"ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Tell them we wish to board at once."
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, hooded, stood at the entrance to the cockpit of the ship, looking past the pilots to the huge blockade that was currently surrounding the vast planet I recognized as my old home. I stood just behind them, holding a hologram in my palm of my hand, having just got done conversing with my master back on Coruscant. Kera had decided against going with us, and was staying behind to organize training simulations for me to take when I returned. I was here alone with just Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, which was a little nerve wracking to me, as I'd never worked with another apprentice older than me before. Especially one quite as confusing as Obi-Wan.
He was an amazing student, yes, and I could tell he was going to become a very powerful Jedi. However, he never seemed to stop asking questions. My entire flight had been plagued with his inquiries, about myself, Naboo, my sister the queen... anything I could possibly think of, he'd asked it. It was really starting to get rather tiresome, and it was almost a relief that we were about to enter what could be a dangerous situation to negotiate with the Trade Federation.
I turned my attention off of the two Jedi and toward the pilot, who was currently trying to create a connection between the Trade Federation ships and ours. She pressed a couple of buttons, and the screen above flickered to life, displaying an image of the Viceroy of the Trade Federation in real time.
"With all due respect, the ambassadors to the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately," the pilot relayed.
"Yes, of course," the viceroy rasped in reply. "As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal, and we'd be happy to receive the ambassadors."
I scoffed. "Likely," I whispered under my breath and pulled my robe on to prepare for landing.
The pilots guided our ship down toward the nearest blockade ship, and landed smoothly in the docking bay, where hundreds of battle droids were waiting, watching the ship arrive.
"There's a lot of them," I noted, peering out of the windshield from behind Qui-Gon.
"Indeed," the Jedi Knight replied, his eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. "The Trade Federation is starting to become a big problem."
Obi-Wan turned around to look at me, only a couple of features from his face popping out to me from under his hood. His bright blue eyes met mine, and I took a quick step back, finding myself much too close to him. "You seem to be right about the necessity to resolve this matter," he told me.
I nodded, swallowing a retort. "Well, I do know this planet better than most."
The pilot up front spoke up just then, sparing me from continuing the conversation any further. "The ramp has been opened," she announced. "You've been given clearance to head out whenever you are ready."
"Thank you," Qui-Gon said, then turned to Obi-Wan and I, looking us over meaningfully. He noticed both Obi-Wan and I with our hoods up and nodded in approval. "Are you two ready?"
"Ready as ever, Master," Obi-Wan replied. When Qui-Gon turned to look at me, I nodded in agreement, and he led the two of us off the ship and into the loading dock.
A silver protocol droid was waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp. After conversing quickly with Qui-Gon, it led us toward a set of double doors, which slid open as we neared them. We were led down a could of small hallways, and finally brought into a small room adorned with one long table and several business chairs scattered down the side of it.
"We are greatly honored by your visit, Ambassadors," the droid said peppily as we walked past it and surveyed the room warily. "Make yourselves comfortable. My master will be with you shortly."
With that, the droid left, the doors sliding shut aggressively behind it. As soon as the doors were securely shut, the three of us lowered our hoods, sighing in apprehension.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan announced gravely.
Qui-Gon shrugged, looking around passively. "I don't sense anything."
But for once, Obi-Wan and I were on the same page. We exchanged glances, our eyes glittered with skepticism. "It's not about the mission, Master," Obi-Wan spoke up. "It's something... elsewhere. Elusive."
"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon instructed his apprentice, following me toward the table in the center of the room. "Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."
Obi-Wan still didn't seem convinced, and for that matter, nor did I. Maybe he wasn't as annoying as I'd originally pegged him to be. I joined him at the head of the table as Qui-Gon examined a tablet nearby.
"Master Yoda always says we should be mindful of the future," I told him in a lowered voice. "Not at the expense of the present, but enough to keep a handle on what is about to happen. We need to be cautious."
Obi-Wan glanced at me, as if surprised. "You're very wise."
I laughed a little. "For a nineteen year-old, I guess so."
The boy cocked an eyebrow. "You're nineteen?"
