Disclaimer: George Lucas, owns all the rights to the Star Wars series. I am here to play, then put everything away.
Spoilers for TPM; I, Jedi; the Jedi Apprentice series; Children of the Jedi DO NOT PANIC; and others.
The timeline I used in placing events in the pre TPM world are based upon the timeline found in Vector Prime.
Kenobi blinked several times as he stepped from the harsh glare of the desert sun into the dim interior of the cantina. Ignoring the rhythmic music from the band, he quickly glanced around, then smiled and headed toward a table in the back.
"Hello," he said. Nejaa Halcyon motioned for him to sit.
"Hi," the older Jedi replied. "How's the boy?"
"Fine." Ben Kenobi rubbed his chin. Leaving the baby boy with his brother had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. The look on Amidala's face as he'd left Dagobah would forever be ingrained in his mind. He frowned as he briefly wondered how she was doing, then forced his attention back to the business at hand. "Well?" He stopped rubbing the new beard, reminding himself that Jedi were trained not to notice physical discomfort.
Nejaa nodded twice. "I found them. They're at a settlement on Suarbi 7/5. Nikkos is there." He paused and took a deep breath. "Is this wise?"
"I don't know." Ben knew the plan was risky with poor odds of success--but he had to try something, anything to prevent Palpatine from becoming a galactic dictator. "But I can't sit around and do nothing." Hours of meditating in the wastelands of Tatooine had revealed to him little of value.
"You've not said much. Baryl is right, you should share what's on your mind." Ben smiled slightly at the name as Nejaa continued in a whisper. "You believe Sidious is Palpatine?"
Ben wondered at the older man's quiet acceptance, of the plan as well as the recent events which precipitated it. "He is incredibly powerful," Kenobi said with a quick nod, his voice equally low. "I have never seen the Force used in such a way. I can't let him succeed."
"As my absent partner would say, you have a lot of confidence in yourself, perhaps over-confidence..." Nejaa chuckled briefly and then sobered. "You hope that Nikkos will know something?" Ben nodded. "Once you start down..."
"I know," Ben responded. "Forever will it dominate your destiny." His thoughts turned to his former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Something Palpatine had said made him wonder if Anakin had managed to survived his fall into the crucible of molten rock.
Nejaa blinked, then shook his head. "You're thinking of your apprentice." It was more a statement than a question. Ben nodded once more. "I see." Nejaa stared at him for several seconds before continuing. "There are rumors that someone was pulled from a crucible. Alive."
Ben gritted his teeth at that bit of news. Anakin lived--but exactly what had survived?
Nejaa jerked his head toward the door. Ben rose quietly. Since that day a few months ago, it seemed as though the Force took great delight in tormenting him. Visions of Anakin and Amidala, visions of death, visions of life. He took a deep breath as he prepared to face the midday heat of the Tatooine desert. He no longer saw what the future would bring.
Amidala Naberrie, former ruler and ex-senator of the sovereign system
of Naboo, placed both elbows on the dressing table and stared into the
mirror. In the space of just one year, everything she'd ever valued was lost to her forever.
She lifted her head and caught sight of the closed door behind her. She could hear the voices of Kalla and Bail Organa as they prepared the Princess Leia for her official presentation to the Alderaan court. The three month old baby had no idea of who she was, of course, and would possibly never know her true family identity.
At least she would be able to help raise one of her children, she thought bitterly. Her son Luke was far away, but never far from her thoughts. She shook her head sadly as she returned to the here and now. Kalla had suggested she avoid the presentation ceremonies--as Mistress of the Nursery she was not required to attend--but Amidala felt it was necessary. She was an outsider, trying to fit seamlessly into the Royal Household, but at the same time attempting to conceal her identity. Lady Ami, a distant cousin of Bail's and a recent war widow, was a convenient disguise.
She glanced at the dark amber headress sitting on the table. A widow's dome, it was called. This one had belonged to Kalla's great-aunt. While most of the ladies of the royal court wore their hair in elaborate styles, some of the older women, especially those in mourning, wore complicated headresses. Kalla had originally offered her an emerald green one with five tall cones. Amidala had taken one look at the showy headpiece and politely asked if there were any others to choose from.
Selecting the simple amber roll had been easy. Amidala picked it up and
placed it on her head, carefully pushing her braided hair beneath the brim. She picked up the matching gauze veil and attached it in front. She slowly stood up, never once taking her eyes from the image in the mirror. The blurred features of Lady Ami stared back at her.
Emperor Palpatine inclined his head, acknowledging the formal bow of the aged human senator. The gray-haired man straightened. "Your Highness, if I may, I beg a private word with you."
