Here's the latest chapter of Mysteries on Naboo. I loved the Obi-wan Kenobi series. A little sad that there's not going to be any more episodes. I haven't been able to watch the latest season of the Clone Wars, nor have I read Jude Watson's Jedi Quest series, but I'm hoping to. The information I'm working with is based on the tidbits I've read on the internet and from fanfiction. I know that some of you don't like Ferus Olin, and from what I've heard and read, I don't like him much either, but I have a reason for having him in my story, and I hope you guys will like what I have in store for him.
In this chapter Anakin and Ferus have a talk and clear some things, and Padmé Lydonia deals with another tragedy.
Warning: Death of a child.
Chapter 20
'This has to work,' Anakin thought as the clones from his own 501st escorted him to where he hoped Palpatine- no Sidious- was waiting for him.
After meeting Rex down in the lower levels, Anakin hesitated. Should he spare Rex, and risk the lives of the surviving younglings in his care, or… dispose of him? Rex had been his right hand man in this war, they had survived danger against all odds, and he was even one of the very few Anakin had confided in his secret marriage to Padmé. He trusted Rex, and yet he had trusted every man in the 501st, only to see them attack the Jedi Temple, kill so many Jedi, even the younglings, and try to kill him. He had been about to draw his lightsaber when he noticed the long scar on Rex's head. When he had left Rex on Mandalore to help Ahsoka, there hadn't been one on the Captain turned Commander's head. His hesitation gave Rex the chance to explain.
After they had captured Maul, Sidious had contacted them to execute Order 66. Rex explained how it felt like he couldn't control his body, and had tried to kill Ahsoka before she managed to have his chip removed, freeing him from Sidious's control. It reminded Anakin of Fives and what he had been trying to tell them before he died. It suddenly became more clear to Anakin. Rex told him how he and Ahsoka had to fight their way through his brothers before escaping to Coruscant because Ahsoka had sensed Anakin in trouble.
Where was she now? Heading towards the Jedi Temple looking for him!
This alarmed Anakin. The Jedi Temple -kriff- the planet of Coruscant was the last place any Jedi should be right now.
He was urging Rex to contact Ahsoka when a couple of younglings had woken up and screamed. This alerted the other younglings, and even Shaak Ti who was jerked from her healing trance, but was prepared to fight when she saw Rex. It had taken Anakin several minutes to calm his group down and explain that Rex was no threat to them. He had sensed the truth in Rex, and knew that they could trust him. Now, they had to get off Coruscant.
They had been heading to steal a ship and meet Ahsoka when they ran into trouble. Anakin had told Rex and Shaak Ti to run as he fought off the clones he recognized as his own men, and led them on a chase. His trick seemed to work. It seemed the clones were more interested in taking him alive than killing a few Jedi, and that worried Anakin. He had been scaling a series of window ledges when a stun bolt had clipped him, causing him to fall down on the ground hard. The wind had been knocked out of him, allowing the clones to catch him. He hoped his capture gave Rex, Shaak Ti, and the younglings the chance to escape, but he also had another reason in his capture.
The clones were ordered to take him to Palpatine. They may have binded him and taken his lightsaber, but Anakin would be freed and then he would kill Sidious. After what he went through at the Jedi Temple, he could no longer believe Palpatine cared for him. He remembered the many Jedi who sacrificed themselves so the younglings could escape, the padawans who had fought but were outnumbered and outmatched against so many troops, the younglings who fell as they desperately tried to escape, and Madame Jocasta Nu, Masters Vokara Che, Cin Drallig, and Knight Serra Keto's last stand in the Jedi Archives. Such death unlike anything Anakin had witnessed even in the war. A man capable of all the death, destruction, and lies inflicted upon the Jedi, the Republic, and even the Separatists alike, how could Anakin trust him to save Padmé?
Come to think of it, how did Palpatine even know about Padmé? About his nightmares? Had all his years of friendship towards Anakin been a lie? Anakin had so many questions. Questions he would have his old friend answer before he ran him through and ended this.
His escort reached a set of doors. They had gone underground near the Senate a long time ago. Anakin wondered if these were the same passageways Palpatine used to sneak out as Darth Sidious. The doors opened, and Anakin was brought face to face to the scarred and ugly face of Darth Sidious.
Anakin woke up gasping, silently thanking the Force for waking him up in time. Thunder continued outside and a flash of lightning showed Typho and Ferus still sleeping in the twin beds of their assigned room. Anakin felt like he was suffocating, so he got out of his makeshift bed on the bay windows and went out into the hallway.
He took shaky deep breaths, trying to calm his beating heart. He felt sweaty, but chilled. Using the Force, he felt Padmé and all her former handmaidens in their rooms. He sensed Sabé lightly dabbing the sweat off Eirtaé's skin while Padmé slept fitfully next to her. Anakin sent soothing waves out to her, and felt her relaxing under his touch. He sensed Yané, Saché, and Rabé all asleep in their assigned room. He sensed Dormé and Moteé helping Ellé to sit up and take sips of water. Anakin began to feel himself grow calmer when he felt it, the cold darkness that threatened to consume him.
