Hi everyone, and Merry Christmas. It's been a stressful season so far. I've been tugged back and forth between work and family gatherings, and I've nearly bankrupted myself in the Christmas shopping, but between all of that I managed to write out this next chapter.
Padmé makes a decision regarding Motée and Yané while also discovering more information. Great-Aunt Lydonia begins her investigation of a plasma mine run by a possible corrupt manager.
Enjoy!
Chapter 23
When Padmé entered the Legislative Youth Program at the age of eight, one of her mentors had warned her of the trials in a politician's life. They warned her of all the hard work, the feeling of burning out, the few rewards, and the dangers of corruption.
"Never take what someone says at true value if there's something to be gained on their end."
Padmé never fully understood the truth of their warnings until she entered the court of King Veruna as Princess of Theed. The majority of the court was in Veruna's pocket, and Padmé had few allies to help her. Among the few she trusted was Senator Sheev Palpatine, her mentor and friend. He helped her choose which of the members to trust and who to investigate. Then when Veruna abdicated, Padmé exposed all his allies' corruption, and was elected Queen of Naboo. She replaced the vacated seats with people she knew were hard-working and cared for the people instead of their own gains. After the Blockade, the court of Amidala was united to rebuild their homeplanet and clean out the corruption Veruna and Tapalo had inflicted upon them. Over her two terms, Padmé had relaxed her guard, believing in her allies and friends to help her in leading their people to a better future.
When her terms ended and the newly elected Queen asked her to serve as senator however, Padmé Amidala was given a harsh reminder. The Senate was a completely different stage to the Naboo court. Unlike the time when she was Princess or Queen, Padmé learned that she could not depend on Palpatine if she wanted to gain a foothold. She did not know who to trust at first. She became friends with Senator Mina Bonteri of Onderon, and after a struggle became allies and later friends with Senators Bail Organa of Alderaan, Mon Mothma of Chandrila, Anaconda Far "Uncle Ono," and many other senators. Then the Separatist movement began, and Padmé discovered a new sense of betrayal when Mina and several other senators she had worked with left the Republic. Then the war began, and there were few left in her diminishing circle of allies she knew she could depend on. Some stayed for their planet's interests and others for their own personal ones, but Padmé knew she could depend on Bail, Mon, and Uncle Ono until he too was betrayed and murdered by his own aid. Padmé felt the ultimate betrayal as she watched Sheev Palpatine, her former mentor, advisor, ally, and friend destroy the very democracy she had fought to preserve and protect, order her arrest, send thousands of troops to destroy the Jedi Temple, kill everyone inside including her husband, and declare the Republic an Empire.
Or so she thought.
Now she felt as if the knife in her back had been twisted as she looked upon Motée and Yané.
When Padmé had returned from her risky visit to the Greduns, Anakin and Sabé had filled her in on everything that had happened this morning from finding Vatié's bag, their ploy, Motée's attempt to flee, and Eirtaé waking up to say it was Yané who had poisoned her and Ellé.
Everyone had gathered in the parlor, even Eirtaé and the newly awakened Ellé. Both women were still weak, sitting down on the sofas with Rabé helping Eirtaé sit up, and Dormé assisting Ellé, the youngest handmaiden looking so sad and betrayed as she looked upon Motée. Padmé sat in a chair as if she was the Queen of Naboo sitting on her throne again with Anakin, Ferus, and Sabé by her sides. Saché stood behind the sofa where Rabé and Eirtaé sat while Typho stood behind the one Dormé and Ellé were sitting, all eyes on the two accused traitors. Both women were on their knees with their heads bowed, neither one having spoken a word since Aankin and Sabé had caught them both.
This was a situation Padmé had hoped and prayed she would never be in. Since their foundation, the sisterhood of handmaidens had followed a strict code. Padmé remembered how Panaka had explained the duties of a handmaiden, and later reading up on the information Phoenia had provided for her to know and understand the rules and laws in dealing with them. It's what made her trust them with practically everything in her life, believing she had friends and companions who could help her and always have her back. She never worried she would have to act as judge, jury, and maybe executioner to them. Until now.
"Yané Carinda. Motée Sensari. The two of you stand accused of betraying your mistress, endangering her, and harming your sister handmaidens. How do you plead?" She forced her voice to be strong and not show any pain, grief, or guilt she felt. She was projecting the mask she had formed and worn when she was Queen, pushing aside Padmé Naberrie Skywalker and letting Amidala come out and take control.
"Guilty, My Lady," Motée admitted. She didn't even try to deny or defend herself.
Padmé looked upon Yané who hadn't raised her head up either. "I am guilty as well, My Lady, but Motée isn't. She was just trying to help me."
"Yané-"
It was so subtle an outsider could have missed it, but Padmé had worked with her handmaidens for over a decade to recognize the signs. It was a slight twitch of two fingers, but Padmé had used it plenty of times to know Yané was signaling Motée to be silent. What was this? Padmé thought of everything Anakin and Sabé had told her, as well as everything she knew about Yané and Motée's whereabouts in recent days and their history. Something wasn't right. Before the Empire's formation, her original handmaidens had wanted nothing to do with Motée so she and Yané would have never associated with each other unless it had to do with Padmé herself. Other than that, nothing connected them. Perhaps Motée was innocent. Perhaps her foolish attempt to sneak out had been out of fear and paranoia. But then, why would she admit guilt and try to protest when Yané defended her? Something was missing, and Padmé was determined to find out what it was.
