"The Seduction of Amidala"

New Story, takes place shortly after Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

by Areala (scrisman@juno.com)

Main Characters (official): Amidala, her handmaidens.

Main Characters (made up): Sarah Brightwind (Jedi Knight), Trish Brentton (Sarah's Master).

Category: Seduction/Romance/Female Slash

Status: Work in progress, approximately half complete, will be finished and updated periodically. Estimated length when finished: 200 pages (novel length). Current length: 116 pages.

Summary: A newly commissioned female Jedi Knight is sent to Naboo after the Trade Federation occupation to serve as protector and advisor to Queen Amidala. While there, her feelings start to change, and the two begin to fall in love. Meanwhile, a mysterious assassin is dispatched to kill the new Jedi, and Darth Sidious sets his next set of plans into motion.

This work is not authorized, endorsed, or in any way affiliated with George Lucas, 20th Century Fox, or any other person or entity involved with Star Wars. With the exception of the characters made up by me, all others are copyright and trademark George Lucas. I'm not making any money or anything off of this...please don't sue me. :) I'm just a poor little college girl with an active imagination...

OK, before anyone has a cow once they start reading this: in case you could not tell from the title, this is erotic fiction, with lesbian tones. If you can't deal with this, then for crying out loud, don't read any further. If you are not of legal age in the country where you reside (and you should know if you are or not), then do not read further. Failure to heed this warning could result in huge warts growing on your nose, pigs crapping on your boots, and a house falling on whomever you love most. And we can't have that, now, can we?

Secondly, no insult whatsoever is meant to George Lucas, Star Wars in general, 20th Century Fox, Natalie Portman, or anyone else involved in Star Wars. This writing in no way is meant to claim that the actress who played the brilliant Queen in The Phantom Menace is either a lesbian or a bisexual. It's a use of character, not of actress. Taking this story the wrong way would be the same as looking at someone who played the lead character in Shakespeare's Macbeth as an evil bastard in real life.

Third, this story takes place shortly after the ending of The Phantom Menace as we see on the screen. It's not official in any way.

And fourth, though I know lots of the stories, I can't possibly get access to all the material that concerns the Phantom Menace or any other Star Wars movies/novels/etc... As such, I will make do with what I have and try not to be unfaithful as far as building design, costumes, and so forth. If I mess something up...deal with it. It's an alternate universe anyway. ;-)

If you have any comments, use the e-mail address at the top of the page, with two important exceptions: First, I don't want to hear from anybody who is going to bitch me out just for writing a story like this, using these characters. And second, if you didn't like a certain section or have critiques on the overall story, that's fine; please tell me and/or offer suggestions. But if all you're interested in doing is telling me how I'm going to burn in hell for writing a lesbian love story with an actual plot, then you may keep your comments to yourself. :-)

This is probably as good a place as any to interject that, obviously, everyone depicted in sexual acts is at or above the legal age of consent (no definite age is given, since this can vary widely from country to country). Yes, this may conflict wildly with the character development from Episode 1, but like I said before, this is an alternate universe where nobody's breaking the law by sleeping with one another. :)

With all that foolishness out of the way, it's story time, ladies and gentlemen...

* * * * *

PROLOGUE

Occasionally, if you are the type of person to frequent places such as Mos Espa and Mos Eisley, you will come across someone or other who claims to have dirt on the ruler of some planet somewhere. You know the kind: they act like it's some great big secret, get you to buy a round of drinks for him and his buddies, then dispense information about things that are fairly common knowledge, or could be found with a modicum of digging through the right archives with the right data spikes and droids helping you. 500 credits to a reputable slicer would easily uncover most of the rumours outright. What these drunken, aged spacers talk about is of little concern or care to the common traveler.

If it's not information they claim to have, then it is the standard fish story. A tale that is crafted with skill, and over-emphasized at just the right places, so as to not appear too outlandish. Even the most novice of space pilots knows there's no way in hell you fought off seven TIE-Interceptors single-handedly. But three...that's acceptable. Picking out the lies soon becomes too tedious, because they are woven so carefully into the story. Often, it is just better to sit and listen. Interrupting a Dug who had consumed one too many glasses of the local specialty might get you a face full of blaster fire. No, pointing out the errors and nitpicking these stories has the potential to get you killed or worse. So you just sit back and listen. And wait.

Well, my friend, if it's the real truth you are interested in, I can provide you with enough stories to last a lifetime. Who am I? Well, for now, just sit back and listen. For this is the first time I've told this particular tale, and I guarantee, it will be the last time as well.

CHAPTER ONE

Twenty square meters, two doors on opposite sides of one another, white tiles on the floor, walls, and ceiling, a catwalk suspended from the ceiling, several pieces of dilapidated equipment, a security camera, some switches on the wall, and two motionless figures clad in brown robes -- the latter being the most interesting things in the room. The first one was a middle-aged female humanoid, with brown hair that had only just started showing small streaks of silver in its tresses. Her body rippled with power far beyond physical, however...her stance was exacting and precise. Her blue eyes were half-closed slits that regarded her adversary warily. It was clear that her grasp of the Force was quite complete.

The second figure provided an interesting contrast. She was half a head taller than the older woman, with strawberry-blonde hair, wrapped in a tight pony tail, that came down to just past her shoulders. Hanging down across her ear and over the right side of her body was a small, singular braid of the same hair, woven neatly with an almost invisible cord. Her black boots tapped at the tiled floor almost impatiently, and she swayed on the balls of her feet every now and then, limbering up for the fight she knew was coming. The folds of her robe parted slightly to reveal a slender, silver and black metal tube hanging from a leather strap on her belt. A lightsaber. The powerful tool of a person trained in the Force. It was clear that her grasp of that mystical energy field wasn't quite as precise as the other woman's was, but her youth made up for some of the slack.

She was going to need all the luck she could get to win this fight.

The older woman placed her hands upon her hips, throwing open her outer robe to reveal a lightsaber like that worn by the younger girl, slightly different in construction, but identical in purpose. Once ignited, there was no substance in the known universe it could not cut through, save for the beam of another lightsaber. It was the weapon most feared by pirates and rogues through the galaxy because of how utterly versatile it was. Not only could it slice through a ship's hull as though it were water, it could also deflect energy bolts with extreme precision, penetrate most force fields, and sometimes even be commanded to independent action by its controller.

The woman and the girl drew their weapons at the same time and activated them. The older woman's blade gleamed a dark orange, while the girl's flashed a bright aqua-green colour.

"It's time to finish this," the girl told her foe from across the room. "You know what I'm here for."

"You'll never get it, Sarah," the woman sneered.

"Try and stop me, Trish," Sarah said back, equally contemptuously. "I've learned a few things since the last time."

"Prove it," Trish ordered, pointing her saber at Sarah.

"With pleasure," Sarah said, a maniacal glint in her eye.

The two women charged at one another from across the room and leaped into the air at the halfway point. There was a tremendous crash of energy as the two swords kissed in midair, then the two fighters landed on the ground, facing opposite directions.

Quickly, they both turned, and their lightsabers slammed together once again, the older woman on the offensive, driving the girl back with her precise, fluid movements. Overhand, sideways, and underhand, the strikes came and went, then showed up again as Trish pressed her advantage, driving Sarah back across the floor towards the corner.

Sarah feinted to her left, then dropped to the ground and kicked Trish's legs out from under her, but the older woman recovered mid-fall with her left arm, rolled backwards a few meters and landed on her feet. Sarah was on her in an instant, turning the tables and becoming the aggressor. Her movements weren't quite as confident as the older woman's were, but her speed was higher. Trish found herself hard-pressed to block them all as Sarah mercilessly hammered her enemy with blows that came from all angles at a rate that was almost faster than the human eye could follow.

Trish parried a swing and performed a powerful back-flip, landing gracefully on the catwalk above. Sarah wasted no time in executing a jump of her own, uncoiling her toned legs and rocketing to the platform in front of Trish. She started to attack, but Trish stretched out her hand and shoved Sarah to the latticework floor with a Force push.

Shaking her head, not believing she had been caught by the simple attack, Sarah flipped to her feet. The braid at her side and her pony tail whipped around as she charged Trish, who unleashed another push at her. Not stopping to think, Sarah ducked and rolled across the ground, got to her feet, and attacked.

"First time was a lucky shot," Sarah said as their swords clashed, their faces very close together.

"You should have been expecting that," Trish snorted back. "I'm disappointed. I thought I was facing more than a mere novice."

"Novice this!" Sarah swung, Trish dodged, and one of the support chains that held the catwalk suspended to the ceiling split in half, cut by Sarah's blade.

"Don't do that too much," Trish chastised. "I'd hate to see you hurt by falling off a catwalk."

Sarah huffed and struck again. Trish countered with an underhand strike, shoving Sarah's saber out of the way, and the roles reversed. Sarah barely blocked the next blow, and sparks exploded from the catwalk floor as Trish's saber was deflected into it. She swept the blade up over her head and down, but Sarah caught the attack and kicked forward with her foot. Trish stumbled back, and her saber cut through the second support chain.

The catwalk gave a small groan, and swayed under the two fighters' feet.

They paused for a moment, eyeing one another warily, gathering energy for the next round.

"Why don't you just give up?" Sarah asked.

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction," Trish growled. "You want this, you've got to earn it!"

The two inhaled simultaneously, then rushed forward again. Trish flipped forward over Sarah's head and planted her boot into the small of Sarah's back instead of staying to meet the charge, and Sarah sprawled to the unsteady ground. Her lightsaber scattered out of her hand and dropped over the edge of the catwalk, deactivating as it fell. Wasting no time, she reached out with her hand, and the metal shaft responded as though shot from a rubber band, snapping back to her hand just in the nick of time. Sarah powered it up and blocked an attack from Trish that would have cut her in half, rolled to her feet, and traded blows with the older woman for a few more seconds.

The two swords locked together in a strike, and Sarah gave a vicious shove to the right. Trish's saber followed suit, and the pair severed a third support chain. The catwalk swayed again, even more precariously than before. Somewhere behind her, Sarah heard a fourth support snap from the weight on the walk.

"You're running out of things to destroy up here," Trish muttered.

"Don't worry," Sarah replied brightly. "I'll think of something else."

"Think fast," Trish ordered, swinging at her again.

The fight went back and forth evenly for several minutes, neither combatant getting the upper hand. Finally, they both backed off for a moment. Both were sweating and breathing heavily from the length of the battle. The composure of the older woman was starting to waver. Sarah's age was proving to be the more important factor in the fight. But Trish was far from out of tricks.

From the corner of her mind's eye, Sarah saw the movement. She spun and reacted instantly, batting away the large object Trish had Force-thrown at her head with her lightsaber before twirling and parrying the strike the older woman had aimed at her legs. She took a step backwards, and Trish lashed out.

But not at Sarah. The woman's sword broke the closest support, causing the catwalk to emit the loudest groan of protest yet. Trish back-flipped and watched as the section of catwalk's last support snapped in a split-second, sending the entire ensemble tumbling to the floor. Carefully directing her thoughts, Trish forced the last chain to wrap itself around Sarah's ankle as the girl tried to jump away.

Sarah emitted a sharp scream of disbelief as the floor fell away from her and the chain dragged her down with it. She tried to cut the support, but it was coiled too close to her leg for her to break it without hurting herself in the process. She closed her eyes and mentally watched as the ground rushed forward to meet her.

The crash of the metal catwalk section on the floor reverberated through the room like the sour note of a very poorly tuned musical instrument. Trish waited for the dust to settle before leaping from her vantage point above and landing lightly on the ground. She walked forward to inspect the wreckage, a smug smile on her face. "That was too easy, Sarah," she murmured, shaking her head from side to side as though disappointed.

A piece of the catwalk split in half, the pieces flying off the floor at Trish from separate angles, and Sarah emerged from the spot where they had been covering her only moments before. "Cute trick," Sarah growled, "but you'll need to do better than that."

Trish deflected both pieces of the spinning metal away from her with unbelievable reflexes, then turned them around and tossed them back at the girl. "Two can play that game, Sarah..."

Sarah jumped into the air, bounced off the upper piece, flipped, and dropped towards Trish, saber extended. Trish blocked the strike, but fell to her knees from the strength behind Sarah's attack. She summoned up as much Force strength as she could muster, pushed her palm upwards and tossed Sarah backwards through the air, then jumped to follow her.

Sarah regained her control, planted her feet on the wall behind her, shoved off, and flew over Trish's head, blocking the shot Trish took at her torso as she did so before landing on the floor and spinning on her heel to face her adversary again. She saw Trish coming at her, repeating the maneuver she herself had used, and she stood, prepared to block the attack. With only seconds to spare, Sarah suddenly rolled out of the way, and Trish crashed into the floor, deactivating her lightsaber and trying desperately to tumble like crazy to minimize the damage from the missed attack.

To make matters worse, the room plunged into sudden darkness as Sarah made a motion at one of the switches on the wall, extinguishing the lights. Only the dull glow of Sarah's saber could be seen, vaguely hinting at her location.

Trish silently got to her feet, grounded into her battle stance, and lit her lightsaber. She hesitated for a moment, then charged in Sarah's direction.

The swords crashed together in the dark, setting off strobes of colour. Trish had been trained to blind-fight in the dark, but the lightsaber in front of her was behaving extremely oddly, performing feats that should not have been possible with a hand holding on to it. It swooped this way and that, twisting in ways that shouldn't have been possible. Unless she can turn her wrists a full 360 degrees, she can't be twirling the saber like that... But that would mean she's not holding her lightsaber, and if that's the case, then where...

Reality struck Trish as Sarah's foot connected with her back from behind, shoving her forward into Sarah's free-standing lightsaber, which had been fighting at Sarah's command as a distraction while Sarah had maneuvered herself to a more favorable position.

There was a bright flash, and the room's lights came back up of their own accord as Trish collided with Sarah's levitating weapon, which deactivated and dropped lifelessly to the floor, but not without issuing a pulse of energy that tossed the older woman to the ground.

Sarah stood there for a moment, breathing hard from the fight, before walking forward and extending her hand to the woman on the floor.

Trish's eyes opened, but they were full of respect and admiration. She accepted the hand offered to her, and got slowly to her feet, one hand pressed to her temple, still trying to shake off the stun effect of the training saber.

"Care to try it again, Master?" Sarah asked with a soft smile, scooping her saber

hilt off the floor with the Force, and returning it to her holster.

"No thanks," Trish laughed, massaging her forehead. "Once is good enough for me. Though after this, I don't suppose I can call you my Padawan, now, can I?" She likewise put away her weapon, and regarded Sarah to see how she would react to the news.

Sarah's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You mean..." She blinked several times, trying to decipher what Trish was telling her. "You mean that I'm...?"

"That was your final test," Trish nodded. "You may as well consider yourself a Knight, Sarah Brightwind."

Sarah was speechless. Her mouth wanted to move, and her brain knew she should have something to say, but she couldn't get the two to agree on anything, so she merely stood there with her jaw slack.

"I have to admit," Trish said to the girl as they exited the room and entered the hallway outside, "I thought I had you with that catwalk thing."

Sarah finally got her thoughts and her actions to come together in a cohesive manner. "I thought you did too," she replied. "Didn't see that bit with the chain coming for the life of me."

"Well, I sure didn't expect your trick with the lights," Trish laughed. "You

weren't kidding about having developed some new strategies."

"Actually, that was a very spur of the moment decision on my part," Sarah admitted. "My main goal concerned learning how to bounce off the walls when you threw me at them like you do."

"I'll take the recording from the camera to the Council later today after I've had a chance to rest up," Trish told her pupil. "By tomorrow at the latest, it should be official."

Sarah grinned with utter glee. Then her smile faltered for a moment. "Trish...?"

"Yes, Sarah?"

"Did you let me win?"

"Did I...?" Trish stopped, unable to fathom that Sarah had just asked her that question. Then, as she saw the smile crack across Sarah's lips, she realized she was being teased. "Sarah Brightwind, you watch your mouth, or I'll make this a best two out of three match and make it my personal goal in life to see that you stay a Padawan until you're Yoda's age!" Trish wagged her index finger at the girl as if to drive home the point.

There was a moment of silence, then both women burst into laughter simultaneously. Two Dobermans at play, bark worse than their bite, full of respect for one another.

"Let's hit the showers," Trish suggested. "I want to look clean and refreshed for the award ceremony."

"Clean and refreshed? That'll be a new look on you..." Sarah took off down the hallway, headed for the shower room with her Master hot on her heels.

"If you think I've got this grey hair for any reason other than training you over the past twelve years, Sarah, you've got another thing coming..."

* * * * *

Shortly after the battle for the planet of Naboo, when the Trade Federation was driven away into space with its tail between its legs and Obi-Wan Kenobi triumphed over Darth Maul, the Jedi Council met again in secret for the second time in ten days. Their first meeting, as most know, concerned the fate of the boy, Anakin Skywalker, whom Obi-Wan had insisted he be allowed to take on as Padawan and train in the ways of the Force. That part of the story is known to virtually everyone and is a matter of public record among the Jedi Knights.

This second meeting, however, is a little less known about in circles outside the council itself. Since the predicament on Naboo, the Jedi council had been slightly less than amicable when it came to the Senate. Palpatine made an acceptable chancellor as far as normal politics went, but Valorum had seemed to actually care about the health and well-being of the Jedi Knights, and did not see them as mercenaries to be hired out or as an army under his command. There was a slight mistrust of Palpatine in that regard, but then again, as Master Yoda had pointed out, only time would tell. To judge without a fair test of time would be unfair, since the former Senator was only just assuming his position as Supreme Chancellor. They would wait.

The situation on Naboo, on the other hand, still left a bad taste in the mouths of all the Jedi council members. Ashamed that they had permitted such a thing to happen, even though not even they could have known the outcome, Mace Windu moved to have the Council station one Jedi there on a semi-permanent basis. Even though they were needed elsewhere, they did have several younger, more inexperience Jedi who could use the time on a job like this. It would give the newly-weaned Jedi a chance to improve his meditation, Force recognition, and lightsaber skills without actually putting his life in any danger. The Knight would be there as a helper, and that was all. In the unlikely event that something did come up, the Jedi would work hand in hand with the planetary security force to put an end to the problem, and other Jedi could be at his side in less than a day's travel. At no time would the Jedi be completely alone if the situation merited his involvement.

"Much conflict in this galaxy," Yoda mused to the listening members of the council. His eyes wandered over them all: the ones with one head, the ones with two heads, or four arms, or who had surprisingly long necks, or who looked human save for a different shape of nose or ears. "With much conflict comes much responsibility for Jedi Knights. But without adequate preparation, Jedi Knights not amount to much aid. To send Jedi into battle without proper instruction and preparation is unwise. I must agree."

But suddenly there was another issue among the group...who to send?

"I've selected the candidate already," Mace said, standing up and straightening his robes. "This one was just recently awarded status. Far too young to take on a pupil yet, but old enough to be of use in this area. She lacks the mental discipline and patience to fully compliment the physical skills we teach, so we're not quite ready to accept this one as a Knight just yet, only as one who no longer needs a Master watching over her all the time."

"We must decide," Yoda said. "Is she available?"

"Waiting right outside, in fact," Mace said.

"Then send her in!" Depa Billaba requested.

Mace gestured with his fingers, and the door to the council room opened slowly. A slim figure, hood pulled low over her eyes, wearing a brown robe and white clothing underneath, black boots, with just the faintest whisper of red hair visible from under the cloth stepped inside. The silver gleam of a lightsaber handle reflected in the light as the newcomer walked inside slowly and quietly, closing the door behind her.

The figure pulled the hood off, revealing a head full of strawberry-blonde hair that had been pulled back in a loose pony-tail and tied with several small pieces of brown string. The Padawan braid that had looped over her ear during the final test was gone, clipped by her Master during the ceremony, and presented to her as a keepsake, to remind her that even though she no longer wore the braid, she was still learning, and always would be. Her face was young, far younger than any current member of the Council. Soft lips colored with just the barest hint of crimson complimented the smaller nose and bright, sea green eyes.

The newcomer turned and faced Mace and Yoda, cheeks slightly pink. She suddenly seemed to remember where she was, and bowed hastily. "Master Yoda, Master Windu," she spoke in turn.

"Hello, Sarah Brightwind," Mace nodded. His smile was compassionate, but also stern with the feeling of power behind it. "Do you know why we've asked you here today?"

Sarah paused and focused for a moment. "You have a task you wish me to perform," she replied, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"A task for you we have set forth, yes," Yoda said, eyeing her warily. "Ready to receive it, are you?"

The girl nodded. "I am prepared, Master. What is this task?"

"We want you to go to the planet Naboo, to oversee and aid in the reconstruction, as well as protect the Queen in case anything else should crop up unexpectedly," Mace informed her.

Sarah nodded. She had studied the report on the incident at Naboo very intensely. It was said that Obi-Wan Kenobi had killed a Sith on that planet, and it was no surprise to her that the Council wanted to station someone there. What did surprise her, however, was that they would choose her... "I will be more than glad to serve in that capacity."

"Settled, the matter is, then," Yoda spoke firmly. "Tomorrow, leave for Naboo, you will."

Mace Windu raised his hand in a signal of dismissal. "May the Force be with you, Sarah Brightwind. You must be our eyes, our ears, and our strength when we cannot be on Naboo. It is an enormous responsibility to bear. Do you feel you are prepared?"

Sarah hesitated, her tongue playing across her lips swiftly. "I've wanted this for all my life, Master Windu. You know that. If I did not feel I could bear the responsibility, I would not have continued with my training. All I ask is a chance to prove my worth to you."

"Already proved your worth to us, you have," Yoda spoke in his gravelly voice. His tone was serious, but not severe. It managed to convey the weight of what he was saying without seeming too high and mighty. "Trish Brentton taught you well. Became a Knight, and accepted the responsibility, you did. Most important, now you must prove worth to yourself. Accept not the Dark Side, follow instead the Light. Live by peace, not by anger. Remember this you must, or fail in your task you will."

"I understand, Master Yoda." For some reason, Sarah suddenly felt very small in front of the circle of twelve. "I won't let you down."

"May the Force be with you," Yoda said, nodding his head. Sarah got the distinct impression there was something that he was not telling her, something that he was deliberately holding back from the other eleven members of the Council. She wished for all the world she could ask him what it was that bothered him, but she knew enough to sense when her time was up, and that time had come. She bowed once again, not too low but not too high either, turned slowly, and departed through the door.

"She has spirit," Mace said after the girl had left. "I, for one, do not regret this decision."

"What are you holding back from us, Master Yoda?" The voice belonged to one of the few female Jedi on the Council.

Yoda almost seemed to sprout a grin across his wrinkled green face. "Nothing can I hide from you, Adi Gallia," he replied, addressing the beautiful, dark-skinned Jedi Master seated across the room from him. "But for discussion, the matter is not."

Adi settled back in her chair, accepting this answer, not pressing for information

as she sensed her fellow Jedi wished to do. She knew from years of experience when Yoda would not produce the secrets he was hiding. This was one of those times. "As you say, Master."

"I wish to know if she is truly ready for this," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "We are taking quite a risk with one so inexperienced."

"She seems eager enough." Plo Koon's voice was mechanically enhanced and filtered from the breathing mask he wore upon his face. Though they gave him a rather menacing appearance at first glance, his voice revealed a true heart of gold from inside. "Her heart and mind are in the right place, I believe."

"Agree with Master Koon, I do." This from Yaddle, a female of Yoda's race. Her voice was not as raspy as her male counterpart's was, and she still had hair on her head that had been wrapped in a small pony tail, but then again, she was almost half his age as well. That still didn't alter the peculiar style of speaking the Galactic Common tongue that was a characteristic of their race, however. "Well-trained, she is."

"She is ready," Mace told Ki-Adi-Mundi before Yoda could speak. "It merely remains to be seen if she is prepared."

Ki-Adi-Mundi looked from Mace Windu to Yoda then back to Mace in confusion, but neither of the Masters spoke further on the issue despite his probing, questioning eyes. Ki-Adi-Mundi took this as a sign that the session was ended, and he rose to his feet along with the rest of the members there. For some reason, that door had never looked quite so inviting before.

CHAPTER TWO

Trish Brentton opened her eyes as the chime sounded, signifying a visitor. She had only been sleeping lightly, and she suspected she knew who the visitor was, so she wasn't upset about the interruption. She threw back her sheets and slid her legs out of the bed. Even though she was thirty-two years old, her features made her look much younger. She had very well muscled calves and thighs with nary a single ounce of fat upon them, and two very bright, almost gleaming blue eyes. Her fingers were slender, tapering to well-rounded and well-kept fingernails. Even though she had started to worry about them lately, the small flecks of silver in her hair could barely be perceived by the casual observer. She still turned heads when she went down the hallways, even if it was only the heads of male Padawans who had started coming of age.

Clad in her pajamas, however, she was a much different sight than when she wore her Jedi uniform. Everything about her seemed softer and friendlier. That said something, considering Trish was about as friendly as they came when it came to the Jedi Masters. Her hair wasn't currently bound by any ties, and flowed around her shoulders freely. Instead of clomping with each step as she did in her boots, her bare feet silently padded across the tiles. The sleep shirt hung down to her mid-calves, offering comfort and modesty without making her too hot. Her bare legs were toned, but not overly so. Her skin was a bit more pale than she might have liked, but not only weren't there very many places on Coruscant suitable for tanning, she also didn't have the time to indulge in such a luxury.

Or at least, she hadn't for the past several years. Training a pupil to knighthood was such a rewarding experience for her that she couldn't imagine any Knight not wanting to try it at least once, but it was also a matter that took a great deal of energy, compassion, understanding, discipline, and time. She considered herself quite fortunate to have been selected to train Sarah personally after the initial group tests and training sessions were carried out. And she knew she was lucky for more reasons than one.

Their relationship, at least over the last year, had been remarkably different than the ones most pupils held with their masters. While most Jedi never had time to 'date' and virtually renounced all ties to love because of the emotions it swelled (emotions that could be made to serve the Dark Side by the wrong influences), Trish and Sarah had taken the big sister/little sister relationship shared by most Masters and pupils one step further into a sort of playful, experimental love. Both of them made certain it never interfered with their duties and assigned tasks, and they were careful to hide it from prying eyes, of course. This actually wasn't as complicated as might be expected. After all, pupils and Masters frequently met at odd hours to train, or to discuss questions or theories on the Force. There was a reason that the quarters of a Master were designed to be able to accommodate two people comfortably. Sarah and Trish sometimes joked that the second bed was being wasted.

They had never really gone all the way before, as Trish didn't know how Sarah would react to such a thing. That was something that even all the Force sensitivity in the world couldn't reveal to you, and Trish was afraid of scaring Sarah away from her, because she didn't know just quite how deep the feelings went. But they had come close a few times, and Trish honestly felt that had only been a good thing. She knew she could share anything with Sarah, and hoped that her pupil felt the same way about her.

But she couldn't really call Sarah her pupil anymore, could she? For some reason, that felt like a larger loss to her than it should have. It was time to let the girl she had nurtured, fostered, and trained for more than ten years spread her wings and fly alone, and she knew she was going to have a very difficult time letting go.

She opened the door and stood before it as it separated and slid into the wall. Just as she had suspected, Sarah was standing there in the darkened hallway. Trish looked at the younger Jedi in the dim light that trickled through the doorway from her room and a look of concern washed over her face. She had expected to see Sarah extremely excited over the latest turn of events, eyes beaming with pride at completing her training and anticipation of her first true assignment, the aura of a girl who was too tired to sleep and too excited to be tired. Instead, she saw something on the younger girl's face that looked and felt like a mild case of depression. Sarah's eyebrows were arched in just the right way to convey some degree of sorrow, her lips were pursed and her eyes were focused more on the floor than on Trish herself. Sarah's posture was also slouched and lazy, a far cry from the usually wide-eyed, alert pupil Trish had trained to Knighthood. The Master cast a look of deep concern at her friend.

"Sarah? Well, this is a surprise...what's on your mind?"

"Can we talk? I think I need to talk..." Sarah's voice was quiet; not quite a whisper, but still below the range of normal speech.

"Of course," Trish said, stepping aside and ushering the newly-appointed Knight inside. Once they were out of the door's sensor range, it hissed shut and locked itself automatically. She ran her hand up a touch-panel, and the lights in the room came on at fifty percent intensity.

"You don't have to do that," Sarah told her, still using the same quieter tone. "I'd prefer it dark, if it's all the same."

Nodding, Trish bumped the light levels back down to where they had been, but not before noticing the small rim of moisture around Sarah's left eye. "Any way you like it." She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her, bidding Sarah to sit down beside her. Sarah did so, and Trish barely felt the bed sag under the added weight. The Jedi Master looked Sarah over again in the low light. Like Trish, she was wearing her sleeping attire, not her regular robes. She was wearing her boots, but as Trish watched, Sarah kicked them off into the corner. The new Knight had longer legs than her Master did, and her feet sat flat on the floor until she crossed her legs.

"What's on your mind, my friend?" Trish asked.

"I wish I knew," Sarah replied. She stood up and paced in front of the bed for a moment before continuing. "I just don't understand what I'm feeling, Trish. I should be happy, shouldn't I? I mean, I only just got the kind of assignment I've been dreaming about ever since I started my training. But even though there's a part of me that's happy about that, there's another part of me that feels sad. It's almost...like I'm being swept away by an enormous wave of something that I can't see, but I know is there anyway."

Trish nodded. "You're feeling the loss."

"Loss of what?" Sarah questioned. "I just gained everything I've ever wanted in the whole universe! I can't think of anything I've ever worked harder for."

"Sarah, every choice we make in life, every change we make, involves gains and losses," Trish began calmly. "When you chose to continue to follow in the Jedi tradition by attaining Knighthood, you also chose not to continue as a Padawan. You sacrificed one for the other. Most often in life, the acceptance of something also means the discarding of something else. Quite often, these things are of little consequence, such as choosing a positive action as opposed to a negative action, but over time, and especially after a choice or an event that changes your life drastically, those losses build up."

"But I should be happy about this!" Sarah argued.

"You are, and you will be," Trish said, taking her hand and holding it between hers. "But right now, you're dealing with the onset of a great many losses: some permanent, others only temporary, but all are losses none the same."

"But I'm gaining so much," Sarah tried again. Trish could tell that the girl was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "I'm a Knight, with rank and status within the order. Before long, if I succeed on this mission and I'm judged worthy, I might be asked to take on a Padawan of my own to train, and become a Master, just like you. I'll be travelling to a new world tomorrow evening to do the work that I've dreamed about doing ever since I can remember!"

"And what are you leaving behind that you don't want to?" Trish asked.

Sarah paused, dragged herself over to the bed, and flopped down on it again . She shrugged her shoulders and resumed her slouch as she tried to come up with the answer to that question. "Well, I don't have any personal possessions except for a few changes of clothes, some credits, and my lightsaber, and they'll all be going with me..."

"Yes, Sarah, they will be. But you don't use them to define yourself, do you? Would you be any different as a person without your credits, for example? Would your personality suffer a drastic change if you dressed differently, or did not have your lightsaber at a given moment?"

"I suppose not..." Sarah replied slowly.

"Then that isn't the answer you're seeking," Trish told her. "Try again."

Sarah chewed the inside of her lower lip for a moment as she thought. "My home..." It was barely a whisper. "I'm giving up my home..."

"How so?"

"This temple is my home...I'll be leaving it and everybody that I know here behind."

"That's not entirely true," Trish corrected her. "This temple will always be your home. Likewise, this planet will always be home to you. You will always be welcome here. You know that. And your room will be waiting for you upon your return, as will your friends."

"What about you?"

The question caught Trish off guard. "What do you mean?"

"What about you? Will you still be here?"

"Sarah, I can't see the future," Trish smiled.

"Well, I can," Sarah said, in complete seriousness.

"Not even Master Yoda can see the future with complete accuracy, and he's had over 800 years to practice," Trish said soothingly. "Premonitions of the future, in dreams or meditations, can seem very real, but you can't be certain of their validity. You learned that a long time ago."

"It's not a dream." Sarah tried to sound detached, but it didn't work. Trish could feel the pain inside her, the sorrow threatening to bubble over. "I've had it so many times now, Trish, and I don't know what to think, because I don't want to lose you!"

"Now, I hardly think that's going to happen," Trish said with a warm smile. "I'm certainly not going anywhere. In fact, I've been ordered to take a little time off before I resume my normal duties. And the Force knows I need a vacation after training you for twelve years..."

She saw a small smile turn up the corners of Sarah's lips. "But I'm not leaving the Temple at all," Trish continued. "I'll be right here, the whole time. Nothing's going to happen to me while I'm within the security and protection of these walls, I promise you that."

Small tears ran down Sarah's cheeks and she sniffled softly. "But you're going to be so far away..."

Trish tapped the girl on the nose with the end of her finger as she had done many times when Sarah had given her a foolish answer while being trained. "That's nonsense and you know it. I'm never more than a single thought away from you, no matter how many light years are between us."

For the first time that evening, Sarah finally let her emotions surface. She gripped Trish's robes tightly and buried her face in Trish's shoulder, crying because it was the only way she knew of to let out the fear she was carrying around. And with care that could only be described as motherly, Trish put her arms around Sarah and held her close.

The minutes passed in silence as Sarah's shoulders jumped periodically in time with her muffled sobs, and Trish continued to hold the girl with infinite patience. It hadn't taken her long to figure out that one's job as a Master didn't end the moment that Padawan became a Knight. She stroked Sarah's hair and wrapped her free arm around her shoulders.

