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. . .people chose you. . .
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ANDREA AND ANAKIN stood by Obi-Wan while Padmé was talking to her loved ones. The teenage girl knew that sooner or later she would meet her siblings again, and the mission she was sent on would end sooner than she thought.
"Anakin" Obi-Wan spoke commandingly, catching both of their attention with his words. "Don't do anything without first consulting either myself or the council." He ordered without taking his eyes off his Padawan.
Andrea watched how meek Anakin was toward his Master. She remembered the days with her own master, whom she had strangely lost track of.
"Yes, master." Skywalker replied shortly, nodding his head.
Obi-Wan stepped closer to Padmé, not honoring his niece with any words. Andrea turned towards the door, stepping out of the vehicle they had arrived in.
The only words she heard were addressed to Senator Amidala. "I'll get to the bottom of this plot quickly, m'lady."
The brunette reluctantly rolled her eyes, standing in front of the transport. She watched the streets, trying to somehow familiarize herself with the local traditions, even if only temporarily.
"It's time to go." Andrea preceded them, locking her gaze first with Skywalker and then with Kenobi.
Her uncle's face lit up momentarily; obviously he wanted to tell her something, but instead of long, spectacular speeches, he just said.
"Rea, may the Force be with you."
Obi-Wan didn't need many words for his niece. He knew she was mature enough for her age. Agile enough, smart enough, and fast enough to connect the facts, which will lead to the quicker return of all three of them to the Jedi Temple.
Andrea nodded with a small smile on her face. Similar words Kenobi addressed to his student.
"May the force be with you, Master." Anakin replied, along with Andrea, changing the last phrase to uncle.
Padmé reached for her luggage; Andrea did the same, followed by Anakin. They walked straight down the road, in silence at first.
"Suddenly, I'm afraid." Padmé said carelessly, looking at Andrea, who didn't turn in their direction for a moment.
"This is my first assignment on my own. I am too." Anakin made it clear as he watched the surrounding sights.
Andrea sighed, still three steps ahead of them. "And I'm not."
Her friends, left behind, looked at her, the confusion on their faces visible from a distance. Sullivan felt their intent eyes on her, burning holes in her back.
"Why?"
Andrea stood still, momentarily looking at them with incomprehension. As she looked over their shoulders, she saw Obi-Wan watching as the three young men walked away from them.
Andrea quickly turned in the earlier direction and began to take more steps, searching for the right words.
"I'm not afraid, because I know that Obi-Wan, along with Asher and Mae, will quickly find a solution for your faster return." The girl shrugged. Her words were sometimes saturated with irritation, which at that moment she couldn't control. "Because that's all the council allowed them to do."
"Still no trace?" Padmé asked softly, wanting to keep up with her younger friend.
"None."
Anakin didn't understand the last question, so he looked in Padmé's direction, expecting even the tiniest answer.
"The Council has no trace of Mistress Vidar. From what Asher said, she's not showing up on radar when he's been flying near nearby planets." She explained in a hushed tone so as not to upset Andrea as she walked in front of them.
"Master Yoda can't sense her powers." Andrea murmured, watching the streets and the people walking along them. "The council has listed her as missing since yesterday."
The teenager fell silent, taking the next step without listening to the words of the others.
Mae stared at the wall with her arms folded over her chest, awaiting the arrival of her older brother, who was once again late for their appointment.
The girl listened to her surroundings with her eyes closed. Padmé's words about Mae herself and the throne in Alderaan kept running through her mind. The voice was pearly, almost angelic.
She imagined her in her mind, with her graceful movements and the confidence she possessed, as the two of them talked about ordinary topics unrelated to the order or the Senate itself.
It might have been strange for her, but she felt comfortable around Padmé. When their hands met, making an innocent touch, Mae's heart always pounded redoubled against her ribs, wanting to leave her chest.
Young Sullivan once did not understand these feelings until she heard a beautiful love story, the end of which turned out to be tragic. And with this story came the same words.
Every time Sullivan feels love, the galaxy makes a new villain who will sacrifice everything.
The words had many concepts, but to her, they were simply prophecies. She closed her eyes, feeling the emptiness and cold surrounding her, and when the footsteps began to approach her, she did not turn towards the person who had arrived. She spoke immediately, wasting no time.
"Late, again." She frowned, dropping her hands along her body. "Obi-Wan has returned and briefed me on the orders we are to follow." She added after a moment, moving forward. Asher strode right next to her.
"I was on another search," he whispered, looking around. "The council forbade leaving without a permit, but I had to do it."
Mae stood still, turning her whole body towards her brother. Asher looked around again, then leaned toward his sister.
"I have a lead; I found a signal near Tatooine, but I saw our ships on the radar and had to get back quickly." He explained, still whispering. Mae was relieved to hear about the lead her older brother had found.
"You think it's Mistress Vidar?" she asked, sounding unsure of her thoughts. Asher nodded, leaning back sharply.
"It doesn't make sense." He remarked, confounding his younger sister with his misunderstanding. "Each member of the council has flown these paths a dozen times since she went missing. And no one ever stopped."
Mae paled momentarily.
"You think they don't stop there on purpose?"
"Master Vidar always knew more, so they assigned her to Andrea and sent Andrea herself with Anakin and Padmé." He groaned, placing his hands on his hips and pressing his lips together. "I think someone must have been messing around with her ship and then messing up the connections."
The siblings looked at each other, understanding each other without words. Someone got their hands dirty and didn't bury the most important traces. And they both wanted to know who and, mostly, why.
"I wasn't the youngest queen ever elected, but now that I think back on it, I'm not sure if I was old enough." Padmé said as the three of them, still holding their luggage, climbed the stairs to go to the castle on Naboo.
Andrea's eyes darted to every nook and cranny as she surveyed the turquoise rooftops. A smile spreads across her face, and in the back of her mind comes the image of her family home, which she barely remembers after being away for so long.
"I'm not sure if I was ready." Senator Amidala added after a moment, turning Anakin and Andrea's eyes to each other.
Andrea glanced surreptitiously at Anakin, who surveyed the sights the three of them found on Naboo. She saw a slight delight in his eyes.
He was calm, his delicate jaw lined with a Padawan braid. She barely looked away from him. Her gaze flicked to Padmé, and their gazes soon met.
"People chose you; they trusted you." Andrea began, taking more steps to climb the stairs before them: "You were ready to play the part, and you're doing it perfectly, Padmé."
The young senator smiled at the words of a loved one, showing a series of even teeth, and tilted her head back. "I'm glad you're here, Rea; I still miss Asher, much less Mae, for complete happiness and safety, but we'll see them soon, won't we?"
The brunette looked at the sky; a smile was on her face, and when she nodded and said a silent "yes", the two girls laughed softly.
Anakin looked at Andrea's pink cheeks as an angelic smile graced her calm face. He observed the sparkle in her eyes, which gave him a lot of satisfaction as he continued to stare at her like a picture.
He silently admired her beauty.