22 BBY
Coruscant
The monitors in the Jedi star-fighter let out a chain of beeps as the blue portal of hyperspace dissipated before the planet of Coruscant shot into view. Jaika smiled slightly, as she was somewhat relieved to be back home. The girl was in a dire need of rest, as she had been moving around from planet-to-planet nonstop for the past week.
Three Naboo star-fighters joined Jaika's side as they flew into Coruscant's orbit. The girl steered and spun the fighter as her ship entered the atmosphere, flying through the rather cloudy sky. It was an unusual sight to see, as Coruscant was usually sunny and bright, even early in the morning which Jaika guessed that was what the current time was.
As her ship lowered through the thick clouds and into the city, where the landing pad hovered central to the skyscrapers; an eerie feeling started to churn within Jaika's stomach. The girl frowned slightly as her ship descended towards the landing platform. Why she was getting a strange feeling as she entered the city, the girl had no idea.
Once her ship's landing gear landed on the platform leaf that she was assigned to, Jaika instantly shut down her ship's controls and almost threw her headset off. Pulling the lever, Jaika instantly opened the hatch of the ship and jumped out of the ship and onto the metallic surface of the platform. Jaika noticed Padmé's ship touch down in the next platform leaf next to hers. A large shadow cast over the platform when the Nubian slowly lowered onto the platform, the onlooking buildings reflecting off of the ship's mirrored exterior.
When the Jedi noticed the Senator descend off the side of the yellow fighter, Jaika walked swiftly towards her friend, with C1-X rolling behind her. Padmé who still had her leather helmet on, moved away from her fighter and reunited with Captain Typho who took his off , letting out a relieved breath. "We made it. I guess I was wrong, there was no danger after all." Typho expressed, making Padmé glance towards him before turning her attention back to the Nubian when the ramp lowered onto the platform.
The eerie feeling that was sat in Jaika's stomach started to swarm her insides once again, shivers gliding up her spine as goosebumps shriveled down her arms. Jaika stood close to Padmé, making sure that she was close to the Senator in case she came under attack.
The Naboo woman who acted as Padmé's decoy, started to descend the ramp dressed in white and wearing a serene aura. The woman was followed by a handmaiden and couple of guards who accompanied the woman's assistance. As the woman reached the bottom of the ramp, a blinding light swarmed the platform before an explosion was set off, sending a shock-wave across the platform. Jaika, Padmé and Captain Typho were thrown onto the ground of the platform.
Jaika let out a small groan before rolling onto her side, her eyes landing on the Nubian that was sat in flames, decorated with black ash and tar. Widening her eyes, Jaika quickly pulled herself onto her feet just as Padmé and Captain Typho started to recover from the blast. Jaika quickly turned to Padmé and held out her hand, helping her onto her feet as she also laid eyes on the explosion.
Throwing off her helmet, Padmé ran past Jaika and printed towards the bodies that were scattered across the platform. Jaika shared a worried glance with Captain Typho, before running after her. While Typho went to check on the guards that were laying unconscious, Jaika joined Padmé's side as the she pulled her decoy into her arms.
Kneeling down next to her friend, Jaika moved her head in all directions, glancing about her surroundings as she tried to locate the direction in which the blast had come from. With the amount of buildings that surrounded them and the destruction of the ship, which did not suggest where exactly it was hit, the girl frowned in dissatisfaction.
Jaika's once stoic eyes glossed over into ones of failure. Although Padmé was still alive, the Senator's decoy was lethally injured along with her crew and if Padmé did not agree to the plan of disguising as a pilot, then Padmé would have died in her protection. The girl glanced from Padmé who spoke to Cordé, the decoy; towards the platform which was decorated with shards of metal and debris that came from the ship after the blast. Smoke was infecting the air around them, as a thick cloud surrounded the blast site.
"No.." Padmé cried, as Cordé fell limp in her arms. Jaika stood up from her kneeling position and looked about her surroundings. The Jedi watched as the Captain made their way over to them. Jaika knew that her handmaidens meant a lot to Padmé and the death of one even saddened Jaika, but she knew that the longer they stayed out in the open where the blast had hit gave the attacker another chance to strike. "Padmé, you're still in danger." Jaika spoke, as Padmé slowly stood up, keeping her eyes glued onto her fallen maiden.