"Why are you doing this?"
"You're smart, my dear boy. You know why." Sidious was standing in the hallway, his dark robes moving as if a wind was hitting them.
Anakin scoffed. "You're not all powerful as you claim to be, otherwise Windu wouldn't have been able to give you the new look, Obi-wan and Yoda wouldn't have freed me from your grasp, and you wouldn't be using us to find your dead girlfriend's diary."
He could already hear Obi-wan chastising him for trying to provoke a Sith Lord. he was too tired and kriffing pissed at this tooka and numa game to care.
Sidious scowled at him, but Anakin pressed on. "I don't believe your claim that you and your master 'created' me. My mother would have remembered."
At this, the Sith Lord chuckled. "So certain, are you?"
Anakin remembered when he had foolishly tried to kill Sidious back then. He used the Force to free himself from his bonds, retrieve his lightsaber, push the clones out of the way, and lunge at Sidious… only for the Sith to parry him. It was like he was toying with him the longer they fought. Anakin was tired and injured from escaping the Jedi Temple, fueled only by his need to protect Padmé, Obi-wan, Ahsoka, and all the remaining Jedi, and avenge those who had fallen. Their fight ended with the Force lightning from Sidious which led to him torturing Anakin. In between the shocks as Anakin struggled to recover, Sidious revealed to him how deep the Sith's manipulations went. One of the secrets he had shared was of his master Darth Plagueis experimenting with the midi-chlorians to create life and implied that Anakin was the product of that experiment. Anakin denied it, refusing to accept that his existence was made to be the Sith's pawn.
Anakin looked at Sidious with utter loathing and without remorse, asked, "Who killed Padmé Lydonia?"
Once again, he thought he saw something flicker in Palpatine's eyes before it disappeared. Sidious came closer to him.
Anakin's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't really know. That's why you killed all the ones you suspected. That's why you want Lydonia's diary: to make sure you didn't miss anyone."
Sidious seemed amused, as if all the people he killed so long ago were a pleasant memory. He enjoyed killing them, Anakin realized with horror.
"We are not as different as you want to think us," Sidious told him.
His words reminded Anakin of the sandpeople he killed, Count Dooku, and countless others he had killed in anger. He pushed back. "Did any of them do it?"
Sidious was circling him like a Corellian slice hound preparing to strike. "They all had blood on their hands. Once their usefulness was over, nobody missed them. Corruption can't be eliminated as those fools in the Delegation of the Two thousand seemed to think, but it can be controlled." He stopped in front of Anakin, his yellow eyes boring into him. "I don't want us to be enemies my dear boy. I want us to be allies. Get me the diary and give me the Jedi Holocron, and your family will be spared," he said in a way reminiscent of how he used to talk to Anakin. Like a father.
Yet Anakin was no longer that naive boy who looked up to him. He glared fiercely at Sidious. "My answer is the same as it was all those months ago: 'Go kriff yourself.'"
Sidious looked at him murderously. "Then the consequences will be on your head."
"Anakin."
Anakin turned to see Ferus standing at the bedroom doorway, looking at him in concern. Anakin turned back to Sidious, only to find that the Sith Lord was no longer there. A lot of the tension in him eased, but he still felt shakened. Sidious's threats remained with him. Would Sidious go after the rest of Padmé's family?
"Are you alright?" Ferus asked him.
Anakin glanced at him and nodded. "Yeah, just having trouble sleeping."
He did not want to tell him about the Force bond between him and Palpatine. He wasn't sure how the bond formed, or why the connections were happening now after all these months.
Ferus looked unconvinced, but thankfully did not press.
Anakin went over to the stained glass windows at the end of the hallway. They depicted some warrior trying to spear a sea monster from his boat. Lightning flashed, giving the scene an eerie look as the monster's mouth opened to sharp teeth ready to devour the hero, who himself was prepared to leap at it and risk certain death. Anakin felt Ferus approach him until he was at his side. He remembered their time as padawans. He remembered how everybody had practically worshiped Ferus Olin, the perfect and obedient padawan. His holier-than-thou attitude always upsetted Anakin. He could admit that he used to feel jealous of Ferus Olin. The Jedi Council never disapproved of him, whereas they made Anakin feel as if he was a burden they were forced to hold on to. Ferus was sought after by all the other padawans wanting to be his friend whereas they shunned Anakin. It always felt like no matter what Anakin did, he could never measure up to Ferus Olin, the perfect padawan. For Obi-wan and Siri's sake, Anakin had honestly tried to get along with Ferus, but with failure. He quit trying when he heard of Ferus trying to warn Obi-wan away from him. Anakin and Obi-wan had their differences, and ups and downs, but Obi-wan was one of the very, very few beings Anakin knew he could trust. To have someone like Ferus interfere with their relationship, Anakin stopped trying to play nice. He would have been glad to see Ferus go if his departure wasn't shadowed by Darra's death. They were no longer teenage boys striving for attention though. Anakin had fought in wars for years and was now an outlaw in hiding, whereas he had no idea what Ferus had been up to since he left the Order five years ago.
