*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

❝𝘘𝘶𝘪-𝘎𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘪𝘯𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘵, 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. ❞
                       - 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬é 𝐀. 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

❝𝐌𝐘 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐒 the Viceroy is in the throne room,❞ I commented as soon as the endless firing blaster shots waned away, the battle droids had all fallen, and Panaka met my handmaidens and I in the center of the hanger, his own group of fighters following obediently behind him.

Panaka deliberated this for a moment, before he swiftly jerked towards his men and ordered firmly, "Red Group, Blue Group, everybody, this way."

We all ran over to the doorway to get out, but we soon found a black shadow looming over us in an intimidating stance, blocking our way out of the massive hanger.

The man, who I could tell was a male due to his broad shoulders, was cloaked and I couldn't see very much of his face, but he appeared to be a blood red color.

Panaka and I slowly backed away, not wanting to start another fight with the hooded figure, in fear that we would never get to the Viceroy in time.

Qui-Gon, who had gone to talk to Anakin who was surely told to go and hide, as he was not meant for this battle, stood firmly in front of me as he suggested, "We'll handle this..." His voice had an odd, untamable grit to it, and I couldn't find myself to disagree with him, so I nodded, turned to the rest of my strong cadets and announced, "We'll take the long way."

My troops nodded as they went off to find the hidden, side entrance to the hanger. I stayed behind, however, feeling gravely worried for Qui-Gon, who I genuinely considered to be my friend.

"Be safe," I told him in a strained voice, not wanting to lose the man who had brought me to Tatooine, where I found my first experience of freedom, and the place where I met one peculiar little boy and his beautiful mother.

Qui-Gon smiled slightly at me before promising, "I will, but you need to stay safe as well, your Majesty. We cannot lose our leader, now can we?"

I chuckled quietly at the man as I gave him one last heartfelt smile, and jogged my way over to my awaiting cadets, feeling a sinking feeling deep in my core, somehow knowing that something truly bad was about to occur.

I didn't know it at the time, but something horribly wrong was about to occur.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 get to our hidden escape, more droid destroyers perked up on us, taking us by complete surprise as we were ambushed. To save ourselves from being absolutely neutralized, we ran for shelter underneath yet another tall pillar, taking cover as a sense of deja-vu washed over me when I began to once again fire off my useful blaster a countless number of times.

Just as my arm was starting to cramp up and the droids were getting harder to defeat, a large, buzzing laser from a nearby freighter activated, destroying the remaining destroyers.

I looked up to see Anakin in the very same ship that had saved us from immediate peril. I smiled gratefully at him as I shouted out, "Thanks Ani!"

He goofily grinned back at me, shouting excitedly, "No problem, Clarie!"

I chuckled heartily at him while shaking my head idly, turning around to meet the curious eyes of the troops behind me, causing me to sharply order, "Let's go!"

And with that, and one last fleeting look towards Anakin (who was hiding in that very same freighter), my cadets and I, including my sister and Captain Panaka, made our way out of the secret exit.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 stretch of hallway before me, our path to the lavish throne room, where the Viceroy was, was unconquerably snuffed up with skinny battle droids that looked like walking toothpicks.

I sighed with annoyance as my crew ducked behind yet another pair of pillars, these ones large and made of smooth marble the color of ivory.

"We don't have time for this, Captain," I hastily complained, not wanting to waste another minute and opportunity to get to the controlling Viceroy. I needed him in order to rescue my people.

Panaka stared at me incessantly before looking at the large crystal window to the right of our peeking figures, the bright, Nubian sunlight shining onto us and causing our shadows to dance across the ivory floor.

"I have an idea," the copper skinned man before me pleaded, stepping forward with his hands out in some unknown question, "But I need you to trust me, your Highness."

I bit my lip timidly, trusting Panaka greatly, but not wanting for his mediocre plan to backfire and waste even more time.

Another rash decision on my part: I nodded my head once, confirming for him to continue with whatever he planned on doing, and something told me it had to do strongly with the window behind me as a small quirk of beige lips told me all I needed to know.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 on what Panaka's plan was, nothing could have prepared me for what happened right after Panaka shouted out, in a booming, commanding voice, "Go!"