After a little while longer, the sobs died down. Soon, Sarah was just resting in her Master's arms, feeling significantly more at peace with herself than she had when she first came here. Trish smiled down at her, amazed at how rapidly Sarah's mood was apt to change. She remembered some days when Sarah had the sharpest temper, and other days when it seemed as though nothing in the world could upset her. But were you any different? She asked herself.

"That was stupid," Sarah said with a sigh as she sat up again.

"What was stupid?"

"That. You know. Me bawling like some infant who wants a bottle."

"On the contrary," Trish said, "it's nothing of the sort."

"But I'm not supposed to be afraid, and I am," Sarah tried.

"Yes, you are," Trish agreed. "And it's a good thing too. You're supposed to be apprehensive about this. It's a major change, like I said before. It's OK to be a little scared. As long as you know it's there, a little fear never hurts anybody. Draw your strength from it rather than letting it consume you."

"But Master Yoda always tells the new Padawans-"

"Master Yoda has been sitting on the Council for so long that I think he forgets what the real world is like sometimes," Trish interrupted. "Yoda preaches and teaches the ideals. That's not just his way, it's the way of the Council. It's been that way ever since the order was established, it's the cornerstone of our foundation. And there's nothing wrong with that, because everyone needs to understand that fear and sorrow can lead to the Dark Side. But only if it's not properly dealt with. It's really up to the individual Masters to teach the way things really work to their students."

"Then I couldn't have asked for a better teacher," Sarah said, looking up into the Master's eyes. They stared at one another for a few seconds. Then, for reasons she didn't totally understand, Sarah kissed Trish softly on the lips. "Or a prettier one."

Trish knew that if Yoda had any inkling of the emotions that were flowing through her right now, he'd probably toss her out of the Temple personally, but she couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around Sarah and kissed her again, savouring the sensation of the younger Jedi's moist lips on hers. It was a familiar feeling, but a new feeling each time as well. It never got old, never got boring...it just felt good.

Trish felt Sarah's fingers down by her stomach, felt the younger Jedi sliding her shirt up her chest, the fabric brushing across her nipples. Then suddenly, there was nothing between them but empty space. They broke the kiss for a moment, sleep shirts were discarded, and the air between their bodies was suddenly forced to relocate.

Trish kissed Sarah's neck, then nuzzled it softly with her nose. She didn't need her eyes to take in every inch of Sarah's body, every part of her silken skin. Her mind and fingers filled in all the details quite nicely as it was. And it was every bit as good as Trish had always imagined it would be.

'We're breaking the rules, aren't we?' Sarah's mental question caused Trish to pause before replying.

'In a matter of speaking.'

'Why do I find myself not caring?'

'Same reason I do,' Trish smiled. 'I'll always be here for you, Sarah. I promise that.' Her lips closed slowly around Sarah's nipple, pressing the delicate skin gently against her tongue and tracing small circles around the areola. Above her, Sarah arched her back in pleasure as Trish's fingers made their way between the younger Knight's thighs.

* * * * *

Light that glimmered from every surface of the metal forests of buildings on Coruscant was rapidly beginning to fade into obscurity with the coming of twilight. In the approaching darkness, the silver needles that forced their way up into the clouds began to take on a shade of black. Small yellow and white dots began to light up the sides of the buildings where windows were stationed, giving the impression of hundreds of bleak eyes staring out into the descending night. Millions of people, going on with their lives, completely oblivious to the matters of the galaxy, the Force, the Jedi, and even the Republic itself, started to settle in.

It boggled Sarah's mind how so many beings who comprised the entire galaxy here, and other galaxies far beyond any place she had ever been, could be so ignorant of the important matters of life. Most of them, especially here in this place, seemed to be drawn by the lure of money, or credits, or material goods. She didn't understand why...she had lived her life in virtual poverty since she had been selected by the Jedi Council and taken from her family at five months of age. Yet she wanted for nothing. She had food, companionship, friends, a roof over her head, time to herself, and the knowledge of hundreds of generations all passed down to her, where her mind had sucked it all up and devoured it solidly, converting it from mere words and diagrams into real life applications and actions. It was the knowledge that allowed her to pass the intense battery of tests thrown at her when she had turned 18. It was the knowledge that allowed her to finally best her teacher in the lightsaber arena, passing on at the head of her class at age 19. It was the knowledge that allowed her to concentrate on an object and move it merely by asking for its permission with nothing more than her mind. It was the knowledge that allowed her to successfully construct the lightsaber she wore at her waist as the completion of her physical skills at age 20. It was the knowledge that helped her retain such a firm grasp on the very essence of the life-giving aspect of the Force.

At one time in the past, when she had still been quite a little girl, she had asked Trish why the Light side of the Force would always win. Trish had responded, in her infinite wisdom, that there was not enough darkness in the universe to extinguish a single candle. In Sarah's mind, the Jedi represented not just a candle, but a roaring bonfire that only a select few ever learned how to approach without getting burned. It was an honour to be chosen, and an honour to serve.

The sun finally went to sleep on the massive city, and even the tall spires that comprised the Jedi training center and temple fell into a subtle shadow. Before long, however, the lights from the myriad buildings had once again lit up the city with their white brilliance. The civilian ships on the magnetic lanes had, for the most part, headed home, leaving room for the construction and cargo craft in their wake. Every so often, a personal transport would zoom by below, carrying some political figure to a destination that might have been home, or might have been something else entirely.

Sarah scowled. Politics was something she would never understand. An endless sea of rules, both written and unwritten, an endless display of immaturity and vulgarity, an endless scene of a myriad of races all vying for control of that which was not theirs to own in the first place. Instead of accepting what they had and being content with it, these people felt they were all entitled to more of everything. And since no one was willing to give without getting something in return, the whole process took on the look of a multi-system tug of war game. In the back of Sarah's mind, she began to wonder what would happen when someone came by and cut the rope. Perhaps someone had already set fire to it, and was now watching the middle strands unravel and fray, one by one, enjoying the mere thought of what would happen when the last fiber singed away into nothingness. What a sick thought...

She forced her train of thought elsewhere. It didn't concern her in the least. The Jedi weren't pulling on either side of the rope, and just like normal, would be there to pick up the pieces from whatever happened. According to history, it certainly would not be the first time something like that occurred. It almost certainly would not be the last, either.

The way she saw it, Coruscant was doomed anyway. She still could not fathom why the Jedi Council had chosen this planet, out of all the others in the galaxy, to form their base of operations. With the advent of faster than light travel and long-range communications, the need to even be in the same system as the person you wished to communicate with had disappeared. And yet, despite these facts, the Council never moved. Regardless that the entire planet had been converted into one tremendous city which had swallowed and assimilated bodies of water, mountains, caves, fields, forests, and even the clouds to become what it had become today, the Jedi stayed firmly rooted. Even though the wind that circulated through the planet came from artificial air processors, even though all the water was imported and stored in tremendous reserve aquifers, and the only way to see formerly indigenous species was in museums and zoos, the Jedi seemed to overlook these grave injustices to the Force, and kept themselves firmly at rest.

Very curious. And that was one thing the Council disliked about her: Sarah was curious about everything. Curiosity was a very powerful mistress, and Sarah had listened to her a few too many times as far as her superiors were concerned. She suspected that one of the reasons she had been selected for this assignment stemmed from that insatiable curiosity. If it kept her away and out of trouble for a while, though, so much the better. From what she had read and heard, the planet of Naboo was nothing like Coruscant. Chancellor Palpatine, a Senator at the time, during one of his talks, had called it 'The Emerald Planet'. It had large, open fields filled with lush green grass, blue, cloudy skies that actually rained, large clusters of forests... To her, it sounded like a bit of heaven. It would be a fabulous training grounds, free from the distractions of the massive capital city. It was everything Coruscant was not.

A smile replacing the frown that had furrowed her brow earlier, Sarah walked across the landing platform, paused at the loading ramp to give one final glance towards the Jedi temple, then walked up the ramp and into the shuttle.

The craft was tiny compared to most of the other standard skyline traffic, but the auto-pilot had no trouble sliding into the light stream of passing ships as it wound its way through the silvery maze of structures that towered all around them. It was of Corellian design, sleek and aerodynamic in the atmosphere, constructed for single-person use only. It housed a cockpit, a single room for sleeping, and a small cargo bay for carrying anything too large to fit in the dorm room-sized accommodations. In bright maroon paint, it bore the crest of the Republic Senate on both bent wings, and beside those, it sported the bright silvery-blue insignia of the Jedi Council: a signal to any who saw it that it was unarmed and carried at least one Jedi.

After making certain that the proper course was laid in, Sarah retired to her sleeping quarters. Taking hold of a handle on the wall, she tugged the bed out as though she were opening a filing cabinet, then pulled the small, compact pillow out of a compartment above and laid it on the mattress. She pulled the strips of brown cord out of her hair, and let it fall around her shoulders, kicked off her boots, set her lightsaber down on a small table, then laid down. With any luck, she would be able to go to hyperdrive within the hour, and she could sleep most of the way there. She dimmed the lights in the cabin and closed her eyes, welcoming the quiet and solitude of the shuttlecraft.

As she often had to do after an intense day of training, Sarah turned her mind to the vast infinity of the universe, and allowed it to flow into her. It cleared her thoughts and steadied her breathing. Excitement was converted into placidity. Her heart slowed its tempo. And shortly thereafter, the first dream began to slowly coalesce into form.

Outside, the ship slipped gracefully out of the artificial atmosphere of Coruscant, moved a few hundred kilometers away from the silvery planet, and engaged the hyperdrive. Around the small shuttle, the pinpoints of stars suddenly became huge streaking beams of light that scattered around the ship as it tore through the fabric of real space and blasted its way through its hyper counterpart.

CHAPTER THREE

Sarah awoke slowly, easing herself out of the dream state and into the waking world. Without opening her eyes, she sat up slowly, crossed her legs, and drifted into her early morning meditation exactly the same as she had done for as long as she could remember. Gradually, she allowed her mind to become attenuated to the space outside, then to the ship itself, then to the room she was currently occupying, then, finally, herself. It was one of the first exercises that a Jedi was taught, and even though there were other methods of achieving the same results, she always found herself drifting back to that one for some reason. Use whatever works, Trish had told her.

She stood up, stretched slightly, then made her way over to the small shower unit in the cabin. She very neatly removed her clothes, hung them on the provided hangers inside the stall, then stepped into the small chamber, pausing only to grab her boots on the way over and bring them inside with her. Sarah didn't especially consider herself to be terribly beautiful, but she was all too aware of what the onset of puberty had done for her looks, as she caught the males she trained with staring at her every so often when they thought she could not see. The rigorous Jedi training kept her quite fit, muscular without being overly so, lithe and supple without being too thin. She had filled out her figure rather adequately, in her mind, with a medium-sized chest, flat stomach, and medium sized hips to compliment. Her normal clothing was neither too tight nor too loose, affording her the maximum mobility during situations where it was required, but still giving an insight to her form.

Idly running a hand through her hair, her bare feet padding across the cold floor, she tapped the green button on the wall and took a step back. The sonic shower whirred to life, sending concentrated vibrations of sound through the small chamber that shook dirt and sweat from both her body and her clothing. Water was a commodity far too precious to be wasted on simple cleaning around Coruscant, so all shuttles and transports were automatically equipped with the sonic versions instead. There was no discomfort to the user at all, as the sounds were all far outside the range of normal human hearing. Sarah thought it felt like a soft massage as the waves pulled the grime of sleep from her pores, and she stood with her eyes closed, running her hands over her arms, savoring the soft vibrations. After a short time, the shower clicked itself off, she collected her clothing and boots, then stepped outside the small chamber. She dressed quickly, but not in a rushed manner. She took special care in tying the straps which held her boots tight, and the laces at the top of her tunic which crisscrossed over a tiny triangular patch of bare skin by her neck. The final touch was winding the brown cords through her hair to place it back in its pony tail. Fetching her lightsaber from the small pseudo-desk beside the bed, she slid it into the protective scabbard at her side, which would keep it from falling out but would also keep it within easy reach if the situation warranted.

After making certain that her lightsaber was secured, Sarah stuffed the pillow back into the overhead compartment where she had taken it from the night before, shoved the bed into the wall, and stepped out into the small hallway which led to the cockpit. Like a faithful steed, the auto-pilot had steered her well, as the distance from the planet indicated. She settled down in the pilot's chair and disengaged the hyperdrive. With a small whine, the streaking stars once again reformed themselves into the tiny pinpricks of light that Sarah was familiar with. Having deliberately slowed the ship, she had the computer recalculate her arrival time, and discovered that she had almost an hour before she would need to identify herself to the planet and request landing clearance. Determined to put that time to good use, she programmed the auto-pilot to warn her when the time drew near, then stalked off to the cargo bay of the small ship.

She opened one of the smaller compartments in the side wall and withdrew a spherical object, roughly thirty centimeters in diameter, which was studded with small gun ports. It was an item that was no mystery to her; in fact, it was one of the most common Jedi training tools in existence. Known as a 'seeker,' the small, round object was a miniature floating arsenal, armed with stun guns that could fire from virtually any angle at any time. The object of the exercise was to attempt to anticipate the movements of the seeker by using the Force, then absorb the shots it fired with one's lightsaber. An initiate to the seeker exercise was first tested with his or her eyes open, at the lowest setting possible. After one or two tests like this, the initiate was then blindfolded and instructed to repeat the exercise, this time using only his or her Force sense to catch the shots fired. True Jedi materiel excelled at this part, even if they had failed at the previous setting. As they rose in rank, the settings on the seeker concerning total number of bolts to be fired, response speed, and z-axis movement restrictions could be altered. At the highest level, the seeker was bound by no rules at all: it selected a number of shots at random, moved while it fired and frequently flew itself above the trainee's head or through his or her legs. Sarah switched the setting to the highest level possible, tossed it into the air, and watched it hover there, artificial repulsors holding it aloft. She closed her eyes, drew her lightsaber, ignited it, and softly spoke the word, "Begin." As she felt the seeker move along, her arms brought the lightsaber up, and she deflected the first bolt of the session.

* * * * *

Forty-nine bolts later, with a score of 100%, thoroughly energized from the exercise, Sarah turned off her lightsaber, deactivated the seeker, and placed it back into its individual compartment for storage. Feeling her skills sufficiently tested for the morning, she headed back to the cockpit, disengaged the auto-pilot, and sat down to take the ship in manually. She watched the bluish-green hue of the planet slide steadily into view, growing larger in her viewport with each passing moment, and she exhaled softly, drinking in the sheer beauty of the world she was about to enter. Already, she could make out bodies of water and large groves of forests, and the gorgeous white clouds which recycled water from the surface of the planet and dumped it back again, much like a natural fountain.

The screen beside her lit up with the face of a Naboo citizen. He had a lined face, rugged but handsome nonetheless, with a small orange cap and a red vest. The Naboo crest was firmly emblazoned on his jacket. "Our scanners are tracking your ship now. Please identify yourself."

Sarah switched on the comlink. "This is Sarah Brightwind, emissary from the Jedi Council to Naboo, requesting permission to land."

A smile broke across the man's face. "Welcome, Sarah Brightwind. We're honoured by your presence, and gladly give you permission to dock in the main hangar bay. Follow the beacon until you're within range, then just sit back and let our tractor beams do the rest."

Sarah smiled back. "My thanks to you, Commander," she replied, recognizing the man's rank insignia.

"I'll assemble a greeting party to meet you when you disembark. Enjoy the ride." The screen went blank, and Sarah switched her side off as well. So far, everything was going according to plan.

She felt the gentle lurch of the ship as the tractor beam ensnared it, and she cut the engines in response. Her eyes wandered over the land passing below her: rolling, green hills, sweeping grasslands, and magnificent snow-capped mountains greeted her gaze. It was beauty: pure, natural, unadulterated beauty, and she loved every part of it. Once again, she said a silent thanks to the Council for allowing her this opportunity.

The darkness of the metallic hangar bay loomed up before her, and she waited patiently as the small shuttle was drawn inexorably inside. A flick of her wrist engaged the landing gears, and the struts dropped from under her ship as it began to drift slowly to the floor. Finally, with hardly more than a soft bump and a hiss of escaping gas, the ship touched ground. Sarah rose from her seat in the cockpit and made her way to the exit, where the ramp was already descending in anticipation of her disembarkation. Slowly, she stepped off the ship and down the metal ramp where she was greeted by a small reception committee.

"Welcome to the city of Theed, Sarah Brightwind." The voice was that of the same male she had spoken with over the viewscreen earlier. Able to see more than his face now, Sarah could take note of his closely-cropped hair, barely visible under his hat, and apparently perpetual bright smile. He extended his hand toward her in a friendly manner. "I'm Thool Lakal, commander of this sector, under Captain Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Force who, by the way, extends the apology that he could not meet you here in person."

"I'm honoured," Sarah smiled back, clasping his hand firmly and giving it a soft shake before letting go. "I must admit, I didn't quite expect this type of greeting..."

Thool laughed softly. "After everything the Jedi did for us a few weeks ago, the Queen would not welcome one of your order in any other way." He turned to the few guards who were with the welcoming committee and dismissed them with a cursory nod. It left him alone with Sarah and one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens. She was outfitted in a very loose and flowing orange hooded robe that partially obscured her face, which kept the sun out of her eyes and almost completely hid her expression from anyone who looked in her direction.

Sarah smiled. "Good day to you."

The handmaiden, still shrouded in her robe, nodded in reply. "The Queen wishes to meet with you as soon as possible," she said. "She is regretful that she could not greet you upon your arrival, and wishes to correct the matter with a banquet tonight."

"That is quite alright," Sarah said. "Courtly duties must always come before the greeting of a traveler. Please convey my acceptance of her invitation to dine. I shall be ready whenever she is."

The handmaiden nodded, bowed to excuse herself, then walked into a side exit door and vanished into the corridor beyond.

"I guess you'd like to see where you're staying?" Thool asked.

Sarah nodded. "That would be nice."

"Follow me," he said with a wave of his hand. His sharp, black boots made slight tapping sounds as he walked across the massive bay towards the main entrance, and Sarah sped up her pace slightly to keep up with him.

"I'm afraid we're in for a bit of a walk," Thool said apologetically. "During the occupation by the Trade Federation, all our ground transport speeders were destroyed to make room for their droids and tanks. We're working on rebuilding them, naturally, but with the exception of the Queen's personal speeder, they're not the highest priority on the list."

"I don't mind the walk," Sarah said. "As a matter of fact, I'm rather thankful for it."

"That's a relief," Thool said with a noticeable exhale. "I had feared that you would be upset. The Palace is quite a distance away from the hangar. It's taken all of the guards a while to adjust to the fact that we have to go everywhere on foot now."

"What did you suppose we did if one of us was stationed on a planet that did not employ land speeders as a common vehicle?" Sarah asked.

Thool Lakal laughed out loud. "I suppose those legs are more than just decoration after all."

Sarah raised one eyebrow inquisitively as the man beside her continued to chortle softly before regaining his composure. Noting that she had not even cracked a smile, he hastily attempted to remedy the situation. "I...I'm very sorry. I didn't mean..."

"It's quite alright," Sarah said, face betraying no emotion. "I've had my share of men looking at me before at the Academy. It's something I've grown accustomed to over the last few years."

"Er...right..." Thool said, trying to figure out if he had just been insulted or merely brushed off. "At any rate, do you mind if I ask why the Jedi Council wanted to send you out here?"

"Your people suffered a terrible injustice," Sarah responded, keeping her gaze in front of her. "It is common in some areas of the Republic for a less than honorable group to attempt to take advantage of the situation. Surely your damaged and destroyed spacecraft have not yet been replaced. Your standing army, which was small to begin with, cannot yet be back to the size it was before the invasion. Your ground transports have not been rebuilt. Your stores of food cannot be replenished yet. The few buildings that were damaged have not been repaired, save for possibly the Palace. And the morale of your people will take some time to heal completely. You are blessed with a truly gifted leader, Commander Lakal, for she is wise both in politics and in battle. But in the end, time is the deciding factor. I have been sent to aid in the recovery process, to help protect the Queen in the event of an emergency, and to inform the Council should anything get out of hand."

"Well, regardless of my manners before, we are very happy to have you here. I hope you believe that."

Sarah turned and faced him. "I don't condemn people for an occasional thought that was spoken in haste, Commander Lakal. Even Master Yoda has acted without thinking before, though it has probably been several decades since he did it last." A smile crossed her face again. "I just don't want people getting the wrong idea about the Jedi order. We are a very accommodating, unassuming people. The presence or absence of technology does not bother us. If the conveniences are present, we make use of them. If not, we survive anyway. We take only what we need, and nothing more."

The main doors of the palace loomed up before them and Sarah paused for a moment to marvel at the structure. It easily dwarfed all the buildings around it, with tall greenish-grey onion domes extending many meters above the roof. Huge windows adorned the walls, giving it the appearance of a massive, gothic cathedral. Halfway around one side of the building, a scaffolding had been erected, and construction teams were working hastily to repair several of the windows, which appeared to have been shattered by blaster bolts. Yet even amid the bustle of the workers, a sense of peace prevailed.

Thool Lakal stepped up the stairs at the entrance and ushered her inside. As she walked through the doors, she felt the artificial temperature control units working steadily. Cool air brushed across her face from sources she could not identify. The main antechamber played host to several dozen small carved statues of the previous rulers of Naboo. Small golden plaques listed the name of the king or queen forever immortalized by the statue to which it was affixed. Majestic tapestries hung down from the ceiling, although they were suffering from a slightly uneven distribution. More than likely, Sarah mused, the missing ones had been damaged in the occupation and had been removed to be repaired or cleaned. Even with the current staff working overtime, it was clear that it would take the Naboo quite some time to erase all the physical damage caused by the occupation. Erasing the emotional damage, Sarah thought sadly, would take even longer. Consoling the families of those killed would be the hardest job of all, and it was not one Sarah envied of Queen Amidala in the slightest.

Thool led her down a series of side passages to a locked door made out of wood which had been harvested from one of the nearby forests and reinforced with a golden metal plating in a few key areas. He fished a keycard out from one of his pockets and handed it over to her. "Here. This room has been set aside as your quarters for the duration of your stay. The Queen has also ordered that her handmaidens attend to you as well, should you need anything."

Sarah accepted the keycard, inserted it into the card reader, heard the lock click open, and swung the door inward. Inside the room were the most lavish accommodations that Sarah had ever seen in her life. A canopy bed, complete with blankets decorated with bright reddish-gold flecks of fabric and furnished with about ten pillows was in the center. There was a full-sized mirror on one wall, and across from it, a large dresser. A door near the rear of the room, Thool reported, led to her own private bath. He showed her the controls for adjusting the temperature of the room, and suggested that she probably would not have to alter them too much. The current season was quite nice during the night as well as the day. A small table with a comlink and viewscreen was set up beside the bed, and he showed her how to turn it on if she received a message, and how to send a message to someone else if need be. He also showed her the bright emergency button. "Press that, and in less than a minute, you'll have an entire contingent of guards at your door if need be," he said, clearly proud of that fact.

"I don't know quite what to say," Sarah said, still in awe of the room.

"I tell you what," Thool grinned. "I'll leave you alone now to get acquainted to the new surroundings, and when you finally figure out what to say, just give me a call on the screen over there and tell me then."

Sarah tried to suppress a giggle, but failed. "Very well. Thank you for your generous time, Commander."

"My pleasure." Thool Lakal bowed slightly, then inched out the door, closing it

behind him.

Sarah managed to restrain herself for about five seconds before the urge to see if that bed felt as comfortable as it looked overcame her, and she plopped down on it with a sigh of contentment. Paradise, she thought to herself as her head met the pillow. Absolute paradise, and I'm in the center of it all until I get called back. Though she couldn't bring herself to speak it out loud, Sarah definitely harbored the hope that she would never be asked to leave. She kicked her boots to the floor and settled down to meditate and restore her inner calm once again. I hope this isn't going to become a recurring problem...

CHAPTER FOUR

It was several hours later when the comm unit began to beep, stirring Sarah out of her meditation. Rubbing her eyes, she suppressed a yawn, and leaned over to switch the unit on. After a click of the 'answer' button, the screen flared to life. Staring at her slightly disheveled form was Queen Amidala herself, regal maroon and gold robes flowing around her. Her face was painted white, with twin beauty marks at equidistant points on her cheeks, one beneath each eye. Her upper lip was dark red, but her bottom lip was a pale pink, save for the straight, thick line of red lipstick that ran directly through the center. Naboo beauty marks might have confused normal outsiders, but Sarah found them quite appealing.

Suddenly remembering where she was and who she was looking at, Sarah bowed humbly. "Your highness...please forgive my appearance. How can I be of service?"

The Queen seemed to hesitate for a moment, then spoke. "Don't let it bother you. I disturbed your rest, and for that I apologize. We would be honoured if you would join us for the evening meal. Will you be able to attend?"

"I don't think that should be a problem," Sarah said.

"Excellent." Sarah thought she saw the Queen smile just briefly. "I shall send Eirtaé down to show you the way."

"I'll be waiting," Sarah said.

The Queen closed the connection, and Sarah shut her end down as well.

The moment the comm unit went dead, Sarah went into a sort of half-panic. She was being invited to dine with the Queen of Naboo, and yet she didn't have any idea what to expect. She had read the reports on the Queen, naturally, but they didn't reveal much; only that she was a very wise and powerful leader despite her young age. In a manner most unbefitting a Jedi, Sarah began a mad rush to straighten her hair and her clothing, completely overcome with a feeling she could not describe. She was still preening when the door chime rang softly, the two-tone musical note lingering in the air for a few seconds before fading away.

Running a hand through her hair one last time for effect, Sarah meandered over to the door and opened it. The orange-clad handmaiden whom she had spoken with earlier waited outside patiently.

"I've come to escort you to the dining hall," Eirtaé said.

Sarah nodded quickly. "I'm ready."

"Follow me, please." Eirtaé motioned to her, and Sarah stepped out of the room, locked the door behind her, and followed the robed and hooded girl in front of her down the elegant tiled hallway. She led Sarah through several archways into an area of the palace she had not seen before. The walls were being repaired in a few places, and Sarah could not help but notice the large, black pockmarks that dotted the walls in some areas. Residual traces of blaster fire...they must have fought a hold-out battle here. Images of a few dozen Naboo fighting and struggling desperately against hoards of battle droids filled her mind, and she was forced to shut her eyes to ward them away.

Thankfully, Eirtaé led her through a side door and away from the battle scene. This corridor had been spared the ravages of battle droid occupation, and it was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. They walked down this way for a brief period of time before they exited into what Sarah guessed was the rear part of the Palace. Eirtaé led her to a fairly non-descript door, pushed it open easily, and motioned for Sarah to go in.

Only years of Jedi training kept Sarah's jaw from dropping as she took in the setting of the room. Brilliant skylights lit up the interior with the early evening Naboo sun. A dazzling chandelier of sparkling precious stones, all different colors, hung from the ceiling. In the center of the table sat a small, multi-tiered fountain crafted of a jade-colored stone, clearly of Gungan design, probably presented to the Queen after the Naboo and Gungans joined forces against the Trade Federation.

The sides of the table were occupied by males and females alike. Sarah recognized very few of them. In fact, only Governor Sio Bibble and Captain Panaka were known to her. She hoped the rest of them would be introduced as the night went on, as she was far more comfortable knowing who she sat with.

Further away from her sat Amidala's consort of handmaidens in their typical orange,

hooded robes. Eirtaé walked slowly away from Sarah to take her place at an open spot at the table. Once she sat, she bowed her head so that her face was not visible to anyone save the handmaiden seated directly across from her. It almost bothered Sarah more that the handmaidens weren't looking at her, or indeed at anyone in particular as opposed to if they had been staring at her directly. It seemed to speak of a powerful will, one that came only with years of dedicated training and service.

And at the far end of the table, wearing her regal red robes, sat Queen Amidala herself. The dress she wore was the same one Sarah had seen in the communicator screen, made ten times more magnificent by being viewed in person instead of over a video transmission. It was a very elaborate design, intended to make Amidala seem larger than she actually was. The shoulders were extended quite far away from her body, the folds of the fur-lined sleeves opened much wider than was necessary to accommodate her smaller arms, and the bottom splayed and billowed out away from her legs and feet, completely obscuring them from view even though she was seated. Down the front of her robe ran a wide section of fur-lined red trim with gold embroidery that took on the pattern of a marvelous and complex flowering plant as it tapered to a rounded point somewhere around her lower calves.

Her white nail polished fingers rested softly on the table before her, complimenting her white face paint perfectly. And on her forehead, a sharp contrast to the white makeup, a dark red ruby, about the size of a large coin, was attached to the gold and red face frames that covered and encircled her head on both sides. The effect was far more stunning than any simple crown ever could have been, and Amidala bore it with all the dignity and regal grace befitting a Queen twice her age. For the first time in a very long while, Sarah was shocked into total silence. The queen was, quite possibly, the most intimidating, imposing, and yet gentle figure she had ever seen in her life. No member of the Jedi council, not even Master Yoda or Master Windu, came close to equaling her presence. 'It's no wonder she was able to get support for her vote of no confidence in former Chancellor Valorum,' Sarah thought to herself. She probably had half the Senate shaking in its boots the moment they laid eyes on her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Sarah Brightwind." The voice, steady, unwavering, belonged to Amidala herself. If regality could become tangible, Sarah was certain she would have seen it fly across the room and land gracefully at the edge of the table after those words. Every inflection, every vocal tone, had been perfectly measured and delivered. It was spontaneous without being obviously so. It was practiced without being boring or noticeably so. It was perfection.

Sarah bowed lower than she had before, calling on the Force to help steady her heartbeat and slow her breathing. "The pleasure is equally mine, your majesty."

Amidala calmly gestured to an open space, across from where one of her handmaidens sat. "Please, join us." It was a command and a request both at the same time, and having no other course of action really, Sarah walked down the side of the table, sat in the chair, and pulled herself slightly closer to the massive table. The reality of the moment settled down on her finally, and she once again used her powers to calm herself down.

A peaceful selection of music played in the background, piped through hidden speakers. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before: a mixture of cultural and societal melodies that somehow blended together in a harmony that should not have been possible. Yet there it was for all to hear. Tuning in to the music settled her nerves slightly as she turned her gaze towards the queen.

Amidala rose gently from her seat. "It would be rude for introductions not to be made. These are my handmaidens: Sabé, Rabé, Eirtaé, Saché, and Yané." Her hand traveled down the table, indicating four more figures who were seated there, two men and two women. "Hela Brandes, our music advisor." She paused as a woman in a light purple tunic bowed slightly. "Graf Zapalo, our master of sciences." A small, balding man with closely cropped sideburns wearing a black over shirt and kilt nodded in her direction. "Hugo Eckener, our Chief Architect." A taller, grey-haired man wearing an orange state robe bowed in turn. "And Lufta Shif, our regent of education." Lufta was a slight, older woman with silver hair who wore a flowing white gown with a lime-green cape that draped behind her over the back of the chair. She gave Sarah a warm smile of greeting.

Amidala's arm swept forward again. "And at the far end of the table sit Captain Panaka, the commander of our security force, and Governor Sio Bibble, who handles more than his fair share of the administration of this kingdom."

Sarah ran her eyes over Panaka, a tall, dark-skinned, stiff, career military man clad in a tight maroon and brown leather jerkin. Though he tried to keep his face emotionless, Sarah read pain and a sense of battle-hardened valour that came only with years of experience. She sensed that his mind was tense, and always on full alert. He wouldn't trust her fully until she had proven herself to be an ally, and possibly not even then.

Careful not to let on what she had learned, she focused on Sio Bibble. In stark

contrast to Panaka, Bibble's gaze spoke of both powerful, firm convictions, and a deeply-rooted sense of justice. However, his eyes also held that sensation of having been witness to far too much suffering in his lifetime. It was well hidden by his outward countenance and extremely neat and well-kept white beard and moustache. Had Sarah ever heard of such a person, she might have easily confused Sio Bibble with Santa Claus.

"I'm pleased to meet all of you," Sarah smiled.

"And we are pleased to welcome you," Amidala declared. She motioned to someone that Sarah could not see, and within seconds, the places in front of them all were filled with steaming, exotic food, the likes of which Sarah had never seen before. A silver goblet was placed before her, and a cool, clear liquid was poured into it from a decanter held by a dedicated servant. Compared to the standard fare at the Jedi temple, Sarah was delighted by this chance to sample the food that was literally fit for a queen.

Rabé, sitting near the Queen, reached out to Amidala's plate with a utensil, speared a piece of the greenery on her plate, and slid it into her mouth, performing the time-honoured tradition of tasting the food of royalty to test both for its flavor and for any traces of poison. She also took a sip of the liquid from Amidala's glass before setting it back before her Queen, and nodding very slightly in her direction.

With that motion, the dinner began in earnest.

* * * * *

The sunlight from outside was starting to wane as the last sounds of eating faded from the great hall. Sarah could not help but wonder if the inhabitants of Naboo ate this well all the time, or if this was somehow related to her presence here. Not that it really mattered, of course...just some more idle curiosity.

Amidala cleared her throat slightly to draw attention to herself, then turned to Sarah. "It is customary after the evening meal that my regents report the status of their assigned areas in the kingdom and bring any potential problems to the attention of myself and Governor Bibble. You are free to leave or stay as you see fit."