Palpatine smiled politely, ignoring the many senators exiting the grand corridor. Their excited conversation hid many doubts and questions about the report from the Senator Brial's independent investigation. "Senator Va, my time is yours, in service to all who need it."
"Thank you, Your Highness. This report...it is inconceivable. The Jedi have been the protectors of peace and justice for centuries!"
"I too, find it hard to believe. Just ten years ago the Jedi helped save my homeworld." The Emperor paused, his gaze piercing that of the other man. "But we have both seen the evidence that belies their benign image."
Senator Va shook his head sadly. "It's--" He paused. "It's just so fantastic. I mean, who would have imagined something like this?"
"Senator Brial's team went over the temple ruins quite thoroughly, and spoke to the many eyewitnesses."
"I'm not questioning the Senator's veracity," Va said with a defensive huff. "But to destroy their own temple? So many Jedi died that night."
Palpatine bowed his head and was silent for several seconds before he answered. "Yet so many of the ruling body survived. Senator Brial reports that nearly eighty-five percent of the victims were under the age of thirteen." He kept his voice soft and calm, tempered with a hint of disgust. "They say power has a sinister influence. Once, a long time ago, the Jedi were the protectors of peace and justice, respected and revered by all." He smirked slightly. "The Jedi have been corrupted by that very power. We are obliged by the people of the galaxy to stop them."
Senator Va frowned. "They must be held accountable for their crimes!"
"And so they shall be. The parents who only wanted their kidnapped children returned can never be recompensed for what they lost that terrible night, but we can see to it that the Jedi commit no additional murders."
"Yes, Your Highness. I have been thinking...the senate should create a monument to the martyred children. To remind us just what the Jedi have become."
"An excellent suggestion, Senator Va." Palpatine waited for the man to finish, concealing a rising impatience. Finally, Va bowed and left. Palpatine did not spare him another glance. A foolish man, he thought as the door to his private elevator closed behind him, but a useful one.
Senator Brial's independent investigation into the bombing of the Jedi Temple a year ago had proved exactly what it was supposed to. Not a surprise. Palpatine was not a man who left things to chance. By tomorrow, the entire galaxy would know the details of the report. He knew there were many who would resist the report's conclusions--but Senator Organa's coalition had been weakened by its actions during the Clone Wars. The majority of the Senate saw the formation of the so-called Independent Alliance as near treasonous behavior. That viewpoint, combined with the Alliance's open dealings with the Jedi, would keep the dissenters from being anything more than a nuisance.
Palpatine understood too well that this was only a short-term solution. But that was all he needed. His plans were too deeply entrenched for anyone to stop him now.
Alderaan
Amidala stood in the back of the Alderaan Throne Room, quietly watching as Kalla and Bail Organa formally presented their daughter to the Alderaan government. She winced at the sight. Two months of practice had made it easier to hide her emotions, but the passage of time hadn't eased the pain. Princess Leia Organa was now someone else's child. It had been Amidala's choice--and her choice as well to remain close by, where she could maintain some tenuous contact with the little girl. Amidala brought her attention to the throne dais as Senator Bail Organa motioned for silence.
"We thank you for your support. Our daughter thanks you." For the briefest of seconds, Amidala noticed him glance in her direction. "In other news, our petition for readmission into the Galactic Republic has been approved."
The announcement was expected, but the words cut through her nonetheless. She stopped listening to Bail's *short* speech and let her thoughts wander. Most of the governments that had formed the Independent Alliance during what was now called the last of the Clone Wars had rejoined the Galactic Republic. Several, including Caamas and Calamari, were still refusing all overtures from Emperor Palpatine to rejoin. "Emperor Palpatine has promised has promised there will be no repercussions." Amidala bit her lip, glad the veil prevented the others from seeing her fury at the title and the man. Those who believed that Palpatine would relinquish his power and restore the republic, would soon learn. Unfortunatly they would learn only after he'd declared a Empire. And then it would be too late. Civil War would be the only way to free the galaxy--a thought that appalled her. There had already been too much bloodshed and destruction--including her own dear Naboo.
The sound of applause brought her back to Bail's speech. She joined in, a pained smile on her face. The senator had finished. She watched silently as Princess Kalla Organa, her friend, handed Leia to another of the nursery attendants. She turned away as the attendant carried the baby up the stairs.
"Hello," Kalla said. Amidala's smile became real at the sound of her friend. "You didn't have to attend the ceremony."
