The Shroud of The Dark Side (CW AU)

by SkywalkerStories13

Now that the Clone Wars have begun, Rosella and her family must fight to bring peace back to the Republic. As the battles continue to escalate and grow even more dangerous, Anakin knows that he will have to do whatever it takes to make sure that the Force stays balanced and the Sith doesn't claim total control over the galaxy.

30. Rosella Receives a New Ability

"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond. 'aaaa' - regular dreams

AN: Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the late upload. This chapter was supposed to be out last week, but I had to rewrite a section that I wasn't happy with.

I hope that this chapter makes up for that and I hope to have the interlude out sometime this weekend!

Also, I got the inspiration for the training session that appears in this chapter from the fanfic You've Come Such a Long Way by OuzoAthena11 on AO3.

Anyways, thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter.

On with the story!

After returning from a successful mission, Rosella is ordered to stay at the Temple while Anakin is sent back into battle. However, things begin to change when the teenager receives a new ability that she must learn to understand in order to be able to save someone that she cares about.

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Chapter 22: Rosella Receives a New Ability

Ugh. Rosella thought to herself. I really should have completed this before I left for my mission to Mandalore. Letting out a sigh, she bent over her desk and answered another question that was on her datapad screen.

Even though the assignment that she was working on for her Tracking and Properly Identifying Criminals class wasn't due until the following week, she was one of those Jedi who liked to complete her homework early so she had time for other things.

The medium-sized light brown desk, which had been transferred to her room from her fathers, - he got a new one and decided to let her have the old one - was currently situated to the right of her bed, underneath the only window in her room.

The slats were open, which allowed the late afternoon sun to stream in and fall across her datapad. Realizing that it was a little too bright, she reached up and used the Force to close them a little. Twirling her writing stylus in her left hand, the teenager was just beginning to look over the next part of the assignment when her comlink went off. Rotating her right arm, she put down her stylus and reached over, pressing the button to answer it.

"Padawan Ngaire speaking," she said.

"Padawan, you and your Master are to report to the Council immediately," Qui-Gon said, his voice floating through the speaker.

"Yes, Master," Rosella responded. Cutting the connection, she glanced down at her homework. Hoping that she would have time to complete it later, she saved her work. Turning off the device, she placed it in the corner, then pushed back her chair and got up. Turning around, she pushed it back in. Walking past her dresser, closet and bookshelf, she made her way over to her nightstand. Grabbing her saber, the teen clipped it to her belt and exited her room.

Heading down the hall, she walked into the living area to see her father sitting on the couch, his holo-communicator sitting on the coffee table in front of him. Hearing part of his conversation with her grandmother, Shmi, she stopped where she was, knowing that it would be rude of her to interrupt their conversation, even if it meant that they were late to their meeting with the Council.

Once Anakin was finished and had said his farewells to his mother, he turned off the device and without even turning around, asked, "Did you need something Rosella?"

"The Council wants to see us right away," she told him.

Anakin nodded as he reached down and scooped up his holo-comm, slipping it back into one of the compartments on his belt. Getting up, he made sure that his own lightsaber was on his belt before heading to the door. "Let's go," he said.

Rosella scrambled to catch up with him as they left the apartment.

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A few minutes later, the duo were both standing in front of the Jedi Council.

Since it wasn't a very large and lengthy meeting, not everyone who was a part of the 12-member group had to be in attendance. The only ones who were present and in the room were Yoda, Mace, Plo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

"Welcome back Padawan," Master Yoda said, choosing to focus his attention on Rosella. "In order, congratulations are. Shown your courage and strength yet again, you have."

Plo nodded in agreement. "Job well done, Rosella," he said. "I'm sure your father is very proud of you as are those of us who are in the room."

Anakin glanced over at Rosella and smiled as he saw her bow before the seated members, showing that she acknowledged and accepted their praise as well as their compliments. Ever since the rule regarding attachments had been lifted and the Jedi were now allowed to express their emotions, the Temple had become a more relaxed, accepting and open place. There were still some places inside the building where they were expected to show some respect and the Council chamber was one of those spots.

"And now, on to more pressing matters," Obi-Wan said as he leaned back in his seat.

"To Balith, you must go, Skywalker," Yoda told the Knight.

"This mission has nothing to do with the war," Obi-Wan added, wanting to make sure that his brother understood what he was saying. Receiving a nod from the young man, he continued speaking. "There is a large-scale civil war happening on the planet and their government has asked for our help. Anakin, you are to leave immediately to command the Third Legion."

Rosella tilted her head slightly. "I've never been to Balith," she said.

"You will not be accompanying your Master on this assignment, young one," Mace told her in what he hoped was an apologetic tone. "We still need your full report of everything that happened on Mandalore."

A small, but barely noticeable frown appeared on Rosella's face as her shoulders slumped upon hearing the news. Inclining her head, she said, "As you wish."

Once Master Yoda gave them a nod, both Skywalkers left the chamber.

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After heading down to one of the hanger bays, the pair walked towards the Republic shuttle that was waiting at the end of the extended platform. Rex and another member of the 501st were already onboard, waiting for him.

Anakin sensed that something was bothering his daughter and glanced in her direction. "Ella," he said, watching as her eyes shifted to look at him and then back towards the ground. "I sense you're uneasy. What is it?"

Rosella drew her left hand towards her body as she tried to think of something to say that would sound believable. "Oh…I…" she began as she turned to look at him, curling her fingers into a fist. Not being able to think of anything, she dropped her fist to her side and let out a disappointing sigh. "Nothing." Quickly coming to a halt, she looked up at him again and placed her hand on her chest. "Let me come with you, Dad." She fell into step beside him as they got closer to the shuttle. "If I'm not with you, who else will have your back?"

The Knight stopped in his tracks as he turned to face her. "Rosella, I want you to stay here, finish whatever homework you still have to do and get some rest," he said. "Besides, you've been out in the field for a while. I think you deserve a break."

"But, weren't you the one who said that I tend to learn more out in the field than I do in any of my classes?" She asked, knowing that it was partly true. The only time she had really used anything that she learned from her lessons was when she and Master Plo were tracking down Boba in the underworld. Her other classes were on things like diplomacy, etiquette and politics. Even though she was learning how to fight and use her lightsaber at the Temple, she couldn't really use those skills unless she was sparring or out in the field.

"Well," he told her, crossing his arms over his chest, "now you have a chance to prove to me that what I've said is wrong." In the back of his mind, Anakin hoped that she would learn something valuable with her free time. Dropping his arms, he gave her a quick hug and then jogged to the shuttle. As soon as he got to the top of the ramp and turned around, the craft began to rise off the ground. Seeing that the door was beginning to close, he cupped his right hand over the side of his mouth. "And don't get into any trouble."

Rosella watched as the door closed. The frown that had reappeared on her face seemed to grow even more as the shuttle turned around. Knowing that it was headed towards the cruiser that was waiting in the sky, she sighed, turned around and headed back inside the Temple.

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Once she had delivered her report to the Council about what happened to her on Mandalore and left the chamber, Rosella decided to finish the assignment that she had been working on earlier that afternoon. Heading back to the apartment, she took off her boots, placed them on the mat that was by the door and headed to her room.

After placing her lightsaber on her nightstand, she walked over to her desk, pulled out the chair and sat down. Reaching for her datapad, she switched it on and glanced over the section that she hadn't gotten to yet. As soon as the teen read the questions over to make sure that she understood them, she picked up her stylus and began to answer them.

Half an hour later, she was finished. Placing down the writing tool, she checked over her answers and then saved her work. Going back to the main screen, she checked her messages to see if she had any other outstanding assignments that she needed to complete. Upon noticing that she had two new messages, she clicked on the first one.

Quickly reading through the message, she found out that it was about the cancellation of yet another general education class. Tapping the button on the right side of her screen, she moved on to the next message that was reminding her and the other members of her Tracking and Identifying Criminals class about their upcoming test next week. Knowing that she would have to cram in a study session later that evening in the archives, she went back to the main screen and turned the device off. Placing it back in the corner, she got out of her seat and pushed in her chair again.

Turning around, she glanced at the chrono on her wall. Realizing that it was still early, she decided to go train for a bit and make sure that she still remembered how to do some of the Jar'kai moves that she had learned from her father.

As soon as she had finished changing into a training robe, she clipped her lightsaber to her belt, left her room, put on her boots and then walked out the door.

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When she arrived outside one of the smaller practice rooms, she was surprised to hear the sounds of a lightsaber being swung around. As she approached the door, it slid open, allowing her to get a glimpse of a blue lightsaber as it carved through the air before vanishing back into its hilt.

Walking through the doorway, she was surprised to see Obi-Wan standing in the middle of the room. "Good afternoon, Uncle," she greeted, watching as he hooked his lightsaber back onto his belt.

