Na'taves were most assuredly true, Meisheb was far from unreasonable. Her wrath she saved for those who deserved it, though she could certainly use her reputation to secure immediate obedience through fear.

Her amusement disappeared as she turned to the matter at hand. Regardless of the reason the guards had not raised the alarm, Forsooth had lied. If the Senate discovered his treachery, it would provoke a diplomatic incident. The Republic would turn on the Na'tave people just as the Separatists had, or at the very least leave them completely unprotected. Meisheb was wiser than to think that was in the best interest of her people.

But she could not step out and accuse an elder just like that, especially if it turned out that he had some kind of plan which she was presently unaware of. She must act quickly, but cautiously.

Meisheb had left the meeting hall unnoticed, and she returned almost the same way. She noticed that one of the clones turned his head at her approach, then dismissed her as nonthreatening. She tilted her head towards him, acknowledging his alertness, and continued on her way.

The snowy Na'tave adviser slipped onto her pillow at Forsooth's side, luminous eyes settling on him as she curled up to await his notice. Conversation continued around her unabated, and she began to 'knead' her pillow impatiently, while maintaining her passive facial expression. At last, a black ear flicked in her direction and she leaned forward to quietly address her leader.

"You lied about the droids. Why?,"

Forsooth, who had been in the middle of an animated oration about the damages caused by clone troops, broke off mid-sentence and turned to look Meisheb fully in the eyes. She returned his piercing orange gaze impassively, blinking slowly and forcing her ears to assume a relaxed position. She heard a soft 'thump' as Forsooth's tail lashed agitatedly beneath the table. Her claws sprang out, digging into her pillow, even as she maintained her outward appearance of calm.

The Senators knew something had happened, but they didn't know what. The clones detected the tension in the air, you didn't need to be a Jedi to feel it, and their hands tightened on their weapons as they looked for signs of trouble, using all the subtlety they could muster.

"I am doing what is best for my people," Forsooth said quietly.

"Our people!," Meisheb spat back, her illusion of calm failing all at once "what have you done!?,"

"The Separatists have no interest in nor any need of our planet aside from its resources. If the clone troops pull out, I have been promised that the droids will confine themselves to the mines, and leave our farmland alone. It was best,"

"Best?. You dare speak to me of best!?," Meisheb was practically yowling, holding herself in place by the claws which had dug into the pillow, fur bristling along her neck and back.

This comment, the Senators couldn't help but hear. Thus far, they had heard only Meisheb, as Forsooth had kept his voice intentionally low. Meisheb knew it, and her eyes flashed with anger.

"I knew you would not go along with this," Forsooth told her "which is why I did not inform you,"

"You know I cannot let this go," Meisheb snarled, whiskers flattening to her face "I will not be party to this,"

"To what?," Padmé decided she'd had enough of hearing half a conversation.

"Guards, arrest them!," Forsooth cried before Meisheb could answer.

The clones reacted instantly, turning their weapons on the Na'taves who closed around them. The first shot fired was a warning, an intentional miss on some self-restrained clone's part. But the Na'taves were not dissuaded. Rasatin took matters into his own hands.

"Stand down," he ordered, holding up a hand "we do not want trouble. Majesty Forsooth, what is this all about?,"

"I have struck a deal with the Separatists. If I aid them in ridding the planet of Republic forces, they will leave us alone. It is all I want," Forsooth replied "I told them you were coming,"

"You commit to murder," Meisheb corrected him "you can see they are few against many, they are living where those monsters in the distance are not. And you cover your own lie by punishing another's truth," here she lost her grip on the pillow and lunged forward.

While the stunned Na'tave guards looked on, the two rolled across the floor, a blur of black and white. During this time, the tabby guard returned with his report, and then cringed by the door. Padmé and Rasatin looked at each other, but this was clearly an internal matter which they should have no part in.

Fur flew in clouds and the two combatants yowled their fury at one another. Suddenly, Meisheb sprang clear, landing lightly on top of the table. Forsooth lay panting on the ground, eyes downcast. Meisheb held her position for a moment, then twitched her tail in satisfaction and turned.

"Guards, arrest him. And release the clone while you're down there," Meisheb purred, stepping delicately off the table and assuming what had been Forsooth's seat.

"I recommend you leave, Senators," Meisheb said quietly "for your own protection, and for ours,"

"If the Separatists suspect they were lied to, they will punish you and your people," Padmé protested.

"What do you suggest?," Meisheb asked patiently "you have not the troops with you to provide adequate defense. If you remain, you shall fall,"

"What we need is help," Padmé said.

"How do you suggest we acquire it?. Your radio transmissions are blocked, your clone said so,"

"Forsooth said the yowl of a Na'tave can be heard for miles. Is there some way your people could carry a message to a garrison stationed on the planet?,"

"Indeed, it is very possible. Bailesh," the tabby pricked up his ears at sound of his name "you have heard the problem. Send a message. And let us hope there are enough of our people listening to get the word out,"

"Yes, Majesty," Bailesh bowed slightly and left in a hurry, nearly bumping into Jac on his way out.