"I know," Amidala said. "But it would have looked odd if the Mistress of the Nursery was absent." She motioned toward the audience of bureaucrats and politicians. A redheaded woman, her hair arranged in an intritically sculpted hairstyle, walked by. Her sour expression grew at the sight of Amidala.
Kalla laughed kindly as the other woman turned away at the sight of the princess. "Lady Brasa really needs to be more mindful of proper protocol. Don't worry about them," Kalla said as gestured toward the crowd. "Their daughters and wives will survive the slight of not being selected Mistress of the Nursery." She pulled on Amidala's arm, and the two women exited the room together. "Garm is calling for an elimination of the emergency measures. He has some support. Bail's hopeful." She paused. "Palpatine's committee has determined who was behind the explosion of the Jedi Temple."
Amidala nodded, not voicing her questions on just what lies Palpatine had told. There were too many people who didn't know the reality--too many who were becoming believers in the supposed need for a stronger central government. Neither of the women spoke again until they were alone in Kalla's receiving room.
"What's he saying?" Amidala asked, although she had no real desire to hear the words of the man who had been born on her own world--the man who had corrupted and then apparently murdered her husband.
"The official report states that the Jedi destroyed the temple to keep parents from claiming their stolen children." Kalla sat down on the edge of her desk and motioned Amidala to join her. "Bail says the Emperor is also forming a commission to look into the Jedi Council's secret support of the clones."
"And they will undoubtedly find something." Amidala closed her eyes and grimaced. "When Colonel Arasta suggested we have Palpatine assassinated..."
Kalla snorted. "And become like him? No, we both know that's not an option."
"Emperor Palpatine." Amidala stared at her clasped hands. "Unless Garm is successful, our choices are limited." She glanced at Kalla--the look of sadness and horror on the Princess's face was enough for Amidala to know that Kalla understood just what civil war would mean. "We are committed to a course of action that can only result in war."
"But until others are ready to face the truth..." Kalla muttered a quick prayer.
Amidala slid off the desk. They both knew that it would be years before that moment was reached. Life would continue, but not as before. "I need to be attending to my duties, Your Highness."
"Ami," Kalla said. "Be careful. I may joke about court politics and intrigues, but they do exist."
Amidala nodded, and prepared to leave. A sigh escaped her as she once again wondered if perhaps she would be better off on some other world---a place where she didn't have to hide behind a veil, use an alias, or pretend to be what she wasn't.
Kalla reached out and tapped Amidala's arm. "I am no longer in the mood for the affairs of state." Amidala's eyes met hers and saw that she was smiling. "Come. Our daughter could use some spoiling."
Ben Kenobi, Jedi Knight and Master, could think of nothing to say that would ease the ache in his own soul, let alone the heart of the Caamasi Jedi who sat next to him. They'd both remained silent in the two days since Nejaa Halycon's death on Suarbi. During that time, Ylenic had quietly washed and packed what the Corellian Jedi's pitifully few belongings---a set of robes, his saber, and a few personal effects.
"It's not your fault," Ylenic It'kla said softly as he cradled the package in his lap. "He knew." There was a long pause. "He knew. Corellian Jedi lore warned him that leaving Corellia might be fatal."
"It was my plan."
"And it was his decision to follow you there." Ylenic placed a hand on Ben's arm. "Do not attempt to place all the problems of the galaxy upon your shoulders. You have enough of your own."
Ben smiled sadly. "I understand, Master. But..."
Ylenic shifted in his seat so he could look at Ben directly. "Do not give into despair or Palpatine will have already won."
"Patience will be our greatest virtue in the years to come." Or so Yoda had drummed into his head over the past ten years. Ben was finally beginning to understand why Yoda thought this so important.
"Yes." Ylenic shuddered. "The situation will only get worse before it gets better, but it will never be the same."
"Perhaps the galaxy will find courage..." Ben let his voice trail off. The new emperor would not let go of his power easily.
Ylenic held the package tighter as he stood. "I knew Nejaa for many years. His final request was a simple one. He just wanted to make sure his family remained safe."
"I can take care of that," Ben said sadly. He owed Nejaa that, even though he knew what Ylenic's response would be.
"The Corellians will protect their own. You must see to the other Jedi---help those who wish to flee before it is too late."
When she heard the pounding on the door a second time, Baryl Arasta of CorSec went to the little table in the corner and picked up her blaster. It was too late in the night for a social call. She cocked the weapon, then froze as she sensed something. Smiling, she put the blaster down and hurried to the door, throwing on her green robe as she went.