"I should not have come back." Padmé muttered, keeping her eyes on the bodies that scattered the platform. Jaika was almost overwhelmed by the amount of grief that radiated off of Padmé, whose face contorted into one of mourning. Having lived among Jedi for the last ten years, Jaika had forgotten how it felt to stand close by people who expressed their emotions, which nearly startled the Padawan.
Jaika was pulled out of her thoughts when Captain Typho joined them, standing behind Padmé. "This vote is very important. You did your duty and Cordé did hers. Now come." Typho spoke, desperation apparent in his voice as he looked from the debris back to Padmé. In response, Jaika took a step back to get away from the site, but she stopped in her tracks next to Typho when the girl noticed that Padmé was not moving.
The desperation that radiated off of Typho increased immensely, as he took a step forward to reinforce his orders. "Senator Amidala, please!" After Typho's last request, Padmé finally complied and joined the pair as they began to walk towards a transport that had been waiting for them.
While Typho took the lead, Jaika walked behind Padmé and kept her senses on high alert, looking around for any immediate threats, as well as paying attention to any unusual noises. Unfortunately, the ongoing sound of passing speeders distorted any sound that Jaika could pick up. Once Padmé had stepped into the awaiting shuttle-bus, Jaika quickly jumped in afterwards and stared out of the window in attempt to spot anything unusual.
~☆~
Jaika walked behind Padmé as she spoke with members of the Loyalist Committee about what had happened earlier. Jaika kept her distance, as she did not want to hear information that was not for her to hear. As the girl followed the group who were enroute to the Chancellor's office, Jaika reflected on the mission.
Even though she did her job and kept Padmé alive, the girl still felt as if she had failed as the attacker struck their squad and killed a loyal handmaiden along with many Naboo Guards. Even if the Jedi Council deems her mission as a success, the loss of many lives is enough for her to determine that her mission was a failure.
While she walked, the Jedi felt a sudden presence beside her before a very familiar squeal echoed through her ears. Jaika snapped her head in the direction as her eyes landed on a Gungan, which Jaika recognised as Jar-Jar who was dressed in dark robes. "Jai! Mesa hear of your mishon, mesa be happy to see you." Jar-Jar greeted, pulling Jaika into a hug which the girl would not have minded if the Gungan did not give off such a sour stench.
Jaika managed to escape from the Gungan's embrace as the two caught up with the rest of the Loyalist Committee. "Hi Jar-Jar, it is good to see you." Jaika spoke, giving the Gungan a gentle smile. The Jedi was actually telling the truth, which somewhat scared Jaika as she had grown to dislike the same Gungan a few years ago. After everything that happened within the past few hours, Jaika was relieved to see a few familiar faces. Particularly Jar-Jar's whose presence was somewhat uplifting.
As they traveled to the Chancellor's office, Jaika and Jar-Jar caught up on what the other had been doing for the past ten years. Although Jaika could not completely understand him, Jaika guessed that Jar-Jar for some reason, had been elected as a representative for Naboo in the Senate.
Once they neared the office, Jar-Jar walked back to the front of the group to speak with Orn Free Taa, while Jaika remained at the back of the group. The girl suddenly picked up multiple senses within the office, which she recognised to be the Jedi Council. Jaika instantly cursed to herself as she was to face them in a few moments and was not sure how they would react to the outcome of her mission.
Concealing her emotions, Jaika trailed loosely behind the group as they entered the office. While Padmé stood beside Dormé close to the Chancellor's desk; Jaika stood a few metres away from the Committee with her hands hung by her sides. The girl noticed a few members of the Jedi Council move from their seated positions to give the Committee some space.
Jaika looked over and saw her friend Barriss, who sent her a small smile of recognition, which Jaika responded with a discreet nod before turning her attention back to Padmé who was approached by Master Yoda. "With you the force is strong, young Senator. To see you alive brings warm feeling to my heart." Master Yoda spoke, looking up at Padmé and giving her a content look.
Jaika noticed Padmé's facial expression briefly morph into one of gratitude. "Thank you, Master Yoda. Had it not been for my protector's persuasions, I would have perished in that attack." Padmé stated, turning her head as she glanced towards Jaika whose conflicted eyes met her. Padmé sent the Padawan a reassuring smile, as she could tell the girl was blaming herself for the attack; before turning her attention back to the Jedi who stood before her as her expression morphed back into a serious one. "Do you have any idea who was behind this attack?" Padmé asked, looking between the Jedi before her.
