When Destinies Meet, part 1: In the wake of discovery

Author's Note: Forgive the lateness of this chapter! But I had spring break and went on a trip to France, where I had not time to write, really, since we had to be entertained all the time! That's why this chapter is a little longer - to make amends!

Chapter Nine – Her Royal Highness must escape

"Your Highness, we are the Ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor." Qui-Gon's voice was reassuring and calm.

Sio Bibble, however, did not find it amusing. "Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," he commented dryly, sarcasm dripping from his voice. It was clear to all that the Governer did not believe these two to be Ambassadors, due to the situation that was now upon Naboo, and mainly in Theed.

The tall Jedi pierced Bibble with his shrewd gaze. "The negotiations never took place."

That was a new point of view for everyone gathered. Padmé stiffed down a gasp, while the other handmaidens simply stood, stunned by the Master's voice. Sabé forced herself to remain calm. If negotiations never took place, then it was obvious that Nute Gunray was doing this on his own hand, without the protection of the Galactic Senate! The handmaiden stiffed down the urge to turn and look to Padmé for help, for the disguise should not be broken. It was her task not to do anything that the Queen would not do. Even though circumstances may be hard, she would play her role well.

Qui-Gon then turned to the Queen herself, the imposing figure in a black gown, standing silently and quite serenly in front of her staff. For a brief moment, his green eyes met a pair of brown ones right above the Queen's right shoulder, and met fear, defiance and disbelief, before the gaze turned downwards. A sudden thought occured to him, but he stored it into his mind for later. Now was not the time.

"Your Highness, we must make contact with the Republic," he continued, and met the Queen's gaze evenly. Even with the imposing headdress, she was still petite. Movement behind her alerted the Jedi and he turned his head to watch as a dark-skinned man in the uniform of the Royal Guard step forward. Qui-Gon inclined his head slightly in greeting.

Panaka was happy that the Jedi had arrived, although he did not trust them as of yet. The Jedi were a completely different lot than any other specie he had met in his life. Besides, they took small children away from their families and loved ones. That was why Naboo had long ago decided that it would break one single Republic law: if a baby was found with a high midichlorian count, they would reduce it so the boy or girl would be useless to the Jedi. Rather than allowing the Jedi doing the measures, the Nabooans did them regulary themselves and made sure that only a small quarter of Force-sensitive children actually went to the Temple. Against the laws, but the people were happy.

"They've knocked out all our communications," he said to the taller Jedi, while keeping an eye on the younger one as well. He did not like the way he met, and held, for quite some amount of time, the gaze of the Minister of War, before she lowered it herself. And the flush on her alabaster cheeks was something he wasn't too fond about either.

Qui-Gon sensed there was more to this man that met the eye, but ignored it for the time being, and rather spoke about the matter most pressing. "Do you have transports?" Panaka turned his gaze back to the Jedi and nodded instantly.

"In the main hangar." He motioned with his hand. "This way."

The group moved off the Plaza finally. Everyone was happy that they were walking again. Eirtaé ushered Yané and Saché before her, while Rabé stayed close to Padmé, who trailed behind Sabé-Amidala in silence. Arwen walked beside Sio Bibble, lost in thought. Her mind dwelled upon one single person – the young Jedi Padawan that was in that moment walking beside his master and following Panaka. It had been quite surprising to find his gaze upon her back in the Plaza, but more so, she had discovered that her own eyes had sought him out. And in the moment that their eyes had met, she felt something..a jolt of something deep within her soul, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come. That was when she had averted her gaze and looked at the golden embroidery upon one of her sleeves. Now, she was trying to come to a conclusion what had happened. She had been in the world for more than 3000 years, and nothing even remotely close to that tiny spark had ever stirred within the depths of her soul.

The main hangar of Theed was underneath the palace, which meant they had to return to the place where they had been captured. Panaka knew all the secret ways of Naboo, and confidently lead them all through a serie of narrow pathways, before finally coming upon a side door to the hangar. He peeked around the corner, along with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. They could see the pilots sitting on the floor, guarded by droids. Large numbers of droids patrolled the hanar itself, and the trio just barely ducked out of sight as one came strolling by with it mechanical legs.

Panaka shook his head, and looked at Qui-Gon: "There are too many of them."

Qui-Gon gave him one of his calm smiles. "That won't be a problem." He turned to the Queen. "Your Highness, under these circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us." His words struck everyone gathered deep, for the Queen had never left Naboo ever since that crash flight months before. And she was not destined to leave anytime soon. To run away would mean to desert the people, and yet it would also mean to save her life. Amidala now faced a dillema in front of which many would have faltered and failed miserably.

Sabé's face was emotionless when she spoke. "Thank you Ambassador, but my place is with my people." Padmé released a breath she did not know she had been holding, and congratulated Sabé in her mind. There was no way she would leave Naboo and its people, HER people, to Gunray.