"If you don't mind, I would like to hear what they have to say," Sarah said. "I am due to make my first report tonight, and I would very much like to know what is happening here in Theed."

Amidala nodded. "A fitting request. Eirtaé shall explain to you anything that you do not understand." She looked over to Graf Zapalo. "I would like to hear from the minister of sciences first."

Zapalo cleared his throat and stood up, straightening his kilt as he did so. "Your majesty, my workers are working day and night to both get the speeders rebuilt, and to enhance the present abilities of our star fighters as well as our Nubian transports. There have been no setbacks, and I honestly do not foresee any problems that will throw us from our schedule. In fact, we've come up with a new way of charging the main power couplings for most of the starships, so we should be done a few days earlier than planned."

Amidala nodded, taking in this information. "And the chief architect."

Hugo Eckener rose as Zapalo returned to his chair. "My workers have told me that major repairs to the palace shall be completed within the week. After we have completed that task, we will divide our forces and move to start on repairing those businesses which were shut down by the occupation, while leaving a skeleton crew to still finish up the minor repairs to the palace. This should allow for a rapid return to the economic status we had before the invasion."

"A seemingly solid plan," Bibble agreed.

"Unless the other ministers have anything they wish to discuss, I believe I will call this meeting to a close," Amidala said, breaking the small silence that had fallen across the room. "The day has worn long, and I feel we could all use the rest. Are there any objections?"

No one voiced anything.

"Very well then," Amidala said. "You are dismissed."

Sarah rose with the others to leave when Eirtaé took hold of her arm softly. "The Queen wishes to speak to you in private after the others have gone," she said quietly in Sarah's ear. Sarah felt butterflies rise up into her stomach, and the nervousness return. 'Have I done something wrong already...?'

The question would have to go unanswered for the moment, as the advisors and Governor Bibble filed out the door and into the hallway. With a nod from the Queen, Saché walked across the room, pushed the door closed, then returned to her seat, patiently awaiting further instructions.

Amidala gazed in Sarah's direction. "I was afraid you would not speak in the presence of the others, so I dismissed them early. If you have any thoughts on what you have just heard, I would like to hear them now. I have learned over the last several weeks to trust most anything a Jedi has to say."

Sarah was utterly speechless for a moment. "Well, I would never see it as my place to impose on the authority of your Regents..."

"All of us have our flaws," Amidala said. "Myself and my Regents are no exception. An outsider, trained in the ways you have been, could prove to be invaluable."

"But it's not really my place to..."

"Then I will make it your place," Amidala interrupted. "As of now, you are to consider yourself equal in status to my Regents. I will come to depend on your judgement, just as I do with them. It strikes me that you are just as wise as they are. Anything you do not learn at first can be taught to you later on, and you will initially make reports only to me so that I might protect you from both overstepping boundaries and unintentionally insulting someone. Qui-Gon Jinn was killed before I was able to adequately explain my trust in him. I am certain that you will be a wise Jedi, as he was."

"I'm...not sure what to say," Sarah said.

"I believe 'thank you' might be appropriate," Eirtaé whispered.

Sarah smiled. "Thank you, your majesty."

Amidala reached into the folds of her robe, withdrew a small, flat, clear card-shaped object and proffered it to the Jedi. "All of my Regents carry one of these in the event of an emergency. It will allow you to reach me via personal communicator if it is inserted into any communications unit within its range. For all practical purposes, any device within the entire city of Theed can be used."

Sarah accepted the card. "I'm honoured."

"The card will also allow you to contact any of the other Regents, Governor Bibble, or Captain Panaka directly," Eirtaé said. "Guard it well."

"I will not call a Regency meeting for another few days so that you may adjust to life here as best you can," Amidala informed her. "You are free to travel anywhere you wish, including the training facilities, the palace gardens, and our royal library. Our planet has a very rich history...I hope you find time to learn more about us."

"Consider it done," Sarah said.

"And now, I believe I shall retire for the night," Amidala said. "Eirtaé will escort you back to your room."

"Thank you again," Sarah bowed. "Your majesty."

Orange robe sweeping along just mere centimeters off the floor, Eirtaé beckoned for Sarah to follow her as she headed out the door.

CHAPTER FIVE

After walking with Eirtaé back to her room, bidding her a good night, and closing the door behind her, Sarah heaved a large sigh and tried to make sense of the jumble that her thoughts had become. She had come here an outsider, and in less than a day's time had become suddenly equal in status to the Queen's most trusted advisors. It seemed to defy all logic. And yet it spoke volumes about the trust Amidala placed in the Jedi order.

Head still slightly swimming from the speed at which events had taken place today, Sarah made her way over to the communications unit, flipped the viewscreen on, and punched in the coordinates of the Jedi temple on Coruscant. The Naboo crest blinked softly on the screen while the transmission uplink was established, then it vanished and was suddenly replaced with the face of a single male Jedi, somewhere in his mid-20's. He was trim without being gangly, and his hair was closely cropped save for a single tightly braided strand that hung down over the shoulder of his brown Padawan robe. He did a double-take as he looked at the screen, then swallowed and smiled. "This is Ap Owen from Coruscant. Please identify yourself."

Sarah couldn't help but grin. "Oh, cut it out, Owen. You know who this is."

Owen nodded on the screen. "I suspected as much, but I had to make certain. It's nice to see you, Sarah."

"So you're my contact for this job, eh?" Sarah asked. "Who did you bribe to get the position?"

"Sarah, I'm shocked!" Owen said, recoiling in mock surprise. "I'll have you know, I was ordered to this position by my master, who was acting on the request of the Council itself."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully. It figures the Council would ask this man to be my contact...consider it another test. "Well, since we both have our jobs to do, I think I had best make my report for the first day."

"Sarah, before you do that, I just wanted to say...well...about..."

Damn it... "Hush," Sarah commanded softly. "That's in the past now. It was a mistake, you and I both know it was." She closed her eyes, fighting back a drop of water that seemed determined to smash its way out of her tear ducts. "You don't have to say anything."

There was an uneasy silence that passed across the uncaring, star-swept void, and Sarah thought for a moment that the transmission had been cut off. Owen broke the silence once again. "I didn't mean to do that."

Sarah paused before opening her eyes and answering. "Don't worry about it. If you hadn't said anything, I probably would have. We need to discuss it, but now is not the right time. For either one of us."

Owen nodded. "Well...in that case, I'd best hear your report."

"The flight was uneventful," Sarah said. "I arrived and landed without incident. The people of Naboo have been doing quite a bit of repair work since the occupation. For the moment, every speeder except for the Queen's personal one is out of commission; they were destroyed by the Trade Federation incursion to make room for the battle droids. The Queen herself is doing very well, and her regents and advisors seem to be fairly level-headed in their thinking. I was promoted to honorary Regent status earlier this evening after the dinner ceremony, but aside from that, I've not had much chance to see the city. I'm planning to use the next couple days to tour and get the lay of the land."

Owen whistled. "You've been a busy woman, haven't you? So, how's the Queen? Rumours around here are pretty well divided...half the people seem to think she's a self-centered, iron-willed girl with no sense of humour, and the others think she's not really the Queen at all, but that she's hiding something."

"And what do you believe?" Sarah asked.

"Well, given that I don't know her, I'd have to say I don't know which is more accurate. Why don't you tell me so I can help set the record straight?"

"She's... Well, Queen Amidala is...beautiful, Owen. She's sharp, she's to-the-point, she might even be misconstrued as being overbearing to a certain degree. But she is clearly a very powerful, very respected ruler. She has an aura of intense inner calm, and it doesn't seem as though anything catches her by surprise. Outward appearances aside, I'm not certain I've ever seen anyone so..." Sarah was struggling for words suddenly. She looked at Owen's face, seeing the smile breaking across it.

"Well, what business is it of yours what my personal feelings on the Queen are?" Sarah asked, sharply. It was too late though...she felt the heat rise up into her face, and the edge on her voice was more than enough evidence to give her feelings away. Whatever happened to that Jedi control they taught you, Sarah?

"It was just a question," Owen said sheepishly. "You didn't have to answer it."

"That does not go in the report, do I make myself clear?" Sarah said, almost a bit too harshly.

"Look, I may still be a Padawan, but that doesn't make me as dumb as a mynock. You can trust me, Sarah...honestly."

"I hope so," Sarah said, suddenly wishing the conversation had never taken place. "Look...it's very late here. I need to get some sleep. I've got a busy day set up for tomorrow..."

"I understand," Owen said, clearly meaning that he didn't. "Um...I'll see you at your next report."

"Sarah out." Her hand reached over and punched the disconnect switch before Owen had a chance to react to the action, cutting off what he was about to say just as he opened his mouth. 'Serves him right,' Sarah thought to herself. 'Asking me questions like that...'

'Oh, and who was oh so smart and answered them?' Her mind argued with her.

'He caught me off guard...I wasn't prepared...'

'But you're a trained Jedi. You should have been prepared. Why weren't you?'

It was a question Sarah couldn't answer, so she just let it linger, hoping it might go away if she simply ignored it for a while. She removed her cloak, folded it neatly, and placed it inside the dresser, popped her boots onto the floor, and reclined back on the bed, trying to shove the question further back into her mind, where she wouldn't have to deal with it. It was a stubborn adversary, but finally, Sarah's calm breathing and relaxation were able to silence it. But even as she drifted into sleep, Sarah was unable to shake the fact that the Council was deliberately trying to force her resolve in this mission to failure.

It was a thought that brought more than its fair share of nightmares for the young Jedi.

* * * * *

In the middle of the night, there was a terrible and hideous wailing sound that suddenly exploded over the city of Theed. It was joined by another, then another, and even more after that, until it sounded as though the entire populace must have been screaming at once. The piercing sirens yanked Sarah from the dream world and caused her to look about in panic. What's going on? Her mind demanded of her. Unable to find the answers herself, she groped her way blindly over to the comm unit on the table and sent out a request for security. Thool Lakal's face popped up on the screen almost instantly.

"I saw the room number and took the call myself. What's wrong?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," Sarah had to almost shout to be heard over the noise of the alarms.

"Oh, the security sirens?" Thool asked. "Don't worry about that. It's nothing important."

"Nothing important?" Sarah asked. "How can something that's not important be the cause of all this noise?"

Before Thool could answer her, the sirens were deactivated, and silence once again descended over the city. The sudden return of the quiet was almost more unsettling than the blaring sirens to Sarah. It seemed unnatural that the night could simply return to normal after such a jarring experience.

"Yes, it was nothing. A security readiness exercise. We have them now every so often. After the occupation, Captain Panaka felt it would be prudent to keep our forces on their toes."

"Even in the middle of the night?" Sarah wondered.

"Suppose someone lands while it's dark here?" Thool shrugged. "We can't expect an enemy to have the courtesy to wait until the sun comes up to strike, you know."

"That's true, I suppose," Sarah mused. "My apologies for disturbing you, Commander."

"Quite all right. I thought you might have been briefed on that at the meeting you had."

"We were dismissed early because the Queen was rather tired," Sarah said. "Captain Panaka didn't seem too inclined to inform me about anything of this sort."

"Give it time. He'll get used to you. Now, I'll shut up and let you get back to bed." He waved briefly, then snapped off the video screen.

Left staring at nothing but the Naboo Crest, Sarah also shut down her end and rolled over on to her back in the enormous bed. Getting to sleep again wasn't going to be easy...

* * * * *

The very soft light of the sun woke Sarah from her fitful sleep by prodding her eyelids continuously and without remorse until she opened them. Her initial thought was to place one of the seven pillows that were scattered across the bed over her head and try to go back to sleep, but she decided instead that, if the Queen could get up with the sunrise, so could she.

Finding her way out of the bed proved to be more difficult than she anticipated, and Sarah spent the next few minutes untangling herself from the maze of bedclothes that her dreams had disturbed. Untwisting red fabric from gold fabric and separating thick layers from thin proved to be the Force exercise of the morning, as Sarah found herself rapidly becoming annoyed with what a mess she had made and resorted to less traditional methods to re-make the bed.

A quick stop in the bathroom to scrub up, and Sarah stepped out of her quarters. The morning bustle was well underway by this time, with construction crews and droids milling about everywhere she looked. Giving them a reassuring glance, she departed the main palace and walked down the avenue.

The locals of Theed were all too willing to help direct her anywhere she wished to go, and Sarah spent the day touring as much of the city as she could. Like most of the cities on the few other planets she had been to in her life, the further away from the center of town that you got, the newer the buildings were. The Palace itself was, more than likely, the oldest structure in the area. Once she reached the outskirts, it mostly became housing and farm land, distanced only slightly from the commercial aspect of the city. The dwellings were calm and cheery, all very well-kept, save for when she reached the southern end of the city.

The wreckage greeting her eyes was unimaginable. Burnt out husks of what had once been homes dotted the landscape. Entire fields and hills were pockmarked with gigantic burn spots from a seemingly conscienceless attack force. There were several small squads of the security force present, standing guard over the scene.

'Possibly the last bit of clean up from the Trade Federation's dirty work,' Sarah thought to herself. 'Best to leave them alone.' She was about to turn and walk off when she noticed the smoke pouring from one of the houses. Though she was inexperienced, she knew that nothing continued to smoke for weeks after the fire was started. Rethinking her decision to leave, she instead approached the man who appeared to be in charge.

"Excuse me," she started.

The looming figure of Captain Panaka turned to stare down on her. "Yes?" His voice, while not mean outright, still carried a rather gruff tone to it which caused Sarah to step back involuntarily. He easily had an entire head of height over the younger girl, and he knew how to use it to be the most imposing figure he could possibly be.

"I'm Sarah..."

"Yes, I know who you are. I remember you from the dinner. Is there a problem?"

'How am I supposed to ask if you're going to keep interrupting me?' Sarah wanted to shout, but she kept her tone level. "I was wondering if you needed any assistance."

"I believe we've got it under control," Panaka said with a dismissive gesture. "There was a minor fire earlier this morning. It's nothing we can't handle. We get them from time to time."

"Any idea how it started?" Sarah pressed.

Panaka glared down at her, as though she was a parasite of some kind. "Sarah, we appreciate your concern here. We really do. But we are capable of handling these sorts of things. Trust me, there is nothing for you to be worried about or get involved in."

Even through the anger Panaka was showing, Sarah could read that he was not telling her the whole truth. She decided to let the matter drop, but perhaps bring it up to the Queen later on, when she was asked for her report. "You don't need to worry about my presence here, Captain. I'm only trying to help. Good day."

Sarah turned and walked away, burning the scene firmly into her memory so she could go over it later with herself in private and examine it more closely. Though it was obvious that the situation was well under control right now, a few hours ago, something had gotten decidedly out of control to cause that much damage, not just to the buildings, but to the countryside as well.

CHAPTER SIX

The Jedi temple on Coruscant had long since gone dark. Night had fallen, and only those on the final shift watch were stirring at this hour. The Council members were asleep securely in their respective rooms. Padawans struggled to gain what little rest they could as the training from the day worked its way through their heads. The serenity of the temple was quite palpable to the observer as hallways and classrooms that would be bustling again with activity in a few hours were silent as a tomb.

Blatantly ignoring the silence of the Temple, Stiehl worked his way down a red-tiled hallway. His booted footsteps sounded great booming reverberations though the corridor, but he seemed not to hear those either. His fingers were pressed together at his front, and his gaze seemed to be focused on something that was just outside the vision of the casual observer. There was an intensity to his eyes that spoke of extreme interest in whatever his mind was churning over at the moment.

One of the Jedi Masters most universally feared by the Padawan learners, Stiehl was quite a sight to behold even when he wasn't concentrating on something. He was quite large and built very powerfully for a human of his age. His hair was slicked back quite sharply and cropped close to his head, giving him more of a brown crew cut instead of the more traditional flowing long hair of a Jedi. He had forsaken the traditional brown garb of the Master as well, dressing instead in a grey tunic and pants with a flowing, dark green cape licking at the heels of his sharp black boots. More so than any other Jedi, Stiehl had managed to disguise virtually all compassion from his voice. He was convinced that a student more readily obeyed a Master who continuously pushed and prodded them instead of coddling them and shielding them from danger. It was common knowledge that he had trained seven Padawans over the time he had been a Jedi, and all of them had gone on to become powerful Masters in their own respects. It was for that reason alone that Stiehl was allowed his eccentric behavior and habits. He walked a fine line between punishment and reward for his students. He was all too aware that the first time he crossed that line, accidentally or not, would be the last time as well. Masters who gained reputations for killing learners didn't last long in the Order.

Several members of the Council were convinced that, despite his incredible Force sensitivity, he would have been better off left to the military, where his harsher training methods and personality would be put to greater use. Stiehl, however, did not seem to be anxious to leave the Order any time soon. Indeed, lately, he had been seen more frequently than usual. It was a fact noted only in passing however. The Council was far more concerned with too many other things to spend time thinking about him. And after all, what if he had decided to become a little less reclusive? He wasn't exactly a young man anymore. And though he wore darker clothing than most, he was one of the strictest followers of the Jedi code. There was a place on the Council for him; had been for years, in fact, but he continued to turn it down, claiming it would reduce his already slow life to a snail's crawl, and practically force him to stay on Coruscant.

The Council had shrugged their collective shoulders, and let the matter pass. Nobody was ever forced to take a position, after all. Thus Stiehl remained right where he was, which, at this moment, was somewhere off the main passageways of the Temple.

He approached a very large metal double door set in the wall, and paused before it. Aside from the fact that they had no electronic locking mechanisms on them, and usually had one rising panel as opposed to two sideways sliding ones, it could have been mistaken for a standard Padawan's room. It wasn't a place that many of the Jedi knew about. Most of the Council, in fact, was completely ignorant of its existence. For almost twenty years, it had served a singular purpose. And it was Stiehl's job to watch over it.

Though no one would have known it by merely looking at him, Stiehl was slightly afraid as he approached the room. He knew the occupant quite well. At one time, there had been some hope. For the person inside the room was extremely powerful and sensitive to the Force. Untrained, it was true, but dangerous nonetheless. But though he was a bit apprehensive as he began to punch in the unlock code on the keypad, he was also filled with another emotion. Hope. Maybe this time wouldn't be like the last time. Maybe the person in the room would listen to reason, just this once.

The doors slid apart quietly, and Stiehl tapped the air in the frame. The shock of a force field jabbed his hand and a bright orange shimmer filled the space in front of him for a split-second before suddenly disappearing. Good. The shield was still in place.

He scanned the room before him, searching for the occupant. Finally, his gaze alighted on the shadow of a dark form sitting cross-legged on the floor. He stayed that way for almost a full minute, trying to decide if the form was alive or dead. The shield blocked Force skills, so he could not probe the inside of the room for signs of life. In the same vein, however, it also prevented the person housed within from using said skills on whoever decided to come to the door.

"I wondered when you'd decide to show your face here again." The voice was tinny, androgynous, and metallic from being filtered through the speaker system. It was obscured partly by the fabric of the cloak covering the occupant's mouth. Between the lack of light and the muffled voice, it was impossible to discern who or what was in the room.

"I have a proposition to make," Stiehl said slowly.

"I'm not interested," the figure said without a hint of emotion.

"You've not heard it yet."

"I don't have to. I know how your kind operate. You claim to be the guardians of truth, when in fact you are merely the keepers of lies."

"I'm trying to change that," Stiehl said.

"If you intend to change it, then you have to start by telling the truth," the figure shrugged. "I'm not even certain it's possible for you to do it. You've gotten so good at lying over the last twenty years."

"It was out of my control," Stiehl said. "Until now, that is."

"You'll have to do better than that."

"Will you listen to a word I'm saying?" Stiehl said.

"I'll hear, only because I don't have much of a choice. I can't say for certain that I will listen."

Stiehl inhaled slowly to calm the anger that was rising inside him. When he spoke, his voice was again calm. "I have a plan that could get you set free."

"Why? So you can capture me again?" the figure asked, matter-of-factly.

"Hardly," Stiehl replied. "It would be a full..." he hesitated. "It would mean your complete freedom."

The figure in the dark room said nothing.

Stiehl continued despite the silence. "Would you like to hear the details?"

"You almost said it," the figure stated.

"Said what?" Stiehl responded, a bit too quickly.

"'A full pardon'," the figure intoned. "Why you come to me when it is I who should be making you beg for forgiveness is a ridiculous concept indeed."

"I come to you with a choice," Stiehl snapped. "Either hear me out and discover how you might be freed, or else stay there with your thoughts until the next opportunity calls."

"Temper, temper," the figure scolded. "Anger, fear, aggression, and all that."

Stiehl bit the inside of his lower lip in agitation. How was he supposed to propose this plan if the person he was presenting it to refused to listen?

"I've got half a mind to turn right around and forget this conversation ever took place," he threatened.

"Go right ahead. It can't be that hard. You've done it for so long now."

"However," Stiehl interrupted, "the other half of my mind, for some reason, wants me to tell you the idea anyway. So listen up."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"They've decided to give you a test. If you pass it, then you will be released on the world of your choice to go where you will and do whatever interests you. The Jedi will take no further notice of you. You will not come across us again unless you commit some terrible atrocity that warrants our interference."

"Is that what you expect me to do the moment I get out of this cell?"

"I have no idea what your thoughts on the matter are," Stiehl said. "The task is simple. We want you to kill someone."

"Oh, that's original."

"Do you feel up to the task?"

"Who has the Jedi Council shaking so hard in its collective boots that they'd elect to send me as the disposable assassin?"

"It has nothing to do with the Council," Stiehl said. "It is merely a test."

"For whom?"

"An initiate who is working in the field currently," Stiehl answered. "Not yet a Knight, but no longer a Padawan. She has not taken her final test yet, though her Master mistakenly thinks she has."

"And I'm supposed to be that test?"

Stiehl nodded before he realized that the movement was worthless in the darkness. "Yes. If you accept."

"Convenient," the figure laughed sarcastically. "Pit me, untrained, against a Jedi who is to become a Knight. Why not just hand a lightsaber in here yourself and allow me to cut my own throat? Or better yet, kill me in unarmed combat with those nice Dark Side powers you've all supposedly rejected."

"Because if you win, you will be granted your freedom."

"There is no such thing as freedom," the figure said, clearly through gritted teeth. "Not as long as your kind remain in the galaxy."

"You have one week to decide," Stiehl said. "I suggest you consider the possibility of what it would mean if you won."

The silence that greeted Stiehl's ears made him smile inwardly. It meant that the figure was giving serious thought to the offer.

"Remember," he said again. "One week."

A punch on the door controls caused the twin wedges of metal to slide shut again. His job accomplished for the time being, Stiehl turned on the heel of his boot and strode away down the corridor. There was no doubt in his mind that the offer would be taken. Let that thought burn and simmer. It would make the contest far more interesting that way...

A wry grin on his face, Stiehl marched into the main hallways and headed to his quarters. It was only a matter of time now. And they had all the time in the world. Stiehl was nothing if not patient.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Another day had come and gone on Naboo, and Sarah had long since stripped off her clothing to sleep. She lay in bed now, examining the soft light of the moon and the cool, white glow it dropped into her room through the window. The thoughts in her head were a singular jumble of idle chaos, and she was working to make sense of them. Another meeting of the Regents, more information being passed around, Eirtaé quietly explaining things when Sarah didn't fully understand... Slowly but surely, things were starting to fall into place for her. The problem was that there seemed to be a lot more space than there were things to fill it.

Every thought in her mind as she lay under the soft, velvet sheets, feeling their gentle touch on her bare skin, seemed to start out with 'Why?'. Why was Owen, of all the people on Coruscant they could have picked, selected to be her contact? Why was Captain Panaka so reluctant to trust her? Why was Amidala so eager to do so? Why did she sense something wrong about the so-called security exercises being conducted at all hours of the day and night? And why did a part of her really not want to find out the answers to some of those questions?

She closed her eyes and tried to visualize the space around her, but the only thing that came into her mind at the moment was an image of Amidala. It was replaced with another one, and then a third. God, she was so beautiful... Without really realizing it, Sarah slid her hand down between her legs, under the elastic of her panties, and began to softly stroke her labia with her middle finger.

Sarah's imagination began to slide into fantasy mode at the touches, and the images in her mind began to get slightly more sexual. The thought of watching the Queen as she disrobed for the evening. The thought of peeking through a door that was slightly ajar as Amidala stood under the water of a showerhead. The thought of joining her in that self same shower.

Her finger worked faster now, rubbing both the inside and outside of her lips, gently poking into her vagina. She inhaled briefly as she brushed her clit with another finger. Her left hand rose to her breast, and she massaged it as the images in her head intensified.

Amidala turned her head towards her. "Come on in. The water's fine."

The Queen dismissed a meeting early, and eagerly took up refuge in Sarah's arms as they exchanged a passionate kiss.

Sarah began stimulating her clit directly as her hand worked across her nipple, feeling it stiffen under her touch. She spread her legs apart a little more and straightened her toes as the first gentle orgasm washed over her.

Her hand rested on Amidala's breast as the young Queen nodded her consent.

Sitting next to her at the table, Sarah slid her hand under Amidala's robe and gave her thigh a simple squeeze.

Her breathing was coming in shorter gasps now, and she wasn't bothering to be terribly quiet as her finger worked even faster. She added her index finger now as well, feeling her cum starting to coat her hand. Removing her other hand from her breast just long enough to toss the covers off of her, she flipped her legs on top of the bedclothes, and squeezed her eyes tighter as the next wave of pleasure came.

Slowly, she slid her tongue up Amidala's neck.

Amidala did the same to her, lingering on her ear, kissing her tenderly.

Up in orbit, Sarah and Amidala made love on the bridge of the Queen's Nubian transport.

Sarah pressed in deeper, feeling her vaginal muscles contract around her two fingers. She took her left hand from her breast and used it to stroke her clit while she worked her other fingers in and out of herself quicker and quicker, feeling the tension starting right near her hips.

Her head pulled left, then to the right as her eyes continued to watch the fantasies she was laying out before her conscious mind. Another orgasm, larger than the last. She spread her legs even further, and directed all her energy towards her clitoris, prodding and pulling, stroking and caressing until it seemed as though her entire lower half was on fire from the energy. Her breathing was approaching the stages of hyperventilation as she worked closer and closer towards her goal.

Sarah undid Amidala's bra and slid it off her body as the Queen blushed.

Amidala pressed her hand against Sarah's crotch, feeling it dampen at her touch.

Then, without warning, it was upon her. She slowed down just slightly, wanting to savor the feeling as long as possible. Pleasure erupted from every pore of her body and exploded through her, causing her mouth to begin to quiver and her eyes to clench tighter. Her legs tingled, the muscles in her arms started to ache from the strain, she started to moan softly, then gradually louder, yet she continued on her furious pace until finally the last and largest climax yet smashed through her defenses and left her sighing and shivering in utter contentment as the sweat rolled down her body.

For several minutes, she could do nothing but lay on her back and breathe softly, trying vainly to cool herself off. Everything in the room seemed to radiate heat. Even the moonlight itself had seemingly been transformed into sunlight, beating down into the room without mercy and adding to the inferno that was already present. The puff of her breath helped her to focus and bring her back from the edge of pleasure. She was Sarah. She was a Jedi. She was here to work, not to fantasize.

She didn't care.

She opened her eyes slowly and began to collect her thoughts, but found it almost impossible to do while all sweaty. So she carefully slid her legs over the side of the bed, stood up rather unsteadily, shuddered as the blankets brushed her thighs, and began to stagger towards the bathroom. Still half asleep from the powerful orgasm, she started up the water and began to fill the tub.

The cool water tingled all over as she slid into it, but the effect on her temperature was instantaneous.

For the next hour, Sarah Brightwind did nothing but relax in the soft and gentle waves of the bath.

That little fantasy had seemed to clear her mind somewhat, and after she had relaxed for a while, she dried herself off as best she could and returned to her bed. There weren't any more pieces to the puzzle, of course, but the ones that were there seemed to look a little clearer and fit together just a bit better. But she was too tired to think of much more than that as she drifted off to sleep with the sheets and blankets still rumpled down around her legs.

* * * * *

Sarah awoke to a start when the door to her room was opened and someone burst inside with apparent urgency. She sat up in time to see a hurried form in an orange robe dash inside, a look of worry on the figure's face. She relaxed. It was only Eirtaé; her quarters were not being broken into.

"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked the handmaiden.

Eirtaé stood, blinking, looking right at Sarah. Her mouth was slightly slack, and she did not seem to be able to get out what it was she wanted to say.

Sarah turned a deep shade of crimson as she realized she had no clothing on, and quickly pulled the closest blanket up to cover her body as best she could.

"I..." Eirtaé started, finding her voice, and flushing a dark red. "I...I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to...but your door was locked, and you didn't respond when I knocked or called, and I was afraid that something might have happened..." Her voice trailed off, but the red hue on her face didn't.

"It's fine," Sarah said, trying to reclaim what dignity she had left. "I should know better than to sleep without my clothes on."

Eirtaé didn't seem quite sure what to do, and she stood, rooted in place to the floor.

"Could I have you hand me my tunic from the closet?" Sarah asked the handmaiden.

"Of course!" Eirtaé responded, a bit too quickly. She marched over to the closet, opened it up, and pulled the light brown over shirt off the small hangar inside. She stepped up to the bed and handed it to Sarah, who slid it over her head and down until it settled comfortably over her shoulders.

She stood up and walked over to the closet again, but Eirtaé blocked her way for a brief moment.

"You're very beautiful, Sarah," she said simply. "I hope you don't think ill of my behavior before."

"It's not like you've never seen it before," Sarah said nonchalantly, as she slid her pants on. "Besides, I appreciate your concern for my well-being."

"The Queen would be most distressed if anything happened to one of her guests," Eirtaé said.

"So," Sarah said, trying to change the subject, "why did you come down here anyway?"

"The Queen requests your presence," Eirtaé bowed.

Sarah's eyebrows raised. "Really? Did she say why?"

Eirtaé's eyes traveled towards the floor again. "I'm sorry, but she did not tell me."

"It's not a problem," Sarah said, tightening the belt around her waist and slipping her lightsaber into its holster. "I'm prepared." She stepped closer to Eirtaé, who backed up a step, and stopped before her. Sarah fixed the handmaiden with an unwavering gaze. "And there is no reason to tell the Queen what just happened now, is there?"

"Of course not," Eirtaé replied.

Before the girl could react, Sarah leaned forward, planted a small kiss on her lips, and smiled. "Good. Just between you and me then."

Eirtaé's face, which had just recovered from the last flush of red, became the color of a beet yet again. And even though she pulled the hood close about her face, Sarah could still make out the vaguest hint of a smile on the girl's lips.

* * * * *

Queen Amidala looked up as the door opened and watched Eirtaé and Sarah walked inside, take their places at the table, and sit down. Saché slid the door closed and walked to her spot beside Amidala, who nodded, indicating that the meeting was now officially in progress.

"I have brought her," Eirtaé said with a bow.

"Excellent," Amidala commented. "I am awaiting your thoughts on the matters here on Naboo, Sarah Brightwind."

"Your majesty," Sarah said, standing up and bowing slowly. "I've visited the various historical sites in Theed as you suggested. The history of your planet is both sad and wonderful at the same time. Your people here have managed to achieve a monumental victory over the problems of violence, slavery, and oppression that plague countless other words in the Republic. I am proud to serve here in whatever capacity of which you believe I am capable.

"My only concern has to do with the exercises your security forces are being put through. I understand their need, but the other morning, I saw a terrible amount of damage done near the outskirts of the city. It appeared as though some homes had been destroyed, and a fair bit of the countryside torn up as well."

Amidala nodded. "Captain Panaka informed me that there was an accident during the exercise. From here on out, only the senior officers will be armed with live weapons. All others will have training replicas issued instead."

"Is there any way to tell a real emergency from a false one?" Sarah asked.

"In a real emergency, you would be contacted directly by a member of the security force," Amidala replied. "They would give you instructions."

"I see," Sarah said. "There is one other thing I would suggest, though I'm certain you've thought of it already."

"Go ahead."

"Have your builders concentrate on getting the homes back up before working on the business section. It will be much better to bring harmony to the home as soon as possible."

Amidala nodded. "It shall be done."

There was a moment of silence before Amidala spoke up again. "Thank you for your time, Sarah."

Sarah stood and bowed. "I'm at your disposal, your majesty."

"In that case, return here tomorrow morning. I shall send someone to retrieve you."

"I will be ready," Sarah affirmed.

"Then you are dismissed." Amidala nodded towards the Jedi, who bowed again in return, then walked out of the room through a small door in the back with her handmaidens in tow.

Wonder where that goes, Sarah mused. Something told her to keep her curiosity in check this once, and she instead wandered out through the door she came in.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Amidala undressed hurriedly with the help of her handmaidens once she returned to her quarters. The robes she had to wear in office, while fairly comfortable, were still nothing compared to the extremely soft nightshirt she intended to replace them with. After getting the heavy red dress over her head and packed away safely into the washing chamber, the handmaidens went about the task of making certain that everything was in place and as it should be while gossiping and trading theories about the latest news they had heard during the day.

"Do you suppose the rumours are true?" Yané asked, a slight trace of excitement lacing her voice.

"Who can say?" Saché replied with a shrug. "There's certainly something amiss though."

Rabé nodded. "Things have not been the same since the occupation."

"I disagree," Sabé snorted. "I think everyone is still strung out from the Trade Federation attack. It's all rubbish."