"Explain why you are guilty, but Motée isn't."
Yané brought her head up, trying not to show any emotion on her face like she had been taught as a handmaiden. Padmé could tell she was trying to hide her fear, and noticed that she couldn't bring her eyes to meet Padmé's own.
"I needed atinama leaves, but I couldn't leave the hospital I worked at without drawing suspicion. I contacted Motée and told her I had ordered a refill of one of Saché's prescriptions to be dropped off at our apartment, and asked her to go get it and bring it here for me," Yané explained.
Padmé turned her head and looked at Ellé. The younger woman looked distressed and heartbroken, but she was able to understand what Padmé was silently asking.
"Yesterday before the rains started, I was too busy checking my half of the house perimeter and then making tea for General Skywalker. I never realized where she was the whole time," Ellé admitted.
Padmé turned her gaze back to Motée. "Is this true?"
The once handmaiden lifted her gaze, and Padmé saw a glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when Anakin spoke up. "Remember there are two former Jedi here, so try not to lie."
Padmé sensed the restrained anger in her husband, and hoped that he would keep a hold on it while they got to the bottom of this.
Motée closed her mouth then glanced towards Yané. It seemed like she was trying to convey an apology towards her before she turned back to Padmé. "I was contacted to retrieve a medical package for Yané, but it wasn't Yané who contacted me."
Padmé leaned forward in her seat. "Who contacted you?"
Motée looked scared. She glanced back at Yané who was furiously shaking her head as tears fell down her face.
This couldn't be acting. There were few things that could shake her handmaidens, but Padmé had believed in Lolo Purr's act that she had been attacked and nearly killed before her deception had been uncovered. But what if it wasn't an act? A voice whispered inside Padmé's head. What if someone was really scaring her former handmaidens into doing this?
"I want to help, and I need to know what or who has caused you to do this," she told them kindly. Both women looked so scared. Padmé thought about what she knew and realized something. "The person behind this is the one who took your children away, isn't it?" she asked Yané. the expression on her old friend's face told Padmé she had guessed right.
"Yané," Saché breathed. Her voice sounded betrayed and heartbroken. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell any of us?"
"I couldn't," Yané whispered. She sank down from her kneeling position, and her tears flowed down her face. "She said that her position allowed her to keep them from me, and if I didn't follow her, she-" A sob escaped her.
The implications were clear to Padmé. She could feel her blood boiling with anger to rival her husband's who was also seething beside her.
Ferus was the one who asked the next question. "She? Who?"
Yané took a steadying breath before she answered. "Tessé Yelnina."
Yelnina.
Padmé should have known. After Moré's death, Padmé had her people keep an eye out on the Yelnina family. Half the reason was in memory of Moré, the other half was out of concern that her former political adversary would try to cause trouble during her time as Queen. She remembered all the trouble Aros Yelnina had caused her and the harm he nearly did while she was Princess of Theed. From nearly involving her in a scandal that entailed a the royal treasury being compromised, kidnapping her and Sabé to keep her from interfering in an important meeting of the Royal Council, to drugging and leaving her out on Veruna's bed to be raped. Thankfully she had been saved from those situations by Palpatine, her security, and Sabé as well as other situations that had nearly destroyed her and her political career. If Aros had been willing to use such diabolical tactics, it shouldn't have surprised her that he had raised his daughter to do the same, like threatening little children.
Eventually, she regained her voice to ask. "What leverage does she have on you, Motée?"
While Motée seemed more inclined to talk, she seemed just as distressed as Yané. She began to speak. "You know about my parents' families: the Sensaris and Klistorins?"
Padmé did as did the other handmaidens and Typho, but not Anakin and Ferus.
Motée explained. "The Sensaris and Klistorins are ambitious people, but by my parents' generation they had hoped that by intermarriage to produce Force-sensitive children that could be sent and trained at the Jedi Temple. My parents were tested and showed the highest midi-chlorian count among their other family members, so my grandparents arranged their marriage to produce a possible Jedi in the family. But when their marriage produced my sister and I, neither of us Force-sensitive, my parents saw no use in maintaining their sham of a marriage and divorced. I was ten years old."
Padmé remembered all this when she first accepted Motée as her handmaiden, and it still disgusted her what the Sensaris and Klistorins did in forcing their children to marry, produce children they didn't want and discard them all for ambition and glory.
Motée continued. "We grew up feeling inadequate. My sister Klisté found a way to funnel her feelings into politics. When the Blockade happened and we lost our mother, Klisté led the reconstruction efforts in our homeside with me by her side. We gained popularity, and Klisté was urged to run for Queen in the upcoming elections. Around that time the Separatist movement had begun. I was involved with a man, Kharl, who had sympathies for the movement."
Motée paused, and Padmé could tell that this was hard for her to talk about. She could sense everyone's interest, wondering where this was leading.
"He was… different. He was passionate and made me feel loved, but with the elections coming, I ended our relationship so I wouldn't invite any scandal to Klisté's campaign. He left for the planet Nooroyo and I never saw him again. Shortly after he left, I discovered I was pregnant."