"It may take some time for word to travel," Meisheb said "my guards may not be able to hold out. If you are agreeable, your troops could be a great help to us. I am sure their prowess with long-range weapons is beyond our own,"

Padmé nodded and turned to the clones.

"Say the word, Senator," Jac said "we're always ready to have a go at clankers,"

"Gentlemen, let's go to war. Jac, I want you on the ship,"

"Excuse me?," was that hurt she detected in his voice?.

"Your co-pilot needs you. That ship and its weapons are our biggest advantage. But a single trooper can't hope to evade fire and return it by himself. I need you up there,"

"Right away," Jac replied without further hesitation.

When he left, Padmé turned back to Meisheb to find the Na'tave looking after the clone.

"Devoted to duty, aren't they?," Meisheb said quietly.

"Oh very much," Rasatin put in "isn't it impressive?,"

"Creatures born and bred for war," Meisheb answered "a sight both awesome and terrible to behold,"

"Well, kid, this is it," Jac told the pilot "how's it feel to be first line of defense?,"

"I'm a pilot, Sir," the pilot replied carefully "but air combat is not in my experience,"

"That's why you're doing the flying and I'm doing the shooting," Jac said "each man does what he knows best. This is not a situation for experimentation,"

"That's just it, though. I don't know fighting. I just dream about it,"

"Look, all you have to do is keep us from getting shot. Pretend you're dropping troops on the ground if it'll make you feel better, but just keep this bird in the air and intact. Remember, we have to take the senators back home once this is over. Mission ain't over 'til we've done that,"

"You know what?," the pilot said as the ship lifted off "I hate diplomacy,"

"You and me both, kid,"

They began with a strafing run. They hid behind the hills until the droids were almost upon them, suddenly rising and sweeping over the unsuspecting droids as fast as the pilot could move them while Jac shot down as many droids as possible in that time.

"There's not a lot down there," Jac observed "they weren't expecting resistance,"

"Think we can take them all out?,"

"Not a chance," Jac replied "but we can sure give 'em hell before our backup gets here. Turn this bucket around, I want another shot,"

The droids were ready for them this time, and shot back. The pilot found that he had to sacrifice stability and speed for maneuverability. Many of Jac's shots were misses as a result.

"Let's regroup," Jac said "we've done as much damage as we can out here without getting this ship blown up. We'll let out brothers on the ground take the next shot,"

"Roger that,"

The ship swept back toward the building. With hand signals, Jac let the troops on the ground know the enemy wasn't far behind, then they cut around behind the building out of sight. Ambush was their best tactic things being as they were. The droids knew the ship was around, but had no way of knowing when or where it would appear next.

The droids continued their advance. The ground troops opened fire.

"Get the ship around behind them. We'll catch them in the crossfire," Jac recommended.

The pilot did as instructed, flying the ship in low and cutting around behind the droids. At this point, Jac let them have it. A few moments later, the Na'taves put in their two cents, some firing from watch towers, others leaping out of the shadows and tackling the droids directly.

"Imagine if one of those was a Jedi," the pilot commented.

"I'm just glad we don't have to fight them," Jac returned mildly.

The Na'taves' movements were startlingly efficient. They picked their targets, leaped on them, ripped them to pieces, and jumped to the next one. At close range, it was doubtful anything short of a Jedi or Sith Lord would be able to match them. Pound for pound, their speed and agility was unmatched.

But they had a clear weakness: the droids could shoot them out of the air. Their skills were formidable, their courage unquestionable, but they had none of the powers of a Jedi. They couldn't deflect blasts or effectively dodge midair. The Na'tave warriors were falling in large numbers.

"Swing around again. I want to give those Na'taves some covering fire," Jac ordered.

The next wave of Na'taves had started to creep from the shadows when they saw the ship come around. The Na'tave at the lead halted them. He couldn't know that it was Jac's actual plan to give them covering fire, but he could see what the ship was doing and was clever enough to utilize it to his advantage. As the ship swung around, the Na'taves made their assault, running behind and beneath it and taking the droids by surprise as the latter fired on the ship overhead.

"Your warriors are impressive," Obi-Wan Kenobi told Meisheb.

He had arrived with additional clone troops, just in the nick of time. Meisheb herself had entered the battle, her white fur bore the dirt and blood to prove it. But she had lost none of her regal air, in fact she seemed more dignified than ever to Padmé.

"As are yours, General," Meisheb returned "I can assure you, this shall not happen again. Having defeated Forsooth in battle, the duty of leadership now falls to me. I do not appreciate this war on my planet, but I do not believe anything less than force will drive the Separatists from our lands. Your troops have shown honor and bravery in the face of adversity, something a robot cannot do,"

"Are you saying you're willing to continue negotiations?," Rasatin asked.

"For the time being. Perhaps we can reach an arrangement which is agreeable to us all,"

"I hope so, Majesty," Obi-Wan said, bowing slightly "I certainly hope so,"