DEEP SPACE, ONBOARD THE MANHATTAN 4
"Open fire!" Percy yelled over the noise. Annabeth, Anakin, and Percy were stuck in the middle of deep space in a huge battle. Lord Vader seemed to have been waiting for them.
A stream of blue laser beams streaked towards the Imperial Star Destroyer. The Imperials and Separtists had combined their forces to wipe out the remnants of the Republic. So far, they had gained little ground regarding star systems. It was luck (sort of) that had brought the two naval forces together.
"Percy! Let's lead a boarding party onto the Imperial Command Ship." Anakin yelled out. "Our ships can take out the rest of the Droid Fleet."
"Alright. Gather some men, we leave in a few minutes." Percy said. He walked over to Annabeth, who was working with communications.
"Annabeth." Percy whispered into her ear.
"What?" She asked.
"Pick a group of clones. Anakin means to end this battle quickly, and we're going with him on the boarding party." Percy explained.
"Okay." She replied. "Ken! Charlie! Come with me!" Annabeth yelled over to a group of officers. "We're going down to the launch bay. Prepare your squadrons."
"Right away, ma'am." Ken and Charlie replied. They spoke into their com links briefly, and gave Annabeth a thumbs up.
"See you down there, Percy." Annabeth said.
"You too." Percy replied. They walked to the elevator and descended to the boarding ramp.
CORUSCANT, JEDI TEMPLE
"Ok, I know this sounds like self-doubt, but what exactly do I do as Queen?" Jessica asked. Master Windu, Patrick, And Master Yoda were accompanying her down to the docking bay, where she would take a ship and arrive at the Galactic Palace.
"I think your Head Steward would be better suited to answer that question." Mace Windu replied.
"I just need some time to think about this." Jessica replied. They walked in silence until they reached the docking bay.
An escort of clones with a crimson sword insignia across their armor awaited them. When they arrived, they stood rigid at attention for an awkwardly long time.
"At ease." Jessica said to them. Their hands dropped to their sides, but they were far from relaxed. One of them walked forward and took off his helmet.
"I am Captain Nicholas Greene of the Coruscantian Royal Guard." He introduced. "It is my pleasure to serve you, ma'am."
"Thank you, Captain." She said.
"Leave you now, Master Windu and I must." Yoda said. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you." Patrick and Jessica replied together. He startled her. Patrick had stayed silent since the meeting with the Council.
The two Jedi Masters walked back to the elevator, leaving Patrick and Jessica in the hangar.
"Your Highness-" Nicholas Greene started talking, but Jessica raised her hand to cut him off.
"Please, just call me Jessica. Or Princess Jessica, if you must." She said.
"Very well. Princess Jessica, we will be taking this shuttle over to the Palace. Then, the Head Steward will give you a tour of the palace and introduce you to the rest of the staff." He said. They stepped onto a rather expensive shuttle that looked like a LearJet without any wings. Captain Greene went to the cockpit, leaving them alone in the shuttle. They lifted off soundlessly, and soared over Coruscant.
They arrived at the Galactic Palace about ten minutes later. It was built similar to the Jedi Temple, but it had seven towers, not five. Four shorter guard towers stood at the four corners of the palace, while three more towers dominated the center. The tallest of the three towers held the Queen's Throne Room, and could be easily accessed by incoming shuttles, not to inconvenience the Queen.
"It's beautiful." Jessica said as they approached the Palace. They say down in some of the chairs by the window, taking in stunning view of Galactic a City.
"Just like I remember it." Patrick said.
Jessica turned around and looked at him. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"I was the previous Captain of the Royal Guard." Patrick said. "It's a very sought after position. After Queen Katherine III died, there were more pressing matters. So, I ceded my position to someone else to be a Commander in the Army."
"Oh." Jessica replied. Then something sparked in her head. "Wait a minute, how were you Captain of the Guard if you're the same age as me?"
"I went back in time about twenty years. I was Captain for about five years. Technically, I won't start aging again for another six months, when I first went back in time." Patrick explained. "It gets very complicated. I can't even understand it most of the time." He smiled.
They looked at each other for a while, and then Patrick kissed her. She pressed her lips against his, and ran her fingers through his hair. He put one of his hands against her back, and pulled her closer to him. They broke apart, and he brushed the hair out of her face. He leaned over to her and whispered into her ear.
"Has anyone ever told you, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met?" He whispered. Before she could reply, someone called into Patrick's com link.
"Hey, Patrick. It's Jason. I've just gotten out of hyperspace." He said. He paused. "Piper, Leo and I need you for a meeting. It concerns Earth."
"Thanks, Jason. I'll be up there as soon as I can." Patrick replied. He disconnected and looked back at Jessica.
Soon, they were kissing again. They broke apart once they docked with the Queen's Throne Room. The docking bay was basically and extension of the throne room, and it encircled the entire tower, like a balcony. Several ships were docked and busy. A much larger ship was docked next to them. It took Jessica to realize it was the Skywalker.
"Shall I escort you out?" He said. He took her hand, and they walked out of the shuttle together. Captain Greene and her escort had gone ahead, ironically, and they were alone on the bay.
"Good luck, Jessica. You'll need it when you deal with the Head Steward." Patrick said with a smile on his face. She kissed him briefly, and looked into his eyes one last time.
"Bye." She said.
"Bye." He replied. With that, he walked over to the Skywalker's awaiting boarding ramp. Cody was waiting for him. When he had reached the boarding ramp, Patrick stopped and glanced back to see Jessica walking over to the door to the Queen's Throne Room.
"Patrick, if I may ask, what was that about?" Cody inquired.
"That was..." Patrick chose his words carefully. Cody smiled at him.
"No, Cody. Not like that." Patrick said, slapping him on the arm playfully as he passed by him to get on the ship. Cody smiled to himself and followed Patrick.
IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER, POST A COMMENT. IF YOU LOVED THIS CHAPTER, CLICK THE LITTLE STAR AT THE TOP (OR BOTTOM) OF THE PAGE. IF YOU READ THIS STORY, VOTE FOR IT ANYWAY. THANKS, AND HAPPY READING!
-pjf1000