Although Padmé had stated her gratitude towards her, Jaika still felt incredibly guilty as her first solo mission that was meant to go smoothly, went horribly wrong. The girl glanced towards Master Windu who hadn't acknowledged her presence, not that she was complaining as she dreaded whatever criticisms he would give her. "Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners on the moons of Naboo." Master Windu stated.
Jaika masked her frown with a stoic expression, as the girl did not believe Windu's guesses. She was there and did not pick up any ship scans when they left Naboo. If the miners had followed them all that way, Jaika along with the other pilots would have picked them up on their scanners. Jaika glanced over at Padmé, who wore an uncertain expression, which told Jaika that Padmé shared a similar view to her.
"I don't wish to disagree but I think that Count Dooku was behind it." Padmé expressed, earning a few gasps from within the office. Jaika's eyes widened slightly at her sudden accusation. The girl had heard that name, as it had been uttered in the streets of Coruscant and occasionally in the Jedi Temple. What Jaika knew was that he was Yoda's apprentice who then left for unknown reasons. "He is a political idealist, not a murderer." Master Mundi's calm voice spoke, making Padmé stare up at him.
"You know, M'Lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He wouldn't assassinate anyone, it is not in his character." Master Windu stated, looking down at Padmé. Jaika was so engrossed in the ongoing investigation, that she had noticed she had been approached until the girl felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder. Glancing over, the girl met Kit Fisto's concerned gaze. The girl gave the Jedi a small smile and gave him a nod to acknowledge her gratitude for him checking up on her.
Jaika looked back at the ongoing conversation, as she also wanted to unravel who tried to assassinate Padmé. "In dark times nothing is what is appears to be, but the fact remains Senator, in grave danger you are." Master Yoda shared, giving Padmé a concerned look.
After a few moments, the Chancellor got up from his seat and walked towards the large window to look out at the city. "Count Dooku has always avoided any kind of conflict. It appears he has no desire to start a war. Why would he kill you? To what end?" The Chancellor expressed, making Jaika frown slightly as she thought to herself. Why would he try to kill Padmé? If he is the person that the rumors say he is, then maybe he could be working with Gunray. But why would they work together?
"I don't know, but everything in my being tells me he was behind it." Padmé justified, giving the Chancellor a serious stare. Jaika watched as the Chancellor turned around and glanced at Master Windu.
"Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces?" The Chancellor questioned, which Master Windu returned with an obedient nod. Jaika's fingers twitched slightly at the current exchange. Jaika was assigned to protect Padmé, surely she should be the one to keep an eye on her. The fact that the Chancellor made this request in her presence gave off the impression that he deemed her power to be very little, which confused Jaika as she recalled all the times the Chancellor had praised her growth.
One of the members of the Committee, which Jaika had learned was called Bail Organa, the representative from Alderaan, suddenly stepped forward. "Do you think that is a wise use of manpower during these stressful times?" Organa asked, drawing Jaika's attention. The girl glanced from the Senator from Alderaan towards the Chancellor with a curious gaze.
The Senator seemed wise, as the Separatist's rise in popularity is going to damage the Republic and in return, the Jedi would need to be available to help the Republic, rather than using extra Jedi to protect someone, when Jaika who was still learning, could do that job. "Chancellor if I may comment, I do not believe the.." Padmé spoke up, before she was interrupted.
"Situation is that serious? No, but I do Senator." The Chancellor interrupted, earning a slightly offended gaze from Padmé. Jaika looked over and noticed that Kit Fisto had left the office, as well as Barriss and her Master. The girl then noticed Master Plo was stood to the side, watching the discussions ensue. Jaika guessed that due to the presence of the Chancellor and the Council, he was deciding to stay professional in the situation. Jaika understood his mannerisms, as Jaika would have definitely spoken out if the meeting was with anyone else. "Chancellor please! I don't need any more Guards. I have Jaika here, who has proved her worth and can efficiently protect me if needed." Padmé argued, motioning towards Jaika.
The mention of her name made the Chancellor and a few Council members glance in her direction before they all looked back at Padmé. From Master Windu's brief glance, Jaika felt as if he was not massively impressed by her mission's outcome. "With all due respect, Senator. The Padawan had a chance to protect you and you were attacked. I don't think she is the right person for this job." Master Windu stated, directing the last part towards the Skywalker girl.