Obi-Wan, who had first heard the approaching footsteps, looked up and smiled as he saw Rosella standing there. "Good afternoon to you as well, young one," he responded.

"I know you're busy with all the meetings that you have with the Council and also with Ahsoka's training, but is there anyway you could help me with my Jar'kai moves?" She asked. "Dad started to train me when you both got back from Mandalore. He was going to continue teaching me after he got back from Vanqor with Master Windu, but ever since he got injured and then released from the medical ward, we just haven't found the time to come down here and train."

Obi-Wan glanced at the chrono that was in the room. "I don't see why not," he responded. Walking over to the rack of training sabers that was on the left side of the room, he reached out and removed two sabers from it. One full-length lightsaber and a shorter one. Then he turned around. "I assume you've already gone through the forms that are associated with Niman?"

Rosella nodded as she walked to the middle of the room. "Yes, that was one of the first things he had me go through since he wanted to see what I remembered from my Initiate training," she said.

"Would you mind going through it again, just so I have an idea of what you need to work on?" He asked, walking back towards her, with one saber in each hand.

"Sure," she responded before unhooking her saber from its clip on her belt. Placing both of her hands on the hilt, she got into a low guard stance with her feet closely spaced together and ignited it, making sure that the blade was angled downwards and away from her body.

As she began to go through what she remembered having learned from her training with the rest of her clan, Obi-Wan, having placed the sabers on the bench behind him, stopped her multiple times to correct most of her positions and movements. He was very patient with her and offered explanations on why certain lightsaber positions were better than the angle that she had been taught. Quickly soaking up all the information that he was telling her, she thanked him for taking the time to help her.

The Jedi Master simply smiled and stepped back. "Again," he told her.

She nodded and ran through Niman again, this time uninterrupted.

"Good," Obi-Wan said, smiling as he walked towards her. "Now, let's run through it together so I can show you how those tricky moves work." Taking up a position beside her, he drew his own blade and once she was ready, they went through it again, with the elder Jedi doing exactly what he said that was going to do.

After they were finished, he deactivated his blade and stepped off to the side before nodding at her to go through it one last time. This time, he nodded approvingly when she finished. "Much better," he said. "It wasn't perfect, but you showed a lot of improvement."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Rosella responded.

Once they had quickly gone through the basics of Makashi, which was the one form that Rosella had opted not to learn, she was starting to see how it all began to flow together.

"Now, I'm not sure if Anakin has talked to you about this, but you need to know what dedicating yourself to this form of lightsaber combat means," Obi-Wan said. "Even though many Jedi are able to wield two sabers at once, its usually done by relying on the Force." Knowing that she was listening, he continued speaking as he lowered the setting on his saber down to its training mode. "Jar'kai, on the other hand, is an art form. It's being able to expertly wield two lightsabers at once, no matter the situation. You have to be able to switch to using just one if you happen to lose the other one. None of the forms that you have learned to use translate directly to Jar'kai, aside from the basics of Shii-Cho. Beyond that, it is a skill of adaptability. You will have to take your favourite forms, the fighting style that you feel most comfortable using and adapt it to your saber skills." Stepping forward, he turned around and summoned the full-length training saber to his other hand. "I want you to step back as I show you what I've worked on for whenever I have a second saber available. I'm never going to make one, but I did want to be prepared."

Rosella deactivated her lightsaber, but kept the hilt in her left hand as she stepped back, watching as her Uncle activated both sabers and quickly started going through the forms he had taken from Soresu, with the occasional move from some of the other forms mixed in. She soon understood what he meant about it being an art form.

Most of the Jedi who ended up using a second saber would just start attacking immediately with the sabers moving independently of each other, and with no coherency in their movements. For this demonstration, Obi-Wan was moving the sabers together for the most part, occasionally moving them separately, but in a coherent way. One saber would block, and the other came in for an attack. It was beautiful.

A few minutes later, the Jedi Master stopped and turned to face her. Handing her his lightsaber, he turned around and summoned the other training saber to him. Quickly trading sabers with his niece, he watched as she grasped the training saber in her off-hand. "When you go to create your second lightsaber, it will turn out more like the training one that you currently have in your right hand which is why I am having you practice with it instead of the one that I'm using," he said as he stood in front of her. "Now, are you ready?"

"Yes, Master," Rosella responded, her eyes gleaming in excitement as she took up the same position as he did and followed along with Shii-Cho.

After a few repetitions, Obi-Wan deactivated his sabers and had her begin to do it on her own while he went to go put away the training saber that he had used. After securing it back in its place, he turned around to see that she was beginning to get the hang of using another weapon. Sensing that the young girl was getting tired, he made her stop after finishing her 6th repetition. Watching as she deactivated both sabers, he said, "Job well done Rosella." Walking forward, he took the training saber out of her hand. "You are progressing very well and I have no doubt that soon you will be duel-wielding two lightsabers. But remember to keep practicing with your main lightsaber and chosen form as often as you can."

"Yes, Master," Rosella told him as she inclined her head and then hung her weapon back on her belt. "If it's alright with you, I'm going to go shower and get something to eat."

"Go ahead," Obi-Wan said.

Turning around, Rosella left the room and headed to the main area where she caught a turbolift back up to the floor where her family's apartments were located.

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Passing by her grandfather's apartment and her uncle's, which was across the hall in-between the two, she came up to the door of the one that she shared with her father. After entering the correct code and walking through the doorway, she took off her boots, placed them on the mat that was by the door and went to her room. Grabbing her bathrobe, she headed to the refresher and took a quick shower. Placing her sweat-covered training outfit in the laundry, she changed into the garment and headed to the kitchen.

Heading over to the cold box, she opened it and took out a bowl of chicken soup. Quickly reheating it, she grabbed a spoon from the ones that were in the drying rack near the sink and took the bowl over to the island. Hopping up on one of the stools, she slowly sipped at it until the bowl was empty.

After washing out her bowl and cleaning the kitchen, she dried her hands on a hand towel. Walking into the living area and picking up the remote for the holonet off the table, she flopped onto the couch as she turned it on and flipped through a few channels before settling on a fantasy movie about what the galaxy would have been like if Palpatine had never been elected as the Chancellor.

A few hours later, as the credits began to roll across the screen, the teenager let out a yawn.

Knowing that Anakin would be telling her to go take a nap if he were here, she ultimately decided to go do just that. Turning off the holonet, she placed the remote on the table and got up, heading to her room. As soon as she walked through the doorway, she stopped, unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and placed it on her nightstand. Then she climbed into bed and used the Force to close her blinds just enough to effectively darken the room. Once her head hit her pillow, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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There was fog all around her, everywhere she looked.

Taking a small step forward, Rosella shifted her eyes from right to left as some of it began to dissipate, giving her a glimpse of the dead trees that surrounded her. Some of them had black vines that snaked around the trunks and twisted up through the branches.

Reaching out with the Force, she got the sense that she wasn't alone. Someone else was there with her. As the teenager turned around, her eyes widened and she nearly gasped in shock at the person who was standing behind her.

The narrowed eyes and half smirk that was on the female Palliduvan's face seemed to grow even more sinister as she reached out, wrapped one of her long-fingered hands around the young Jedi's throat and lifted her off the ground.

Rosella's hands immediately flew up to the pale hand that was wrapped around her throat. Grabbing onto the fingers, she tried to pry them loose as she was beginning to suffocate from the lack of air that wasn't making its way to her lungs, but it was no use. The woman's grip was simply too strong for her to break out of.

"She will die and there is nothing that you can do to stop me!"

Rosella began to cough as black spots suddenly started to appear in front of her eyes. As the teen struggled to stay conscious, the last thing she heard was a very distinct laugh.

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Rosella's eyes flew open as she shot up in her bed. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. As she took a few deep breaths to help her calm down, her eyes subconsciously flew around the room. Once she realized that she was at the Jedi Temple, the first thing she did was throw up and tighten her mental shields so that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon wouldn't have to abandon whatever it was that they were doing just to come check on her.

Drawing her legs up to her chest, the teenager wrapped her hands around her knees and shifted her focus over to her window, where she could just make out a few rays of early evening light that were peeking through the partially closed slats. She shifted her focus again, this time to her dream, if she could really call it that, and what, or rather whom, she had seen.

Aurra Sing. She was a former Jedi, now turned bounty hunter who had helped and pushed Boba into kidnapping and killing innocent clones, all because he wanted to get his revenge against Master Windu for killing his father.

But why would she be dreaming about Aurra? The woman had been presumed dead after trying to flee aboard Slave 1, which Rosella had to damage in order to prevent her from escaping. She remembered standing on the ground with Admiral Killian and an unnamed clone, watching as the ship spun through the air and crashed down beyond the desert canyons on the planet Florrum.