"But what about what happened on the edge of Theed earlier?" Saché asked.

"I think that might have been done deliberately," Rabé suggested.

"But that's terrible!" Yané gasped. "There's no reason for it!"

"That's why I say it's nothing," Sabé said. "If it were something serious, Captain Panaka would have told the Queen."

"True," Saché reflected. "But still...I have to wonder..."

Amidala, for the most part, was not paying too much attention to the speculation of her handmaidens. She stood before the great full-size mirror in her room, unhooked her bra, and let it dangle down her arms before it flopped to the floor. With a small sigh, she examined her figure in the reflective glass, taking careful notice of her breasts, which were not quite as full as she would have liked, but were obviously there nonetheless. As the artificial cooling system swept a breeze over her bare skin, her soft pink nipples stiffened into smaller points. Amidala folded her arms at her stomach, gave a half-smile to her reflection in the mirror, and turned to the handmaiden closest to her. "Eirtaé...am I beautiful?"

"I beg your pardon?" Eirtaé seemed lost in her own thoughts, and her eyes snapped over to Amidala suddenly, as though jolted from a dream. "Forgive me, your Majesty...I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention...what did you ask?"

"Do you find me beautiful?" Amidala asked again.

"Your highness, I..." Eirtaé stammered, searching for a diplomatic answer to the question. "Well...you are quite regal and dignified at all times. You wear the most stylish of clothing. Everyone in Theed looks to your dress to know how well the kingdom is doing. By switching colors, you can cause the entire populace to make the change as well."

Amidala nodded. "I'm well aware of my fashion sense, Eirtaé. But look beneath the clothes and the exterior of the queen for a moment. Discount the makeup, the beauty marks, and the lavish hair styles. And be truthful."

Eirtaé's mouth fell open. Never before had the Queen acted in such a manner, and she found herself struggling for words. "Your majesty, this is so...unexpected...I..."

Amidala smiled. "Your training prevents you from answering. Ignore it for the moment. What do your eyes tell you?"

Thanking Theed that the other four handmaidens were all enthralled in their own discussions, Eirtaé selected her next words carefully. "Your majesty, I would never speak ill of you. Though you have the mind of a great woman, and a great Queen, you are still barely out of girlhood. And while I see you as beautiful today, who is to say what tomorrow will bring? Most likely, it will bring a Queen who is more opulent and gorgeous than she is today."

Amidala blushed slightly. "Thank you, Eirtaé. I believe we had all best take a brief nap. We have important matters to attend to later this evening, and we shall all do better if we are well-rested."

"I agree, your highness." Eirtaé handed Amidala her nightshirt, but the Queen refused it with a delicate gesture of her hand.

"I believe I shall sleep like this for the moment."

"Your highness, it would be indecent..." Eirtaé started, pushing the shirt at the Queen.

"I am Queen, am I not?" Amidala asked. "If I choose to sleep without clothing on, that is my choice, correct?"

Eirtaé smiled, set the shirt down on the bed, and bowed. "Correct as always, your Majesty. I shall leave you to your privacy." She gathered the other handmaidens, bowed to her Queen again, then herded them through a small door off to the side. "We shall be in the next room if you need us." With that, she closed the door softly behind them, and Amidala was alone in the bright room.

"Shades down," Amidala ordered, and dark shutters descended over the windows, blocking out most of the outside light. "Dim lights." The bright globes near the ceiling slowly dimmed, bringing a cool darkness to the room.

Amidala regarded herself again before the mirror. She took notice of the way her hips had widened over the last few years, how her chest had slowly begun to expand, and her shoulders slightly broadened. But Eirtaé was right, she sighed. Still more of a girlish figure than a womanly one.

She wondered what had Eirtaé so distracted before. Her thoughts had clearly been elsewhere, and of all her handmaidens, Eirtaé was the one least given to flights of fancy. But perhaps she had found herself a suitor of some kind...she remembered the way all of her handmaidens had gleefully discussed Obi-Wan Kenobi when he had been around: wondering what he looked like without the robe, wondering if he had a girlfriend back at home, had he ever loved anyone before, and all the other idle chatter that always came up when girls got to talking about an older man.

This was all well and good for them, of course. They were allowed to spend time away from the royalty of Naboo when their duties had been seen to. They had time for someone special, even though there might not be as much time as they would like. But Amidala was Queen every day of every month of every year. There was no escaping it, save for when the situation allowed her to be Padmé for a little while. Which wasn't very often. Though being the Queen was her highest aspiration, and had been her dream practically since she was old enough to know what a Queen was, she still found herself lacking in some areas. It was much more than a full-time job, and even when she disguised herself as Padmé and walked among the people of Theed or other towns or cities, she knew that, at some point, she would have to go back to being Amidala again, the emotionless, expressionless, strong, royal Queen of Naboo.

Then there was that other problem that had started to show itself lately. Watching her handmaidens as they dressed or undressed seemed to fascinate her in ways that she guessed it probably shouldn't have. Perhaps it was a twinge of jealousy that she noticed, with the exception of the younger Saché and the Queen's double Sabé, that her other handmaidens all had very nicely developed figures, with all the curves in their proper places. And while it was true that the robes of office all hid her figure behind layers of fabric, she wasn't in them all the time.

Amidala was also concerned about the Jedi who had shown up. When she had been told that one would be stationed on Naboo for a while, she had somehow expected Obi-Wan. It was a ludicrous thought, of course, because Obi-Wan was more than likely training Anakin on Coruscant right now, but never in her wildest imagination did she expect another girl to show up. She had seen female Jedi before, but there didn't seem to be a terrible lot of them around, from what she had gathered during her brief stay on Coruscant.

And worst of all, she almost seemed to lose her regal air when Sarah Brightwind was around. She had stared Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation square in the face without fear. She had faced thousands of representatives in the Republic Senate when she pled her case without batting an eyelash, stood straight and tall as she called for a vote of 'no confidence' in former Chancellor Valorum...and yet this one person seemed to turn her thoughts inside out. She had managed to control herself so far, of course. But she knew it was only a matter of time before she slipped up and said something she shouldn't.

She sighed as she settled down into her bed, liking the cool caress of the sheets against her warm skin. On a whim, she slid her panties down her legs and off her body, and lay on her back, fully naked and exposed in the center of the large mattress. She spread herself out further, stretching her arms and legs away from her body, but still not a single part of her hung off the sides of the enormous bed.

Amidala toyed with the thought of summoning one of her handmaidens in just to see her reaction to the way she was sprawled out, but decided against it. A good nap was what she needed, and it was what she was going to get.

Still uncovered, she closed her eyes and willed herself to be calm. She shivered softly in the cool air of the room, but made no move to adjust the temperature. Maybe one day, someone would join her in the bed. But that day was still far off in her mind. So she pushed it aside, and fell asleep shortly afterward.

* * * * *

"You certainly were quiet in there, Eirtaé," Rabé said as the five handmaidens changed into their sleeping attire.

"Yeah," Sabé agreed. "Usually, you're the one who's talking nonstop about everything."

"Maybe I don't buy into your conspiracy theories," Eirtaé said, shrugging.

"Normally, you'd have at least voiced your opinion," Yané noted.

"I was having a discussion with the Queen," Eirtaé defended. "It would not have been appropriate to interrupt her to offer my opinion."

"Your head was somewhere else," Rabé snorted as she exchanged her orange robe for a soft white sleepshirt. "So...who's caught your fancy this time, hmmm?"

"Still thinking about Obi-Wan, I bet," Saché giggled.

"Oh, and you aren't?" Sabé said, grinning knowingly at Saché.

"I never wanted Obi-Wan, and you know it," Eirtaé said. "Believe me, if you can find a way to get him, he's all yours."

"How generous," Rabé smiled. She sat down on Eirtaé's bed and stared her in the

face. "Well, if it's not Obi-Wan, then it has to be somebody else. And given that you've been all off in your own little world ever since this morning when the Queen sent you to fetch that new Jedi..."

"Now wait just a minute!" Eirtaé said. "Amidala has always sent me to get Sarah and escort her around!"

"Oooh! 'Sarah,' is it?" Sabé grinned wickedly. "So you're on a first name basis with her now?"

"I merely find calling a person by her name instead of 'that new Jedi' to be more polite," Eirtaé said, turning up her nose slightly.

"I think something happened while she was away," Yané suggested.

"Oh, come off it," Eirtaé muttered.

"Hmmmmm..." Rabé thought out loud. "You had to get her out of bed, right? Maybe she joined her in bed for a bit of a tumble?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Eirtaé said.

"So, how was the first kiss?" Saché asked with a devilish smile.

"Got a date set for later?" Yané sang.

"Now, none of this is any of your business!" Eirtaé huffed.

Sabé circled the bed and knelt down behind Eirtaé. She placed her hands on Eirtaé's shoulders, started to massage them, and stage-whispered in her ear. "What the Queen knows, we know. And what one of us knows, we all know. Isn't that right?"

There were nods from the other three.

"So...you have to tell us," Sabé shrugged. "There really isn't any other way about it."

"Eirtaé's into girls," Yané giggled. Saché joined her.

"That's very unfair of you," Eirtaé said defensively, pushing Sabé's hands off her shoulders and standing up. "And like none of you have ever been the least bit curious yourselves!"

There was a moment of shocked silence as the other handmaidens all turned their gazes away from Eirtaé, to look at the walls or the floor or their hands.

"She's right, you know," Rabé said quietly, suddenly very serious. "I mean, I've kinda wondered...you know...what it's like...to do this!" Without warning, Rabé launched herself at Eirtaé and pressed her lips to the other girl's.

There was dead silence in the room as time itself seemed to stop.

Rabé and Eirtaé sat on the bed, lips locked together, for a few seconds before Eirtaé pulled her face away. "Rabé, what on Naboo has gotten into you?"

"I don't know," Rabé said with an evil grin. "But whatever it is, it sure is nice."

"Me next! Me next!" Saché bounced.

Rabé cackled gleefully, pulled Saché into her arms, and kissed her fully on the mouth.

"Me too!" Yané giggled. "Gotta share!"

Eirtaé took Yané in her arms and pulled her down on the bed before she wrapped her arms around the other girl, closed her eyes, and kissed her softly.

Not one to be left out of the action, Sabé pulled Rabé's face away from Saché, and kissed the older girl.

"That was fun," Yané smiled.

"A bit too fun," Sabé nodded.

"No such thing as too much fun," Rabé said deviously.

"Better than Obi-Wan, I bet," Saché suggested.

"Way better than three Obi-Wans," Eirtaé finally spoke up.

This started a whole new round of soft giggles from the group.

"You know," Rabé said, staring at Sabé, "I wonder how you'd look without that shirt on."

Sabé blushed. "Now, wait a second...a kiss is one thing, but..."

"But what?" Yané asked, pulling her sleepshirt over her head. "It's getting too warm in here anyway."

"I agree," Rabé said, taking hers off as well.

Eirtaé just stared. "You two are crazy."

"So we're crazy," Rabé said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Get some rest," Eirtaé replied, laying down and burying her face in a pillow.

"Like hell you are!" Yané argued, lunging on top of Eirtaé and tickling her madly.

While Eirtaé and Yané squealed on the bed, Rabé eyed Sabé. "You know...I've masturbated before," Rabé began. "But I wonder what it's like..."

"...To do it to someone else?" Sabé finished. "I don't know."

"Wanna find out?" Rabé asked.

"We can't wake up the Queen," Sabé warned. "Saché, go check on Amidala."

"But..." Saché began.

"No arguments, just do it," Rabé ordered. "If we wake her up and she comes in here and sees us like this, we'll all get it but good!"

"Oh, alright," Saché moped. 'They're only doing this because I'm younger than they are...' She walked slowly over to the door and inched it open just enough that she could see out into the dark bedroom occupied by Amidala.

Rabé and Sabé embraced in the middle of the room, pressing their bodies close together, sharing a more powerful kiss than the half-joking ones that had gone on before while Eirtaé and Yané watched in fascination.

'This feels too good,' Sabé's head argued. 'It's not supposed to feel like this! You don't kiss other girls...'

Rabé pulled her face back slightly. "Wanna do a bit more for the...um...audience?" She slid her hand across Sabé's naked breast and gave a soft squeeze. Sabé inhaled sharply, then closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. Rabé stroked the Sabé's neck with her fingers, and brushed the other girl's hair back over her ears. She then bent her head down and kissed Sabé on her neck.

Sabé responded by running her fingers down Rabé's backside, then dragging the ends of her fingernails softly up Rabé's spine. It made Rabé shiver involuntarily, and she kissed Sabé even harder on the mouth than before. She parted her lips and poked her tongue at Sabé's teeth, wondering what her reaction would be. Aside from Sabé's eyes shooting open again, then closing slowly, Sabé gave no resistance, opening her mouth and welcoming Rabé's tongue into hers, while offering her tongue to the other girl in exchange.

Eirtaé watched the display of erotica before her and began getting quite turned on. A quick look at Yané confirmed that the other girl was starting to get aroused as well. 'You know...she's a little younger than me, but I'll bet she's quite feisty,' Eirtaé thought.

Their attention was drawn back to the pair making out in the middle of the room by a series of soft gasps. Rabé had worked her mouth slowly down the front of Sabé's body, kissing and licking as she went, and had now stopped on Sabé's left breast. She was kissing in a slow circle around the girl's areola, and was growing steadily closer and closer to the nipple with every press of her lips.

Yané's hand had found its way under her panties, and Eirtaé watched as the girl worked her finger on herself beneath the fabric. She moved slowly and cautiously, with the look of one who was uncertain how to go about doing things but who was also willing to learn and experiment.

Eirtaé slid over next to Yané and whispered in her ear. "You've not done this before, have you?"

"Not much," Yané confirmed.

"I'll show you how," Eirtaé said, not believing she was saying it. "That is...if you want me to..."

Slowly, Yané withdrew her hand from her panties, took Eirtaé's, and slid it down between the fabric and her skin. "Go ahead..." She was blushing a very deep red, but she wasn't resisting at all.

"Just close your eyes and relax," Eirtaé said, soothingly. "It'll be OK. It won't hurt."

Sabé uttered a cry as Rabé finally took her nipple in her mouth and began sucking it softly.

"Shhhhh!" Yané hissed from under Eirtaé. "Not so loud!"

"I can't help it!" Sabé said, each word coming out as a gasp due to Rabé's probing hands and mouth.

Saché practically flew back to the group. "It's OK! She's sound asleep!"

"Saché seems a little excited, don't you think?" Eirtaé asked Yané.

Yané nodded mutely, eyes still squeezed shut, feeling Eirtaé stroke her outer labia with gentle caresses.

"Should we let her in on the action?" Eirtaé asked.

"Mmmm hmmmm," Yané nodded.

"Me?" Saché blushed.

Eirtaé nodded. "Come over here...you have to learn this some time, especially if you ever have to teach a guy how to do it."

"Well, I really don't think..."

Sabé began emitting a series of small moans that were coinciding perfectly with the way Rabé was sliding her finger in and out of her. Their mouths were again locked in a powerful kiss, their bodies pressed together firmly.

"Yané, Saché is interested in learning about how to do this," Eirtaé told her. "Would you like her to help me?"

"Uh huh," Yané stammered.

Eirtaé smiled at Saché. "There. You have her permission."

"Er...what do I...um...do?" Saché asked.

"Well, first we've got to get you naked," Eirtaé winked. "So...lose the shirt."

Saché slowly pulled her arms inside the large sleepshirt, then lifted it over her head, and tossed it over on her bed.

While stroking Yané with one hand, Eirtaé beckoned for Saché to come closer. The younger girl obeyed, and Eirtaé kissed her breast softly.

Saché jumped back, but, quickly regained her composure and returned to let Eirtaé do it again. "Sorry...it just felt...weird..."

Eirtaé again kissed the young girl's breast, moved her mouth across the top and down the side before taking the nipple in her mouth and flicking her tongue across it, causing it to stiffen.

Yané squirmed under Eirtaé's touch as she brushed her clit.

Sabé was panting quite heavily as Rabé worked first one, then two fingers into her vagina and fondled her insides with increasing intensity. Rabé's thumb stroked Sabé's clit as well, causing Sabé to tense and relax every few seconds.

"Did that feel good?" Eirtaé asked Saché, as she took her mouth off the other girl's breast.

Saché nodded. "Yeah..."

Eirtaé smiled. "Then just do that to Yané. But very gently. And don't be in any hurry," she amended with a devious, lop-sided smile. "She's not going anywhere as long as I'm sitting on her."

Yané began laughing at this, but quieted down when Saché gently took her right breast in her mouth and began to kiss it.

Rabé pushed Sabé down onto the bed behind her, falling down on top of the Queen's double, but not letting up the assault on her most private areas. Rabé's mouth was all over her neck, chest, breasts, and tummy, while her fingers worked and stroked faster and faster, trying to keep up with Sabé's swift, uncontrollable, and surprising movements. Rabé felt the other girl breathing very rapidly, starting to moan softly. Sabé's arms tightened around her back, squeezing her powerfully one moment, and then shuddering softly the next, a trade that continued as Rabé turned her total focus to Sabé's clit, now intent more than ever on inducing an orgasm. Her fingers flew over the pinkness that surrounded the small bump as she sucked softly on Sabé's earlobe.

Saché was enjoying herself immensely, kissing and sucking Yané's breast as though she were a starving child, while Eirtaé continued touching Yané between her thighs, savoring the tightening of the girl's vaginal muscles around her middle finger. Taking care to stay out of Saché's way, she brought her mouth to Yané's and kissed softly, licking across the other girl's lips with her tongue, then pressing her mouth over Yané's to keep her quiet when she began to breath louder and faster.

Sabé tried to stifle the noise she emitted as she finally climaxed under Rabé's caressing fingers, but only succeeded about halfway, mostly because her mouth was open since she didn't have the strength to close it. Rabé paused in her stimulation for a second, long enough for Sabé to suddenly open her eyes and glare at her, before finishing her off in the culmination of another orgasm which left Sabé with one arm wrapped tightly around her lover, and the other one balled into a fist, gripping the sheets on her bed as tightly as she could. Rabé gently planted a kiss on both of Sabé's breasts before climbing off her and letting her breathe for a few minutes.

Saché had moved her lips up Yané's neck and off her nipple, kissing softly and delicately, picking up the nature of the game quickly, letting Eirtaé go back to fully concentrating on Yané's clit, trying to predict just where the girl would bounce next, and trying to meet it again rapidly before she again shifted involuntarily.

"We've got an opening over here now, if you're interested," Eirtaé said, winking at Rabé, who all but flew over to Yané's prone form.

"And where would that be, now?" Rabé asked.

"Breast number 2," Saché snickered.

Yané squeaked softly as Rabé took her other nipple in her mouth and rolled it around her tongue. Her breathing intensified even further, and Eirtaé gave up all hope of being able to predict where Yané would buck to next, instead just trying to keep up as best she could while Saché and Rabé sat, the tops of their heads touching, kissing Yané's breasts.

Eirtaé tore Yané's panties off her legs in a deft movement, and slid her head between the girl's thighs, encircling her vagina with her mouth, prodding with her tongue, and enjoying the taste of the girl's cum.

Yané's entire pleasure center was going berserk from the attention the other three handmaidens were giving her, and Rabé and Saché were forced to each hold an arm down or risk getting smacked from the wild thrashing that she was giving.

Eritaé poked Yané's clit with her tongue, then moved her lips up and over the small bump, pressing against it and off it as quickly as she could while Yané lay with her eyes clenched tight enough to produce tears, her mouth slack, and her heart rate going ever faster and faster.

Then, suddenly, it hit her. Yané almost screamed as the attention of the three other girls made every nerve ending on her body erupt in a white-hot volcanic explosion of pure pleasurable energy. Rabé, suspecting this was coming, pushed her hand over the girl's mouth to silence the cry as best she could as Eirtaé continued working on her crotch with her mouth and lips.

A second orgasm tore through Yané's small body, more powerful than the last one, causing her to jump in place on the bed. Her head thrashed back and forth, her breath coming in little more than rapid, ragged squeals from between Rabé's fingers.

Eirtaé didn't stop, instead choosing to continue, loving the feeling of Yané's trembling thighs as she attacked her clit once again with her mouth.

Yané almost bit into Rabé's hand as she clenched her teeth when the third and most powerful orgasm yet crashed through her pores, and she emitted a subdued scream of pleasure, which Eirtaé took as a signal that it was time to let up.

She pulled her face out from between Yané's legs, tapped Rabé and Saché to let them know it was time to stop, then laid down on top of Yané so she was staring her in the face, and kissed her, letting the taste of her own juices flow into her mouth.

Rabé looked over at Sabé, who was sleeping soundly, one arm and most of her hair hanging off the side of the bed and smiled.

Saché watched as Eirtaé and Yané embraced for several minutes, letting the younger girl calm down a bit and catch her breath while the others sat around them, watching the last of the fireworks explode and simmer down.

Finally, after a short while, Eirtaé got up off of Yané, petted her forehead, then sat down further away on the bed.

"Um...we'd better take that nap now," Saché suggested. "Otherwise, we'll be tired later on this evening..."

Rabé laughed. "Oh yeah...the rest. That's why we were sent in here in the first place..."

Eirtaé gave Yané a playful nudge with her foot. "You're on my bed, Yané."

"You're just...gonna...have to...deal with that...right now..." Yané panted. "Because...I'm not...moving...any time soon..."

Rabé and Saché laughed quietly as they made their way over to their own beds and pulled the covers up over themselves.

And Eirtaé, not knowing anything else to do, hauled Yané up under the covers with her, put her arms around the smaller girl, kissed her softly on one eyelid, put her own head down on the pillow, and closed her eyes. 'Sleep now? Like hell...'

CHAPTER NINE

The beeping of the wake up alarm caused Amidala to stir in her slumber. She had been in the middle of a good dream (though she couldn't remember the specifics), and didn't want to wake up right then. But the insistent cacophony from the small clock beside her bed was one of the few things in the palace that could give orders to the Queen, and it was being very insistent at this moment.

She moaned softly, timidly opening her eyes to rejoin the waking world again. Another five minutes...that's all I'd like, her mind muttered to itself. Unfortunately for her mind, her body knew what it had to do, and she swung her hand over and idly batted at the 'off' switch for the alarm. The beeping ceased, and in the silent darkness, Amidala yawned, stretched, and licked her dry lips. She ran a hand through her soft hair, feeling the ends of it tickle her back as she did so. Before too long, she was going to have to allow her handmaidens to style it and get it into its proper place to mesh with her 'crown'. In a short time, she would be dressed, once again, in her royal red and gold robes. Business as usual...

She glanced around the dark room and frowned. Something wasn't right. It took her a moment before it struck her: none of her handmaidens were awake. This was odd...they were supposed to be there when she woke up to get her dressed and do up her hair, yet the door was closed tight, and there was neither sight nor sound of them anywhere. Curious now, Amidala got off the massive bed, cringed slightly as her bare feet touched the cold, and padded her way over to the handmaidens' quarters. A small lump of fear rose in her head...what if they had all disappeared? Why else would they not be up already?

She pushed that aside as she placed her hand on the door's sensor and ran her finger over the opening mechanism. It swung aside without so much as a sound, and Amidala squinted into the darkness of the room before her. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted, and she could clearly see forms in their beds. She counted, and panic struck her. There was an empty bed near the door. Forcing herself to be calm again just for a few seconds, she examined the beds again, and noticed the reason why the bed was empty: there was Yané, sleeping snuggled up in Eirtaé's arms.

'What on Naboo is going on?' Amidala asked herself. 'Nobody is dressed, nobody is awake, Yané is sleeping in Eirtaé's bed with Eirtaé still in it, Sabé is sprawled halfway out from under her covers, there are nightshirts all over the floor instead of on the bodies of my handmaidens, and that looks like a pair of panties at the foot of Eirtaé's bed!'

Realization struck Amidala like a hovertrain, and she turned red from head to foot. 'But...there has to be a more rational explanation, right? They wouldn't...do that with me right in the next room?' Then, after the curiosity and the realization came a slight pang of jealousy. They could all engage in that sort of behavior, because they weren't bound by the same courtly rules that she was as a Queen. A sad smile creased her lips. 'I can't be angry with them. It's none of my business, and I'll not embarrass them by barging in...'

Quietly, she closed the door, and filed that secret away with the multitude of others she held in her head. Though she knew she should get going, especially after losing time spying on her handmaidens, she couldn't bring herself to go to the wardrobe just yet.

Instead, she wandered over to the massive windows of her room, the ones that faced the rear of the palace, and stared out. It was her favorite scene below: the gently falling, cascading water from the falls that continually struck the rocks, creating a perpetual mist that sparkled with a luminescent rainbow on sunny days. Standing there, just observing the movement of the water which never slept, Amidala felt herself filling up with an inner strength, the ability to go on for another day. She closed her eyes, imagining the water flowing over her body, covering her, and renewing her spirit.

She ran her hand over the wall next to her, enjoying the prickling sensation of the cool marble on her palm. Love... The word stirred something inside her. Looking out at her beautiful world, the gleaming emerald in space that it was, inspired nothing so much as love. This was not only her planet and her city, but her home. A fierce sense of pride lurked inside of her about that. She was convinced that as surely as she was born here, she would die here as well. Possibly of old age, possibly by defending it from another invasion such as the recent one, but she felt, in her heart, that Naboo and she were connected in a very powerful way. And much like the water of that waterfall, she would keep going, day or night, rain or shine, to ensure that her planet was loved as she wanted it to be. But as much as she wanted to stay there and watch forever, her official duties were beginning to nag at the back of her mind again. There would be other days and other times.

Suppressing a girlish giggle, she rapped hard on the door to her handmaiden's quarters. For a moment, there was no response. Then, from behind the thick panels, she heard extremely hurried bits of conversation, the muffled movement of many bodies, and got the general sense of a panic. Though she didn't laugh, the smile on her face was by far large enough for two people. 'Serves them right,' she grinned to herself. 'Serves them just fine for causing the Queen to be a little late to her duties.'

By the time the door was opened, and all five handmaidens were stammering out their apologies, Amidala had pushed the laughter to the back of her head and resumed the air of a Queen again, giving out tasks to be done, letting them twist her hair around the elaborate headpiece she wore, and not resisting when her clothing was being slipped around her a bit too quickly. Perhaps one day, she would tell them she knew what had happened that night. Maybe she would even ask for the details. Maybe she would write about it in her journal later that evening. It might help her to make sense of the peculiar thoughts she had been having as of late too.

But that was all to be considered later. Right now, she was late. She reprimanded her handmaidens for oversleeping (not harshly, of course, because she could have woken them as soon as she had gotten up), then bustled herself out of the room and into the world again. She hoped she'd be able to keep her mind on the tasks at hand, because it kept slipping back into questioning mode, curious about what her handmaidens had done while she was asleep in the next room. Again, she reminded herself, that is for later discussion. Governor Bibble would already be agitated and worried that she was late. Let him worry a bit...he's not my nanny, and if I'm a bit tardy, he'll just have to live with it.

That made her smile again. It was nice being Queen sometimes...

* * * * *

"Where could she be?" Sio Bibble paced across the floor yet again, shaking his head slightly from side to side. Panaka, seated in the chair across the room, had long ceased counting the number of times that Bibble's body had passed back and forth in front of him. He was sitting in a position that looked decidedly uncomfortable, but he barely took notice of it. After his training session today, any form of sitting was relaxing.

"Just calm down, Governor," Panaka said. "I'm sure she'll be here shortly."

"She's never been late before," Bibble continued to babble, oblivious to Panaka. "In fact, she was always duly noted for her punctuality."

"She'd have called if there was a problem," Panaka argued. "Everyone is late once in a while."

"But what if she couldn't contact us? Suppose something happened where..."

The doors to the meeting chamber slid aside to permit Amidala and her entourage of handmaidens to stride into the chamber and interrupt Bibble mid-thought. Amidala took her seat upon the throne, while her handmaidens spread themselves out behind her, standing like brightly-painted statues.

"Good evening, Governor. Good evening, Captain." Amidala gave a cursory nod to both of them.

"Good evening, your highness," Bibble said with a bow.

Panaka stood and saluted. "Your highness."

"Is there some problem?" Amidala asked Bibble. "You seemed quite nervous when I arrived."

"No, my lady, no problem at all now. We were merely concerned, you understand, because I have never known you to be-"

Panaka half-smirked behind Bibble's back, his eyes clearly saying, 'Give me a break...' "What Governor Bibble means is that he got worried because you weren't here on time," Panaka interrupted.

"And for that I am sorry," Amidala said. "For some unknown reason, the alarm did not wake my handmaidens."

"Thank goodness," Bibble breathed.

"Though it might be a good idea to take a few deep breaths and perhaps try to call me on the comm unit before hustling half the security force over to my quarters should this happen again," Amidala said with a soft smile. "But for the moment, that's all done with. I believe we can get down to business."

"Yes." Bibble cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. Anyway, this meeting, or at least my part of it, was to inform you that a few of our outlying territories are having trouble getting their farming back up to speed. As you know, one of the first things the Trade Federation did when they invaded was to scorch many of our fields, thus cutting our food supply down to almost nothing. Apparently, it will take quite some time for those effects to wear off. But the problem now becomes: how do we feed our citizens in the interim?"

"What will the next import bring us?" Amidala asked.

"Not a whole lot," Bibble admitted. "We've only just started getting the economy back to where it was before, and several of our neighboring worlds don't wish to trade until they see we're steady again. There will be some food, obviously, but not enough to fulfill the needs of every citizen."

"What about asking the Gungans for help?"

"We thought of that already," Panaka said. "I sent a team out to find them a couple of days ago. We found out that they're in pretty much the same shape as we are. After all, the Trade Federation did quite a number on Otoh Gunga as well. Half their domes were breached in some way, including their main food storage units and several of the reserves as well. They've got their hands full just trying to repair the damages and hunt down enough to feed themselves for the time being without devoting additional resources to helping us out."

Amidala considered this for a moment, then spoke. "The only conclusion I can come to at this time would be a stop-gap measure at best. Everyone in the palace shall be placed on half-rations, except the extremely young, the elderly, and those with unborn children. This includes myself and all regents in the vicinity."

"I must object to that!" Sio Bibble stated. "Your highness, you are young yourself! And you are the Queen! You of all people should..."

"Should bear the burdens of my people along with them," Amidala finished for him. "Last time Naboo was faced with a problem, I ran away; not because I wanted to, but because it was the only acceptable choice. I'll certainly not run away from my people again because of a mere food shortage. The schools that are left should still have their reserves. Break them open, and see to it that the children are not going hungry. Captain Panaka, I place it in your hands to begin forming hunting parties to capture game. Though it's a loathsome practice that I certainly don't want to continue any longer than necessary, it's the lesser of two evils compared to allowing people to starve."

"I'm not certain how well that will go over, but I'll start making up shifts as soon as I get back," Panaka nodded.

"Dismissed then," Amidala said.

Panaka stood, saluted, then walked out of the meeting room. Saché closed the door behind him.

"Governor, I place it in your hands to find new ways of expediting business here. The faster we have goods to export, the sooner we can start seeing outside help. I shall contact Chancellor Palpatine and see if he can sway the Senate to send aid."

Bibble nodded. "I'll talk this matter over with the other Regents and see what sort of ideas we can pool together." He started to say something, but thought better of it, and closed his mouth.

"Please, Governor...speak your mind," Amidala urged.

"Well, your highness...I can't help thinking what a mess this whole situation has been. I, for one, cannot wait to get back to the old ways of life. This incident really has been a disaster, in more ways than one."

Amidala nodded. "Rebuilding is never easy, Governor. But it is much easier than starting from scratch. Be glad there was still a Naboo left to rebuild. Things could have been much, much worse."

"Oh yes, I know that very well," Bibble sighed. "Thank goodness for small favors, eh?"

"Be strong, my friend," Amidala whispered. "Dismissed."

Bibble bowed, then walked from the room.

After he had left, Amidala rose from her seat and wandered over to the large picture window, as though she were in a daze. She looked out from it, down upon the town square. Before the Trade Federation attack, there would have been celebration, even this late at night. People's spirits had flown high, and there had been few serious worries.

But not tonight.

Tonight, the square was bereft of life, a dark patch of packed dirt and a lone fountain that tossed water into the air whether people were looking or not. To the outside observer, it would appear that everyone was in bed, for the hour was late. To Amidala, it told a different story however. My people are not complete. They are still lacking in so many things that I am not totally certain I can provide for them. Will the square ever dance again?

When Amidala turned, she saw her handmaidens who had gathered silently behind her, staring at her with the same sad look she had cast out the window only moments before. "What will happen to this city?" Amidala asked quietly, rhetorically. "Suppose I can't bring back the joy they all knew before?"

"We are brave, your highness," Sabé spoke.

'The same words I said to her during the invasion,' Amidala realized.

"We are all here for you," Eirtaé said, taking Amidala's hand in her own.

"We stand beside you," Yané said.

"And we'll not abandon you," Rabé added.

"Ever," Saché confirmed, taking Amidala's other hand.

The small group came together as one in a tight embrace of friendship.

Eirtaé noticed that a single tear had crept out of Amidala's right eye, and was running down her cheek, wiping the white powder off her face in a small line as it moved.

"Your highness," Eirtaé spoke softly, "perhaps it is time to call it a night."

The other four handmaidens agreed.