"Ben!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him into her small apartment. Some of her excitement faded at the look on his face. She didn't need any Force sensitivity to realize something was terribly wrong. "What happened?" she asked quietly. He tried to smile but sank wearily into a chair.
"Nejaa's dead."
She stared at him, dumbfounded, for several seconds, then knelt beside him. "What happened?" She took his his hands between hers.
"There was a dark Jedi on Spaarti--I thought we could..." He closed his eyes and continued. "Nejaa and Ylenic agreed to track him down. Nikkos Tyris had some friends with him--all I wanted was to just talk..." He opened his eyes and she could see how tired he was. "We fought and Nejaa died saving us."
She gripped his hand tighter. "His family..."
"I know." Ben stared out the window. "Ylenic said he would tell Nejaa's wife. And his partner."
"There has been news on another front." She immediately regretted saying anything as she bit her lip.
"What?"
She shook her head. "Not now."
"Tell me." His voice held a hint of command.
"Palpatine has ordered a commission to investigate the crimes committed by the Jedi," she whispered. "You need sleep--we can deal with this later. When was the last time you slept?" She watched him carefully, noting the unkempt beard and dark circles under his eyes.
"Slept?" He paused, as if considering. "I don't know."
"Too long." She stood and pulled him up with her.
He walked toward a shelf and stared at his unshaved face in the mirror as he picked up a finely carved green-stone box. "I've been expecting Palpatine to do something like this." Anything further he might have said was lost in an enormous yawn.
She marched over and took the box from him, replaced it on the shelf, then placed her arm around him. "Sleep. In the morning, I'll tell you about the plans Horn and I have come up with."
She dragged him away from the mirror, wondering if any training, CorSec or Jedi, really prepared anyone for the loss of close friends--or the loss of everything one believed in. This past year had introduced her to horrors she hadn't dreamed possible, and to a level of evil that truly terrified her.
"Plans?" he asked. His eyes brightened a bit.
"For the Pulsar Express." She smiled briefly. "We need to be prepared."
"I know. Palpatine will set out to destroy the Jedi."
"He has already started." She fished through a drawer. "This was announced yesterday." She placed the datachip in a reader and handed it to the Jedi.
He took in its contents at one glance. "It's a lie."
"We know that, and so does Palpatine. The truth doesn't matter--he's out to destroy popular support of the Jedi."
Ben shook his head and handed the reader back to Baryl. "We have to tell our side of the story."
"Tell what? Palpatine understands how to use information for maximum advantage--whether it is true or not. For generations, the Jedi avoided becoming involved in politics, he's using that too."
"But claiming the Council was willing to kill all those children to prevent a few from being returned to their parents? How can anyone believe this?"
"Most won't. But add this to the claims that the Jedi were behind the Clone Wars, and people will start to wonder, to have doubts. With the Jedi scattered and the council disbanded..." She shrugged helplessly. It was so frustrating.
He clasped his hands around hers. "Pulsar Express?"
"A way to help the Jedi to escape to the rim worlds or maybe beyond."
#
The first signs of the coming morning woke her several hours later. She rolled carefully out of bed, not wishing to wake her companion. She watched him sleep for a minute, then grabbed a robe and slipped out of the room.
A cup of tea was just what she needed. Steaming cup in hand, she walked over to the mirror and stared into it. She recognized the same hollow gaze in her eyes as had been in Ben's the night before. They'd both seen and learned too much. Her thoughts turned to the Halycon family and how they would manage now. She had dealt with the loss of her own parents, but had grieved for a very long time. Eventually the pain subsided, but never went away completely.
She put the cup down and picked up the finely carved green-stone box. She sat down in the chair and lovingly opened it. "Mother," she whispered. "I've never really read these letters. They were yours and as such I always felt I shouldn't read them." She smiled briefly. "But for some reason, you left them for me to find."
"A hunch?" a male voice said. Ben sat down on the floor beside her. "The Force acts in mysterious ways sometimes. Who were your parents?"
She smiled sadly as she answered. "My father was a clerk at the bank. He made carvings in his spare time." She held out the translucent stone box for a moment, then placed it back in her lap. "He carved this for my mother when I was five. When they died, I found these inside." She pulled out a datachip. "Letters. I read a couple--but somehow it didn't feel right. The Force, perhaps?"
He smiled and handed her the datareader. "You weren't meant to read those letters then."
She shook her head as she inserted the datachip. "They were from her brother. After their death, I did try to track him down." She shook her head sadly. "I found nothing." She read several lines to herself, and then scrolled back to the top. "'Dear Sister. I am grieved at your request, but as always I will honor your wishes. This will be the last time I contact you. I had wished to see you again and meet your daughter, but I know why you have kept me away. You should know that I would never do anything to cause you pain." She paused as she reread the paragraph then glanced at Ben. "It's dated fourteen years ago. I had just graduated from the CorSec Academy. Mom did seem depressed at the ceremony."