I wish Dad were still here. He would be able to help me figure this out. Rosella thought to herself as she fell backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. In the back of her mind, she knew that she definitely hadn't been afraid of the bounty hunter when she had been alive. Now, she was wondering if what she had experienced was actually a nightmare. It had felt so real and she had even heard the female Palliduvan's laughter in her head. Knowing that she was never going to get back to sleep until she got some answers, she got up, changed into something more presentable, clipped her lightsaber to her belt and left her room.

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Yoda was walking towards the center window in his modest apartment when the door chime rang. "Enter," he said, coming to a stop in front of the slatted blinds that he often kept over the panes. The sun was just beginning to set on yet another day and staring out at the busy sky-lanes that ran past the Temple was something that he often did whenever he had the time. As he heard the door slide upwards with a soft and gentle swoosh, he sensed that Rosella was standing outside and softly smiled. "Have a seat, young Padawan."

The teenager smiled and hit the button for the door as she entered, causing it to slide shut behind her. As her feet padded across the carpet, it seemed to vanish as she glanced in Master Yoda's direction. Making a beeline for the circular meditation cushion that was directly in front of her, she climbed on top and curled one leg beneath her while resting the upper half of her body on the other one which she had bent so her knee was propped up. Her hands were wrapped around her leg.

Yoda stayed where he was, continuing to stare out the window. Lifting his head, he said, "Troubled you are, young one."

"Yes, Master," she responded, lifting her head a little as she glanced over at him. Shifting her gaze to her lap, she continued. "I'm starting to have these really vivid dreams."

"Hmm," Yoda said as he turned away from the window and faced her. "Dreams, you say?"

"Yes, dreams," Rosella said, watching as the Grandmaster hobbled past her on his way to the other meditation cushion. "Or visions…I'm not sure what they are." She lifted one hand off her leg and held it up in the air before lowering it back down. "They feel so real, it's almost like they're actually happening."

"Premonitions," Yoda told her as he climbed onto the other meditation cushion and turned around to face her. Sitting down, he crossed his legs. "Trying to tell you something, they are."

Rosella glanced at the Jedi Master, then quickly shifted her gaze off to the side. "I know I reported otherwise," she began, mustering up the courage to speak her mind, "but I don't think Aurra Sing is truly dead." Thinking back to what she had heard in her dream, she continued speaking. "She's still alive and I have a strong feeling that she's preparing to kill someone. Someone that I'm close to."

Yoda closed his eyes and then opened them. It was clear to him that Rosella was growing stronger in the Force, even though she was still very young. Perhaps she was the Star, the one who had been mentioned in the prophecy that Qui-Gon had shown to both him and Mace before the war had started. The person who was destined to help Anakin defeat the Sith. "So," he said, "you begin to see the true power of the Force. Visions, they are. Underestimate them, you must not. Meditate to see clearly, more experience you need."

The corners of Rosella's mouth curled up into a small smile and she nodded.

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As soon as Rosella left the Grandmaster's apartment, she remembered the study session that she was supposed to be doing for her upcoming test. Well, I guess I know what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of hours. Holding back another yawn, she went to the archives and claimed a seat in front of one of the terminals.

Once she had accessed the database that she needed, she began looking over each file that popped up on the screen. Less than thirty minutes later, after asking the head librarian to bring over some data cards that she needed to help continue her study session, she felt herself beginning to doze off while staring mindlessly at the screen in front of her and tapping her right pointer finger on the keyboard.

A few minutes later, Madame Jocasta came over to her with said stack of data cards in her hands. "Here you are my dear," she said, gently pulling the sleepy-eyed teenager out of her dazed state as she placed them on the table. She smiled and placed one hand on her shoulder. "These should help you with your studies."

Rosella smiled and gave the librarian a brief nod of thanks. As soon as Jocasta left to go take care of whatever it was that she did in the evenings, the padawan rolled her eyes. "All I ever do around here is study," she muttered under her breath. "I should be out there fighting, not stuck here doing homework."

Tapping the button on the keyboard, she began scrolling through the files once again. Scrolling past Aurra's file, she felt her eyes beginning to close.

She tried so hard to keep them open, but ultimately fell asleep.

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The first thing she saw was a pale, white-skinned hand attaching a scope onto the base of a rifle.

Then she was running down a corridor that she had never seen before. The teen had no idea where she was headed, but knew that it had to be somewhere important. She could tell that she wasn't on Coruscant because of the building's shape and interior decoration. Spotting the droids up ahead, she figured that it was some kind of government building.

A few seconds later, the corridor and everything in it vanished as it changed to a scene of Aurra standing in what looked to be a jail cell of some kind. The woman had her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at the massive figure in front of her.

"Kill her!" The mysterious figure said in a low, and gravelly sounding voice.

"It will be my pleasure," Aurra said as she bowed towards the being.

The voices faded away and were replaced with an image of Padmè. The view behind her seemed to suggest that she was still on Coruscant.

The Senator quickly vanished and Aurra appeared in her place. The woman, who had both hands on her rifle, raised the weapon up to her face as she looked through the scope. Then a shot was fired.

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Rosella, who had a frightened expression on her face, shot up so fast that she nearly smacked her head on the back of her chair as both of her hands flew away from the keyboard they had been resting on. As the young jedi calmed down and began to focus on what she had just seen in her head, she lifted her hands up to her face and rubbed away the last few vestiges of sleep from her eyes.

Realizing that something terrible was going to happen to the Senator, she lowered her hands and placed them on the table. "I need to go see Padmè," the teen murmured to herself. "She's in danger."

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Padmè was out on her veranda, which also doubled as another seating area when she had guests over and they didn't want to stay inside and talk. It also had a landing pad, which Anakin would sometimes use when he and Rosella came to visit and didn't feel like taking the turbolift all the way up to the foyer entrance.

While Threepio was busy speaking to a rabbit droid who was holding a suitcase in its robot hands, she tilted another one towards her since she wanted to make sure that the clasp was in working order. The last time she had used some of her suitcases were on her trip back home after going to Geonosis with Anakin. After making sure that it was secure and wouldn't pop open by accident, she tilted it back onto the couch and placed both hands on top.

Then a small shadow appeared on the stairs and got bigger as the figure followed Typho who was walking down to meet his employer. "Senator," he called out, causing Padmè to turn away from what she was doing. "Padawan Rosella Ngaire is here to see you."

"Senator Amidala," Rosella said in a formal tone, inclining her head as she walked up beside the taller man.

Padmè smiled and dropped her hands away from her chest. "Rosella!" she exclaimed happily as she rushed over to the teenager and swept her up in a warm hug. "It's so good to see you." Pulling back, she flashed a bright smile at her daughter. "How have you been?"

Rosella sighed as she let the Senator lead her away from Typho so they could talk without being disturbed. "Honestly," she said, "I'm glad to be back home after having spent the last couple of days on Mandalore." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before turning and latching onto the older woman's arm. "I'm worried for you Senator. I sense that you're in grave danger."

The room was silent for a few minutes as both women stopped where they were. Typho, who had been monitoring the area for any signs of potential danger, sharply glanced at the padawan before shifting his gaze over to his employer.

Padmè, who shifted her eyes away from the distraught teenager, looked up to see Typho open his mouth as if he was about to ask a question. Silently shaking her head, she focused on the 14 year-old. She gently placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder and without an ounce of fear in her voice, softly asked, "What makes you believe that?"

Rosella, who was still unsure about what her visions were trying to tell her, shifted her focus away from the Senator. "I've been having dreams…bad ones," she replied. Her eyes widened as she refocused her attention back on the matter at hand. "Padmè, I know you're in danger. I just know it."

"What kind of danger?" Typho questioned as he walked towards the pair.

Rosella turned around and locked eyes with the dark-skinned man as she said, "I believe that a very dangerous bounty hunter is out to assassinate the Senator."

Padmè, who had taken a seat on the couch, sighed and said, "As troubling as this news is, I've already been in this type of predicament before." Shifting her eyes away from Rosella, she glanced up at Typho. "Captain, please make sure that all the necessary precautions are in place."

"Are you going somewhere?" Rosella asked, a slight hint of curiosity in her voice as she watched Padmè get up from where she had been sitting.

"Yes, Senator Organa and I are leading a conference concerning the refugees from the war," the Senator said as she started to check over another suitcase before turning to face her daughter. "I'll be leaving for Alderaan tomorrow morning."

"But the threat to your life-" Rosella said, beginning to protest the decision that her mother had clearly already made.

"Rosella, the situation regarding all the refugees who have been displaced due to the war is much too crucial to ignore," Padmè told her. "I was the one who called this conference. It could make an enormous difference in policy. It's vital that I go."

The padawan softly shook her head as she saw Padmè leave to finish getting ready for her trip. Lowering her gaze to the ground, she said, "Yes Senator."

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After leaving the Senator's penthouse, Rosella caught a taxi ride back to the temple. As she walked through the halls with her arms crossed over her chest, she thought back to what Master Yoda told her and knew what she had to do.