Well, I guess he hadn't asked everything on the way here. I supposed there was still a lot we had to learn about each other.
"Yes," I told him, turning away, and beginning to walk towards the windows. I could tell without looking behind me that he was following. "Your point is?"
"I would have guessed you're in your twenties," he told me. "You seem about ready to take the Trials."
I didn't let it show, but my heart swelled with pride. Obi-Wan may just be another apprentice, but the fact that he'd believed me to be ready to become a Jedi Knight did give me a little feeling of positivity amidst all this negativity. "I thought the same about you," I admitted, reaching the windows and looking out thoughtfully. "You're in your twenties, aren't you?"
"Twenty five," he announced, reaching my side and looking out the window as well. Now this was more like what I liked--getting to know someone at the same rate they were getting to know me... with no relentless questioning.
"You are about ready to take the Trials, then."
"Qui-Gon says I am. But I'm not sure I'm ready myself," he admitted. "I don't know if I'm ready to leave my mentor, yet."
"That's understandable," I responded. "After spending so long with him, it's natural to not want to let go. I'm sure I'm going to feel the same about leaving Kera."
Obi-Wan glanced at me. "How long have you known her?"
I smiled, not meeting his gaze. I merely stared out the window, remembering. "She was the one who discovered me. She was on a mission here resolving some issues between the people of Naboo and the gungans--native creatures of the land," I added hastily when I sensed his confusion. "My parents are pretty powerful people. Politicians, like my sister. We were a very well-known family. So naturally, Kera got to get to know us while she was here. She sensed the Force flowing through me... and, well, that was it. I was taken to Coruscant to begin my training."
"How old were you then?"
"About six," I explained, finally looking at him. "The years sort of blend together, don't they?"
Obi-Wan smiled at that. "They do. I can't believe you were six. That's a little old to begin the training."
"That's what the council said. But Kera was insistent." I grinned a little at the memory. "She's the closest thing I have to family now."
"I feel the same about Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan admitted, glancing over at his master, who was still surveying the tablet at the table. "He's like a father to me."
"Funny, isn't it, how they tell us not to get attached to things, then give us a mentor who we grow close to throughout the years?" I asked, my eyes meeting his.
Obi-Wan stared at me for a moment, then looked away. "Funny," he agreed.
Even though he'd looked away, I kept looking at him for a little while longer. Getting to know him now gave me a different perspective of him than I'd seen on the ship. I definitely liked this Obi-Wan better, but I still wasn't quite sure how I felt about him. For some reason, he gave me peaceful but turbulent vibes, and I was drawn to him. In what way, I didn't know, but for some inexplicable reason, I felt inclined to like him as well.
Obi-Wan turned back to me, noticing me staring, and I looked away at once, scrambling to change the subject before I could ponder my strange feelings toward him any longer. "How do you think the trade viceroy will deal with the chancellor's demands?"
Qui-Gon had filled me in on the situation on the way here. The chancellor and the senate had been trying to ignore the issue, hoping that the blockade matter would resolve itself. However, matters were only getting worse, and the chancellor had finally decided to send ambassadors to resolve the situation. The Jedi, peacemakers of the galaxy, had been the best people for the job, and the situation had finally been turned over to the Jedi Council.
Qui-Gon, apparently having been listening in on our conversation, approached from behind, also looking out the window. "These Federation types are cowards," he explained to Obi Wan and I. "The negotiations will be short."
Obi-Wan nodded, and I stepped back, taking another look around the room. "Something still feels off about this." My eyes fell upon the tablet Qui-Gon had been examining before, and a realization hit me. "Master Qui-Gon, what did you find on that tablet?"
He turned back to me, his eyes confused. "Nothing. It wouldn't open for me."
I bit my lip, pondering this answer, then finally made my way swiftly over to the tablet. I touched it once, and the screen unlocked instantly, revealing a long document full of subsections and long words. "Master Qui-Gon? You might want to come see this."
The Jedi Knight noticed the slight alarm in my voice and walked over at once, glancing over my shoulder at the document I was currently reading. Obi-Wan eyed us, curious, his eyes pondering.
"A treaty," Qui-Gon realized. "But what about?"