"Yes," Amidala nodded. "Let us return to our rooms. I'm afraid tomorrow will be upon us earlier than we expect it."

CHAPTER TEN

Sarah stood before Amidala in the meeting chamber, complying with the Queen's wish that she return in the morning. Amidala had just informed her of the worsening of the situation, and Sarah's brow furrowed in thought.

"It's just like the Republic and the Senate," Amidala said, tonelessly, turning to stare out the window at the golden glow of the Naboo sun as it moved up in the sky. "More interested in their own bureaucratic nonsense than helping out a planet in need."

"Your highness, that could work to the betterment of this planet in the long run," Sarah observed. "If it is seen that you can pull yourself back from the brink of disaster without accepting outside help, your world will seem that much stronger. And an initial dependency tends to breed long-term dependence on your helpers."

"I know only too well how politics of this nature work," Amidala murmured softly. "'Look to the long run,' is so easy to say...but so much harder to realize. Right now, people could be starving. It will take time for the fields to rejuvenate. The minister of agriculture has sent teams out looking for new land to farm, but we've had no success so far. And even if we did, crops don't grow over night."

"A solution will present itself," Sarah insisted.

"You're sounding like Qui-Gon." Amidala turned, a half-smile on her face. "When we were marooned on Tatooine, it seemed like that was all he would say whenever a problem cropped up."

"And did solutions arise?"

"You know the answer to that already," Amidala replied gently.

A small series of beeps came from a speaker on the throne. There was silence, then they repeated themselves.

"Incoming transmission?" Sarah asked.

Amidala nodded as she hurried over to the throne. "From Coruscant. It looks as though the Chancellor is returning my call." She seated herself on the throne and pressed a button. The holoprojector in the floor whirred to life, and it cast a dull blue glow about the room as the face of Chancellor Palpatine resolved into view. "Good day, Chancellor," Amidala greeted.

"Good day, your Highness," Palpatine replied.

Never one to mince words or engage in small talk, Amidala cut right to the point. "Has the Senate reached a decision concerning the situation here?"

Palpatine licked his lips and hesitated. The hologram flickered, but regained focus in a moment. "The decision has been...set aside for the time, your majesty. I'm afraid I was over-ruled. The majority wish to discuss and decide the fate of the Trade Federation before getting on with anything else. Emergencies on other worlds have also been postponed because of this most serious breach of diplomacy and Republic law."

"I thought you as Chancellor could direct discussion in any way you saw fit?" Amidala questioned. Sarah sensed the anger flowing in Amidala's blood, felt the Queen fighting to retain her composure in light of this latest news.

Palpatine sighed and shook his head, ashamed. "Your highness, believe me, I have tried everything in my power. But if the other senators refuse to discuss it while in session, my hands are tied. Being Chancellor doesn't mean that I have the ability to force people to talk, sadly." He paused, then smiled as though remembering. "There was something else to tell you, however... A young Senator, Bail Organa from Alderaan, did privately express to me a desire to send aid to you." His face fell slightly. "Though because of the distance and the routes used, even with hyperspace travel, it would take their supply ships almost two weeks to reach Naboo with the goods, minimal as they are..."

"A little help is better news than none at all, Chancellor," Amidala said, trying her best to smile at the report. "Tell Senator Organa that I am in his debt."

"I shall do so before the next meeting," Palpatine confirmed. His features took on a troubled look. "Your highness...I can't forget the planet of my birth. Your people and your well-being weigh on my mind at all times. If you can believe that, then I will feel a little better."

"I know you are trying your hardest," Amidala nodded. "Thank you for everything you've done for us."

"I wish that thanks were more deserved," Palpatine noted grimly. "I'll contact you the moment I have more news."

"Thank you, Chancellor."

The face of Palpatine bowed briefly, then the hologram shimmered away into nothingness. The blue glow in the room vanished, and Amidala stepped down off the small dais.

"Now that you've communicated with Coruscant, what's to be done?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing," Amidala said. "We're trying our hardest to skimp by on what we have. I ordered most of the palace staff back home to their families until further notice. The less effort and energy expended, the more food we save. Most of the other Regents are out as well, helping collect what little they can from the outlying territories. The security force is on rotational shifts for hunting duty. There's nothing more we can do except wait and see what happens."

"I noticed your handmaidens are not around," Sarah said. "Are they alright?"

"They are sleeping," Amidala admitted. "They insisted on being cut to half-rations like everyone else, so I'm allowing them to sleep later to compensate."

"I see," Sarah nodded. "And what are your plans?"

"To wait," Amidala said simply.

"In that case," Sarah said, "I have just the cure for boredom."

Amidala cast a dubious glance at the Jedi. "Who's to say I'm bored?"

Sarah laughed. "Come on, your majesty...it doesn't take a Jedi to see you'd rather be doing something else."

The Queen seemed to scowl slightly. "Is it really that obvious?"

Sarah nodded. "Very."

"Well then...what do you propose?"

"A picnic."

There was silence from the Queen for a long moment. Finally, she spoke up, as though in complete disbelief at what the Jedi had suggested. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I don't know what they call them here, but on my home world, a picnic is where you pack a lunch and go eat it outside."

"I know what a picnic is," Amidala said slowly. "But I don't understand why you are suggesting it. It is not an activity that the Queen can partake of whenever she feels the desire. There must be security measures taken, the area must be scouted and cleared before the..."

"Security nothing," Sarah snorted. "I'll be going with you, that should be enough. And besides, if you think you're going to be picnicking in that huge robe, you're sadly mistaken."

"There are rules that have to be followed," Amidala insisted.

"Yes," Sarah agreed. "And the one that I've not seen you follow at all lately is, 'The Queen needs her free time just like everyone else.'"

"That's not a law," Amidala argued.

"Well, in that case, as an honorary Regent, I would like to propose it to her majesty, if it pleases her." Sarah bowed low. "With a motion to carry it out at once upon approval, naturally."

Amidala hesitated, not quite certain how to handle this situation.

"Think about it," Sarah continued. "Most of your staff is out. Palpatine has already told you he'll get back to you later...more than likely, that will be tomorrow at the earliest. Your handmaidens are all sleeping in. We're on half-rations anyway; a picnic lunch certainly qualifies for that. I'll be there to protect you in case anything bizarre happens. And it will get you out of the confines of this palace for a little while."

Amidala didn't like to admit it, but she was beaten in this regard; Sarah's facts were irrefutable. And there was nothing more she wanted to do than toss off the mantle of leadership for a short time. Thus, if a picnic was a way of doing it, then it would be done. "Very well, Sarah. I'll let the kitchen know that we will be in need of food for the trip."

"No, you won't," Sarah countered. "I'll fix our lunch. This is a time for you to relax, your Majesty. While I'm taking care of that, you can change into more suitable attire."

Amidala cleared her throat, pulled herself up to her full height, and smiled. "As I was saying," she declared, pointing at Sarah with an outstretched finger, "you shall journey to the kitchen to prepare the meal of the day. While you are doing that, I shall change clothing. We shall then meet back at the Palace entrance and leave for the day."

Sarah smiled back. "As you say, your Majesty."

"Dismissed."

The two girls went their separate ways to prepare for the rest of the day. Sarah, for her part, couldn't believe she had actually persuaded Amidala to do it, and Amidala couldn't remember a time in the last two years when she had been quite as giddy and excited as she was now. For some reason, this seemed more like an adventure than a simple picnic.

* * * * *

Further back behind the opulent Theed palace, standing in stark contrast to the artificial structure, was a moderately dense forest of gorgeous trees. They pointed to the sky, easily towering above the building, their leaves providing sanctuary from the sun's heat to all manner of birds and animals. And it was to this location that Amidala and Sarah were heading.

Sarah almost had not recognized the young queen when she had arrived. Instead of her massively ornate robes of office, Amidala now wore a simple type of clothing associated with the peasantry of the planet. Instead of a queen, she now resembled the typical daughter of a farmer or merchant: well off enough to have good clothing, but not wealthy enough to be overly extravagant with her tastes. Her hair was pulled back into a single pony tail, her overshirt was a dark blue color, blending well with the grey pants she wore. On her feet, a pair of soft boots offered their protection. Around her waist was a small light brown belt pouch. In Sarah's eyes, it was the perfect disguise. The few people on the street barely gave them a second glance as they made their way down the path, away from the palace.

After passing several people, Sarah leaned over to Amidala and whispered. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"I watched the holovids from the occupation times before I was selected to come here. On them, the people were dressed in bright, flashy clothing, but now, they seem to have grown more conservative. Is there a reason for that?"

"Indeed," Amidala nodded. "We are a very non-violent people. When the people disagree with things, they change their styles of dress to indicate their displeasure. During the occupation, they wore bright clothing to distinguish themselves, and as a minor rebellion against their oppressors. They do the same concerning my decisions while in office...if they don't like something, the change in dress styles is immediately evident."

"I've never heard of rebelling by dress code," Sarah smiled.

"Well, I think the idea was that the bright colors would hopefully be painful to the droids' optical sensors," Amidala grinned.

"And did it work?"

"If they all hadn't been shut down when the command ship was destroyed, I imagine we could have asked one of them," Amidala shrugged. "There's another reason for that manner of dress, however," she continued, looking away from Sarah. "My people are scared."

"We all are," Sarah agreed, placing her arm around Amidala's shoulder. The girl still didn't look at her.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Amidala said suddenly. "It doesn't feel..." Her words trailed off into silence. Yet she continued to walk beside the Jedi, and they entered the woods.

A shallow darkness descended all around them as the leaves overhead blotted out the sun. Here and there, small pinpricks and patches of light made their way to the ground, but the vast majority of the path lay under a small, protective layer of shadows. There was a soft breeze blowing through the trees. Overhead, a flying creature flapped from branch to branch. Deeper off in the woods, something was singing. Leaves rustled, swaying in a wind that seemed to beckon them both forward. Somewhere in the distance, a small gurgle of water could be heard.

Sarah stopped in the middle of a crossroads that spread out in three separate directions. Amidala stopped as well, and looked up at Sarah. "Why are we stopping here?"

"This is the first part of the walk," Sarah said, moving around behind the queen. "The relaxation exercise."

"I'm relaxed," Amidala argued, but not very vehemently.

Sarah shook her head. "With all due respect, you're about as relaxed as a Padawan before his first test. You've still got hundreds of thoughts racing around in your head, all fighting for your attention. Now, that's a good thing when you are Queen Amidala. But when you are not on the throne, it only serves to distract you from everything going on around you." As she talked, Sarah placed her hands on Amidala's shoulders. "Now," she said, leaning in close to Amidala's ear, "I want you to close your eyes."

Amidala frowned, then decided (correctly) that Sarah wasn't going to let her continue on until she did as the Jedi had asked. Slowly, she let her eyelids droop about halfway down.

"No peeking!" Sarah scolded, taking her hands from the Queen's shoulders and placing them over her eyes.

"Just a moment now!" Amidala argued. "If you do that, I can't see what's happening out here! Didn't you come out here to walk in the woods?"

"I came out here for many things," Sarah replied. "And they have to be acted upon in order. Relaxation comes first. Trust me."

Sarah felt the tickle of Amidala's eyelashes as she shut her eyes behind the Jedi's hands. "Now," Sarah ordered, "take a deep breath. Tell me what you feel."

Amidala inhaled, then exhaled. "I feel like I'm standing in the woods with someone holding her hands over my eyes."

"Try again," Sarah offered. "Breathe in...slowly...then out again..."

Amidala complied.

Sarah stretched out with her mind, and pulled a friendly breeze in across them both. Amidala smiled. "Now what do you feel?" Sarah asked again.

"I feel...freedom..." Amidala said, hesitantly.

"That's the wind talking to you," Sarah replied. "What else do you feel? What does the ground tell you? And the trees?"

"Strength...power..." Amidala continued. "Inner calm...they radiate it..."

"Now, ask yourself this," Sarah continued. "If the trees, the wind, and the earth of Naboo have nothing to worry about...then why do you?"

"The trees are not the Queen of this planet," Amidala said.

"I'll bet they'd argue with you on that one," Sarah smiled. "Shhh," she ordered soothingly as she felt Amidala open her mouth to speak again. "Don't talk. Just...listen..."

Amidala strained to hear what it was that Sarah was trying to get her to listen to. "I can't hear anything."

"Don't try to hear," Sarah said. "Listen instead. It can't be heard. It can only be listened to."

A long moment passed in silence as the two stood on the path, taking in their surroundings without the aid of their eyes.

"Your planet's heartbeat is so very strong," Sarah whispered. "It teems and thrives. Listen to what it has to say. Feel it pass between the trees, between the winds, between the water...and between us."

"It's love," Amidala blurted. She felt her cheeks turning red suddenly. "Er...that is..."

"And do you feel any fear or anger from within that love?" Sarah asked.

"No," Amidala answered honestly. "It's pure."

"What are you thinking?"

"How wonderful it would be to take it back with me."

"You have it right here," Sarah said. She pulled her hands away from Amidala's eyes, noting that the girl kept them shut. She brushed Amidala's cheek with the back of her hand, then wrapped her fingers around the queen's left arm. "Now...without opening your eyes, let's walk."

"I can't see anything with my eyes shut," Amidala argued. "I could fall."

"I won't let you," Sarah assured her. "Do you trust me?"

A short pause. "Yes."

Sarah smiled. "Then walk this way." She led Amidala down the leftmost trail, walking slowly, letting her get acquainted to working without sight. She wasn't about to tell the Queen that she also had her eyes closed and was navigating with her other senses instead.

It didn't take long for them to reach a small clearing deeper in the woods. Sarah stopped Amidala right in the middle of a bright ray of sunshine, then told her to open her eyes.

Amidala looked around herself in amazement. Everything sparkled in the light of the still-rising sun. The patch of ground she was standing on was spotlighted just right by the coincidence of the way tree branches came together overhead. The air was light, and the ground underfoot was firm without being too rough or too hard. "I've never been out this far into the woods before."

"I hadn't either, before a few days ago," Sarah admitted. "But I found this spot, and I knew it was the perfect place for a relaxing outing." She sat down on the ground, placed the basket in front of her, and opened it.

"We're not going to eat already, are we?" Amidala asked.

Sarah looked up at her. "Well, if you're not hungry..."

"I just want to look around a bit," the Queen replied. "I've never taken the time to appreciate this forest from the inside. I'm used to seeing the view from my window."

The Jedi nodded, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. "In that case, I'll meditate while you explore."

"Could you come with me?"

Sarah opened one eye and regarded Amidala curiously. "What's that?"

"It's always so much more interesting to go exploring when you have someone to explore with," Amidala shrugged. "I mean, it's not like anyone else is going to be wandering around out here. We could just go look around a little bit, then come back and eat."

Sarah stood up. "Whatever her majesty commands."

"Sarah...um..."

"Something the matter, your majesty?" Sarah sensed some discomfort, but felt the question needed to be asked anyway.

Amidala licked her lips. "It's just...could you not act like I'm the Queen when we're out here? You even said so yourself: Queens need a vacation. So I'm taking time off, and I don't want to be the Queen out here. Just treat me as a friend?"

Sarah nodded. "My apologies, Amidala..."

"I think we should change that too," she said. "When I'm out of the robes, or pretending to be a handmaiden, I have instructed Sabé and the others to call me 'Padmé'. It's the name I grew up with, so I'm quite used to hearing it. Especially if I got into the sweets before supper time." She smiled.

"Padmé it is, then," Sarah declared.

Satisfied for the moment, Padmé closed her eyes and held out her hand. "I'm ready to walk now."

Carefully, Sarah took Padmé's hand in hers, and started down another trail. The girl's smile was brighter than the sunshine, and if Sarah had not been able to hear her footfalls on the path, she might have sworn the girl was floating along instead of walking.

After a few minutes, Sarah moved in behind Padmé. She placed one hand in Padmé's, but the other wrapped itself around the girl's waist instead. "It's much easier to guide this way," Sarah explained.

They continued on in that fashion, walking slowly, until Sarah tugged on Padmé's arm to slow her. "You may want to stop here."

"Why's that?" Padmé asked, eyes still closed.

"Because we're almost soaking our boots in a lake," Sarah said.

"Good reason." The girl opened her eyes, squatted down, and ran her cupped hands through the water, then splashed it on her face. It ran in tiny streams down the sides of her face, dripped off the end of her nose, pooled at the small corners of her mouth, and then dribbled back into the lake. "Oh, this water is absolutely marvelous!" she exclaimed, splashing herself with it again. "I should have them channel this into the palace so I can bathe in it."

"No need for that," Sarah said casually.

Padmé twisted her upper body around to regard the Jedi with a frown, then stood up slowly. "Why do you say that?"

"Because," Sarah smiled, "why waste all the time laying pipes and everything when I could just do this..." With superhuman speed, the Jedi placed both hands on the girl's shoulders and gave a tremendous shove.

The water erupted in an explosion of waves, droplets, and ripples as Padmé screamed loudly, crash-landed a short distance out, sank up to her braids, then surfaced again, spitting water from her mouth. As she walked to higher ground and her outfit emerged from the lake, a cascading waterfall rolled itself off her frame, splashing back into the lake, and creating even more ripples. The expression on her face was split evenly between absolute rage and utter confusion. "W...what's the big idea!"

Sarah lost control at that moment, doubled over in laughter.

"How dare you laugh!" Padmé continued with a raised voice, stomping towards the shore. "How dare you...you...shove me in a lake!"

Sarah didn't stop laughing.

"And just how do you propose I should go about ruling my people if I am standing, soaking wet, in the middle of this lake?!?"

"You're not the Queen," Sarah reminded her between giggles. "Remember, out here, you're just Padmé."

"When I get back to the Palace, there will be a very serious discussion between the Queen and her Jedi consul," Padmé threatened.

Suppressing snickers, Sarah extended her hand to the soaked girl. "I apologize...it's just that you have to learn to live for the moment. Stop being uptight for a while, and just let yourself go wild. Be a little spontaneous, and don't let little things like getting completely soaked ruin your day."

Padmé regarded Sarah with a very stern expression, which gradually changed over to nothing more than a slight smirk. "I suppose you're right..." She reached out and took Sarah's hand.

Another tremendous splash marked Sarah's entry into the water after being pulled off balance by the girl. Cold rapidly penetrated her Jedi outfit and attacked her skin mercilessly. The water itself was only a mild temperature, but compared to the air, it was rather frigid. As she surfaced from the water, Sarah was quite thankful she had left her lightsaber turned off instead of idle. The water would have shorted out the power cells but good otherwise, and that would have meant several hours of recharging.

"What's wrong with you?" Sarah asked as she surfaced. "I was trying to help you out of the lake!"

"Don't you play the hypocrite on me," Padmé scolded.

Sarah blinked. "I guess you're right..."

"You said it yourself: live for the moment. And right now, this is what I want." There was a gleam in the girl's eyes, something Sarah had not seen there before.

"Padmé...?"

"Yes?"

"You realize we'll have to dry these clothes out before we go back to the palace, right?"

"And why is that a problem?" Padmé asked, sending a splash in Sarah's direction.

Sarah ducked the attack, and came up for air. Focusing her mind, she pulled the water towards her arm, then swung her arm in a huge arc, creating a tremendous wave that completely engulfed the girl before crashing down into nothingness.

Sarah chuckled with the attack, and watched as the water fell away, expecting to see a tremendously annoyed Padmé right in the middle of it all. But nobody was there. Squinting, Sarah surveyed the lake in front of her. It was completely calm except for the last fading ripples from her attack. That's not right... she frowned to herself.

"It's no problem at all," said a voice from behind her.

Sarah whirled just in time to see Padmé lunge forward, wrap her arms around the Jedi, and tackle her into a very shallow portion of the lake. Sarah landed on her back with the girl on top of her, staring eye to eye. "You appear to have gotten the better of me," the Jedi quipped.

Padmé lowered her head until her nose was scant centimeters from Sarah's. Then, with a flash, Sarah felt Padmé's lips on hers. Instinctively, Sarah wrapped her arms around the girl, and hugged her in close.

The kiss lingered for a moment before Padmé broke away.

Sarah sat up. "And what prompted that?"

"The thought of you without that robe on," Padmé confessed. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I think I've had a bit too much fun for this day...we should get back before..."

"Oh no you don't," Sarah snorted. "Because, to be honest, the thought of you without that peasant blouse and pants on is just as exciting to me." This time, it was Sarah who initiated the kiss. They swam out slightly further, and floated in the water, only their heads visible as they kicked and treaded water to stay afloat.

"I think I love you," Padmé said, blushing. "I admire everything about you, Sarah. How freely you live, your outlook on everything, your positive attitude..."

"I admire your strength," Sarah countered. "Your firmness of mind has led your people quite far. Your power lies within, and when tapped into, there is nothing that can stand in its way very long."

Padmé's hands found the clasp on Sarah's robe and undid it. "Like these clothes, wouldn't you say?"

Sarah laughed. "You are far too spontaneous for your own good."

In the center of the lake, arms wrapped around bodies, lips pressed together, eyes closed, tongues exploring, a Jedi and a Queen out of uniform shared the most passionate kiss of their lives thus far.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Stiehl's heart was thumping in his chest, and his breathing was shallower than it had been moments before. He was approaching the door again, only this time, he wasn't quite so confident. He had let the matter boil for a little less than a week now, and, honestly, he had no idea what to expect when he opened the door again. The person inside was known to have a volatile personality. What if a week was too long to wait? What if the passage of time combined with the possibility of freedom had caused an imbalance in the mind? He could very well be opening the gateway to serious injury on his part. But there was no other choice. The plan had to proceed, and at this point, he was merely the messenger.

Standing outside, he gathered his wits about him, and slid his fingers across the sensor. Slowly, the doors slid apart. He peered into the room, and saw the figure huddled on the floor, sitting cross-legged, face again hidden in the shadows. His thumb pressed the intercom button. "I'm back."

"So I see." No trace of emotion whatsoever. Of course, it could just have been the wall speakers distorting it slightly...

"Have you come to a decision?" Stiehl asked.

"Never one for chit-chat were you?"

"It's unnecessary and a waste of time," Stiehl replied. "Your answer?"

There was an unsettling pause as the figure inside seemed to consider the choice for one last time. Seconds crept by like days, leaving Stiehl alone with his own thoughts. Not even a hiss from the wall speaker unit.

"I accept."

The words triggered a rush of relief through his body, but Stiehl didn't permit himself a smile. "I suspected you would."

"On one condition."

"This is not a situation where you can just..."

"If you want me to go, then you'll listen, old man."

Stiehl paused at the comment. No one had ever called him that before, and it took him by complete surprise. He wasn't that old...

"I want a lightsaber."

Stiehl permitted himself a single chuckle. "Nice try," he smirked. "But if you want one, you'll have to build it yourself. This is a temple, not an assembly line."

"Then I want the parts."

"You can't possibly build one," Stiehl argued. "You've not been trained."

"You said I was a quick learner a long time ago," the voice snapped from the speaker. "What's the worst that can happen? I'll blow myself up?"

"And take half the temple with you when you did so," Stiehl huffed.

"I suppose I'll have to acquire one by other means then."

Stiehl didn't like the way the figure said, 'Other means,' but he brushed it aside. "Yes, I suppose you will. Now...I'm going to deactivate this shield. I'm warning you, if you try anything at all, I'll throw you back in there myself and weld the doors shut."

The figure inside said nothing, so Stiehl tapped in the deactivation code for the shield. It shimmered briefly in the doorway, a soft fluorescent orange fog, then disappeared completely.

The moment the shield was down, the figure stood up quickly, then walked to the doorway and stood stock still.

Stiehl moved aside to allow the occupant of the cell to walk out. Everything was seeming to go just wonderfully when he suddenly felt an icy, intangible grip on his throat. "What...?" Instinctively, his hand shot to his neck, struggling with the power that had him in its grasp.

"Not so hot without that shield between you and me, are you?" the figure asked. "And to think, the Jedi consider this most useful move cowardly..."

Stiehl marveled inside at the utter and total lack of emotion in the voice, as though it was a mere thought in passing, and had nothing to do with the situation at hand. The invisible fingers tightened around his neck, and he struggled to breathe. "I warned you..."

"So you did." The fingers tightened even more for just the barest fraction of a second, then released and disappeared into the ether again. "Let's get on with it."

"Where did you learn that?" Stiehl demanded, running his hand across his throat.

The robed figure said nothing as it walked down the hall, away from him.

Stiehl hurried to catch up. "You'll follow me, and do exactly as I tell you, or you'll be back in that prison cell before you can say 'Bantha Poodoo," he threatened through clenched teeth.

"Lead on," the figure shrugged.

"And the first order of business, I believe, is to get you cleaned up a bit." Stiehl cleared his throat. "That way, you won't stick out like a Hutt at a formal wedding ceremony."

"Whatever."

Leading the way down the hall with the robed figure behind him, Stiehl turned a corner, then waited to make certain his follower was still behind him. Satisfied that his charge was still with him, he pushed open a door and motioned the figure through it. Together, they walked into the room, and the robed one halted, surveying the scene.

"What is this?"

"A cleaning room," Stiehl replied. "All Padawans and Knights alike use them after their training sessions."

"How convenient," the cloaked one snorted.

"I'm certain you can figure out how the sonic showers function," Stiehl said. "I shall be outside if you require anything." So saying, he turned sharply on his heel and trod out the door.

After checking to make certain that he was no longer in the room, the figure took off the cloak. A cascade of long, black hair flowed across bare, slightly dirty shoulders. The cloak fell to the floor.

Lifting up first one foot, then the other, the boots dropped off one by one with soft thuds on the cold floor. Two small feet remained where the thick synthide boots had been. The next article to come off was the shirt, revealing more of the dirty, unkempt body from the back, and two arms that were lightly muscled. Lastly, the pants were removed, showing a set of powerful legs. Freed from the restriction of the clothing, the figure stretched, headed to the shower, and quickly mastered the art of turning it on.

After waiting for an amount of time that he deemed appropriate, Stiehl pushed the door open again and walked inside. Draped over his arm this time was a change of clothes for the figure in the shower. He gazed over at the shower, shook his head, set the clothes down on a nearby bench, and walked out again, his boots making hollow echoes in the almost empty room.

Moments later, dressed in the new clothing instead of the cloak, the girl walked out of the washroom. Stiehl had to focus quite consciously to prevent the look of surprise from registering on his face, but his mind gave way to the thought anyway. 'She's more beautiful than I had remembered...'

Her hair, a tangled mess before, was now shining and hanging loose, straight back over her shoulders. Her entire body practically glowed now that the dirt had been removed. With arms that were small and yet powerful, a face that was beautiful yet intense, and eyes that radiated intelligence and cunning, the girl now made for almost a more frightening presence than she had when she was hidden from view.

"I daresay your looks have taken a turn for the better," Stiehl complimented the girl.

"Pity yours haven't."

"I believe this is the way to the training center," Stiehl said, motioning with his hand. "It's time to find out just exactly how much you know."

"Then let's go."

The hallways they passed through were a hive of activity, though almost everyone took no notice of Stiehl and his charge. The girl was actively observing everything that went on around her: the people who walked by in their flapping robes, the droids who hovered or trundled along the corridors, and the small snippets of conversation that she caught every so often.

They stopped outside a massive pair of doors which Stiehl opened by placing his palm on a sensor. They gave a hydraulic hiss as they split apart down the middle and slid slowly into the walls. He motioned the girl through and followed behind her.

The doors closed again behind them with a soft bang.

"Stay here," Stiehl ordered the girl, walking towards a staircase that led to some sort of glassed-in tower above the massive floor.

Doing as she was told for the moment, the girl looked around at her surroundings. The room she was in was almost large enough to park several starfighters comfortably. There were peculiar markings on the floor as well. Power hummed through the walls, and she felt the vibrations unconsciously. She stared up at the glass of the small room above, but the glass was mirrored, and only reflected the empty room back at her.

She didn't like this. Not one bit.

Stiehl gazed out through the mirrored glass of the miniature control tower, looking at the girl warily.

"Only one trainee this time?" asked the older, white-haired Jedi sitting at the controls. "I was expecting a bit more than that."

"You might get your wish," Stiehl spoke, not bothering to turn around. "Especially if she's got half the mastery of the Force I think she does."

The older Jedi laughed. "Come now, Stiehl. It's not like you to be afraid of one of your Padawans!"

Stiehl whirled on the older man, who became deadly serious in a matter of moments. "I don't fear her, Jay. But that girl could very well fulfill the prophecy. I can see it in her. And she's no Padawan either."

Jay shot Stiehl a bemused look. "Perhaps you've not heard, but Qui-Gon Jinn already found the boy who he feels is certain will fulfill the prophecy. His former Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been given the task of training him."

"Qui-Gon Jinn was easily excitable, and given to eccentric behavior more frequently than normal," Stiehl retorted, turning to watch the girl cautiously inspect her new surroundings. "He's been wrong before. Fought with the Council over matters better off left as the trivial nothings they were, disobeyed orders from his higher-ups, and even wound up having to kill the Padawan he trained before Obi-Wan."

Jay nodded. "It was a pity about Xanatos. He was such a promising pupil..."

"As is she."

Jay hesitated, not sure whether or not he should ask the question that was on his mind. Finally, he gave in to temptation. "Who is she?"

"A black mark on the history of the Jedi order," Stiehl replied. "She's someone they would just as soon forget about, I think."

Jay frowned. "I don't understand..."

"About twenty years ago," Stiehl began, never taking his eyes off the girl wandering through the room below him, "a Knight visiting one of the planets further out on the galactic rim stumbled across her by accident. She was one year old at the time, playing outside. The Force was unbelievably strong with her. The Knight approached her family, as was custom, and requested their permission to bring her back to the temple for formal training. Her father and mother agreed, thinking it was best for her, but she didn't want to leave. She made that very well known, but the Knight took her back anyway."

"That's quite natural," Jay said. "They all grow out of that, though."

"Marissa didn't," Stiehl said succinctly. "We tried our best to train her, but she refused to have anything to do with the order. The problem was that Yoda and the rest of the Council had been sensing a build-up of the Dark Side again, very close to Coruscant. You remember the results of that, I'm certain."

Jay nodded as the memories of the most violent conflict he had ever been involved in flooded through his brain.

"So," Stiehl continued, "here's the Jedi Knight who discovered her, not even a Master, charged with training her, and he can't for the life of himself get her to do anything. Her will was too strong. She was taken too late, the life-bond with her parents had already formed, and it wouldn't be broken. Her mentor petitioned his higher-up for a resolution to the problem, and it was decided that, because of the negative energy build-ups in the vicinity coupled with her unbelievable Force sense, it would be too dangerous to release her from the Temple. Someone somewhere thought it would be best to merely stick her someplace out of the way for a while. It was far too important to make certain that she did not get influenced by the Dark Side and perhaps wind up as a Sith. No need to notify the council, or even her mentor about this decision. One day, Marissa just wasn't there."

"What did they do with her?" Jay asked, eyes inquisitive.

"Tossed her in some room constructed to punish uncooperative Padawans. It was one of those things that was a holdover from the very earliest days of the Jedi order, when they were still trying to get their act together. They're not used anymore, at least, not that I know of, with this one exception. I guess they thought that by having her observe the activities of the others that she'd relent sooner or later, and want to be trained. But she didn't. And over time, she was simply forgotten about. Food and water were provided automatically by the computerized serving mechanisms, and the whole place was surrounded by a Force-resistant bubble courtesy of our friends, the Ysalamiri."

Jay suddenly understood why Stiehl was keeping watch over her so carefully. "If she's as strong with the Force as you say..."

"She is," Stiehl interrupted. "She actually used a grip on me when I let her out. I hadn't felt that in so many years that it literally took me by surprise. Don't ask me how she knew the skill, either. She's a lighting-quick learner, that's all I know. Learns by watching. She's had years to just sit in that room and watch other Padawans and Knights practicing their skills. I have no idea what to expect from her, Jay. And that's why I brought her to you."

"How did you find out about her?" Jay asked.

"I'd just as soon not discuss that for the time being," Stiehl replied.

"Very well," Jay nodded. "I suppose I can understand that. Then the Council doesn't know...?"

"No," Stiehl interrupted. "And you are not allowed to tell them. Is that understood?"

"I..." Jay hesitated, wanting to say something, but nothing suitable came to mind. "Yes."

"Very good. Then let the training begin."

Jay nodded. He pressed a series of buttons on the console in front of him. A panel on the wall below slid open, causing Marissa to twirl around and regard it intently.

"She is quite sensitive," Jay remarked. "Almost no one can detect that panel opening."

"Wall off the majority of the arena," Stiehl ordered. "She's only one person training, not a full class. She won't need that much space."

Jay complied, tossing up barriers that walled off the greater part of the room with shimmering energy.

"What is this?" Marissa asked, staring around her. "Another prison?" She took a slender metal tube from the opening in the wall, which promptly slid shut after she had made her selection.

"This," Jay said, his voice coming from a speaker unit concealed in the room, "will be a formal testing of your abilities. A standard Padawan's test, not terribly difficult at the start. We'll increase the level after each fight and see where your skills peak. After that, we'll know just how much you know."

Marissa said nothing, instead eyeing the exit door.

Jay smiled. "You can't escape from here. The door has been locked, and you've only got a training saber. It delivers a slight shock, but it couldn't cut glass. Gives you a feel for the weight of the real thing without letting you accidentally cut your own arm off with it."