Once the teen got back to the apartment, she walked into the living room, grabbed her meditation pillow and placed it near the large window. Climbing on top, like she did when she had visited the Grandmaster earlier, she sat down, crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees. Then she closed her eyes and began to meditate.

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Aurra shoved her case ahead of her and then hauled her body up through one of the many grates the lined the wall. No one had been able to stop her from entering the vents since no one knew that she was there in the first place.

The pieces of the rifle clicked together easily as she had disassembled and reassembled her weapon many times. Once it was ready, she raised it up to her face and peered down the scope.

Her target was in sight. Zooming in on the Senator's chest, the bounty hunter knew that she only had to fire one shot to take her out.

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Rosella's eyes flew wide open as she nearly fell off of the pillow that she was sitting on. Even as her eyes wildly flew around the room, she knew that one thing was clear.

Padmè was definitely in danger.

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A few minutes later, the young Padawan was back in Master Yoda's apartment. She could feel his eyes staring at her back as she stood in front of one of the windows with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sure now that it is Senator Amidala who is in danger," she said.

"Senator Amidala, you say?" Yoda asked.

"Yes, Master," she responded, turning away from the window. "I've seen it in my visions."

"Choose carefully you must, how to respond to your visions," the Grandmaster told her. "But remember, always in motion is the future. And many possible future's there are."

Rosella nodded. "Yes, Master," she said. Remembering that Padmè was supposed to leave the next morning, the teen decided to ask him if she could accompany her. "I paid the Senator a visit earlier this evening to warn her of the danger that was going to befall her. While I was there, I learned of her upcoming trip to Alderaan." Taking a deep breath, knowing that this was the right course of action, she continued speaking. "With your permission, may I go with the Senator as part of her entourage?"

"Grant you permission to accompany the Senator, I do," he told her.

"Thank you, Master," Rosella responded. After bowing to him, the teenager swiftly left the apartment.

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The next morning, Rosella landed the speeder that she had taken from the Temple on the central leaf of the landing pad. As she turned off the engine and hopped out, she saw that Padmè, Typho and Threepio were walking towards her J-type Nubian diplomatic barge that was waiting for them.

"Senator!" The teenager called out as she raced towards them.

Padmè's eyes shifted to the left as she heard someone calling her name. Turning around, she was genuinely surprised to see Rosella running up to her. "Rosella, what is it?" She asked.

Not caring that both Typho and Threepio were watching her, she focused on her mother and said, "Please allow me to accompany you on your trip. I can't help but feel that I may be of use to you and the guards, since I know about the threat to your life. Master Yoda has already given me permission."

Padme pursed her lips together as she thought about the request that had been laid before her. "Well, since you do have permission, I suppose it couldn't hurt. You can help Typho out and serve as extra security." She glanced over at Typho who gave a nod of approval. Shifting her gaze back to Rosella, she winked at the young Jedi while placing an arm around the teenager's shoulders. "Besides, it's been a while since we last saw each other."

Rosella nearly giggled, but managed to keep it to herself. As the group walked towards the ramp, she said, "Thank you, Padmè."

Once everyone was on board and a final security check was done, the sleek silver craft lifted off and headed into space, leaving behind two members of Padmè's security team as well as two members of the Senate guard.

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Since it was going to take them a few hours to reach Alderaan, Rosella and Padmè decided to pass the time by relaxing in one of the many parlor rooms. In order to further ensure their safety, Padmè allowed Rosella to place two members of her security team outside the doors.

The Senator and Padawan were busy playing a game of Dejarik on the holographic chess table that was located in one corner of the room.

On the floor near what looked like a spare bed was some of the luggage that the Senator was bringing with her on her trip.

Even though neither of them had played the game before, Padmè seemed to understand the rules while Rosella just sat there with her left elbow on her knee while she used her hand to prop up her chin. Realizing that it was her turn, even though her mind seemed to be dwelling on something else entirely, she reached out with her right hand and tapped one of the buttons on her side of the table. Her eyes glanced at her collection of holomonsters and followed the pink colored holographic k'lor'slug as it let out a few angry sounding growls and moved across the board. All of a sudden, one of Padmè's pieces, which was a tall creature with two horns sticking out of either side of its head, came marching over and promptly smacked the six-legged worm-like creature, knocking it out of play.

Padmè smiled softly as she glanced over at Rosella. Her facial expression quickly morphed into a look of concern for a minute as she saw the teenager back away from the board, slump against the couch, pull her knees up to her chest and cross her arms around her boots. She softly chuckled and said, "You'll learn to play in time Rosella. All you need is a little more practice. Someday, you'll even beat me."

Rosella's lips curled up into a small smile as she tilted her head to look at the Senator. "Thanks, Mom, but I wasn't thinking about the game…"

"What's on your mind?" Padmè asked.

The cabin was quiet for a few minutes as Rosella tried to find the right words to say to help the Senator understand just what she was going through. "I guess I'm still a little nervous and afraid about having to deal with this new ability on my own. Normally, Dad, Uncle Obi-Wan or even Grandpa would be there to help guide me in the right direction," she said. Then she let out a sigh. "I hope I don't mess up and put you in even more danger."

"Sweetheart," Padmè said as she slid over and wrapped the teenager up in her arms. "I hope you didn't forget that I was Queen at your age. When I was first elected, I felt the same insecurities as you do now." Releasing her daughter, she leaned back in her seat, her eyes growing distant as she thought about her time at the palace. "I had to leave my home, my parents, and my sister behind. I had to move into the palace and get used to having my meals brought to me, along with a bunch of other things. While I did have my advisers to help me out, it all came down to me. I was the one who had been put in charge of running the entire Naboo system and I was very afraid at times."

Rosella lifted her head and turned to face her mother with a disbelieving look on her face. "Really?" She asked. "You felt unsure at my age?"

Padmè chuckled. "I sure did," she said, glancing away as she remembered a few of the mistakes that she had made during her early tenure as Queen. "But over the years, I've learned to trust myself and my instincts." A smile graced her face as she turned to face Rosella. "I'm confident that you will learn how to do that too."

"Thanks, Mom," she said, glancing back at the board where the holomonsters sat. "Could we play one more game?"

Padmè smiled and leaned forward, giving her daughter one last side snuggle. "Of course, we can," she responded.

After finishing the game, the Senator got up, turned around, and suggested that they get some rest before arriving at their destination. Agreeing with her decision, Rosella shut down the holotable and followed her mother out of the room. Then they headed to the section of the ship where the sleeping quarters were located.

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Once Rosella gave the ship one last sweep and went to her own room - which was down the hall from the one that Padmè was sleeping in - she walked past the bed and desk, stopping in front of the nightstand. Removing her lightsaber from its clip, she placed it on the metal surface. Then she turned around and moved over to the desk as silently as she could since she didn't want to wake her mother up. Taking off her belt, sash, and the outer layer of her tunic, the teen laid them over the back of the chair. Making her way over to the bed, she sat down, bent over, removed her boots and placed them in front of the nightstand.

After deciding to forgo the blanket, just in case she was needed, she laid on her side, closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. A few minutes later, she rolled over, trying to make herself more comfortable.

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A pair of green eyes flashed in front of her before changing to a quick scene of Aurra pulling the trigger as she fired her blaster.

Then Rosella saw herself racing down the same corridor that she had seen in her last vision.

The final scene was of Padmè laying on the ground. She wasn't moving.

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'The teen furrowed her eyebrows together and instantly rolled over as she slept. Then she heard two words that sent an immediate chill down her spine.'

"It's begun."

'Her hazel eyes suddenly snapped open to see Aurra looming over her. The woman's eyes were narrowed and she had an evil-looking smirk on her face.'

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Rosella's eyes flew wide open as she shot up, gasping for air. Leaping off the bed, she could feel her heart racing in her chest as she grabbed her lightsaber off the nightstand, nearly igniting the weapon as one of her fingers was already hovering over the activation button. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of the assassin, but no one was there. Still, she kept her body tense and ready for a fight as she reached out with the Force.

Not sensing any immediate danger, she let out a sigh of relief before taking a few deep breaths to help her body relax.

As she placed her lightsaber back on the nightstand, she focused on the fact that she had definitely seen Aurra standing next to her bed. Then she remembered the sweep that she had dome before heading to her room. Had the entire thing just been a dream?

Flopping back onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling. I really should get some sleep.

Using her elbows to prop herself up into a sitting position, she scooted back so her entire body was sitting on the comfy mattress. Reaching over, she grabbed the warm blanket that had been left for her to use and laid down. Pulling it up over her body, she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep, remaining that way until Captain Typho knocked on her door and told her that it was time to get ready.

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Even from space, the planet of Alderaan looked peaceful.