Padmé didn't have to be a Jedi to sense everyone's surprise.
"I kept my pregnancy secret throughout the election and in the beginning of Klisté's reign, and I gave birth to a boy, Cortin."
"Your godson," Ellé said, shocked by Motée's revelation.
Motée nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. "They tested him, and it proved that he was Force-sensitive, but he was too young to be sent to the Jedi Temple yet. To avoid any scandal, my family arranged my cousins, Toki Klistorin on my mother's side, Hastré Sensari, another couple whose marriage they arranged, to claim him and raise him as their own son until he was old enough to join the Jedi, but then the war started. Hastré and I couldn't bear to send him away after hearing about all the Jedi being killed on the battlefield, so we kept him and denied our family's wishes to send him away as he grew older. Then the Purges happened and every Jedi from young to elderly being murdered."
Motée had to stop, a couple of sobs escaped her while everyone looked at her in shock.
Padmé couldn't believe it. She had allowed Dormé and Typho to go through her file and interview her before accepting her as a handmaiden, and yet judging by their expressions, neither of them had known either. What Motée had to have gone through… to sacrifice her love for her sister's career and give up her child… Padmé could sympathize with her. When she found out about her pregnancy, Padmé knew her political career days were numbered. She had hidden her growing pregnancy for months, wanting to tell Anakin before the media found out, but also to help as much as she could in the Senate before she was forced to step down. Even though her generation had slowly stopped looking down at out-of-wedlock pregnancy, it was still frowned upon and add to the fact that if anyone found out that Anakin was the father and her secret Jedi husband, it was political suicide to her career. Padmé had used to fear the Jedi Council taking her child away due to being Anakin's child and being as strong in the Force as him. So yes, she could empathize with Motée's situation.
"Did Tessé find out?" Sabé asked for her.
Motée nodded. "Yes. I don't know how, but the other day Hastré had commed me. Stormtroopers were searching their neighborhood before the call ended abruptly. I received a transmission from Tessé, telling me that Hastré and Toki had been arrested, and that she had Cortin in her custody."
She looked at Padmé desperately. "She threatened to hand him over to Palpatine's Inquisitors. They say the Inquisitors take Force-sensitive children and they're never seen again. Please! I don't care what happens to me, but Cortin is only six years old. He's a good kid. He loves chocolate covered Chee-Chee berries, and he wants to be a swoop racer when he grows up. If the Empire finds out about him-" Motée broke into a series of sobs.
Padmé stared at her friend and former handmaiden, her mind trying to process the information of her having a secret illegitimate child who was Force-sensitive, and was now in the hands of the woman who also had Yané's twins and was threatening both mothers into doing her bidding. She turned to glance at her husband.
He seemed torn. Padmé did not have the Force to sense his feelings, but she knew his body language to have an idea what he was thinking. On one hand, he seemed like he wanted to strangle both women or perhaps Tessé. On the other hand, she saw the thoughtful look in his eyes to know he was thinking of their children, Luke and Leia. Their birth had been traumatic on both of them, but the moment Anakin and Padmé had held them in their arms they had been united like they had never been since the day they married. They had vowed to love and protect their children with all that they were from anyone who would dare to threaten the Skywalker twins. The idea of Palpatine discovering them and using the twins, twisting them until they became monsters under the Sith had haunted both Anakin and Padmé's nightmares. Padmé Naberrie Skywalker, the wife and mother sympathized and understood the position both Yané and Motée were in. However, Eirtaé, Ellé, Vatié, and Karté's friend demanded answers, no matter how it broke her heart.
"Why did Tessé order you to poison Eirtaé and Ellé? What else have you done for her?"
Motée answered first. "Tessé has been trying to solidify her position for Senator. With Palpatine removing Jar Jar, the Senator's position has been coveted by Palpatine's followers and your enemies. Tessé hopes to secure his favor by getting information on yours and General Skywalker's whereabouts."
Yané added in, "She had my children taken from me a week ago. For their safety, she told me to keep her appraised of what we handmaidens did as well as any word we learned about you and General Skywalker. When you returned to Naboo and word of your sightings got out, I was to keep an eye on you both. I told her about your search for your great-aunt's diary and then her history with Palpatine. She seemed very interested in that. I think she hoped that by securing it first she would gain Palpatine's approval."
"But why did she have you drug Eirtaé and Ellé?" Anakin asked.
"Eirtaé is a political rival of Tessé's who has been openly against her replacing Jar Jar in the Senate, and she has no leverage on Ellé that nobody knows about, and therefore sees her as a loose cannon she can't have when she enters the Senate. I think she wanted to cause chaos in the house. Divide us and make us do something irrational," Motée answered.
"Do you realize how much danger you put Eirtaé and Ellé's lives in last night? Ellé looks up to you as her mentor and best friend, Motée, and Yané, you and Eirtaé served together for eight years and are close friends. Do you know how close you came to killing them last night?" Padmé asked, struggling to contain her rage as she stared down her two former handmaidens (friends?).
Both women lowered their heads in shame, even as Yané explained. "I measured the Atinama leaves and was careful in how I boiled them. My goal was to ensure Eirtaé and Ellé only drunk enough to cause the hallucinations without being fatal."