"Did you know Ellé was Force-sensitive?" Ferus suddenly asked him.
Anakin turned to the other man, and Ferus explained. "While we were examining her, I felt her presence in the Force. She's borderline which probably explains why she wasn't taken to the Jedi Temple."
Of course. Anakin should have figured that Ferus would discover Ellé's secret. He felt protective of her, and was worried about anyone finding out. Ferus probably sensed his feelings because he continued, "Since the Empire's formation, anyone who's Force-sensitive has been disappearing."
Anakin looked at Ferus worriedly. "What's been happening to them?"
"While I was undercover, Sidious put me in a secret division of Imperial Intelligence called the Inquisitors."
Inquisitors? That did not sound good to Anakin.
Ferus continued. "They bring in people and test them, train them, and examine them before presenting them to Sidious. If they pass, they are taken into the Inquisitors' ranks."
"What happens if they don't?" Anakin asked.
Ferus took a shaky breath and looked away.
Anakin swallowed at the horrid realization. "I see."
He looked back at the stained glass window and watched as the raindrops slid down the colored glass. "Padmé's handmaiden Teckla was killed in service. Normally her security would handle getting her replacements, but Padmé wanted to choose herself. During one of my leaves, she invited me to come to Naboo for my expertise." As well as spend some quality time together. "We went to the Academy where they trained handmaidens, guards, and law enforcement, and came upon a class conducting a combat exam, and that's when we saw Ellé. She was brilliant in her fighting and shooting skills, and lasted the longest compared to the other candidates. When it came out that she had scored the highest, all of the girls started harassing her, saying that she had cheated in the course."
"How?" Ferus asked curiously.
"They accused her of having information on the test as well as previous exams," Anakin answered.
What he did not tell Ferus was that among the accusations, one of the candidates had accused Ellé of having an affair with Meklé Alaka, a former handmaiden of Senator Oshadam, and now a member of the Handmaiden Panel who had given Ellé the advantage in her training. When confronting both trainee and trainer, the women admitted to having been in a romantic relationship for two years, but had recently broken it off so Ellé could focus on her training, having not been able to make it into Apailana's service as she hoped. They denied allowing their relationship to give Ellé any advantage over her classmates, and that she had passed the tests on her own merit. With the Force Anakin was able to see that they were both telling the truth. However, the information had put them all in an awkward situation. Anakin was able to sense the borderline sensitivity in Ellé, and knew that she would be the perfect handmaiden to serve and protect his wife, and Padmé had agreed with his choice. Typho, however, had been forced under obligation to report this to the Handmaiden Panel. As luck would have it, Sabé had joined the Panel not too long ago, and had become good friends with a few members. Once Anakin and Padmé explained the situation to her, Sabé pulled some strings. By that time, Ellé had become more than just a potential handmaiden for Padmé. It had been a few months since Ahsoka left the Order, and Anakin saw her in Ellé as she had been when he first met her: young and eager to prove herself. It made Anakin want to help Ellé the way he tried and failed to help Ahsoka. In the end, Sabé convinced enough Panel members to not only not kick Ellé out of the Academy, but accept Padmé's request to have her serve as one of her handmaidens. Despite the wonderful chance to fulfill her dreams, Ellé had been saddened when her former lover Meklé had been forced to resign from the Panel despite Sabé's efforts.
Anakin didn't tell Ferus any of this because it was Ellé's private information. He was worried enough about her borderline sensitivity attracting the Empire's attention.
"In the end, we cleared everything with the Panel, and Ellé was accepted into Padmé's services," Anakin finished.
Ferus nodded, looking thoughtfully. "Does anybody in this house know about her Force sensitivity?"
Anakin thought for a minute then shook his head. "No, only Padmé, Typho, Sabé, and I knew for certain. It's possible she confided in Moteé given how close they are. Do you think somebody is threatening to turn her over to the Empire?"
"It's always a possibility, but no. I don't think Ellé is the traitor if that's what you're worried about," Ferus said.
"It's not," Anakin told him. He suddenly remembered what his wife and Sabé told him about Atinama leaves, and explained the information to Ferus.
Ferus' eyes widened with realization. "If we can put Ellé in a healing trance to help her heal faster-"
"She can tell us who served her and Eirtaé the tea," Anakin finished with a grin.
"Exactly," Ferus said, but then he frowned. "But I haven't healed anyone with the Force in years, and even back then I wasn't that good."