Ben nodded sadly. "What else?"
"Just a farewell. No names. It's signed 'your loving brother'. It's rather sad, though--how much misunderstanding there was. I must be why my parents fled from wherever they came from originally. They feared the Jedi would take me, like they had taken my uncle."
"The Jedi never take," Ben said softly. "The family is given an option. Not all choose to allow the Jedi to raise their children, but most do. If only she'd known that the Corellian Jedi have their own traditions. Yoda never really approved of them." He closed his eyes. "What about the earlier letters?"
"Ben?" She whispered. "You're doing that Force thing again."
He chuckled. "I know. It's been such a part of my life, I can't imagine not following it. The Force runs in families." He glanced at the shelf under the mirror. "The woman in that holophoto is your mother?" She nodded as she too looked at the picture of the woman with the blue eyes and flowing chestnut hair.
Ben smiled. "She...well...I have a feeling."
Baryl's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she could sense nothing from him. She pulled out another chip. "This one's over two decades old." She looked through the others--there were maybe twenty in all. "It's one of the earliest." She placed it in the reader. "'Dear sister.' " A quick glance through it confirmed what she'd already known. "Again no names." She glanced at the loose collection of datachips. "To bad she didn't see the need to save the delivery records."
"Then we must see beyond the words," Ben said with a hint of a smile.
"You once mentioned that you'd visited your family?" She almost asked him what he suspected.
"When I was fifteen. It's not unheard of for Jedi children to visit their families at some point. And I guess it was some sort of test." Ben's face grew distant. "They were happy to see me--but we had nothing in common except a name. I had seen and done things they would never know. And they too had seen things and done things I didn't know or believe to be important then." He shrugged. "Farming was never something I understood. I ate the food, of course, and knew vaguely about the work involved in producing it--but when I was fifteen I thought it was boring. It showed." His sheepish smile hinted at deeper memories. "Qui-Gon was not pleased. He reminded me that it was important to cherish my family. I listened to his words, but I never understood the meaning behind them."
"Until now," she added softly.
"Until now." He glanced at her. "I lost so much by not staying in touch with them. I don't know my brother and he neither knows nor trusts me." He clasped his hands. "I like to think I've come a long way since that day." She felt his gentle Force prod to continue reading, so she did.
"'It's happened again,'" she read. "'Once again, I find myself wondering if I am a poor teacher. Another student has broken my trust. But was the fault his, or mine?' " She stopped as Ben stood and slowly moved to lean against the window. His eyes focused on the distant horizon--yet she knew he was looking inward.
"What?" she asked.
He didn't turn. "That letter was written twenty-two years ago?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I...I never really understood."
She shook her head with confusion but continued reading. "'If the situation wasn't so troubled here, and if I thought I would be welcome, I would visit. My sister, be careful--there is a growing darkness...'" She stopped reading.
"Yoda wasn't the only one, was he?" she asked, not sure if she should be angry. Ben didn't respond for several minutes. She watched him curiously.
"Eleven years ago, Qui-Gon announced to the Jedi Council that he had faced a Sith Lord on Tatooine. He never explained to me how or why he knew this. I trusted his judgment on this, and never questioned him." He smiled sadly as he faced her. "I challenged him on just about everything else those last few days--but never that. He'd sensed that darkness even before the Battle for Naboo."
"And he did nothing?" Anger and disappointment tinged her voice.
"Looking back, I know he tried--within the constraints placed upon him by the council. There were several missions I never fully understood--and several not sanctioned by the council."
She glanced at the reader then at the picture of her parents. "And all the while the evil lurked just meters from that same council."
"One of the galaxy's little ironies," Ben said sadly. "An irony that has seen the destruction of the council."
"And the rise of that evil. Palpatine must have enjoyed watching the Jedi's blindness, and confusion."
"He did better than that--as Supreme Chancellor he had control over the political missions. He sent us on missions that revealed exactly what he wanted us to find. He played his Sabacc hand very well."
"He still does. Tell me, what do the letters tell you?" She clutched the reader tightly in her hands.
"They tell me that I hurt Qui-Gon far more than I'd ever known. Twenty-two years ago, I renounced the Jedi and tried to fit in with a peace group, with disastrous results." He again stared out the window. "It was about then that Qui-Gon started to sense a growing darkness." He laughed bitterly. "And I was too young and still too arrogant to understand."
