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Chapter Text

The sun shined brightly through the windows of the office, casting soft golden light on Sabé’s latest problem, making her look more angelic than a human had any right to. Fortunately, Sabé knew the truth. “Tell me again why you thought going to Geonosis was a good idea?”

Senator Padmé Amidala looked up from where she had tried to hide behind her fingers. “I had Anakin with me.”

“We’ll get to him in a minute, don’t worry.” Sabé already knew that the Jedi padawan was going to rocket to a top spot on her blacklist, but the rest of Padmé’s story was going to tell her just how high he should rank. Her bet was #2, right behind that one banking clan representative. What was his name again? Rash Cloves? She shook her head. There’d be time to check in on old Rash later, right now she had to focus on Padmé and her idiotic decision-making skills. “Why were you on Geonosis?”

“We thought that Master Kenobi might need help. And after all, wouldn’t it be our duty, Anakin’s as a padawan and mine as a member of the Republic senate, to aid a Jedi in trouble as much as we could?” Sabé crossed her arms and waited. Padmé had worked herself up, and it was also fun to see how she would try and defend herself. “If they had given us the chance to negotiatie-”

And….that was enough. “Why would they do that? They wanted this war to break out, though Force only knows why.” She sent the senator a glare before she could interrupt. “And I believe that you’ve failed to mention that you were supposed to be on Naboo. Where it was safe. The only reason I let you go alone in the first place is because you promised to behave yourself!”

“I am not a child, Sabé!” Padmé countered, standing at her desk.

“Then you should know why I’m so upset that you decided to put your life at risk like this!” And that was the real crux of the problem, wasn’t it? Padmé had decided to get into a life-or-death situation without her handmaidens, and she didn’t understand why that was a bad thing. “There was no reason for either of you to be in that arena. The Jedi were on the way with their clone troopers; Master Kenobi would have been fine.”

“But we didn’t know that!”

Without meaning to, Sabé’s voice rose. “You would have if you had just stayed put for five minutes! Or maybe you could’ve, I don’t know, called us for help!”

The senator rubbed her forehead. Deceptively quiet, she said, “Sabé, I needed you to stay here and be my decoy. Even you can’t be in two places at once. I knew that Anakin would keep me safe and that matters here would be well-handled by you. There’s no need for any of this.”

“Padmé, drop the politician act for one second and listen to me.” All of the anger drained out of the handmaiden at once, and she watched as Padmé’s shoulders slumped, the weight of the past few days crashing on both of them.

Sabé swiftly moved to the other side of the desk, taking her friend by the shoulders and being careful to not touch any of the cuts or bruises that now littered the senator’s skin. Her flowing outfit may hide many things, but Sabé knew about the many bandages hiding just underneath. Bandages covering wounds that Sabé wasn’t able to keep from happening.

“Padmé,” she repeated, waiting until the other woman looked up, “it’s my job to protect you, to keep you safe. I can’t do that if you go running off into the danger every chance you get.”

“Without us behind you,” she quickly added, knowing that if there was trouble, Padmé was going to find it. Sabé had given up on a peaceful work environment years ago, and although she wouldn’t change anything, she would prefer it if every bounty hunter on the planet wasn’t trying to capture or kill the senator. Surely one of the others could take one for the team every now and then.

“I’m sorry, Sabé.” Padmé leaned into her handmaiden’s embrace, wrapping her arms around the other as tightly as she could. “I should’ve let you know what was happening, but there was no time.”

“You mean you forgot because your boy-toy of a Jedi was there.”

“Sabé!” she exclaimed, the tell-tale blush crawling up her cheeks. “He is not my boy-toy.”

Smelling blood in the water, she grinned. “Really? Because you could’ve fooled me. After all, the way he looks at you should’ve tipped off every Jedi in a ten-click radius.” She laughed, “Next you’re going to be telling me that you two have already said the vows-”

She quickly stopped laughing when her friend bit her lip and looked to the floor. That was the classic Padmé ‘I-messed-up-and-just-got-caught’ face. “No.” When Padmé didn’t answer, Sabé pulled away and began to pace in front of the desk. Turning, she gave her friend one last pleading look. “Padmé, tell me you didn’t – when did you even have the time?”

“I don’t know! He just looked so sad after they gave him his prosthetic hand, and I couldn’t help myself.” For the first time, the senator look flustered, hand moving to run through her hair before remembering her elaborate updo and aborting the motion.

Sabé was about to lose it. There was no way that her friend, the kriffing senator of Naboo would marry a random Jedi because he looked sad. “That’s what you say when you adopt a massif, not marry a Jedi!”

“But I love him!”

Eyes flashing, she whipped around, pinning Padmé in place with a glare. “You met him a week ago. And before you say anything, no that bit when he was nine doesn’t count! You don’t know anything about him!”

“Yes, I do!” she yelled, indignant.

Sabé crossed her arms, eyes narrowed and prepared to do battle. She may not be able to fix this, whatever the kriff this was, but she could make sure that Padmé realized where she went wrong. Mainly, all of it, but Sabé would settle for at least a little self-reflection. “What kind of toothpaste does he use? Or I’ll give you one better, what size shoe does he wear?”

Padmé pushed the questions aside with a wave of her hand. “I can figure that out later. We didn’t have time for all the courting rituals since, you know, there’s a war starting.” She gestured outside, where a LAAT/i peacefully soared away from the senate building. 

“You’re right,” Sabé said, taking a deep breath and willing herself to calm down. “You didn’t have time for a traditional courting period. That would’ve probably been impossible, anyway, with him being a Jedi and you being a senator. But you didn’t have time to think this through, either!”

“Sabé-” Padmé looked at her with those big tooka eyes, and the anger was back.

“Oh, don’t you ‘Sabé’ me.” She started pacing again. There was no way that Padmé was going to get out of this one unscathed. Being a beloved former monarch could only get you so far with public relations. “You married a kriffing JEDI. Can they even get married?” She turned, pointing a finger in Padmé’s direction. “Not to mention the political repercussions that could happen if anyone finds out!”

“Sabé-” The tooka eyes got bigger. “Please, please, help me hide my secret marriage with a Jedi padawan. Please.”

Sabé raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Padmé didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. Instead, her smile grew wider. Nerf herder. “I hate you,” Sabé said, even as she began to plan contingencies. Should faking their deaths be plan A or B? It didn’t matter, she’d decide later.

Padmé, however, wasn’t finished. Knowing that she had won, she sank back into her chair, only to wince when the motion pulled at her stitches. “You love me.”

“You’re right,” Sabé agreed, baring her teeth more than necessary as she smiled. “I do. You’re like a sibling that my parents picked up from the side of the road, or a particularly endearing foot fungus.”

“Still counts.”

Before they could continue, Dormé knocked then opened the door without waiting for an answer. “Just thought you two should know, that clone commander will be here in ten minutes. Might want to at least pretend to be a competent senator, at least for the first meeting.”

“You’re my new favorite,” Sabé said, ignoring Rabé’s upset shout from somewhere else in the office.

Padmé sniffed primly as she ran quick fingers over the top of her hair. “She’s just your favorite because she’s willing to sass me.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” Sabé turned to the other handmaiden. “What do we need to know about this commander?”

Dormé shrugged as she pulled out a datapad from one of the many hidden pockets of her dress. “The only thing I can find out is that his serial number is CC-1010 and he fought at Geonosis.”

“Oh really?” Sabé said. “Perhaps Padmé met him in the arena.” She turned. “Padmé, do you happen to remember if you met CC-1010? It would’ve been after you were chained to a pole but before being put in a bacta tank for that present the nexu gave you.”

“I thought we were over this,” Padmé grumbled as she absentmindedly rested a hand on her stomach. Yeah, those were going to be hurting for a while.

“Oh, I’m going to be using this for weeks.”

“Or until the next time you do something dumb,” Dormé helpfully added.

“Yes,” Sabé grinned, “or until that.” She turned to the other handmaiden. “I don’t like not knowing anything about the commander. Keep digging, and we’ll keep our normal defensive perimeter around the room.”

“Understood.” Dormé disappeared, off to tell the others of the plan.

“I really don’t think all of this is necessary,” Padmé moved to stand beside Sabé. “The clones I’ve met were all very nice.”

“Forgive me if I don’t trust your assessment of a man’s character right now.” She fingered the dagger hidden under her skirt. “And we’re letting an armed stranger into the office. I’m not going to take any chances.”

“You’re mother henning, again.” The senator nudged her friend’s shoulder, playful grin on her face.

“Maybe, but I think you’ll have to get used to it. At least until you can hold your own in a spar.”

“Fine,” Padmé agreed with a huff. Pulling her shoulders back, she became Padmé Amidala, the senator from Naboo. Playfulness gone, hidden behind durasteel walls of duty and righteous indignation for the less fortunate. “Now then, let’s get ready for our guests.”

Sabé could only hope that the commander knew what he was getting into.

Chapter Text

Accordingly, the door pad chimed exactly ten minutes later.

“That must be him,” Padmé said, rising from her seat and brushing imagined dust off of her dress. She pasted on her best smile and turned to Sabé. “Well, let’s not keep them waiting.”

Sabé signaled Rabé who opened the door, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man in white armor. He completely dwarfed the handmaiden, and it had Sabé’s hand itching towards her favorite dagger.

Rabé stiffened for just a fraction of a moment before forcing her shoulders to relax. “Good afternoon, commander, trooper. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”

Sabé wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. The commander entered first, and Sabé immediately began to take notice of the various weapons hidden and resting in plain sight. Two DC-17 blasters, a knife nestled in a boot sheath, and what was probably droid poppers in his belt pouches. His armor was decorated with the Coruscant Guard’s symbol, and a black kama swished around his legs.

Another trooper trailed behind him. His armor was mostly undecorated, with only a few red lines on his arms and calves. A datapad was held tightly in his hands, and the trooper swiped through whatever information was on there so quickly Sabé wasn’t sure if he was even able to read what he was seeing.

“Thank you for meeting with me, senator.” The commander bowed slightly, which was surprising. The handmaidens had been under the impression that the clones were bred solely for war, that the creation of the Coruscant Guard was a rushed vote. How did this commander know proper protocol? Either the clones were also trained in political maneuvering, or he was a fast learner. And Sabé was going to find out which.

Padmé bent her head. “Of course, commander, I’m happy to do anything to help the guard.” She paused for a second before continuing. “I apologize, but I don’t believe I caught your name, Commander….”

His voice, which had been a little raspy, became almost robotic. “My designation is CC-1010.”

The senator’s smile became more pinched. “I am aware of your designation, Commander. I was wondering if there was a name that you would prefer to be called.”

“Clone units do not require personal designations. However, you may choose to give this unit a name should you desire.”

At that, Padmé visibly stiffened. Before she could do something that she would regret, Sabé stepped into view and shook her head. She could see that Padmé wanted to say something else, but fortunately the trust in her leading handmaiden won out and she took a deep breath. “That…won’t be necessary, Commander. Is there anything I can offer you to eat or drink? Or would you like to sit?” She gestured to the small couch.

“Unfortunately, senator, I am unable to stay long. I wanted to assure you that the safety of you and your colleagues is the highest priority of the Guard and that we are here to serve you. If you need anything, or if you ever feel unsafe, please inform myself or another Guardsman immediately.” He sent a signal to the other trooper, and Sabé’s datapad pinged a moment later. “That is my personal comm code.”

With a glance around the room, his hand shifted almost imperceptibly towards his blaster. Sabé tried not to grin. The commander had definitely noticed the disguised defensive perimeter created by the various handmaidens. What was more impressive is that he had done it faster than most of the senator’s other visitors, with the exception of the jedi. Yes, Sabé thought with an internal grin, this commander needed to be watched. And possibly scared. Just a little bit.

Before Padmé could stop her, Sabé moved forward until she was even with the senator. “I am Sabé, leader of the Handmaidens of Amidala. We are responsible for protecting the senator on and off of Coruscant, so I suspect that we will be working with each other often.”

“Does the Senator get into trouble often?” And there, there was a spark of something other than the robotic-ness the commander had been displaying. Almost as quickly as the words were out of his mouth, though, the commander stiffened as if he was preparing to be punished for speaking. That wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do at all.

She gave the commander her best smile, and taking a risk, she placed a hand on his vambrace. He stiffened under her touch, but she ignored it. He needed to know that he wasn’t fighting alone, that he had a friend here. “I hate to break it to you, Commander, but Senator Amidala is one of the worst trouble-magnets that I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing.”

Sabé ignored the scoff of the woman in question. “Between you and me, if there’s a bounty hunter on Coruscant, there’s an 80% chance that they’re after Padmé. She has perfected the ability to make wealthy, vindictive people very angry.”

“I heard that,” Padmé grumbled from behind her.

“You were supposed to.” Sabé winked at the commander, who to be honest, hadn’t moved in at least a minute. If she couldn’t see the slight movement of his chest plate, Sabé would be concerned that he had died. Deciding that the poor man had suffered enough, she backed up. “I look forward to working with you and your men.”

The commander didn’t speak. Once the silence had stretched and Sabé was about to comm a medic, the other clone gently nudged his commander. That seemed to do the trick. The Commander shook his head and then with a sharp salute said, “Me, too.” Then, before anyone could even blink, the commander was gone.

Even the other trooper was surprised. He threw them a quick salute. “Thank you, senator.” Then he was gone, presumably to chase down his commander.

But before the door slid shut, the handmaidens could hear one of clones say, “Me, too? What the kark-” Unfortunately, what was shaping up to be a beautiful tirade was cut off with the closing of the door. One of the handmaidens burst into giggles right after.

Sabé raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny, Saché?”

“Could you have been more obvious?” The other handmaiden wiped a tear from her eye. “I think I almost bruised a rib from trying to keep my laugh in.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sabé turned, pointedly ignoring the looks of the other women. “I was just trying to make the man more comfortable. It’s obvious that he doesn’t think he has any allies in the Senate.”

“Maybe, but you want to be more than allies, don’t you?” Versé waggled her eyebrows, then gasped when one of the room’s throw pillows lived up to its name and smacked her in the face.

Sabé straightened, trying to look like she hadn’t just thrown a pillow at her co-worker. “I want to know everything about the commander. He noticed that we were a threat. That’s something most people aren’t able to do.”

“Yeah,” Padmé said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, “that’s the only reason why you want to find out more about CC-1010.”

“You have no room to talk,” Sabé stated, finger pointed. “And my conversation with the commander was just building rapport that I can use later. We’ve all done it at least a hundred times by now.”

“I know what you look like when you’re ‘building rapport’, and that wasn’t it. You didn’t bite your lip, and that’s the one way to know you’re being fake.” Padmé, having excellent reflexes, caught the pillow thrown her way and sent it back to Sabé, who deflected it. “You’re interested in him!”

“We just met!” Sabé growled back.

Eirtaé had wisely chosen to stand in front of the bookshelf, protecting the many breakable things on the shelves. Of course, this also meant that she was off-limits, and she was going to use that to her full advantage. Sabé would be proud if she wasn’t feeling so betrayed. “You know, I’m sure that we could schedule another meeting to figure out the Guard’s capabilities. How many men are going to be in the rotunda at a time, what a protection detail will look like…..” she paused, a mischievous smirk quickly growing, “How often CC-1010 will be working with us.”

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get away from the shelf.” Sabé stalked forward, murder in her eyes. “Five, four-”

Deciding that she wanted to live, Eirtaé let loose a little scream and then ran to Padmé, using the senator as a human shield. Unfortunately for her, Sabé didn’t care about collateral damage. She tackled the younger girl to the floor, Padmé falling down beside them.

It only took a few seconds for Sabé to get Eirtaé into an arm bar. Unfortunately, it also took that long for the Coruscant Guard to rush back into the room, blasters drawn.

Of course, that only made the handmaidens draw their weapons. The two groups were at a standstill, until Padmé shakily laughed. “I’m sorry, commander, but I believe that we’ve alarmed you unnecessarily with our….unscheduled training.” She slipped her holdout blaster back into a hidden pocket. “There’s no need to be alarmed.”

His blaster lowered. “Unscheduled training?”

“Yes,” Sabé quickly jumped in, standing and raising a hand to her hair, making sure that every strand was still in place. Thank the force, it was. “It’s important for every handmaiden to be prepared to defend the senator at any and all times. Handmaiden Eirtaé has passed her surprise inspection.”

Dormé disguised her snort as a cough, quickly looking anywhere else when Sabé glared her way. “Of course, I’m not sure if I could say the same about the others. Perhaps additional training will be needed.”

“Our training is probably much different than yours, commander,” Rabé interjected, sliding her dagger back into the hidden sheath on her belt. “Maybe Sabé could meet with you later, discuss how our two groups can mesh if needed during an emergency situation.”

He looked at the other clone, as if asking for some kind of help. He didn’t get any. “I…have a very busy schedule.”

“That’s fine.” Padmé smiled, but Sabé knew that she was cackling inside. “I’m sure that Sabé would be willing to accompany you on your rounds. After all, we’ve been a part of the senate for a few years now, and Sabé is an expert at identifying weak points.”

“I’m sure that the commander has better things to do than let me follow him around.” Sabé hissed, debating if her friend was healed enough to handle an elbow to the ribs.

The poor commander was left speechless. Fortunately, his friend answered for him. “The commander would be happy to accept any advice Handmaiden Sabé would be willing to provide. His next shift in the Senate will occur tomorrow from 0700 to 1700. Is this acceptable?”

“Yes,” the senator answered, smile firmly in place. Oh, Sabé was going to kill her for this. The only question was how.

“Padmé-” she warned.

The senator ignored her. “Handmaiden Sabé can meet the commander here.”

“I will add it to his schedule.” He tugged the commander towards the door. “Have a nice day, senator, ma’ams.”

This time as the door closed, the women heard a thump, a gasp, and then a muttered, “You di’kut, what the kark-”

Then they had to bring their focus back to the middle of the room as Sabé tackled Padmé into the couch, making sure that she landed on the cushions and pressure was off any injuries. Just because the senator needed to be taught a lesson didn’t mean that Sabé had to be unnecessarily cruel about it. “When I’m done with you, it’ll look like a bloody accident.”

“You should be thanking me,” Padmé said, gripping her arms and then flipping them both so that Sabé was now pinned on the couch. “After all, now you get to do some recon on the commander.”

“You’re seeing something that isn’t there. We JUST MET!”

“Aw, come on. Let me have my fun.” She let Sabé up and flopped beside her on the couch. “And besides, Rabé had a good point. Handmaidens go through a very strict and distinctive type of training. And no one knows about how prepared the Coruscant Guard are to defend us. If something does happen and we need to work together, it’ll be good to have the background built so that we’re not stepping on each other’s toes and getting each other shot.”

“I like not being shot,” Versé helpfully added from where she had taken up a post beside the door. There wouldn’t be any more surprise raids today.

Sabé rolled her eyes and pulled out her datapad. “I hate you all.” If she was going to do this, she was going to find out as much about the clones as she could. No one would ever say that she was unprepared.

Padmé threw an arm around her shoulders. “We love you, too.”

Chapter Text

Sabé checked her reflection in the office’s mirror one last time.

“You look fine,” Padmé said from where she was sitting behind her desk. “And either way, I thought that you didn’t care about the commander.”

“I’m don’t.” She ran her hands down the burnt orange fabric of her dress. It was ankle-length and showed off her matte black boots. It also did a good job of hiding all of the knives, blasters, and droid poppers that were on her person. Even her hair pin could be used to disable or kill an opponent. “But we do have a bit of a reputation to uphold.”

Padmé stood and crossed the room, gently turning Sabé towards her. With a smile, she readjusted her friend’s sash (Which also functioned as a garrote. You could never be too careful when working in the senate.). “If he doesn’t melt in his boots, then the clones really are as robotic as they claim.”

Rolling her eyes, Sabé gently nudged Padmé away. “I’ve already told you, I’m not interested.”

“Yes, you are,” the senator said with a knowing smirk. “He’s a mystery, a puzzle, and I know how much you like solving those.” She checked her comm. “And he’ll be here in a few minutes. Would you rather stay in here and make a grand entrance, or sit and wait demurely on the sofa?”

“Really, Padmé?” She rolled her eyes and double checked her weapons. They were all still there, just like the last three times she had patted herself down. “If only the people could see you now. The lovely senator stooping so low as to tease her poor handmaiden.”

“Poor handmaiden? You’ve got to be kidding me.” A spark of mischief ignited in her eyes. “I’d be careful if I were you, Sabé. You never know when I might decide to get my revenge.”

Kark. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I definitely would.” Padmé grinned wickedly. Where was that husband of hers now? Sabé would bet her life savings that he hadn’t seen this side of the senator. Too bad, he should’ve done his homework before marrying the woman he just met. But this wasn’t his problem, it was hers.

Before Sabé could plead her case, the door pad rang. “Oh look, the commander’s here.” Padmé flounced to the door, and Sabé stomach sank with each step. This was not going to end well.