My heart sank as I went on in the text. "Upon agreement with the Queen of Naboo or advisors, the following agreement will be put into effect immediately." I swallowed. "They're planning an invasion on Naboo."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "And if your sister or one of her advisors signs it... it will technically be legal."
Qui-Gon's eyes twinkled with approval. "Very good job, you two."
My eyes snapped toward the man as I realized what had happened. He'd been testing us this whole time. Obi-Wan and I had both felt evil surrounding this place... and Qui-Gon had left it to us to figure it out alone. To test us. To build our confidence.
I met his eyes, and Qui-Gon winked at me, knowing I'd figured it out. I smiled softly at him in return. I was starting to like this Jedi Knight... he seemed to be very wise, and had a strange sense of peace throughout him.
"But why did the document open for you?" Obi-Wan wondered, gesturing toward the tablet in my hands.
"They must have it programmed to open for anyone who would be allowed to sign this document," I realized, my heart sinking. "That must mean that I somehow have the power to make this treaty legal."
"I'm sure there is some loophole in the Naboo law the Trade Federation has found a way to exploit that would allow you to sign the treaty, as the queen's sister," Qui-Gon told me. "But we must not let it go into effect."
I nodded in agreement, setting the tablet down like it was made of poison.
Obi-Wan joined us near the table and sank into one of the seats furthest away from the tablet, leaving Qui-Gon and I to join him. We waited in silence for what felt like hours, but what couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Finally, the doors slid open, but to our surprise, it still wasn't our hosts. The silver droid was back, carrying a platter of drinks.
I exhaled sharply, turning away from the droid as I tried to stay patient. The Trade Federation wanted us here for a reason... but not to sign the treaty. They couldn't have known I would be one of the Jedi on this mission. I didn't know what their motives were, but it was hard to stay patient when I knew they were planning to invade the planet I used to call home... probably to kill thousands.
"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan asked his master, as if voicing my impatient thoughts. He plucked one of the drinks off of the tray of the droid and took a sip, glancing from me to Qui-Gon, waiting for our thoughts.
"No," Qui-Gon admitted. "I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute."
I grabbed a cup from the droid's tray as well, swirling the contents as I did so. "I sense it, too. This whole thing feels off to me. Why would they receive us if they weren't going to meet us? What are their motives?"
"Those are good questions, young Padawan. And answers we will get in due time." Qui-Gon smiled at me. "For now, however, we must remain patient."
Patience. That was one of the hardest parts about my training. I had never been a patient person, and breaking that habit was no easy feat. I was about to respond to Qui-Gon to say so when a loud explosion rocked the ship. The three of us sprang to our feet at once, our lightsabers ignited instantly. The sheer quickness of it all shocked the nearby protocol droid so much it dropped its tray with a clatter and stumbled backwards, but none of us were paying attention to that. The room was beginning to fill with gas, and we were trapped.
"Dioxis," Qui-Gon realized.
Without wasting any more time, I sheathed my lightsaber and took a deep breath of the last fresh air I would have for a while. I knew from experience in the field with Kera that Dioxis was a very poisonous gas--any trace of it in your lungs and you'd be dead. Thankfully, Kera had been working with me on endurance for the past couple of years, and with good endurance comes breath control. I was confident with my ability to hold my breath for as long as necessary, but was more concerned with the suddenness in which this had come. The Trade Federation would only risk killing three Jedi and angering the chancellor if... if they were planning on going ahead with the invasion even without signing the treaty.
Great. Just great. So not only were we stuck in a room rapidly filling with poisonous gas, but our mission was now even more time sensitive than it had been before. If we didn't get out of here now to warn the Naboo... there was a good chance the planet would be overtaken. Which, for me, wasn't an option.
We were going to get out of here... whether the Trade Viceroy wanted that or not.
✧✧✧
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading, I've been super excited to publish this for so long. Let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments, and if you would like to vote for this chapter it would be much appreciated! I'm super excited to show you guys Emeré's story, and to reveal everything I have in store for her :)
Can't wait for you guys to see what comes next!
~ ᴋᴀᴛᴇʟʏɴ ~