"You deliberately provoked Ellé last night," Eirtaé spoke up from her perch. "I remember now. You purposely allowed her to hear my dealing with Panaka a while back and made her think I was the traitor."
Yané nodded as fresh tears fell from her eyes. "I never wanted to harm you or anyone here."
"And what about Vatié and Karté?" Sabé angrily asked them.
The two women looked up, startled. "What?"
"Don't deny it. Vatié was killed because she discovered who was sending messages out. And Karté was murdered because someone told Panaka she was planning to poison him. You yourself blamed me for involving her which led to her death, or was it to deflect blame from yourself?"
Yané looked surprised and outraged. "How dare you- I had nothing to do with Karté's death or Vatié's. Karté was my friend. When I was struggling with my medical classes, Karté was the one who helped me study, and encouraged me to keep at it. Vatié was my friend too, and I couldn't have killed her based on where I was at the time of her death. Take my comm and see for yourself."
She handed her commlink to Anakin who checked her locator's records. After a minute, Anakin found out Yané had been leaving the hospital around the time Saché had stumbled upon Vatié's body, and had not left the premises since coming in to work that morning. He showed the evidence to Padmé, proving that Yané indeed hadn't been the one to murder Vatié.
Padmé turned to Motée. "And you Motée?"
Motée shook her head vigorously. "No, I swear on my oath as a handmaiden and my child's life I had nothing to do with either of their deaths."
"Can you swear that neither of you contacted Panaka on what you knew?" Sabé asked skeptically.
"Yes!" both women answered.
"After the way he betrayed Padmé and how he'd been willing to turn Eirtaé in and threaten her family, we both kept our distance from him," Yané answered. "The reason Tessé managed to get us was because she had better legal connections to take our children and place us under her thumb."
Padmé looked at her husband who returned her gaze.
They're telling the truth, his eyes told her.
Padmé was a mix of relief, tension, and worry. Neither Yané nor Motée had answered to Panaka, and neither had either of them killed Vatié and Karté. But if it wasn't them…
"What about Malorum? Did either of you talk to him?" she asked them.
They both denied it even more furiously than they did with Panaka. Padmé believed them. But if it wasn't either of them that killed Vatié or turned Karté over then that left Rabé or Typho, unless they were missing something. Padmé still needed to punish Yané and Motée. While neither of them had murdered their sister handmaidens, by the Handmaiden's Code they had betrayed their mistress and sisters by endangering Eirtaé and Ellé's lives and betraying Padmé's secrets. But they did it to save their children, that voice whispered inside Padmé. She thought of her twins Luke and Leia. If someone had taken them and used them against her, would she do the same? Padmé wanted to say no, but she couldn't honestly be sure.
No, she would find another way to save her children instead of betraying her morales. But she couldn't leave three innocent children in the hands of Tessé Yelnina. Padmé made her decision.
"Rabé!"
Her friend jumped, startled.
"I want you to hack into Tessé's security system, give me the layout of Yelnina mansion and any security she has, and what inhabitants are there right now."
Rabé was a skilled slicer back in the day, and even after completing her service and becoming a dancer, she had maintained those skills to help Padmé over the years during the war. She looked surprised and confused at Padmé's order at first, but then she nodded and took out a datapad to begin her work.
"Padmé?" Sabé asked.
"We have three children to rescue before Tessé realizes the game is up," Padmé told her before she turned back to Yané and Motée's surprised faces. "As a mother myself I understand your betrayal, but do not excuse it. We will rescue Cortin, Mimé, and Zinyé from Tessé, and then I will sentence you to whatever punishment I deem necessary. Understood?"
The surprised women could do no more than nod their heads. Padmé turned to the rest of her friends and former handmaidens. "Are there any objections?"
Everyone was obviously surprised by Padmé's verdict. Eirtaé looked like she wanted to protest, but seemed to accept Padmé's decision and said nothing. The cold acceptance stung Padmé. Typho looked like he wanted to object as well, but kept silent. Rabé, Dormé, Saché, and even Ellé (despite the betrayal she probably still felt) looked relieved. There were no objections to Padmé's verdict.
"It will be dark in a few hours. That will be the best time to break into Tessé's home and rescue the children."
The next few hours were spent devising a plan to invade the Yelnina Mansion. For a Senator, Padmé had a smaller security team compared to some of her colleagues, at least when she was home on Naboo. The Yelninas had a more strict security system and with the recent events it was bound to be even more tight. The landscape was slightly larger than Eirtaé's, but no doubt the rains had made it swampy and muddy. There were only a few live guards, the rest of security was made of droids according to what Rabé had uncovered.
Yané and Motée were being watched closely, offering what intel they had on the inside of the mansion in order to narrow down where the children would be kept. There were arguments on who should be where, but they figured out what everyone would do, how they would find the children, and deal with Tessé. Their last order of business was where to go after the rescue.
"If Tessé knows we've all been hiding here this whole time we're compromised. We'll have to go to another place to hide until we can get offplanet," Padmé stated.
"My grandfather would be willing to hide us at least for a night," Typho suggested.
Padmé could feel Anakin bristle, wanting to protest when she spoke up. "That will work."
She believed Lieutenant Panaka would help them and protect them as best as he could. They wouldn't be able to stay long in case his son showed up, but it would be enough for them to catch their breath before finding another safehouse.
