The stale musty air from the mausoleum filled her lungs and irritated her airways, causing a rough cough that she immediately tried to cover with her hand. It felt strange to move her stiff appendages; they felt so heavy and slow as if she were treading water. Her eyes fluttered open and took a few blinks to focus on the faces that stood around her. Each one wore a look of surprise, everyone speechless. She recognized everyone but one, a small girl that stood awe struck and speechless. While she had never rested her eyes upon this child, there was something about her that felt familiar.
"Milady." She heard from her side before Sabe rushed to sit beside her, her hands reaching out to rest on her own. "You're alive." She said, tears streaking down her face.
Padme's brow furrowed in confusion as she sat up the best that she could. Sabe wrapped her hand around Padme's forearm to help steady her on the cold stone slab that she currently lay. She studied the room hoping to find answers to how she woke up on the stone block beneath her. In the corner stood Tonra, silent and stoic as usual. His arms were crossed waiting for any orders to come. "Where am I?" Padme choked out; her tongue felt dry making it hard to form the words. The room remained silent which only further confused Padme. She looked over toward Obi-wan, her eyes locking with his. His face was pale, and his expression was one of bewilderment. Padme had to admit that it was an expression she had never witnessed on the Jedi knight. He looked as though he had seen a ghost. "Obi-wan?" She called out to him.
Obi-wan stepped forward before kneeling beside her. His hair was much longer than the last time she had seen him, his beard full of grey and his face more weathered. "We are in your tomb." He stated before his eyes raised to meet hers once again. She could tell he was analyzing her reaction to this news. In truth, she wasn't sure how to feel about coming back from the dead, she couldn't even remember dying.
The last she could recall; she was lying on a hospital bed in the space station on Polis Massa. Her instincts kicked in and she placed both hands on top of her stomach. The swelling of her baby was gone, empty, all that remained was a small round pillow mimicking the bump that was her pregnant belly. Panic filled her mind, her respiration increasing causing her chest to tighten. She choked out the words she was afraid to utter, worried for the response that she would get. "My baby?"
A small smirk ran across the old Jedi's face. "Safe."
Padme sighed the greatest sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing knowing her child was alive. "And Anakin?" She asked in almost a whisper, a moist glossiness forming in her eyes. When Obi-wan's expression turned grave and he looked away from her, her heart dropped in her chest. She choked back the tears that were on the verge of streaming full force down her face. She looked toward her lap and found the Japor Snippet pendant lying across her legs. She grabbed the chain and tied it around her neck, the pendant falling above her heart.
"I made this for you, so you would remember me."
Sabe stood up and took her place next to Tonra. "We can't stay here." She told the others. "We need to get somewhere safe."
"And where do you suggest we go?" Obi-wan questioned, Leia clutching his sleeve beside him.
Sabe closed the distance between her and Padme once more. "There are those who are still loyal to you. You must come with us; we can keep you safe from the Empire." Sabe pleaded desperately. "I've already failed you once, I don't plan on letting that happen again."
Padme reached out to cup Sabe's face in her hand, a softened expression touching her eyes. "None of this was your fault." Padme told her sternly. Sabe pushed her face into Padme's hand, the streaming tears pooling onto Padme's palm.
As the handmaiden took a moment, Padme gazed over toward her partner Tonra. He seemed attentive and ready to move as he peered out the doorway to the stone mausoleum. "What is it?" Padme asked, causing Obi-wan and Leia to quickly look over toward the former captain.
Tonra gritted his teeth before stating, "the Empire is on the move." He turned to face the small group before continuing. "We need to move, and now." He rushed over to Sabe's side and held a handout to her. She grasped his hand quickly and stood, ready for the challenge that was presenting itself.
Sabe and Tonra exited the tomb first, crouching low to the ground to avoid detection. Troopers could be seen by the squad, fanning out and frantically searching the grounds. Padme followed close behind her former employees, with Obi-wan and the young girl close behind. The white armored troops were closing in fast, blasters in hand and ready to strike.
"We have to double back; the place is surrounded." Tonra announced.
"But there is no way out in there, we'll be trapped." Obi-wan concluded.
Leia pulled a few soft tugs on Obi-wans battle-worn sleeve, hoping to get his attention. "We should trust them." Obi-wan glanced down on her as he soaked in the wisdom of the young force sensitive. He looked up toward her mother who wore a small grin on her lips. A small nod was given toward the Jedi, further solidifying Obi-wan's choice.
"Follow me." Sabe called after trotting back toward the Tomb. The rest of the group followed close behind, unsure of how they would all get out of this situation alive.
Sabe immediately ran over to a stone wall on the opposite side of the dark mausoleum and began running her hand over the smooth surface. Her fingers deliberately seemed to know what they were doing and before long a small blue glow emanated from the permacrete. A few soft beeps rang from the light tapping on the hidden console which paled in comparison to the clunk of a hidden door opening up in the solid wall. An ominously dark staircase revealed itself in the new threshold, leading down below the crypt.
"Where are you taking us?" Obi-wan piped up, seeming skeptical of the new exit.
Leia gave a little nudge with her elbow into Obi-wan's side, he didn't flinch but did look down toward her. She wore a stern look on her face and had a hand at her hip. "Don't be ungrateful. There is no other solution to get us out of here alive." She whispered. Obi-wan pulled the lightsaber hilt from his side and ignited the saber, illuminating the darkness in a low blue glow.
