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

Chapter Eight – The Ambassadors

The hours were long, minutes crawling by slowly. It seemed time had stopped, ceasing its endless running, but simply staying still. There was no way to avoid the fact that Naboo was under attack. The peaceful planet had never done anything to provoke something akin to war. Always, they strived to live in peace and harmony. The rulers of Naboo kept everything in check from their palace in Theed, diplomacy their constant companion. And yet it seemed that diplomacy had abandoned them for now. Many of Naboo, especially in Theed, had chosen to wear maroon, the colour which in traditional Nabooan culture represents war. They called for an act of violence against the Trade Federation that was at the very moment invading their beautiful planet.

Everything on Naboo was connected with colour, and each colour represented a meaning. White was the symbol of peace, green the one of rebirth, of a new beginning, maroon that of war, black the one of mourning and of loss, accompanied by gray and other duller colours. Yellow and orange were the colours of life and secretly for rebellion. Blue was the colour of energy, of wisdom and of spirit. Red was by tradition the colour of royalty. And by wearing maroon, the many clans in Theed suggested to Queen Amidala that her actions were too orthodox, and that she needed a more aggresive approach to rid Naboo of the danger it now faced.

The sound of transporters reached the Grand Plaza, and some of the people remained upon the streets to see what was coming. Others fled to the safety of their homes. Numerous families sought shelter within the palace walls. Yet Panaka, as well as everyone else, knew that when the droid army arrives, there would be no place to hide.
The large transporter ships of the droid army became visible, and the long columns of droids marched into the Grand Plaza, making their way towards the palace.

In side the large building, Queen Amidala stood by the window, helplessly watching the droid army overtake Theed. Panaka had been right, and Amidala had known it all along – Naboo was no match for the droids. Behind the Queen, her handmaidens were rushing up and down the corridors. Sabé appeared then, dressed in formal Naboo regalia, a somber black gown with her face painted white. She was every inch the Queen as Amidala was. Arwen accompanied her to the actual Queen.

"Your Highness, the situation grows more dangerous with each passing minute," spoke the disguised handmaiden. Amidala chose to remain silent, only her brown orbs reflecting the pain she felt and the emotions that surged through her body. Arwen chimmed in with her soft, tender tone.

"My Queen, if the Viceroy finds you here, in this regalia, he shall make you sign the treaty. Nute Gunray is not known to be a man of peace and gentleness." With a sigh the Queen finally yielded, and allowed Arwen and Sabé to lead her to her chambers. Eirtaé swiftly undid Rabé's handywork with the Queen's hair and safely packed the Jewel of Zenda with the headdress. Saché and Yané took of the Queen's robe, while Rabé undid her facial mask. Arwen produced a vibrant, flame-coloured gown which all other handmaidens, except Sabé, wore. Swiftly, the team of women dressed Amidala and hid her face behind the low-lying hood. Now, she was no longer Queen, but one of the handmaidens, Padmé.

"I must change as well," spoke Arwen. Eirtaé handed her a gown which was similar to those of the handmaidens, yet was more heavily dyed in red and golden. Arwen arched one slender eyebrow. Sabé shrugged.

"You are royalty, and you definitely are not a handmaiden. Besides, you are close to the Queen, the closest of all her ministers. You have every right to wear red." The Elf chose not to answer her but quickly changed from cream to red. It stood as a striking contrast to her pale skin and gray eyes, which took on a more golden hue in response to the gown. Her hair was swiftly re-organised by Rabé, who now took a delicate hairpiece, a gift to Arwen from the Royal Advisory Council when she first arrived. It was designed in the fashion of leaves, crafted of gold, with brilliant golden jewels laid into it. The many jewels hung low from the actual headpiece. Arwen's ebony hair was placed so that none of it hung lower than the base of her neck.