There were a couple of hours left before it was dark enough to make their move. In the meantime, everyone gathered their belongings, knowing that they wouldn't be able to return. It broke Padmé's heart seeing Eirtaé grab a few momentos and leave the rest behind. As difficult as her family was, and the bad history associated with this place, it was Eirtaé's home. If they did this: invade a newly appointed Senator's home, all of Padmé's friends would become outlaws. They would be forced to run and never return as long as the Empire was in power. It was a lot Padmé was asking of them.
She was alone in the library, staring at the burning flames in the fireplace when she heard her husband approach her.
"I don't regret my decision," she told him before he spoke.
Anakin sighed behind her. "I know better than to argue with you over that. I actually approve your decision to rescue the children, but I've got to ask: are you sure we can trust Yané and Motée?"
Padmé turned to face Anakin, her expression thoughtful. "I thought about this hard. I put myself in their shoes. If it was Luke or Leia, I-" she cut herself off.
Anakin's hardened expression softened a little.
Padmé took a deep breath to calm herself. "It is difficult to judge someone when they do such things for their children. Do I forgive Yané and Motée for endangering Eirtaé and Ellé, and betraying my trust? No. I don't know if I ever will after this. But I cannot in good conscience let their children's lives be kept in the hands of a dangerous woman."
"I know," Anakin softly whispered, taking Padmé's hands in his own.
"Tell me Anakin, please," Padmé begged as she looked up into her husband's eyes. "Were Yané and Motée telling the truth about Karté and Vatié? That neither of them had anything to do with their deaths?"
"I sensed no deception from either of them. Based on the timing, Yané wouldn't have been able to leave the hospital and come back, and I remember talking to Motée right before Saché found Vatié. She wasn't wet or damp at all anywhere which means she had gotten those leaves before it started raining, making it too early for her to have killed Vatié and slip back inside without a clue."
Padmé accepted Anakin's answer, and nodded before turning to look out the window. The rain had paused in its downfall, but there were still rumbles of thunder going on in the clouds.
"Saché told Governor Bibble about Vatié," she informed Anakin. She felt his grip tighten around her hands. "Once we leave the Lasara Home, Saché will send a signal to him to come and retrieve his daughter's body."
She, Sabé, Saché, and Dormé had done the best they could to wash Vatié's body of the mud and traces of blood they found, not wanting Bibble to see how his daughter had been found. While they were washing her, that's when Padmé had found a clue that had been missed the first time they had looked at her.
"Ani," Padmé whispered, feeling small and frightened. "I found something on Vatié as we were cleaning her."
000{{*}}000
65 BBY
Padmé was thoroughly checking the notes on her datapad, trying to ignore the knots she felt in her stomach.
After finally being cleared from the doctor, the Queen had assigned Padmé to join Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort's investigation of the Talstrine's plasma mine in the western hemisphere, hundreds of klicks from Theed. Among their entourage was Lady Veruna's assistant and "handmaiden" Xoana. Because Lady Tonsort's assistant was sick and unable to come, and PAdmé herself had no assistant, Celestine had given them two of her handmaidens, Liné and Veta, to work undercover and help out with the investigation. The last member of their group was Gregor. Padmé had followed through on her promise to Sheev, swallowing her pride, and asking Celestine for a bodyguard while on this mission. The Queen had accepted her request and agreed to loan her Gregor to help watch over her as well as provide an extra pair of eyes on this mission.
Padmé hoped that their large group wouldn't gather too much suspicion from Lord Talstrine and his men. Lady Tonsort was the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lady Veruna was the Political and Economic Advisor, and Padmé, while not the official secretary, was in charge of Bowen's duties in his absence, so it was logical that they came to inspect the mines. Liné, Veta, and Xoana, while handmaidens or handmaidens-in-training, would be seen as simple assistants and nobody of importance. Gregor would be seen as a bodyguard to the Queen's ambassadors. There would be no suspicion whatsoever Padmé assured herself.
"Are you nervous?" Liné, her "assistant" whispered beside her.
They were flying in Lady Tonsort's private yacht. A luxurious ship that could rival the Queen's own, it didn't ooze of the wealth Lady Tonsort was said to have from her maiden family and her husband's family.
Padmé shook her head. "Just concern. The Talstrine family is one of the older houses on Naboo. They command a great deal of respect and influence in the plasma industry. If Lord Talstrine is abusing his workers, it will be difficult to find undeniable proof the courts can't waiver."
"I knew Lord Talstrine through my husband back in the day," Lady Veruna spoke up from across the table. They had all been reviewing datapads in the ship's dining hall, preparing any last minute details. "He's a businessman which makes him a kind of actor. He will do his best to distract us from our mission, and have his minions keep an eye on us. So stay sharp."
"Based on others' accounts, Talstrine will be focusing his attention mainly on us 'older' people which might give you an advantage, but do not cause any uninvited attention. In past experiences, any visitors will stay no longer than two days, and Talstrine's mines are very vast. We'll have very little time to gather evidence," Lady Tonsort warned.