The other handmaidens watched with growing glee as Padmé answered the door herself. It was a breach in protocol, but it was never said that handmaidens were unwilling to help the senator with any task she might wish to complete. Especially if it involved teasing Sabé.

“Commander!” she exclaimed. “Please come in.” Padmé expertly maneuvered the poor clone across the room until he was standing in front of Sabé, who was wishing that someone would attack the senate dome. It happened at least once every other month, why not now?

Unfortunately, the force wasn’t with her. “Here’s Sabé, ready for patrol. Don’t you think that dress really brings out her eyes?”

The commander was left speechless, either because he didn’t know what to say or because he didn’t expect to be attacked like this so early in the morning. Sabé quickly stepped in before anything else could be said. “Thank you, senator, but we must be going now. I’m sure that the commander has a very busy schedule, and I don’t want to hinder him from his duties.” She glared at the senator, who just shrugged. “Before I forget, I think that we should resume sparring tonight. I think you’re ready.”

“Oh,” Padmé said, baring her teeth, “I look forward to it.”

“Good. I will meet you after the commander’s shift.” Sabé pointedly turned towards the door, waiting for the commander to follow. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we have actual work to do today.”

Within the blink of an eye, Padmé was back to pretending to be the perfect senator. “Of course. I look forward to hearing your report.”

Sabé bowed slightly before marching out the door and into the senate hallway. Huffing, she faced the commander as the door to the office slid closed. “I am so sorry about that. Senator Amidala can be a little….excitable.” Yeah, that’s a good way to word it.

“No apologies necessary, ma’am.”

When it was clear that the commander wasn’t going to say anything else, she smiled, trying to put him at ease. Although, by the tense line of his shoulders, she wasn’t doing a very good job. “Well then, what does our day look like?” she asked.

Pulling his shoulders back, CC-1010 began to make his way further down the hallway. At least work seemed to be something he was comfortable discussing. “Today I am scheduled to meet with Senators Organa and Taa. Other than that, I will patrol the senate dome, providing assistance where needed.”

“Hmmm,” Sabé rubbed her chin. “The meeting with Organa should go well, he’s a kind and reasonable man. Senator Taa, on the other hand…” She trailed off. “What is this meeting about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Senator Taa wishes to discuss how equipped the Guard is to protect him. He seems to be….concerned that an attack on his life will occur.”

Seriously? Senator Taa was more likely to die from a heart attack than an assassin’s bullet. Something must have shown on her face, because the commander’s helmet tilted. “Is something wrong, ma’am?”

“It’s nothing,” she answered, nodding at a group of giggling aides as they passed, “just that in all of his years in the senate, Senator Taa has never been the target of an assassination plot. The man’s vote can be bought for next to nothing. If you’re worried about anything, it should be the good senator’s cholesterol levels.”

For a moment Sabé thought she had overstepped, the commander a silent wraith beside her. Finally, he spoke. “Thank you for the information, Handmaiden.”

“Just Sabé is fine,” she said, relieved that she hadn’t made some kind of social faux pas so quickly. “There’re so many handmaidens that you’d be calling for six different people. And I’m sure you don’t want six handmaidens of Amidala following you around.” Under her breath, she added, “There are some days that I don’t.”

A crackle of static came from the commander’s vocoder. Was that laughter? Before she could think on it anymore, CC-1010 cleared his throat. “Calling you by your name is too informal. Is there a rank I may address you by?”

Sabé sighed. Of course he was going to be a firm rule follower. Although that was probably a good thing. Some of the senators were extremely conniving. “I guess that the closest thing to a rank I would have is ‘Chief’. At least, that’s what the head of other senator’s security details are called.”

“Alright, Chief.” He said the word slowly, almost as if he was trying it out.

By this time, they had made it to the lifts. “So when are you meeting with Senator Organa?”

“Right now.” Before she could ask her next question, the commander continued. “He wanted to check in and see how the Guard is adjusting to our new posting.”

“He’s one of the good ones. If you or any other member of the Guard need anything, I would suggest going to either our offices or Senator Organa’s.”

“Your advice is noted.” There was definitely something hesitant in the commander’s voice, one that made Sabé think that he had already been in contact with some of the more corrupt senators. And suddenly she realized that what she was doing, following him around like an akk puppy, could be seen as her trying to manipulate him.

As the doors to the lift opened on Senator Organa’s floor, Sabé frowned and grabbed CC-1010’s arm, forcing him to stop. “Commander, please, if my presence is making you uncomfortable or impeding your ability to get work done in any way, please let me know and we’ll figure something else out. I’m sure that we could eventually schedule a meeting or holocall-”

“This is fine, Chief.” He looked down at her hand, which was still holding tightly to his rerebrace. She let go like she had been burned. “I…appreciate the help and insight you are able to provide.” 

“Let me know if that changes at any time.”

“I will,” he answered with a nod before leading them out of the lift.

They went the rest of way in silence, until they were standing outside the office door. “Are there any tips you can give me?”

“About how to make the meeting go well?” she clarified. After the commander nodded, Sabé moved her hands behind her back, looking as if she was providing an after-action report. “Senator Organa appreciates honesty more than anything. As long as you tell him the truth, you’ll be fine.” After a second of debate, she added, “And I’ll be there, too, so if you need any help, just give me a glance and I’ll step in.”

“Thank you.” He stepped up to the door, pulled his shoulders back, then pressed the door chime. If Sabé was being honest, it was pretty cute. She shook that thought out of her head, she would not be proving Padmé right today, thank you very much.

Senator Organa’s aide opened the door. “Commander CC-1010, Handmaiden Sabé, please come in.”

Sabé bowed slightly as she entered the office’s lobby. “Good morning, Marti. How is Senator Organa?”

“Stressed about the upcoming vote-”

“No, I’m not. We’re going to win and that’s that.” Senator Organa emerged from his office, tugging at his sleeve. Face lighting up with a smile, he crossed the room and held out a hand. “Commander, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

Reluctantly, the commander shook it. “Likewise, Senator.”

Turning to Sabé, Senator Organa bowed. “And I was delighted to hear that you would be joining us this morning, Lady Sabé.”

“Thank you for indulging me,” Sabé answered, returning his bow with a curtsy. “Senator Amidala and I believed that we would be able to improve collaboration between the Guard and handmaidens if the two groups understood each other better.”

“And you’ll be able to assist the commander for his first few days on the job,” Organa said with a wink to the commander. “I could think of no one better than Lady Sabé to guide you through the workings of the Republic Senate.”

“You flatter me, Senator.”

“Perhaps, but it is well earned.” He gestured to the sofa and chairs arranged in his office. “Please, have a seat.”

Sabé sank gracefully onto the couch. “Thank you.” She looked up, noticing that the commander was still standing, as stiff as a board. Smiling, she patted the seat beside her. “This spot’s free, Commander.” Recognizing the hint, he sat down, hands clenched firmly at his side.

“Can I offer you any refreshments?” Marti had put some drinks and small breakfast sandwiches on the table in front of them while they had been talking. Sabé took one of the sandwiches, shooting a glance to the commander.

“It is against regulations for a Guard to remove his helmet,” he said, voice clipped. 

“Really? That seems a bit…strict.” Organa clasped his hands together. “I can assure you that my office is safe.”

There was a slight twitch in CC-1010’s hands, one that Sabé did not like the looks of. She had seen a few clones when she went to go pick Padmé up from the medbay, and they had all had their helmets off, so this regulation definitely wasn’t in place GAR-wide. That meant that although the commander had only been on Coruscant a few days, he was already creating regulations to limit contact with non-Guardsmen. That was not a good sign. “I apologize, sir, but I must insist on keeping my helmet on.”

Organa sent her a look. It wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone who didn’t know him, but Sabé was trained to notice the slightest differences in facial expressions. She shook her head. So she wasn’t going to be able to see the Commander’s face. That was okay, but maybe they could start building up some trust.

“That’s alright, commander.” She took a bite out of her sandwich. Step one, prove that it’s not poisoned. Step two, provide an out so that he can take one, even if he can’t eat it right now. “If you can’t eat a sandwich now, perhaps you can take some back to the barracks with you? That way you can share with your men.” Step three, wait for additional support.

Senator Organa must have been on the same train of thought. “I would be happy to send some to the barracks, Commander. To be honest,” he added with a laugh, “my chef has been experimenting with different recipes, and although his culinary creations are always amazing, some of them aren’t to my taste. These sandwiches being one of them. I had actually hoped to get rid of them during our meeting.”

Oh, Senator Organa was good, making the Commander think that he’d be doing him a favor by taking the food. It was perfect. How they just had to wait to see if it worked.

CC-1010 nodded with a jerk. “That would be appreciated, sir.”

“Perfect.” He clapped his hands with a wide smile. “Now that that’s settled, let’s begin our meeting.”

Chapter Text

“How do you like Coruscant?”

The commander stiffened almost imperceptibly. “It’s…fine.”

Sabé wished that he would stop measuring his words. Or at least stop feeling the need to. Thankfully she had been able to do a little homework on the clones and their upbringing. “Nothing like Kamino, I imagine.”

His helmet quickly turned towards her. So she had surprised him; that was interesting. “No ma’am, it’s not.”

“I read that it rains on Kamino almost every day.” She smiled, trying to calm the poor man down. “To be honest with you, Commander, I think that much rain would have driven me insane.”

“The city must be a big change for you and your men,” Senator Organa jumped in. “Are you adjusting well?”

“We are performing at optimum efficiency.” The answer was quick and clipped. Sabé made a mental note to never bring up anything that brought the Guard’s effectiveness or ability into question.

Organa noticed it, as well. “I apologize, Commander. I didn’t mean to imply that the Guard wouldn’t be able to do their jobs. I just wanted to know if there was anything that I could do to make your job easier as you and your men become accustomed to the city.”

It took a moment longer, but the commander’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “No need to apologize, senator.”

Senator Organa sent her a pleading look. This meeting was not going well, and Sabé had no idea why. The commander wasn’t comfortable around her, but this was a whole new level of unease. Before she could attempt to fix things, the commander cleared his throat. “Is there anything else that you require, Senator?”

“No, commander, there’s not.” He sighed before standing. “I will have my aide send these sandwiches to your barracks.”

“We appreciate that, senator.” The commander rose as well before offering a hand to Sabé. She took it and rose gracefully from the couch, mind swirling with questions.

This man was raised to be a trained soldier. In fact, there wasn’t going to even be a Coruscant Guard until Palpatine scared enough senators to get the battalion created during an emergency senate session. By all accounts, he should be out on a battlefield somewhere. But instead, he was here, and he had somehow learned enough about social protocols to offer her his hand. “Thank you, commander.”

As they headed to the door, Senator Organa made one last attempt to salvage the meeting. “Please, if there’s anything that I can help you with, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I will keep that in mind, sir.” He saluted before marching out the door. After stepping into the hallway, he fell into parade rest, patiently waiting for Sabé to say her own goodbyes.

She sent Organa a small smile and reached for a hug. Leaning close, she whispered, “It’s not you. He doesn’t seem to trust anyone.”

“Hopefully we can work the good commander out of his shell,” the senator whispered back. Pulling away, he continued, louder, “As always, it was a pleasure to see you, Lady Sabé.”

“The pleasure was mine, senator.” With one final nod, she followed the commander into the hallway. He immediately began walking away.

“Well,” Sabé said, rushing to catch up, “I think that went well, as far as first meetings go.” When it became clear that the commander wasn’t going to say anything, she continued, “Where are we headed now?”

“I have received a distress signal from one of my troopers.”

Her hand twitched towards the closest knife. “I’m sure that Senator Organa would’ve let us leave earlier if you had let him know. How long has it been since your trooper called?”

“A few minutes ago.”

That was good. “And where are they?”

The pair entered the lift, CC-1010 pushing a button with a little more force than necessary. “Senator Kashesh’s office.” 

That was not good. “Kark.”

The commander’s attention was on her in a heartbeat. “What do you mean?”

“Senator Kashesh is very cruel. There have been multiple reports of her mistreating her aides, but nothing’s ever come from it.” Discreetly, Sabé sent a comm message to Versé, asking her to hack into the cameras outside of the senator’s office. She and the commander were still a good few minutes away, so any information they could get beforehand would be extremely helpful.

The commander was silent beside her. Risking a touch to his vambrace, she said, “We’ll get your man out of there, commander.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

By that time, Versé had proven once again why she was the best slicer on Coruscant and sent Sabé a live feed from inside the senator’s office. There weren’t even supposed to be cameras inside the office. The fact that there was raised a whole new set of questions, but also gave Sabé an idea.

It was a slightly illegal idea, but Sabé was willing to do most anything after she saw what was going on in the office. Without a word, she showed the feed to the commander, who stiffened but never broke his stride.

“Commander,” she said, “I have an idea, but I need you to trust me.” She could hear the synthleather of his gloves creak as the commander tightened his fist. “Please, I know you don’t have any reason to, but I can get your man out of there without any repercussions falling on you or the rest of the Guard.”

And that was the real problem, wasn’t it? Because during her research, Sabé had found that the clones had no rights and there were no protections in place for the men. No doubt the commander knew this, too. Giving her control was the safest option for him, but it would also be the most terrifying.

“Please.” The door to the senator’s office was in sight, and a decision needed to be made.

“If anything happens-” the commander began.

“It won’t.” She stopped in front of the door. “Stay here, and I’ll be right back. Your man’s going to need you.” He gave her a tense nod before taking up position on the other side of the hall.

Sabé reached up to activate her earpiece comm. “Versé, I need this door open.”

“Copy that,” the other handmaiden answered immediately. “I can also get enough blackmail on the good senator to keep her silent for the next century.”

“Understood.” Sabé fought to keep from reaching for her dagger. This wasn’t a battle that could be won with violence, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to cut Kashesh into a hundred little pieces.

“Door opening in three…two….one.”

As soon as it slid open, Sabé marched in, completely ignoring the senator’s aide and grinning ferally when the door to the private office slid open by itself. She’d have to get Versé one of her favorite little cakes after this.

Senator Kashesh had pushed the trooper against the wall, his helmet thrown carelessly on the floor. Her hand caressed his face, and the trooper looked terrified. “What is the meaning of-” she demanded, freezing only when she noticed that it wasn’t her aide that had interrupted.

“Release that trooper right now, Senator.” Sabé bared her teeth, quickly invading the other woman’s space.

Kashesh pulled her shoulders back. “What right does a Handmaiden of Amidala have to order me around as if I were a droid?”

“Right? You’re trying to lecture me on rights?” She laughed coldly. “What about this trooper’s rights? Let him go and I won’t mention this to the senate ethics committee.”

Now it was the senator’s turn to laugh. “Clone troopers aren’t recognized as sentient beings under republic law. There’s nothing that you can do to me.”

Of course Kashesh would have found out about the clones lack of rights within their first week of deployment. But that didn’t matter, not when Sabé had an ace up her sleeve. “Perhaps there’s nothing against the law about abusing a trooper,” she spat, “but I think you’ll find that there are laws about bribery, extortion, and abuse.”

That made the senator pause. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you think that the handmaidens were unaware of your…extracurricular activities? Let this man go, never touch a Guardsman again, and the handmaidens will overlook your previous infarctions.” Sabé crossed her arms, daring the senator to challenge her. Honestly she hoped that she would.

Kashesh began to laugh nervously, backing away from the Guardsman. “I’m sure that we can come to some kind of agreement, handmaiden. There’s no need to get anyone else involved.”

“Those are my terms.” Sabé strode forward to stand protectively in front of the trooper. “And I’m not open to negotiations.”

If looks could kill, Sabé would be a dead woman. “Fine,” the senator spat, “take your little clone and leave. I can find better ways to occupy my time.”

“Good. I hope that you remember this, Senator, because the handmaidens will.” Refusing to turn her back towards the senator, she herded the trooper out of the private office.

As she did, Sabé’s earpiece came to life. “Are we really going to let her go free?” Padmé asked. Great, now that she was involved, there was definitely going to be some legislation introduced to help the troopers.

Sabé tapped her earpiece twice, the handmaiden’s signal for ‘No, do you think I’m crazy?’.

Padmé laughed. “Good. Then I assume we’ll be sending the info to the Coruscant Times?” When Sabé didn’t do anything, Padmé kept going, “Good choice. I’ll draft the email now.”

When the door to Kashesh’s office closed, Sabé turned to the aide. “We were never here.” The girl quickly nodded.

Satisfied that their secret was safe, Sabé moved her attention to the trooper. His hands were clenched around the rim of his helmet, and his breathing was shallow and fast. Another wave of anger washed over her, and she wished that there was something else they could do to make sure that the senator never hurt anyone again. Political ruin would have to suffice.

When she realized that he wasn’t going to look at her, Sabé bent down into the trooper’s line of sight. “Hello there. My name is Sabé. I have your commander waiting right outside, but would you like to put on your helmet, first?”

“My commander?” he asked, voice shaky.

“Yes.” She pasted on a reassuring smile. “Would you like for him to come in here, instead?”

“Please.”

With a glance, Sabé was able to convince the aide to leave the room. She followed, sending a tight smile to CC-1010. “He’s waiting inside. No physical injuries, and Kashesh won’t be hurting any of your Guard again.” The commander looked towards the office. “Go on,” Sabé said, giving him a light nudge. “I’ll wait out here.”

Five minutes later, another Guardsman walked into the office. Five minutes after that, all three emerged, CC-1010 coming back to Sabé while the other two disappeared deeper into the dome. Hopefully the poor trooper was being sent back to the barracks.

“Is he going to be okay?” she asked, watching as the pair disappeared.

“Yes, ma’am. Our medic wants to check on him, but we think he’ll be fine.” After a beat, he continued. “Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary, Commander, it was the right thing to do.” They resumed their walk through the halls. “And if something like that happens again, please let me or one of the other handmaidens know. We’ll put a stop to it.”

The only answer she got was a nod. “So,” she said, “what’s next on our to-do list?”

“Meeting with Senator Taa.”

Kark. She was hoping that she could convince the commander to take a break. He deserved it after being forced to wait while his trooper was in trouble. “Let’s see if we can keep this short, then. There’s no need to waste our time with his crazy ramblings.”

They reached the senator’s office way too soon for Sabé’s liking, the gaudy and flashy decorations assaulting her eyes so badly that she was certain it could be counted as a crime in at least three systems. Taa’s poor secretary showed them straight to his personal office, where he was waiting.

“Ah, commander, please come in!” he said, completely ignoring Sabé, who discreetly stood in the corner. CC-1010, for his part, stood at attention in front of the desk. “I hope that you’ve had a chance to review the concerns I mentioned during our meeting yesterday.”

“Yes, senator. Patrols have been increased in this section of the dome, and two squads of troopers will be sent with you whenever you return to Ryloth. Should an attempt on your life occur, a squad will accompany you at all times, including in your apartments.”

“Good!” Taa resumed eating his giant platter of Devaronian snails, loudly slurping them and making Sabé want to gag. It took all of her training to keep a straight face. He had eaten six before seemingly remembering that the commander was still there. “That is all, commander.”

“Yes, sir.” He saluted and then turned sharply to leave the office.

CC-1010 didn’t speak until they were halfway to the lifts. “Chief, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she readily agreed, “I’m an open book.”

The commander mulled over his words before finally asking, “Why didn’t he speak to you?”

Sabé shrugged. “A handmaiden’s job is to blend into the background, to provide hidden protection to the senator. Sometimes people mistake that for being weak or unimportant.” She grinned. “Opponents don’t make that mistake for long.”

“But…that would be considered rude, correct?”

“Yes, but people can be rude, especially if they’re in a position of power.” Sabé straightened her sash and sent a glance to the commander. “He probably would’ve changed his tune if he realized everything a handmaiden does.”

The commander was silent, but there was something in it that made Sabé smile. “You’re trying to figure out how to ask what we do, aren’t you?”

He looked down at her and sheepishly said, “Yes, Chief.”

She laughed. “Thank you for admitting that, Commander, most people wouldn’t. Like I said before, on Naboo handmaidens serve as disguised protection details. We’re trained in multiple forms of armed and unarmed combat, and each of us have our own unique specializations.

“In addition,” she continued, “each handmaiden is capable of impersonating the senator in case there are any threats on her life.”

“What?” the commander interjected, only to realize a second later that he had interrupted a nat-born. “I apologize-”

“No need,” Sabé waved off the apology, “I’m glad that you let me know you didn’t understand something. What separates handmaidens from other protection details is that we can impersonate the senator. Her movements, voice, mannerisms, everything. It allows us to get work done while still keeping the senator safe.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It is,” she easily conceded. “We did it more frequently when Senator Amidala was queen, but we’ve already had to institute the decoy protocols a few times while here in the senate.”

CC-1010 was silent, thinking through what she had told him. Finally, he asked, “Aren’t you afraid that you’ll be hurt?”