Qui-Gon was not happy with the answer. "They will kill you if you stay."

Bibble shook his head. "They wouldn't dare!" His voice was that of outrage.

Panaka offered an explanation to an annoyed Jedi Master: "They need her to sign the treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her." Padmé shuddered. Sadly enough, it was true, and all women of the court knew it.

The Jedi's voice was thoughtful and concerned: "The situation here is not what it seems to be. There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me that they will destroy you." This was a completely new vision of Gunray, and one that no one of Naboo wished to imagion. Panaka looked at Amidala worriedly. Sabé's heart hammered away in her chest, while the rest of the handmaidens and Arwen stood in silence, waiting for an answer rom the Queen. It was Sio Bibble who spoke first, however, in a pleading voice.

"Please, Your Highness, reconsider. Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us. Senator Palpatine will need your help." Now Sabé was truly before a dillema, and one she did not like at the least. She wished that it were Padmé who spoke with the men, not herself. At times like this, it took every ounce of self-discipline to maintain the regal appearance of Queen Amidala, and yet still think with a clear head and speak with a sharp voice.

Panaka had to disagree with both Bibble and Qui-Gon. "Getting pas their blockade is impossible, Your Highness. Any attempt to escape will be dangerous." He had in mind the sleek Nubian starship, which had never been designed as a warship, but rather as an interpretation of Nabooan philosophy. It did have the latest technology and astrodroids, as well as the newest model of a hyperdrive, but no shooting equipment and much less very strong shields.

Bibble was quick to counter the guard. "Your Highness, I will stay here and do what I can..They will have to retain the Council's Governors in order to maintain control. But you must leave." His blue eyes met hers, and he nodded. Sabé gulped and wished feverishly for something to happen so she would be able to step down from her role. Slowly and gracefully, she turned to look at Eirtaé and Padmé who now stood right behind her, with Arwen standing alongside.

"Either choice presents a great risk..to all of us.." she trailed off and waited for an answer from Padmé. Their communication, when thus dressed, consisted of hidden riddles and enigmatic speeches. They trained all the time. For example, Amidala spoke about her concerns about the water levels in one of the minor cities during a council, and Sabé would know that she was thirsty, and bring her water. That way, everyone thought that the staff was extremely well-trained and could be ruled over.

Arwen gently nudged Padmé from behind, and the handmaiden spoke. "We are brave, Your Highness," and lowered her head. Arwen nodded, gray eyes meeting brown ones and sending a thought of reassurance.

Qui-Gon, however, was getting impatient. "If you are to leave, Your Highness, it must be now."

The Queen nodded. "Then I will plead our case before the Senate." She turned to look at Bibble. "Be careful, Governor." Then she moved, and three handmaidens, Eirtaé, Rabé and Padmé followed her, along with Arwen. Saché and Yané would stay with Sio Bibble.

Now the group had finally entered the hangar, and the droids noticed them immediately. Alarms could be heard in the distance, probably the Queen's disappearance had already been noticed. Qui-Gon took little heed of the droids and simply walked further, as if on a casual jog. Amidala was nervous, and kept looking left and right. Something was bound to happen soon. Arwen walked behind her, and took a glance forward, towards the Padawan. Over his shoulder there came suddenly the vision of one of the yellow fighters, turning slowly towards the exit. No one else seemed to notice it, thus Arwen remained silent, for she realised that she was having a vision. In the cockpit there sat a young boy, perhaps aged ten, with an astrodroid behin him. Together, they took off from the hangar, with laser beams following them, but missing completely. Then the hangar was empty and silent once more.

Arwen looked ahead and tried not to think about the vision too much. They happened occasionally, these visions, and she had yet to discover the power to partly control them, for at the moment they simply came, unbidden and unlooked for. The elleth surpressed a sigh and focused on what was going on before her. Panaka had wisely suggested that the pilots should be freed, and Obi-Wan had set out to do so. There was something in the manner of his walk that made Arwen wonder, but she had little time. For suddenly a droid appeared before them all.

"Where are you going?" came its mechanical voice. The Elf had to stiff back an urge to roll her eyes. These robots knew very little of what went on beside the orders they were given. They didn't have the brains for that. Qui-Gon seemed completely calm.

"I am Ambassador for the Supreme Chancellor. I am taking these people to Coruscant." The machine before him seemed to be thinking. Arwen was getting nervous, but she fought the urge to cast glances to her sides. Finally, the droid came to his senses.

"Uh..that does not fall in with orders..eh…you're under arrest!" Big news. This time, Arwen did roll her eyes. The idiocy still surprised her, even though she'd seen quite a lot of it by now.