"I'll go first." He said as he stepped into the doorway. Padme took a hold of Leia's hand and led her into the tunnel behind Obi-wan. Sabe and Tonra stepped side by side behind all of them. They continued quickly yet cautiously, eventually finding the exit. It led to a platform that touched a canal, its winding pathway of water gently running through the city. Obi-wan stopped short in front of the water, contemplating a next move. He didn't have enough rebreathers for everyone to swim out of the city safely and there didn't seem to be any ladders up to the surface. He turned to look toward Sabe who didn't seem panicked by the dead end. She stood beside him and raised an arm toward her face, a light beep rang out as she touched a finger to the communicator attached to her forearm.
"I am in need of an evac from our Queen's mausoleum, now." She called forcefully into the communicator. Sabe waited for a reply but only silence remained. The muffled voiced of troopers could be heard from behind them causing Sabe to sound even more impatient when she tried the communicator again. It wasn't a voice that they heard next, but the burst of water droplets flying into the air as an aquatic transport surfaced. The hatch to the transport sprung open, spraying off the outer metal shell, lightly misting the group that stood on the platform. A man wearing a Naboo guard uniform sat at the controls to the transport. Obi-wan visibly tensed, readying himself for a fight. He instinctively stood, lightsaber drawn, in front of Padme and Leia.
The man turned his head revealing an eye patch and a surprised look on his face. Obi-wan recognized him instantly as yet another former guard from Padme's rule as queen. Gregor Typho stood speechless as he saw his former queen very much alive and well.
"There is no time for a reunion." Padme stated as she led Leia over to the water transport. "We must leave before our visitors catch up to us." She carefully lifted Leia into the cockpit and followed suit, finding empty seats for them to strap themselves into. Sabe, Tonra, and Obi-wan entered and the hatch closed just before blaster bolts started firing their way.
"As you wish, milady." Typho answered, with a swift movement of levers on the controls, the aquatic transport plunged beneath the surface of the canal. The vehicle followed the narrow canal, twisting and turning out of the way of all manner of aquatic sea life. The canal opened up into a larger body of water and Typho piloted the transport into the lake's depths. The deeper they went, the darker the waters became, the only light remaining was the faint glow from the vehicles control panels.
"You seem so familiar." Leia said breaking the silence. She studied Padme's face who sat beside her in the transport's cockpit. "But I know I haven't met you before."
"I could say the same to you." Padme answered. Obi-wan looked between the two, contemplating whether or not he should explain the relationship between them. Obi-wan knew he could trust Padme, but he was unsure of the others who occupied the same transport as them.
"How are you still alive?" They all heard Typho ask without taking his eyes off of the viewport in front of them, his hands remained steady on the steering wheel.
"Better yet, what happened?" Sabe interjected. "After your death, we all swore an oath to you. We swore to find your killer and make them pay. Your death just didn't make sense, Gregor was the last to see you alive. He said you took your ship alone for a personal matter."
"And I regret it deeply." Typho responded. "If I had refused to let you go, or at least went with you."
Padme let out a sigh and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "That is exactly what it was, a personal matter." Sadness started to touch her eyes, she looked away from her companions to hide any hint of weakness. Her crew waited for more of a response, but none came. Obi-wan had to commend her; even after those fateful events, she still never faltered from protecting Anakin. Loyal to a fault. He thought to himself.
"Did this personal matter have to do with Skywalker's death?" Sabe inquired, an eyebrow raised as she looked toward her friend. Padme's mouth opened but no sound came out, she instinctively looked toward Obi-wan.
"The Jedi council is no more." Obi-wan stated. "Correct me if I'm wrong, I am fairly certain everyone on this transport knew of your affair. You may have been subtle, but Anakin sure didn't hide it." It still felt raw to mention his name. What made it worse was that Padme didn't even know Anakin's fate, let alone that Obi-wan was the cause.
"Hey." Leia began in response to Obi-wan's comment. "I don't know what is going on." Everyone in that cockpit cracked a smile.
"I'm sorry." Obi-wan said to her. "Everyone except for Leia knew about your affair."
"Leia?" Was the name that escaped Padme's lips as she studied the young girl's face. It was then that Padme realized why the girl seemed so familiar. She was her daughter and even though they had never met, there was still a strong connection to the two of them. "How long was I asleep?" She asked, looking toward her companions for answers.
"Better part of a decade." Typho responded, a sense of gravity in his tone of voice. "A lot has happened since then. We need to catch you up on the state of the government when we get to a safe place."
"That reminds me, where are we going exactly?" Obi-wan asked, wondering if it truly would be safe.
"Varykino." Sabe told him. "We have been using the old lake house as a home base for our movement."
"Movement for what?" Padme interrupted as she closed her hand on the japor snippet around her neck.
"We have been fighting an empire, our Queen is no more. The head of the Naboo government now lies with the traitor, Quarsh Panaka." Sabe explained.
Padme was only slightly surprised by this news. Quarsh had once been a trusted ally while she was Queen of Naboo. It was toward the end of her term that she had started having major political disagreements with the man. They had gone their separate ways, but Padme knew that Quarsh would not object to letting an Empire take over the planet if it meant militarization.
The Empire. It was something that stood against everything that Padme had hoped to achieve. She felt betrayed; Another trusted advisor and friend had been behind the plot to destroy the democracy she had fought to uphold. As the transport sped along in the deep lake water, on its way to the familiar lake house, Padme couldn't help but feel eager to meet with her friends. Friends that stood by her even in death. Friends who she could trust, who would help her fight for the republic once again. She looked over toward Leia, overjoyed to find that her daughter sat beside her in all this. She wanted so badly to ask her questions about how she grew up, to learn more about her. This would have to wait. There would be a better time when the two of them were alone. Hopefully Varykino would grant that reprieve.