Precipice by shadowsong26

Captain: Chapter 9

Padmẻ 's trip to Vydrex IX had, in the end, been somewhat anticlimactic. Despite her and her handmaidens' fears, there was no dire news from Coruscant while she was away, and the closest she had come to personal, physical danger had been a genuine accident-a platform that was less stable than the mine foreman had thought gave way beneath her. She'd dislocated her shoulder when Dorme caught her, but that was it.

And, up until then, apart from the raw fact that Anakin had been involved (he hadn't shown up, which was-probably for the best, as much as she needed to see him), it had been a fairly standard disaster relief effort. She had tried to find a balance between being too interested in the dissidents behind the explosion, and not interested enough. As far as she could tell, she'd done all right-she hadn't raised any local eyebrows, at least-but if she hadn't…

There was nothing she could do about it now. Palpatine might well sit on his analysis of her behavior for years. Focusing on how well she had or hadn't done until then would just make her paranoid. And, like Elle had said, that would make her more likely to make a mistake.

In any case, at least in terms of quantifiable problems, the worst of it had been when the head of the local mining concern tried to enlist her support in a dispute he was having with the system's civilian governor, who, naturally, was also engaged in an elaborate pissing contest with the local military commander. Padmẻ was, of course, smart enough not to actually get involved, but juggling the three men (and their egos) so they didn't keep her from doing her job had been incredibly annoying. And it had made just about everything take twice as long as it should have, and probably contributed to the miscommunication about the platform and her accident.

Not that she was particularly upset about that. It wasn't like a dislocated shoulder hurt, or meant she couldn't pick up her son properly when she saw him again, or anything.

But, at long last, after a little over two weeks, things had progressed reasonably and gained some momentum of their own. The situation was as stable as she could hope to make it. She'd stayed an extra couple days, just to be sure, then politely-and with great relief-started back to Coruscant.

And then, when she was about halfway there, she'd received a message from home. Not any kind of disaster there, thank every known deity in the universe, but Queen Velida, elected to succeed Apailana four months before, was requesting her advice and assistance with some internal issues.

As much as she worried about the Queen using her fame and stature as a shortcut around a complex problem, Padmẻ could hardly refuse the request.

At least this will probably taper off after another couple months, she'd thought, as Sabẻ relayed the new course instructions to the pilot. Hopefully, anyway. I made sure I stayed term-limited for a reason.

But she was more or less resigned to the idea-the only Queen who hadn't sought her advice like this, at least in the early days, had been her immediate successor, Idayane, who had seemed to want to prove she could live up to expectations just fine on her own. Padmẻ had always gotten the impression that Idayane had resented her a little bit, or at least having to follow immediately after her. And she couldn't really blame her-while she didn't think she was any more competent or talented than any of the young women who had followed her in the Palace, the circumstances of her reign had made her a hard act to follow. And she knew it. And Idayane, in particular, had felt it. Their relationship had improved significantly since Idayane had left the palace, but Padmẻ doubted they'd ever be friends, the way she was with the others-Neeyutnee and Jamillia in particular.

So, she had sent in her final reports on Vydrex IX-the official one, to Palpatine, and a second, very carefully-worded one to Bail and Mon-and headed home. Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely a bad thing. She got to see her parents, and Sola and the girls, and spend a little more uninterrupted time with Luke than was sometimes possible in the Capital. They'd even managed to slip off to Varykino for a couple of days.

She'd spent some time at Leia's false grave, too-without Luke; she had no idea whether or not he'd be able to tell it was empty, and didn't want to risk it either way. When he was old enough, she would tell him everything, of course. But for now, it would only upset him, or risk exposing him, or both.

But, eventually, both her business on-planet and her brief retreat had concluded. And now, over a month after she'd left, she was finally back on Coruscant, with her son and her handmaidens, settling back into her usual routine.

Well, that had been the plan.

Until, halfway up to the apartment, the lift stopped, and quietly slid open.

Luke pressed tight against her side, clinging to her leg; if he got any closer, he'd practically be inside her. She heard him whimper faintly, and she couldn't blame him.

Because, standing there quietly, perfectly framed in the doorway, was the shadow from Bail's security tape.

The assassin.

Padmẻ fought down the urge to scream, to pick up her son-shoulder or no shoulder-and run. It wouldn't do any good anyway; the assassin was blocking the only exit.

She shut down that part of her brain as hard as she could, resting a hand on Luke's head, and tried to take in as much detail as she could.

He was tall; about Ani's height, give or take a few centimeters. He wasn't human-there was a little too much height to his hood. Cerean, maybe; or a horned species like a Gotal or a Devaronian. She couldn't see his face, and he wore gloves, so she couldn't narrow down his species that way. He shifted ever so slightly; the outer layer of his robes swirled around him, revealing a pair of lightsabers clipped to his belt.

A not-so-subtle threat.

Her handmaidens went still and pressed a little closer around her.

She steeled herself and looked right at him. I stared down Count Dooku. Whoever you are, you are not Dooku.

(And it wasn't the same, because her son was here, but it was enough for her to stay strong, to protect him, to get them all off this damn lift without anyone dying.)

"Good afternoon," she said, coolly.

"Senator Amidala," he replied. His voice was-not what she expected. Lighter, softer- young. "I am Darth Specter."

Which meant-

Don't think about it now.

"Is there a reason you've stopped us?" she asked, keeping any reaction to the name-or the title -off her face.

"You were investigating the bombing on Vydrex IX, correct?" he asked. He leaned forward a little, and she caught another flash of his lightsabers.

I could reach out and take them. He's so close, and if I disarm him-

Don't be an idiot, she cut herself off, harshly. Don't pick a fight with him. Not now. Luke is right here. If you try to disarm him, it'll get messy, and he's faster than you are, and there's no cover in a damn lift. Besides, he can kill you just as dead with his bare hands. Probably.

"I wasn't investigating," she corrected him. "I was overseeing relief efforts for the affected population."

"RIght," he said. "But you were there. You must have asked some questions."

This is a trap, she realized It was almost a relief. He was trying to bait her, into saying more than she should. Palpatine must have sent him, to catch her off guard. This, she could handle.

"A few," she said, putting a hint of caution into her voice.

"Of course, you were curious," he said.

"That's not the word I would've used."

"Tell me," he said, taking a half step closer. "Did any of your questions tell you what kind of ship he left in? Senator," he added, almost as an afterthought.

And that set of a different kind of alarm bell in her head. His voice had gotten tense, eager-almost hungry.

He's after Anakin, she realized. Whether or not this is a test for me, for him, it's-well, good luck, Specter, I am not giving you my husband.

"Like I said," she said, making her voice as icy as possible, "I wasn't investigating. No one even told me the bomber was male." Which was technically true-Palpatine hadn't told her, just shown her that kriffing video.

Besides, she didn't know how much Specter knew. Palpatine didn't seem the type to keep his minions any more in the loop than he had to. Two could play the testing game.

And, like she'd half-expected-like she'd hoped-Specter let out a sort of growl of frustration, and backed off. "Fine," he said. "Fine. I'll see you again. Senator."

He turned, black cloak swirling around him, and left them there. The lift doors slid shut, and her handmaidens all relaxed.

And Luke burst into tears.

"Shh, shh, sweet boy, it's okay," Padmẻ said, kneeling and holding him as close as she could with only one arm. "It's okay, it's okay, he's gone now." The lift lurched into motion around them, and she kept whispering soothing things, while her mind whirled, processing everything she knew.

Which was a lot more than she'd thought she ever would.

He's young-and not someone who's dealt with Senators or other people with any kind of rank before. He's also kept at arm's length, or at least doesn't know that I already knew who was behind the attack on the mine. Which means he probably doesn't know Anakin and I are married, either. And he didn't-

She paused for a beat, looking down at her son as the elevator reached her floor.

He didn't even look at Luke. Not once.

She hardly dared to believe it, but-Specter saw nothing in him, other than a frightened toddler.

All of that added up to-young, inexperienced, probably easy to goad into a trap.

If only that trap didn't probably mean-

Not your call to make, she reminded herself. Okay. First thing, I have to let Bail and Mon know what I found out. From there, Bail would pass the intel on to the people responsible for using it, and the three of them would watch and see how Specter affected the political situation, and if they could manipulate that at all.

Then she was going to just find a quiet place and cling to her son and not deal with any politics or overblown egos or Sith Lords for an hour or two.

"Lulu, sweetheart," she said, trying to disentangle him from her legs. "Mommy has to go make a quick call, okay? I'll be right back, I promise."

"Nooooooo," he said.

"I promise," she said again. "Aunt Sabẻ will keep you safe until then. And the bad man isn't coming back." Not any time soon, at least. I think. I hope.

Sabẻ swooped in to the rescue, picking Luke up, which started him crying again. "Try Senator Mothma first," she said quietly. "It's midday in Aldera City."

Which meant Bail would probably be speaking with Breha and Winter. Padmẻ had no intention of interrupting his time with his family unless she had no other choice.

She nodded. "Sorry," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Noooooooo," Luke said, reaching for her again.

"Shh, little one," Sabẻ tried. "Mommy will be right back."

Before she could lose her resolve, Padmẻ went into her study and closed the door behind her. She called Senator Mothma's office, only to be told she had left for a few hours, but fortunately, her staff had standing instructions to at least attempt to transfer any calls from Bail or Padmẻ immediately. She waited a few minutes, with the silence and the ticking chrono making her tense all over again. She anxiously fidgeted with her earrings, then drummed her fingers on her desk, then just started pacing.

Calm down. Calm down. The call might be monitored, we never know-you have to look normal. So you don't put her in danger. Focus on the positives-we know a lot more about Specter than we used to. And knowledge is power. Maybe it's enough to do something about him.

She took a deep breath, gripped the edge of her desk, and let it out slowly while she was transferred to Mon's private line at home.

Finally, she answered; and having something to focus on helped Padmẻ get a little more self-control.

She sank down into her desk chair, and smiled, hoping it didn't seem too forced. "Hello, Mon."

"Hello, Padmẻ ," she replied, with a warm, if slightly strained, smile. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," she said. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time…"

"No, not at all. What do you need?"

To tell you and Bail about Specter. And hope that Bail's heard back from Obi-Wan by now.

She took a breath. Steady. "I know it's short notice," she said, apologetically, "but I was just checking and the fiscal deadline for the park fund we were discussing before I left is at the end of the week."

A flicker of understanding passed through Mon's eyes. While Padmẻ and Bail had been friends for years, and so had plenty of reasons to visit one another, her relationship with Mon had been friendly, but much more professional before this all started. So they had a series of charity projects they worked on together now, as reasonable excuses to meet frequently. The one she'd picked-which did have a filing deadline coming up; she wouldn't risk lying about that-involved Bail as well, making things much simpler.

"Damn. Of course it is." She sighed.

"I know I had a few more details I wanted to go over," Padmẻ said. "Do you have an hour or so later this evening where we could meet?" Which was a hint that, while sooner would obviously be better, they didn't need to drop everything and plunge into the new problem.

I hope I'm right about that.

"Uh, just a moment." Mon turned away from her comm, partially disappearing from view for about thirty seconds, then came back. "I have a dinner with Senator Organa and a few others. He and I can stop by your apartment after, if you'd like? I know you just got in, and you're probably tired…"

"That sounds perfect," she said. "I'll be up, I can sleep a little this afternoon. What time should I expect the two of you?"

"It'll be fairly late," she said. "Ten or eleven."

"All right," she said, making a note of it. "I'll have everything together when you arrive."

"Wonderful. See you tonight, then."

"See you tonight." She pushed the button on her desk to sign off, and slumped a little, leaning forward on her good hand.

Progress. The only progress I can make right now. But the others will know what I know in a few hours, and Bail will get it to the Jedi, and…it'll be okay. They'll take care of him. Obi-Wan and Ani-they'll handle this. I trust them. It'll all be okay.

If only she could forget that hunger.

"Mommy?" Luke's voice from the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

He must have escaped Sabẻ. Or Sabẻ had figured out she was off the phone and sent him over.

She took a deep breath, made herself smile, and went to let him in.

He was standing there, scuffing his foot in the carpet. As soon as the door was out of his way, he beelined for her legs again, clinging tight. "Don' like the lift man," he mumbled.

"I know, sweet boy," she said. She wanted to pick him up but-damn shoulder. So, instead, she sat down on the floor and pulled him into her lap. "Mommy's not going to let him hurt you, okay, Lulu? Never ever."

"Uh-huh," he said, and nestled closer.

She stroked his hair lightly. "You were very brave. I know he's very scary."

Luke shrugged one shoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"Want me to read you a story?" She had one of his favorites on her desk. If he would let her up, she could grab it easily enough.

He shook his head. Clearly, he didn't want either of them to move right now. And, frankly, she was perfectly fine with that. As long as he was with her-as long as she was holding him like this-she knew her son was safe.

So she held him, just like that, stroking his hair and humming a little under her breath, until he finally fell asleep.

He didn't even look at Luke, she reminded herself. Specter didn't even look at him.

It didn't mean all that much, maybe, but it was better than nothing. She'd take what she could get, for now.

Original Author's Note: Soooo let's talk about the timeline of the Naboo monarchy for a second.

I know timelining anything in Star Wars is not the easiest of tasks (even without going into the messes that are the internal timelines of ROTS and ESB), but the Queens of Naboo are a pretty special case of weird. I know there's a source somewhere (I don't know what level of canon it was, even in Legends), that said four year terms/Padme served eight years as Queen and then went into the Senate. Jamillia succeeded her, ruled until about two years into the Clone Wars, did not get re-elected, and then we have Apailana at Padme's canon funeral. Fine and dandy, yay, this makes total sense.

Except…then came the TV show. And Neeyutnee. And the timeline crashed and burned.

Wookiepedia, which I tend to use as a reference a lot, cites her reign as being 21 – 20 BBY. Which…given the timing of her first and last appearances (the whole thing with the plague, and then the Rako Hardeen arc) doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me? I mean, fitting everything that happens in the TV series into three years (or, given that there's a bit of a break on either end, closer to two and a half, probably) is a pain in the butt anyway, but this just makes it worse. I mean, it basically implies she resigned/was assassinated (but why didn't we hear about that? Was there going to be a later Clone Wars arc about Neeyutnee's death? There were supposed to be two more seasons, I think…) or impeached or something, and then Apailana succeeded her (what is the succession on Naboo, anyway? What is the equivalent of the VP?).

…anyway, roundabout way of saying: four-year terms, given the timeline as it now stands, insofar as any SW timeline can be accurately parsed, don't make much sense. Also, I wanted to do a little—world/character building thing here, with Padme and her relationship with/how she is perceived by her successors. So, for the purposes of this fic, as there's no strict canon (anymore, that I'm aware of) on the length of the Naboo Monarch's terms, I've gone with two-year terms instead of four.

I'll try not to do this sort of thing (completely ignore accepted Legends holdovers/interpolations) too often, I promise. 3 Thanks so much for putting up with me, and hope you're enjoying yourselves! Next week should bring a close to Captain, and then we'll start Part 4: Commander, which will bring in a couple people I'm super-excited for :)

See you guys next week!

~shadowsong