Around the same age as Luke, Lady Tonsort had served as a volunteer in Naboo's planetary security at a young age and had risen up in the ranks swiftly before landing in her current position. From Padmé's interactions with her, she knew Lady Tonsort was quick-witted and vigilant in the Royal Court, and with her military training would be capable of handling herself should any threat present itself.
Padmé nodded, accepting both women's advice. Then she noticed the tiredness and dark circles under her eyes.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.
Lady Tonsort waved it off. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure, Suya?" Lady Veruna asked with rare concerned kindness she showed outside of court.
Lady Tonsort nodded.
"Has the baby been keeping you up?" Lady Veruna asked.
Padmé remembered that Lady Tonsort had recently returned from maternity leave and that her newborn daughter was two months old now.
"Little Mariek has developed colic recently, driving me, her father, and sisters to near insanity with her screaming," Lady Tonsort admitted.
Down the table, Padmé could see Gregor and Veta grimace in sympathy.
"I remember those days with my little Ro, i thought my wife and I were going to murder each other from lack of sleep," Gregor told her.
Veta nodded. "Same. When my fiance died, and I was on my own with Dora, I was certainly worried about breaking down at work and trying to hide how tired I was due to being up all hours of the night from her crying."
Xoana smacked her hand on the table and signed a series of words Padmé understood meant she remembered.
"Yes, I remember you and Mom helping me out and all the crazy ideas we tried out," Veta said with a smile.
Lady Tonsort was able to smile too. "This isn't my first one. I remember my oldest being the most difficult. Once you get through the first one, the others are just refreshers. Do you ladies plan on having kids in the future?" she asked, looking at Padmé, Liné, and Xoana.
Xoana shook her head furiously.
Padmé could feel herself blushing and to her surprise, Line's cheeks pinkened.
"Not right away," Liné admitted. "Shon and I want to be fully settled in a house of our own before we start having children."
Padmé felt eyes on her as she told she would like them someday.
The conversation continued on like that, discussing family matters and interests. The atmosphere relaxed, and Padmé felt the knots in her stomach loosen. Then Lady Tonsort's pilot commed her, and informed her they were beginning their landing approach. Just like that, the atmosphere returned to seriousness and business. Everyone fastened in, and Padmé felt the knots inside her tighten again. What would they find? And would Lord Talstrine let them leave with it?
Once they landed, everybody filed to the bay. Padmé stood at Lady Veruna's right while Lady Tonsort stood at her left, Liné, Xoana, and Veta their "assistants' ' stood behind them while Gregor brought up the rear. As they made their way down the ramp, Padmé took in the sight of Talstrine's plasma mine. Although her brother-in-law Jon had been a plasma miner before his death, Padmé knew little about his occupation. In fact, in preparing for this assignment, Padmé had to read up the process and regulations in plasma mining. The Talstrine plasma mine was as you'd expect any other mine with several supply and maintenance buildings and a tunnel leading deep down Naboo's crust.
Waiting for them on the landing platform was Lord Talstrine himself. From Padmé's understanding, Talstrine was a charmer, a ladies' man, and a man's man all at once. Indeed, for someone old enough to be her father, even Padmé had to admit he was handsome with his charming smile and dark brown hair with gray side-burns.
"Eirtaé!" he greeted, making his way over to them. "It's been a long time."
"Indeed," Lady Veruna greeted back, a coldness in her eyes Padmé had seen often when she dealt with people she disliked. "I see the mining business has boomed which is probably why it took the Queen's order for you to accept my visit finally."
Padmé worried Lady Veruna's words would threaten their chances of investigation, but Talstrine laughed and waved it off.
"I apologize for my rudeness, but you know how business works. I'm much too busy to accept visitors whenever they feel like it. Come, come. Let me show you mine."
So began their tour. Talstrine instructed his men and supervisors to cooperate with them and show them the layout of the mine and the mining village where the miners' families resided.
The reason for the investigation had started when Lady Tonsort had received a comm call from a miner. Padmé didn't know his name for his own safety, but the miner had reported to Lady Tonsort that he had left the mine due to poor conditions, but his employers had sent bounty hunters after him due to debts he was unable to fulfill. He told them about the low wages he earned as a miner, and the expenses he had to pay, including housing, clothing, and food. All of which were barely covered by the wage he was given. The miner described everything in detail, and Lady Tonsort and Lady Veruna had done the math to know he had a valid complaint. However, they would need more than the word of a runaway miner to shut Talstrine down. That's why the Queen had sent Tonsort and Veruna to investigate with Padmé to assist.
Although both women were older and more experienced, and more than capable of handling something like this, Padmé suspected it was Celestine's way of allowing her to gain more experience as well as getting her away from the situation in the Palace. The investigation on her and Patté's "accident" had reached a dead end, and tensions were high. So this assignment was a reprieve for Padmé from her last one.
Like Lady Tonsort had suspected, Lord Talstrine mainly focused on her and Lady Veruna, not Padmé, or Gregor, or the handmaidens, the "unimportant people." His men however, did it for him. Padmé could feel their eyes on her and her group as they were shown the plasma mining equipment.
Nothing seemed to be amiss in Padmé's eyes. She knew Lady Veruna and Lady Tonsort were more cultivated in the topic than she was, but they didn't seem to have any issue either.
"We keep up with our equipment and maintenance, state of the art," Talstrine boasted.