Anakin resisted the urge to groan. "I guess that means I have to do it, and I've only done it with Obi-wan and Ahsoka, people I've forged bonds with. Not someone who's only borderline."
"Then I guess we'll have to wait for her to wake up on her own, or risk causing further damage."
Anakin reluctantly agreed with Ferus. As much as he wanted to catch the traitor ASAP before they harmed anybody else, he didn't want to risk Ellé's life. They were lucky not to lose Ellé and Eirtaé unlike poor Vatié still lying in the Lasaras's cellar. Anakin did not envy Saché's task in telling the Bibble family and wished her luck. "I hope we can find the traitor tomorrow. The sooner the better."
Ferus agreed. "Although, I don't see it being as smooth and easy as we hope. There's a level of trust and love everyone here has for Padmé. It'd have to be something extreme to compel one of them to betray Padmé, kill Vatié, and endanger Ellé and Eirtaé's lives."
"I hope there is a reason for all this treachery, and yet I don't. Nothing can excuse this level of treachery," Anakin growled.
"Not even if the lives of your family were at stake?" Ferus countered.
Anakin faltered. He remembered the night of Order 66, waiting in the Council chambers. His thoughts, like a chaotic whirlwind. The dreams of Padmé dying and Sidious's offer to save her. Anakin remembered how scared he was. He was so terrified at the thought of losing her, he would have done anything to save her. Perhaps if he hadn't hesitated, he would have gone off to stop Windu and the Jedi. Perhaps he would have helped Palpatine and pledged his loyalty to him. Perhaps he would have saved Padmé or perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. One thing was certain, Anakin would have gladly thrown his life away if it could save Padmé and their children.
Ferus nodded. "One of the main things the Inquisitors learn is how to inflict fear and how to control. That's how they operate."
Anakin wanted to be irritated with the way he stated the obvious, but then lightning flashed. It was only for a brief second, but in that time, Anakin saw the flash of gold hanging off a string around Ferus' neck. The gold piece looked circular, and Anakin realized that it was a ring.
A wedding ring.
"You're married!"
Ferus' hand flew up to his neck, taking the ring, and hiding it under his nightshirt.
Anakin sensed the feelings that escaped his childhood rival. Embarrassment. Fear. happiness. Sadness. Determination.
"What's his name?" Anakin asked.
Ferus raised an eyebrow, obviously asking how he knew his spouse was a "he".
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Please. I've known since we were fourteen. Remember that incident on Carida?"
He would swear to his dying day, Ferus Olin was blushing.
Ferus cleared his throat. "His name is Roan. Roan Lands."
Anakin could hear and sense the love that came from saying that name. It was the same love he carried for Padmé. He waited for Ferus to continue.
"We met at a cafe a few months after I left. I was hopping from planet to planet, taking any work I could get. Then one day I just ran into Roan. We connected instantly. I never felt such a connection with anybody, not even with Siri, you know?"
"Actually, I do," Anakin said amazingly. He felt the same way with Padmé the first time they met, and the second time after ten years. Padmé may not have been Force sensitive, but Anakin knew that they were connected no matter how hard they tried to fight it at the beginning.
"We became such good friends, and when I proposed a business idea, Roan sold everything he owned, and we moved to his home planet Bellassa where we started our business. Olin and Lands. We would offer protection to whistleblowers who would testify against corrupt officials and criminal gangs, and provide them with fake identities. We did good work. One day we got married, and I was happy."
"'Was happy?'" Anakin asked, intrigued by the story.
"When the Clone wars starte, Roan and I served as officers until Order 66 happened. I managed to slip under the cracks for a while since I resigned from the Jedi so long ago, but… eventually Roan and I couldn't sit idle while the Empire enslaved our home. We started a resistance group called the Eleven. Soon the Empire was after us. One night, we had a stupid argument, and I stepped outside to cool off. One of our neighbors ratted us out and Imperial troops invaded our home. They took Roan, and I wouldn't have survived if our friends hadn't rescued me."
Ferus had to pause to control his emotions. He took a steady breath, and Anakin realized how close to crying he was.
"We made a promise to each other: if the Empire captured one of us, the other wouldn't attempt to rescue." Ferus chuckled humorlessly. "I broke that promise as soon as I was strong enough to leave my medical bed. I was on my way to Coruscant to rescue him when I ran into Obi-wan."
"And that's how you got into spying on Palpatine," Anakin surmised, beginning to connect the dots.
Ferus nodded. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to get into the Inquisitors' Program. I would keep an eye out on any Jedi or Force sensitives the Empire looked into while Obi-wan looked for Roan for me."
"Did Obi-wan find him?" Anakin asked.