But the poor robot didn't have a chance to even lift his weapon properly – the Jedi was far too quick for him. In the blink of an eye his green lightsaber flashed as if from out of nowhere. The buzz was also heard from Obi-Wan's own saber, and together, the two Jedi began their assault upon the droids in the hangar, while the now freed pilots began racing in every direction. Ric Olié, captain of the Nubian cruiser, was first to reach the ship, and he wasted no time at all, but quickly seated himsel into the cockpit and proceeded with ignition. Sabé lifted the heavy skirts of her gown and ran as fast as she could, with her handmaidens in their fiery gowns flanking her. Arwen came last, acting as rear-guard, as she had oft done in her plays with Elladan and Elrohir. But that time seemed so far away now that she did not stop to think about it. The slight heels of her shoes made clinking sounds as she sprinted towards the rampway. Midstride she nearly got shot by one of the lasers, but luckily she had enough wit to duck. In the next instant, a strong arm was around her waist, and she looked up to see Padawan Kenobi. He pulled her forward without a word, while deflecting stray laser shots with his saber. Together they ran up the rampway, and as the ship was already on the move, Qui-Gon joined them.

The Master and Apprentice looked at each other.

"This will be a bumpy ride," commented Obi-Wan, then looked at Arwen. She arched one elegant eyebrow, as if to ask 'What?'. He flashed her a grin, though she couldn't find anything amusing in their current situation. "Strap yourself in," he continued, then disappeared into the cockpit. The elleth glared after him. Strap herself in? Not in a million! And she promptly followed the Jedi to Ric. She and the pilot had become fast friends anyway.

The cruiser got speed finally and managed to get into orbit. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Arwen all stood behind the pilot as he maneuvered them out. Together they caught sight of the feared Blockade. They were soon joined by Panaka. And it was then that Olié complained: "Our communications are still jammed!"

"We need to get past the blockade," commented the elleth. Qui-Gon looked at her, but before he could ask, she offered an explanation: "Minister of War Elana Oriana. I am responsible for anything connected with battles." The Master seemed to like the answer, because he simply nodded and focused upon the blockade once more. Laser canons could be seen, and it was not long until laser shots began to hit the sleek cruiser. Its shields were no match against such power. Somehow, one shot got past the shield and hit the hyperdrive, as well as the power generator. Suddenly their shields were down, and alarms went up all over the ship. Arwen's lips became a thin line, and her gray eyes betrayed her fright. Qui-Gon placed a hand on her shoulder.

Have faith. The Force will guide us.

The voice inside her head was unexpected, but welcome, and she grasped that tiny beam of hope which she knew as much about as she did about the life of Hobbits. Her knuckles turned white as she waited, while astro-droids travelled onto the damaged area. One of them, R2-D2, was the most stubborn of all. When everyone else had been shot off, he remained, and transfered power, so their shields were back up. It was a small victory, but at least it meant they flew right through the blockade, and away, far away from Naboo.

Olié pushed some control buttons. "There's not enough power to getu s all the way to Coruscant..the hyperdrive is leaking." Qui-Gon lowered himself down to inspect some charts. Arwen noticed the main name: OUTER RIM. This would be interesting.

"We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship."

Obi-Wan cut in: "Here Master. Tatooine. It's small, out of the way, poor..the Federation holds no power here." The elleth's head turned into the direction given, and she actually saw the planet on the charts, though she knew little about it except that it lay in the notorius Outer Rim. It seemed the Padawan knew more than just battle techniques.

Panaka was suspicious. "How can you be sure?"

Qui-Gon answered without looking at him: "It is controlled by the Hutts."

This sent the captain of the Guard into an uproar: "The Hutts??"

Obi-Wan turned to look at him. "It's risky, but we have no alternative." He looked to Arwen, as if asking her opinion. In the elleth's opinion, any place without Nute Gunray's presence was a good one.

Until..

"You can't take Her Royal Highness there! The Hutts are gangsters..if they discover her.." Arwen cringed. She didn't want to think about it, really.

Qui-Gon spoke in a stern voice: "..it will be no different than if we land on a system controlled by the Federation..except the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us an advantage." Panaka took a deep breath of frustration, and looked to Arwen for help. All men in the cockpit suddenly had eyes on her, and Arwen figured out that this would be the most important decision of her life. She took a deep breath and looked down, trying to calm her thoughts. It seemed to her that soothing waves came from the Evenstar pendant she wore, and she could fanthom her father speaking to her:

Listen to you heart, child. When all esle fails..listen. It will guide you. Always.

Gray eyes met the green of Qui-Gon.

"We go to Tatooine." Panaka gave a yelp of frustration. Arwen looked at Ric. "Captain, proceed. Inform me when we are near." Before she exited the cockpit, she met Obi-Wan's gaze. Their eyes lingered for a moment, then she was gone in a flourish of red and golden.

"To Tatooine it is then," commented Olié. "Best take some rest, boys. This is going to be a long trip."

TBC

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