"And the safety regulations?" Lady Tonsort asked, looking closely at the miner vehicle used to dig for plasma.
"We keep up with the safety inspections-" On he went addressing her concerns or dismissing them.
Padmé heard that Jedi could sense when something was up or something along the lines. While she was no Jedi, Padmé sensed he was truly hiding something. Their presence here disturbed him and made him nervous despite his nonchalant attitude. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, the signal she, Lady Veruna, and Lady Tonsort had agreed on.
"May I look into those records?" Lady Tonsort asked, her tone brook no argument.
Lord Talstrined looked slightly taken aback by her attitude. "Right now?"
Lady Tonsort nodded firmly. "Right now. Is that a problem?"
"Of course not. If you would follow me-"
"Actually," Padmé spoke up. "I'd like to look around the village before it gets dark."
"And I would like to continue the tour as well," Lady Veruna jumped in.
Their plan had been to divide and conquer. One of them would distract Talstrine while the others worked on gathering as much information as they could. Which of them would Talstrine choose, they had all prepared for each scenario. Talstrine looked torn, obviously trying to decide which of them he would need to keep his eye on more. Padmé's speaking up had reminded him of her presence, but it was Lady Tonsort's desire to look into his records that should have been more concerning to him. However, it was Lady Veruna who reminded him that she was the head of their team. In the end he chose to remain with Lady Veruna, while he had two of his men lead Lady Tonsort to their offices, and four men to lead Padmé, Liné, and Gregor to the village. Their numbers disturbed Padmé.
"That's a little excessive don't you think?" she asked Talstrine, eyeing the well-fit men. It would be difficult for her, Liné, and Gregor to sneak off and ask anyone questions.
The grin on his face reminded Padmé of a tusk cat stalking its prey. "We try to maintain discipline and order here, but even then we have our fair share of hooligans. I would hate anything happening to such a young and pretty lady under my charge. I insist."
His words made her cold, but Padmé and her group began to make their way into the village. The whole time, Padmé tried to devise a way to ditch her guards. If they were with her, no villager would dare to talk to her for fear of word getting back to Talstrine. She would have to figure something out once they were in the village.
Padmé wasn't sure what to expect when they arrived at the village. Even for an old mining town it was obviously worn down, but the majority of the structures were held up by people's hard work and care. Those who occupied the street were women, elderly, and youths too young to work in the mine yet. As soon as they saw Padmé's group, they quickly avoided eye contact, hurried away from them, or disappeared into the closest building. They were avoiding them, obviously afraid of Padmé's guards, but hopefully not Liné, Gregor, or herself. There were a couple of people who dared to look up at them. One was an elderly woman, wringing out wet laundry to hang out to dry. She looked at them as they walked by, her eyes meeting Padmé's. In them, Padmé saw anger, bitterness, and defiance. Towards Padmé, the guards, or Talstrine himself? Padmé needed to speak with these people without the guards supervising them. How to do so was the first question. The answer came when Liné spotted a restaurant nearby.
"We can rest and eat there for a bit," Liné suggested.
Padmé looked at it. The restaurant was beat up and smaller than the ones in Theed, but it would do. Padmé could feel a plan beginning to form in her head, hoping she wouldn't be wrong. They entered the restaurant.
"Miss," one of the guards addressed Padmé. "Perhaps another location or even going back to Lord Talstrine?"
"Nonsense," Padmé told them, already making her way to one of the booths. "This is fine."
It may not have been as glamorous as the ones in Theed, but she could tell this was a place people felt at home. Padmé, Liné, and Gregor sat in a booth while the guards sat in another right next to them.
One of the guards yelled for a woman named Johena to serve them. Johena was an attractive woman the same age as Padmé's sister. As Padmé studied her, she could see the tiredness, stress, and fear in her eyes behind the fake smile as she asked them for their order. An idea popped into Padmé's head.
"We would like some frozen candied berries and freshly brewed ryoo tea," she informed the waitress. She pointedly glanced towards the other booth behind them, conversing loudly to the point they would have disturbed the other customers if there were any.
"They'll also have the same too, and…" Padmé turned to Liné. The handmaiden seemed to read her mind, reaching in her bag for something they had packed just in case. She carefully distributed it into Padmé's hands. Padmé then grabbed a handful of credits out of her pocket and presented them to Johena. The item Liné had given her was a packet of sleeping tabs she had brought on the mission for a situation such as this.
"Something to take the edge off," Padmé winked at her.
Johena's eyes had widened ever since Padmé had made her order. Anyone of the working class here on Naboo knew that if you combined their frozen berries with hot tea it would cause a severe stomach ache. Yet when Padmé told her to give the same to their guards as well as offering her the sleeping tabs and fistfull of credits, Johena's eyes became gleeful and mischievous, and her smile became more genuine, making her appear more beautiful.
"Coming right up," she said, quickly hiding Padmé's offerings in her side pocket under her apron before leaving to get their order.
Gregor turned to both Padmé and Liné, outraged and worried. "Are you both crazy?!" he scolded them in a whisper so the guards wouldn't overhear them. "Do you know how much danger and trouble you'll be in- no - all of us will be in if you're found out?"
"It's risky, yes," Liné agreed. "But we need to shake those guards off somehow."