Tiny pieces of crystal glass shattered all around me as Padmé and I held onto each other to protect each other from the wave of shards of glass falling all over my group, the petite pieces falling into my fluffy bangs, prompting Padmé to turn my head upwards so she could carefully pick out the shards herself.

Panaka, in short, had ordered his soldiers to blow open the window with their large blasters, explaining that if we couldn't go through the regular entrance, we'd have to make our own.

And where was that alternative entrance you may ask?

Fifty feet above the ground, that's where.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐖, my feet crunching noisily on the broken glass beneath my feet covered in the lanky fabric that was combat boots, I stood next to Padmé and Panaka underneath the thick ledge leading up to the Viceroy.

In a constant state of anxiety during the whole ordeal, I tightened my signature braids back into place, brushing the stray strands away from my eyes.

Force knows I certainly needed my sight for this task.

All lined up in a neat little row, in complete unison, everyone in my entire fleet of Nubian soldiers, pulled out our blasters, which had hooks attached to long grey ropes, and fired our grappling hooks at the ledge above. A collection of little metallic clinks were enough to signal to the rest of us that we were safe to start to reel ourselves up and over to the gigantic glass window facing out towards the whole of Naboo.

The throne room.

The window was obviously closed as we all made it up onto the steep ledge, trying not to look down at the vast height we were standing at while also trying to maintain our balance, shuffling our weight from foot to foot.

Panaka, being the bold and brave co-leader of this operation, aimed his blaster directly at a loose spot in the window, and shamelessly fired, causing a chain reaction in which, like a domino effect, spiraled into the entire glass window breaking relentlessly. Unfortunately, and unlike last time, I couldn't really shield myself from the grains of glass brutally covering me without falling heavily to my death.

And I really couldn't afford to die right now.

After the glass shattered and we were allowed in, well, technically allowed, our group strode our way into the hallway leading into the throne room, the sound of glass crunching under our light feet never ceasing as we moved further and further into the lion's den.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

𝐀𝐒 𝐖𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 our way over to large, towering and ornate door to the grand throne room of Theed, all of a sudden, two jabbering, bumbling droid destroyers skittered their way over in front of the door, causing my group to quickly stop short and attempt to turn around to backtrack through the reverse entrance, but alas, that too, was blocked by two more bulky droids.

Thinking purely on my toes, and knowing that we couldn't get out of a situation like this, not with both of our entrances blocked, I yanked out my blaster from my belt and chucked it to the floor, biting my lip tightly as I did so, desperately not wanting to surrender that easily, but knowing that I didn't have much a choice.

Panaka and Padmé, along with the other cadets, stared wide eyed at me as many couldn't believe that I would give up without any fight or tussle.

"Throw down your weapons," I ordered, gesturing to everyone's blaster, to which they all glanced down at it uneasily before following my lead, dropping their pistol in complete surrender. "They have us cornered. They win this round."

And so we stood there in the center of the hallway, our hands up in defeat as we shamefully rocked back and forth to occupy the antagonizing moment of the defeating feeling lingering protestingly in the stuffy, warm air.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｆｏｒｃｅ

𝐁𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 the hot corridor and straight into the glorious throne room, was Clarissé Amidala and her loyal band of Nubian protectors, including Captain Panaka (who stood right next to the brave queen right at the front of the dejected mob) and Padmé Naberrie (who comfortingly held her little sister's hand with tenderness).

Battle droids forced the young queen and her band of cadets into the throne room, where Nute Gunray stood, poised and tall with his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he carefully watched the young girl enter the room in front of him, her own stature strong and firm against his watchful gaze.

The Viceroy smirked ruthlessly as he drawled, "Your little insurrection is at an end, your Highness. Time for you to sign the treaty... and end this pointless debate in the Senate."

Just as Clarissé was about to reply, Indirá, still dressed as Queen Amidala, and several other Naboo guards bursted into the room, with Indirá very clearly revealing her presence as the real (yet fake) queen in order to gain the Viceroy's attention away from Naboo's actual queen, Clarissé Amidala.

