33Padme felt sincerely blessed on this particular morning. Though someone of a different temperament or circumstance may have felt quite tedious or exhausted, Padme was quite the opposite.
She had just recently, as of the previous week, discovered her long-lost children and her past memories. Not to mention that she had helped bring about the freedom of Naboo, thereby aiding the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
The future for the Skywalker family was looking bright, especially with a wedding on the way. Han Solo, General of the Rebel Alliance and Captain of the rather inconstant Millenium Falcon, had proposed to her daughter just two days ago. She had seen her husband and made peace with him during her coma, and she was looking forward to getting acquainted with Luke and Leia.
However, there were things that did darken Padme's optimism, though they were small in number.
While Leia was progressing well in the Alliance and in love, she was having a harder time with accepting her heritage. Padme understood, rather similarly, how Leia felt. She had taken her own opportunity to rant at Anakin. Yet she had forgiven him wholeheartedly once he had confessed the nature of his fate.
She only wished the same could be done with Leia. At the same time, she knew she shouldn't press the matter. It was the first of her maternal troubles.
The issue second to this was leaving Naboo, and in turn, her family, again. She knew that she had stayed for over a decade, but still regretted having to leave her sister behind again. Nonetheless, she knew that the Naberries would be in good care, with Ryoo now living closer, and Pooja taking control in the democratic movement.
As for the last of Padme's worries was the next mission. Last night, Leia had grouped them together in order to make a rough plan. It appeared that the coordinates Mon Mothma had given them were to Nar Shadaa or Nal Hutta, the infamous Smuggler's Moon. Coincidentally, it was also ruled, hence the name, by Hutts. Han himself fidgeted through their little conference because he and Chewbacca had previously worked there under Jabba.
There was something unsettling about the Hutt business, but orders were orders.
But the first thing that Padme had thought of that morning as she awoke was of the golden sunshine that cascaded across the twin beds in her old room. Leia was sleeping soundly in the other, her new engagement ring glittering as it made contact with the sunlight.
Padme slipped quietly from under the covers, and selected a dressing robe from the closet.
"Leia," she said, sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed. Padme caressed the side of Leia's face gently. The skin was similar to her own - soft and smooth, yet still resilient.
Brown eyes blinked open and closed as Leia woke with a yawn, which she covered with her hand.
"M-m-mother? Good morning."
"Good morning, Leia."
While not a morning person, Leia had been trained to be prompt during the early hours. Thus, she climbed out of bed with ease and followed her mother's example by putting a robe on. The heavenly smells of a freshly cooked breakfast entered the room, which mother and daughter responded to hungrily.
"Good morning! Did you all have a nice sleep?" Sola asked as Luke, Han, and Chewie shuffled into the kitchen.
She was mostly answered by half-asleep grunts. It seemed that she was used to this, and kept speaking cheerily, "There's plenty of food, so don't feel obligated to follow any polite misconceptions. In other words, I urge you to eat because you all need proper nourishment for travel."
"Farewell, Aunt Sola. You'll get an invitation, but don't expect it to come too soon." Leia hugged her aunt goodbye. Having lived at the Naberrie house for almost a month, she actually had begun to feel as if she was with family.
"Goodbye, sweetie. Be safe, and hold to your man."
The Princess smiled as Sola gave her a kiss on the cheek and patted her away. Luke kissed Sola his own goodbye, and warned her to be careful. The only remaining visitor in the house was Padme. They stood looking at each other for a few moments until they embraced tightly.
"I'll miss you the most, you know that, right?"
"I'll see you again soon, sister. Don't let Pooja work too hard."
"Never."
Padme left her old home laughing as she followed the rest into the family speeder. Han volunteered himself to drive, something which she found that she regretted later. His speed reminded her of Anakin's piloting, and she suspected that being inside his ship would be no better.
The Falcon was still in as perfect as could be condition next to the Gungan swamps.
"Hallo dere! Yousa leavin' already?"
Before she could prepare herself, Jar Jar crushed her in a hug, his Gungan arms wrapping around her tightly.
"Padme, I'sa gonna miss yousa! Yousen watchen to be careful-o."
"Thank you, Jar Jar," she was trying to detach herself. He let go and blew his nose loudly on a frilled handkerchief.
As they boarded the ramp, Jar Jar, along with his son, waved kindly. Padme was waving back. Even though the Gungan could be rather clumsy and annoying, he had it where it counted.
The ramp closed back up and Padme shoved her bags into a small room with a bunk, ignoring the strange smell in the cabin and the occasional brown hairs she suspected were Wookiee. She found Leia, Han, and Chewbacca in the cockpit.
"Strap in quick, 'cause we're ready to ride."
She obeyed, and sat behind Chewbacca, who was fiddling with some of the controls on the ceiling.
"Ready everybody? Good." Han didn't exactly wait for an answer before barking, "Hit it Chewie!"
The freighter shook as the engines ignited, and Padme thought her breakfast might be making a reappearance. Her hands gripped tightly on the bottom of the seat as the humming sound got louder and the feeling of solid ground was lost.
"Is it always this. . . turbulent?"
"Yes, when it's working," replied Leia.
The Millenium Falcon broke out of the atmosphere, and the only thing visible through the viewport was the bleak darkness of empty space. A zoom sound filled the ship when Han activated the hyperdrive.
A few seconds passed, and nothing happened.
"What's going on? I thought you fixed it."
Han's fist hit the dashboard. At first, she had thought it had been out of frustration, but as soon as his hand came down on the surface, the stars streaked into lines and they were off. She almost smiled at the temperamental Falcon.
Instead, Padme left the cockpit to see what Luke was doing. Nar Shadaa was just a couple hours away.
Millions of parsecs away, on the other side of the galaxy, floated Grand Admiral Thrawn's ship, the Chimaera. A private was informing him of a recent loss to his force. Siol had been killed.
"But he still had enough time to send us the formula."
"Very well," he said.
"Yes sir." The man walked out of the room leaving Thrawn to his thoughts. The Chiss had his fingers enjoined contemplatively, his glowing red eyes stared out into space, and he had a slight smile on his face.
The death of the scientist was of no consequence. A useless loss, yes, but not crucial to their operation. As long as the Empire stayed in control of half the systems in the galaxy, they were still dominant over the fledging Rebellion. Surely, by the time his plan had been executed, the Rebels would even get that far.
As he always believed, the easiest way to understand a culture was through their art. It had proved time and again to be true. The Rebellion was no exception. They were made up of multiple cultures, all bound by the same beliefs; shatter those beliefs, and the Rebellion would be no more. And how better to do it than frame the biggest believer of them all. . .