Ferus shook his head. "No. I think Palpatine knew from the beginning I was a double agent. He used information on Roan to keep me in line. I knew he was being kept somewhere and that he was alive. Some days that was the only thing that kept me going under Palpatine's thumb. One day, I was trying to take as many Jedi holocrons that had survived the Purge as I could, but I was caught. By Malorum, no less. I fought my way and managed to escape."
"That's when Obi-wan sent you here to Naboo," Anakin stated. He felt himself softening towards Ferus as he listened to his story. That had been a great fear of his since the night Sidious had tortured him: to be under the man's thumb with the threat of harm to his family. Anakin knew full well that if anyone threatened his family, he would butcher them and feel no remorse.
"I know Roan's here," Ferus said. "I've felt his presence ever since Palpatine came here for the funeral."
"And you're here with us, instead of storming the palace?" Anakin was astonished. If it had been Padmé in Roan's place, Anakin would have long left their group to go rescue her.
Ferus nodded. "Yes, Palpatine knows that I was with Ryoo Thule when she died. He most likely brought Roan here, hoping to draw me out. If I attempt to go rescue him on my own without a plan, I'll most likely be taken in, and Sidious will make me watch as he kills Roan."
Anakin believed him. Sidious had threatened to kill Padmé and their unborn child if that's what it took to turn Anakin. He was torn. They had limited time left before Karrde left the system, but there was also no guarantee Palpatine would let Roan live if Ferus didn't give himself up. Well, Anakin Skywalker always enjoyed turning an impossible situation into a slightly difficult one.
"We'll find a way to get him back, Ferus."
Ferus looked at him in surprise, as if he couldn't believe what Anakin had said. "W-What? How?"
Anakin thought for a minute, ideas running through his head. "Once we find the traitor we'll figure out where Palpatine is keeping Roan, and come up with a plan to get in. Hopefully, Padmé will find that diary Palpatine's been looking for. That way if we get caught, perhaps we could barter our way out."
"You're making it sound as if we just walk in, try to trade off Roan with a diary, and hope for the best," Ferus said.
His tone reminded Anakin back in the day when Ferus would call Anakin's plans reckless. It made Anakin glare at him. "We'll figure something out."
Ferus' expression softened. "I'm sorry. Thank you, Anakin. I really appreciate your offer. I hope you know how much this means to me."
A year ago, Anakin would have thought the Seven Hells had frozen over if Ferus Olin had apologized and thanked him. Now, well the galaxy was not as it had been the last time they saw each other. Anakin felt his irritation fade away. "I might have an idea."
Ferus held up his hand, and Anakin took it.
The years of rivalry, misunderstanding, and hurt could not be undone or forgiven yet, but there was a truce in their handshake. A… sense of peace.
000{{*}}000
65 bby
"It's beautiful, Pooja," Padmé breathed in awe of the beautiful painting Pooja had gifted her. It depicted the lovers' version of the Pixie and Wraith painted by Pooja, and the wooden frame had been made by her mother out of pinewood with flowers carved into the woodwork. It was a beautiful and thoughtful gift for her seventeenth lifeday.
Pooja smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it. I had finished painting it before…" she trailed off, and Padmé understood what she had meant to say.
Before the trip to the Lake Country.
It had been weeks since the attack, and everybody was still shaken by the event. Princess Blantyre had counted up the casualties to thirteen people and tallied the injured, including Padmé, and the Queen's guards up to twenty-seven.
Padmé learned that those on Palpatine's yacht suffered more casualties compared to those on Costil's yacht. The majority of the deaths were mainly servants or bodyguards with only a couple of nobles. Many who jumped off the Palpatine's yacht nearly drowned due to their heavy clothing they forgot to remove in their haste to escape, kind of like how Padmé nearly drowned in the Queen's gown. She heard that's what nearly happened to Lady Veruna. While Xoana had been fighting off one of the attackers, Lady Veruna used the opportunity to jump out into the water to escape. However, her big billowy skirts and long heavy sleeves made it difficult for her to paddle, and she barely kept herself afloat until Xoana joined her and helped her remove the troublesome layers so they could escape.
Padmé also learned that Lady Palpatine, Sheev's mother had survived, though suffered a concussion and was being cared for at their mountain estate. Captain Blantyre and the guards who stayed behind to fight had suffered numerous injuries, most of them minor mercifully, and Liné suffered a blaster shot in the shoulder before she managed to escape.
The physical wounds had healed, but it would take a long time for the mental ones to heal if ever. Padmé had been checked by a medical droid who said that she hadn't suffered any brain damage from her near death experience, but she still had nightmares of her attackers chasing her and her friends, and of herself drowning. She knew Celestine and the handmaidens were having nightmares as well when they managed to fall asleep. Makeup could only cover so much.
The assassin they had caught had refused to answer any questions, and he had attempted to take his own life three times now just as Celestine had feared. The only information Blantyre and their experts had found on him was that he and the other attackers were most likely from the Assassin's Guild. It would take months of investigation to track down this guild and discover who had hired so many assassins.
