Reunion (#3 Post-Order 66 Series)

Reunion - Part 18

Senna felt overwhelmed. She'd never been one to worry much about a wardrobe, but now, she'd spent the last hour surrounded by Sabé, Omega, and Ahsoka, going through the meager offerings of the base to see if they could find something worth salvaging for the gala that she and Rex were supposed to be attending. There hadn't been much, and even less that would be appropriate for a high-level Imperial social event. She sighed, running her hand over her braid, which had slowly come undone in the last few hours, giving way to flyaways that were sticking out at odd angles as her frustration grew. Rex got the easy job here. Took them all of five minutes to dig up a kriffing Imperial dress uniform someone stole.

Sabé huffed, tossing aside a wad of fabric. "There's nothing here."

"Is there anywhere we could go shopping?" Omega offered, but Senna shook her head.

"Not exactly swimming in credits at the moment, and the kind of dress I'll need won't be cheap."

Sabé paused, and Senna noted the way she suddenly turned and began sizing the Jedi up.

"What?" Senna asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious, shifting back and forth on her heels.

"I've got an idea," the former handmaiden said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she took mental measurements of the Jedi's figure. "It's a long shot, but might just work." Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched out of the storage room they were in. Senna glanced at Ahsoka, who shrugged, tossing aside the musty garment she'd been holding up. The other three followed Sabé down the hall to a different storage area that contained some of the crates she and Gregar Typho had unloaded when they'd arrived.

"I knew I kept these for a reason," Sabé muttered as she popped the lid off one of the crates, and Senna's eyes went wide. Beautiful beadwork glittered on delicate fabric in the dim storage room lighting, twinkling like stars on dark velvet. Sabé reached inside, lifting out one of the most intricate gowns Senna had ever laid eyes on. Glancing to her left, she could see Omega's eyes had gone as wide as saucers.

"Where did you even get these?" Senna gasped, carefully cradling the garment as Sabé handed it to her before diving back into the crate.

"They were Padmé's," she said evenly, and Senna felt Ahsoka stiffen next to her. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she noted the sudden flex in the young Togrugta's fingers and the glisten in her eyes.

You alright, Snips?

Ahsoka looked over at her, meeting her gaze and giving her a subtle nod.

Sabé was already pulling a long purple gown from the crate, holding it up to Senna, unaware of the unspoken conversation happening around her. "She was much shorter than you, and you're a little broader in the shoulders, but there should be enough fabric on some of these to where we could tailor these to fit you."

"Sabé, are you certain? I know what these...what she meant to you," Senna said quietly. She and Echo had talked about Sabé, both on Naboo and since she'd returned. She knew that the former handmaiden had been in love with her queen, and that love was what continued to drive her to understand the secrets behind Padmé's death. She almost felt unworthy to hold the gown in her hands, one of the last tangible reminders that Sabé had of the former senator, but Sabé shook her head.

"They're just collecting dust, and if they aid in this fight, then I guarantee Padmé would call me foolish for hanging on to them as mementos. Let them carry on her mission." She smiled, and Senna could see it was genuine, her eyes twinkling at the thought.

"Alright," the Jedi conceded. "But you'll have to find something with a set of gloves. Don't want my hardware to draw unwanted attention." She flexed the fingers on her cybernetic, and Sabé grinned.