“There’s always that risk.” Her fingers brushed against the scars she had acquired in the line of duty. “We lost Cordé a few weeks ago to a bomb planted on the senator’s ship, and I’ve had a few close calls myself. But there are some people who are worth dying for. Padmé is one of them.”

After a few minutes, she raised an eyebrow. “You have another question, don’t you?”

“How will we know that we’re protecting the right person if one of the handmaidens is disguised as Senator Amidala?” He clenched his hands behind his back, and Sabé quietly cheered at the breach of protocol.

A mischievous smirk grew on her face. “We can’t make your job too easy, can we?” She laughed as the commander’s blank visor stared at her. “Fine, I’ll give you a hint. I’m the one that usually impersonates the senator, so if you meet a new handmaiden and I’m not around, I’m probably the senator.”

“Hmmm,” was all the commander said.

“Think of it like this,” Sabé said with a smile. “If you can tell all of your brothers apart, and you’re literally clones, it should be easy for you to figure out who’s Padmé and who’s not.”

“I still think it’s a security nightmare,” he grumbled.

Smothering a laugh, Sabé settled on resting a hand on the commander’s vambrace. “Maybe, but why don’t we take a break for lunch and we can talk about it more, afterward? You can eat in the senator’s office while the handmaidens and I use the lobby. No regulations broken.”

The commander’s visor moved from her hand to her face several times before he finally answered, “Okay.”

Her grin grew as they entered the lift. Take that, Organa.

Chapter Text

“Sabé, get up.”

“What?” she grumbled, rolling over to her other side. It was way too early to be dealing with whatever crap Padmé had gotten herself into. And besides, what could she have done in the six hours Sabé had been asleep?

Rabé pulled the covers off, and oh was she going to regret doing that. “What the kark?” she growled.

But before she could get her well-deserved revenge, Eirtaé threw a datapad on the bed. There was another one in her hand, and now that she was awake, Sabé noticed that every single handmaiden had crammed themselves in her room. Instead of waiting for one of them to answer, Sabé picked up the pad. It was linked to Padmé’s tracker, which had her heading....

“Tell me this is wrong. That this is some sort of glitch with the tracker.”

Shaking her head, Dormé said, “She’s not in her room, and we have footage of her getting into a ship with C-3PO.”

“What could she be doing, Sabé?” Poor Saché had a pillow clutched in her hands so tightly that it was in serious danger of being ripped apart.

Sabé rescued her pillow before gently drawing the other handmaiden onto the bed beside her. First things first, she had to calm down her girls. Then she could deal with whatever Padmé had gotten herself involved in this time. “Although it doesn’t look like it, Padmé is a capable senator and warrior in her own right. If she left to go on some mission, she probably thought that it was for a good reason.”

“But why not bring us along?”

“Because,” Sabé answered, not missing a beat, “she can also be an idiot. And trust me, I’m about to find out why in the galaxy she decided to go off world with only 3PO as back up.” She turned to Versé and put on her best ‘senator’ voice. “Please hand me my comm.”

Versé stifled a giggle as she pressed it into her hand. Good, the girls were already feeling better, step one accomplished. Now onto step two. She dialed Padmé’s comm number and tried to think of what she could say. It all went out the window when the senator answered. “Sabé, before you say-”

“Senator Amidala, may I inquire as to your whereabouts?” she asked, sounding as prim and proper as possible.

“Sabé, I don’t think there’s any need to-”

“Because the last I checked, my lady, you had retired for the night in your quarters. Imagine my surprise when I was awoken at a force forsaken hour, only to discover that not only were you not in your chambers, but that you were half-way across the galaxy. Surely this cannot be true, can it?” Sabé finished with a smile, knowing that the titles and attitude would grate on Padmé like nothing else could. Which was good, because she deserved it.

“The chancellor got information that the Chief Executive of the Banking Clan wanted to discuss changing allegiances, but I had to leave right away.” The senator sighed. “Really, is all that fancy talk necessary?”

“When you forget that you are a kriffing senator of a kriffing planet, yes it is!” Sabé yelled, the lack of sleep and anxiety getting the best of her. “Why couldn’t you have waited to leave until morning?”

“The chancellor said-”

“Kriff the chancellor, I’m not supposed to be protecting him. I’m protecting you, so why didn’t you let any of us know that you were leaving?” She crossed her arms as the other handmaidens crowded into the background of the hollow, giving Padmé identical stares of disappointment. She knew they would be identical because they spent an entire day working on it during training.

It was very effective, even against Padmé herself. “I brought 3PO,” she weakly argued.

The droid in question leaned into the frame. “Mistress Sabé, it is so good of you to make contact. Senator Amidala has been very worried about you.”

“Oh, she has?” Sabé asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yes, mistress. In fact, she keeps repeating ‘Sabé’s going to kill me’, “She’s never going to let me out of her sight again”, and making remarks about how you will follow through on an unspecified threat you apparently made a few weeks ago.”

“The one about an implantable tracking device?” She asked, small smirk on her face. “I recall.”

“Please Sabé,” for the first time, Padmé actually sounded worried, “there’s no need for that.”

“Oh my dear senator, how do you think we found out you were gone?” Were Sabé’s eyes filled with a large amount of unholy glee? Yes. Did she care? No. “We’ll be there in…” she trailed off, looking at the datapad Versé had helpfully provided, “five hours.”

“Wait, Sabé,” the transmission cut out for a split second, indicating that the senator had emerged from hyperspace, “there’s no need for --- AH KARK!”

Sabé leaned forward. “Padmé, what’s happened?”

She could see the senator turning the controls like a madman, which wouldn’t be too unusual, except for the amount of cursing that went along with it. “There’s a giant warship out here!” Blaster fire could be heard in the background. “3PO, man the cannons!”

3PO most certainly did not man the cannons, and Padmé was left to try and keep them from getting blasted on her own. If only there was someone there who knew their way around weaponry. Like say, six well-trained handmaidens. “I know what you’re thinking, Sabé,” Padmé said, sending them into another death-defying turn, “so you don’t need to say it.”

“Wasn’t going to.” Sabé frowned at the comm. “Looks like you have enough on your plate trying to get out of this alive.”

“Please, I just need a clear path, and I’ll make a jump to hyperspace.” There was a pause as the senator presumably looked out the viewport. “But it looks like it’ll be a little more difficult than I planned to find it.”

After a few tense seconds, a young girl’s voice rang out from the ship’s comm. “Nabooan ship, identify yourself.”

“This is Senator Padmé Amidala,” the senator responded. “I was sent here on a mission to negotiate peace with the banking clans.”

“Padmé!”

And Sabé would know that voice anywhere. Skywalker was there. Surely this all wasn’t some ploy for Padmé to get some quality time with her husband? By the way Padmé’s eyes frantically met hers through the comm, Sabé could tell that she didn’t know that he’d be there, either. Good, it was one less thing to scold her on.

Either way, Padmé hurriedly said, “Well, looks like I’ve gotta go. See you all soon. Bye!” Then she slapped the comm off, leaving the handmaidens in darkness.

“If the droids don’t kill her, I’m going to.” Sabé took a deep breath before pulling her hair back into a low ponytail. “Alright, girls. I want all the info we can get on what’s going on in that sector, and I want it five minutes ago.”

“Yes ma’am!” The others scurried off, and Sabé was left alone.

She quickly changed out of her sleeping clothes, choosing to wear a nice, dark red shirt and pants. It also had the added benefit of being the outfit that was able to hide the maximum number of knives and blasters. Prepared for whatever the galaxy could throw at her, she went into the communal living room. “Status report.”

“I’ve hacked into GAR records,” Versé reported, fingers flying over her datapad, “and given the others access. From what I’ve found, the experimental battleship Malevolence has been spotted in that region.”

“The 104^th were sent to destroy it.” Rabé frowned as she scrolled through her own ‘pad. “But there hasn’t been any report on whether they were successful or not.”

Sabé rubbed her forehead. “Please tell me that Padmé can’t be on the ship.”

“Ummm,” Eirtaé looked up sheepishly and flipping her datapad for Sabé to see. “I think she is.”

The handmaiden took it, looking over the information. It was a live camera feed from the bridge of one of the republic cruisers. Sabé sent a raised eyebrow to Versé, who just shrugged, “You said you wanted all the information.”

“Fair enough.” There wasn’t any audio attached, so she did her best to read the lips of the men in the shot. From what little she could tell, yes Padmé was on the ship, and now Kenobi and Skywalker were going after her. “Well, at least someone responsible is going to help.”

“There’s something else.” Saché’s mouth was set in a tense line. “We may be able to get some insider-information if we play our cards right.”

“Insider-information? What do you mean?”

Taking a deep breath, Saché continued, “The 104^th is commanded by Commander Wolffe. From what I’ve been able to get off of Kamino’s databases, he is the batchmate of Marshall Commander CC-1010. Maybe he can get us an inside look.”

“Batchmate?”

“From what I can tell, they’re clones that are raised and trained together.” She looked up. “I think it’s worth a shot.”

“Well, there’s no way that we’d ever get there in time.” Sabé began to put a myriad of weapons into their proper places. “I guess that means I’ve got a fieldtrip to make. Anything else I need to know?”

Dormé grinned mischievously. “If he takes off his helmet, Rabé owes me ten credits.”

“And if he kisses you, Dormé owes me fifty,” Rabé shot back, grabbing another dagger for Sabé to put in her calf sheath.

Wrapping her hair up in a scarf, Sabé sent them her most disappointed look. “Is that really appropriate?”

“Yes,” every handmaiden said.

“If Padmé were here, she’d agree.” Versé grinned unrepentantly.

“Padmé should not be our standard for what we should and should not do. Need I remind you who is currently stuck on a warship?” When no one responded, she rolled her eyes. “You’re all impossible.” 

“Get it from you, Chief.”

Deciding to not deign that with a response, Sabé finished getting ready then marched out, the door shutting on the other women’s laughter.

Chapter Text

Fifteen minutes later, Sabé stood in front of the Coruscant Guard’s headquarters, hoping that this wasn’t about to wreck all the trust she had been building with the commander. Pulling her shoulders back, she pushed open the door, only to find a bored-looking clone manning the front desk.

He had his helmet on (of course), but Sabé could tell by the slight tensing of his posture that he was surprised at his shift being interrupted this late at night. “Good morning, ma’am, how may I be of assistance?” He was perfectly polite, not like she expected anything different from one of the commander’s men.

“Hello, I would like to speak with Commander CC-1010 please. It’s urgent.”

He tilted his helmet. “The commander is off-duty right now, but if you leave your name, I’m sure he can get in touch with you once his shift starts tomorrow.”

“Of course.” What else was she expecting? The poor man probably didn’t get any sleep as it is, who was she to come barging in and demand his time? “I’m Sabé, Chief Handmaiden of Senator Amidala.”

“Sabé?” The trooper sounded like he had choked. “You helped Gear-, I mean CT-7534 the other day, right?”

So the Guardsmen did have names. “If you’re referring to the trooper in Senator Kashesh’s office, all I did was help him get away.”

He leaned slightly forward over the desk. “But then the senator was removed from office because of ethics violations.”

She decided to see if she could push this trooper a little farther than the commander. A little light teasing was in order. “Are you insinuating that the Handmaidens of Amidala would go so far as to get a politician from a different sector removed from office because of sentient’s rights violations?”

Lifting his hands, he said, “Of course not, my lady, but I am saying that the Guard owes whoever did that a debt.”

“And if the handmaidens were the ones who orchestrated the good senators removal, they wouldn’t accept it.” She smirked. “After all, the least we can do is help you and your brothers take out the trash.” The clone laughed, and Sabé grinned. Victory. She had achieved the impossible and made a Guardsman laugh.

“You know what?” he said, reclining back in his seat. “I know for a fact that the commander isn’t asleep, so why don’t I give him a comm and see if he’d be willing to see you? You said it was an emergency, right?”

“Unfortunately.” She watched as the trooper began to slowly type a message on his comm. “It’s of the ‘Senator Amidala has an immortality complex’ variety.”

“Really? What’d she do?”

Sabé leaned an arm on the desk and stared where she thought the clone’s eyes would be behind the visor. “Got herself stuck on a droid warship without taking any backup. We heard that the commander has a batchmate nearby and wanted to see if he had any new information.”

Now the trooper definitely was choking. He slapped his comm. “Commander?” he asked. “I need you to come to the front desk. Now.”

She heard the sound of running boots less than a minute later. But when the commander reached the lobby and saw Sabé, he froze. “Chief-”

When it didn’t look like he would say anything else, Sabé gave him an apologetic smile. “I am so sorry to bother you commander, but it seems Senator Amidala has gotten herself into some trouble, and I was wondering if you could get us some additional information on her status.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Like I was telling your trooper, she left Coruscant without telling us, got stuck on a droid warship, and now it looks like Skywalker and Kenobi have gone after her.” She sighed. “We were doing some digging to try and get more info and discovered that Commander Wolffe is your batchmate and that he’s chasing after the ship she’s on.”

The poor man was as still as a statue. “How did you find out that Wolffe is my batchmate?”

“I wouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to, Commander, but don’t worry, that’s all we discovered.” She patted his vambrace. “Your secrets are still your own, and the handmaidens won’t pry.” After a second, she continued, “But could you please get in contact with him? Padmé cut our connection right after she came out of hyperspace, and we have no idea what’s going on.”

He didn’t say anything for another minute. Deciding that this was a lost cause and that she shouldn’t push her luck, Sabé began backing away. “I’m sorry, Commander, I shouldn’t have asked-”

“Wait.” She looked up at the commander’s visor. He took a deep, shuddering breath before pulling his shoulders back. His battle stance, Sabé thought with an internal grin. “I can’t guarantee that he’ll answer, but I’ll call him.”

“Thank you.” She moved to one of the lobby chairs, preparing herself for a long wait.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” She turned to the commander, whose helmet was tilted at her. She made a mental note that tilted helmets mean either amusement or confusion, although she wasn’t sure which this one was. “I’m waiting for you to call Commander Wolffe.”

CC-1010 moved his hands behind his back and tilted his helmet in the opposite direction. (Maybe the direction of the helmet tilt indicated the emotion? She’d have to ask Rabé later.) “Wouldn’t it be easier if you were there to ask your questions?”

“Well, yes,” she agreed, slightly flustered, “but I didn’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t.” Without another word, the commander turned and began to stride back down the hallway. “This way, please.”

Sabé rushed to keep up, trying to ignore the fact that the trooper at the front desk was definitely staring at her and the commander as they made their way to his office. Letting a non-clone in the barracks must not be a normal occurrence, then.

They didn’t see anyone else in the halls, and Sabé soon found herself watching the commander as he put his code into the pad of a non-descript door. It slid open on creaky gears to reveal a very small office. Honestly, Padmé’s closet was bigger than this. A desk covered in a mountain of datapads sat at the back wall with two chairs standing in front of it. There was a science experiment disguised as a couch on the other wall, and a caff machine had somehow found its way to the floor by the desk.

CC-1010 was watching her examine the room. “I know it’s not what you’re used to,” he said, looking around the room himself, “but it’s not like we were given a decorating budget.”

“No,” Sabé answered, mentally kicking herself, “this place looks….nice. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you find the couch?” Because that cushion has definitely started moving, she didn’t add.

“Oh,” the commander perked up, and Sabé forcibly kept herself from thinking it was cute, “CT-3128 found it in one of the lower levels.”

She was still watching the cushion make odd, rhythmic movements with morbid curiosity. “Can’t imagine why someone would want to throw it out.”

“It’s actually really comfy.”

And that was enough. This man was going to get a couch that wouldn’t eat him while he napped. Discreetly, Sabé sent a comm to Dormé: Please buy the Guard a couch using my account. Make sure it’s untraceable. She got a thumbs up a few seconds later. Satisfied that the task was in capable hands, she turned her attention back to the commander, who had moved to sit behind his desk. “Like I said, I can’t promise that he’ll answer, but if he doesn’t, I’ll try Cody.”

“Thank you so much for this, Commander.” Sabé carefully examined the chairs, subtly giving them a poke. Satisfied that these wouldn’t move, she sat down and watched at CC-1010 began to comm his batchmate.

A clone in his greys picked up on the second ring. The blue hologram didn’t do much to hide the bags under his eyes, and Sabé wondered if that was what CC-1010 looked like under his helmet. “What?” the clone asked, gruffly.

“Wolffe, I was wondering if you had an update on Senator Amidala. I have one of her handmaidens here, and she says that the senator was trapped on a warship?”

“Yeah, the Malevolence.” The commander rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to look at the comm. “I guess you haven’t seen the reports yet, have you?”

There was a tenseness in CC-1010’s voice when he spoke. “What’s wrong.”

“It….it took out the 104^th, vod’ika.” Wolffe’s voice began to crack. “My men….only three of us made it out.”

“Ori’vod-”

Before CC-1010 could continue, a new clone moved into frame and wrapped the other commander up in a hug. Sabé could barely make out a scar curling over the man’s eye. Marshall Commander Cody, then. He looked at Fox. “Tell the handmaiden that Amidala’s fine. I’ve had to tell multiple men to ignore her and Skywalker’s flirting, but she’s fine.”

“I apologize for her, Commander,” Sabé said, speaking up for the first time. “Apparently her common sense goes out the airlock whenever Knight Skywalker is in the system.”

She turned to CC-1010. “Thank you, Commander, but I’ll leave you to speak with your batchmates.” He started to rise, but she waved him back down. “I can find my way out.”

She would like to think that it was a good sign that he didn’t have someone escort her back to the front desk, but the commander may have just forgotten in the wake of finding out that his brother almost lost his entire legion. After a quick goodbye to the trooper manning the front desk, Sabé returned to the streets of Coruscant, intent on finding out more about the clone troopers. Starting with what ‘ori’vod’ and ‘vod’ika’ meant.

-----------------------

Sabé was stuck waiting at the landing pad…again. This time, instead of being tied to a pole on Geonosis, the senator had somehow been stuck on an exploding droid warship. One that had decimated an entire battalion of clone troopers right before she was brought on board.

The door of a landing LAAT/i opened to reveal the senator and four jedi. With a flick of Sabé’s wrist, the handmaidens immediately surrounded Padmé, not-so-discreetly pushing everyone else out of the way.

“Sabé-” Padmé began.

“You have two choices: walk off this platform or be sedated and dragged off.” Sabé began scanning the landing bay for any and all threats. Seeing CC-1010, she sent him a tense smile. He nodded back before making a beeline for a trooper in dress greys. That must be Wolffe.

She heard Padmé sigh from behind her. “I’m sorry.”

“You had better be. And if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will cuff us together and you’ll never have a second of alone time again. Understand?”

“Sabé,” Padmé put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop. “I realize now that what I did was foolish, and I’m so sorry for scaring you. It won’t happen again.”

Turning around, Sabé pulled off her hood so that Padmé could clearly see her face. “Padmé, you almost died out there, and there was nothing I could’ve done to stop it. What if you had died? If we hadn’t put that tracker on you, we wouldn’t have even known you had left.” She rubbed her forehead. “Please, just let us do our jobs.”

“Alright.” Padmé smiled. “From here on out, I’ll always be escorted by you or one of the others.”

“Good.” Sabé turned and resumed the march to their waiting speeder.

The senator’s voice was filled with mischief when she spoke again. “Now what’s this I hear about you meeting with a certain commander in the middle of the night?”

Chapter Text

“Are you sure that you have to go to Rodia?” Sabé shoved another blaster in her bag and sent a serious stare to the senator. “May I remind you what happened just a few weeks ago?”

Padmé stopped her own packing and put her hands on her hips. “Uncle Ono asked for my help, what else am I supposed to do?”

Sabé rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, not go? Or meet in neutral territory closer to Coruscant?”

“Rodia is still a Republic system.”

“Based on what Versé found, it may not be for long.” She sighed. “But since you’re set on going,  I guess I should be thankful that you at least told us this time.”

“Did we really have to bring the Coruscant Guard into this, though? I’m sure that you and the other handmaidens-”

“We’re trying to build up trust with the Guard,” Sabé interrupted. “Think of what leaving without informing them would do to that? The fact that Commander CC-1010 insisted on us bringing a clone escort just proves how thorough he is.”

Padmé narrowed her eyes and smirked. “Of course, and it’s definitely not because he may like a certain someone.”

“It’s his job.” Sabé said, daring Padmé to argue the point further. “And with the amount of trouble you attract, I’ll be happy to have the backup.” She zipped up the bag, sliding it over her shoulder and making her way to the door. “You had better hurry up, the troopers will be here any minute.”

“I wonder if a certain commander will be with-” The door sliding shut cut off the rest of what would’ve surely been a wonderful taunt.

Sabé rolled her eyes and checked on the rest of the handmaidens, finding that they were packed and ready. All they were waiting on were the Guards and Padmé herself. The senator emerged from her office a few minutes later, carrying a single bag. The rest of her extensive wardrobe had already been put on the ship. That alone had taken over two hours.

“Sabé,” Padmé said, mischievous glint in her eyes, “I forgot to mention that someone else will be joining us.”