Also known as the planet of beauty, the entire orb was a mix of blue and green, with swirling white clouds everywhere. Its surface was made up of lush, green rolling hills, snowcapped mountains and vast bodies of shimmering water. The cities on Alderaan were designed and built with great care as the people who lived there wanted to protect the natural beauty of the environment around them.

The Senator's diplomatic barge flew through the atmosphere, over a few hills and past a wide mountain range as it approached the landing platform.

As the sleek craft touched down, a slight hissing noise could be heard as the engines were turned off and the boarding ramp was lowered. Padmè, who was accompanied by two members of the Senate Guard, swiftly made her way down the ramp while Rosella, Captain Typho and the rest of the security team waited at the top.

Bail spread his arms wide as he, another Senator and a few members of his entourage came forward to greet her. The group was accompanied by two Royal Alderaanian Guards. "Padmè!" He exclaimed.

Once Padmè reached the bottom of the ramp, the guards broke off and stood on either side as she moved forward to greet her friend. "Bail, it's so good to see you. Thank you so much for hosting this conference," she said, reaching out to shake his hand. "Dealing with the refugees of this war needs to be our number one priority."

"I agree," Bail responded. Turning around, he smiled as the others came forward and surrounded them. "As you can see, your presence here is greatly appreciated." Then he pointed towards the Royal Palace. "Come, Senator Mothma and I will take you to your quarters."

As the group headed towards the building, Typho and a member of his team followed them.

Rosella kept her senses on high alert, her eyes roaming around as she followed the group. The assassin was somewhere on the premises.

She just knew it.

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Trailing behind the group, Rosella watched as they, along with two rabbit droids, headed inside the quarters that Padmè was staying in for the duration of the conference. As the doors slid shut behind them, she glanced to her right to see Typho speaking to one of the two guards that had been with Bail and his entourage.

Even though she was supposed to be protecting her mother, the teenager knew that she was safe for the moment with Typho and the rest of the guards around. With little else to do until later that day, the young Jedi sat on the floor, crossed her legs, placed her hands on her knees and closed her eyes. Hopefully, her meditation would reveal something new. Something that would be able to help her get a better idea of what was going to happen.

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Aurra was crawling through one of the ducts.

Then she saw Padmè in a large room, speaking to a crowd of people. Many of them were clapping as they were glad to hear what the Senator had to say. Suddenly, a bolt came out of nowhere, striking the Senator's left shoulder. She staggered back a couple of steps before falling to the ground. The clapping stopped. Some members were rising out of their seats to see what had happened and the noise that was once been applause and cheers turned to horrified gasps and frightened cries.

The chair that Padmè had been sitting in was now on the ground as Bail, Captain Typho and a bunch of other peoplegathered around her body.

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Rosella had a worried look on her face as she opened her eyes. The images that she had just seen left her feeling shaken and a little helpless. Realizing that she needed to warn the Senator about what was going to happen, she got up off the floor.

Typho noticed and walked towards her. Lowering his voice he asked, "Are you alright, Padawan?"

Rosella shook her head. "I need to speak to the Senator," she responded in an equally low voice.

Nodding, he gestured for her to go ahead of him. She smiled, gave him a single nod in return and headed for the door that led into Padmè's temporary quarters.

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Padmè was sitting on one of the couches near the balcony, deep in conversation with Mon and Bail when Rosella and Typho entered the room. Threepio was standing in front of the other couch, directing the rabbit droids who were handling all of the luggage that she had brought with her.

After walking away from the door so they wouldn't be overheard, Typho stopped moving and quietly told her to go retrieve the Senator.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, the teenage padawan walked up to where they were sitting. "Um…Excuse me," she said in a shy voice. "I hate to interrupt your preparation for tonight, but would you mind if I borrowed the Senator for a few minutes? There's something that I need to discuss with her and Captain Typho."

Padmè glanced at her for a few minutes before shifting her gaze towards her fellow Senators. Watching as they both gestured for her to see what the padawan wanted, she turned back towards her daughter. "Of course, Padawan Ngaire." Then she got up off the couch, watching as Bail came over to stand beside the Chandrilan Senator. "If you'll excuse me." Nodding to them both, she walked around the couch and followed the teenager over to a private corner of the room where her head of security was waiting.

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Typho gave the Senator a brief nod as she joined them. Then he turned to face Rosella. "Alright, now that Senator Amidala is here," he said, "what is so important that you needed to speak to her?"

"I believe that the bounty hunter will try and make their attempt on your life tonight," Rosella said.

"Why tonight?" Padmè asked.

"I had another vision," she replied. "It was much clearer and far more detailed. I even saw a location. You were at the front of a large room, giving a speech."

"This room," Captain Typho said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "do you think you would be able to recognize it if you saw it?"

"Yes, I think I could," Rosella responded as she glanced at him, then shifted her gaze towards her mother.

Padmè and Typho glanced at each other.

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Once Padmè had gotten permission and directions from Senator Organa, she, Rosella and Captain Typho headed to the room that the conference was being held in. As the three approached the door, it slid open, allowing them to walked through before sliding shut behind them.

As Rosella moved away from her companions and began to look around the room, she noticed that the space was just the right size to accommodate a fairly decent sized group of people. On one side of an aisle that went down the middle of the room, sat a row of long, curved tables with six chairs behind each one. The next item that caught her eye was a painting that was hanging on the wall. In it, she saw a robed woman holding a silver pan full of water. A single stream of water flowed down the middle of the painting as if the woman was pouring it out. Sitting in front of the work of art was a medium sized table with three chairs on the other side of it.

Padmè and Typho figured that they had given her enough time and walked up behind her.

"Is this the place that you saw in your vision?" He asked.

"Yes," Rosella said as she turned around to face them. "This is the place that I saw in my vision."

The man nodded and asked, "Do you have any idea where the assassin would be?"

Rosella closed her eyes for a brief minute as she thought about her recent visions, then opened them as she shook her head and let out a sigh. "That's the part I'm not sure of," she responded.

"Captain, have you put all the necessary precautions in place for this evening?" Padmè asked as she turned to face him.

Typho looked at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Already done, my lady," he replied.

"Senator, the bounty hunter who is after you is not just a normal person," Rosella said, crossing her arms over her stomach even as Padmè walked towards her. "Her name is Aurra Sing. She's a former Jedi who left the order at a young age. I have a feeling that she'll know what you plan to do and will find some way to get into this room."

"Rosella," Padmè said, looking her daughter right in the eye, "in your vision, does Aurra succeed?"

"I..I can't tell," she replied.

"Well then, at least we'll have a fighting chance," the Senator told her, a small ounce of hopefulness in her voice.

Rosella nodded as the corners of her lips curled up into a smile.

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Later that afternoon, Rosella walked up a small pair of steps that led to a small balcony that Padmè was standing on. The Senator was leaning on the railing, looking out at the majestic mountains that were reaching up to the sky through the clouds.

The Alderaanian sun was just beginning to set, making the sky glow in a beautiful shade of pink, white and yellow.

"Isn't it just beautiful out here, Rosella?" Padmè asked. She was wearing a dress that consisted of two parts. The first part of it was long, sleeved and pleated. The dress, which was colored brown, was covered by a tan sleeveless tunic that split down the middle. Ornate swirled designs traced the border on either side of the split. To finish off the outfit, Padmè had chosen to wear a silver neckless and the matching headdress, both of which bore the royal crest of Naboo. Her hair had been done into two buns, although they were well hidden by the high collar of the sleeveless tunic.

Rosella glanced at her as she walked up to the railing and placed her hands on it. Then she looked out at the same scene that her mother was looking at. "It is nice out here, but I really think you should go back inside," she said, turning to face the Senator. "It's not safe for you out here."

"Rosella, I can't stop living my life just because someone is after me," the Senator said as she looked out at the landscape one last time before pushing off of the railing and standing up straight. Even though she was supposed to be the one who was fretting about all the dangers out in the galaxy that could hurt her daughter, she couldn't help but notice that the teenager was the one who was worrying about her. "I think you're forgetting that I am a friend of the Jedi. I'm no stranger to taking risks." Instead of hearing a response, Padmè watched as the teenager turned away, leaned on the balcony, and placed both hands over it. She saw the girl's shoulders slump and knew that something was bothering her. "What is it?"

Rosella turned away from the peaceful view and looked at her mother. "I'm really confused on what to do about my visions," she said as she turned away from the railing and removed one of her hands. "I keep seeing one thing," she placed her hand on her head, "but when I open my eyes and look around, the real world is telling me something completely different." The young Jedi flung her hand out as she shook her head. "I don't know which to believe anymore." She returned her hand to the balcony as she turned and leaned on it again. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe no one is out to kill you."

Then they both turned to look at the mountainous range that was set before them.