Meanwhile, Celestine and her staff were busy contacting the families of the victims, and making arrangements for their funerals and medical bills.
"Thank you for the painting, Pooja. I love it," Padmé said, wanting to show Pooja how grateful she was to her.
Pooja smiled. "I'm glad. Actually, I was wanting to ask you for a favor."
"Anything," Padmé replied.
"Well, you know Monié has been taking art classes at the university, and one of the topics is Naboo Mythology. She had an idea for a painting this summer, and was hoping that I would ask you if she could use you for a model," Pooja suggested.
Padmé looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. "Me? Um- Well- I'm flattered, but is she sure she wants me to be her model? Didn't you say the topic was Naboo Mythology?"
"Yes, and the character she's painting, she says would be perfect if you modeled for it."
"I don't know, Pooja. I mean, I don't see myself as beauty model worthy," Padmé said. It was true. Ryoo was the beautiful Lydonia daughter, and Padmé was also worried about having time in between her duties to Secretary Bowen and keeping an ear out on the nobles for Celestine.
"Please Padmé? Monié is twelve and shy, and there are few people she feels comfortable enough to spend hours at a time with. It will be nighttime when all the officials have gone home. She says it's for dramatic effect in her painting," Pooja added in the last sentence when she saw the look on Padmé's face.
Padmé sighed. "Who would I be posing as?"
"Veré."
"Veré, the immortal beauty who sacrificed her eternal life to save her mortal lover Set and live a mortal life with him? That Veré?"
"Well, I don't know any other Verés in Naboo mythology," Pooja snarked. Her expression softened as if she could sense Padmé's insecurities. "Please Padmé. You're more beautiful than you give yourself credit for. You obviously don't notice the looks you catch when you walk by, especially from the males."
Padmé blushed. If she agreed, her evenings would be taken up, and she wouldn't be able to spend much time with Sheev. Yet this seemed important enough to Monié that Pooja was practically begging Padmé.
Padmé sighed. "You're lucky I love you."
Pooja smiled and threw her arms around Padmé. "Thank you so much."
Padmé rolled her eyes, but she smiled and returned the hug. When they pulled away, Padmé moved the painting behind the desk to take home later.
"We better get going. The Queen's having lunch with Secretary Bowen."
Padmé nodded, grabbing a datapad she carried just in case. "Yes, Bowen is bringing in his daughter Fayé to visit her aunt."
"Good. I know Nadié always loves seeing her niece. Although, I have to ask, this isn't a power play for a favor is it?" Pooja asked cautiously.
Padmé paused, thinking, and then shook her head. "No. I think ever since he broke things off with Senator Maddox, he's become more and more burnt out with politics. I think he's planning on stepping down once Celestine's terms end and a new monarch is elected."
Pooja looked relieved. "Good. Her Highness has been stressed enough since the attack. She needs a break to spend quality time with her family."
"Her father will be joining them today, won't he?" Padmé asked as they left her office and made their way to the Queen's quarters.
Pooja nodded. "Yes, President Cesare just returned from a relief mission on Serenno. There's been an outbreak of pirates attacking and kidnapping people ever since the late Count Dooku was killed a year ago, and now the new count has done nothing so far to track down the pirates or the missing people."
After reaching the lift and then going through security, the women finally reached the Queen's chambers. Her private dining room was ready with servants from the kitchen setting out trays and trays of food.
Padmé could feel her mouth watering at the sight and smells. Everything looked so delicious.
Secretary Bowen was already there, his young daughter swinging her legs as she sat next to him on the recliner next to the large window overlooking the waterfalls outside.
Padmé made her way over to them.
"Fayé , look who it is," Bowen nudged his daughter.
The little girl looked up and smiled. "Hi Paddy."
Padmé smiled. "Hello Fayé ."
Although she could see traces traces of Bowen, Fayé seemed to take more from the Cesares's side of the family. Padmé had seen a holo of Fayé 's mother, Tifaya Cesare in the Queen's bedroom once during one of her reports. Tifaya had died from birthing complications around the time of Celestine's reelection. She had been beautiful with an enchanting smile and her absence had left a hole in her family, as well as her community. In whispers Padmé had heard that she had been a bitter rival of Senator Maddox's, and some found that her death seemed suspicious and convenient.
Before Padmé could contemplate further, a steward came in and announced the Queen's arrival. "Her Highness, Queen Celestine and President Cesare of the Refugee Relief Movement."
The Queen and her father entered the room, eliciting curtsies and bows from everyone.
Fayé however squealed and ran towards her aunt. "Aunt Naddy!"
The Queen, in her long billowy gown, and heavy headdress, kneeled down to the floor to catch her niece in her arms. "Hello Fayé. My, you've gotten so big!"
Fayé wrapped her arms around Celestine's neck and giggled. "I'll be turning four next week. Do you have my present?"