Already running through the potential security risks, Sabé sighed. “Is it Anakin?”

“Nope. Representative Binks.”

Every handmaiden simultaneously groaned. “Are you trying to get us all killed?” Rabé rubbed her arm, which had been accidentally shot the last time Jar Jar had come with them on a mission.

“I’m trying to get Jar Jar some practice with negotiations. Who knows, one day he may need to stand in for me in the senate.” Padmé was trying to act calm and collected, but anyone that knew her would be able to tell you that she knew she was throwing a wrench into everyone’s plans.

“You realize that the only reason the Gungans even chose Jar Jar to be their representative was because they knew it would take him off-planet, right?” Dormé raised an eyebrow, arms crossed and definitely not happy. She was usually assigned to Binks-duty, since she seemed to have a sixth-sense about when he was going to cause chaos.

“And besides that, the handmaidens are here in case you need to take a leave of absence from the senate.” Sabé frowned. “You’re just doing this to mess with me, and it’s entirely unprofessional.”

“Nonsense. Jar Jar needs experience and Rodia’s a fairly safe planet to get it.” They were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Oh, that must be him.”

When the door opened, it revealed not only Jar Jar, but a squad of Guardsmen, as well. They had unfortunately already fallen victim to the Gungan’s luck, and only CC-1010 was still standing. He wasn’t exempt, either, though, and had somehow ended up with the Gungan in his arms in a bridal carry. “Senator,” he said seriously, acting for all the world like he wasn’t holding a squirming representative, “CC-5869 and his men are ready to depart when you are.”

“Oh,” Padmé said, trying to hide her laugh as Binks fell onto the floor and scrambled upright, “I was under the impression that you’d be accompanying us.”

It took a second for him to respond. “Unfortunately, as Marshall Commander, I am needed here, Senator. However, I can assure you that CC-5869 is just as skilled.”

“I’m sure he is.” Sabé jumped in before Padmé could make things more awkward. “Hopefully there won’t be any need to see any of your men in action, though.”

“I hope so as well, Chief.” He turned to another clone. “Senator, Chief, this is Commander CC-5869.”

The trooper executed a flawless salute. “It’s a pleasure to serve you, my lady.”

“The pleasure is mine, Commander.” She clapped her hands. “Well, if that’s everything, I think we’re ready to go. Sabé, would you mind finalizing the last few details with the Marshall Commander?” At her reluctant nod, Padmé waved a hand towards the door, “If you gentlemen would lead the way?”

The clones filed out towards the speeder bay, Jar Jar tripping close behind, then came the handmaidens and Padmé, until only Sabé and CC-1010 were left. “The senator mentioned some last-minute details?”

“Yes,” Sabé answered, clearing her throat and cursing Padmé in her head. “I apologize for Representative Binks joining us. To be honest, I just found out about it.”

“No need, Chief, these things happen.” The commander’s words were kind, but there was a tenseness in it that Sabé didn’t like. When she realized that he hadn’t stopped looking at where the other Guardsmen had gone, she began to understand why.

Taking a chance, she pulled her hands behind her back. “I’ll do everything in my power to bring everyone back, Commander. Everyone.”

His helmet turned towards her. “Thank you, Chief.”

“No thanks necessary. My primary objective on any mission is to end with as many people as we started with.” After a moment of consideration, she added, “Although I have thought about dropping Jar Jar off on some uncharted planet many, many times.”

Her comm blinked. “Well, it looks like they’ve made it to the landing pad. I’ve better get going.” At the door, she turned back to the commander. “We’ll see you in a few days, Commander.”

---------------

Rodia was quickly becoming one of Sabé’s least favorite planets. Not only did Senator Farr refuse to let a single handmaiden accompany Padmé, he had apparently proven Versé right and allied himself with the Separatists.

“Incoming!” Eirtaé shouted, ducking behind a crate. Blaster bolts rained over their heads, and Jar Jar had somehow gotten on top of a crab droid.

At least the Guardsmen seemed capable enough. CC-5869 slid beside Sabé where she had taken cover behind the landing ramp of the ship. “Chief, I suggest that you and the other handmaidens evacuate and contact the Republic. Get them to send reinforcements.”

“I’ve already commed,” Rabé said, running down the ramp. “General Unduli is the closest, but she’s three hours away. We’re on our own until then.”

“Then I recommend that you leave. Your safety is priority.”

“Priority?” Sabé almost stopped shooting as she looked at the commander, flabbergasted. “Well my priority is getting everyone out of here in one piece. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

“But, Chief-”Whatever the commander was about to say was cut off as Jar Jar somehow used the crab droid he was riding to take out the smaller B1s. And then he promptly crashed it into their ship.

Sabé dusted herself off from where she’d thrown herself away from the doomed vessel. “Well, that solves that problem. Now no one is getting off the planet until General Unduli gets here.” She looked around, scanning everyone for injuries. “Status report.”

“Everyone’s fine,” Dormé said, quickly rebraiding her hair while Rabé changed out power packs in her pistol, “but the senator’s tracker shows that she’s in the detention tower on the other side of the complex.”

“Well, kark.” She turned to the commander. “How do you feel about splitting up into three teams? One will get the senator, one will cause a distraction, and the third will find us a ship to get off-planet.”

The commander thought it over. “Alright, but I must request that my men handle the more dangerous parts of the plan.”

“Request denied, but I will let you take Jar Jar.” She pulled up the palace’s layout on her comm. “Versé and Dormé, you two will go find us a ship.”

Versé grinned, her lipstick a little smudged from the fight but nothing else out of place. “Do I get to pick it out?”

“Yes,” Sabé answered, frowning, “but it had better not be a party ship this time. I’m still getting glitter out of my boots.”

“But chief-“

“No buts. Eirtaé, Rabé, you two will help the commander’s men cause a distraction.” She raised an eyebrow, already knowing the answer but needing to hear it, anyway. “Eirtaé, did you bring explosives?”

The handmaiden patted one of the hidden pockets of her dress. “Never leave home without them!”

“Perfect, then that leaves Saché and I to break Padmé out.”

“Or meet her halfway,” Saché added, wry grin on her face.

“Or meet her halfway.” Turning to the commander, Sabé put her hands on her hips. “So Commander, how do you want to divide your men?”

“Ummm.” He looked around at the group.

But before he could start, one of the troopers raised a hand. “I want to go with the explosion team!”

“No.” The answer was swift and brutal, and the poor trooper deflated immediately. “You are coming with me and the Chief. The rest of you get into pairs and pick a team.”

“That means we get Jar Jar,” Saché groaned. “Please, can’t we send him with Dormé?”

“Do you want a ship to fly home in?” When the handmaiden didn’t answer, Sabé nodded. “I thought so. Now let’s get going everyone, the droids aren’t going to dismantle themselves.” She began to jog towards the door leading to the courtyard. From there, they should be able to scale the detention tower and grab Padmé before Jar Jar had time to blow anything up. Hopefully.

“What’s the plan, Chief?” Commander CC-5869 asked, coming up beside her.

She pulled out her blaster as the door opened, firing at the few droids still hanging around. “I assume you two have grappling guns?”

The commander nodded. “So we’re gonna climb this thing?”

“Unless Padmé’s already gotten out.”

The ground rocked under them as a giant billow of smoke came from the north end of the palace. “Well, looks like Eirtaé’s having fun,” Saché deadpanned, taking out another droid.

The other clone stared at the smoke. “Come on!” he groaned, extremely upset about being left out.

“Trooper!” CC-5869 barked. “Keep all comments on internal comms unless specifically requested.”

“He’s not hurting anyone, Commander.” Sabé threw a droid popper into a crowd of clankers, grinning as they all went down in a shower of sparks. “Force knows I’d rather be there. Jar Jar!” she yelled, reaching out, “Get the kark back over here!”

The gungan had jumped into the middle of the courtyard, every droid in the area automatically turning to train their blasters on him. “Uh oh, meesa in trouble!”

“Saché!”

“On it!” But before they could move, another explosion echoed through the complex, making the droids stumble. One fired a shot as it tried to regain its footing and Jar Jar disappeared.

The commander almost ran out into the open. “Representative Binks!”

Fortunately, Sabé grabbed his arm and threw him back into cover. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“The representative is in trouble!”

“It’s JAR JAR!” She turned to the other handmaiden. “Saché, what’s his status?”

Saché took a break from firing to check her wrist display. “Vitals are holding steady. Looks like he’s below us in the underwater tunnels.”

“See? He’s fine.” Then, she got an idea. “Saché, what about the senator?”

Her eyes lit up as her fingers flew over the screen. “She’s on this level. Looks like she’s about two corridors down.”

“Perfect. Let’s go get her; Jar Jar will catch up eventually.”

Saché looked at the trooper. “He’s like a foot fungus you can’t get rid of.”

As they began running down the corridors, CC-5867 huffed. “How did you know where the senator and representative were?”

“Easy,” Sabé answered as she slid around a corner, taking out five droids without missing a step. “We put trackers on them.”

“Isn’t that unethical?”

“We like to call it taking ‘protective liberties’. And don’t forget, Padmé’s the one who snuck off to Geonosis and the Malevolence.” Saché reloaded her blaster as they turned the next corner, only to come face to face with the senator they were looking for.

Padmé lowered her blaster. “Please don’t say it.”

“I told you so.” Sabé gave her a shove for good measure. “Now come on, Dormé and Versé should’ve found us a ship by now.”

The commander looked between the three women. “Shouldn’t we find Representative Binks?”

“He’ll find us, Commander. Trust me.” Padmé stood to the side and gestured for Sabé to take point. “Lead the way, Chief.”

“My pleasure.”

Eirtaé’s distraction seemed to be working, and they didn’t run into any more droids on their way to the landing platform. Unfortunately, their luck didn’t hold out.

Senator Faa stood between them and the ship, with Versé, Dormé, and a trooper standing on the landing ramp, blasters aimed and ready. “Padmé-”

“Uncle Ono, how could you have done this?” She tried to step forward, but Sabé pulled her back. “I thought you knew better than to ally with the Separatists.”

The Rodian paused. “It’s something that I have come to regret, and I wish I could go back and stop myself from ever contacting Viceroy Gunray. He wishes to kill you.”

“I’m aware, but what I want to know is what you’re going to do now, Uncle. Are you going to become a Separatist lackey, or stand with the Republic?”

Rabé spoke up from where she, Eirtaé, and their troopers had entered. “General Unduli’s troops are only a few hours away. They can help you drive the rest of the Separatists forces off of the planet.”

“I…would appreciate that.”

Unable to stop her this time, Padmé threw her arms around her uncle. “I’m so glad you made the right choice.”

“But we’re still stealing your ship.” Sabé growled. As the other handmaidens herded Padmé inside, Sabé stepped up to Senator Faa. “And if you ever try something like this again, I will find you, but no one else ever will. Do you understand?”

He gulped. “Yes, handmaiden.”

“Good.” She threw on a smile. “Have a nice day, Senator.”

The landing ramp closed behind her and she felt the ship take off. Looking to the commander, she grinned. “I think that went rather well!”

CC-5867 could only stare in disbelief.

Chapter Text

Sabé forced herself to sit up straight as the esteemed senator from Ordova continued to drone on about the importance of their planet, their exports, and themselves.

“It’ll be over soon,” Padmé whispered beside her, hand hiding her mouth and grin.

In return, Sabé smiled and spoke through her teeth. “Only because I’m going to die of boredom within ten minutes.”

“He’s not that bad.” Before Padmé could continue, the other senator raised a hand, seemingly intent on making a grand point.

“Additionally,” he said, voice raspy with age, “I have yet to even begin to discuss the beauty of my sector’s rivers and streams.”

“Nevermind.”

“What was on the docket today, anyway?” Because it certainly wasn’t this. Sabé wasn’t sure how anyone was paying attention. In fact, Senator Burtoni’s aide was definitely sleeping with his eyes open. Lucky.

Padmé hummed as she pulled up the agenda on her datapad. “Supposedly we were supposed to be discussing the food crisis on Christophsis.” Her hands clenched around the pad. “There are people dying out there and instead we’re talking about some random planet’s birds.”

“Maybe he’ll finish up soon. I mean, he has to take a breath at some point, right?” Sabé wasn’t holding out much hope, though, and discreetly pulled out her own pad as it buzzed. If she was going to be stuck here for eternity, she might as well check on the rest of the team. “Hmm.”

“What is it?” Padmé leaned over, immediately interested. “Oooh, a message from Dormé. Open it up.”

“Patience, Senator.” Sabé raised an eyebrow, smirk on her face. “Shouldn’t you be listening to your colleague over there?”

“He can wait. Dormé never comms.”

Rolling her eyes, she opened up the message and immediately froze: “Sabé,” it read, “there’s a Guard in the office. You need to get here. Now.”

“Go.” Padmé signaled for Captain Panaka to take Sabé’s place beside her. “I’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Padmé.” And without wasting another second, Sabé rushed from the senate pod and into the hallway.

“On my way,” she sent back to Dormé.

“Hurry,” was the response she got back.

Throwing decorum out the airlock, Sabé ran through the halls. Padmé’s office was only a few floors above the senate chambers, so she took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. She tried to think of what could’ve happened to the trooper, and everything her imagination came up with made her run faster.

But nothing could prepare her for what was waiting in the office. A trooper had pushed himself against the wall. He wasn’t wearing any armor, and blood trickled from his nose and a cut on his forehead. His arms were clasped around his legs, and his eyes kept darting around the room.

The handmaidens had formed a loose circle around him, far enough to not pose a threat, but close enough to intervene if necessary. Saché shot a quick glance in her direction. “Barged in about five minutes ago. He collapsed next to the wall and has been like this ever since.”

“Have you contacted the commander?” Sabé raised her hands in surrender and slowly began to move closer.

“Not yet. We wanted to see if he would calm down first.”

“Why isn’t he wearing armor?” At the question, the trooper flinched. Sabé froze. “Versé, I need you to do your thing, please.”

“On it.” Her datapad was in her hand in a heartbeat, and Sabé returned her focus to the trooper.

She kneeled three feet in front of him, thankful that today’s outfit included pants and not a long skirt. “Hey there. My name’s Sabé, what’s yours?”

The man’s eyes locked onto hers. “C-C-Cardshark.”

Her heart stopped beating for a second. He had given her an actual name. Not a number, a name. Throwing all of the feelings that came with that into the back of her mind, she smiled. “Nice to meet you, Cardshark. Do you know where you are?”

It took him a few seconds, but he finally answered, “Amidala’s office.”

“Good.”

Versé gasped somewhere behind her. Cardshark’s gaze shot up and he tensed like he was about to make a run for it. “It’s okay,” Sabé consoled, hand outstretched. “It’s just Versé.”

“Chief,” Rabé began, voice tight. Sabé didn’t take her eyes off the trooper but nodded for the other handmaiden to continue. “Permission to go on a fieldtrip?”

“Don’t leave any evidence.”

“I never do.” The door swished shut as she left.

During their conversation, Cardshark had gone back to looking around the room for any possible threats. “Cardshark,” Sabé said. When that didn’t get a response, she repeated it, louder, “Cardshark.”

He immediately brought his attention back to her. “There you are,” she said, smiling again. “Can you tell me why you came here?”

“Fox said it’s safe.”

“He’s right.” She had an idea of who ‘Fox’ was, but she wasn’t going to pry, especially since the man wouldn’t be comfortable with the fact that she knew his name. “Do you mind if I take a look and put some bacta on those cuts?”

“O-Okay.”

Sabé signaled for the medkit, which was put in her hand less than a minute later. Telegraphing her movements, she scooted closer to the trooper before opening up the kit. “Do you mind if I scan you? Just don’t want to miss anything.” He stared at the medical scanner but nodded. “Alright. Let me know if you don’t want me to do something, okay?” He nodded again.

She pulled out a wipe and began to clean the trooper’s face. Deciding that a distraction was in order, she asked, “So, has anything interesting happened lately?”

Cardshark tensed for a second then began to relax, leaning more heavily against the wall. “Someone sent us a couch.”

Sabé tried to hide her grin, and Dormé turned her laugh into a cough. Hoping that she could draw him into a conversation, she continued, “Really? I wonder how that happened.”

“We-we’re not sure. It just showed up one day.” He frowned. “We tried to contact the owner, because it had to be a mistake.”

“Did you ever find them?”

“No ma’am.” He started to shake his head, but stopped when he realized Sabé was still dabbing away dried blood.

She laughed quietly. “What did you guys do with it, then?” They had to have used it to replace that monstrosity in the commander’s office. That thing was probably outlawed in multiple systems. And definitely possessed. She still had nightmares about it.

“We put it in the rec room!” The trooper’s face broke out into a grin while Sabé silently groaned. “It’s the same color as our paint, and it’s really great to nap on.” Realizing that he had probably said too much, he began to blush. “We just hope that no one’s gonna come try and claim it.”

“I’m sure they won’t.” Sabé began lathering bacta on the cuts. Subtly, she glanced at Dormé, who nodded and bought a second couch. Hopefully this one would end up where it was supposed to be. 

“There,” Sabé said, leaning back on her heels and wiping off her hands. “Should we call your commander and let him know that you’re okay?”

Cardshark definitely tensed up, then. “I’m not supposed to take my armor off.”

“You didn’t have a choice,” Versé argued from the back, moving to put a hand on his shoulder. “And don’t worry, Rabé’s gone to get it.”

His breathing picked up. “She-she can’t! The senator-”

“Don’t worry about the senator. Rabé’s got everything under control.” Versé smiled, teeth bared. “And that senator is never going to hurt you or your brothers ever again.”

Looking around in surprise, he asked, “Why are you helping me?”

“It’s the right thing to do. No one deserves to be treated like that.” Dormé’s eyes were narrowed as she typed on her datapad, and Sabé was reasonably certain that the good senator was going to have a lot of investigations and corruption charges headed their way.

Before they could continue, the door slid open, and Rabé stomped in. She had Cardshark’s armor stacked in her arms, and blood was smeared on her face and outfit. “Don’t worry,” she threw over her shoulder as she walked towards a table, “it’s not mine.”

“Wow.” Shock was written all over the poor trooper’s face, and he shakily stood up, Sabé there in case he needed any help.

“I think I got it all,” Rabé said as she laid the different pieces out, “but if I didn’t, just let me know. I wouldn’t mind going back.”

Sabé rolled her eyes fondly and grinned. “I think you’ve met your violence quota for the day.”

“Yeah,” Versé frowned as she watched Cardshark stiffly put his armor back on, “the rest of us want a shot, too.”

Rabé stopped rebraiding her hair for a second to spear the other handmaiden with a knowing look. “Please, if Sabé let you go there wouldn’t be anything left of the senator to find.”

Giving only a shrug in response, Versé said, “A small price to pay.”

“You guys are scary.”

They all turned to the Guardsman, who now held his helmet in his hand. He was definitely looking much better, but Sabé wasn’t going to be happy until he was examined by a medic. “We know.”

His face split into a grin, the first real one they had seen. “No wonder the commander likes you so much.” Before they could unpack any of that, he slid his helmet back on. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

“Looks like I’ve missed some messages.” He sighed before pulling his shoulders back. “I-I had better get going.”

He began to walk towards the door, only to stop when Sabé placed a hand on his arm. “I’ll walk with you.”

Cardshark’s visor seemed to stare right through her. “Thank you, Chief.”

“Don’t mention it.” She led the way into the hallway, pausing only to smile and ask, “So, where are we headed? To the commander or your barracks?”

“Commander.” He glanced around the area before moving towards the elevators. “I still have a few hours left on my shift.”

“Surely he’s not going to ask you to stay? I mean, you need to be looked over by a medic.”

“We don’t have the men to spare.” After he spoke, his head shot up, as if realizing that he revealed too much. “Umm, what I meant to say was that a Guardsman is capable of performing under any stress.”

Sabé frowned as they waited for the elevator. She may not be able to get the Guard more men, but there was something she could do. “Trooper, I trust that you’ll let the rest of the men know that Senator Amidala’s office is a safe space. Even if someone just needs a break.”

The elevator opened and they stepped inside. They were halfway to the correct floor before Cardshark spoke again. “I will, Chief.”

“Good.” The doors opened, revealing Commander CC-1010 waiting with crossed arms. “Hello, Commander.”

“Chief.” His voice was gruff, as usual, but Sabé caught the way that he scanned his trooper for injuries. “Thank you for bringing 2987 back.”

“It’s no problem. And that particular incident shouldn’t happen again.”

The commander turned his attention to her, surprise coloring his tone. “What?”

Ah, Cardshark must not have said why he was out of contact for so long. And she was definitely not going to talk about that in a busy senate hallway. So instead, Sabé patted the commander’s arm before backing into the elevator. Waiting for the doors to start closing, she said, “We handled it, don’t worry. Have a nice day!”