"Viceroy," she firmly stated, successfully drawing the attention away from Clarissé Amidala, to Indirá Quailer. "Your occupation here has ended!"

The Viceroy, needless to say, was absolutely stunned as he looked back at Clarissé, anger welling up deep inside him as he realized that he had been tricked.

(Even though he really hadn't been).

Before he let the Queen get away again, Nute Gunray shouted to his idiotic droids, "After her!" He waved his arms frantically at the real queen captured right in front of him. "This one is a decoy!" Clarissé not only slyly smirked at the stupidity at her enemy, but also at the sheer genius of her dear friend, Indirá Quailer.

The loud, echoing sound of blasters occurred after that as Indirá's troops fired at the battle droids holding Clarissé, and the decoy queen swiftly sprinted her way out of the room, successfully fooling the dumb battle droids into clanking around after her, causing them to let go of their attention on Clarissé and Panaka.

With the attention of the enemy droids off of her, Clarissé took that as her signal to run over to her throne (which Nute had left after trying to find Indirá on a monitor close by) and press a small, insignificant silver button on the side of the armrest of Naboo's throne.

The golden top of it lifted and revealed a silver box buried deep inside of it. Knowing that they needed weapons after they had been taken away by battle droids, Clarissé mechanically opened the box to reveal dozens of hardly used blasters, there in case of an emergency, which in this case, was. As the Queen, she was the only one who knew about it, and the only one to unlock it.

Taking two of them off their little rack, she threw one of them to Panaka and the other to Padmé, before moving on to distribute the rest of them to her cadets, before taking the last one for herself.

As the rest of the cadets, including Panaka and Padmé, fired away at the remaining droids, Clarissé stood straight in front of her enemy as she looked him right in the eye, challenging him and daring him to say something.

The Viceroy didn't say anything in pure shock as he turned around at the commotion to meet the piercing emerald eyes of Queen Amidala, the brilliant green embedding itself into his feeble mind.

He had seen those breathtaking eyes somewhere. He just didn't know exactly where.

"Jam the doors!" Panaka shouted at his cadets as they did just that, ramming their extra weapons into the brass handles of the door to prevent any backup droids Nute had called upon.

The little brunette in front of the Viceroy of the Trade Federation snarled at the man who had destroyed her home, taken her people captive, and disrupted her rule.

She was certainly going to have fun with this.

Her green eyes glowed impatiently as she growled sternly, "Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty."

Nute Gunray gulped worriedly as he suddenly remembered, "It's you. You're Queen Amidala. Your eyes. You little brat! I'll kill you for this!"

Clarissé just smirked at his threats, not believing them to be worrisome, and rather finding them quite funny.

"You got it right the first time," she chuckled at his utter stupidity, "But your arrogance prevents you from using common sense. And as for your threats against me and the destruction of my planet, my home-" she grinned toothily once more-"you, Viceroy, have unfortunately been captured, and therefore under my control. You are going to listen to me very carefully."

Nute's big bug eyes widened at the little girl, and he soon found himself cowering and bowing at her feet.

He was terrified of her.

"Yes, your Highness, your Excellence," he babbled like a toddler as he desperately tried to make amends with her, even though that would never happen, not after everything he had put her through. "I am eternally indebted to you, your Grace. Whatever you need, I will do."

The young brunette rolled her eyes at the pathetic alien before turning to Panaka and Padmé, smiling silently as if they had won already.

The taste of victory was ever so present on their aching and burning tongues.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｃｌａｒｉｓｓé

❝ 𝐍𝐎𝐖, 𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐘, ❞ I started, pacing back and forth between the still fallen man I had just captured and claimed victory over, "you are going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all this."

Panaka from beside me smiled manically, as he was also excited to see the perpetrator of Naboo's suffering finally coming to an end with the Viceroy finally in our custody.

"I think you can kiss your Trade franchise goodbye," he snakily grunted as two Naboo cadets grabbed the horrific alien up by his armpits, and hoisted him up onto his feet as they carried him away to his awaiting prison cell, his loathsome feet dragging behind him.