He punched a few keys on his console, and two doors across the room opened. Two droids, training models, walked out, one from each entry point. They sauntered slowly to the center of the room, stopped, and stood motionless. "This is level two...we didn't want to insult you by starting at level one."

"How considerate," Marissa said, sarcasm dripping off her voice.

Jay tapped another key on the pad and the pair watched as the two droids unsheathed training sabers of their own and stood in the defensive stances of Jedi Knights. "You may begin at your leisure. They will activate when you turn on your saber."

Marissa strode up in front of them, then unslung the training saber from her side, activated it, and made a stab towards the first one. It moved to block, but Marissa was far too fast for it, and she made contact with the droid's chest. It fell to the ground.

The second droid moved into position behind her, but Marissa twirled around and lunged forward, easily forcing her way through the defense of the droid and slamming the saber into its torso, causing it to deactivate and crash to the ground.

Jay nodded, pressed a few keys, and the droids got up again. Two more doors opened, and another pair of training droids joined her. "Let's try level five...you seem a bit advanced for the lower levels..."

Without waiting for her to raise her saber, the droids sprung into action, sabers twirling and sparking as Marissa parried blow after blow from in front, the sides, and behind. Almost casually, she flipped out of the way, and two of the droids locked sabers in the center of the room. Ignoring them for the moment, she feinted to the right, blocked a slash to her shoulder, and returned the attack, sliding her blade down the front of the attacker's, and scoring a hit on its arm. One down.

The droids in the middle of the room untangled and moved to circle her, but she rushed one of them rashly, putting it on the defensive, fighting it into the corner with a series of powerful slashes, then cutting it across the legs with her weapon, causing it to fall down, lifeless.

The third and fourth droids came from behind, but again, she was ready. She ducked the high saber slash and sliced upwards in response, catching the droid between the legs, deactivating it. Droid four went into a sudden frenzy of motions, attacking and feinting left and right, causing Marissa to be placed on the defensive for the first time in the day. After about half a dozen blocks, she shoved her hand forward, and force pushed the droid off its feet. She dashed by as it started to get up, and smashed her saber into its unguarded neck, causing it to fall lifeless before her.

Jay turned to regard the Jedi Master beside him. "Stiehl...what...? Where did she learn...?"

"Level nine, Jay," Stiehl said softly.

"What? No!" Jay argued, his eyes wide with horror. "The droids' weapons are lethal at that setting, and there are six of them on the floor at one time! She'd be cut to pieces if she tried to fight them all! Levels above eight are reserved only to full-fledged Knights!"

"Level nine," Stiehl said again, this time through clenched teeth. "Don't make me order you a third time."

"Who is she?" Jay demanded. "You said she was untrained, but no Padawan has ever gotten past level three with less than a year's worth of formal training!"

"As I told you, Jay, she's a fast learner. And she's had twenty years to watch."

Jay nodded. "But don't you think that level eight might be a better setting, at least until we know-"

"No!" Stiehl interrupted, showing a brief flare of anger. "She must be fully tested, or there is no point to these exercises."

Jay sighed and slowly punched keys on his pad. "It takes an authority override from another Master to activate these settings, you know..."

Stiehl took the pad from Jay's hands and tapped out five symbols in sequence.

The words, "Level Nine Activated. Safety Measures Off," pulsed in red letters on the screen.

"Now," Stiehl said, settling back to watch, "we'll see what she's made of."

Marissa's head darted up as the red warning lights flashed. The field of energy that charged her saber changed subtly, and she suddenly realized that its full power had been activated. 'But why would...?'

Two more doors opened behind her, and out stalked another pair of droids, joining the four that were now getting up off the floor. Their sabers all flashed to life, one after the other, only this time, instead of glowing the dull clear-yellow color of the training saber, they were tossing off bright colors: green, red, blue, orange, gold, and white.

Marissa's eyes widened. "What the hell is going on here?!?" There was panic in her voice, a voice that was a far cry from the emotionless, sarcasm-laden one she had used before.

"I suggest you remember everything you've ever seen," Stiehl commented through the speaker. "Because unless you are able to completely destroy the six opponents you are facing, you'll be cut to pieces by their fully-functional weapons."

Marissa activated her lightsaber, watching the aqua-coloured beam in disbelief. Suddenly, nothing was fun and games anymore.

She set her legs in the defensive stance she had seen so many times before, adjusted the length of the blade, and prepared for the attack.

A flurry of motions ensued all around her. She didn't see so much as feel their presence. But she could read their weaknesses almost at once. They were mechanical, programmed with an artificial intelligence, and that was their greatest flaw. She intended to use it to its fullest extent.

She rolled aside from the three swipes that came at her simultaneously, and swung her weapon upward, deflecting a fourth. Lashing out with her feet, she knocked one droid down, and parried the attack of the sixth.

She twirled around, delivering a swift roundhouse kick to the droid attacking her, connecting with such force that it unbalanced and flew into the energy wall barricading the combatants in. There was a smell of charred insulation and burning circuitry, as the droid flopped and writhed in the death grip of the force field, then collapsed to the floor. She watched the glow behind its optics wither and die to nothingness with a most disturbing finality. The truth hit home.

'Even the walls are deadly,' Marissa's mind screamed at her. 'What kind of training session is this?'

She turned again, saber up, blocking two attacks, then slicing downwards as a third droid moved to attack her. Her swing cut off the droid's leg, and it fought to balance on the remaining one.

Marissa pressed her advantage, body-checking the droid with her shoulder and knocking it down. She dodged a blow intended to remove her head, and allowed it instead to remove the head of the attacker on the floor.

She did the splits to avoid a pair of high sword thrusts, feeling the energy crackle just inches from her hair, then tumbled forward and to the side to dodge two more blows. She then performed a reverse summersault on the floor and cut the legs off the third attacking droid, which promptly fell to the ground. She stood up quickly, crushed the droid's head under the sole of her boot, and spun out of the way of another saber strike.

Up in the control room, Jay and Stiehl regarded the battle with intense interest. "The droids can't even keep up with her," Jay was saying. "I don't understand it at all..."

"Maybe now you'll believe me," Stiehl said, a glint to his eye. "I told you she was strong with the Force."

"Amazing," Jay agreed.

A miscalculation on the part of droid number four resulted in Marissa cutting it in half as she swung her saber upwards between its legs, through its torso, and finally split its head apart. Sparks flew everywhere as the two parts crumpled limply to the floor in two separate heaps.

Marissa didn't bother to turn when she sensed the two blows coming at her back, she merely flipped her saber behind her, and deflected them easily. When she did turn, she angled herself towards the side of the closer attacker, knocked its saber out of the way with her attack, and then severed the arm that held the saber. In a lightning-swift motion, she scooped the saber off the floor, shook off the droid hand still clinging to it, and whirled to face her last attacker.

Twin swords flashing, she twisted, attacked, and drove the droid back further and further, never relenting, never giving an inch, never allowing her opponent enough time to counter her attacks. Within moments, the droid, sensing the energy field behind it, stopped and stood its ground, blocking her blows expertly and swiftly.

Marissa toyed with it for a short time, then put all her might behind an attack with both blades. The droid blocked, as she had predicted, but the power behind her attack shoved it into the force field. It stood there, jerking and spasming as its circuitry overloaded. The weapon deactivated and fell from its hands. Smoke roared out from its joints, its optics both exploded in a brilliant display of pyrotechnics, its fingers twitched, until the blackened, tarnished silver body of the droid gave one last jolt and collapsed to the ground. She stepped forward, thrust one of her sabers through its head, yanked it out just as fast, and then hurled the weapon at the control room window.

The mirrored glass exploded into millions of fragments as the saber tore through it, deactivating as it did so, revealing the surprised faces of Stiehl and Jay.

The two Jedi gazed down in shock at the young girl, panting and sweating heavily on the arena floor beneath them.

"Did I pass your test?" Marissa demanded loudly.

Both Jay and Stiehl were speechless.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Saché was performing the handmaidenly duty of watering the few plants in Queen Amidala's quarters when the doors opened themselves. She turned to see her Queen wander into the room, a slight spring in her step, leaving a trail of water behind her from the sopping wet clothes that clung to her body as though glued.

Saché's eyes went wide, and she accidentally let the jug slip from her hands. It shattered on the marble floor with a dull crash, sending a cascade of water running in rivulets through the seams of the tile. "Your...your Majesty?" She realized her blunder, and instantly moved to correct it, stooping to the ground and picking up pieces of broken pottery. "Your Majesty, I'm ever so sorry! I did not mean to drop the jar, it slipped..."

The young handmaiden stopped talking when it was clear that Amidala was paying no attention to her whatsoever. She still seemed lost in her own little world somewhere, completely oblivious to the goings-on around her. She moved to the wardrobe and began pushing clothes around idly. Saché thought she heard her humming something softly to herself.

"Your Majesty?" the girl tried again.

"Hmmm?" Amidala looked up from the wardrobe long enough to notice Saché standing there, then turned back to what she was doing before. She pulled a loose-fitting shirt off a hangar and set it on the bed before continuing to root through the dresser.

"Your Majesty, is everything OK?" Saché was worried. Amidala had never acted this way before.

"Everything is wonderful!" she replied, not bothering to look up to meet Saché's gaze. "Why?"

Getting over her shock, Saché moved towards her queen. "Because you are an absolute mess! Look at yourself! You look as though you've been playing in a mud puddle! Did you swim to Otoh Gunga or something? How long have you been like this? You need a bath! What if you catch a chill?"

Amidala actually began laughing out loud, a quaint little girlish chuckle that implied things not known to her handmaiden. "Listen to you go on like that!"

Saché frowned. "Who are you, and what have you done with Amidala?"

"I am Padmé," the girl replied with a small shrug. She turned back to the dresser and resumed her rummaging.

Saché caught on immediately. "Oh, yes. Of course. I apologize."

"Will you cut that out?" Padmé laughed. "I go out and have fun for a day, and all you can do is gripe about how dirty I got?" She selected a shirt from inside the wardrobe, then turned and pointed a finger at Saché. "Perhaps you should go on the picnic next time."

"Can you blame me?" Saché smiled. "Look at what you did to the floor. I bet I could follow this trail back to the puddle it came from. People will think a Neimoidian is stalking our halls!"

"Look at meh," Padmé said, roughly imitating the voice of Nute Gunray as she lurched around the room. "Ah am a slahmy reptahle. Ah have cahm to tahk you awah, mah sweet handmahden..."

"Oh no, please! Anything but that!" Saché said, trying to make it sound more like a plea than a joke.

"Baht there ees no ascahpe for you," Padmé laughed. She paused. "Unlahss..."

"Unless what?" Saché said, fighting back peals of laughter.

"Unlahss...you hahlp me to get out of these wet clothes so that ah can get clean..."

"Of course," Saché nodded. She helped pull the heavy, saturated shirt over Padmé's head, and watched as the girl wrung out a portion of her long hair. "You're making quite a mess on the floor."

"Sabé will clean it up," Padmé grinned evilly.

"Sabé?" Saché asked. "But why...?"

"It'll serve her right for making me clean up that R2 unit. Go on, make a big mess."

After a few minutes, the sound of girlish laughter was clearly audible even through the closed doors to the Queen's chamber.

* * * * *

Darth Sidious sat in quiet contemplation in his chambers, far away from the small emerald world of Naboo. Fingers pressed together, face hidden behind his ever-present black hooded cloak, the Sith Lord radiated no discernable emotion. Only thoughtfulness.

The typical Jedi teaching concerning the Sith was that they were constantly filled with the restlessness of emotions that comprised the Dark Side of the Force. How Sidious would have loved to tell them otherwise. Perhaps at the beginning, when the power was first revealed to the student, there was a mixed range of feelings. His apprentice had certainly shown them, drawn upon them, become one with them...and in the end, allowed them to consume him. No other course of reasoning could be given for the success of a mere Padawan over his student. Sidious knew, perhaps just as well as any Jedi Master, that emotion was a powerful ally...and at the same time, the deadliest of enemies. Though his kind drew and channeled its power through anger and hate, they were also taught not to rely on those methods exclusively. The Force was much more than emotions; how he had tried to get that through to his Apprentice.

It was clear that Darth Maul had been a misguided Sith, living only for the moment, and not planning ahead as his Master had. In time, it would befit the Sith Lord to seek out another for his training. Sidious knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time.

The temple on Coruscant had been used by the Sith for generations as a kind of recruitment base. Those Padawans who lost faith or who were too weak to master the Force could be made to serve the Dark Side in one way or another. And only the most promising were ever requested to begin apprenticeship with a Sith Lord.

Darth Maul had been one of the chosen. At first, it was a matter of subtle manipulation. But the Jedi outcast soon grew to realize that he was being maneuvered, much like a puppet. When he tried to communicate this to his fellows, he was mocked. Too headstrong and proud to believe that they could possibly be controlled by another, his partners were content to sit and serve. Maul wanted more. A few months later, Maul attempted to reverse the roles. It cost the lives of his former friends, and garnered very close attention from Sidious himself. The training began.

The Sith Lord wondered how long he might wait before another opportunity, as glorious as the past one, would come his way. His tongue licked out to wet his lips, dry with age and withered slightly from his intense contact with and devotion to the Dark Side.

Sidious could be suspected to be upset, in fact downright outraged that the Trade Federation and even his own apprentice had failed him. But he was not. The matter had almost been forgotten by him. He had known, beforehand, that they would not succeed. Age coupled with a strong sense of the Force tended to bring with it those times of future sight, the ability to sense, if not see directly, what the outcome of any given event might be. Sidious had learned not to rely directly on these prophecies, but plan for their outcome anyway. That foresight which Maul had lacked...if only he had not been so easily swayed by his emotions.

Sidious exhaled slowly and smoothly in cold contemplation.

The Neimoidians, like all the other races of the galaxy, meant nothing to him. As with all inferior beings, Sidious saw them as tools to be used and abandoned once the job was completed. It was not Nute Gunray or his Trade Federation or their bureaucrats in the Senate which weighed on Sidious's mind now. They were the past.

What bothered him now, and had done so for quite some time, was the presence of a certain young queen on a certain backwater planet out in the middle of the galactic nowhere. Ever since she had taken the throne, Sidious had been on the receiving end of disturbing visions of the future concerning her and her offspring. It was not the first time it had happened, but it was the first time it had happened with such intensity.

But regardless of what the Force told him, he still gave the vision a wide berth. The future was always changing. What one saw today could be altered completely by the actions of some other person elsewhere. Portents of victory became the death knell of impending doom, and visions of glory transformed themselves into a reality that was far harsher in nature. That was why he had not yet reacted to them.

It was also why Sidious had also drawn a back-up plan into the workings of his schemes. He thought of it as a sort of game, really. He made his move, the opposing force made theirs, unknowing, of course, that they were involved in such a game. To them, it was all just day to day life. They saw in monochrome while Sidious enjoyed the full-colour view. While they were looking only one square away, he could see the entire board.

But now, it was time to make the next move. To test the queen once again. To see precisely where her breaking point was. If there was one thing Sidious enjoyed too much for his own good, it was slowly and painfully shoving his enemies gradually closer and closer to the brink, and watching how they reacted. Where Maul would have simply tossed his target into the screaming pits of death or insanity, Sidious regarded what he did as an art form. It took considerable skill and even more considerable patience to keep pushing just enough to hurt...just enough to make them move away. And he would follow them and do it again. Perhaps right away, perhaps days, weeks, or even months later. But the point was that he would push again. And again. And again. And perhaps, once they were about to go over the edge, he would show himself. But perhaps not.

'Where will the Queen break?' Sidious asked himself silently.

His hand moved to the communications device on the armrest of his chair.

* * * * *

The first explosion was enough to jar Sarah from her meditation. It was very muffled, and far away. The wailing alarm klaxon shattered what had been the tranquil silence of the palace. With hardly a thought, Sarah jumped from the bed, ignoring her boots, and dashed barefoot towards the entrance. As she ran, voices overran one another on the comm unit she wore on her wrist.

"Emergency in the hangar!"

"Scramble the fire squads!"

"-terrorist activity?!?"

"Commander Lakal, report to-"

"-can't see anything though all this smoke!"

"Maintain visual contact!" That was Panaka's voice, barking orders sharply and efficiently. "Take it from the front, and work your way back. Don't get between it and where it wants to go."

She rounded a corner, and burst through the double doors to the palace. She paused, trying to put everything in perspective. Far away from the palace, in the distance, she could see the reddish-orange glow of a raging fire. Not good! Ignoring the small rocks from the dirt road that dug into the bottoms of her feet, Sarah concentrated, and poured the energy of the Force into her running body. Within seconds, she was nothing more than a blur of motion, arms and legs pumping as fluidly as a well-oiled machine. She pushed herself even harder, goading the strength into her muscles. She passed an entire squad of security guards who were also on the way to the scene at a full out dead-heat run, but didn't have time to see the reactions on their faces.

The sight greeting her when she arrived at the hangar where her ship had docked made her stop so suddenly that she almost fell down. Her craft was burning, an intense heat that had even melted the outer hull in some places. Several of the adjoining Starfighters had also caught fire, and were adding to the heat. Smoke obscured virtually everything in a thick cloud of pure blackness. The bright glows of the emergency lights of the security force were visible here and there through the gloom as they acted as makeshift firefighters, opening up on the blaze with some kind of chemical spray that was supposed to douse fires.

Sarah took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and walked into the smoke pouring from the hangar doors. Slowly, she opened her eyes, forcing them to filter the smoke in front of her until she was able to see as though she were merely looking through a screen. She scanned the interior, watching the troops work furiously to save the Starfighters. She was glad of that; her Council transport was too far gone to be salvaged for anything but scrap at this point.

"Captain!" she called to Panaka as he came into view. "What happened?"

Panaka was wearing an oxygen mask, as were the rest of his soldiers, and it made his voice sound more distant. "Some kind of accident with your ship's fuel tank. It ruptured and started this!"

Sarah didn't believe it was any kind of accident though. 'Those ships transport members of the Senate themselves sometimes. There's no way they would just explode like that...' "Anything I can do to help?"

"Why aren't you masked?" Panaka replied. "Get out of here before you suffocate."

"I'd be more concerned about your ships," Sarah replied. "I can breathe in here just fine. What can I do?"

"Stay out of the way," Panaka retorted. Ignoring the Jedi briefly, Panaka growled into his communicator. "I want another team to come in from the east. We'll suppress it from both ends." He regarded the girl again. "We've got this under control."

As if to drive this point home, the team managed to extinguish the closest ship, and went to work on the next one down the line. Another team started at the other end of the hangar, quickly removing the smaller fires and working their way slowly forward.

Sarah scowled, an action which she hoped was obscured from Panaka's view by the smoke, and turned away.

Panaka saw her leave, but didn't see her switch directions and start moving directly towards what was left of her ship.

Ignoring the heat which got more intense as she got closer to her destination, Sarah projected a minor force field around herself to protect her from the flames, and made her way to the loading hatch. The control panel was unresponsive, but Sarah opened the door with the Force and strode inside.

A scorching blast of fury exploded around her as she entered the raging inferno, not certain just what she was searching for, but knowing it would be there anyway. With minimal effort, she located the passage to the engines and started that way. Mentally dousing flames as she went, Sarah fought her way into the engine room, and paused. Still hanging by the fuel control system were the remains of something she knew should not be there: a small box, half-melted, with a numeric pad interface and wires sticking off of it. Her hand snagged it off the massive tank, and examined it. She lifted the com-link on her wrist and switched it to Commander Lakal's channel. "This is Sarah Brightwind to Commander Lakal. Acknowledge please."

"Sarah, this is Thool Lakal. We're busy down at the hangar here, so I hope-"

"I'm right in the middle of it," Sarah interrupted him. "I know exactly what you're doing right now, but I need to show you something I found on my ship."

"On your ship? What are you talking about? Wait a minute... You're not inside that cruiser, are you?"

Sarah smiled. "Sure am. I think I found what caused this problem, and I need you to look at it and confirm for me."

"For the love of the Queen...! What on Naboo are you doing in there? Fire teams two and three, redirect your efforts to the Republic Cruiser!"

"No, no, don't waste your time," Sarah replied quickly. "There's nothing left worth salvaging on the ship."

"I happen to think that Queen Amidala would find you salvageable," Lakal replied.

"I'm fine," Sarah argued. "I'll be out in a minute, after I make a final sweep of the interior. Where can I meet you? In private?"

"I don't believe this," Lakal murmured. "Look, meet me on the south side of the hangar, the side that doesn't have any doors. And get out of that ship before you get roasted!"

"Meet you there. Sarah out."

She made a cursory sweep through the rest of the ship, but there was nothing left to find. Making sure no one was looking, Sarah disembarked from the burning craft, and left the hangar with the small box concealed in her hands. The fire squads were putting out the last Starfighter when she left and ran into Thool Lakal.

The commander took one look at her and his jaw dropped. "I'm not going to ask how you were walking around in there barefoot and without any fire gear or even an oxygen mask, considering the hull of your ship was melting from the heat, but I do need to know what's got you so intrigued."

Sarah presented the small remains of what she had found to him. "Unless I miss my guess, this is not standard issue fare on the fuel tanks."

Thool Lakal's eyes widened as he took the box in his gloved hands, then yelped and dropped the box to the ground. "Damn that's hot! How can you just hold...?"

Sarah scooped it out of the dirt. "Never mind that. What is it?"

"It's an incendiary explosive detonation device," he replied. "The keypad sets the timer and accepts the disarm code, while the wires get hooked to small explosives on the outer shell of a containment unit. Inside that container is a volatile plasma that combusts on contact with air. When the countdown hits zero, the explosives detonate, rupturing the shell of the container. Once the first bit of air hits that plasma, it's all over."

"This wasn't any accident then," Sarah said, frowning.

"Not by any stretch of the imagination," Thool verified. "Somebody did this deliberately."

"Who has access to the unlock codes for the stored vessels?" Sarah asked.

"Well, the maintenance crew has them to most of the ships, but they wouldn't have them for your cruiser. In fact, the only people who have authorized access to your ship, aside from yourself, are the Queen, the Chief Engineer of the Hangar, Governor Bibble, and Captain Panaka."

"Captain Panaka?" Sarah asked. "Why does he have them?"

"After we land a foreign vessel in the hangars, a security squad sweeps the ship for anything out of the ordinary. It's supposed to prevent things like this from happening. But you don't really think that Captain Panaka would...?" Lakal let the question dangle.

"I'm not saying anything," Sarah replied. "It's a crazy idea. But crazy or not, I intend to have a talk with your commanding officer. He's not been the most cordial person for me to deal with since I got here."

Commander Lakal placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sarah...before you do anything, I need to tell you something. I'll back you up as much as I can. I'll help you in any way you need, and I'll give you whatever support that I'm able to offer. But I can't get involved in anything concerning Captain Panaka unless there is utterly incontrovertible proof that he is guilty. I'd trust him with my life. I hope you understand that."

Sarah nodded. "I don't think it will come to that, Commander Lakal. But thank you for your assistance."

Lakal saluted crisply. "My pleasure. Though I have no idea how I'm supposed to explain how you got that thing out of there."

"Leave that to me," Sarah smiled. "You'd better get back to your post."

The Commander nodded and cast a glance over his shoulder, as though he were worried about being discovered, then faced the Jedi again. "Look, let me know if something else turns up, will you?"

"I'll get this sorted out, Commander. I promise you that."

"I certainly hope somebody gets this straightened out, and fast," Lakal said. He took off, running back towards the hangar, giving orders to his fire teams as he did so.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sarah Brightwind had been sitting cross-legged on the bed for hours, trying to compose herself for the report she was late in delivering. She knew that her peers back on Coruscant would be upset with her for being tardy, but she also figured that delaying for a day to investigate some of the problems further would be worth it for the additional information that could be provided. At least, she hoped so. With her lower status, she knew that it was also risking getting pulled off the planet and being replaced by someone else.

I hope Owen can spice this up a little bit for me to make the Council see that it wasn't totally my fault that I'm late...

Resigning herself to the fate of making the report, she turned on the communications device (which she had turned off earlier to eliminate distractions) and waited as the top panel screen rose into an upright position with a barely perceptible whir. She tapped in the coordinates for the Jedi Temple from memory, and sat watching the small, blinking Naboo crest as the uplink was established. Sarah waited, thinking to herself that this was certainly the longest it had ever taken her to connect to Coruscant, when suddenly the words, "TRANSMISSION ERROR!" popped up on her screen in large maroon letters.

"Oh, wonderful," Sarah grumbled. "First I delay the report by my own free will, and then get delayed against my will by the computer..."

She cleared the screen, reset the unit, typed in the coordinates a second time, and punched the transmit button. Again, the small, blinking crest of the Naboo was all there was to watch as the transmission attempted to lock on to the target and establish the uplink.

Just as Sarah was getting ready to reset and try again, the insignia of the Jedi Temple blazed into view, and gentle, sky blue characters scrolled across the screen indicating that the connection had been made and was being stabilized.

The speaker of her comm unit flared to life. "Whoever this is, it had better be important." The voice sounded muffled by fabric as well as the distance. It was slow, and filled with the lethargy of someone roused from a deep sleep. The words seemed to drip out of the speaker's mouth as opposed to flowing coherently.

Sarah had all she could do to keep from laughing. "This is Sarah Brightwind from Naboo, delivering a status report. I can hear you, but I can't see you. Are there problems with the video relay system?"

The sounds of mad scrambling reached her ears though the small speaker, along with the shuffle of cloth. The voice cleared itself a few times and the screen shimmered to life, revealing the face of Ap Owen, Sarah's contact. "Um...no, no problems here." His voice still sounded thick from sleep. Owen absently massaged his temple with his arm and almost stifled a yawn. "Why are you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep," Sarah replied. "And I was late with my report, so I wanted to get it taken care of as soon as possible. I think it would help me rest a bit."

"Do you know what time it is here?" Owen whined. "I'm taking my final preparations tomorrow."

"This report is already late, Owen, and I might get dragged back to the Temple and replaced if I don't get it in soon. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

The change was immediate, as Owen straightened up and tapped the commands at his station that would set the computer into record mode. "We're receiving you just fine. Go ahead with your report."

She smiled inside. 'That was really, really mean, Sarah...' She cleared her throat, though, and began speaking. "I'm sorry I'm late with this report. We've had our fair share of problems here, actually."

"Anything serious?"

"Well, first of all, the Senate is apparently in gridlock over the Trade Federation's actions to the point of ignoring virtually everything else that gets placed before them."

"We knew that already," Owen replied. Sarah thought she detected a hint of disgust in his voice, but it passed so quickly that she couldn't be certain. "There've been more requests for Jedi mediators around here in the last week than we've seen in months. I guess tempers are flaring all over the place in there. I've even heard that there have been a couple of resignations."

"I don't envy the Chancellor one bit," Sarah said. "Palpatine is from Naboo, and he's being forced to place the planet's state of emergency off the floor by the rest of the delegation."

"State of emergency?" Owen was suddenly quite concerned. "Somebody else isn't invading, are they?"

"No, but we're suffering from a serious food shortage thanks to the bureaucracy," Sarah replied. "Reserves are holding out for the moment, and we received an aid shipment from one of the local planets yesterday, but if something isn't done soon, we're really going to be in the middle of a crisis."

"That bad?"

"Queen Amidala temporarily lifted the ban on hunting so they could keep everyone fed," Sarah nodded. "For a kingdom that's not had to kill animals for food in centuries, it's a pretty bitter pill to swallow."

"Is that all the bad news?"

"No, I'm afraid there's more," Sarah said grimly. "Tell the Council they can take my transport off their rosters. It's not on active duty anymore."

"Let me guess...out of fuel?"

"Out of ship," Sarah countered. "It got sabotaged last night. I already gave permission for the remains to be converted to scrap for raw materials. Trust me, what was left wouldn't have gotten more than a few dozen credits from a Jawa on a good day. Besides, the engineers here need all the extra parts they can get their hands on to get their other vehicles back in order after the fire."

"Fire?" Owen's eyebrows arched up in disbelief.

"Yeah, when my ship exploded, it was in one of the main hangars. A bunch of other ships got damaged as well. Mostly fighters, but a couple of the rebuilt ground transports got burned pretty well too."

"You said it got sabotaged," Owen said. "How do you know?"

"I found this when I swept the wreckage. I got inside before anyone else could have tampered with the evidence. Hold on, I'll transmit the image to you."

Sarah placed the remains of the half-melted box on the holoprojector, a small unit composed of a circular black base and a yellow and black checkerboard center with a circle of small lights which ran around the outside. Sarah tapped a few buttons, and the lights lit up. Small, harmless scanning laser beams shot up from the center of the device, taking measurements of the bottom and sides. Then a small energy field surrounded the tiny box, and Sarah watched intently as the scanning lasers went to work, reading every minute detail of the contraption and storing that data as a three-dimensional representation of the object in memory. Another minute passed as the lasers made a second sweep to increase the resolution of the output. Then the containment field deactivated, the scanning laser beams turned themselves off, and one by one, the small yellow and green lights went dark.

Sarah took the box off the holoprojector, pressed a few buttons on her communications unit, and spoke again. "Turn on your holo-unit. I'm transmitting the modeling data now."

Owen flipped a switch off-screen, and watched as the small image of the box resolved into view on his projector unit, layer by layer, detail by detail, until at last a small, translucent, three-dimensional image was rotating itself automatically on the pad of the projector. "I think I've got it...but what am I looking at?"

"The control pad for a plasma explosive," Sarah replied.

"A plasma explosive?" Bowen's voice rose sharply. "Those were outlawed throughout the entire Republic by an almost unanimous vote in the Senate! The penalty for even putting one together is so serious that most of the black market hoods won't even deal with people who want to buy them!"

"I know," Sarah said. "And I also know the Naboo don't have the resources to make something like this on their world. This was brought in from outside and attached to the engines after the security sweep when I landed."

"Sarah..." Owen's voice had become very serious and concerned.

"I know what you're going to say," Sarah said, trying to interrupt.

"Then you'll know why I've got to say it," Owen continued. "I think you need to get off Naboo. Right away. If someone sabotaged your ship, it's a good bet that they're going to be coming after you in a more direct fashion next time. I can put in a request for a transport on your behalf and you'll be out of there in two, three days tops."

"No, Owen," Sarah replied. "I didn't get stationed out here to abandon these people when they need my help."

"You can't help them if you're the one needing help," Owen argued.

"I'm telling you, I'm not going to leave the Queen!" Sarah said, with a bit more emotion than she should have.

"You wouldn't be abandoning them," Owen countered. "I'm sure the Council would send someone else to look after the situation. But if there's someone on that planet who is trying to kill you..."

"Suppose this person is only interested in killing Jedi?" Sarah asked. "What then? Replacing me won't matter much. And besides, I've already got the trust of Amidala, her handmaidens, and most of the regents, including the Governor. I've learned a lot about the planet's history and culture, Owen. A newcomer would have to go through that all over again, only they'd have to be worried about keeping a very close watch on their back while they were doing it." 'And besides that, I've got my own personal reasons,' she thought to herself, knowing that Owen wasn't strong enough to penetrate her mental shield.

Owen was clearly let down by this; it showed on his face. "Sarah, you know that I don't hold any rank authority over you. But part of what this position entails for me is to be your advisor. And my advice is to leave, as soon as you can. You don't have to listen to me, but that needs to go into the record."

"I understand," Sarah said. "But I'm not moving from here until I get to the bottom of things."

"There's something else you need to consider," Owen said. "It probably won't change your mind, but I have to remind you... The last time there were problems on Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan found out that the Sith were behind them. Qui-Gon Jinn was killed by one, Sarah. And he was a Master."

"Obi-Wan killed the Sith who slew his mentor, and he was only a Padawan," Sarah countered. "The Force works in mysterious ways, Owen. It's not up to you, to me, or even the Council to attempt to second guess things, especially the future. Maybe it is the Sith, maybe it isn't. But either way, I will not leave here."

"I knew you were going to say that," Owen sighed. "But I had to try anyway. You can't fault me for that..."

Sarah smiled. "And you did you best. Thanks, Owen."

"Is that your report?" Owen asked.

"That should pretty well cover everything for the moment," Sarah affirmed.

"You know, I'm going to have nightmares about this now that I know," Owen started. "Can I ask how you can possibly think that reporting this will help you sleep better?"

"Fear is the first step towards the Dark Side, Owen. A little is healthy. But too much will cloud your judgement. For the moment, I'm not afraid, and that is how I plan to sleep. If anything, I'm more afraid of the Council's reaction to this report being late."

Owen would have laughed if the situation hadn't seemed so grim to him. "Sarah, believe me when I say that after hearing this, I think the Council will be willing to forgive a few days tardiness on a report for a mission that has suddenly lost most of the meaning of the word, 'routine'."

"Let's hope so, for my sake," Sarah said. "Sarah Brightwind from Naboo, signing off." She reached towards the button to end transmission.

"Um...Sarah?"

She paused, tensing up as she held her finger over the button, afraid that he was going to start on something that she didn't want to start on.

Owen seemed to sense her tension, even from that great distance. "Um...May the Force be with you," he stumbled.

Inwardly, Sarah heaved a gigantic sigh of relief, but was careful to keep that fact invisible to her companion on the other end of the transmission. "Thank you, Owen."

Her finger pressed a button, and the transmission ended, bringing the Naboo crest back to the screen. She switched the power off, but didn't bother to sit and watch the screen fold down. Instead, she laid down under the covers and tried to think happy thoughts, but nothing was forthcoming.