The doors shut, leaving Sabé alone to grin in the elevator. The fact that the commander told his men that their office was a safe space was progress, and Cardshark giving them his name was a development even she hadn’t expected. But she had a sneaking suspicion that the Guard needed help, and Sabé was nothing if not thorough. She was going to find out what was going on, and force help anyone that stood in her way.

Chapter Text

“Remind me how we keep getting into these situations?” Sabé grunted as she tugged at her restraints. “Oh yeah, I work for a senator that thinks it’s a good idea to try and find an evil scientist without any backup.”

“In my defense,” Padmé argued from where she was chained on Sabé’s left, “you are my backup.”

“Actually, sirs,” Commander CC-1010 said from Sabé’s other side, “I think I was supposed to be your backup.”

The poor commander wasn’t even supposed to be here, but the Chancellor had said something about this mission to Naboo being really important. Honestly, Sabé thought it was a load of osik, but she didn’t really care. She was just glad that the commander was here. Well, maybe not glad that he was chained to a pole with them, but glad that there was someone else here she could trust.

Not to mention that the commander was finally letting some of his walls down, and Sabé was going to do everything she could to encourage that. “Those droids surrounded us before we knew they were there, Commander. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

“And don’t forget, everyone else got away. I bet they’re planning a rescue attempt even as we speak,” Padmé added, discreetly sliding a lock picking tool from her sleeve.

“Yes siree, Commander, wesa gonna be oke-day!” Oh, and Jar Jar was here, too. Hooray.

Sabé held in a sigh. Fortunately, she was saved by the resident evil scientist, Dr. Vindi. “Oh, but your little friends will be too late!”

“Watch this,” Sabé whispered to the commander, eyes never leaving the doctor, “he’s about to start monologuing.”

“I have created life right under your feet!” Sabé tuned in him out, instead focusing on the locking mechanism of her cuffs. Padmé wasn’t the only one with lock picks. She heard him jabber on and on about making the Blue Shadow Virus airborne, which was definitely bad. But they were going to stop him. Padmé had already told her: Anakin was on the way.

Her locks opened with a near-silent click. She kept her face still but leaned closer to the commander. “Hold still,” she whispered again, trying to ignore the pointy edges of his armor digging into her skin.

The commander tensed but did as she asked. Within a minute, his binders were unlocked, too. Now, the only problem was that they were unarmed in a room of battle droids.

“This is going to be my crowning achievement!” The doctor was still droning on. “The Blue Shadow Wirus!”

Sabé sighed internally and decided that she was going to have to buy Anakin some time. “Wirus? What’s a wirus?”

The doctor’s eyes flashed as he glared at her. “Wirus! The Blue Shadow Wirus!”

“Do you mean ‘virus’?” she asked, blinking innocently back at him. Sabé didn’t like poking fun at a person because they had trouble pronouncing certain words, but she would make an exception for a genocidal scientist intent on destroying her planet.

“That’s what I said! Wirus!”

“Virus.”

“Wirus!” He was starting to get angry now, which was good, because Padmé had taken the opportunity of the distraction to sneak away. As she reached the first droid, the base shook under a series of giant explosions.

“Actually, Doctor,” the senator said, stabbing the droid in the neck and taking his blaster, “it’s ‘virus’.” She made quick work of the other droids in the room and had Vindi at blaster point within seconds. “Now then, it sounds like my friends have arrived, so why don’t we wait for them?”

If looks could kill, the doctor would be more deadly than his little virus. Sabé and the commander grabbed blasters of their own, and Jar Jar almost brained himself on a table. All around, a completely normal mission.

To top it all off, Anakin blasted his way through one of the doors and immediately killed any plausible deniability anyone in the room had by crushing Padmé in a hug. “Anakin-” the senator began.

Taking on a more hands-on approach, Sabé grabbed him by the collar and hauled him off Padmé. “Not now, flyboy.”

Clones from the 501^st had surrounded the room and already had the doctor in cuffs. For some reason, though, the Commander had moved towards the back of the room, out of sight.

Sabé’s train of thought was cut off when Vindi started ranting again. “You may have captured me, but my work will live on! The wirus will spread and Naboo will die!”

“Anakin, please get him out of here. I feel like stabbing something, and it’s illegal to kill a prisoner.” Sabé could only go so long without attacking someone that annoying, and Vindi was reaching that mark very quickly.

The jedi grinned. “It would be my pleasure, my lady.”

“Anakin,” Master Kenobi’s voice rang from the general’s comm, “we have a problem. There’s a bomb missing.”

“I’ll send some men to go look for it. I,” he said, glaring at Vindi, “have a doctor to get to the proper authorities.”

“Take Jar Jar with you.” Padmé ignored the Gungan tripping over his own feet as she stepped forward. “And then we’ll be able to help, too.” Before Anakin could argue with her, she continued, “This base is huge. You’re not going to be able to search every room in time.”

For a moment, it looked like the Jedi was going to disagree. But then his shoulders slumped, and he sighed. “Fine, but be safe.”

“We will,” Padmé answered with a smile. Turning back to Sabé and the Commander, that smile turned into a feral grin. “What do you two say? Do you think we can find it before the men?”

Sabé answered with a grin of her own. “Oh, definitely.”

The two women marched out the room, only to stop when they realized their shadow wasn’t with them. “Commander?”

“Right here, Senator,” he answered, quickly taking position beside them.

Padmé and Sabé shared a concerned look. It wasn’t like their commander to be so despondent, for lack of a better word. And he had only started acting like that when the other clones came in. It had to be related. Maybe it was the fact he had got caught?

Sabé flashed a hand signal to Padmé, telling her that she would handle this mess later. The bomb threat had to come first. The senator nodded, and they cleared the first few rooms without issue.

The door to the fourth room slid open without much fanfare, revealing a greenhouse. Plants with large blue leaves cluttered the space, and it immediately became Sabé’s least favorite room. This thing was going to be a monster to check. “Well,” she said, cracking her knuckles, “let’s get going.”

While they checked under tables and around the random gardening equipment, Sabé made sure to keep the commander in her sights at all times. “Anything?”

“Not yet, Chief.” He stood from where he had bent under a table. “This area is clear.”

“I think this room is – Hello there.” Padmé knelt down, attention fixed under a small table, and the others quietly joined her. “Why don’t you let me have that-”

Before she could finish, a little droid screamed and threw itself at her. The senator hit the ground, and the droid tried to run out of the room. Trusting that Padmé would be okay, Sabé leaped over a grow bed and threw a trowel at the door pad. It connected, and the door shut.

In response, the droid made a 90-degree turn, right into the commander’s waiting arms. He grabbed the bomb and Padmé, who had rejoined the fray, shot the droid. “That’s enough of that,” she said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “Now, does anyone know how to disarm a bomb?”

“I do, Senator.” The commander immediately set the bomb down on a table and went to work, the red light blinking ominously in time with their heartbeats. He pried off a panel and gently shifted through the mass of wires inside. After a small eternity, he seemed to find the right one. With a deep breath, he cut it. And the light went out.

Letting loose a relieved laugh, Sabé threw her arms around the commander, who just stood there. “You’re amazing!” With a start, she realized what she was doing and quickly pulled away, a dark blush coloring her cheeks. “Sorry, Commander.”

He stared for a second. Finally, he answered, “Nothing to be apologize for, Chief.”

“I’m going to comm Anakin,” Padmé interrupted, rolling her eyes. With a not-so-gentle shove, she hissed, “You’re worse than I am.”

Sabé’s glare did all the talking for her, and with a huff she turned back to the commander. “I guess we should take another look around. Don’t want to have another surprise waiting for us.”

 It took another few seconds for the commander to nod, and Sabé would’ve done anything to see what expression he was making at that moment. “Yes, Chief.” And then they got back to work.

Chapter Text

Sabé was tired of the tense silence by the time they reached the fifth grow bed. “Commander.”

“Yes, Chief?” he asked as he kept his visor firmly on the plants in front of him.

“Can I ask you a somewhat personal question?” She knew she was giving him an out, but Sabé wasn’t willing to risk their budding friendship over something that may be as simple as an argument with one of his brothers.

“I am at your disposal, ma’am.” The words were pinched, and it sounded like he’d rather shoot his own foot than have anything resembling an extended conversation.

Sabé sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Commander, I’m not going to force you to answer. I thought you knew that.”

She heard the commander’s gloves creak as he clenched his fists. This was a turning point, and it looked like they both knew it. Either he would trust her, or he wouldn’t.

Then alarms started blaring, heavy metal doors sliding down to block them from the rest of the compound. “What the kark?”

Her hand flew to the blaster at her hip and she glanced at Padmé, who was checking the datapad on the wall panel. “The virus has escaped containment, and the compound has been locked down.” The senator frowned. “We’re stuck in here.”

Sabé turned to the yellow hazard suits hanging on the wall. “Guess we need a wardrobe change, then.” Grabbing the first one, she paused, “There are only two.”

“The filters on my helmet should be enough to keep the virus out.” Ignoring their previous almost-conversation in favor of the current crisis, the commander tapped on the plastoid as if to prove his point.

“Alright.” Sabé made quick work of getting into the suit, which was fortunate since Padmé’s comm crackled to life a moment later.

“Senator.”

“Ahsoka,” Padmé breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” the padawan answered with a shaky laugh. “We didn’t get to the safe room in time, and now there are droids trying to escape.”

“If they do, the virus will be released all over Naboo.” The two women looked at each other, a silent conversation occurring over the course of a heartbeat. “We’ll get what droids we can and meet you in the middle.”

“Understood, Senator. Ahsoka out.”

The comm cut out, leaving the three of them in silence. Padmé pulled back her shoulders and flicked her blaster to kill. “Let’s get going.” Her hand rested over the button to open the door.

“Wait.”

They turned to the commander, who was frozen in front of the door. “What’s wrong, Commander?” Sabé asked, wanting to put her hand on his shoulder but worried that the touch would be unwanted.

“I just…need a minute.”

“Alright.” Sabé sent him a reassuring grin, but he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was locked on that door. “Just let us know when you’re ready.”

She heard two deep breaths echo through his vocoder before he unholstered his blaster. “Go ahead, Senator.”

The door slid open, a wave of blue gas immediately entering the room. Moving into the commander’s line of sight, Sabé held up her blaster and grinned. “Ready to dismantle some clankers?”

The commander didn’t speak, instead giving her a single nod. That was another thing she was going to have to unpack once they were out of this mess. Something was definitely wrong with her commander.

Fortunately for them, the droids didn’t seem to be organized, and they soon met up with Ahsoka’s group, quickly taking out the last one. The poor togruta wasn’t looking well, blue veins stretching across her face and montrals. “It’s….good to see you, Senator.” With a gasp, she fell against the ladder, Captain Rex quickly moving beside her.

“Don’t worry,” Padmé said, moving to Ahsoka’s other side, “Anakin will find the cure. I’m sure of it.”

The captain coughed, yanking off his helmet in an effort to breathe easier. “I hope you’re right, Senator.”

“Wait,” Sabé said, her heart beating faster, “I thought that the filters in your helmet would keep out the virus.”

He raised an sardonic eyebrow. “Even our helmets aren’t that good.”

Sabé fought to keep herself from turning around to face the commander. He didn’t want them to worry, and making a scene wouldn’t solve anything. But they would definitely be talking about this, and Anakin had better get there in time. She wasn’t going to face the rest of the Guard and tell them that their commander had died on her watch.

Ahsoka looked back towards where they came. “I think we should get back to the safe room. It’ll be easier for my master to find us.”

“Lead the way.” Padmé gestured for the young girl to go first, which also gave Sabé the chance to walk with the commander.

She wouldn’t be walking alone, however. Captain Rex had dropped back, stumbling his way on the commander’s other side. “Hey, ori’vod.”

“Captain,” the commander said with a nod, and Sabé quickly realized the problem.

She wasn’t going to get to chat with the commander, after all. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” With one last glance, she left the pair alone. When Padmé sent her a questioning look, Sabé frowned. “The captain wanted to talk with him. You and I both know that he won’t say a word if I’m around.”

“But you’ll talk to him eventually.”

She nodded. “Without question.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence, which was only interrupted by the men’s coughs. And Sabé’s heart clenched when she heard the commander join them.

The safe room wasn’t a far walk, thank the force, and the men quickly split up into smaller groups. After giving the commander a pat on the shoulder, the captain moved away to check on his men. Leaving the commander free for Sabé to….talk to. Not interrogate. Talk to. Although the way his shoulders were rising to his ears made Sabé think that he was preparing himself for a fight.

With a sigh, she sank to the floor, patting the ground beside her. “Would you like to sit with me?”

He nodded, but as another cough racked his body, his descent to the floor was much less graceful than Sabé’s. “I’m sorry, Chief.”

“You’re apologizing?” Her mouth dropped open. “You’re the one who’s sick. I’m should be apologizing to you!”

“I lied to you. That was inappropriate, and I will submit to whatever punishment you deem necessary if I survive.” His visor was pointed towards the opposite wall, and Sabé watched as Captain Rex pulled a sheet over one of his men.

“Commander, I’m going to make it an order: Survive.” He finally turned to her, and she took a shuddering breath as she realized that the commander was trying to prepare himself for the reprimand he thought was coming. “Because after you do, I’m going to institute my punishment. You will have to eat my cooking for at least one week and submit to medical care by my doctor as long as he deems it necessary. And no amount of begging is going to get you out of it.” She tried to smirk, but it probably fell flat. It was the thought that counted, though. At least, that’s what she told herself.

“What?”

“I know it borders on the line of cruel and unusual punishment, but I must insist.” He coughed again, and Sabé tried not to think that they were getting worse. Once he got his breathing back under control, she said, “Commander, I think that we can ignore some regulations, considering the circumstances.”

That black visor was trained on her until another coughing fit shook him. Then, with slightly trembling hands, the commander reached up. His helmet came off with a hiss, and Sabé got her first look at him.

Even when sick, his eyes were alert and piercing. That was the first thing she noticed. Then, she saw the dark blue lines that zigzagged across his face and moved down into his body glove. The commander huffed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Not much to look at, I’m afraid.”

Sabé smiled and risked leaning against him. He stiffened, but didn’t pull away. “Don’t sell yourself short, Commander. Other than being blue, I think you look fine.”

He didn’t say anything for a little while, seeming to focus on breathing, which looked like it was becoming harder and harder with each passing minute. “Why don’t you call me by my name?”

Sabé frowned. Of all the things he could’ve said, that was definitely not one of them. “You didn’t say I could.”

“But CT-2987 said-”

“What Cardshark did or didn’t say doesn’t matter,” she interrupted. “You haven’t told me your name, and I’m not going to betray your trust by using it without your permission.”

The commander began to cough again, and when he lowered his hands, there were small flecks of blood on them. He quickly tried to hide them, but Sabé gently grasped the closest hand and held on. “Do you need anything, Commander?” He just shook his head. “Alright. Let me know if that changes.”

From across the room, Padmé sent her a handsign, All clear?

Sabé answered, Medical evac required.

The senator glanced to the ceiling as if Anakin would come to the rescue at any moment. But a trooper coughing broke her concentration, and she immediately moved to help.

The commander began to lean more heavily against her. “Commander, I need you to hang on.”

“Trying,” he mumbled.

“I need you to try harder.” She nudged him, which earned her a grunt from the normally stoic clone. “What would help?”

He began to cough, more blood covering his glove. “Tell me about you.”

“Me?” He coughed again, and Sabé took that as answer enough. If he wanted her to talk about herself, then she’d give him her life story.

“Okay,” she began when he had gotten his breathing under control. “Well, you know I’m from Naboo.”

“Don’t want to know that.” His eyes were half-closed now, and his lips were almost as purple as one of Padme’s senate dresses. “Stuff that’s not in your file.”

“Oh.” Sabé repositioned herself to take on more of the commander’s weight, putting one arm over his shoulders. “Well…I love Pantoran noodles. Eirtaé makes me watch her favorite holo drama, which she thinks I hate but I secretly love. And my favorite form of combat is melee.” She squeezed his hand. “What about you?”

His breaths began to rattle in his chest. “Fox.”

Her heartrate began to speed up. “Are you-”

“Can’t…say it again,” he muttered, head lolling to the side.

“Then Fox, I need you to hang on for me.” His grip began to loosen. “Fox!” She quickly moved him to the ground, shaking his shoulder. “Commander, I need you to wake up. That’s an order!”

As Sabé began chest compressions, she distantly heard new voices join the fray. She fought as someone tried to pull her away, successfully throwing them over her shoulder. They weren’t going to stop her from helping Fox. He had survived this long. He was going to make it. He had to.

“Sabé!” She ignored the muffled voice that rang out beside her. “Sabé!” Someone else grabbed her shoulder and dodged as she tried to get them into a grapple hold. Instead, Sabé found herself pinned to the ground, forced to watch as a clone medic continued Fox’s chest compressions. Another was getting an IV set up. “See?” Padmé asked as she held her down. “He’s going to be okay. Let them do their jobs.”

Sabé went limp, and Padmé rolled off. Just as quickly, she was enveloped in a hug. “He’s going to be okay,” Padmé repeated, squeezing her tightly. “He’ll be fine.” 

-----------------

“Wh’t?”

Sabé shot up from her post beside the bed. Grabbing a calloused hand, she grinned wider than she had in days as the commander’s eyes slowly blinked open. “Good morning, Fox.”

It looked like he was seconds away from passing out again, but the commander was definitely fighting the sedatives as he asked, “Sabé?”

“Got it in one.” She laughed as Fox smiled back. This was the first time Sabé had seen him smile (even though he was on the good drugs, she was going to count it), and she was going to do whatever she could to make sure it wasn’t the last. “How do you feel?”

“Where’s…Senator?”

Of course his first thought would be about his duty. “Padmé’s with Anakin. She’s fine.”

“Okay.” He scrunched up his nose, which was strangely adorable for a lethal soldier. “You?”

“Are you asking if I’m okay?” At his nod, Sabé brushed a thumb over his knuckles. “I’m fine. You’re the one that gave us the scare. We almost lost you there for a second.”

“Sorry.” Without warning, he scowled. It would’ve been more menacing if he wasn’t also squeezing her hand like his life depended on it.

Sabé looked at the screen above his head. Everything looked normal, but maybe there was something she was missing. “What’s wrong, Fox?”

“Thorn’s gonna make fun of me.”

She fought to hold in her laugh. She had no idea who ‘Thorn’ was, but her bet was on one of the other commanders. Why he’d be making fun of Fox, she had no idea, but this was the most emotion she had ever seen from the gruff commander. “Don’t worry, Fox. I’ll take care of him for you.”

“Okay.” He was really fighting sleep now, his eyelids slowly falling shut only for him to force them open again and again. Then, he tugged at her arm. She leaned in closer, and he whispered like he was telling her a secret. “He’s ticklish.”

As seriously as she could, Sabé nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Important knowledge now passed on, Fox closed his eyes, breaths quickly evening out in sleep.

After checking to make sure his vitals were still holding steady, Sabé gently began to pull away. But the commander held on like a limpet. With a quiet laugh, she hooked a chair around her ankle and pulled it closer. Then she settled in, the sound of Fox’s breathing and the feel of his hand in hers letting her relax for the first time in ages.

Chapter Text

“Uugh.”

Sabé immediately looked up, setting her datapad aside and moving to the side of the bed. Commander Fox was looking much better three days after contracting the Blue Shadow Virus, but it was still going to take some time to fully recover.

He rubbed his forehead, letting out another groan. “Stitches, I hope you got the tag number on that speeder.”

“I’m afraid not, Commander.” Sabe smiled, but it quickly disappeared when she saw him immediately stiffen, freezing like a nuna in the headlights. “You’re safe, commander, and I’m the only one here.”

Fox opened his eyes, squinting in the morning light. Then, blinking a few times, he scanned the room, gaze finally landing on Sabé. “Chief?”

“Good morning.” She pulled the curtains closed before moving back to his side. “How do you feel?”

The commander didn’t say anything for a moment. “I can perform my duties.”

Sabé frowned. “Commander, you aren’t able to perform any duties right now. You almost died!”

“I can.” To try and prove his point, Fox moved onto his elbows in an attempt to sit up. Instead, he collapsed back into his pillows after a few seconds of struggling. Before he could try again, Sabé put a hand on his shoulder. He huffed, but it wasn’t like he really had a choice in the matter, so he decided to glare back at her. “I can,” he said, quieter.

Sabé took a moment to breathe. She knew that Fox wasn’t trying to be difficult, but he needed to stay in bed for at least one more day before moving. There was no way that he was going to actually do that if he was worried about protecting the senator.

Then, she thought about the Guard as a whole. Cardshark had expected to immediately go back on patrol after his run-in with that senator, and if the clones had been raised from birth to do their ‘duty’, then it would make sense that Fox would be worried. Who knows what the Kaminoans do to troopers that can’t fight?

With this in mind, she opened her eyes and looked at the commander, who was watching her with pinched brows. With his helmet off, Sabé was surprised to find that Fox was actually extremely expressive. Thank the force, or else this conversation would’ve been much harder.