"Present?" Celestine gasped. "I didn't know we were supposed to have it ready now."
"You'll have to wait until your Life Day, Sweetie. Now come on. Let your aunt get up so we can eat," Bowen said as he came up to them.
Fayé released her grip on Celestine, and President Cesare helped her back onto her feet. Once she was steady, he then lifted his granddaughter to the air. The little girl squealed and laughed. As she watched the family interact, Padmé was smiling. Already she could see the tension and stress in Celestine ease away. Secretary Bowen seemed more at ease for the first time in weeks. Even President Cesare seemed years younger as he tossed and played with little Fayé. The sight warmed Padmé 's heart.
Princess Blantyre joined them and everybody sat down to eat. Captain Blantyre stood beside Celestine while her handmaidens were positioned around the room, observing as the servants served the table's inhabitants. As Padmé sipped her goober fish stew, she listened to the conversations.
Cesare asked where Celestine and Blantyre would live once her terms ended and they could announce their engagement in public.
"Papa!" Celestine scolded while Blantyre shifted nervously beside her.
"What? I'm only asking. It's only natural for a father to wonder about his daughter's future."
Padmé felt a little embarrassed for the couple. She was one of the few who knew for certain of their secret relationship. She glanced at Viola who sat across from her at the table, and found an amused grin on the Princess's face. She was probably enjoying her brother's embarrassment towards his future father-in-law.
Dessert was soon served. There were slices of surra fruit with whipped cream and nut caramel to dip them into, along with candied Chee-chee berries.
fayé instantly snatched a couple of berries before the plate was even set on the table.
"Slow down, Fayé ," Bowen admonished. "Remember your manners."
Padmé smiled at the little girl, but as she watched the kitchen girl serve the desserts, she felt something was off. When the girl reached Padmé and began to serve her, Padmé finally realized what was wrong. The kitchen girl was serving with her left hand instead of her right, and as she set the Chee-chee berries down and reached for the surra fruit, Padmé noticed her sleeve ride up enough to see the beginnings of a dark tattoo. Alarms went off in her head, but she managed to keep herself calm and composed as she asked. "Are you new?"
The girl stopped, as did all conversations at the table, and everybody's eyes were on them.
The kitchen girl tried to smile, but her nervousness was obvious. "I am. Is there a problem, Miss?"
Padmé's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "When did you start working?"
"About three days ago."
Padmé shook her head. "No, I visit the palace kitchens daily. I know everybody's face, and I would have noticed you."
"Y-You must have missed me," the girl stuttered.
"I know the head chef as well. She would never let someone so new serve the Queen and her company, especially left-handed. Etiquette requires you to serve with your right to avoid crossing arms with the patron. Who are you really?"
There was tension in the air. Blantyre and the handmaidens looked like nexus ready to spring at her, while everybody at the table looked at Padmé and the kitchen girl with worry. The silence broke when Fayé began to violently cough.
"fayé !" her father and aunt cried out.
The kitchen girl reacted, pulling out a vibroknife with her eyes targeted on the Queen.
By instinct, Padmé grabbed the silver tray on the table and slammed it against her back. The force was enough to knock her off balance and allow Liné and Pooja to tackle her down and subdue her. As the fake servant was being taken care of, Fayé began to cough up blood.
"Sagé!" Celestine cried out.
Blantyre yelled for the guards and the medic.
The handmaiden ran over to the little girl's side and felt her pulse. "Her pulse is dropping. She needs to get to a hospital now!"
Bowen picked up his daughter and ran. Celestine, President Cesare, and Princess Blantyre quickly followed him. Once she was certain the attacker was secured, Padmé hurried after them, and prayed to Shiraya and all the Naboo gods and spirits.
000{{*}}000
Back home in Claines, they didn't have a large hospital, only a small medcenter that did checkups and treated minor cases. If it was an emergency, patients were flown to the nearest hospital that could provide the care they needed. The few times Padmé had gone to see the doctor with her mother, she always hated it, and today was no exception as they waited for news about Fayé.
Celestine sat next to her brother-in-law in the waiting room, still wearing her big sunset gown. President Cesare was restlessly pacing back and forth. All five of the Queen's handmaidens were positioned throughout the room, keeping guard around her. Several of the Queen's guards had been ordered to stand guard throughout the hospital inside and outside. Finally, Padmé sat off to the side, observing everybody.
She had commed Luke and then her sister to let them know that a situation had arisen and that most likely she would not be home until late that night. They had been worried, but Padmé was not allowed to speak of the attack yet. However, she assured them that she was fine and safe.
Captain Blantyre entered the waiting room, looking very haggard and beaten down. Padmé and Celestine both stood up from their chairs and made their way over to him.
"What did you find?" Celestine- actually Nadié since they had to wipe off her makeup due to her tears smear- demanded.