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A few hours after Padmè and Rosella had their small chat out on the balcony, it was time for the conference. After Bail finished addressing the crowd, the Senator would be delivering her keynote speech that would address the growing concern over the humanitarian problems that the refugees were facing due to their growing numbers on the account of so many of them being displaced all over the galaxy due to the Republic's war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

The entire room was packed with members of the Alderaanian populace who had been invited to hear the Senator speak. Most of the people were actual refugees who had been welcomed onto the planet when they had nowhere else to go.

To the left of the platform stood three members of the Senate Guard. On the left side of the wall that contained the painting stood a member of the palace guard. In the middle of the table that sat at the front of the room was Bail Organa. On his left was a member of his entourage and Senator Amidala was on his right. Standing on the right side of the painting was the other guard. Rosella, Captain Typho, and three more members of the Senate Guard stood in front of the steps on the far right of the platform.

After a few minutes, Bail pushed back his chair and stood up. "Even as this conflict that divides our galaxy escalates, we must not lose sight on the value of life and the price of freedom," he said.

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Up in the balcony, one of the Senate guards who had been placed there beforehand was so focused on protecting Padmè and listening to Bail that he didn't think to check around for any signs of danger. Then he felt a pair of hands wrap around his helmeted face and the back of his head.

All of a sudden, there was a sharp snap.

The guard, who was now dead, began to fall to the ground before Aurra wrapped her arm around his neck and dragged his body away.

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Bail, who had leaned forward a little, placed his hands on the table as he continued speaking, unaware of what had just occurred. "Now it is my great honor to present someone who knows more about these issues than I do," he said as he stood up straight and gestured to Padmè. "May I present to all of you, the distinguished Senator, Padmè Amidala of Naboo."

Padmè rose gracefully out of her seat and nodded to Bail as he sat back down. "Thank you for those kind words and introduction Senator Organa," she said before turning to face the crowd. "I want to start off by thanking you all for coming. This cause is very important to me and it warms my heart to see all of you who are willing to come together and help those who are unable to help themselves. I still remember what happened after the Trade Federation had orchestrated their illegal blockade on my homeworld of Naboo."

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As the Senator's slightly muffled voice drifted up through the slats that were in front of her hiding place, Aurra could still make out what she was saying as the woman unlocked the case that she had brought with her and began to put together her rifle.

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"So many lives were thrown into chaos," Padmè said as she continued her speech. "Even if you look at it compared to what is going on in the galaxy today, you will see that it was a small conflict. Yes, there was only one battle that was fought during the occupation, but let us examine the cost of that one battle."

Rosella's eyes darted around the room as she had both arms crossed over her chest. No one looked like they were waiting to kill Padmè. In fact, most of them seemed to be listening to what she had to say.

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Aurra smirked since she could still hear the Senator talking. The female closed one of her eyes, raised her rifle up to her face and peered down the scope as she lined up her shot. One hit was all she needed and the Senator would soon be dead.

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"Hundreds of my own people were forced to leave their own homes with little or nothing to call their own," the Senator said. "The Naboo Security Forces and the Gungan Army both incurred heavy casualties."

Rosella gave the crowd one last glance before shifting her attention elsewhere. Suddenly, the Force blared a warning, one that she could not ignore. As she raised her head, she spotted the balcony. Each of the covers on the front had slats were spaced just far enough apart so that the muzzle of a small handgun or even a blaster could be aimed through them. Narrowing her eyes, she spotted something. Hoping that Bail, Padmè and Typho would forgive her sudden disappearance, for it was rude to simply run out of a meeting even if no one was paying attention to her, the teenage padawan took off through a side door and ran as hard as she could.

She would not let Padmè die.

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"I nearly lost a friend that day when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn suffered a blow that might have killed him."

Aurra nearly squinted as she positioned her rife so the end of it was just barely peeking through one of the slats.

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"And yet now I find myself a party to and witness of a full scale war that has divided our great Republic in two," Padmè said, unaware of the danger she was currently in. "Already, there have been more than 100 Jedi who have died serving as Generals and Commanders in this conflict."

Even though she was in the upper levels, Rosella could still hear the speech that her mother was giving as she ran down a hallway and turned a corner towards the location that the Force had warned her about. As she rounded the corner, she could see that Aurra was about to pull the trigger. Thrusting out her left hand, the young Jedi prayed that she wasn't too late just as a red laser blast was shot from the rifle.

The bounty hunter nearly growled as she saw her perfectly lined up shot veer off to the right and slam into the Senator's shoulder, not her heart. Still, she smirked as she saw the Naboo woman stagger back a couple of steps and knock her chair over as she fell to the ground.

The room below was filled with gasps, horrified cries and shocked screams from the crowd as both of the Alderaanian guards came rushing over to Padmè's side and Bail got out of his seat, but neither of the two noticed or even seemed to care.

Aurra drew back her weapon, lowered it to the ground and looked to her left.

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Captain Typho, who was still shocked that this could have happened after having gone through the plan with the team that he had brought with him, glanced up to see where the shot had come from. As soon as he looked to his left and saw Padmè laying on the ground, he snapped back to reality, racing over with the Senate Guards who were behind him.

The crowd began to get up out of their seats, trying to get a glimpse of the Senator.

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Aurra, who was angry that she had missed her chance to complete her contract, caught a glimpse of the teenage padawan and reached over, pulling out her side-arm. Turning the weapon sideways, she began to plaster the area with laser fire.

Rosella crouched down before leaping onto the wall to her left. Running forward a little, she jumped to the opposite wall as she dodged the red laser bolts that were heading in her direction. Then she backflipped off the wall and ignited her lightsaber, blocking a bolt as she landed on the ground. She quickly deflected yet another bolt, sending it flying into the wall.

Hurting the Jedi wasn't Aurra's aim. The near-human woman turned around and ran off as soon as she could, quickly disappearing around a corner.

Rosella took off after her, but soon found that she wasn't able to keep up with the Palliduvan, whose long legs far out-raced the shorter girl even though she was running as fast as she dared to go. By the time she got to a junction in the back corridor, the woman was gone. Managing to catch her breath, even though her lightsaber was still ignited, she forced herself to focus on what her next move was. There was no point in chasing after Aurra since she had no idea where the skilled bounty hunter had escaped to.

Turning around, she ran back the way she came.

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Bail, Captain Typho and a whole group of curious onlookers were gathered around Padmè, who had her left hand on her right shoulder as she laid on the ground.

The Alderaanian Senator leaned over her still form before looking up at the crowd. "Someone go get a medical droid!" He nearly shouted. "We need to get a medic here as soon as possible!" He leaned forward once again and gingerly laid his left hand over her own hand.

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My vision came true, Rosella thought to herself as she paced back and forth outside of Padmè's bedroom, her right hand almost touching her chin. I thought that by coming here with the Senator, I would be able to prevent it from happening.

A few minutes later, a medical droid exited the room, only stopping to inform the teenager in its monotone voice that the Senator would be fine and had only gotten a minor flesh wound. The teenager smiled before darting past the droid as it walked away. Racing into the small corridor, she ran through another set of doors into the room.

The first person that she saw as she slowed down and came to a stop was Bail, who had been standing off to the side. "Padmè," she nearly murmured as she saw her mother laying on the bed with her right arm in a sling. Walking forward, she placed her right hand on the bed. "I'm sorry."

"Rosella, you have nothing to be sorry for," Padmè told her, hoping that her words would make the girl feel better. "You did all you could."

Bail, who glanced at Rosella and saw how guilty she looked, quietly cleared his throat and spoke up. "Were you able to find the assassin?" He asked.

Rosella shook her head. "No," she responded. "She ran off before I could get her."

"Hold on a minute," Bail said. "She?"

"Yes," Rosella told him. Then she turned to face the Senator, who had been listening to them both. "I am positive now that it is Aurra Sing who is out to get you. Please, for your own safety, return to Coruscant immediately."

"Padmè, I can't believe that I'm actually about to say this, but I agree with the Padawan," Bail told her. "It's far too dangerous for you to present the rest of your speech tonight."

"If someone wants me dead, it won't matter where I am," Padmè said in response. "They will find a way to accomplish their goal."

"But you know I'm having trouble understanding my visions," Rosella said. "What if what I've been seeing all day was glimpses of the attempt that just happened?"

"Padmè, I'm not willing to gamble with your life," Bail said.

As soon as she heard what the Alderaanian Senator said, Rosella narrowed her eyes and began to think. "Wait a minute," she said, raising her eyebrows as an idea was beginning to form in her head. "I think I have a way for you to give your speech while staying out of danger."

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Nobody was surprised when it was announced that the Conference was still going forward despite the earlier attempt on Padmè's life. It was one of the things that many people all over the galaxy admired about her, even if they didn't always agree with her.

The applause that greeted her as she walked in was loud and approving. The Senator was wearing a dark cloak and was surrounded by six members of the team that Chancellor Palpatine had insisted she bring with her. As soon as Typho had discovered the dead Senate Commando while she was being tended to by the medical droid, he came to her quarters to tell her what he had found. Once he heard what the plan was, he came up with the idea of having the remaining Senate Commandos guard her while entering the room.