“Commander, right now your duty is to rest and heal. Your men are with the Senator, and they reached Coruscant yesterday. They’re safe.” She watched as he bit his bottom lip, thinking everything over.

Finally, he looked up to her. “Where are we?”

“Padmé’s letting us borrow Varykino Villa. It’s her family home in the lake country.” Trying to think about what other questions he may have, Sabé continued, “The doctor said that you’ll be able to get into a hover chair tomorrow, and he thinks you’ll be fully healed by next week. We’ll head back to the Capitol after he clears you.”

She sent Fox a wry grin. “I’m not sure if you remember, Commander, but I did say your punishment would be to receive treatment from my doctor and eat my cooking for a week. At least you’ll have pretty views while you’re suffering through whatever monstrosities I make.”

“Chief, you don’t-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Fox.” Her glare made Fox shut his mouth with an audible click. “I watched you die. So you are going to have to deal with me looking after you for a few days. We all need help sometimes.”

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she added, “And I think we’ve moved past ‘Chief’. You can call me Sabé.”

His frown deepened. “That’s not proper.”

She blinked and tried not to let the rejection dim her spirit. “I understand.” Whether she liked it or not, the commander was almost her subordinate, and it was going to take more than one life or death experience to change his opinion on that. “What would you like for me to call you? I know that you’ve told me your name, but if you prefer CC-1010 or-”

“Fox,” he interrupted, a blush coloring the tips of his ears. “At least when we’re alone.”

Her face broke out into a grin. This was definite progress. “And around the other handmaidens and Padmé?”

The blush continued to grow, reaching his cheeks. “Not yet, please.”

“Of course,” she said, reaching out to squeeze his hand, “thank you for trusting me.”

The commander cleared his throat, pointedly looking towards the windows. “You said that we’re in the lake country?”

“We are.” Sabé smiled, pulling her chair closer. “I used to spend my summers here with Padmé. The view of the water is spectacular.”

“So,” he asked, trying to keep the conversation on safer topics, “you’ve known the senator for a while?”

“Basically my whole life.” She laughed. “I could tell you some stories that would make you wonder how either of us survived this long.”

Fox was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was quiet, like he was admitting to some crime, “I’m glad you did.”

“I’m glad you did, too.”

Before they could continue, someone knocked on the door. Fox’s hand immediately went for a blaster. When he realized his was gone, he clenched his fists instead, eyes never leaving the door.

“That would be Doctor Nivens. He’s been coming to check on you every morning.” As she stood, she slipped a dagger from her sleeve and into Fox’s hand. He slid it under his pillow and out of sight.

Sabé opened the door to reveal an older gentleman with a bushy mustache. “Good morning, Sabé. How’s my patient?”

“Awake,” she answered, grin splitting her face. “Please come in.”

“That’s wonderful news, my dear.” His watchful gaze landed on the commander, who straightened up in the bed. “Hello, Commander, I’m Doctor Nivens. I’ve been taking care of you for the past few days.”

“Thank you, sir.” There was a wariness in his eyes as he watched the doctor open up his medical kit.

Sabé moved to the other side of the bed. “Doctor Nivens, would you mind explaining what you’re doing? I’ve taken up an interest in medicine recently, with how often Padmé’s the target of assassination attempts.”

“Of course, my dear.” He pulled out a scanner. “Commander, I’m going to give you a quick once over with this. I’m just checking your oxygen levels and lung function. That virus did quite a number on you.”

Fox tensed as the beam ran over him. With a thoughtful hum, the doctor looked ever the readings. “Well, your scans are definitely improving. I think we can stick with our current treatment plan and have you out of here by next week.”

“Is there anything else I need to know, Doctor?” Sabé watched the tension leave the commander’s shoulders.

He raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. “Don’t let him push himself too hard, too fast.” Closing his kit, Doctor Nivens made his way to the door. “And make sure you take those pills I left yesterday, Commander. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Thank you!” Sabé called as Nivens left. With a small smile, she turned back to the commander.

“So, it looks like we’ll be here for a while. What do you like to do?”

---------------------------------------

As it turns out, the only thing the commander knew he liked to do was his job. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option seeing as how even two days after Doctor Niven’s visit, Fox was unable to walk for more than a few minutes at a time without taking a break.

Sabé could tell the poor man was going stir crazy, and helping her cook wasn’t exciting, even though the commander seemed to enjoy it. And that’s what led them to the docks. As they took a breather on one of the many benches, Fox looked around. His eyes were wide, and Sabé wished she knew what was going on inside of his head.

Deciding to know just that, she cleared her throat. “So,” she began, “what do you think?”

“It’s not like Kamino.” Fox’s gaze became distant, which Sabé had noticed happening whenever she brought up his training or home planet.

“No, I imagine not.” She moved a little closer, just enough to remind him that she was there. “Have you been to any other planets?”

“Geonosis.”

“Oh.” That got depressing really fast. “Well, I think that Naboo is one of the most beautiful places in the galaxy, but I guess you’ll have to decide that for yourself.”

He shrugged. “Not sure if I’m going to get that chance, Chief. It’s not like I’m allowed on many diplomatic missions.”

“Maybe, but once the war is over you’ll get the chance to travel, go see whatever you’d like.” She squeezed his hand. “I hear that Alderaan’s pretty this time of year.”

Fox stared at the lake. “Even when the war does end, it’s not like anything will really change. I’m going to be stuck on Coruscant forever.”

“Don’t say that.” Sabé nudged him with her shoulder, trying to cheer him up. “You know that Padmé’s been working on a clone rights bill.”

“It’ll never pass.”

Oh, Sabé didn’t like the sound of that at all. Pulling her shoulders back, she said, “Well, if the senate is too dumb to give you and your brothers rights, then I’ll just have to kidnap the Guard.”

That got the commander’s attention. “What?”

“I’ll kidnap you. Padmé’s friends with the Jedi, I’m sure that they know about an uninhabited planet we could go to. I hate the cold, so ice planets are out, but there has to be someplace that would work.” She sent him a wry smile. “Have any preferences?”

“You want to…kidnap us?”

“It would be a consensual kidnapping, don’t worry.” When Fox didn’t answer, she nudged him again. “So what do you say, want to get kidnapped and go planet shopping with me?”

He looked at her with wide eyes. “You’re crazy.”

Now that was definite progress. There was no way that the commander would’ve said that a few days ago. Sabé grinned widely. “Took you a while to figure that one out, my dear Commander. That’s a prerequisite to work with Padmé Amidala, so we put it on all the help wanted ads: Must be karking insane.”

Then he laughed. Commander Fox actually laughed. It was deep and gruff, and made something inside her melt. Kark, she was in trouble. But she knew she’d do anything to hear that sound again. “What does that make me, then?”

Her smile grew. “I’m afraid that makes you crazy by association. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know something? I don’t.” He grinned back, and Sabé definitely did not like that it made her heart feel like it was doing flips in her chest.

Time for a distraction. “Have you ever been sailing?” Fox shook his head. “Well, there’s no time like the present. Come on.”

He took Sabé’s hand and let her lead him to a small boat at the end of the dock. “Watch out, it’s a little hard to get into if you’re not used to it.”

“Okay.” Fox watched Sabé get in, then gingerly stepped into the boat. It took him a second to get his balance, but once he did, he sent her a shaky grin. “Like this?”

“Perfect.” It was in fact not perfect, the commander was standing like a newborn shaak in the middle of the boat, but there was no way that Sabé was going to tell him that. “Now you just sit right there, and I’ll take us out.”

It only took her a few seconds to untie the boat from the dock, and soon they were skimming across the water. There weren’t many other boats out there, thankfully, because although Sabé would never admit it, she had a bit of a daredevil streak that made other boaters nervous.

It was also making her commander nervous. “Aren’t you getting a little close?” he asked, eyes locked onto the island in front of them.

“Nope. We have to get close if we want to eat lunch on the sand bar.” To make Fox feel better, though, Sabé did slow down, bringing the boat in for a gentle stop before dropping the anchor.

“Sand bar?”

“Yup. I’ve had my eye on this one all morning. It’s perfect.” Leaping out of the boat, she splashed into the water. Holding out a hand, she grinned. “Well, you coming?”

“Okay.” The commander slowly made his way to the front of the boat before taking her hand. The water came to just above his ankles when he jumped down, and he looked at it with a frown.

Kark. Sabé must have forgotten something. Maybe a fear of water? But that didn’t make any sense, Fox was raised on a water planet. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” The commander marched towards the center of the sand bar, trying to escape the conversation.

Well, the joke was on him, because it wasn’t like there was anywhere for him to go. Sabé quickly caught up, grabbing his arm and making him look at her. “Fox, what’s wrong?”

He was having trouble meeting her eyes. “It’s stupid. You shouldn’t have to worry about it.”

“I promise that whatever it is, it’s not stupid.” She bent down so that he would be forced to see her smile. “And even if it was, it would be nothing compared to what the other handmaidens talk to me about.”

For a second, Sabé was afraid that he wasn’t going to tell her. But then he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just feel bad that I’m out here with you while my brothers are stuck on Coruscant.”

Thank the force, that was something that Sabé could fix. “Why don’t we take some holos, then? That way you can show them to your brothers when you get back and it’ll be like they were here. And I can start making extra food so that you can bring some back to the barracks with you.”

“Really?” The hope in his eyes was almost too much to look at. This was literally the bare minimum, what were the Guards put through to make them think that this was something special?

“Really. We can start right now.” Sabé grabbed Fox’s comm and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. When he stiffened, she just grinned. “Smile!” Looking at the holo, she laughed. “Well, you look like you’re about to be taken out to a firing squad, but other than that I think it looks fine.”

Heading back to the boat, she called over her shoulder, “It’ll take me a few minutes to get lunch out, so you can take some more holos while you wait.”

And if she took longer than necessary getting out the sandwiches, instead watching the commander take pictures of literally everything he could see, then it was between her and the waves.

Chapter Text

“Chief, may I have a word?”

Well, that wasn’t ominous or anything. With a sigh, Sabé pushed herself up from the small desk in the antechamber. “Of course, Commander. We can talk in the senator’s office since she’s on the senate floor.”

As soon as the door slid shut behind them, the commander crossed his arms and gave her what she called his ‘disappointed helmet tilt’. “Permission to speak freely, Chief?”

“Always.” Sabé leaned against the desk, wincing as it pulled at sore muscles and still healing injuries. “You don’t have to ask, Fox. I value your opinion, even if I may not want to hear it.”

She heard him take a deep breath, the vocoder sending a rattling noise echoing through the room. Then, he pulled off his helmet, revealing tired eyes and a few days of scruff covering his normally clean-shaven face. “Then respectfully, what the kark where you thinking?”

Sabé sighed and tugged on her sling. According to Doctor Nivens, she was going to be on light duty for at least two more weeks, hence why she was stuck in the office instead of being with the senator. But it was a small price to pay for Padmé’s life. “I was doing my duty, Fox.”

“And you’re telling me that you couldn’t think of anything better than using yourself as a decoy?” His brows were furrowed, and Sabé could hear the creak of Fox’s helmet as the plastoid was assaulted under his grasp.

“In my defense, I was the second decoy. The droid giving Padmé’s speech was the first.” Before the commander could argue more, she sighed. “I’ll always put myself between the senator and an assassin, just like you.”

“You could’ve used the Guardsmen with you to help. CC-5869 is a good soldier.”

“He’s a great soldier,” Sabé amended. Trying to lighten the mood, she smirked. “But I’m not sure that he’d fit into one of our dresses. Your men were impeccable, as always, but we needed bait for this operation.” Gesturing to her sling, she added, “This is just an occupational hazard.”

Fox shifted his gaze to the carpet. Moving closer, Sabé placed a hand on his arm. “We caught Aurra Singh and found out that she was hired by Ziro the Hutt. You have to agree that a little blaster wound is worth that.”

“I just…don’t like that you were in the line of fire.”

Sabé smiled. They were getting close to talking about feelings, which would be a giant jump in progress, but she didn’t want to push him too quickly. “I could say the same about you.”

His eyes shot back up to hers. “But this is what I’m made for.”

And now she wanted to strangle a Kaminoan. It would be hard with only one hand, but she’d figure something out. Handmaidens were resourceful, after all.

“Commander Fox, I want you to listen to me.” Making sure she had his full attention, she continued, “I don’t care what you were told, but you are more than a soldier. You are kind, extremely intelligent, and sacrificial to a fault. There is no one else I’d rather have watching my back.”

The commander’s blush was back with a vengeance. “But Chief-”

“No ‘buts’,” she interjected. “You are my friend, and I’m not going to let you think you’re lesser just because you’re a clone.”

He gave her a small smile. “You’re one of the only ones that think that.”

“Well, then everyone else is stupid, and I wish they could taste the bottom of my boot. So what if you’re a clone? There’s no real difference between us.” Sabé huffed, trying to calm down but only partially succeeding.

“I don’t know about that,” the commander replied, the smile growing on his face, “I think you look much better in a dress.”

Now it was Sabé’s turn to blush. “You know what I meant.” Looking away, she tried to steer the conversation onto safer topics. “So, how are your men?”

It took the commander a few moments to answer. In fact, it was taking so long that Sabé looked back to Fox, frowning when she saw the look of concentration on his face. “Fox?”

“Hound…Hound tried to start up a breeding program with the massifs again.” His eyes met hers, and there was a vulnerability there that Sabé had never seen before. Of course, he had just started taking his helmet off in front of her, but still. “I don’t think I caught him in time, though, because Petal is looking chunkier than normal.”

“Well, what are you going to do?” She gently tugged him towards the couch in the corner, hoping to help him relax a little more.

He followed, sinking into the cushions with a sigh. “I’m not sure. We can’t keep any puppies, it’s against regulations, but I don’t want them to be put in the pound.”

“Why can’t you train them?” she asked with a frown. “I assume that’s what Hound was going to do.”

“It’s against regulations. If someone came into the barracks and saw massif puppies-” he trailed off, leaving Sabé to fill in the blanks. And considering what she had learned from sifting through the different regulations and laws related to the clones, she didn’t think the troopers would get a pat on the back or free massif treats.

She hummed. “How many puppies does a massif usually have?”

“One or two, thank the force.” Fox rubbed his forehead. “But Hound’s going to be so upset if we have to give them up.”

“I think I may have an idea, but let me comm Padmé real quick.” She pulled out her comm, and although it took her longer than normal thanks to using only one hand, she sent a message to the senator. Can I have a massif?

It looked like there wasn’t anything interesting going on, because Padmé immediately responded, What?

Long story, she answered, I’ll explain later, but can I have a massif? We can train it to protect you.

This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Commander, would it?

She tried to not growl at the comm, but the commander still noticed. “Everything okay?”

“Just an aggravating senator.” With a little more force than necessary, she typed out, Can I have the massif or not?

Go ahead, the senator answered, and please tell the commander that I said hello.

“Padmé says ‘hi’,” Sabé ground out. Forcing herself to take a breath, she continued, “What if I took the massif pup and asked Hound to train it to protect the senator? That way he could see the puppy without any negative repercussions.”

“Really? You’d do that?” To say the commander was surprised would be an understatement. His mouth gaped open.

Sabé smiled in return. “Really. If there are two puppies, I’m sure that we could find someone else willing to add a well-trained massif to their security detail. Senator Organa’s wife comes to mind.”

Fox grabbed her hand, quickly letting go once he realized what he had done. “Thank you, Chief. Hound is going to be so happy.”

“I’m glad I can help.” She nudged his shoulder, thankful that he was comfortable enough to sit and talk. “So, when are the puppies due?”

Sheepishly, he gave her a smile. “Any day now.” With a small laugh, he added, “I told you I was a little late stopping him.”

“A little?” Sabé asked, trying to hold in her own chuckle. Unfortunately, not laughing hurt just as much as laughing. “Then I’m glad you came in today. I’ll go pick up some supplies when Padmé leaves for the night. What kind of food should I get?”

“I’m not sure.” Fox pulled out his own comm and started typing. “I’ll send you Hound’s contact information and you can ask him yourself. Could,” he said, eyes locking onto hers, “could you keep that a secret, too?”

“Of course. You know that everything you tell me stays between us. Not even the girls know anything, although it’s not for lack of trying.” Sabé grinned.

“My brothers are the same.”

“Really? Let me guess,” she said with a laugh as she watched the commander’s grin grow, “they pester you about wanting to kill senators, too?”

“Among other things.” He suddenly blushed, his grin morphing into a bashful smile.

Then Fox’s comm suddenly beeped, breaking the tension and making Sabé reach for her blaster. The commander’s eyes flickered to the screen. “It’s the chancellor.”

“What does that old fart want?” she dramatically groaned as she flopped against the cushions.

“Not sure.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile as he slid his helmet back on. “But I had better go. His excellency doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Have fun.” Sabé watched as the door slid open. “And Fox?”

He turned, hand resting on the doorframe. “Yes?”

“Stay safe.”

Fox’s helmet tilted up, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “You’re the one who got shot.”

“But you’re the one who’s on regular duty.” Before she could think twice, she crossed the room and wrapped her one good arm around him in a hug. Fox stiffened, but didn’t pull away. “So stay safe.”

After a moment, she let go. The commander’s visor rested on her sling as he murmured, “I’ll try.” 

Chapter Text

“So let me get this straight.” Dormé smirked from where she was sitting on the floor, eyes bright with mischief. “We leave you alone for one hour and you get a massif?”

Sabé peeked over the mountain of stuff she was trying to carry with one hand. “You know, some help would be appreciated.”

“We know.” Versé hopped up, only to grab a single chew toy before walking away. “What I want to know is what the commander was doing in our office.”

“Yes, I’d like to know that as well.” Padmé, despite egging on the interrogation, was actually helpful and grabbed about half of the load, following Sabé as she set them down by the wall.

It had been designated at the ‘Massif Spot’ when the puppy wasn’t with Sabé, and the area was already filled with a puppy bed, chew toys, and literally anything else a massif could want. She may have gone a little overboard, but what else was she supposed to do?

Sabé huffed as she examined everything. “He just wanted to say that he didn’t like that I was in the line of fire during our last mission.”

“He was worried about you!” Rabé exclaimed, draping herself dramatically over the couch. “How romantic.”

“I’m sure he just doesn’t want to have to deal with any of you,” she shot back with a pointed glare. “There’s nothing else going on.”

“Oh yes there is. I can sense it.” Saché grinned like a wolf that had spotted a three-legged rabbit.

Realizing that things were about to get really personal, really quickly, Sabé flipped her hair over her shoulder and tried to deflect. “So you’re a jedi now?”

“Only when it comes to relationships. Don’t try to tell me you don’t like him!” she said, bouncing up and down on the couch cushions.

“You don’t need to be a Jedi to figure that one out, Saché.” Padmé finished unpacking the rest of the supplies and sat back. “She did spend a week with him at Varykino. And did you see how he looked at her when they got off the transport?”

Trying (and failing) to hide her blush, Sabé jerkily arranged the chew toys into some kind of formation. “How would you know? He was wearing his helmet.”

“Maybe, but that visor was pointed at you the entire time.” Her friend smiled and nudged her with her shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say that he likes you, too.”

Versé sighed. “I just wish I knew what he looked like under that helmet.” When Sabé started to blush even harder, she gasped, “You’ve seen him!”

“With a whole week alone together, I bet you even know his name!” Eirtaé jumped in, hands clenching the arm rests of her chair. “What is it?”

Hiding her face in her hands, Sabé groaned, “I promised I wouldn’t tell. You guys know how he is about things.”

“But you do know his name!” Saché squealed. “Might as well start the wedding invitations!”

“He has to ask me out first.” She peaked out from behind her fingers. “And with the way things are going, that’ll never happen.”

“Oh, don’t be so sure,” Padmé said with a wink. “I think we can give him a nudge in the right direction.”

Sabé’s face took on a look of horror. “You wouldn’t.”

“For your happiness, we both know I would.”

“Or here’s an idea,” Saché cut in. “You make the first move. The poor man probably doesn’t even know how to flirt.”

“Yeah, I doubt they covered that on Kamino.” Rabé smiled. “Of course, we could give him some tips.”

“Don’t you dare!”

Before they could continue, Sabé’s comm went off. She quickly looked at the message, finding it was from Fox: Petal had the pup. Please come to the barracks. After a second, another message popped up. Alone.

Padmé hummed from where she was looking over Sabé’s shoulder. “Well, looks like Sabé needs to go pick up the newest member of our team.”

“I probably won’t get them today. They’ll have to get a little older.” She stood, grabbing her purse before sliding it over her uninjured shoulder. “Don’t wait up.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t,” Versé said, waggling her eyebrows. She sputtered as a pillow hit her square in the face, but Sabé was gone before any retaliation could be enacted.

-----------------

Sabé smiled at the clone manning the from desk. “Hi, I’m here to see Commander Fox.”

The man immediately stood, surprise coloring his voice. “Chief!”