When Nute Gunray invaded the Palace of Theed, he was practically jumping with glee when his men brought the Queen of Naboo before him, along with her escort of five handmaidens, the governor and Minister of War. Panaka and four of the best guards were brought beside them soon after. Nute and his companion Rune were satisfied, and were chatting quite merrily as the group, surrounded by droids, was lead onto the Plaza. There, many of the people were being transported into camps. The sight of their captive Queen did little to ease the situation.

Sio Bibble was in uproar. "How will you explain this invasion to the Senate?" he demanded. Nute chuckled menacingly. Arwen pierced him with her darkened glare, when he chose to look upon her. She was the only one of the women that did not seem so low-hearted, but rather stood proud and tall, her eyes glimmering in the sunlight in defiance, as well as were the Queen's.

The Viceroy smiled pathetically towards Bibble. "The Naboo and the Federation will forge a treaty that will legitimize our occupation here. I've been assured it will be ratified by the Senate." The group of Nabooans all glared at the Viceroy. Sabé, disguised as Amidala, lifted her chin in disgust, brown eyes bearing down at the creature before her.

"I will not cooperate." Her words were cold and flat, telling Nute that he was making a deal without one of the centerpieces. But the Viceroy seemed very asured with himself. He cackled joyfully, but the sound made a chill run down everybody's spine.

"Now, now, your Highness. You are not going to like what we have in store for your people." Amidala shot Nute a menacing gaze. He continued with satisfaction. "In time, their suffering will persuade you to see our point of view. Commander. " He motioned to one of the droids, which stepped forth. Arwen could hardly believe the machine-thing could be called a commander. "Process them," were the final words of the Viceroy the group would hear for a while. The droid nodded towards his superior then motioned to one of his followers.

"Take them to camp four." Thus, Panaka and the Queen, with their company, were roughly pushed into the direction of the camp, which was to be their home for as long as the Queen would remain defiant to the Viceroy's demands. And that, mused Panaka, would be quite a long time.

Little did they know, however, that help was on its way.

A little out of Theed, a senior member of the Jedi ranks, master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, had encountered a native Gungan Jar-Jar Binks, who took them to Otoh Gunga, the massive underwater Gungan city. Boss Nass, the leader of the Gungas, was kind enough to grant them transport out of the watery world. By the time Amidala and the others were having their little chat with the Viceroy, the Jedi and the Gungan had already arrived at Theed. Qui-Gon was not impressed by what he saw. He knew that the Queen needed to be taken to Coruscant, where she would be able to plead help for her people in the Galactic Senate. Obi-Wan trailed behind his tall Master in silence, as they made their way into Theed unnoticed, and observed the culture that was unfurled before his eyes. He was amazed, for it was beautiful, and his heart was torn with grief that someone would want to enslave it.

But there was no time for that; Qui-Gon lead him and Jar Jar onto a walkway above the Plaza. Below them, a group of ten battle droids was escorting what seemed to be the leading body of Naboo. Only a look needed to be exchanged between Master and Apprentice.

In the next moment, they used Force-inhanced jumps to land right in front of the droids and Queen Amidala. Two lightsabers flashed into life, the buzzing sound meant to wake fear in the hearts of Jedi Enemies. Even the droids knew, with their mechanical brains, that they were in for trouble. Blue and green flashed the lightsabers as they danced their way through the droids. They cleaved through them as if they were no more than butter. The battle, hardly called a battle, was over within moments. Qui-Gon took a breath and a satisfactional smile crossed his aging face. He looked at the group, seeing the young girls and the elderly man. His voice was slightly out of breath.

"Your Highness, we are the Ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor."

Obi-Wan clipped the hilt of his lightsaber onto his belt, when a sudded tug at his mind caused him to look up. The Force flowed freely between him and another person on the Plaza, sending a distinctive, clear signature within his soul. There was someone highly Force-sensitive here, and his soul called to that of Obi-Wan. Having learned not to meddle with the affairs of the Force as an infant, the Padawan simply allowed it to guide his gaze.

Blue-green met gray, and time seemed to stop as the two Force signatures met, entvined, and realised, though their bearers did not know it yet, that they fit together as a key fits into a lock.

TBC

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