"And now?" She asked as she placed the datareader on the table.
"Now? I've seen too much not to understand."
She knew what he meant. And perhaps a deeper truth as well.
"Your master, did he have a family?" She suspected--no, she *knew* the answer. Another example of the Force, she realized.
Ben smiled at her. "Apparently a sister who ran away when she married and found herself pregnant."
She closed her eyes. She sensed his presence draw nearer and felt his arms wrap around her. "I never knew any of my family besides my parents. I would have liked to have met him. What was Master Qui-Gon like?"
"He was a great Jedi...And a good friend." She opened her eyes and tilted her face, inviting him to come closer still. Their lips met.
"Master It'kla," Kalla said with a big smile. Amidala turned to face their visitor, her welcoming smile turning to a frown as she recognized the sadness in his eyes.
"Ylenic," Amidala said softly, as she rolled the ball toward the three-month old Leia. The baby gurgled as the ball bumped her arms. "What has happened?"
Ylenic bowed his head. "Master Halcyon is dead." Amidala closed her eyes as she remembered the Jedi who had been her protector and friend. "I have sensed a great disturbance--I can't place it, but I can feel it." He glanced at Kalla.
The princess nodded, then left. Amidala knew the princess would eventually find out. "Master Halycon?" she asked softly.
Ylenic took a deep breath. "We tracked down a group of dark Jedi with a connection to Sidious...Palpatine. Kenobi hoped they would--" Both turned as the door opened behind him.
"Ami," Kalla said, "Master It'kla." Her voice was totally without emotion. "It's Caamas. The first reports are just coming in."
"Clones?" Amidala asked quietly. She picked up Leia, while Kalla went to comfort Ylenic.
"No one knows. I've ordered the Alderaan relief effort to prepare ships." Kalla glanced at Amidala then wrapped an arm around Ylenic. "I'm so sorry."
Ylenic's eyes were closed as he spoke. "Palpatine?"
"Perhaps," Kalla said. "The republic is reportedly sending ships. I shall lead the Alderaan fleet. I would like your help." This she asked Amidala.
Amidala bowed as Kalla left and prepared to follow. It was time for Leia's nap. Ylenic placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your daughter is indeed strong with the Force. I promised Obi-Wan...Ben that I would watch over her and perhaps train her when the time comes."
"I would be honored," Amidala whispered as that soft pain in her heart returned. "But it is not my choice."
"I understand." Ylenic bowed as he stroked the infant's forehead. "She is the future: through her and her brother the Jedi will survive the coming darkness."
She barely heard his last words. "The Jedi on Caamas?" she whispered. Amidala was one of the few people in the galaxy who were aware that the remnants of the Jedi Academy had sought sanctuary on Caamas.
"I fear the worst," Ylenic said with unusual pessimism as the baby began to fuss. Ylenic straightened. "She is sleepy."
"Perhaps," Amidala said. She couldn't help but wonder if the baby was simply over-tired or sensing the strong emotions in the room. She held her close and started to sing, unconsciously choosing a Naboo lullaby her own grandmother had sung to her so many years ago.
Amidala shuddered as the wind howled through the scorched trees and destroyed buildings. She couldn't believe the devastation--and she'd seen and survived the war with the Clones. The survivors of the little village were gathered in a motley collection of tents grouped around a large fire. Ylenic It'kla's face was a complete mask. Only the stiffness of his stance gave her any indication of how he felt. "I would be honored to meet your family," she said.
"It is a miracle that anybody survived this." It had been quickly determined that Caamas had not been attacked by some remnant of the clone armies. The destruction pattern was different, and not as complete. A great many of the Caamasi had survived. Someone had estimated maybe as high as thirty-percent of the population had survived, but the planet was destroyed. Fires still raged in the forests and the larger cities. Republic scientists feared the atmosphere would be completely depleted within a few years.
There were several shouts from near the tents, and a young Caamasi child emerged and ran toward them. "Uncle!" he yelped as he wrapped his arms around Ylenic's waist.
"Hello, Elegos." Ylenic hugged the child and then his other relatives as they approached. Amidala smiled at the happy reunion that seemed oddly incongruous, given their surroundings.
After the initial euphoria had subsided somewhat, Ylenic introduced her to his family. Their greeting of her was less enthusiastic, but welcoming none the less. The taller female placed her hand on Ylenic's shoulder. "Brother, it is good to see you alive."
He bowed. "Y'lgo, I have much to tell. Alderaan has agreed to establishing a settlement..." His voice trailed off. Amidala had been there when the surviving remnants of the Caamasi leadership had agreed to resettlement on several different worlds.
