The Senator And The Jedi

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Meeting Gone Awry

Ahsoka

Immediately on alert, Ahsoka pulled away from Lux, breaking the kiss to look around her. "Lux, something's wrong. I have to go–"

"No... Ahsoka, stay with me." Lux leaned in to kiss her jaw again, and while her first reaction was to lean into it, she ignored both the impulse and the show of affection. This time, Lux wasn't able to pull her back.

"I sense something... wrong in the Force. It's the Dark Side. There's danger to us here somewhere." She picked up her mask, setting it back on her face.

Lux did the same with a resigned sigh, apparently deciding to take her word seriously. She took his hand, drawing him off the balcony and back into the ballroom. They looked around them for the moment, and while Ahsoka knew Lux had no idea what he was looking for, she appreciated the effort nevertheless.

"I don't see anything," he said, a concerned look on his face. Thankfully, there was a new sharpness to his eyes – it was clear that he had regained at least some of his sobriety. "Ahsoka, are you sure that–"

She didn't even give him time to finish. "Yes."

Calling the Force to her side, Ahsoka reached out with her senses, trying to find the source of the disturbance she had had picked up on a few moments before.

The Force came back to her strangely empty... not just of the presence strong with the Dark Side of the Force, but also of Anakin's comforting aura from a few clicks south. Even the other Jedi scattered throughout the galaxy, who always felt like a gentle hum at the very edge of her consciousness, were gone.

Suddenly, Lux's comlink rang. He looked back towards her meaningfully, before pushing the button to answer it. "This is Senator Bonteri."

"Senator, Queen Neeyutnee requests that you meet her in the Throne Room. She wishes to speak with you," an unfamiliar voice told them.

It must be someone from the Queen's entourage, she thought.

"Very well. I will arrive presently, but... why can't I simply speak with Her Highness when she arrives?" Lux inquired politely.

"The Queen... wishes it. She requires privacy to speak with you. It concerns a the negotiations; something she needs to review last minute."

"I will be there as Milady wishes. Bonteri out."

"Lux," Ahsoka whispered, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. "Lux, please! Something's not right here; I can feel it. You can't go to that meeting!"

"Come with me, then." He smiled. "I know from experience that the Padawan of the famed General Skywalker is all the protection I need."

She sighed. "Fine, but we have to be careful. Something's going on here, and I don't like it."

And so, readjusting their masks and clothes (Ahsoka's dress had become more than a little disheveled during their time on the balcony) they made their way through the crowd towards the Throne Room, trying – and failing – to form coherent thoughts unrelated to their feelings for one another.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The walk to the Queen's Throne room was unusually quiet. Ahsoka had expected that there would at least be some sign of life beyond the ballroom, but they didn't come across so much as a single servant.

Something wasn't right. But what it was, Ahsoka couldn't tell.

When the silence became too much, she reached out and took Lux's hand, linking her fingers with his. "Where did you last see another person?" she asked.

"Probably back in the ballroom." Lux shot her a look. "Why?"

Ahsoka furrowed her brow. "Isn't it odd that in a palace this big, which needs lots of people to run it, we haven't seen anyone for at least a few minutes?"

"It's kind of nice, actually. I may be a Senator by title, but talking to a lot of people when I'd rather be alone is still very taxing."

"Maybe you should've considered that before you took the job, then," Ahsoka said, a teasing smile curling the corners of her mouth.

Suddenly, Queen Neeyutnee and four of her handmaidens rounded the corner with a swish of their costly skirts. The young Queen inclined her head gracefully towards Lux and Ahsoka, a serene smile on her face.

Lux bowed low, returning her smile. Ahsoka followed suite, then they went to rejoin the party as two security officers stepped from the shadows.

Funny how I didn't sense them coming until now, Ahsoka thought.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Senator Bonteri. I appreciate you having made good time getting here, despite the lateness of the hour."

"Of course, milady. It was no trouble," Lux told her as they walked through the doors into the Throne Room. "What was it you wished to discuss with me?"

"I would prefer to keep it between our ears only." Neeyutnee turned towards Ahsoka. "Would you be so kind as to leave us?"

Ahsoka remembered the Queen asking her that several times before over the course of the negotiations. But she couldn't help but notice that this time, there was an unnatural hollowness to her voice.

"I'd like to stay with the Senator if that's all right," she said, focusing on keeping her features impassive. "If the Separatists were to choose the most opportune time to strike, then this would be it."

Queen Neeyutnee nodded. "Very well, Padawan Tano. With the signing of the accords for the alliance between Naboo and Onderon tomorrow, I suppose there is no longer any need for secrecy."

Padawan Tano? That's weird. She's never called me Padawan Tano... it's always been 'Master Jedi'.

Suddenly it was as if a fog had been lifted from Ahsoka's mind, and she realized she couldn't sense the presence of anyone around her aside from Lux.

They had just walked right into a trap.

She yanked Lux down to the floor, reaching out with the Force to propel the handmaidens, Queen and guards away from her. There was a sound like metal locking onto something, and then the images of the seven people faded away to reveal skeletal grey commando droids, magnetized to the floor to avoid getting swept away by her Jedi powers.

Easily fifty more approached from where they had been waiting in the shadows, blasters raised. Ahsoka crouched low to the ground, reaching for the holsters in her boots where she had hidden her lightsabers.

"For the Senator's sake, I would not advise that course of action, young Padawan Learner. My droids do not miss."

Ahsoka set her jaw, doing her best to shield Lux without her weapons from the droids that seemed to be coming towards them from every angle.

"Dooku."

*DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNN

Now that Ahsoka has discovered Dooku is somehow involved in the strange feelings she was getting, what will she do? Can she really protect Lux, alone, against such unbelievable odds? When startling new information about the past few weeks is about to be brought to light, will she be able to find a way? Soon, she'll have to make a choice, one that could define the outcome of the alliance between Naboo...

But you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out how ;)

ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoyed the two chapters. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll be able to squeeze in another update for this before Sunday. But I still need to work on UAAT (I'm still trying to stick to my biweekly updates quota for that) and LB JK and LtLB, not to mention school stuff, so we'll see...

But you know I'll try my best :)

LUXSOKA FOR THE WIN

Bye :D