Jaika's chest instantly tightened from his comment, as her fingers twitched slightly. Using all of her restraint, Jaika stopped herself from glaring at the arrogant Jedi. The girl already knew she failed her mission, but she did not need Windu's criticisms to remind her. Jaika lowered her gaze to the ground in attempt to calm her boiling emotions, as she was sure that if she looked at Windu again she might accidentally punch him in the throat. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Jaika thought to herself.
"I realise all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you are familiar with, an old friend like...Master Kenobi.." The Chancellor suggested, glancing towards Master Windu who nodded back at him. The mention of the name 'Kenobi' made Jaika snap her head up to look at the Chancellor.
Jaika remembered the Jedi from the battle of Naboo, who had been kind to her after her traumatizing battle with the droids. Even though the Jedi did not talk to her a lot, he somehow managed to provide comfort towards the young girl after Qui-Gon's death. Just like Anakin, Jaika had not seen him since the celebration on Naboo, and she wondered if he was managing as her brother's Master, as Jaika knew too well that Anakin would be a handful.
"That's possible. He has just returned from a Border dispute on Ansion." Master Windu shared. From the other side of the room, Jaika sensed movement. The girl glanced over at Master Plo who had taken a step forward as if he were preparing to say something.
"You must remember him, M'Lady. He watched over you during the blockade conflict." The Chancellor stated, his voice sounding somewhat condescending. Padmé in return, looked quite fed up with the Chancellor, as he failed to listen to her requests. "This is not necessary, Chancellor." Padmé expressed, frustration very apparent in her voice.
"Do it for me, M'Lady please. I will rest easier. We had a big scare today. The thought of losing you is unbearable." The Chancellor expressed. Jaika tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched the Chancellor. Padmé let out a sigh, as she agreed to the plan, as the Chancellor looked down at the Senator in triumph.
Before either of the politicians could speak, another voice spoke out. "Chancellor, may I suggest that my Padawan could accompany Master Kenobi in protecting the Senator. She had succeeded in her mission of protecting Senator Amidala so far, I believe she deserves another chance." Master Plo spoke out. Jaika snapped her head in her Master's direction, staring at him in disbelief. The girl was relieved that her Master shared an opposing view to Windu about the success of her mission.
While the Chancellor thought of the multiple outcomes if Jaika were to help Master Kenobi protect the Senator, Master Plo met Jaika's curious glance and gave her an affirmative nod; which told the Padawan that he had her back. The girl in return shot her Master a smile, thankful that he was there to help her against Windu's angsty wrath.
Jaika looked back at the Chancellor, who gave her a curious glance before he looked at Master Windu who appeared to be deep in thought. "I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, M'Lady. Padawan Skywalker can accompany you." Master Windu stated, glancing towards Jaika with a defeated expression. Jaika gave the Jedi Master a grateful nod, as she knew that the Jedi was not easily convinced.
Of course Jaika knew that Windu didn't agree to let her go on his own. She knew that he valued Master Plo and deeply respected him and the choices he makes, so if he advised that Jaika was to protect Padmé, then he would agree as he trusted Plo Koon.
Jaika ignored the rest of the meeting, as Jaika was soon hurried along with Padmé towards her apartment. The girl sat close to Padmé in the shuttle-bus, making sure that she was safe. Once the doors opened, Jaika joined Padmé, Captain Typho and Jar-Jar in a lift that shot up to Padmé's apartment.
The lift would usually be spacious, but with Jar-Jar standing in the tightly-secured space with them, the lift was a lot more claustrophobic. Once the lift let out a chime which communicated that they had reached the correct floor, the four of them piled out of the lift and into a blue carpeted room which held a lot of space. The girl wondered around the apartment in awe, before turning around and noticing the massive window which showed the city below them.
Jaika walked through a central room which had two sofas placed in the centre of it, and moved past towards a corridor which lead to the sleeping quarters. As much as Jaika would want to run towards the closest surface and sleep, the girl knew where her priorities were and did not want to disappoint her Master, who defended her so that she could have another chance.
After the mission from earlier, Jaika realized the importance of completing a mission efficiently and decided that she was not going to let anything go awry. Jaika wanted to prove herself to the Jedi Council that she was worth it and deserved another chance. She was going to prove to them that she was capable of following the Jedi code.
Not a moment later, Jaika heard the elevator chime.
(3551 Words)