Bail, who had another member of his entourage with him and four members of the Royal Guard, was walking behind the cloaked woman.

Rosella headed up the rear. Her eyes were narrowed as she scanned the crowd with the force, trying to get a sense of their intentions. None of the clapping and smiling people seemed to have any ill intent towards the Senator. Still, she wasn't about to let her guard down even as she gazed up at the balcony that was above them.

The clapping had stopped and most of the people who were still standing took their seats again as the party reached the front of the room.

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I'm not going to fail this time, Aurra thought to herself as she pulled off a section of the air vent in front of her and placed it to the side. Then she lifted up her rifle case and placed it on the floor before shoving it away from her. Then she crawled through the opening, still wearing the same outfit as before. Turning around, she reached for the vent cover and placed it back over the spot that had found and used to get in. Once it was secure, she turned around, reached for her case and crawled away.

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When Padmè, Bail and their security reached the platform, they walked up the steps and made their way to their seats.

This time, she was in the middle, and Bail was on her right. Two Senate Commandos stood behind her seat, while the rest of them, including Rosella and Captain Typho, stood off to the right. The padawan reached out with the Force, but wasn't able to sense any danger in the room.

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Up in the balcony on the other side of the Conference room, one of the remaining Senate Commandos came back from his patrol. "Sir, this area is all clear," he reported to his superior.

As the man turned around and went back to his duties, the one who was in charge turned around and placed two fingers up to the radio comlink that was built into his helmet. "Captain, the upper levels are clear," he said. "Our sweep is complete. We have found no signs of danger."

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Captain Typho, who just finished listening to the report from the lead Senate Commando, took his hand away from his earpiece and nodded.

The Senator stood up and the crowd applauded. "Fear," she said. "In these times, it is the greatest weapon wielded against those who would stand up for truth and justice."

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They thought they could trick me, Aurra thought as she listened for the Senator's voice while walking through the vents. Did they really think that I was going to fall for their little maneuver? She wanted to laugh, but didn't for fear that she would be discovered again before she had a chance to finish off her target. Well, I'll show them how foolish they were.

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"Those of us who have been chosen and elected to serve as representatives of the Republic have a responsibility to face our fears and challenge those who threaten the safety of its people. I stand before you today bruised, but not beaten."

As the Senator was speaking, Rosella placed herself in a light meditative state as she continued to look around. Something didn't feel right. The Force seemed to be warning her about something, but she couldn't tell what it was.

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The female bounty hunter had since returned to her hands and knees as she was now forced to crawl through the vents.

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Back in the conference room, the Senator was still speaking. "The voices of the people will be heard and together, we shall be the ones who represent them in all levels of government," she said, continuing to deliver the speech that had been cut short due to the earlier assassination attempt. "The homeless will no longer be homeless or faceless. The soldiers who so valiantly fight to protect us must also be protected once their job is done."

Rosella made her way over to Captain Typho and lowered her voice as she said, "Aurra's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here?" He asked, also lowering his own voice.

Rosella didn't respond to his question. Instead, she simply turned and walked away from the man as she reached into the force to see if she could figure out some clue as to where the bounty hunter was.

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She was so close. As the near-human woman continued to follow the sound of Padmè's voice, the only thing that was on her mind was the sweet satisfaction that she was going to feel as she was paid for her services.

In the back of her mind, Aurra pictured the credits as they were dropped into her outstretched hand. A smile nearly appeared on her face as she thought about some of the things that she would be spending her hard earned money on.

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"What I'm saying is that she's not in this room or anywhere near it," Rosella kept her voice low as she turned to look at Typho. Shifting her focus over to the Senator, who was still wearing the cloak, she couldn't help but think about their plan which was already in motion. Could Aurra have already figured out what they had done?

The Captain simply stared back at her with a look of calm incredibility on his face, even though he knew that one day, he would have to stop being so surprised at some of the things that the Jedi could do.

"We need to pass legislation in order to defend those who have already been displaced from becoming slaves and to help protect our soldiers from feeling as if they won't have a future beyond what they were commissioned to do," she said. "We must open channels through diplomacy and be willing to negotiate a peaceful settlement on both sides so that we can end this war."

Suddenly, Rosella sensed Aurra's presence and knew that her earlier statement was correct. Somehow, the female bounty hunter had figured out what they had done and was on her way to finish what she had been hired to do. Spinning around, the teenage padawan raced out of the conference room, leaving Typho and the two Senate Commandos wondering where she was running off to this time.

Bail, who heard the sound of retreating footsteps, turned around to see the tail end of Rosella's braid as it vanished behind her.

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"I know that there are those among the Separatists who want to end this conflict with blasters and other weapons instead of just sitting down and discussing their terms of surrender," Padmè said from where she was sitting in her room, her right arm still wrapped in her sling. The cloaked figure in the conference room was actually a BD-3000 luxury droid, who had been wearing one of the cloaks that she had brought with her. "I also know that there are some people in the galaxy who want nothing more than to promote fear and spread chaos to further their own plans."

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It was just like the visions that she had received in the Jedi Archives, aboard the Senator's ship and outside the quarters where she was staying.

Rosella ran as fast as she could, her boots sounding muffled as they pounded against the plush carpet lining the floor of the corridor. Two Senate Commandos, as well as a few rabbit droids, stopped to look at her as she darted past them. She was pretty sure that Typho would be following her shortly, but she couldn't wait.

Padmè was in danger.

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Aurra pushed her rifle case in front of her as she crawled around a bend in the air vent and came to a stop in front of a cover that looked into the Senator's bedroom. Making her way past the cover, she rose up and got onto one knee.

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"To those who would rather act as an agent of chaos, I have this to say to you," Padmè said as she was nearing the end of her speech. "I stand before you resolute and unyielding. If you strike me down and try to silence my voice, it will hardly matter because a chorus of thousands will rise up in my place for you have no dominion over the righteous. We are and forever will be the defenders of truth!"

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Yes. I've found my target, Aurra thought to herself as she drew her side-arm. Aiming it through the middle slat, she placed her finger on the trigger and prepared to fire. Time to say good-bye to everyone whom you know, Senator.

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The door to Padmè's bedroom slid open.

As the padawan darted through the entryway and ignited her lightsaber, the Senator, who had just turned off the comlink that she was holding, turned around just in time to see the young Jedi leap onto the air, twist around and maneuver her weapon in front of her.

As soon as Aurra fired her blaster, the laser bolt flew through the air, bounced off the shimmering blue blade and flew into the right side of the vent cover.

Once she landed on the bed, Rosella narrowed her eyes, thrust out her right hand, removed the vent cover from the wall with the Force and threw Aurra on the ground.

The bounty hunter, who had both of her pistols in her hands, stood up and glared at the padawan who was standing on the bed while Padmè, who had gotten up, was now standing behind her. "You!" Aurra nearly snarled in rage. "I remember you, Jedi brat!" Aiming the pistol in her right hand, she shot out the door controls which caused it to slide shut, locking the three in the room.

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Captain Typho and the two Senate Commandos who had run with him when he left the Conference hall, reached the door that led to the Senator's bedroom and found that it was locked.

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"Stand down, assassin!" Rosella ordered as she held her hilt in her hand.

Aurra narrowed her eyes before tilting her head up as she spoke. "Never!" She said. "You left me to die on Florrum! I guess you could say that I was grateful that Hondo was around as he managed to pull me out of the wreckage."

"I'm surprised to see that you've gone back to work so soon," Rosella remarked.

"Well, a girl's gotta make a living," Aurra replied.

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Quickly backing away from the outer door, Typho looked at one of the Senate Commandos as he pointed to it. "Get this door open, now!" He commanded.

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Rosella backed up a little before hopping off the bed and inching closer to Padmè, who backed up until she was pressed against the wall.

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Both of the Senate Commandos were trying their hardest to force the door open.

But it wouldn't budge. Not even an inch.

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Padmè had a rather confused expression on her face. "Why are you doing this?" She asked. "Even if you do succeed in killing me, it won't make a difference and it certainly won't stop the relief effort."

Aurra laughed, throwing her head back. "Honey, not everything has to be about what you do for a living," she said. "This is about revenge. My employer wants to get even with you. Once I report back with news of your death, I'll get paid. Simple as that."

Padmè reached into her sling and slowly pulled out the small pistol that she had concealed inside. It had already been set to stun.

"Who hired you?" Rosella asked, her blade at the ready.

Aurra turned to face her. "I'm done talking!" She snapped as she walked forward. "Time to see what you're made of kid." She quickly spun her blasters around before firing them with deadly accuracy.

Rosella felt her body grow tense for a mere second before she went on the defensive, spinning and slicing her blade through the air in a blur as she deflected the shots all around the room. As the padawan saw Aurra shift her arm positions, she got the sense that the female wasn't going to give up. Although she was using Soresu for this battle, she knew that it wasn't her best as a shot made it past her defences. The teen cried out as it burned through her skin.