Sarah blanked her mind and instead brought up an image of Amidala in her head as she closed her eyes. That seemed to work a whole lot better. In a few moments, the Jedi had drifted off to sleep with a smile on her lips.

* * * * *

Sarah was tidying up her room the next morning when her door chime sounded. Sarah frowned. The room wasn't quite ready to receive visitors in its current state. But the chime rang again, and she gave up trying to get everything perfect. "Come in," she called.

The door slid open and Saché walked inside. She paused before Sarah, bowed slightly, and spoke. "Queen Amidala is concerned with the events of the previous evening, and would like to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Of course, Saché," Sarah replied with a smile. "We can leave right away." In the back of her mind, Sarah wondered why Eirtaé had not been sent to collect her as she had done in the past, and she voiced her question to the younger handmaiden.

"The Queen has sent Eirtaé on an errand," Saché stated cryptically, without turning. There was a short pause, then: "I hope that I do not disappoint you with my presence."

"Of course not," Sarah replied. "Why would you?"

Saché seemed to stammer a bit, and Sarah sensed embarrassment welling up inside the young girl.

"That's OK, it's not important," Sarah added, noting that Saché visibly relaxed after that. She searched for something to take the girl's mind off of whatever had caused such a strong emotional swirling inside her as they walked. "How long have you been a handmaiden of the Queen?"

"I was the last one to be selected and trained," Saché replied. "I had only served for three months before the Trade Federation incident."

"It must have been a great honour," Sarah said.

"The highest honour on Naboo," Saché replied, with a little bit of girlish pride. "Well...next to being Queen, of course..."

"Naturally," Sarah smiled. "So, do you want to be Queen one day?"

"I don't think I could do it," Saché admitted with a small shake of her head. "But I have been trained to replace the Queen, should the situation ever call for it. Every handmaiden must obey all the rules, and take all the training that the Chief of Security, the Queen, and the Governor see fit to impose upon us. If you would like, I can inform the Queen of your interest, and she can appoint one of us to instruct you further."

"I would like that," Sarah said.

The pair passed a crew of workers who were busily filling, sanding, and painting over the damage to the plasticrete walls caused by errant blaster fire. It amazed Sarah how diligently the workers operated, hardly pausing after filling in one hole before moving on to the next. Even though they were still in a crisis situation, people seemed to be trying their best to keep their hopes up. And somewhere, in the back of her mind, Sarah knew that Naboo would pull through this, no matter how long it took.

Saché and Sarah stopped before the door to the Queen's chambers, and the Jedi watched as the handmaiden fished a small identification key from the folds of her robes and unlocked the door. She opened it, and stepped inside, motioning for Sarah to follow her. The Jedi obliged, and Saché closed the door behind them.

Amidala stood in the center of the room, flanked by Yané, Sabé, and Rabé. She was dressed in the same majestic red and gold attire that she had been wearing when Sarah had first met her. That seems like so long ago, Sarah mused silently.

Suddenly remembering her manners, she bowed before the Queen. "You wished to see me, your highness?"

"Yes," Amidala replied. "Saché, Sabé, Rabé, and Yané, you are dismissed for the time being. I shall call upon you later."

The four girls all bowed and retired to their quarters. Sarah wondered where Amidala had sent Eirtaé for her errand, and what she was doing. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"I have sent Eirtaé to the hangar to look over the damage herself and report to me directly," Amidala said, as though she could read Sarah's thoughts.

"Shouldn't Captain Panaka be reporting to you?" Sarah asked.

"He has not yet completed his assessment of the incident," Amidala said. "He is not certain what caused the fire to break out."

"It was sabotage," Sarah said. "Deliberately set aboard my transport."

"How do you know this, and why was I not informed?" Amidala demanded.

Sarah reached into her tunic and pulled out the remains of the control box. She held it out for Amidala to inspect. The Queen did so, but only for a moment. Sarah doubted she had ever seen one before, much less understood what it did. 'And why should she have? Before Commander Lakal explained it to me, I didn't have a clue what it was either...' "This, your highness, is a timed detonator. I found it attached to the fuel storage units aboard my ship."

"You found it?" Amidala asked. "I don't understand...the security force made a detailed sweep of your transport after the fire was extinguished."

"I got there first," Sarah said. "I didn't want anyone tampering with the evidence. That is why you have heard nothing of this, and why Panaka and his team most likely will not be able to adequately explain the cause of the fire."

Amidala began to frown. "Sarah, I do trust your judgement as a Jedi, but... If this truly is what you claim it is, then I am forced to conclude that there is a traitor within the ranks of my own security force."

Sarah nodded. "It would appear that way, your Majesty. I cannot bring accusations at this time," she said. "But I have found out who had access to my transport while it was in the hangar. With your permission, I would like to conduct a private investigation without causing too much trouble. If we rouse suspicion too early, the traitor might move to cover his tracks, and valuable evidence may be lost."

Amidala nodded, then turned to gaze out the window, where the magnificent forests of Naboo helped the sky to fill out the view. Outside, a gentle rain was falling. Raindrops dripped down the windows every so often when the wind gently pushed the water around as it fell from the sky. The Queen's outfit ruffled and shifted in time with her footsteps as she walked to the window and placed her hands with their perfectly-applied white nail polish upon the sill. Her shoulders rose, then sank again as she sighed to herself. Sarah didn't need the Force to tell her that Amidala was very troubled.

Sarah walked to the queen's side after setting down the small control box and watched her with concern in her eyes.

Amidala's right hand left the windowsill and traveled up to her face. It touched her lower lip briefly, then came away. Amidala gazed at the small spots of red makeup that had been left on her fingers from the mark that divided her lip. A small tear rolled down her left cheek, and the right cheek of her reflection in the window, as she continued to look at her hand.

"Your Majesty...?" Sarah began.

"It's coming apart under my rule," Amidala said softly, rubbing the red spot on her fingers with her thumb absently, watching the makeup dissolve under her touch. "Everything is falling apart."

"No, your highness," Sarah insisted. "A solution will present itself."

Amidala turned to Sarah, the sorrow evident in her eyes. "Sarah, do you know what this mark is?" She dabbed at her lower lip with her fingers again.

"I know it is a royal beauty mark, taken by most of the rulers," Sarah said.

"There is much, much more to it than that," Amidala said. "The Scar of Remembrance serves as a constant visual reminder of the time when Naboo was divided, not whole. Of a time when we were not at peace with ourselves. Of a time that shames our culture, because the children could not even play in the streets without risking their lives. Every ruler bears the Scar as a personal reminder that if things ever return to that way, it is his or her fault."

"Amidala, please don't speak of such things." Sarah realized her slip in etiquette, but the Queen spoke before she could correct herself.

"I have dedicated my very life to my home planet since I was twelve years old, Sarah. I have poured every ounce of energy I could muster into trying to assure my people that they are safe. That there is no longer reason to be afraid. They have looked to me for strength, justice, and truth. And now I discover that I have been lying to them." Amidala cast her glance once again out the window. It seemed a little darker out than before. Thunderheads were moving in even as they spoke.

"You haven't been doing any such thing," Sarah challenged, taking a step towards the Queen.

"But I have," Amidala disagreed, still staring out the window at the slowly-graying sky. Off in the distance, a soft rumble of thunder sounded. "The box you've shown to me tells me as much. Even with the Trade Federation's battle droids gone, someone still seeks to bring chaos to my world."

Sarah took Amidala's left hand in hers and clasped it firmly. The feelings which sprang into her mind as she held the Queen's hand almost caused her to start crying on the spot. "So much pain..." she found herself saying with a soft whisper.

Amidala looked down at the Jedi. The powder from under her eyes had been virtually obliterated by the moisture of her tears. Trails of pink cut through the white makeup on her cheeks in jagged, uneven lines. Inside, she almost felt ashamed to be crying in front of the Jedi. How many times had she fought back emotions when she was with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan? But they seemed different when compared to Sarah. The Jedi was willing to get so close, to open up so much of herself to her, that Amidala quite honestly didn't know how to react. New feelings flooded through her, causing a fresh cascade of tears.

"I can get your handmaidens if you think it will help," Sarah offered politely.

Amidala declined. "No. They have enough on their minds as it is. I can't make this burden theirs."

"Then let me help you," Sarah insisted. "I love you too much to see you hurt like this. You've been hit with too many things at once, your Majesty. I can help take your mind off of them."

Amidala looked at her. "Sarah...I..."

The Jedi stared back at the Queen, her gaze unwavering. She held Amidala's hand tighter than before, clasping it to her chest, and just looked into her eyes. Those gorgeous brown eyes that hid so many secrets, and yet revealed so much as well. Those eyes, once so bright, now filled with sadness, practically pleading, I want to believe what you're saying...please show me how...

Heart pounding harder that it ever had during her most intense exercises, Sarah leaned forward, closed her eyes, and kissed Amidala softly on the lips. She knew she shouldn't be afraid, that she had kissed those same lips before. But that was with Padmé the handmaiden, not Amidala the Queen...

Amidala froze and stiffened up as Sarah kissed her. All her regal bearing flowed into her head with a multitude of reasons why this was not a good idea. Padmé Naberrie can afford to fall in love, her mind screamed at her. Queen Amidala has no time for such trivialities! Amidala started to move the barest fraction of an inch backwards.

'A queen shares the rights of her people, your Majesty.'

'That voice...' Amidala hesitated. That was Sarah... 'How?' She thought back.

'Everything is possible with the Force,' Sarah replied calmly.

'But to speak without speaking...?'

'You think too much,' Sarah smiled. 'Stop trying to analyze it, and just live in the moment for once.'

Sarah removed her lips from Amidala's, and softly smiled at her. "I'm sorry about that..."

Amidala closed her eyes. Tears again rolled down her cheeks, erasing more and more of the makeup. "Don't say that, Sarah."

"Say what?" Sarah asked.

"That you're sorry," Amidala murmured back. She wrapped her arms around the Jedi, and pulled her closer, ignoring the fact that Sarah was now stepping on her robe because of it. "Don't be sorry... Promise me you're not sorry..."

Sarah returned the hug, but stayed silent for the moment.

"It felt too good for you to be sorry," Amidala continued, her voice now a whisper. A small tear dripped from her cheek and landed on the Jedi's tunic. "I want to go back to that moment, Sarah... I want to live in that moment forever, again and again and again."

"I know," Sarah said. She took Amidala's face in her hands, causing the queen to look at her, and stared into her eyes. "I know," she repeated with a firm conviction.

Their lips met again. Emotions flooded through Sarah, emotions that she had never felt before, at least not like this. Emotions that she didn't know how to cope with, but that she also didn't want to stop from coming. Love, happiness, pleasure, joy, everything mixed together and looked for an outlet. She opened her mouth.

Amidala did likewise. Their tongues met for a moment, sending a thrill of pleasure through the young Queen's body. She hugged the Jedi to her tightly for a moment, then loosened her grip.

Sarah stepped back and looked into her eyes again, but kept silent. Then she slowly lifted the sleeve of her robe and dabbed at the tear-wet skin of the Queen's face with the edge. The white makeup rubbed off onto Sarah's brown robe as she dried the tears.

"I..." Amidala started, causing Sarah to hesitate. "I...can't be seen...like this... The Queen of Naboo doesn't..." She tried again, though sniffles occasionally broke her words. "The Queen always...looks perfect...her make-up is applied...with perfection and...her dress is always pristine..." The Queen looked away from Sarah, seemingly ashamed of her tears.

Sarah slowly shook her head with a soft smile. "The Queen is not make-up and clothing." She took Amidala's hand again and held it as she maneuvered herself to gaze into the girl's eyes. "The Queen is more than her costume and her responsibilities. She is not defined from the outside, but from within. And she doesn't need the robes of her office to feel like one." Again, Sarah wiped Amidala's tears, this time on the other side of her face. The beautiful pink skin she revealed was such a stark contrast to the pale white powder that she had to keep herself from pausing to admire it. "The Queen is beautiful without her beauty marks, because she is special and unique under all of that." A moment passed in silence as Sarah removed all traces of make-up from Amidala's face.

Again, she looked into the Queen's eyes, and there was no resistance. She placed her hands on the opulent golden crown which hung down on either side of Amidala's head. "The Queen is not her crown." Sarah started to lift the headpiece off and was surprised at how heavy it actually was. As she lifted, Amidala's soft brown hair gently unwove itself and flowed down her back in a gentle, cascading wave of auburn beauty.

She wrapped her arms around Amidala and brought their lips together again, just as soft and gentle as before. Her hands slid up to the rear neckline of Amidala's dress and loosened the fasteners there. They continued to kiss as Sarah moved her hands down to the back of Amidala's waist and undid the hooks there as well. She felt Amidala's arms as they pulled her in closer, hugging her tightly.

Then, without letting go of her, Amidala took a step backwards. By reflex, Sarah stepped forward to follow her. The robe seemed to simply slide off the queen's frame as she moved, taking more steps, and being followed by Sarah who was conscious of the fact that she was walking all over the beautiful dress. But Amidala didn't seem to mind this at all. And finally, when they had stepped a good distance away from the window, Sarah broke the kiss long enough to look down upon the Queen.

She was now only clad in a thin white undershirt and white silken panties. Her bare toes were turned up slightly from the cold marble floor, as she had left her red shoes behind in the pile of clothing she had walked away from. She shivered in the air that must have seemed much cooler to her now than before. And she watched Sarah as the Jedi let her eyes wander.

Sarah suddenly realized just how different the costumes made Amidala look. Virtually everything about her was somehow enhanced by her wardrobe to make her look taller, larger, more imposing...and more emotionless. It was hard for her to believe she was looking at the same girl she had been looking at only moments before. And somehow, the beauty of that struck her fully.

"My handmaidens are the only ones who have ever seen me like this," Amidala confessed, turning her gaze towards the floor.

"Then I envy them," Sarah replied. "For no one else in the palace has seen the real Queen. The one who has fears and emotions just as they all do. The one who is underneath all the costumes. And... And the one I love..." Sarah stumbled over the words nervously.

"So," Amidala said, smiling up at the Jedi who know stood quite a bit taller than her because of the boots, "who has seen the real Sarah Brightwind? Not my Jedi protector, the one who walks through fires and is always there with a reassuring word, but the one who always seems to be alone, even in a crowd? Not the one who has sworn to never be captured by her emotions and to suppress her feelings, but the one who admits that even in herself those feelings exist?"

"Only two people," Sarah replied. "And that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." Slowly, her hand went to the strings of her tunic. She tugged, and the knot fell out. Amidala slid her hands along Sarah's neck and down her arms, pulling her robe off and letting it flutter to the floor as they embraced once again. The Jedi didn't resist as Amidala tugged her tunic up over her head and dropped it to the ground. Likewise, when Sarah lifted the small nightshirt off Amidala's body, the Queen did not argue. Steadily, Sarah pulled the fabric up and over Amidala's head, pausing to look at her perfectly shaped little pink nipples which were already starting to stiffen from the cool air in the room. Carefully, being sure not to snag any of her hair, Sarah removed the shirt.

Amidala's hands slowly untied the knot that held Sarah's flowing white pants against her body. The fabric slid down over her hips and settled around her feet. Slowly, Sarah stepped out of it, then bent to Amidala's waist and slid her fingers under the elastic waistband of the Queen's panties. She tugged them down carefully, pulling them over the Queen's thighs, then knees, then ankles. One by one, she lifted Amidala's feet and gently slid the silken underwear off her legs.

Sarah rose to her feet, and Amidala led her over to the side of the bed. Again they embraced, lips apart, tongues together. Sarah kicked her left boot off and struggled with the other one. Finally, Amidala wrapped her leg around Sarah's and shoved on the top of the boot with her foot. Sarah's leg popped out of it and unbalanced them both, causing Sarah to land on top of Amidala on the bed.

No further words were exchanged. Nothing needed to be said. The passion behind Amidala's kiss, and the desire behind Sarah's spoke for themselves. Sarah wrapped her left arm behind Amidala's body and ran her lips down the girl's soft neck. Every few centimeters, she kissed, down one side, across the front, then back up the other side. She flicked her tongue across Amidala's earlobe, feeling the Queen shiver under her.

Sarah's right hand and fingers played across Amidala's bare arm and side, rubbing, tickling, and squeezing all in random order, never lingering too long in one place, always on the move.

Amidala tilted her head back, inviting Sarah to kiss her neck. The Jedi responded eagerly, her lips pressing against and lightly sucking her skin. Sarah's tongue left lingering spots of moisture on Amidala's chin as she worked her way across the Queen's face. From the chin to the lips, pausing to exchange a bit more saliva, Sarah moved along. Two kisses planted lightly on the nose made Amidala giggle slightly. She sighed contentedly as the Jedi pressed her lips delicately on each of her closed eyelids just once, then went to her forehead by way of the eyebrows and the upper part of her nose.

Sarah ran her hands through the queen's silky hair, admiring its shine in the soft light of the room. Closer to Amidala's ear, she nuzzled with her nose, planting teasing licks and kisses with her tongue as she did so. Amidala smiled and tried to suppress snickers as Sarah tickled her without meaning to. "Sorry," Sarah whispered, but the soft air only made Amidala laugh harder.

"Back over here," the Queen ordered, pushing Sarah's head towards her lips with one of her hands.

Sarah complied, and returned to the enjoyable embrace of Amidala's open mouth.

Kissing Amidala brought all kinds of thoughts and feelings to Sarah...the taste of fresh sunberries, the feeling of sitting in a warm, sunny field on a nice spring day. Amidala's hands moving on her back became like the gentle caresses of a soft autumn breeze nipping across the landscape. Mentally, she shared these images with the Queen...her Queen...as they had spoken just moments before through the Force.

Amidala wasn't so surprised this time, and welcomed the thoughts, then gladly sent back some of her own: the feeling of being held, safely and securely, in her mother's arms when she was a baby... The inner thrill she had felt when the results of the election had been announced, making her Queen... The joys of staring out her window at the stars, knowing somehow that her life would be forever altered by them... All these, and more, were all flooding from her mind with the force of a shattered dam.

Sarah reflected back on her first kiss, mentally compared the two, and ranked this one a lot higher. Without meaning to, she conjured up a few of the fantasies she had dreamed concerning herself and Amidala from several nights previous. She opened her eyes to see the Queen open hers as well and smirk at her.

'Been fantasizing about this, have you?' Amidala asked.

'Guilty as charged.'

'I didn't think Jedi harbored fantasies.'

'We'd lead fairly dull lives without them, wouldn't you say?'

'I suppose so...'

Sarah sensed a bit of guilt from the Queen, a feeling of having seen something she wasn't supposed to. 'You don't need to worry about it... They really were meant for you.'

She seemed to relax at that, and closed her eyes again. Sarah moved to kiss her again, then stopped as new images formed in her head. It took her a moment to realize that Amidala was sharing some of her fantasies with Sarah, making an even exchange, as it were. She saw Amidala watching Rabé undress... Sneaking away behind a building with a female childhood friend to steal a soft kiss... Peering through a doorway and seeing her five handmaidens sprawled out across their beds in various states of undress...

'Did they really...?' Sarah started.

'Uh-huh.'

Both girls started giggling at the same time.

'You're such a bad influence,' Amidala scolded with a mental smile.

'Look who's talking,' Sarah retorted with the same grin. 'But...enough talking...' She took her mouth away from Amidala's and slid down a little lower. Gently, she cupped the queen's breast in her right hand and gave a soft squeeze. Amidala's skin was warm despite the slowly cooling temperatures in the room.

Outside, the rain had started pouring down harder. Sarah could hear it beating against the roof and windows of the palace, and a part of her wished she could be outside in it with Amidala, letting it just pour over them as they made love on one of the grassy plains.

'We'll do that next time.' The thought was almost matter-of-fact, as though Amidala was discussing what shops she would visit the next time she went out, or what food she would eat at her next meal.

'You're really into this mind reading stuff, aren't you?' Sarah smiled.

The Jedi massaged a soft figure eight pattern around Amidala's breasts with her fingertips, sliding slowly and casually around one, then over and around the other, feeling the warmth radiating off of her. She kissed Amidala again on the lips, sucking the lower one into her mouth and gently nipping at it before releasing it again. Amidala did the same to her upper lip and ran her fingers through Sarah's hair, gently tugging the string which held her braid together out and dropping it on the bed somewhere.

The Jedi's strawberry-blonde locks tumbled down, creating a soft, pliable curtain around their heads. Amidala's fingers coursed through it as though it were water, holding it and then letting it slide through her fingers to tickle the sides of her face. Somewhere in the back of her mind, an image formed of her at about four years old, rubbing the soft satin of a blanket against her cheek to calm herself down when she felt lonely or afraid. Somehow, having a Jedi to rub noses with when she was scared seemed to feel much the same.

Sarah's finger lightly brushed Amidala's nipple, and the queen opened her eyes to look at her lover as if to say, 'Go ahead.' Reading the meaning, Sarah touched her again and watched as Amidala laid her head back on the pillow and sighed softly.

Sarah dipped her head and slipped her lips around Amidala's nipple, feeling the soft skin harden even more at her touch. Her tongue brushed the tip softly as she sucked it into her mouth. She was so connected to Amidala at this point that she felt the jolt of pleasure inside her own body as well. The sensation was nothing short of magnificent. Amidala's skin, kept smooth through the dedicated application of all sorts of natural herbs and lotions, made her tongue tingle from the sheer perfection of it all. Sarah easily fell into the pattern of Amidala's breathing, following the rising and falling of her chest with her lips, trying to never use too much or too little pressure.

She switched her mouth to the other breast, but used her hand to continue massaging the one she had just left. Her fingers gently swirled the moisture across her nipple, then pinched it gently between her thumb and forefinger as she sucked the other one into her mouth and ran her tongue across it.

Amidala arched her back, then laid back down again as Sarah continued to suck her breast. She'd never dreamed it could be like this. And she bet her handmaidens didn't either.

Sarah moved off of Amidala's breast and kissed her way down her sternum, slowly tickling her with the tip of her tongue, teasing her from neck to belly button. She tried to hold back the giggles as she poked Amidala's navel with her tongue and felt the Queen squirm and twist at the tickling sensation.

The Jedi's hands slid under Amidala's legs and began to massage the backs of her knees. They kneaded and lightly pinched the soft flesh of her thighs one minute, then gently caressed the same areas the next minute, never lingering too long in any given spot. Her fingers were a flurry of motion, dancing and tapping across the Queen's skin, sometimes prodding with the fingertips, sometimes very softly scratching with the nails. Sarah continued to kiss around Amidala's flat tummy, savoring the taste of the delicate skin mixed ever so slightly with a small tang of nervous sweat.

Her fingers glided over Amidala's pubic mound, getting tickled by the soft hair as they did so. Amidala opened her mouth slightly and inhaled, her eyes still closed. But Sarah did no more than that, just a little tease, before moving on.

She crawled downward a bit, and started working with both hands on Amidala's left leg. 'You've got a lot of tension down here,' Sarah told her. 'You'll feel a lot better if we work it out of you.' The Jedi called upon the Force, and fed it through her fingertips into Amidala's leg. Inside, she relaxed the Queen's muscles, and drew off some of the negative energy that was causing the tension. Soft swirls of golden light ran through her mind as she worked, spreading the energy into Amidala's other leg as well, from the thighs down to her little toes.

Sarah paused to allow the energy to continue its work and raised herself up to kiss Amidala again. Lips parted, tongues met, and it still felt as good as the first time it happened. They stayed that way for a few minutes, breathing through their noses with soft puffs of air. Then Sarah straddled Amidala, kneeling on either side of the girl's body, and began working on her arms. She took the right one first, lifting it off the bed, massaging every muscle and joint from the shoulder to the tips of her fingers, pulling off all the negative energy and replacing it with the purity of the light side of the Force, then repeated the exercise with Amidala's other arm.

Amidala felt three-fourths of her body tingling like mad as Sarah finished with her last finger and lowered her arm to the bed. She didn't know what to make of it...no one had ever given her a massage like that, so carefully and yet so powerfully at the same time. She wrapped her arms around Sarah's back and tugged the Jedi downward to her lips again, kissing her more passionately than she had been doing previously. Every fiber of her being was screaming at Sarah: Don't ever leave me! I love you! And though she knew the Jedi could sense it, she was determined to try her hardest to make those feelings and sensations manifest themselves in the physical realm as well.

Sarah accepted the kisses readily, pressing her hands across Amidala's midsection and torso, stirring up the energy within and forcing it to radiate outwards from her heart into the rest of her body. Lightly, she slid her fingers up Amidala's neck, gently touching, caressing, and then moving on. She massaged the Queen's temples with delicate, circular strokes.

Amidala moved her hands from Sarah's back to Sarah's breasts, shivering slightly as she touched them, then moving less cautiously as she felt Sarah's mind and body both arc in pleasure at once. The Jedi moved back a bit, then laid down flat against the Queen, pressing their chests together, feeling her nipples touch the Queen's as Amidala hugged Sarah to her fiercely. Again, their tongues met, danced, and played with one another, thoughts mixing through both their minds at a pace so breakneck that it was difficult to sort out just who was feeling what. Fear and caution gave way to love and compassion. Amidala felt Sarah's arms wrap around behind her head and hold her close, never breaking the kiss.

Sarah shifted her weight and drew her right arm out from under Amidala, sliding it down the length of the queen's body to her hips. The Jedi used her leg to push Amidala's thighs apart slightly, and her hand lightly cupped the Queen's most sensitive spot. Sarah firmly implanted the feeling of the soft pubic hair on the palm of her hand into her brain as she felt Amidala's legs start to quiver. She was ready.

Slowly, Sarah broke the kiss and looked Amidala in the eyes. 'We don't have to do this... Anytime you want me to turn back or stop, just tell me.'

'I don't want you to stop!' Amidala replied. 'I trust you...I love you...'

'I love you too,' Sarah smiled. 'Don't be afraid.'

'I'm not afraid in your arms, Sarah.' She closed her eyes.

Sarah gently placed her lips on Amidala's breast and kissed as she massaged the Queen's outer labia with her middle finger. She felt Amidala shiver, both from the slight chill of the air in the room and her own caresses. On the younger girl, nerve endings were lighting up all over the place from the sudden subtle pressure being applied in the right areas. Her hips quivered slightly as she gently slid her legs a bit further apart.

Sarah returned her mouth to Amidala's, sucking the Queen's tongue between her lips. She let it go and grabbed a lip, doing the same thing. Amidala's hands were all over Sarah's back and chest, sometimes rubbing hard enough to be a massage, other times sliding over her skin as gently as new fallen rain slides from a leaf.

Amidala cupped Sarah's left breast in her hand, feeling the soft flesh which was quite a bit warmer to her touch than she expected. She felt the Jedi's nipple harden against her palm, and pushed slightly, increasing the pressure.

Sarah continued to grope and play with her fingers, never actually entering Amidala. She could feel the slickness of the Queen's juices beginning to coat her vulva, and the labia start to spread apart in anticipation of what was sure to come. Sarah slid her middle finger just barely inside, not even far enough to be called penetration, just a teasing sort of play. She felt Amidala shiver again. Or maybe that was herself... Though she had tried to hide it, she knew she was still nervous. She was nervous because, of the two, she knew herself to be the more experienced, but not by much. Only twice, really. And only once with another girl...

'You don't have to be nervous,' Amidala told her. 'I like it better that it's only your second time.'

Sarah kissed her again. 'A little fear is healthy for you, your Majesty.'

'Right now, all I'm afraid of is that you won't stop,' Amidala replied.

'I'm afraid I can't,' Sarah admitted, breaking the kiss and starting a new one.

Another couple of giggles. The intensity of the rain on the windows increased. Another rumble of thunder signified the center of the storm was almost directly above them. Both of them almost laughed when a visual of Eirtaé, running madly through the pouring rain in her handmaiden outfit and getting soaked to the skin crossed their minds at the same time.

And, with the last bit of tension having finally been broken, Sarah cupped Amidala's crotch in her hand one last time, and slid her finger inside the slick moistness of her lover's vagina. She heard Amidala moan, and her thighs quiver as she slid in a little bit deeper, feeling the cum coat her finger from its tip to its first knuckle.

Then, as Sarah advanced further, she felt a resistance from inside, a very soft resistance. It only took her a second to realize what the source of that resistance was. 'Uh-oh...' She withdrew her finger slowly, which caused Amidala to open her eyes.

"Are you stopping?" The Queen vocalized the question to make sure it got Sarah's attention.

"I may have to for the moment," Sarah replied. "You didn't tell me..." Her voice trailed off and she felt the blood rush up to her face, painting it red.

"Um...you didn't ask..." Amidala replied, sensing her face turn equally crimson. "But that doesn't mean-"

Sarah gazed deep into Amidala's eyes, letting her know she was dead serious. "Are you asking me to...?"

"Mmm hmmm," Amidala whispered softly. She pulled her arms lightly around Sarah's back and gave her a delicate kiss on the lips.

"It...can't be undone afterwards," Sarah cautioned.

"I'm not an idiot," Amidala giggled.

"And...well..."

Amidala frowned. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

'It hurts.' Sarah had to think the words, for she somehow could not bear to say them out loud. 'I mean, it will hurt if I do...'

'How much?' Amidala asked, without a hint of fear.

'Feels like a good sharp pinch for a few seconds, then a weaker one for a while longer. It might be uncomfortable.'

'Did you expect me to have a removable one or something?'

'Of course not! But how can I in conscience hurt the got I was sent here to protect?'

'Go ahead, Sarah. I'm making my choice. I'm asking you as someone who loves you. Don't make me order you as a Queen, because I couldn't do that.'

Sarah nodded and watched as Amidala laid her head back against the pillow and tightened her grip on Sarah slightly. Once again, she slid her finger slowly and gently inside Amidala and began to massage her softly, taking her time. 'If I'm gonna do this, then I'm gonna do it right.'

Amidala tugged Sarah's body closer to hers. Most of her was curious about what it would feel like, but it seemed as though a very small part of her was arguing with her not to do it. She shoved that part aside and waited, moving her hips slightly as Sarah caressed her insides.

Sarah's fingertip again touched Amidala's hymen, the small foreskin that was preventing her from going deeper. She slid across it, trying to determine if perhaps it was an incomplete covering, but to no avail. She pressed her finger against it lightly, testing it. But it didn't seem to matter how gingerly she approached it, it refused to split.

Worry started to cloud her mind, distorting her thoughts. Everything inside her wanted this to be painless, and yet she knew it couldn't be. Everything seemed confused for some reason. 'I can't do this...'

Amidala wordlessly leaned up and kissed Sarah again. 'After all your lectures on inner strength, don't tell me you can't do it.'

Sarah looked down at Amidala, still in a state of disbelief that the Queen had asked her to do this. Amidala's eyes were still closed, waiting. Sarah decided she couldn't ignore the request, even if a part of her might want to. 'I love you...'

Sarah closed her eyes, and pressed her finger in harder than before. Slowly but surely, she felt the soft skin give way. She could feel the first small tear form.

She heard Amidala moan softly and shake a bit from the pain. Lovingly, Sarah slid her free arm behind Amidala's neck and brought their lips together. Amidala hugged Sarah tightly, her eyes clenched. A single tear fell, but it was from Sarah's eye, not the Queen's.

Sarah pressed inside further, and the split was completed. Amidala whimpered one louder note before inhaling sharply and holding Sarah just a tad bit tighter. Sarah felt the Queen's chest expand and contract a couple of times, and her legs closed slightly on her hand. She focused as much energy of the Force as she could into the small wound to close it up quickly and hopefully remove some of the pain.

'No,' Amidala ordered, sensing what Sarah was doing. 'Don't. It's OK. I'll be OK...'

Sarah wanted to argue, she wanted so badly to argue with Amidala, to ignore her and take the pain away anyway, but she fought the urge back and complied with the Queen's wishes. As gently and delicately as she could, she retracted her finger and moved it upwards slightly to Amidala's clit.

The response was immediate. Amidala quivered again, but this time it was from pleasure, and not pain. She inhaled sharply, then gasped, but for a different reason than she had moments ago. She locked lips with the Jedi and again their tongues danced together.

Sarah just barely stroked the hood of the small pink bump, but Amidala was starting to react as though she had been connected to the power supply of a land speeder. She jerked and twitched with each soft touch Sarah placed on her most intimate area, and Sarah felt the tension and pain dissolve away into nothingness.

Sarah broke the kiss, and once more placed her mouth around Amidala's nipple, sucking with her lips, licking with her tongue, and gently nibbling with her teeth. As she felt the Queen shake under her, she switched to the other breast, but didn't remove her hand from between Amidala's legs. Her other fingers felt the juices that were freely flowing from Amidala now. She moved her middle finger down to collect some, then returned to Amidala's clit with fresh lubrication. Amidala practically squealed with joy at the new touches, and quivered almost constantly, her nerve endings approaching overload.

As Sarah continued to stroke, she felt the pleasure building up inside of Amidala. The Queen was breathing faster, almost in ragged gasps, which she was trying to muffle, but was having no success with. Her arms clenched around Sarah's back with more strength than Sarah would have thought possible. And finally, when Sarah knew it was the right time, she returned to kissing Amidala on the lips, opening her mouth and letting their tongues talk again.

A firestorm of unbelievable emotions exploded out of Amidala as she climaxed in Sarah's arms. Her soft moans of pleasure were somewhat muffled by Sarah's mouth over hers. Her strength seemed to shut itself on and off again at random. Sometimes she would be hugging Sarah as tightly as she could, and other times, she felt completely drained of her energy.

No matter what, Sarah held her smaller, shaking body close to hers long after she had removed her finger and wrapped both arms around Amidala in the most loving hug she could give. A full minute went by before Amidala found the breath to even whisper, "I love you," to Sarah. The verbal announcement was completely unnecessary, given the number of times the thought had flashed through both their minds during the orgasm, but it somehow drove everything home completely for both of them. Finally, the soft ringing sensation Amidala was feeling in her ears subsided enough that she could hear the rain once again assaulting the windows. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten that sound up until this point: it was so noisy! The storm was in full force, and wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

She looked up at Sarah, wanting to say something, unable to think of anything, and knowing that it wasn't necessary to say anything. And the Jedi felt exactly the same way. Amidala closed her eyes again.

They laid there together in one another's arms for a while. Every so often, Amidala would cuddle Sarah, nuzzling with her cheek, or Sarah would shift her body to try and make it more comfortable for Amidala to lay her head down. Sarah once again ran her hand through Amidala's long, soft hair, pulling it back over her ear, and listened to the thunder grumbling in the distance. The smell of a recent rainstorm was starting to creep through the ventilation system, and it seemed to move her a little closer to nature. That was a good feeling.

Amidala stirred and sat up to face Sarah, meeting the Jedi's eyes with her own. Almost immediately, Sarah felt herself starting to get lost in those eyes again... It was amazing how her eyes could change. While she was wearing her robes of office and performing her official duties, those eyes were cold, almost completely lacking in emotion unless the situation called for it. But here, in private, they were small pools of lucidity, overflowing with compassion and love, deep enough to get lost in, soft enough to dismiss any fear of getting lost in them.

'My turn,' she informed the Jedi, pressing her lips against Sarah's softly. 'And don't even think about resisting.'

'The thought,' Sarah started, returning the kiss and wrapping her arms around Amidala's back, 'hadn't even begun to speculate about crossing my mind.'

* * * * *

Marissa's eyes flashed open as the doors of her room slid into the wall. She had been expecting it. After all, Stiehl had been pretty convinced after what she had done to the training droids. In her mind, it was almost laughable to judge her after such a minor test of her abilities. Sure, at the beginning, it had taken her a few seconds to orient herself to their patterns, but once she had figured them out, it was as though the robots had been moving in slow motion. But it had been good enough for him, and that was important. To get free again, she had sworn to herself that she would slaughter half the Republic personally. One Jedi, more or less, wouldn't be such a big deal.

"It's time," Stiehl declared, casting a shadow that he probably thought was imposing through the doorway.

She rose from her cross-legged position on the floor slowly, careful not to expose any of the emotions that were running hot through her at the moment. Slow, calm, collected...it was the greatest deception. And she was going to go, no two ways about it. But she would be damned if she was going to do it just the way they wanted her to. No more jumping through hoops.

"I'm ready," she said, casting an aura of aloofness about herself. She listened absently as Stiehl gave her the instructions.

"You will walk in front of me down the halls as I direct. We will approach the main landing pad. A special ship will be prepared and waiting for you. You will fly alone. The destination has been pre-programmed into the nav-computer. Any attempt to deviate from this course will result in self-destruction of the engines. You will be stuck, dead in space, easy fodder for any pirates who might decide to salvage you, assuming you survive that long. Without the engines, the life support system will lose power, and within ten hours, you'll run out of oxygen. So don't try to go anywhere else."

Stiehl waited for a reaction from the girl, but didn't get anything, so he kept talking. "When you reach the planet, you are to contact me using the third secure channel. Once you've completed your task, and we will have ways of checking the validity of your claim, send another message on that same channel. We will remotely deactivate the self-destruct code and you are free to go where you wish. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah," Marissa said, smirking. "Where's my lightsaber?"

Stiehl frowned. "We discussed this already. If you want one, you'll have to build it. And I'm afraid there isn't time for that right now."

"Pity," Marissa said, dropping her gaze to her boots.

"Oh? And just why is that?"

"Well, first of all, this Jedi is gonna have one. And I can't very well go up against her without one myself. And if you'd just given me one in the first place, I wouldn't have to do this..."

Stiehl was on the floor before he realized what had happened. In the split second he had lowered his defenses, when Marissa had stared at the floor, when he had thought she had finally been under his control, she had hit him.

Not a physical blow, naturally. But it felt as though a great hammer had been smashed across the back of his head. Or to be more precise, as though a massive ethereal fist had connected sharply with his aura. Whatever the description used, the effect was the same: it forced him to the ground and made him concentrate more intensely than he could remember ever concentrating in his life to even get to his knees. 'That was stupid...'

Marissa was already down the hall, youthful energy and the Force melding to create a speed that was beyond the ability of his body to maintain. But that still didn't stop him from starting to give chase once he got to his feet. He grabbed the small, black personal communicator off his belt and activated it as he ran. "This is Stiehl," he barked to the Knights monitoring the communication channels. "We have an intruder in the temple. Seal all the exits. She is unarmed, but dangerous. Close off all the non-essential areas, and lock every door on this level. If she is found, attempt to capture her. She is not to be killed."

The intruder alarm began to wail loudly and the explosions of locks and doors sealing themselves were deafening in the massive corridor. 'She can't get far. She doesn't know the layout, and before long, every able-bodied Knight and Master in the Temple will be hunting for her.' He shook his head once again. This wasn't going to go over well... Not at all.

Marissa heard the doors sealing themselves all up and down the length of the hallway. She knew she was running blind, but she also knew the one path that would take her to freedom. From the first time she had been brought to the Temple, she remembered the way to the landing pad. Presumably, the ship would be waiting for her there.

She saw the doors before her starting to slide closed and increased her speed. With grim determination, she hurled herself through the air, passing between the rapidly-closing security doors, feeling the backs of her boots get slightly scraped. She recovered from the fall, rolling to her feet easily, pushing off with her hands, and again she was off.

She spied the training arena where she had been tested from before, and headed for it as quickly as she could. Several surprised Padawans were shoved aside as she tore down the passage, towards the door which had just started to spring open, as though it knew her intentions.

Jay ordered the Padawans, who were watching two full-fledged Knights sparring with active lightsabers, to stay where they were as the klaxons blared outside. Frowning, he opened the door to see what the matter was, and was violently shoved back into the room by Marissa, who crashed into him full-tilt with her shoulder. His breath exploded out of him as he hit the ground on his back. His saber scattered out of the holder and rolled across the floor as Marissa paused to study the situation.

Both the Knights, recognizing the threat immediately, stood, side by side, lightsabers drawn, in a battle stance.

Hardly pausing to think, Marissa's arm snaked out as she Force-snatched Jay's fallen lightsaber from its position against the wall. The moment she felt the metal in her palms, she activated it, and waved the green beam of light in front of her menacingly.

"Get out of my way," she ordered the two Knights.

They ignored her, and began advancing.

"I'll kill you if I have to!"

The two Knights before her split off in opposite directions, trying to encircle her.

"Fine," Marissa growled. "We play it your way." She twirled the lightsaber menacingly, watching the first Knight in front of her, and mentally keeping tabs on the second one who had circled around behind her.

She struck first, lashing at the Knight in front of her with her sword. He blocked it easily with an upthrust, and she used the momentum provided from that to swing the blade quickly over her shoulder and parry the strike she felt from behind.

As quickly as she could, she dropped low to the ground and twirled around to strike at the legs of the Knight behind her. He leaped in response, as Marissa had counted on him doing, but he put a bit too much energy into it, and the jump carried him higher than usual. As the turn completed, Marissa began another one, extending her leg into a very swift roundhouse. It collided with the Knight's knee in the air, and his cry of pain and disbelief rang sharply in her ears. She completed the turn in time to block a series of strokes from the first Jedi before her as his companion hit the floor.

She played defensively for a moment, backing away from the Knight, so that it would be impossible for them to try and circle her again. The Padawans who had rushed to Jay's side scattered, dragging the Master with them, as the battle between Marissa and the first Knight raged in their direction.

Once she had put what she calculated to be enough distance between the second man on the floor, Marissa began delivering powerful blows to the sword in front of her, slashing it aside. But the Knight was quick enough to recover each time and block the series of attacks, albeit barely.

The second Knight rose unsteadily, tested the weight on his leg, then ignited his lightsaber a second time and charged into the fray. Marissa found herself facing down two people from the front, which was something she didn't like. Slowly, she was being backed into the corner, driven back before odds that weren't quite as equal as when she was fighting the droids.

She ducked a high swipe, back-flipped, planted her feet firmly on the wall behind her, and shoved off, rocketing across the room. She landed in the center, rolled on her shoulder, and came up again, saber ready. The first Knight, unencumbered by an injured leg, reached her first as his partner tried to catch up. Marissa wasted no time in directing a perfectly-executed slash of the sword into the oncoming Knight's saber. His wrist twisted from the power of the blow, and he lost his grip on the sword.

Marissa snatched it from the air, calling it into her hand as though it had been attached there all the time. It flared to life in her grasp, and she swiped at the now defenseless Knight with both swords.

With scant centimeters to spare, the second Knight reached the scene and interdicted his sword between Marissa's two, blocking the blow. Marissa spun to face him, lancing out her left foot as she did. The kick caught the first Jedi directly in the face, and he spun to the side, crashing to the floor out cold.

The girl turned her full attention to the injured Knight facing her and grinned. "Give up yet?"

The Jedi still gave no answer, but pressed his attack again. Marissa feigned defense until they had maneuvered over next to the wall again, then went back on the attack. The worn down Knight managed to block two blows before Marissa knocked his sword to the side and kicked his arm, pinning it to the wall with the sole of her boot. The impact jarred the saber out of his hand and a shower of sparks erupted as it streaked down the wall, leaving a massive black stain in its wake.

Marissa deactivated the blade in her left hand, slid it into her belt, called the third blade to her hand, and force-pushed the unfortunate Knight into the wall behind him while still pinning his arm to the wall. The crack of the bone snapping was quite audible in the large room. The Knight's head bounced off the plasticrete wall, and she released the hold on his arm, letting him slide to the floor with a groan of pain.

"Weapons acquired," Marissa smiled, gazing at the two lit sabers in her hands. "Now, Stiehl, we'll do things my way..." She took off towards the door on the far side of the room.

Four glimmering force-fields sprang up around her as she ran, instantly caging her in, and she skidded to a stop. Through the still-broken glass of the control room, she saw Jay staring grimly down at her. "I think that's far enough."

Angrily, Marissa swung one of her sabers at the wall in front of her. Sparks burst from the blow, but the field merely shimmered in front of her, as though taunting her.

The door she had originally entered through opened and Stiehl strode in, backed up

by several other Knights and Masters, both male and female. Some were species that Marissa didn't even recognize, especially the one with the double heads, but she had no doubt there was a tremendous amount of skill and power between all of them.

"Drop your weapons," Stiehl ordered.

Marissa seethed at him through the scintillating yellowish-orange force field. "If this shield wasn't between us, old man-"

"You would be dead by now," Stiehl countered. "Drop your weapons. You are going to see the Council. They will decide your fate."

Marissa looked nonplussed. "What makes you think I want to talk to your Council? Let me do my job."

"Put down those stolen lightsabers. This is your final warning."

"No, old man. I'm afraid it's yours." Like lightning, Marissa coiled her legs, then leaped as hard as she could. She spun the twin lightsabers above her head rapidly in a circle.

Stiehl registered what was going on just as Marissa's twirling weapons sliced a perfect circular hole in the ceiling. The metal plate she had cut away flipped in the air, then crashed to the floor with a deep, resonating 'bang' that echoed loudly in the stillness of the room. There was no sign of the girl. Somehow, though, Stiehl wasn't angry anymore. Up until that point, he had considered her to be of little worth. Now, however, he truly understood just what a formidable strength lurked inside of her. And a part of him respected that.

He continued to stare at the hole in the ceiling, head tilted slightly to the side, even as half the group raced off for the next level, and the other half rushed to tend to the two unconscious Jedi on the floor, check Jay out for injuries, and calm the nervous Padawans down. Unnoticed by any of the others in the room, a wry grin of admiration creased his lips. She was going to do quite nicely.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Marissa darted through the halls, knowing that she had only a scant few minutes before her pursuers made it to this floor. Her head was pounding madly, and she tried desperately to block from her mind as much as she possibly could. Fear kept her senses on edge as she rounded new corners in unfamiliar territory. She knew that she couldn't pull off another one of her escapes again; the last one had taken them by surprise. But the next time they had her cornered, it would be the last time.

She took another random hallway, dashed up a flight of stairs and through a set of double doors, then stopped with a small skid of her boot, and looked around her. All up and down the hallway, there were small children, dressed up like Jedi knights. Male, female, humanoid and non-humanoid, they all sported some identifying feature which marked them as Padawans. Marissa studied their movements up and down the hall, respectfully bowing to one another, entering and exiting rooms. I could have been any one of them...

Reality caught up with her again as the Padawans began to scramble back to their rooms at the sound of the floor alarm. Marissa knew that she had waited too long in one area, had let out a feeling of emotion that alerted the ones who tracked her to her general location.

A crazy plan started brewing in her head as she started running, jostling past the students that were trying to get out of her way. Finally, she selected a younger boy, about eight years of age, and followed him as quickly as she could. As he slid into his room to shut the door, she bolted in after him, closed the door behind herself, and locked it.

The boy stared at her with a frown, not knowing what to make of this stranger. His head of blonde, crew-cut hair tilted to the side as he regarded her. He brushed the Padawan braid out of his face, and continued to look at Marissa while she sat down on the floor, pretending to be out of breath.

"Thank goodness you got away safely," Marissa said, feigning friendship. "In another few moments, they might have been through here. Don't open the door until I tell you to, OK?"

The boy nodded. He decided that the nice woman had to be another Jedi. He could feel the Force flowing through her, could feel how strong she was with it. And since she didn't have a braid in her long, raven hair, he decided she had to be at least a Knight, and probably a Master. He bowed to her in greeting. "Hello."

Marissa smiled. "Hello to you as well."

"What's going on out there?" the boy asked.

She stood up, walked to his side, and knelt down. "There's an intruder here," she told him. "Someone broke into the Temple. But we're going to find him."

"Why are you in the Padawan dormitories?" he asked her. "You don't look like a Padawan."

"I'm not," Marissa said. "I'm a Knight. I was chasing the intruder. We think he made it to this level."

"Well, they won't get far," the boy said, crossing his arms, supremely confident in his prediction. "The Council can sniff out an intruder just like a Bantha can smell a Krayt Sand Dragon."

Marissa frowned. "Bantha? Krayt Sand Dragon?"

"Oh, sorry," the boy apologized to her. "Those are beings that live on my home planet, Tatooine." He perked up at the thought of his home, his former home. "Hey, have you ever been there?"

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't," Marissa replied.

The boy's face fell. "That's OK," he said, staring at the floor. "Not very many people have. It's a pretty out of the way place, I guess." He shrugged. "But Master Qui-Gon and Master Obi-Wan brought me here to be a Jedi Knight, so I'm happy about that."

"I don't remember my home," Marissa said, feeling a strange sensation of moisture behind her eyes.

"Lots of people don't," the boy told her sagely. "You were probably taken too early to remember it. Some of my friends on this floor are like that. They know where they were born, they just can't remember anything about it. I don't know what that would feel like, but I don't think I would like it very much."

"It really doesn't matter a whole lot," Marissa said, finally.

"Oh, I don't agree with that," the boy said. "I think your home is the most important part of who you are! Without it, how can you identify yourself? When I get sad or lonely, I think about my home and my mother all the time. And I think you can have more than one home, too."

"Oh?" Marissa was genuinely interested in this, and her eyebrows rose accordingly.

"Well, sure," he said. "I think of Coruscant as my home, because that's where I live right now. Then there's Tatooine, where I was born. And there's another place I think of as home too, but you'd probably laugh at me if I told you about that."

"Of course I wouldn't laugh," Marissa said, looking into his eyes. "Tell me about your third home."

"OK..." he started. "But you promised not to laugh." He licked his lips, then started talking. "Back when I lived on Tatooine, I met a really beautiful girl. I didn't know who she was, but that didn't seem to matter, because she was so pretty. You're pretty too," he told Marissa, "but in a different way. Anyway, she was only on Tatooine for a while before she had to leave. But I went with her, and saw her planet! And it wasn't anything like Tatooine was either! Her planet had oceans and swamps and grass and everything! My planet was just sand and dust all over the place. I hadn't seen forests before, either, and her planet was like that. Anyway, we stayed there for a little while, then my Master had to take me back here to the Temple so I could start my training. But I'll always consider that my third home, because it was so beautiful."

Marissa smiled. "So, does this mysterious beautiful planet have a name?"

"It's called Naboo," the boy said.

Marissa froze at the mention of the name.

"Isn't that a pretty name for a planet?"

"It...yes, yes it is," Marissa said, trying to reconcile her thoughts. Naboo was where she was heading, and it was where this boy had already been! How fortunate! "What was the girl's name?" she asked him. "The beautiful girl you met?"

"Oh, that's the best part!" the boy bubbled. "When she first met me, she introduced herself as Padmé, one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens. But afterwards, I found out that she was really Queen Amidala, and she had another one of her handmaidens playing as her bodyguard!"

He looked at Marissa as her face registered shock at the sudden imparting of new information.

"Yeah, that was about what I looked like when I found out too," the boy said. "I looked just like that!"

Marissa composed herself, careful not to let it appear that the slip-up was accidental. "I guess it was quite a surprise for you..."

"Are you alright?" the boy asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, you seemed to get really excited when I told you that," he said.

"It's been a long time since I've shared secrets with anyone," Marissa said, hoping the lie would convince him.

"I normally wouldn't tell anyone that," he said, "but since you're a Jedi anyway, I don't think it can hurt." He hesitated, looking into her eyes again. "What's your name?"

"Marissa," she replied before her mind screamed at her to make up a name.

"Marissa," he repeated. He said it two more times before nodding. "That's a pretty name too."

"Thank you," Marissa said with a small blush.

The alarms in the hallway went silent, and inside, Marissa grinned, knowing she had evaded capture for a little longer. She again knelt down to the boy's level. "It sounds like the alarm is over. They've probably caught the intruder, and made it safe here again."

"I told you they would."

"Yes, you certainly did," Marissa nodded. "You're very smart...um...what is your name again?"

"Anakin," the boy told her. "Anakin Skywalker."

"Well, you're very smart, Anakin," Marissa repeated. "But you need to remember something."

"What's that?"

"No matter what anyone else tells you, remember that people will intentionally hurt you sometimes."

"Why?" Anakin asked, face contorted in surprise.

"Because of who you are, or who you might become one day."

"That doesn't make any sense," Anakin said, shaking his head.

"In fact, the Jedi order may hurt you too. And if they do, you can always run away. I did that for a little while. I ran away. And I think I turned out OK, don't you?"

Anakin paused, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess so! Well, it was nice to meet you, Marissa!"

She stood up and patted him on the head. "It was nice to meet you too, Anakin. Now, remember, you've still got a lot to learn. So stay here, and be safe, but remember that most of the time, there won't be someone to watch out for you, so you have to take care of yourself."

Anakin frowned. That didn't sound like what Master Obi-Wan had told him, but at the same time, it made sense to a part of him. After all, most of his so-called 'friends' had turned their backs on him when he had first entered the Boonta Eve Podrace. Watto had even bet on Sebulba instead of him. He built his pod with his own hands, without any help from anyone else. He built C-3PO too, even though he wasn't finished with the droid yet. And how often did he have to rely on his own skills to carry out deals with the Jawas or get parts for Watto's shop? Nobody had helped him then, either. And nobody except him had ever really helped his mother either, not even when they had been in need... It struck a bitter cord inside him that resonated deep. "I'll remember that," he vowed. "I'll see you later!"

Marissa waved to Anakin, then ducked out the door, wondering just how much of a difference, if any at all, her suggestion would make to the boy and the Jedi order itself.

* * * * *

"No, she appears to have eluded us," Stiehl said into the communicator. "I've already had the training rooms and the dormitories locked down and swept. She's not there."

Mace Windu's reply was remarkably clear over the small commlink. "We've stationed a Master at every exit and hangar in the Temple. If she attempts to escape, we'll catch her."

"I'll continue the sweep here," Stiehl said. "I believe she's using some sort of thought masking device to prevent us from finding her." Stiehl didn't care to tell Mace that the girl had no trouble keeping her thoughts free from prying minds without the use of any sort of device.

"Let us know when you find her, and may the Force be with you."

"Thank you," Stiehl said. "Stiehl out." While still out of earshot, he punched in a private code on his comm unit and waited for an answer.

"Trish Brentton," answered the Jedi Master.

"Trish, this is Stiehl," he said, pretending to be out of breath. "We're chasing an intruder and need your assistance. We believe the intruder to be heading towards hangar bay seven. Please move to intercept."

There was a pause, then Trish replied. "On my way now."

"And keep this quiet," Stiehl ordered. "Just in case the intruder is monitoring public channels. Best if he doesn't suspect an ambush."

"Affirmative. I'll call you if he shows up, and not before."

"Thank you, Trish. Stiehl out." He clicked off the comm unit as a wry grin split his face. 'If she tries to leave through that hangar, it will be the best test of her skills yet...either she kills the Jedi Master who trained Sarah Brightwind, or she's dealt with in a swift and efficient manner. And either way, I win...' He pocketed the communicator and returned to his group. "We're to keep searching until we locate her." There were general nods of consensus, and the group headed down the corridor, through a set of double doors which slid shut behind them with hardly a hiss.

No sooner were they out of visual range than Marissa appeared from around a corner, where she had been huddled silently in the shadows. Now that she was back on the main floor, she knew exactly where she had to go, and had gathered the valuable information that someone would be waiting for her. Without making a sound in the quiet hallway, she stole off in the opposite direction of the Jedi search team and headed for the hangar where Stiehl had told her the ship would be waiting. The rational part of her brain told her to go somewhere else, but the irrational part argued that she didn't know how to pilot a ship, and only the vessel Stiehl had selected for her would have the coordinates pre-programmed. At this point, she didn't have time to learn either. After the job was done, she'd have plenty of time to teach herself, and her choice of systems to escape to and disappear.

* * * * *

Trish looked up as the doors to the hangar slid open, but relaxed as the girl strode in. Trish immediately noticed the lightsaber hanging from the girl's belt, and rose from her position on the floor to greet her. "Hello."

The girl nodded. "Are you Trish Brentton?"

The Master nodded back. "Yes. Is something the matter?"

"I'm under orders from Stiehl to pilot this ship out of the hangar."

Trish frowned. "I don't remember him telling me anything about that."

"He didn't want to break radio silence because of the intruder," the girl replied.

Trish suspected something was amiss here... Again, she looked at the girl. She was dressed in an odd but still appropriate manner. The lightsaber at her waist marked her as a Jedi, and she radiated a strong connection to the Force. And yet...

"What's your name?"

The girl, who had been walking past Trish as the question was asked, spun around. "My name?"

"Yes," Trish nodded, calmly. Something was certainly not right. She tried to scan the upper-level thoughts, but came back with only a mental block. She was deliberately preventing her intentions from being read as well as not identifying herself. Extremely un-Jedi-like actions. "Your name."

"Don't you recognize me?" the girl asked, stalling for time.

"No," Trish responded. "In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen you here before. You're no Padawan, but you can't be a Master either. Who are you?"

"It's not your concern," the girl said, and started to walk away.

"I can't let you do that," Trish warned, advancing towards the trespasser.

"I have orders from Stiehl," the girl said, without slowing.

Trish pulled her communicator off her belt and activated it. "Then I'd like to confirm those orders."

Marissa heard the communicator beep as Trish activated it, and she spun to face the Jedi. Lightning fast, her hand snaked out. The communicator seemed to crumple in Trish's hand, as though squeezed in a trash compactor.

Trish looked up calmly. "I thought so."

"You should have let me pass," Marissa said. "It would have been so much easier on you." Her hand reached towards the lightsaber clipped on her belt.

"Uh-uh," Trish said, motioning with her hand. The lightsaber flew off Marissa's waist and clattered into the corner. "You're coming with me." Slowly and carefully, she advanced on Marissa, her eyes staring into the girl's, locking her in place with the force of her will.

From out of the other side of her robe, Marissa's second lightsaber jumped into her hand as Trish got within striking distance. The Master reacted instantly, igniting her own sword in defense, and blocking a slash meant to decapitate her.

Marissa didn't hesitate to press the advantage. She swung low, and watched as Trish vaulted out of the way, leaving her saber to strike sparks along the floor.

"If this is the way it has to be," Trish said, "then so be it. I don't wish to harm you."

"Bit too late for that," Marissa replied. "Don't you think your kind have done enough damage already?" And with that, she charged the Master directly.

Trish easily dodged out of the way, parried another strike, yet continued to remain on the defensive. "What do you want here? Who are you?"

"How convenient of everyone to forget about me," Marissa sneered. Strike. Block. Pause. "I want this ship. Let me take it, and you won't see me again."

"I'm afraid that's not an option at this point," Trish said. "Let me take you to the Council. They will be lenient."

"Like they were for the last twenty years?" Marissa asked. Again, sabers crashed in the middle of the room. Trish backed away, still not attacking.

"I don't understand!"

"Neither do I!" Marissa exploded. She launched a flurry of blows at the Master, who continued to duck and weave. "Why don't you fight back?"

"Because I want to understand," Trish replied. "I mean you no harm, but you must deactivate your weapon so we can talk sensibly."

"Don't you get it? I don't want to talk to you, or any one else of your kind!"

Trish blocked another blow, this one directed at her midsection. "Why not? We can help."

"Shut up and fight!"

The next few blows came in rapid succession, forcing Trish back even further. The Master remained calm as she blocked each strike, focusing all her energy on the task before her. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you continue in this way, I'll have no choice but to fight back."

"Do your worst," Marissa sneered. "It's the only way to stop me."

'Sarah was never like this,' Trish reflected. 'Obstinate sometimes, yes. But never so totally driven by a single emotion...' This girl before her was filled with an all-consuming hate that was driving her now.

"Sarah, hmmm?" Marissa asked. Trish had failed to erect the mind block before thinking, not realizing the girl before her could read her thoughts. "Not Sarah Brightwind, by chance?"

Trish said nothing.

"I thought so. You know, it's amazing what you could do with those Force powers of yours if you just let yourself go."

"How do you know that name?" Trish asked.

"Simple," Marissa shrugged. "She's the one I was sent to kill."

Trish paused, her mouth slack. During that last announcement, her adversary had purposely dropped her mind shield, and Trish saw that the girl was telling the truth. She set her mouth, entered the battle stance, inhaled slowly. "I cannot permit that."

"Then you'll have to kill me," Marissa shrugged. "Do your best." And with that, she launched another attack.

Trish blocked easily, and reversed, going on the offensive, driving Marissa back towards the far wall of the hangar. She was amazed at how well the girl handled her weapon, as though it was an extension of her own body instead of the metal shell held in her hand. Marissa dodged a swipe, and turned the tables again, hammering away at Trish's defenses.

Trish shoved Marissa to the ground with a Force Push and charged at her, but Marissa rolled backwards to her feet and braced herself to absorb the charge. Trish's saber collided with Marissa's inches from the girl's chest.

The girl backpedaled away from the Master, composed herself, then launched another attack. Trish blocked high shots, low shots, and body blows before Marissa swatted her saber out of the way and connected with a snap kick to Trish's midsection.

Trish doubled over and raised her sword to block the blow she sensed was coming. Forcing herself to calm down, she rose and blocked another shot.

Marissa backed up a couple steps, retrieved the third lightsaber from her robes, lit it, and advanced on Trish again.

The Master studied Marissa's moves with the twin swords, parrying and dodging when she could, trying to ascertain a pattern. Very few Jedi ever trained with double weapons, and as a result, Trish had never been fully taught how to spar with someone who could fight with two lightsabers instead of one. For the first time in a long time, Trish remembered just what a little bit of fear felt like.

Marissa twirled the blades like an expert, launching attacks when they would least be expected, almost showing off her casual mastery of the art. She interspersed her bladed attacks with direct body strikes, finding it rather easy to move Trish's saber with both of her own, then attack with her boot.

Trish felt the pressure in the room going up as she was forced back to the wall against an onslaught she could only block, never counter. Finally, with only a meter or two to spare, she leaped as high as she could, flipping over Marissa's head, and landing on the other side of the attacker. As soon as she turned, though, Marissa was upon her yet again, showing blows this way and that.

Then Trish saw her opening. With a wave of her hand, she shoved Marissa's hand aside and struck low on one of the sabers. It deactivated instantly and clattered across the floor. Quickly, Trish stretched out her hand and scooped the saber up off the floor, secured it in her belt, and ducked away from Marissa's attack.

"Let's try this again," she said, hopping back and pausing. "Who sent you?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business," Marissa sneered. Idly, as though swatting at an annoying insect, she gestured with her left hand and sent a cargo contained hurling at Trish.

The Jedi dodged the attack, yet maintained her distance. "This fight is pointless."

"Any fight is pointless when one side chooses not to fight."

'A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack,' Trish reminded herself. Being in the presence of such belligerence and anger was eroding her will, slowly but surely. She had almost snapped when Sarah had been mentioned. Was it true? Could it be true? Who would send an assassin to murder a newly-trained Jedi? Nothing was making any sense...

"What is it you want?"

"Your body on the floor under my foot."

"But why?"

"Because you're all alike! Every last one of you!"

"How so?"

"Stop asking questions!" Marissa dashed at Trish, sword out-thrust, with murder in her eyes. Swords crashed again as the two met head-on.

Marissa gave no quarter, pummeling Trish with constant swipes and thrusts, and an occasional kick when the opportunity presented itself. Bit by bit, Trish was driven back again, unable to understand where her adversary was drawing her seemingly limitless energy from. She attempted to push Marissa away from her, but the girl put up her own defense, negating the attack.

In desperation, Trish tumbled to the side, drawing Marissa along the wall after her. The Master stood to defend herself and was promptly knocked backward from the ferocity of the girl's assault. Trish's foot blocked Marissa's kick expertly as she thrust the girl's saber aside, and shoved her backwards with her arm. Marissa stumbled off balance, and Trish pressed the advantage. Marissa suddenly found herself working hard to stay away from the Jedi's deadly weapon as her mind raced to formulate a plan.

Trish pressed Marissa back towards the ship and noticed as the girl tripped over something on the floor, causing her to stumble. She moved closer as Marissa dropped to one knee. Trish delivered a hard blow that Marissa blocked, but the force of the attack spun the intruder around so her back was to the Jedi.

Marissa's eyes alighted on the fallen lightsaber as she brought her own sword up to block the attack from above. Casually, she reached out with her mind and grasped the blade. In the split-second that Trish's saber locked with Marissa's, the girl called the errant sword to her hand, lit it, and stuck it through the small gap between her right arm and her side. It penetrated the fibers of her cloak, leaving a small black ring of fabric, before impaling Trish directly in the chest, just below her heart.

Trish's eyes widened in utter horror as she processed what had just happened. A faint sound, like a scream heard from a far distance, escaped from her lips as she stood, seemingly frozen to the spot, with the sword inside her.

Marissa stood up and turned around, yanking out the saber as she did so, and watched Trish begin to crumple to the ground.

Trish's mind tried to fight this sensation. Mentally, she was still fighting with her adversary, refusing to give up. She slashed and jabbed, dodged and weaved, but it all seemed to be in vain. Her opponent merely stood there over her, laughing, as her pitiful attacks slashed only air. But the blow had been almost immediately fatal. As she fell towards the floor, it seemed to replay itself out before her hundreds of times, each time with the same result. She felt her cheek start to press the cold floor. It seemed to be a dozen light years away, fading fast, spiraling out of control.

She felt no pain now, but a tear rolled down her cheek. 'Forgive me, Sarah...May the Force be with you, now that we will never truly be apart...' Before the rest of her had struck the floor, Trish gave herself up into the Force, and her body vanished, leaving behind only the white robes of a Jedi Master.

Marissa spat on the robe before her, then turned away and headed for the ship again. This time, her progress was unimpeded. She headed for the cockpit, unaware that the girl on Naboo, whom she had been ordered to kill, was at this very moment crying tears of rage.

The engines screamed to life, their whine deafening in the empty hangar. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the ship tore out of the hangar and blasted into the vast darkness of space.

In the rapid change of pressure created by the departing ship, Trish's robe was scooped up by the winds and dragged outside. Free of the confines of the hangar, it floated gently and slowly downwards to land at the feet of a group of Padawans who had been practicing outside when the ship had roared away from the Temple. After a moment of stunned horror, one of them finally raised a comlink to his lips, and within the hour, the entire Temple knew that Trish Brentton had become one with the Force.

* * * * *

No, the story is not over and done with. This is merely the beginning of the adventure. As always, I'm terribly interested in your feedback, so let me know what you thought if you made it this far! In the meantime, I shall be working on this story more and more in the months to come.

Bear in mind that the story, at this point, is a working copy. Things may be changed, subtly or drastically, between now and the final draft. Those few who have been beta-reading for me as I've been writing have seen some rather large changes and re-writes happen over the past few months, and there will doubtlessly be more of them in the future. So, just because something happens in this version, don't count on it being 100% certain that it will be exactly the same in the final version...

Until next time...

*huggles*