Star Wars Episode ii:

Remain A Mystery

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Author: Marina Kenobi
Summary: 10 years after TPM, Obi-Wan and Anakin go back to Naboo...AU

In this part, the three Jedi are introduced to the Senator of Naboo, who may be more familiar than they realized…
Spoilers: TPM
Feedback: If you want more, you give me some.  E-mail me at marina_kenobi@yahoo.com.
Rating: PG, for now.
Category: AU/ Action/ Adventure/ Angst/ Humor/ Romance
Archive: My site, Corra's site, any others, please contact me.
Note: All words between "//" and "//" are spoken through a Jedi link.
Disclaimer: I don't own these guys, though I really want Obi-Wan...All recognizable characters belong to Lucas and LucasFilm.  Marina is my character.

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The throne room that the handmaidens brought them into was brightly lit and quite full of people. Marina had to blink at all the different colors worn by the people. There were several more handmaidens present, though only two wore the maroon cloaks of the handmaidens escorting them. The others wore a light blue cloak that seemed to complement the dress of the woman on the throne.

Marina turned her attention to the woman on the throne, who must be Queen Jamilla. The Queen appeared to be bigger than she actually was, due to her ornate dress and makeup. She had appeared to be conversing with another well-dressed woman when the Jedi walked in, but now she was sitting and waiting for the Jedi to speak.

After glancing at Marina briefly, Kenobi stepped forward to greet the Queen. Surprisingly, Marina didn’t feel too annoyed, but then again, Kenobi was more familiar with the planet. After Kenobi introduced all three of them, the Queen began to thank them for coming to escort the Naboo senator back to Coruscant—but then the woman the Queen had been speaking to upon their arrival motioned that she wanted to speak. The Queen indicated her approval, and the woman stood up.

She was not a particularly tall woman—in fact, Marina guessed she was probably shorter than herself—but she held herself in a very regal manner. Her rich brown hair was done up in an elaborate hairstyle that must have taken hours, and her dress was a stunning combination of delicate embroidery and plush velvet. What struck Marina the most, however, was the good humor present in her brown eyes. She hadn’t developed a very high opinion of politicians over the years, but somehow, she that this politician had the potential to become a good friend.

The politician, whom Marina believed was the Senator, began to speak. “Thank you, Your Highness. May I say that I’m glad to see you again, Jedi Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker?”

Kenobi nodded and said, “We’re happy to serve you again, milady.” His Padawan, meanwhile, seemed to have turned into a staring pile of goo. Marina, however, remained a bit confused, as she thought that on Kenobi’s previous mission they had helped the Queen. Unless…perhaps the Senator was the former Queen?

The Senator accepted Obi-Wan’s greeting with a nod. Then she turned her attention to Marina. “Jedi Qwin, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Senator Amidala of the Naboo. I met your associates ten years ago, when I was serving as Queen Amidala.” She lowered her voice slightly as she walked toward the Jedi, aiming a comment directly to Marina. “I’m glad that you’ve survived being with them; I know they’re stubborn men.” She raised an eyebrow slightly at Marina, who smirked inwardly, then turned her attention back to all three Jedi. “Let’s adjourn to one of the conference rooms, so we can discuss how we’re getting back off Naboo.”

With that, the Senator swept out of the room, maroon-cloaked handmaidens following. The three Jedi bowed quickly to the Queen, then followed as well. Marina decided that her initial impression of the Senator seemed to be right so far; she was looking forward to getting to know her better. With this thought, she felt better about her mission with these two strange Jedi than she had all along.

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“We can speak more freely in here,” the Senator said a few minutes later. She turned from closing the door and looked directly at Obi-Wan. “Tell me what’s really going on.”

“The Mandolorians are moving again,” Obi-Wan responded, smiling at her directness. “We’re not really sure why they chose Naboo, though. It seems to connect to the mystery of—”

“Why the Trade Federation picked us,” Senator Amidala finished. She crossed the room and looked out the window for a moment, then turned back around. “Have the Jedi found any proof of Darth Sidious’s existence?”

Jedi Qwin broke into the conversation. “Milady, you certainly are well informed. Not very many Jedi even know of the supposed return of the Sith.”

The Senator smiled slightly. “When a noble Jedi Master is slaughtered on your planet by an ancient enemy, you’d pay very close attention too.” She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem surprised to know they still exist.”

“My former Master is on the Jedi Council,” Jedi Qwin replied. She shot a glance at Obi-Wan. “And my colleagues filled me in on the way here.”

“And no, there hasn’t been any direct proof, per se,” Obi-Wan added. He glanced at his Padawan, who had been strangely quiet. Anakin was busy staring at the Senator. Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh. He should have remembered that Anakin had an immense crush on her ten years ago; apparently, time hadn’t changed anything.

The Senator nodded at Obi-Wan’s response. “Then it’s not surprising that this is happening yet again.”

“Not really,” Obi-Wan agreed. His attention was drawn to movement outside the window. He grimaced, then said, “Milady, we can talk more later. For now, we need to plan on how to get you out of here safely.”

“Do you think they’ll leave my planet alone if I leave, Jedi Kenobi?” she asked suddenly.

He met her gaze straight on. “I assume that’s why you’re so eager to leave?”

She nodded once. “It’s a definite part of why I urged the Queen to contact Coruscant. Of course, my duties also lie back on Coruscant.”

“You’ll still do almost anything to save Naboo,” Anakin spoke up for the first time. The Senator graced him with a short smile.

“Naboo is my home, first and foremost,” she replied quietly. She shook her head, as if bringing herself out of a dream. “Are we going to sneak out of the palace, or are we trying a direct assault?”

Obi-Wan answered with a smile. “How fast would you like to get back to Coruscant?”

Jedi Qwin spoke up. “Perhaps a combination of the two?” As Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow, she plunged on. “It would cause us to leave tomorrow, but here’s what I was thinking…”

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