To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

Those Who Mourn

It had been the longest two days of her life.

Scratch that, perhaps the longest week of her life.

She stood perfectly straight, with her head held high, her shoulders squared, and her expression was neutral as she slowly paraded through the streets. Tens of thousands of people stood on the sides of the streets and walked behind the group. Everyone was in mourning.

Queen Apailana was in front, leading the party of mourners throughout the city. As the newly elected Senator of Naboo, she walked behind the Queen. Boss Rugor Nass and Representative Jar Jar Binks were behind her.

Getting ready earlier that morning was a chore. The pain that aggressively pumped through her heart was agonizing. She wanted to crumble to the ground, to scream and cry. She wanted to release her anguish and have them glide through the plains and hills. Her heart felt as though it had been taken down to the bottom of the swampy lakes, where the Gungans bury their dead.

But unfortunately for her, she had work to do. Her dark brunette hair wrapped around her headpiece to create a crown of hair. She had dressed in an elegant midnight-black gown. Comparative to her peers, the dress was quite simple. It was floor length and puffed out around her hips before falling gracefully to her feet. The only design or pattern on the dress was the tiny sparkles that glistened gently when any type of light graced upon the fabric. The sparkles were tiny faraway stars on her blackhole of a dress.

To wake up to the birds chirping and singing, the sun warming up the planet, the laughter in the streets all felt wrong. Happiness, safety, and contentment were wrong on a day like this. There should be shouting and sobbing and fighting. The sun should be hidden behind dark angry clouds as harsh and brutal rain pelted from the sky. Thunder and lightning should be a consistent and steady tune.

Planning a funeral with the Naberrie family was not a joyous occasion. On top of that, they had an emergency election for a new senator of Naboo. Tried as she might to get Jar Jar to run, he didn't. She ran unopposed and won.

Now, she was in the one position she never wanted to be in.

As the new senator, she was asked to oversee the preparations for the funeral within the two-day time span, but had no say as to how the ceremony was to proceed. A great amount of effort was placed within her to keep her mouth shut.

She had a meeting with the Queen almost directly after her election to discuss the end of the war and where they stood now. The two decided to keep the meeting private as they discussed the apparently new peaceful era. The stale air that lingered and clutched around their throats felt anything but peaceful. There had been an agreement about where they stood and how they would progress further at a later date. 

Turning her head slightly to her left, she saw a hooded figure stand a distance away. Their head was down, but the woman had seen a hood enough times on the person to know who was under it. She didn't need the power of the Force to know.

A small amount of relief flooded through her veins.

She's alive.

She held her head a little higher as she walked on. The girl was probably going through a lot. She didn't need the girl to see her wallowing in her own pain.

Plus, drawing attention to the girl would not prove to be beneficial if the clone troopers spotted her. Truthfully, the clones now made the woman feel a bit on edge. The clones were said to have "squashed" the Jedi rebellion, that the war is finally over. So why were they still stationed on the planet? 

When the ceremony ended, the people quietly dispersed. The other senators, representatives, and rulers who have come to mourn quietly conversed amongst themselves and offered condolences to the family.