Blantyre sighed. "The girl is Ceramé Tullu, sixteen years old, and lives at Lake Paonga. She admits to poisoning the chee-chee berries, and that she was planning to assassinate the Queen herself if the poison didn't work."
Padmé felt her anger boiling, and she knew Nadié was using every ounce of her will-power not to go to Ceramé Tullu and kill her with her bare hands.
"Why did she do it?" Padmé demanded.
"She claims her main target had been the Queen because she disliked many of her policies, but I had one of my guys slice into her personal file, and found around fifty thousand credits deposited into her account," Blantyre answered.
"So she was paid to do it? What about the tattoo I saw on her wrist?" Padmé asked.
"From what we learned, the tattoo is a colo claw fish. It's what members of some gangs down at Lake Paonga get when they're brought in. She does have a criminal record for breaking and entering, but my guess is that she owed her boss a great deal of money who was probably threatening her life as well, and that's why she took the job."
"How did she get past security?" Nadié whispered, throwing a cautious look at her still brother-in-law.
"I had my men look into it. She was hired three days ago, but as a dishwasher. She would have been stationed outside the main kitchen area which is probably why you didn't notice her until today."
Padmé conceded to that point even though it still pricked her. She always tried to pay attention to the servants. Now because of her negligence, an innocent child's life was at stake.
She was surprised when all of a sudden, Blantyre kneeled before the Queen, removed his captain's hat, and then pulled out a vibroblade to hand to Celestine. She could hear gasps from the handmaidens and Princess Blantyre, and see President Cesare stop pacing, Celestine's shocked expression, and even Bowen's attention was caught for Padmé to know how shocked everybody was at Blantyre's actions.
Padmé realized what he was doing and it horrified her. The handmaidens had explained to her the oaths they and the Royal Guard took, binding themselves to protect their mistress/master with their lives, and if failing them, subjecting themselves to punishment. Padmé had heard stories of handmaidens committing suicide for failing to protect their Queen, or guards who were executed because the assassin had killed the King's children. Such practices hadn't been used since the second century the Naboo had settled on the planet. They were less strict, but in some extreme cases the guard or handmaiden were executed either by their mistress/master or by their head guard. Padmé knew that Blantyre was overwhelmed with guilt, but he did not deserve to subjugate himself to honorable execution.
Celestine seemed to think so too. "Captain Andrei Blantyre, get back on your feet. Now!" Tears were falling down her face as she ordered her head of security and fiance.
"I failed to protect you, Your Highness, and now my failure endangered an innocent child, your niece's life. I do not deserve to serve you any longer."
Bowen got up and stormed over to Blantyre and forcefully pulled him to his feet. "Forget your kriffing honor! You want to make things right? You find out the karking bastard who sent that fracking cur who tried to kill my daughter!"
Whatever Blantyre was going to say next was cut off when Dr. Renamé Corma, Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, and Sagé's mother came into the waiting room. She had been in charge of treating Fayé when she was brought in. Now, as she removed her surgical mask, Padmé felt her heart stopping as she read the grim and sad look in her eyes.
"Dr. Corma," Bowen released Blantyre and looked at her.
The older woman sadly shook her head. "We did all we could, but the poison acted faster than we could. I'm so sorry. She's gone."
Padmé watched as Bowen's knees collapsed under him, and she rushed over to him. She held him in her arms as he sobbed. She distantly heard the others crying and yelling in the background, but her focus was on Bowen.
She remembered the first day she started working for him, remembering all the rumors about him sleeping with his father-in-law's girlfriend. She remembered him mentoring her, and showing her the ropes on dealings within the palace and the planet. She remembers him with his daughter Fayé, and the love and happiness she brought to him.
She remembered little Fayé. sweet and innocent little Fayé who liked having her nanny chase after her, have her Aunt Naddy weave flowers into her hair, and hide under her father's desk. Fayé, who had her whole life ahead of her to grow up, go to school, follow her dreams, marry the love of her life, and have a family, but was cut off from ever doing any of those things.
As Bowen cried into her shoulder, and Padmé felt herself mourning the loss of Fayé Bowen, she swore that she would find the person responsible for her death. The corruption was growing more bold and more deadly, but she would not stop.
Padmé would continue to fight the corruption destroying her planet and the lives of the people around her.
Padmé Lydonia would not stop until her planet, her friends, and family were safe and free from tyranny.
000{{*}}000
Not going to lie, but writing the last part of this chapter got me emotional. Lydonia is going to become more fierce in her spying and investigation. Unfortunately, things are going to become more dangerous from here on out.
To go back to Anakin and Ferus's conversation, I wanted to show more about Ferus's perspective. For those of you who don't like him, I have a reason for writing him in this story. For those of you who do like him, fair warning I haven't read the Legends Jedi Quest series, so some aspects of him are most likely going to be different, but I'll do my best.
Thank you so much. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter.