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Chapter 13
A hooded figure watched, leaning against a tree as he watched the battle from the distance. Engaging with the target here and now had been ever so tempting. To destroy this Force Adept sickeningly plagued by the Light Side. But his Master's orders stood, and he knew that now was not the time. He wouldn't dare to disobey the Master's wishes or else he would feel suffering unlike ever before if he'd survived.
He looked up at the sky, the firefight that had just started, and momentarily bathed. The sickening rush of power flooded him. Snapping out of the exhilarating feeling, the clouded figure approached a speeder bike parked nearby.
He ignited a Holo-com which was built in it, revealing a humanoid creature with pale white skin, dark and sunken eye sockets, and fingers roughly twice the length of the standard human hand.
"When will I be compensated for this again?" she asked, grinning sickly.
"If you destroy Luke Skywalker," the second figure responded coldly.
"Oh yes?" She inquired, folding her arms around her chest.
"Power? The means to destroy far more Jedi?" He posted the leverage of their deal, knowing that the deal was one-sided. This insolent little brat would never have the potential to be a Master of the Dark Side.
"Oh, you know how to reach me, Sith." She licked her lips deliciously.
"If you're successful, you will be remembered when the Sith Empire rises."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm moving in. Don't know what this guy has on you to make you Sith spooked, but must be a hell of a challenge." The woman deactivated the Holo-com and he smirked, clicking on a few buttons.
With the assistance of more Jedi, the figure knew that charging in would be a suicidal move, as even he knew he couldn't take on their entire Order just yet. The Trade Federation wasn't meant to survive past the day.
A "observation" he called it. It would be ever so enlightening to witness the battle.
Metallic and humanoid footsteps moved. Blasters aimed and raised. Bolts fired in the air. The shouts of "ambush" sounded numb in Padmé's ears. She didn't know how the Trade Federation found the Gungans, but they did and did so swiftly. Painfully. The burnt corpses on the ground. The Gungans drilled and killed.
No matter their ancient tension, what the Trade Federation had done to the Gungans-the Naboo was unforgivable. That meant that the original plan was just disbanded.
And suddenly, Padmé's disgust and sadness morphed into something else. Into something that shouldn't be. It wasn't right. Her advisors would have been disappointed. Her parents-possibly as well. But what accompanied her was absolute anger and rage.
As more and more metallic monstrosities poured in, Padmé made a final vow. A vow to take down as many enemies from the other side.
After all, the droids and - armed Neimoidians?! - didn't have what they had.
The Jedi.
While Kenobi stood in front of the Handmaidens, absorbing each of the blaster bolts, the young Jedi Padawan was nothing to the two emerald lightsaber-wielding Jedi.
One time throughout the battle, Luke Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn extended their hands, and their enemies fell into heaps, giving the Nabooians a chance to take down the downed opponents. But the enemies continued coming and coming, ever closer, substituting for the ones that have fallen. However, the Jedi didn't falter, keeping their defenses up, not allowing the droids to pour past their barely held defenses.
Endless and endless, they came. Endless and endless, the Nabooians held their ground, refusing to back down against their enemies.
"Queen Amidala!" Panaka shouted above the bolts, shooting, "We are going to look for any stragglers!"
Next to her, her loyal bodyguard looked at her and she nodded. "Be careful, Captain!" The Handmaiden shouted, still ducking and firing.
"Obi-Wan! Go with them!" Jinn exclaimed, still deflecting bolts as he spoke the command. The Jedi Padawan did so.
Truthfully, there hadn't been a Plan B. The Queen was out of her realm here.
It was a bitter reminder. Haako was different from Gunray.
The Jedi's pilots were in the skies, and Padmé knew that they wouldn't fail them. But the ground forces were dependent on at least surviving.
It was due to Master Skywalker that they survived. Oh, Jinn was good, but Skywalker worked with the act of a military soldier and veteran.
Padmé wondered if she would be like that someday. She feared it. She didn't fear him. She knew somewhere within her that he would never hurt her (somehow). But, the thought of being used to this was terrifying. Yet, she knew it was inevitable. Knew that she would shoot down any mortal enemy over and over again just to save Naboo.
Skywalker brought the last mortal guard to him and slammed his lightsaber through his stomach, allowing him to drop onto the ground.
They were in the clear.
And she spotted them. Bright gold stripes lined the Handmaiden's outfits, just like the rest of the Handmaidens, and it was indeed Yané and Saché.
All formalities be damned, Padmé's emotional dam broke and held out her arms, Saché hesitated for a moment — seeming aware of her unpleasant stench — and then wrapped her arms around her.
"I'm so glad," she said, her voice a whisper. "I'm so glad."
Eirtaé and Rabé embraced them as well, and it all felt right. Sabé joined them after a second of hesitation. For a moment, time itself didn't matter. But it didn't last long. The moment of reunion over, they all looked formal now, as formal as Padmé could try to be given the situation.
"I'm so very glad that you've returned to us," Yané said.
"No more glad than I am to have returned," Padmé responded, smiling a little stiffly. There was a growing pit of terror in her stomach. "Where's Bibble and the Naboo Royal Council?" she asked.
Saché's demeanor was always carefully controlled, but Padmé could see the faint grimace and sadness in her eyes. "Queen Amidala, you should sit down for t..."
"No," she said, trying to keep her voice strong. "What happened?"
She already knew what the other was readying herself to say, though a part of her refrained to believe it.
At length, and after a long waiting stare at her fellow Handmaiden who was staring down in guilt, Yané finally said, "I'm so sorry, Padmé, but... Bibble and the entire Royal Naboo Council... they were executed."
"An example," Saché spat with a fury that Padmé felt, "to the rest of the Naboo that we're the Trade Federation's servants now."
She allowed the surprise and sadness to wash over her. Part of her wanted to scream at the unfair universe! Hyperventilation tore at the surface. So, so close. Terror bred into her. The Trade Federation must have been vexed at the fact that Nute Gunray was captured and refused to concede their control without blood, now that they were in so deep. With effort, she quashed it unmercifully behind a wall in her mind.
There was no second to be spared for horror. "Then we shall make sure to honor their memories by finishing what they would have wanted," she declared firmly, using that fury to carry her voice.
"What sort of Blarth spawn mess is this?!" Rabé growled, incapable of controlling her righteous anger.
"What are our options?" Padmé asked, resigned.
"There is one other choice," Luke provided.
"We can't just leave," Eirtaé protested.
"I wasn't thinking of that," Luke said.
Jinn's head snapped to him. "What do you mean?"
"We are still available, and there are captured people in Theed. If we can gather up..."
The implications were clear to even the untrained ear.
"No, there are too few of us, and those people might not even know how to hold a blaster. We have no army," Panaka argued.
"Not to mention, we can only protect her. We can't start a war," Qui-Gon stated, disappointed.
"Master Jinn, you are involved with this now," Luke advocated. "Do you not sense it? The thousands of beings suffering?"
"I do, and it is saddening, but if the Jedi do this, Luke-" the Maverick started.
"While it is true that the Senate will be upset with the Jedi, if you have a world effectively blockaded and they lack the military or political punch to do anything about it, there's no reason to escalate. You are in control of the situation as it stands. Escalating things up just exposes you to problems: greater attention from the powers that be, violent ground-level resistance, intimidating the victims into making unwise decisions, and the list goes on. All of which happens immediately. The Trade Federation exceeded their grounds for the fallout to be anything but violent now."
Frustration crossed the Maverick's face. "Countless people will suffer. There are consequences for everything!"
"I understand that people will die. It's natural in war, unfortunate as it is. Qui-Gon, remember, I have witnessed people close to me die." Luke said grimly. "But this is part of the problem. The Jedi Order is separate from the politics of the Republic, concentrating on philosophy and study of the Force. By this stage of the Republic this distinction is blurred but ultimately never worked when considering the best interests of the common people. The old Jedi Order would not participate in settling trade disputes or involve themselves in local planetary problems. They refrained from action even as the Republic risked being conquered by the Mandalorians in the Old Republic era. Inactivity leads to more problems."
Jinn paled ever so slightly, before managing, "We must follow the Will of the Force."
"The Force doesn't prohibit protecting common life, my friend," Luke stated firmly. "This is an attack against the people. The Force is not a curse. It wants you to protect people through any means necessary."
"...I don't," Obi-Wan stated after a moment. Qui-Gon's eyes widened. "Master, we can't have another Melida/Daan."
Jinn's face darkened momentarily...
"I'm sorry Master Jinn, but I'm afraid both the Jedi and Naboo have been played for fools. Right now my only concern is securing this planet. If you do nothing, Naboo will burn. This is no longer a minor trade dispute. Please, all I ask is that you trust me." Luke spoke, though his words didn't seem to be entirely directed at Jinn. His head was focused solely on Padmé.
Was Luke speaking to her?
Jinn's sharp eyes turned to him and he seemed to be staring past him for what felt like hours, before he nodded slowly, understanding what had to be done.
Padmé closed her eyes. "I...I need a moment with Sabé."
Her most loyal Handmaidens stared at her before nodding. She was closer to Sabé than most people. While she greatly loved Sola, Sabé worked with her long enough to be considered part of the family. Everyone left her be.
"I don't know if I can do it..." To become a warmonger. To not depend on democracy... yet it would be for the best at least temporarily. Padmé learned the hard way that the Republic's leadership wasn't capable of functioning, even with physical evidence like Nute Gunray. What if it happened again?
"Padmé, I will stand behind you no matter what your choice be."
"But what would you do?" Padmé asked, her voice getting higher. "Not as my loyal Handmaiden, but as Sabé, the human..."
A lengthy silence passed, "...I would accept Luke's offer." And Padmé couldn't blame her for it, not even a bit. She still felt like she had to explain, "Right now, he's our last hope. The Gungans were undisturbed, Padmé, and they came down on them all without thought. In my opinion, we have to do something if we are to survive."
Padmé clenched her hands up into fists. "...Naboo will make a name after this." She argued weakly.
"But is that a bad thing, Padmé?" Sabé questioned rhetorically. "The Trade Federation haven't been playing fair. They're destroying everything we built here. This is no longer a simple invasion. This is a conquest. What stops others from doing the same? What stops us from losing more sisters and brothers? It's either we stay here, wait to die, leave and lose our planet indefinitely, or sign the treaty."
That was something Padmé always loved about Sabé. The others were voices of support just fine, especially Rabé, but Sabé was always blunt and straightforward. She never told Padmé what she wanted to hear. Instead, what she needed to hear.
"There's no way to resolve this democratically, isn't there?" Padmé inquired, disheartened.
Even with the lack of response, Padmé knew the answer.
This was a direct violation of everything she believed! They would be disturbing the dead members of the Council... Yet, Padmé's options were limited. While neither the Naboo nor the Gungans were ever particularly aggressive, they were never friends and always distrustful of each other. The Gungans were the natives and saw some people come in like they owned the planet, building cities on all the waterfalls and thinking they were so great with all their shiny spaceships. The Naboo saw primitive tribes of rude isolationist frog people who lived in swamps, in crappy mud huts among countless other things.
But that didn't mean Padmé wanted them exterminated. Among that anger, something within her roared in defiance, calling for the Trade Federation's destruction and... death. It would be justice. They barely had roughly a thousand people here; people who were depending on her. More were within the city.
After this; the Naboo would want to reorganize into something. This wouldn't be temporary. No, her people were going to rightfully want changes. They might even go as far as wanting to build an Army and Navy and become another Kuat, Corellia, Fondor, or Alsakar. Otherwise, Padmé would be viewed as an incompetent leader who didn't learn anything from this. Far too many people would want to throw her into the deepest ocean of Naboo if she didn't show any signs of changing.
Padmé was stuck. As the remaining member of the governing body, all Nabooians deferred to her leadership spontaneously. They would follow her orders if she did what she should do and avoid a war, but it wouldn't be long before that led to another bunch of problems.
A united front, yet a conflicted Queen.
With the Gungans mostly extinct, the only other option was evacuation.
Padmé knew what she had to do...
Sneaking into Theed with careful consideration, they rescued many captives-and even lesser, those who managed to hide throughout this. The battle in space was going in the Jedi's favor but it was proceeding too slowly.
Predictably, there were Neimoidians and battle droids snipers on various buildings, those who would inform the palace about the ground attack as they were alerted. With the help of the Jedi, they rooted them each out and replaced them with their snipers, making use of their quite superior guns as well, and picking off the others on the other building.
Recapture Naboo themselves.
They had limited time. With only minimum convincing, the Nabooians agreed. They filed in with the formation, and wore sleek combat helmets and red blast-dampening vests, utilizing weapons they have never wielded. This was their home. Their domain. Their culture. Their people. They never held those things so closely to their hearts as they did now. Together, they paraded forward as one, one dagger, one weapon pointed at their adversary.
It was a short march before they made it to the heart of the capital city just short of the edge before the cliff, stopping along the way to various captured camps and reaching the captured civilians. The Naboo would fight for their everything, trained or not.
The Force Adept placed his black hood over his head, raised his lightsaber high, and activated it.
The Naboo called out in unison, a symbol of defiance against these Invaders. Luke Skywalker lowered his saber and marched ahead, Padmé and the Nabooians right in rhythm, their feet clicking against the stone ground as they climbed the steps of the palace, the darkening sky illuminating the marching formation.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was the next to draw his weapon, followed by Qui-Gon Jinn a few seconds later, the two Jedi were only a couple of meters behind Skywalker but ahead of the Nabooians. The natives of the planet turned off their safeties, the various clicks ranging through the air.
Sentries - battle droids and Neimoidians in distinctive bronze armor that mimicked an ancient beetle-knight, guns loosely resembling the shape of older powder-based weapons and Weequay blaster pistols, uniform a bottle-green, Commanders' armor and battle staves silver, blaster rifles lazy - spotted the Jedi and Nabooians as they ascended the building. Padmé eyed them as they conferred, motioned to the attackers, and then darted out to them.
"Hold up!" A Commander shouted, holding out his hand. "You shall go no further! What is the meaning of this?!" When he received no answer, he aimed his blaster. "Halt, Menace! No further! Stop right there! In the name of Viceroy Rune Haako, you will stop! You're surrounded!"
Unseen to all except its users, the Force trembled in anger and rage. But justice. The Trade Federation fueled the Dark Side, and the Force glared, demanding preservation. For far too long, it will have been violated by people. Twisted.
Now, Luke Skywalker marked himself in the eyes of Naboo. History shall forever remember this moment as many names, three most prominent:
"The Reconquest Of Naboo."
"The First Act Of Naboo's Militarism."
"Liberation of Naboo."
"All I am surrounded by is fear and fear is both an asset and enemy." Was Skywalker's simple response before the veteran swung his lightsaber...