And then she recognized him. “Cardshark! It’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you, too” he answered. “I guess that’s the one good thing about being stuck at the front; I may get to see a friendly.”

Sabé leaned against the desk, careful to avoid her sling. “Why are you on desk duty? Did you do something wrong?”

“Same thing you did, I imagine.” After looking around to make sure they were alone, he slipped his helmet up, revealing a crude eyepatch. “Got in the way of something I shouldn’t have.”

“Kark,” she cursed, trying to get a better look. “Are you going to get a cybernetic?”

“With what money? The Guard’s running low on everything as it is. I was lucky to get bacta.” He put his helmet back down, completely unaware that Sabé was internally panicking. “Do you remember where the Commander’s office is? I’d walk you back, but someone has to man the desk.” When she didn’t immediately answer, he asked, “Chief? You okay?”

Sabé shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m good. Are you sure I don’t need an escort? I know how much the commander values privacy.”

“He said you can be trusted. That’s good enough for me.” He paused. “Do you want an escort?”

“I’m okay.” As she passed the desk, she turned. “I hope you’re able to find a replacement for your eye.”

“Eh, I think the eyepatch is cool. Makes me look like one of those holo-drama pirates.”

Sabé tried her best to smile. “I think you look very cool.”

As soon as she had gotten out of sight of the desk, she pulled out her comm and sent a message to Padmé and the other handmaidens. Need a status check on the Guard’s medical supplies. Cardshark’s lost an eye and doesn’t think he’ll get a replacement. Said that he was lucky to get bacta.

Padmé answered a few seconds later. What the kark? Looking into it now.

Satisfied that the senator was on the case, Sabé resumed her walk to Fox’s office. The amount of trust he was showing by letting her wander around the base alone was amazing, and although she’d like to do some digging herself, there was no way that she was going to betray that trust.

Luckily, she was able to remember where the office was, and she knocked on his door a few minutes later. It slid open to reveal Fox sitting behind a mountain of datapads. And thank the force the new couch had replaced the demon possessed one. “Hi, Fox.”

He looked up, eyes widening in surprise. “Sab-I mean Chief.”

Deciding to ignore his slip-up, she smiled and sat. “I like the new couch.”

“Not sure where it came from, but there was a note attached.” The commander raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. “Do you want to know what it said?”

Considering Dormé wrote it, she didn’t, but that would ruin her plausible deniability. “Don’t leave me in suspense.”

“It said: For the love of all things holy, burn the couch in your office. That thing is illegal in at least three systems.” He leaned back in his chair, the action making it creak ominously. “I wonder who could’ve wrote that.”

“Very curious.” Clearing her throat, she added, “So I heard that there’s a puppy I need to see?”

Fox smiled. “There is. If you would follow me, I’ll take you to the kennels.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sabé gracefully rose and followed the Commander out. They walked through the base, which was quickly turning into a maze. Five hallways and two flights of stairs later, they finally stood in front of the right door. “Before we go in,” Fox said, turning to her, “I need to warn you. Hound is…eccentric.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Have you met the girls? I can handle ‘eccentric’.”

“I hope so,” the commander muttered under his breath before he palmed the door open.

The smell of massif hit Sabé like a speeder. There were at least six pens inside the kennel, most of them occupied at this time of night. What stood out the most, though, was the clone standing in the middle of the room.

He was busy roughhousing one of the larger massifs. “Who’s a proud daddy? You’re a proud daddy! You see what you did, bud? You made a baby!” After a second, he corrected himself, “Well, Petal did most of the work, but still!”

“Sergeant!” Fox barked.

The clone straightened, his massif sitting at doggy attention by his side. “Commander, sir!”

“At ease.”

Hound immediately pulled of his helmet, sending Sabé a crooked grin. “You never told us how pretty she was, Commander! You’ve been keeping secrets.”

Rubbing his forehead, Fox sighed and shot an embarrassed look at Sabé. “I am so sorry. We’re pretty sure his growth tube leaked.” He glanced back at the Sergeant, who had gone back to petting his massif. “Or maybe the Kaminoans spliced some massif genes into his code. There’s a betting circle.”

“He’s fine,” Sabé said, patting his arm and moving deeper into the kennels. “I’m never going to get upset by someone so nice calling me pretty.”

Ignoring his commander’s glare, Hound laughed. “That’s good, ma’am, because the commander talks about you all the time.”

She blushed but was more than a little happy to see that the commander was just as red. “Does he now?”

“Oh yeah, literally all he talks about.” Loudly, he whispered, “I don’t know if you know this, Chief, but apparently you hung the stars.” Fox looked like he was about a second away from strangling his brother.

Deciding that it was time to take a risk, Sabé nudged the commander with her good shoulder. “Well,” she said, smiling shyly at the commander, “I happen to think that the commander is pretty great, too.”

“Told ya, sir.” Hound had a big goofy smile on his face. “Now Thire owes me ten credits.”

“You’re on refresher duty for a month,” Fox ground out, fists clenching at his sides.

“Worth it.” The sergeant rolled to his feet, holding a hand out to Sabé and bowing. “My lady, if I may.”

She took his hand and let him lead her towards one of the smaller pens, ignoring the wink he threw at the commander from over his shoulder. Fox trudged behind, probably thinking of the many ways he could get revenge.

Hound helped her over a low gate and spoke to the massif laying in the corner. A small puppy was feeding at her side. “Hey there, beautiful. You remember that new friend I was telling you about? Well, here she is!” He turned and smiled. “Chief, if you’d like to introduce yourself.”

Fox looked like he was about to melt in embarrassment. “Of course.” Sabé knelt in front of the massif. “Hello Petal, my name’s Sabé.”

“So what do you say, girl?” Hound asked Petal, eyeing Sabé with a smile. “Do you think we can trust her with your baby?”

The massif huffed. “I completely agree,” Hound said with a nod. “Chief, if you wouldn’t mind…” He waved her forward, having her sit beside him on the floor.

Once she had gotten comfortable, the sergeant picked up the puppy from his mother’s side and put it in her lap. “I’m thinking about calling her Aran.”

“Aran?”

Fox answered from where he stood at the edge of the pen. “It’s the Mando’a word for Guard.”

“Aran,” Sabé repeated, cuddling the puppy and smiling as the little massif looked around in wonder. “It’s perfect.” Rubbing her hand over the tiny little spike nubs, she laughed as it nuzzled at her hand. “Welcome to the Handmaidens of Amidala, Aran.”

Chapter Text

She and Fox left the kennel about an hour later, the poor commander still flustered beyond reason. “Chief, I just want to say again how sorry I am-”

“There’s no need to apologize, Commander.” As they walked, Saché’s advice floated through her mind. Was Fox worth the risk of potential refusal and embarrassment? If he rejected her, Sabé honestly wasn’t sure what she would do. He wasn’t her first crush by any means, but he had stuck along longer than anyone else.

Fox’s concerned voice interrupted her thoughts. “Chief?”

Kark, she must have missed something. “What was that, Fox?”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” she quickly reassured him. “Just thinking.”

She saw him take a deep breath and pull his shoulders back. Oh, he was going to ask a hard question. “About what?”

Time to take a risk. “Nabooian courting traditions, among other things.”

“What?” He sounded surprised, which wasn’t a real shock, to be honest.

“Nabooian courting traditions,” she repeated, refusing to look at him. “And the man I’d like to go through them with.”

“You…have someone in mind?”

“I do.” She smiled, only for it to disappear when she saw the look on his face. This man really didn’t understand flirting. Well, time to take a direct approach. “You, Commander. I’d like to do them with you.”

“Me?” His mouth dropped open, and for the first time Sabé was able to see the poor clone completely speechless.

“Yes, you.” She laughed a little self-consciously, running her fingers through her hair. “I realize that this is probably sudden, and you don’t even know what those traditions are, so I’m going to give you some time to think about it. And if you see me as just a friend, let me know, and I won’t mention it ever again.” It would kill her a little inside, but she’d figure something out.

“O-okay,” he stammered, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

Realizing she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him, Sabé bowed her head. “Well, I’ll see myself out. Goodnight, Commander.”

As she made her way back through the halls of the barracks, she heard a quiet, “Goodnight.”

And three hallways later it hit her that the other girls were never going to let her live this down. She groaned before marching on, deciding that what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

--------------------

Unfortunately, her luck didn’t last for long. The next day, Padmé cornered her after a senate meeting. “Sabé, a word?”

“Sure.” She joined the senator in her office.

Sabé had hoped that this would be a normal meeting, or maybe Padmé was going to ask her about when she could resume regular duty. But when Padmé’s smile turned predatory, she knew she was in trouble. “My oldest and dearest friend,” she began, “would you care to explain why the Commander asked me about Nabooian courting rituals after today’s session?”

Fighting to keep herself from freezing up, Sabé moved to inspect the office’s bookshelf. Distantly, she noted that they needed to change out the hidden weapons. It wouldn’t do to have things be predictable. Finally deciding to answer, she said, “Perhaps he’s taken an interest in Rabé, my lady.”

“Oh, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” Padmé dramatically patted her chin. “But one must wonder where he even found out about these traditions of ours. After all, I highly doubt they covered them on Kamino.”

“A holonet search would be enough, my lady.”

Shaking her head, Padmé moved to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “True,” she said with a smile, “but you and I both know that’s not why he’s asking. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want anyone to make something out of it.” Sabé shrugged. “I know how you guys get when you smell blood in the water.”

“Sabé,” Padmé said with a small smile, “this is the first man you’ve ever taken the slightest interest in. I thought you knew that we’d support you in whatever way we can. After all, you’ve done the same for me and Anakin.”

Rolling her eyes, Sabé groaned, “Do we have to bring up the Jedi? I don’t want to think about all the security footage I’ve had to delete of you two.”

“And I thank you for that. Now, I’d still expect some teasing,” she said with a small nudge, “but I’ve already talked it over with the other girls, and we’re all ready to help.” With a grin, she added, “I’ve already told the commander that we’ll help with the trial of courage.”

“We won’t get that far if my parents have anything to say about it.” Sabé sat on the couch, rubbing her forehead. “You know how they are.”

“Yes, I do,” Padmé said as she moved to sit beside her. “Which is why I’ve already commed them. I’ve given the commander my full support and told your parents that if they ever want to have any grandchildren, that they should, too.”

Sabé choked out a laugh. “I wish I could’ve seen their faces when you told them that.”

Sliding a comm out of her pocket, Padmé placed it in her hand. “I took a holo for you.”

Sabé laughed again, this one more real than the last. “You’re a good friend, Padmé.” Shaking her head with a smile, she put the comm in one of her pockets. “So, do you know when the commander plans to ask my parents for permission to court?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’ll be soon. To be honest, I’ve never seen the poor man so nervous.” Padmé leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, “He almost showed an emotion.”

“Padmé,” she exclaimed, shoving her friend, who had begun to giggle, “don’t be like that!”

“I’m just joking, the commander seems very nice.” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course, you’re the only one of us who would know for sure.”

Sabé shot back, “Well, at least my significant other doesn’t plan all of our make out sessions in extremely public hallways!”

“Well how could you? It’s not like you can make out with a helmet.” Padmé couldn’t dodge the pillow Sabé flung at her, but she was able to retaliate, taking care to avoid the sling. “You know it’s true!”

“Ugh,” Sabé groaned, resigned to the joking. “What else did you tell him about the courting rituals?”

Padmé smiled, fixing her hair with a deft hand. “I told him everything. The presenting of the flowers, trial of courage, making a token, the feast of plenty, the public declaration, and the gift of heritage. I also let him know that we’d help; he only has to ask.”

“Thank you, Padmé,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t go to the base expecting to throw myself at him. It kind of just…happened.”

“I highly doubt you ‘threw’ yourself at anybody, Sabé.” Padmé leaned back onto the couch, putting an arm around her friend’s shoulder.

Leaning into her friend’s embrace, she blushed. “I’ve never done anything like that. I’m not sure what came over me.”

“Love came over you. It doesn’t really care about reason.”

“You would know,” Sabé quipped with a smile. Becoming more serious, she said, “But I just met him.”

Deciding to be magnanimous and ignore the sass, Padmé rolled her eyes. “And you’ve already been in a life-or-death situation together. That tends to make you skip a few steps in the ‘getting to know you’ process. And just think of it, now we can double date.”

“I think not,” Sabé said primly. “I would hate for your husband to rub off on my commander.”

“Just what are you insinuating about Anakin?” Padmé grinned.

“Only that he wouldn’t know subtly if it hit him in the face like a brick.” Readjusting her sling, she continued, “Not to mention that I prefer my partners to be a little more…stable.”

“Are you calling my husband unstable?”

“You forget, my friend, that I was on Tatooine, too. And I was your double during that whole Jango Fett business. So I think I am qualified to say that Anakin Skywalker is not a normal man.” She chuckled under her breath. “With all his concussions, I don’t know how he could be. But you love him anyway.”

“I do.” With a small laugh, the senator added, “What a mess the two of us are.”

“That’s something we can both agree on.”

They jumped when Sabé’s comm started to ring. With a grin, Padmé moved out of range of the camera. “Well, that was quicker than I thought.”

“Who says it’s my parents?” Sabé shot back, pulling her comm out. “Oh.”

“The commander moves fast; I’ll give him that. Mind if I stay and listen?” When Sabé shook her head, Padmé grinned. “Thanks.”

After steeling herself, Sabé flicked the comm on, watching as the blue holographic forms of her parents flickered into view. “Hello, Mother, Father.”

“Sabé,” her father began, brows furrowed, “we got an interesting call today.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were interested in someone?” her mother interrupted. “Lady Amidala’s call caught us completely off guard.”

“I apologize, Mother, but I wasn’t aware that he was going to contact you this soon.”

“So there is someone!” her mother exclaimed. “Lady Amidala has vouched for them, but I can only hope that this man is…the right sort. I must say, he acted quite strange on the comm. Didn’t even take off his helmet. And he’s in the army? Will that be dangerous for you?”

“Mother, you realize what I do for a living, right?” Sabé frowned, moving her cast closer to the camera. “And the Commander was probably nervous. I assure you that he is very kind.”

“But dear,” her father said, “you must remember that as the heir of one of the major houses, if you do end up marrying this man, he will be expected to take on certain responsibilities. Do you think he’s capable? And the fact that he’s a clone-”

“Has nothing to do with anything.” Sabé tried to not roll her eyes. “The commander is able to take care of himself in any situation. He will represent the family well.”

“That’s all we ask.” Her father nodded; the matter settled. “Well then, we give him our blessing. May you both be happy.”

Sabé couldn’t hold it back any longer. With a huff, she said, “I’m fine, by the way. Thank you for asking.”

“There’s no need to be snippy, Sabé.” Her mother’s brows furrowed. “We got the report from the senator weeks ago. We knew that you were okay.”

Padmé waved to get her attention. Discreetly looking up, she saw Padmé making a cutting motion with her hand. Message received.

“I apologize, but the senator needs me. I’ll talk to you soon.” She waited for them to say their goodbyes, then cut the comm. “They don’t speak to me for weeks, then think they have any say in who I date.”

“I know, but you handled it magnificently.” Padmé squeezed her hand. “It would be a good idea for us to give the commander a briefing before meeting them in-person, though.”

“Agreed.”

With a sigh, Padmé stood. “Well, it looks like we had better get to work.”

“On fixing my parents?” Sabe asked with a smile, walking with Padmé to her desk. “I’m afraid that that’s a problem even the best psychologists can’t figure out.”

“No, not your parents.” Padmé pulled out a datapad from the small mountain growing on her desk. “The commander. It will be difficult for a couple to get married if one of them isn’t considered sentient.”

Sabé smiled. “Thank you, Padmé.”

“Don’t thank me,” her friend answered as she held out a datapad. “After all, you’re the one in charge of looking at the past five centuries worth of Republic legislation regarding slavery.”

“Lucky me.” With a grin, Sabé took the ‘pad and set to work. Even if she and Fox didn’t work out, all clones deserve to be able to marry the person they love. And if they did? Well, it wouldn’t do to have a secret marriage. It was exhausting. At least, it was from Sabé’s perspective as she and the others ran interference for Padmé.

Chapter Text

Two weeks had passed, and Sabé hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Commander Fox. She had thought that he may have lost interest, but then she walked out of the office one day, and he was there.

“Chief!” he exclaimed, shoving his hands behind his back.

She couldn’t stop the grin from growing on her face. “Good morning, Commander. I was about to go relieve Saché from Senate duty. Would you like to join me?”

“I would.”

They began to walk through the halls. As they did, she glanced towards the commander. His shoulders were tense, and he was definitely walking stiffer than normal. “Are you okay?”

His visor turned to her. “I’m functioning optimally.”

Well, that was odd. Guiding him towards an empty hallway, she found a small alcove. Double checking to make sure they were alone, she put a hand on his arm. “Fox, are you okay? And don’t give me any more of that ‘functioning’ crap. Is something wrong?”

For a moment, all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. Finally, the commander sighed. “I’m just…nervous.”

Nervous? Oh, this was a good sign. If Fox was nervous then that may mean that he was about to give her the courtship bouquet that would indicate the official start of their relationship. Time to play coy. “Really? What about?”

“Well-”

Before he could finish his sentence, alarms started blaring all through the halls. Metal security doors came down over all the windows, and the halls turned red under the glow of the emergency lights. “What the kark?”

“Thire, report!” Fox barked, silent as whoever was on the other end talked. While he figured out what was going on, Sabé pulled out her blaster and scanned the hallway. Thankfully, it was clear. “Well, kark.”

That didn’t sound good. “What is it?”

“Apparently Cad Bane’s taken some senators hostage. Wants the chancellor to set Zero the Hutt free.” He unholstered his pistols. “He’s brought eight associates, and the Guard’s been locked out of the building. They activated a signal jammer before I could get anything else.”

“What about the squads that were here on patrol?” She tried to get in touch with the handmaidens, just in case, but just like Fox said, only static answered. “Surely there’s someone else here.”

“Without comms, I don’t know where they are.” He pulled up a map of the senate complex and began to study it. “What about the other handmaidens?”

“Same problem. I know that Saché and Eirtaé are with Padmé, and the others would have started heading to the senator’s location at the first sign of trouble. That’s where I should be going, too.”

She started to move into the hallway, but a strong hand pulled her back. “That’s not safe.”

“Nothing about this is safe,” she shot back, “but I have a duty to the senator. I have to get her out of whatever mess she’s gotten herself into this time.” Looking into his visor, she frowned. “Where are you going to go?”

“After Bane,” he immediately answered. “Before the signal jammed, Thire said he was in the main atrium.”

“Funny,” Sabé said with a sigh, “according to Padmé’s tracker, that’s where she is, too.” Throwing on a smile, she pulled out a dagger for good measure and checked the hallway one more time. “Care to join me, Commander?”

A broken laugh rattled from the vocoder. “It’d be my pleasure, Chief.”

They made their way through the halls, watching each other’s backs like they had been doing it all their lives. “Do you hear that?”

The commander raised his pistols. “Blasterfire. I would say three corridors away and closing.”

“Well then,” she said with a feral grin, “let’s not keep them waiting.”

They narrowly avoided a black blur as it ran around the corner. “Freeze!” Fox yelled, raising his blaster, Sabé’s only a heartbeat behind.

Fortunately for Anakin Skywalker, they didn’t have itchy trigger fingers. “Anakin?”

“Sabé?” was the only thing he was able to say before blaster fire began streaking towards them.

Knowing that Padmé would be sad if he died, she yanked the knight behind her, sending a few shots towards the two droids that had chased him. “Why are you here?”

“I came to visit Padmé,” he gasped. “Is your life always this exciting?”

Ignoring his question, she demanded, “Where is your saber?” as she pulled Anakin behind a column. Fox took cover across the hall, providing additional cover fire. Chunks of marble flew off as blaster bolts collided with stone.

The jedi raised his hand and a table went flying down the hall. “With Padmé.”

“Oh good,” she said, sending a few more shots toward the droids. “Commander, did you hear that? Anakin left his lightsaber with Padmé.”

The commander sent a very disapproving stare to the jedi. Even with his helmet on, it was extremely effective. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

“Hey,” Anakin yelled, “I don’t need a saber to fight these guys.”

“Can you use a blaster?” Sabé didn’t want to give hers up, but once they took out these droids, she could give him one of theirs. Then she looked at Anakin, who had begun to blush. “Well? Can you, or can’t you?”

He shrugged. “Rex is supposed to teach me.”

“And how does that help us?” Was she getting angry? Yes. But Anakin should’ve known better than to give his sole weapon to someone who didn’t know how to use it. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Pulling out one of her daggers, she handed it to him. “I assume you can figure this out?”

He held it for a moment, then flipped it in the air, catching it by the handle. “I think I can manage.”

“Good, because we’re charging on three.” She signaled to Fox, who nodded.