"Several planets have agreed to this." Amidala watched curiously as Y'lgo pulled away from him. "Kerilt has made the same offer. Their world is more like our own." The Caamasi female glanced at Amidala. "You must understand--we would prefer to live somewhere that reminds us of home."
"I understand all too well," Amidala responded. "I, too, am a refugee. Alderaan offered me sanctuary."
"I'm sorry," Y'lgo said. "I didn't know." She turned to face Ylenic. "I know you too well, brother. You will go to Alderaan."
He smiled sadly. "I made a promise, sister." Ylenic glanced quickly at Amidala, his look informing her in no uncertain terms that he would not accept release from that promise.
"I understand, Ylenic," Y'lgo said. "We shall honor you in our memories. Elegos will miss you most of all."
Ylenic hugged his sister, then his young nephew. "I would like to honor him with a gift." The child's eyes opened wide. "I have memories to share that must be saved for the future." He knelt so that he was level with Elegos. "Someday you will know what to do with it." Y'lgo nodded her agreement, then took Amidala's hand.
"The sharing of memnis is usually a private affair," she whispered. Amidala followed her quietly until they reached the fire.
"Memnis?"
"We Caamasi have an unique ability to share certain memories with others in our clan. By sharing a part of himself, Ylenic will always be with us."
Amidala smiled. It was a beautiful idea. She wondered what memories they shared, but decided it was far too personal a question. The female spoke quickly with another, then spoke again to Amidala.
"Our family would be honored if you would share our meal." Y'lgo took her hand. "It may not be much, but we won't take no for an answer."
#
Ben Kenobi stared at the ruins of the many buildings where the Jedi students and faculty had been housed. The destruction here was complete and total. There were no survivors. The new Emperor--and Ben was convinced that Palpatine was responsible--had acted quickly on his plans to exterminate the Jedi. Over two-thousand had died here. He reached down and ran his hand through the still warm coals, like he had on Coruscant so many months ago.
"Why?" A voice said. He stood to face the slim human woman.
"Mistress Gallia?" She had aged so much during the past year that he hardly recognized her. Her hair was graying and she walked with a slight limp.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, don't tell me I've changed that much?" The quip was lost in the deep sadness of her eyes. She stared out over the rubble. "I don't understand."
"Hatred," he whispered. "The darkside has risen." He took her hands in his.
"I have sensed the darkside becoming stronger." She looked at him sadly. "I survived the attack on Coruscant and ran away--I should have remained. Perhaps..."
Ben shook his head. "No, if you had stayed, you would have been killed, too. I can help you..." He almost said flee, but instinctively knew that word would make her stay. "Leave. The Jedi are in grave danger." She looked at him sternly.
"I shall stay, I'm old..."
"Yoda would not call you old. Neither do I."
"There are not many Yoda would call old," she retorted. She motioned toward a young man and woman circling the building. "Master Djinn's former students. They served with the Chandrilan fleet." Ben nodded. He'd met the pair a couple of times during the war. "Geith has brought me disturbing intelligence." Her voice grew softer. "The one advantage of age is recognizing what is happening--even when it is too late. Emperor Palpatine is out to destroy the Jedi--Geith has brought me news of a secret project apparently ordered by Palpatine himself."
"Tell them to be careful and not to underestimate the powers of the new emperor." Ben hesitated. "You are going with them?"
"No, young man, I have more sense than that. They will investigate and report back to me."
"May the Force be with them," Ben said. "What will you do?"
"Help where I can." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mace?"
He closed his eyes to block the sadness. "Dead. He died giving me time to escape from the emperor and his forces."
"I thought I'd sensed his death." Her voice became distant and lonely. "The Force is no longer coherent. The galaxy's despair is overwhelming it. Take care, Master Kenobi." She stepped away from him. "The Emperor's hatred of you is as great as his fear. He will not spare any Jedi, young or old."
"I know," Ben said as he glanced around. "I have never seen such power..." His voice trailed away as he remembered Mace tumbling over the railing on Spaarti.
"The darkside destroys--that's all it can do." Her voice carried a warning. "Do not succumb to the temptations of the darkside or you, too, will be lost to us." She smiled. "Your young lady is jealous?" Ben's head snapped up as he looked past the ruins. Baryl waved and then hurried over.
"She's here with CorSec," Ben explained.
Adi nodded twice. "I shall be leaving soon. Watch her carefully--a great sadness I sense about her. Farewell, Master Obi-Wan. Remember, I shall help where I can. May the Force be with you."