Aurra laughed to herself as she raised her pistols in the air.

The young jedi fell to the ground with her deactivated hilt in her hand, revealing Padmè, who was pointing her own pistol at her.

The bounty hunters grin faded into a shocked expression. "No!" She yelled, watching as the Senator pulled the trigger. The round blue bolt of energy flew across the room and enveloped her, causing her to grit her teeth as she let go of her pistols, flew backwards, slammed into the wall and then slid to the ground.

Padmé lowered her pistol and knelt on the ground, quickly checking over the fallen Jedi. "Rosella, are you alright?" She asked.

The teenager shifted her gaze over to the concerned woman for a moment before looking back down as she moved her right hand to a more comfortable position. Then she managed to gather her strength and sit up a little. Glancing back at her mother, she let a small smile appear on her face. "Other than having to take a day, maybe less to recover from this minor setback, I'll be fine," she said, before letting her smile turn into a grin. "That was a nice shot!"

Padmè smiled and said, "I told you. I'm no stranger to taking risks." She turned towards the door as it finally opened.

Typho ran in with two Senate Commandos behind him. "Senator!" he exclaimed, a small hint of concern in his tone once he saw that both Padmè and Rosella were on the floor.

"Captain." Padmè acknowledged. She watched as he followed her gaze, only to see that Aurra Sing was in the room with them. As he and the two men turned around and trained their weapons on her, the Senator spoke up. "You can take the bounty hunter away as she has been stunned."

Aurra, who was still on the floor, stirred a little before glancing up in shock at her captors.

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Once the conference was over and everyone, including Aurra, had piled into the Nubian Senator's J-type diplomatic barge, it lifted off from the platform outside of the Royal Palace on Alderaan. As soon as it cleared the atmosphere, the pilot set a course for Coruscant.

Upon reaching the planet, the ship descended through the atmosphere and made a beeline for the Jedi Temple, where a landing platform had already been extended for their use.

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Two members of the Coruscant Guard were waiting on the platform with their rifles in hand as Anakin and Master Yoda walked out of the Temple. The Knight gazed up at the sky, watching as Padmè's ship approached the landing platform, turned around and then touched down.

Once the boarding ramp had been lowered, Anakin narrowed his eyes and clenched both of his hands into fists as he saw that both his wife and daughter were injured. While watching as they exited with Senator Organa, he saw the duo glance at each other and smile, as if they were sharing a secret that they didn't want him to find out about. Then his eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the person who was walking down the ramp behind them.

The entire group turned and watched as Aurra was marched past them, her hands bound behind her back. Anakin, who was more concerned about his family than the fact that she had finally been captured, let go of his anger as he unclenched his fists. As soon as she, the clones, Captain Typho and his men were out of earshot, the Knight turned towards the two of them, nearly frowning when he saw their injuries. "Are the two of you all right?" He asked.

Padmè glanced at the padawan before turning to Anakin. "We're fine," she replied. "If it wasn't for Rosella and her visions, I fear things would have gone much worse."

Anakin, who seemed to accept her answer, said nothing in response as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Master Yoda turned towards her. "Served you well, your visions have, young padawan," he said.

Rosella inclined her head towards the Grandmaster. "Thank you, Master," she responded. "Too bad we still have no clue as to who is really behind all this."

"Hmm," Master Yoda said, both his hands on top of his gimmer stick. "Concentrate. Remember, what do you see?"

Rosella felt the Force calling her and closed her eyes. Anakin and Padmè turned to face her as she began speaking. "I see shapes," she said. "Some of them are large and devouring." Then she narrowed her eyebrows as she heard something odd. "I hear laughter. Bizarre laughter. I also keep seeing the colour purple everywhere." As she felt the vision fade away, the teen opened her eyes and looked around. "I have no idea what any of that means. None of it is familiar to me."

Padmè ran through all the details that Rosella had mentioned and turned around. "But it is to me," she said, making eye contact with her husband who had a confused look on his face. "I've been thinking about what Aurra said. Whomever hired her simply wanted to get their revenge for something that I did to them."

Anakin thought about the list of people who had tried to hurt Padmè ever since the war started. "Well, that could be a lot of people," he said.

"I know," Padme responded, trying not to chuckle as she smirked in his direction. "But thanks to the new details that Rosella has given us, I happen to know just who we're looking for."

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Now, this wasn't Rosella's first time at the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center. She had seen the place before, but it was only the outside.

After entering the large building and telling the person who was on desk duty why they were there, both Jedi made their way to a large room that contained nothing but holding cells. Each cell happened to contain a high-risk prisoner, some of whom were just common criminals. There were cam-droids everywhere. Their primary job was to keep tabs on what the prisoners were doing and make sure that none of them got into any trouble. Since they didn't want to waste any time, Anakin and Rosella, who now had a white bandage wrapped around her left arm, got onto a waiting repulsorcraft and were taken to one of the cells.

Once they arrived, the trooper who had escorted them pressed one button to open the door that would let the Jedi out and another one that would lower the yellow ray-shield. As soon as the shield was down, Anakin and Rosella stepped off the speeder and entered a large cell that housed a single occupant.

Anakin narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw the male Hutt. "Ziro," he nearly snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Ziro, who shifted his green eyes to the right, seemed to recognize the taller Jedi. "Oh," he said, "you must be Anakin Skywalker."

Instead of responding to the statement, the Knight simply gestured to his padawan. "Have you met my Padawan, Rosella?" He asked.

Ziro merely chuckled to himself. "Padawan," he said before continuing to laugh.

Ignoring the laughter, Rosella carefully crossed her arms over her chest and got straight to the point. "I have reason to believe that you still hold a grudge against Senator Amidala," she told him.

"Why would you say something so utterly ridiculous, youngling?" Ziro asked haughtily.

Forcing herself to quietly take a few deep breaths and relax, Rosella tried not to let the fact that she had just been called a youngling get under her skin as she continued speaking. "I happen to know that the Senator was the reason for your imprisonment," she said. "I also happen to know that the bounty hunter Aurra Sing recently attempted to kill her. I'm pretty sure that you were the one who hired her for the job."

"I did no such thing," the Hutt responded.

"Oh really?" Rosella asked as she took a small step forward. "Well, we just so happen to have her in custody. She told us everything."

The left corner of Anakin's mouth curled up into a smirk as he raised his eyebrows and turned to look at his padawan. Normally, a Jedi wasn't supposed to lie, but in this instance, it was okay.

"B…b…but…what?" The male Hutt stuttered, clearly not making any sense as he had a surprised look on his face. "She told you…She told you what?" Then his eyes narrowed in anger. "That can't be true. I knew I should have hired someone better…" As Ziro trailed off, he realized what he had just admitted to. There was a sheepish look on his face as he glanced at the Jedi. "Oops."

Rosella smirked and leaned forward. "I do hope you like it in here," she said in an overly sweet voice, "because you've just guaranteed yourself an extra-long vacation here in this lovely establishment."

Ziro narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out. "Can you not see these conditions that I'm currently living in?" He asked. "That insipid Senator got me locked up in here. She deserves to die for leaving me to rot in this squalor!"

"Well," Rosella said as she rolled her eyes before narrowing them at the Hutt, "thanks for that little confession Ziro. I think it's safe to say that you've failed."

Anakin turned around and walked back toward the speeder. As Rosella followed him, they both ignored Ziro's outraged cries. As the speeder began to move away from the cell, the ray-shield popped back into place as he told them that they would never get away with leaving him locked up and that they had no idea just how capable he was.

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Later that evening, after Rosella had delivered her full report to the Council, which detailed everything that happened on Alderaan, she and Anakin were spending time with Padmè in her Senate apartment. Having already eaten dinner, the trio were relaxing in the living room.

"So, did you manage to find out if it was Ziro who tried to have me killed?" Padmè asked, turning to look at Anakin.

Anakin shared a quick glance with Rosella, before turning to face his wife. "Yeah, Ella and I got him to confess to putting out the hit on you," he replied.

"You both went to the prison?" She asked, narrowing her eyes a little.

"Yeah, we did…" He said before trailing off, clearly not liking where this conversation was headed.

As Rosella reached forward, grabbed a handful of sweets from the tray that was sitting on the table and sat back, she watched as Padmè grabbed the front of Anakin's tunic and dragged him off to a quiet corner of the room where they proceeded to have a somewhat heated conversation about the types of places that were appropriate for a 14-year-old teenager who was still recovering from an injury. Trying not to laugh, she began to think about her new ability. Even though she still didn't understand why she was having visions at her age, the teen didn't feel so afraid anymore.

After all, she did have the coolest family in the galaxy and if there was one thing that she knew, it was that they would always be there for her.

No matter what.