With a wide, award winning smile on my tan face, I turned to Panaka and jumped into his awaiting arms as he spun me around in complete glee.

"We did it, Panny!" I exclaimed, out of breath from being spun around in the warm, Nubian air as Panaka set me gently down. Padmé came out of nowhere from her spot in the room and tackled me into a big, loving hug as she smothered me with a boatload of feather soft kisses all over my freckled face.

"We did it."

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｆｏｒｃｅ

𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐀 and Queen Amidala strode out of the Palace of Theed together with a handful of cadets marching behind them. They walked towards the newly elected Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who had just finished talking with Obi-Wan and Anakin as he walked towards the girl he identified as the queen.

"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor," Queen Amidala congratulated the former Senator. She still had an off feeling about him, but she would have to put her intuition aside for now and support that the Senator of her planet was now the Chancellor, leader of the Galactic Republic.

"Your boldness has saved our people, your Majesty," Palpatine smirked uncontrollably at the Queen, as if he simply couldn't help it. "It is you who should be congratulated. Together we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic."

The Queen continued to uneasily glance at the newly elected Chancellor as she noticed Anakin and Obi-Wan standing solemnly by the collection of ships around them. Against her better judgement, knowing that she would be needed, she walked over to them, her curiosity peaking, as it normally did.

But one thought in particular stuck out to her like a sore thumb.

Where was Qui-Gon?

And suddenly, her stomach fell into a deep, never ending pit that reached down to the depths of her soul.

"Clarissé!" Anakin shouted gleefully as he noticed the deep in thought queen walking towards him with her head far in the clouds.

She perked up at her blonde friend before her face twisted in confusion as she timidly asked, "Hi Ani. Where's Qui-Gon?"

Anakin's cheerful smile at seeing his favorite brunette suddenly dropped swiftly, his eyes casting down at the floor.

"Anakin?" Clarissé repeated, growing more frantic as the minutes passed. "Is Qui-Gon okay?"

"I'm sorry, Clarissé," a deep voice apologized, and it wasn't Anakin.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, still mourning his dead Master, wasn't quite ready to break the news to the little girl he knew Qui-Gon greatly liked. He knelt down by her as he held her shoulders tenderly.

The young brunette was smart, and could already tell where this was going.

"Don't tell me," she mumbled with tears welling in her breathtaking eyes, now filled with great sadness and depression, taking place of the usual joy and curiosity. Now they just looked dull and sad.

Instead of saying sorry once again, Obi-Wan just pulled the silently crying girl into his warm, inviting arms, soothing her messy, untamed braids away from her beautiful, youthful face. Anakin moved around Clarissé to pat the sobbing girl's back soothingly, like his mother used to do with him.

Standing there in complete silence, the three younglings basked in the melancholic, suffocating air as they mourned the loss of a dear friend.

*＊✿❀○❀✿＊*

»»-----------►Ｆｏｒｃｅ

𝐐𝐔𝐈-𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐉𝐈𝐍𝐍'𝐒 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 took place a couple of hours after they recovered his body pierced by a lightsaber from the Naboo power generator.

Clarissé, who had found herself wearing a black shawl to honor Qui-Gon's memory, couldn't even bear to look at Qui-Gon's deceased body as they lay the former Jedi Master down on a elongated concrete slab, and set fire to his body, a Jedi tradition, to Clarissé's knowledge.

As the glowing fire reflected themselves gorgeously into Clarissé's lush green eyes, she couldn't help but think about everything her and Qui-Gon managed to see and do together.

Visions of him talking to her on their way to Tatooine and him giving her a pouch of nuts came to mind. She saw him with his long hair and his wise Jedi eyes that always seemed to be focused in on the little things in life. She strived to be like him: Wise, selfless, and a little bit stern.

A flash of anger rose up deep inside her at the thought of Qui-Gon's murder. She stared into the fire and wished that whoever had killed her favorite Jedi, was in that blazing pit of hell instead of the grey