"No one here in the village will talk to us as long as these men are watching us," Padmé added. "but we have to chance it if we want to find out what's going on and help these people."
Gregor didn't say anymore.
Liné leaned in to whisper in Padmé's ear. "Is there anyone in particular you want to talk to?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Padmé answered. "Johena, after the guards quiet down, if she's willing, and that woman who was hanging out laundry as we passed."
It was a start at least. Johena seemed willing to work with them, and that woman outside gave Padmé the same impression.
Johena came back and served them their fruit and tea. She leaned down and whispered to Padmé. "Give them fifteen minutes and don't drink the tea."
Padmé nodded her understanding.
After serving them, Johena proceeded to serve the guards their order, and Padmé listened for them to quiet down. The minutes seemed to drag on, until finally she heard the guards begin to slur with their words before quieting and all she could hear were their loud snores. Just to be sure, Padmé looked behind their booth, and saw all four of them asleep in various positions. Hopefully the tabs will last them for as long as they need.
Johena returned to their table, and Padmé shared her satisfied smile before becoming serious.
"Did Andrer get in contact with you?" Johena immediately asked them.
Andrer? Padmé had to assume that was the name of Lady Tonsort's contact.
"Is Andrer a friend or relative of yours?" she asked cautiously.
Johena nodded. "My brother. Please, can you at least tell me he's alright?"
Padmé probably shouldn't in case this woman was a spy, but if she was genuine and truly worried about her brother, Padmé could offer her reassurances. "I've never been in contact with him. My colleague Lady Tonsort has, but she has reassured me that he is in protective custody."
Johena sagged with relief. "Thank Shiraya."
Padmé looked at the booth with their sleeping guards before turning back to Johena. "Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?"
That shook Johena out of her relieved elation. She looked towards the front of the restaurant and out their windows. A couple of people passed by, but that was it. Still, Johena went and pressed the button that closed the windows' blinds before turning to Padm éand her friends. "Follow me."
Padmé, Liné, and Gregor got up and followed Johena behind the counter and into the kitchen. They passed two cooks, an elderly man frying meat, and a boy who should have been in school chopping vegetables. There was also a kitchen droid washing, drying, and putting dishes away, but it looked as if it was rusting away and could fall apart at any moment.
Johena led them out a back door, and they followed her down the alleyway and into a small courtyard. Perhaps a long time ago it had been lively with children running around and vegetables growing in the small gardens. Now though, the courtyard was rundown like everything else with a layer of grime, and the flowerbeds overgrown with weeds, despite what looked to be attempts at keeping it neat with the gardening tools nearby.
"Mama!" Johena called out. An elderly lady came out of one of the houses in the courtyard. Padmé kept herself from gasping, but could not prevent her eyes from widening in surprise. It was the elderly lady with the laundry! The one Padmé had wanted to talk to.
The woman seemed to recognize Padmé, Liné, and Gregor based on her expression. She turned to Johena, her daughter. "And their guards?"
"Passed out in the restaurant after eating frozen berries and hot tea, plus some sleeping tabs our guests kindly gave out. They'll be sleeping for a while and wake up with indigestion," Johena reported with a grin.
The older woman snickered for a minute in genuine amusement before she turned to the outsiders, and her expression became serious. "I am Madame Wulen, one of the elders here in our village, and who might you be?"
Now that she spoke, Padmé realized she didn't sound too old, probably in her late forties or early fifties, the same age as Padmé's mother had been when she died. Perhaps all the hard and stressful years living and working in a miners village had aged her.
"I'm Assistant Secretary Padmé Lydonia. This is my assistant Liné Olnick and our guard Lieutenant Gregor Panaka. We're here to investigate the claims that Lord Talstrine has been abusing his workers," Padmé informed.
Madame Wulen humphed. "Abuse? More like exploiting them. Didn't my son tell you people what Talstrine and his people have been doing to us?" Her voice had risen, her anger and sorrow becoming more pronounced.
"Mama," Johena went over and placed a comforting arm around her mother's shoulders.
Madame Wulen sighed, becoming more calm. "Come inside where we can talk in private. My husband and grandson are still in the restaurant. They'll let us know if your guards are waking up."
Padmé, Liné, and Gregor followed mother and daughter inside their home, hoping to uncover what secrets Talstrine was hiding and suffering the people in this village were going through.
However, Padmé couldn't shake the bad feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach.
000{{*}}000
What do you think? Did I keep our Padmé in character? As a mother I wanted her to be understanding and yet not too merciful. It's a hard dilemma when your child is being threatened and you're asked to do horrible things to your friends. I hope everyone was satisfied with the decision Padmé made in regards to Motée and Yané. What did she find on Vatié that made her worried?
As for Great-aunt Lydonia, the mission at Talstrine's mines was inspired by a book I read a few months ago, "Mrs Sherlock Holmes". It's based on the story of Mrs. Grace Humiston, one of the first female lawyers in US history. One of the cases she dealed with that I was inspired by was Sunnyside Plantation. The managers had been exploiting the Italian immigrants, luring them to come work for them and forcing them into peonage. Sadly, the owner of the plantation was friends with the president at that time and had Humiston removed from the investigation, but her report slowed down the Italian immigration from going into that settlement.
Thank you all for reading and have a Merry Christmas.