"And you, Mistress Gallia." He felt empty as he watched her walk away with the pair of younger Jedi. Another link with the past gone. "Farewell." The crunching footsteps of Baryl's approach shook him out of his musings. "Anything?"
"It's definitely not clones." She stared after the departing woman. "She should be careful. Palpatine is expected here tomorrow."
Ben swung around. "I didn't know." His mind raced to Amidala. She had insisted upon coming to this world, and unfortunately Princess Kalla had agreed, saying that Amidala's experiences in helping with refugees would be useful. "We have to get Amidala out of here."
"I've already told her. And you should consider leaving as well."
"I can't..."
"You have no choice. Ylenic will be going with you." She kissed him quickly. "Before you leave, Senator Bel Iblis asked that you join him and the others." She motioned toward the remains of a temple. "Be careful, Ben, he suspects that Palpatine has spies here."
"Who would have thought that," he quipped. She squeezed his hand.
"Take care. I love you." They kissed again before she returned to her team. Ben watched her leave, then reached out with the Force. No one seemed unduly interested in him, but it wouldn't be wise to become careless now.
#
As Amidala waited, she stared at the stars. Thousands upon thousands of stars. Many of the stars had planets. Most of these were inhospitable to life: either too barren, too hot or too cold; but a few were inhabited. She wondered if Caamas would someday again be capable of supporting intelligent life. The many scientists agreed that the atmosphere had been damaged, and there was no way to stop its loss. They figured anywhere from five to twenty years before the chemical reactions started by the unknown assailants destroyed the planet's atmosphere completely. There was even less time before it was too poisonous to breath.
A branch snapped behind her, causing her to start . She quickly pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. "Who's there?"
"You're a long way from the nursery," a woman's voice said. Amidala turned to face the red-headed noblewoman from Alderaan.
"I have experience in dealing with refugees," she replied calmly.
The other woman stared at her. "Who are you? I never heard of you before the birth of the Princess Leia."
"It is enough that Princess Organa and her husband know of me."
The other woman's expression remained cold. "Lady Ami, a widow..."
Amidala maintained a steady glare as she tried to remember the woman's name.
The red-head snarled. "My father had assured me that the position was mine. Imagine my surprise when I learned a nobody, not even a member of the royal court, had been given the position."
Amidala didn't bother with a retort. She'd had experience with this type before. As queen of the Naboo, one of the more annoying duties had been dealing with such petty complaints.
"Don't get too comfortable," the woman warned. "I have friends." She turned and left.
Amidala didn't bother to stare after her. She debated informing Kalla for three seconds and then decided against it. If the matter became official, there was a risk that her story might be revealed.
#
Ben quickly greeted the trio of senators, then took the offered seat. They waited quietly while Bail took out a jammer. "I had my quarters swept--but I've been informed that my staff has been infiltrated."
Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma nodded as Bail continued. "Emperor Palpatine has put together a committee to investigate Jedi involvement in the creation of the clones. The committee is made up almost entirely of his supporters."
"I've heard," Ben said without any surprise. "Palpatine is still--publicly--acting in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Republic. That will eventually change--and when it does, I want to have a way to help fleeing Jedi and other refugees who wish to escape."
"Risky," Garm said as he leaned forward in his chair. "Palpatine's spies are sure to find them."
"I'm open to a better idea, senators?" He glanced at Bail, then the other two. "Is there any chance we can expose him?" he asked, even though he knew what the answer was.
Mon Mothma stood slowly. "We're not exactly in high-standing with the Republic Senate. The few hints I've dropped have either been missed or, as in the case of Senator Brial, simply raised questions about my sanity." She shrugged. "Our best chance is to try to limit his power. Garm's bill is gaining support."
"Was," Garm said. "I've been informed that since news of Caamas broke, three governments have dropped their support. They're scared."
"Of the wrong thing," Mon Mothma said angrily. She gripped her hands tightly around the arms of her chair.
"And the Sullusti government has voted to rejoin the Republic," Garm added quietly--Ben could sense an aura of fatalistic resignation. "We're too weak and too broken to fight back. The Clones devastated the Republic." Ben understood. It was easy to see the devastation of planets like Y'mala, Naboo, and Caamas, while the real evil remained hidden behind the galaxy's fear.
"In the chaos, darkness reigns," Bail said as he quoted an ancient text--Ben couldn't remember exactly which one. "Alderaan will help with your plan." Ben bowed, grateful for the support. The other two senators also offered aid. Ben wondered, though, if the Corellian senator knew how involved his planet already was.