Once she counted down, they left their cover, Anakin using the force to throw the dagger right into one droid’s face plate. Sabé and Fox took out the other with some well-placed blaster bolts. Within seconds, they stood over the smoking remains of the two droids. “So, I assume you’re headed to Padmé, too?”

“Yeah,” the jedi said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I need to get my saber back.”

“Alright, but we’re going to need a plan. Running around isn’t going to cut it.” She checked the charge on her blaster. Deciding that it was time for a new charge pack, she fished one out of her pocket and swapped them out. “Commander, any ideas?”

Fox pulled up a map of the atrium. “The atrium extends five stories. If one of us goes to the second level, they can take up a sniper position and take out Bane while the rest of us use the distraction to neutralize the other bounty hunters.”

“I should be one of the ones on the first floor,” Anakin said. “That way I can get my saber.”

Sabé stared at him, unimpressed. “Neither of us were going to suggest that you be the sniper, Anakin. Get your saber and defend the senators. Commander, which position do you want to take?”

“First floor. I trust your abilities with a blaster, and I don’t want to put any unnecessary strain on your arm.”

“It’s fine,” Sabé answered, rolling it out just to be sure. “I’ll take out Bane. I assume you want me to use stun shots so that we can get some answers out of him?”

“It’s like you read my mind.”

“Ewww,” Anakin interrupted. “After this, you two should get a room.”

Even while Sabé blushed, she pushed the jedi forward. “Like you’re any better. Now get going. I’ll find a nest and signal you when I’m ready.”

“What will the signal be?”

The commander answered for her. “She’ll shoot Bane.” The 'obviously' was unsaid but definitely understood. Before she could leave though, Fox grabbed her hand. “Stay safe.”

Ignoring Anakin’s sounds of disgust, she replied, “You, too.”

Fortunately, she didn’t run into any trouble on her way to the second floor, and she soon had Bane in her sights. Unfortunately, Padmé and the other senators were being used as hostages and Bane had a bomb.

She caught Saché’s eye and with a quick hand motion asked: Bomb?

The other handmaiden quickly answered back: Push.

So this shot was going to have to be good, then. Sabé signaled for an imminent extraction and watched as the two handmaidens and senator got ready to pounce.

Lining up her shot, she took a deep breath. Bane didn’t seem to be worried at all, which would be his downfall. The idiot wasn’t even moving that much, just standing in one spot monologuing. With a release of her breath, she pulled the trigger, and Bane went down in a ring of blue.

His associates followed in quick succession thanks to Commander Fox’s skills, although the handmaidens and Padmé took out a few of their own. And Anakin finally got his saber back. Good.

Within a few minutes the atrium was cleared of hostiles. Looking up to Sabé, Anakin gave a little salute. “Jump and I’ll catch you with the force.”

“No thanks,” she answered. There was no way she was going to survive all of this just to be dropped by Padmé’s idiot husband. Instead, she attached the grapple hook on her belt to a beam and rappelled down. “Senator, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Padmé answered, “thanks to you three.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Sabé whispered. “I just hope you know that we will be having a talk later.”

“I know.” With a sigh, she turned to the commander. “Commander, do you know when the senate will be released from lockdown?”

“Right about….now.” As he spoke the emergency lights flickered off, and the metal doors retreated. Squads of troopers filed in the room, Bane and his friends were arrested, and soon Fox was called away.

Padmé put a hand on her shoulder. “So, did he ask you yet?”

“I think he was going to,” she answered, continuing to stare at the commander, “but then Bane took everyone hostage.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ask her what?” Anakin asked, barging into things, as usual.

Padmé sighed before leading them towards a quieter area of the atrium. “About starting a courtship. The first step is to present a bouquet of flowers to show that you’re interested.”

A quizzical look passed over the jedi’s face. “But I didn’t do that. Oh kark, should I have done that?”

“We’re a….special case,” Padmé answered. “It’s okay.”

“But should I be getting you flowers?” he stammered. “I mean, it might be hard with the war and all, but I’m sure I can figure something out.”

Trying to hold in her laugh, Sabé patted the senator’s arm. “I’ll leave you to it, but may I suggest having this conversation in a more private setting? I don’t want to make Versé delete any more footage than she has to.”

“Of course.” Padmé quickly began to lead Anakin away, Dormé and Versé following like silent wraiths. They’d keep those two out of trouble…hopefully. With a sigh, Sabé turned back to the chaos of the atrium. Time to find a security officer and give her statement.

Chapter Text

“May I see the Chief?”

Sabé’s head shot up. After two hours of talking and waiting around for the CSF, she had finally been released back to Padmé’s office. But all the exhaustion of the day disappeared when she heard Fox’s voice.

“You had better get out there,” Padmé said with a grin. Anakin had just left a few minutes ago to do whatever jedi did in their spare time, and now it was just the two of them trying to catch up on the work that had been disturbed by Bane and his cohorts. “Saché may start giving him the shovel talk.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. Desperately trying to make herself look more presentable, she palmed open the door.

Sabé was immediately treated to a view of Saché definitely giving Fox the shovel talk. The poor man was crowded into a corner, and although she couldn’t hear what was being said, Saché’s arms were flailing around wildly, which meant that she was definitely getting into the speech.

“Excuse me,” she said, startling both of them. “I believe the commander wanted to talk to me.”

“Of course, Chief.” Saché immediately backed away. Giving the commander a sweet smile, she added, “We were just having a little chat.”

“I’m sure you were. Commander,” she held out her arm, “would you like to take a walk with me?”

The commander gulped and accepted the offer of escape. “Yes ma’am.”

Versé spoke up from her spot on the couch. “The cameras from here to the roof are looped. Let me know when I can set them back.”

“Thanks.”

The handmaiden answered back with a mocking salute. “Anytime.”

“Hey,” Padmé grinned, leaning against the side of the door, “why don’t you loop the cameras for me?”

“Because you don’t let us know when you’re going to have a…meeting.” Sabe raised an eyebrow, lips curled in a smile.

The senator shrugged with a small smirk. “Fair enough. Have fun, you too.”

“But not too much fun,” Eirtaé joked with a wink. “Because we will be watching.”

“No we won’t,” Padmé quickly interjected. “You go on, I’ll keep these busybodies in line. But Commander,” she said, “I’ll need her back by nine.”

Fox stiffened. “Yes, Senator.”

“Come on,” Sabé said with a roll of her eyes. “Let’s get out of here before something explodes. Again.”

Tugging him into the hallway, she sighed. “I’m sorry about them. This is the first time I’ve…well, the first time I’ve met anyone I’ve been interested in.” After a few moments of silence, she gave a nervous laugh. “Well, aren’t you going to say something?”

“I’d rather wait.”

“Okay.” She guided the commander to an old portrait hanging on the wall, the frame covered in a fine layer of dust. “Do you know who this is, Commander?”

He quickly answered, “Chancellor Lina Soh.”

“A remarkable woman and excellent negotiator. There was some unrest during her tenure with the Nihil, which is why,” Sabé pressed a corner of the frame, watching as a small section of wall slid away, “she had secret escape tunnels built into the Senate. Before you ask, no one else knows about them. Padmé found one on accident, and we mapped them out.”

Fox poked his head into the hallway, turning on his helmet light and scanning the area. “I’ll need your maps.”

“Of course.” She flicked on her own light and began to lead him through the dark maze. “Don’t worry, it’s not far now.”

The commander didn’t say anything for the rest of their walk, and Sabé didn’t push. Fortunately, it didn’t take them too long to reach their destination. Pushing on another hidden wall, it receded, giving them a perfect view of the Coruscant skyline. Looking out over the speeders and lights from the high rises, Sabé smiled. “Well, here we are. What do you think?”

“Beautiful,” he whispered. But when Sabé turned around, Fox wasn’t looking at the city. She blushed, and he seemed to realize what he said. “I’m so-”

“Thank you.” Immensely grateful that she was wearing her favorite dress, the one with all the hiding spots for her knives, she walked out into the night. “This is meant to be a landing platform in case the building is overrun. A last resort for the chancellor and other high-ranking officials. Although it’s not my-”

“Chief.”

She turned around. In Fox’s hand was a single flower. It was a weed more than anything, a frail yellow thing with crushed petals. “The senator told me that after I talked to your parents I needed to get a bouquet. Something about it representing new beginnings and how the flowers are supposed to mean something. I’ve looked around the city for weeks, but I couldn’t find a shop that would serve me. Not like I have any money to buy flowers with,” he muttered under his breath.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that you deserve so much more than what I can give you. So if you’ve decided that you don’t want-”

Sabé stopped his rambling with a touch of her hand. Gently, she took the flower. “It got a little messed up in my ammo pouch,” Fox said, misery coloring his voice.

“I love it.” Looking up into the commander’s visor, she huffed. “Would you mind taking that off? I want to see your face.”

Silently, he did. His eyes flickered back and forth, never landing on one place for long. Sabé placed a hand on his cheek, and immediately his gaze locked onto her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous. You shouldn’t be.”

“But the flower-”

“Is perfect.” She looked down at it and smiled. “You, my dearest commander, managed to find the one and only flower growing on this planet. And not only that, you managed to keep it safe during battle.”

She stepped away, performing the customary curtsy and trying not to laugh as Fox’s eyes widened, “Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard, it is my pleasure to accept you as my suitor.” With a wink, she added, “If you think you can handle the other handmaidens.”

Fox took her hand and helped her rise. “If you can handle my brothers, I can handle your sisters. So,” he said, looking around, “what happens now?”

Laughing, Sabé grinned. “Well, usually the couple starts going out on dates. Considering our work schedules and my rank as heir of one of the houses of Naboo, I would suggest that ours be more private.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Dinner at the barracks, up here, or in the handmaiden’s apartments. We’d need a chaperone, of course, but I’m sure Padmé wouldn’t mind.”

A smile began to grow on the commander’s face. “You always think of everything. It’s not like a restaurant would let me in, anyway.”

“Not yet, but they will.” Sabé clamped down on the flame of anger that ignited in her heart. “I promise you that, Fox.”

“You know what?” He said, hand moving to grasp hers. “I actually believe you.”

“You should. Now then, if we’re courting, I don’t think that you should call me ‘Chief’ all the time.” She watched him through her eyelashes. “At least in private.”

Sabé watched as the commander’s face twisted into several expressions all at once. Finally, it settled on something that she wasn’t able to describe. “Alright,” he said, hesitantly, “Sabé.”

The sound of her name sent chills running up and down her spine. If someone told her that she was glowing, she wouldn’t have disagreed. This must be what it felt like to fly. “I’m glad we can agree, Fox.”

Deciding to be bold, she planted a kiss on his cheek, proud when it turned his face the same color as his armor. “If you’re ready, Commander, it’s time to face the most dangerous enemy of all.”

“Who?”

“The girls.” Pulling him back towards the building, she laughed at his gob smacked expression. “They’re going to be insufferable after this. I just know it.”

Chapter Text

“So, when would you like to meet for our first date?” Sabé walked beside the commander, both on their way to the senate rotunda. It had been two weeks since their conversation on the rooftop, and they hadn’t had much time to speak since.

Ever vigilant, Fox scanned the area before responding. “I’m free tonight.”

“Mmm, I can’t. Padmé’s going to Cato Nemodia with ol’ Rashy and we’ll be gone for the next couple of days. Apparently the jedi think he’s a spy and want the senator to catch him in the act.” Did she want to go to Cato Nemodia? Force no, but it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. She went where the senator went, and the senator would not be swayed. Sabé had tried. Repeatedly.

The commander tilted his bucket. “Rashy?”

“It’s what we call Rush Clovis,” she said with a laugh, eyeing some aides as they passed. “He’s an old flame of hers. They broke it off years ago, but he’s still hanging on for some reason. It’s weird.”

Fox hummed, placing his hands behind his back as they continued their walk. “My intel agrees with the Jedi’s. Not sure why you need to put yourself in danger, the paper trail’s there.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary, either, but you know how the senator feels about corruption.” She shook her head. “She’ll weed out scum and villainy wherever she finds it.”

“And drag you along with her.” Other people might say that his voice was harsh, but Sabé could hear the worry underneath.

Making sure that they were alone, Sabé gave him a light nudge. “I’ll be fine. Anakin’s coming.”

“The jedi that forgot his lightsaber? I’m convinced.” A sigh rattled through the vocoder. “There hasn’t been a request made for a Guard squad to accompany you.”

“No, apparently the jedi think that it would tip Rush off. That’s why they’re sending Anakin.” It’s not like Anakin enjoyed waving his glowing light sword around or anything.

There was that helmet tilt again, and Sabé knew that Fox agreed. “I don’t think General Skywalker is very inconspicuous.”

“Either way, this is how it has to be. I’ve packed extra blasters, knives, and explosives. So have the rest of the girls.” She sent him a reassuring smile. “We’ve got this.”

They were silent as a few senators passed, talking about some budget. Once they were alone again, Fox shook his head. “I’d still feel better if you took Stone with you.”

“I’ve got Aran,” she said, smiling at the massif pup that trotted happily by her side. “This will be a perfect first mission for her.”

Aran had really done amazing with Hound’s training, and she had quickly become Sabé’s shadow in and around the senate. She had agreed with Hound that they should make all of the commands in Mando’a, which was a bit of a learning curve, but Aran was worth it. They still needed to work on her ability to defend the senator, but a simple escort mission would be within her capabilities.

Fox hummed, stepping in front of the massif who stopped. “Sheber.” Aran immediately sat, attentive as ever. “Trooper, I expect you to protect the Chief by any means necessary, up to and including dismemberment and mauling of any enemies. Do you understand?” Aran barked once.

“Excellent,” the commander said with a nod. “I’m glad we understand each other. As you were.”

Sabé laughed. “I feel completely safe now, thank you, Commander.”

“Then my mission is complete,” he said with a nod, the smile evident in his voice.

They continued their walk to the rotunda in companiable silence. Before they turned the final corner, Sabé shot him a glance. “Once I get back, how about you come by the handmaiden’s apartments? I’ll make dinner.”

He flexed his hands, subconsciously moving them towards his blaster. “I’d like that.”

She smiled. “Then it’s a date.”

--------------------

A few hours later…

“Anakin,” Sabé said, collapsing into the co-pilot’s seat, “you have got to calm down. This is getting ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is Rush Clovis! Who does he think he is, flirting with Padmé like that.” The jedi jabbed at some buttons on the console. Luckily it wasn’t with his prosthetic, or else they’d have to fill out some datawork for repairs.

She sighed, thankful that the rest of the handmaidens were in the back with the senator. “He’s flirting with her because as far as he knows, she’s single.”

“Still, it’s improper,” he huffed angrily, jabbing once more at the console.

“Says the man who secretly married the senator without doing any of the proper traditions beforehand.” She rolled her eyes. “And then you broke a seat because you were jealous. You realize she’s acting, right?”

“Didn’t look like acting,” he murmured.

“Because she’s good at it. We all are.” Anakin pulled back on the hyperdrive, and the stars blurred as they entered hyperspace. “You have to learn, and you have to learn fast.”

“But I don’t have to be a spy.”

“No, but you have to stop overreacting every time you see her with another man. She’s playing him.” The jedi just looked confused. Great. “She’s faking it, ding-dong, and it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re standing there all menacing and scary.”

“Oh.” Maybe she had finally gotten through his thick skull. “So it’s like when Ahsoka wants to hang out with her friends, and she doesn’t want me there because it’ll make her feel uncomfortable?” Or maybe not.

“Kind of.” She could work with this. “Just let us handle Clovis.”

“How will I know if you need help, though?”

Finally, a good question. “We’ll let you know. Either through a hand signal or a code phrase.” Before he could ask, she continued, “If one of us pretends to light a saber, that’s your physical cue. If we say, ‘Force preserve us’, that’s your code phrase. Understand?”

“Yeah,” a look of extreme concentration was on his face, “I got it.”

“Excellent.” Maybe they could make an operative out of the jedi yet.

------------------

Apparently Sabé’s earlier impression was wrong. Very wrong. There was no way that Anakin Skywalker should ever be approved for an undercover operation again. At this point, it was starting to get ridiculous. He had been shooting blaster bolts at Rush with his glare the entire trip, which is why he was now confined to the ship until further notice. And to make sure that he stayed there, Aran was put on guard duty. She was supposed to be guarding the senator, but instead she was stuck guarding the senator’s stupid husband so he didn’t blow the mission. Amazing.

Fortunately for everyone, though, after an incident with bad seafood a few years ago, it was standard protocol for all of Padme’s food to be quickly scanned by Eirtaé before the senator ate it. After receiving the signal for contamination in her wine, Padmé pretended to drink the poison and Eirtaé discreetly disappeared to find out what Lott Dodd and his cronies had tried to do.

Everyone (except Anakin, for obvious reasons) got a message a few minutes later: Low-grade stuff. Results in headache, nausea, and fainting. Effects occur three hours after consumption.

So they could have the rest of the meal before making their escape. Perfect. Sabé signaled to Versé and Dormé, who also disappeared. They reported back fifteen minutes later with word that they had retrieved the information they needed to incriminate Rush Clovis. Padmé’s smile became more forced, but she was able to finish dinner without much of a problem.

Sabé messaged Anakin. Get the ship ready. We’re about to leave, so expect the others to come with our bags.

She received an affirmative and took her place at Padmé’s side as the senator excused herself, claiming that she wasn’t feeling well. Padmé played her part perfectly, and Rush appeared extremely concerned. “Really Rush, all I need is a good night’s sleep. I’ll be fine in the morning.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.” And with Sabé subtly nudging him away, the idiot didn’t have much of a choice except to leave them alone. Once they were halfway to the ship, Padmé sighed. “You don’t have to say it.”

“I told you Rash was no good.”

“Do you really have to call him that?” Padmé said, trying to hide her snort. “It’s not very becoming.”

She glanced at her friend. “It’s not supposed to be. I hope the food was good, at least.”

“Except for the poison, it was a perfectly lovely dinner.” Padmé sighed and ran her hands over her dress, smoothing out imagined wrinkles. “Thank you for handling Anakin.”

“I still don’t know what you see in him, but it could be worse. You could’ve married Rash.” Sabé fought a smile as her friend sent her an unimpressed look. “Come on, you know it’s true.”

“Maybe.” With a predatory smile, she asked, “Speaking of significant others, how is the commander?”

“Doesn’t like that I’m here, obviously,” she huffed as they made the last turn to the hanger, “and he’ll hate that I left Aran on the ship.”

Padmé grinned. “Sounds very protective.”
“Comes with the territory. It is his job, after all.” Resting her hand on her favorite dagger, Sabé smiled at the thought of her commander worrying over her. “We’re going to go on our first date once we get back.”
“Really?” Padmé perked up. “Where?”

“Our apartments. There aren’t many restaurants that allow clones inside, and this way the paparazzi won’t be able to get any pictures.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm down at the thought of the clones not being allowed entrance into stores. It only partially worked.

Padmé, sensing this, jumped in. “And you’ll have plenty of chaperones.”

“That’s a given.”

The ship came into view, the engines running and landing ramp down. “So are you going to order something?”

“Of course not!” Sabé gasped as she looked at Padmé like she had grown a second head. “I’m making dinner. And before anyone asks, yes, I’m making enough for everyone.”

Saché, who had definitely not been listening in on the conversation, cheered. “Yes! No take out for us. Tomorrow, we eat like queens!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sabé griped as she opened up a comm line to Anakin. “Alright Skywalker, get us out of here.”

Chapter Text

“If you don’t get out of this kitchen right now, I’m going to take this knife and cut off your favorite finger.”

Saché froze, her finger poised above the bowl of batter. “But Sabé-”

“Don’t you ‘but Sabé’ me. You know the rules.” She moved to chopping up some vegetables, cuts quick and precise. “I’ll bring out the bowl once I’ve put the batter in the cake pan. Then you guys can share the rest of it.”

“But Eirtaé always hogs the bowl, and you keep giving Aran food.”

“That’s because I like Aran.” Pausing, Sabé raised an eyebrow. “You are all fully grown women. I’m sure you can figure something out. But,” she added with a vicious glare, “if I come in there and you lot have messed up the room, you’ll be off chaperoning duty.”

“Forever?”

“Forever,” Sabé repeated. But she wasn’t heartless, so grabbing the pan, she quickly dumped the batter in and threw the bowl to Saché. “There. Now you can have a head start.”

“Thanks, Chief!” The handmaiden practically bounced out of the kitchen, only to be replaced by Padmé a minute later.

The senator licked her batter-covered finger with a hum. “You’re really going all out on this, aren’t you?”

“This may be the first time he’s eaten actual food,” she said, moving to stir a boiling pot. “Of course I’m going to make my best. Would you mind stirring the beans for me?”

“Sure.” While stirring the pot, Padme nudged her friend gently. “Everything is going to be fine. You’re an amazing cook, and the girls have all promised to be on their best behavior.”

“I know, but still…” Sabé sighed, moving to run her fingers through her hair only to stop when she remembered that it was in an elaborate updo. It wasn’t her usual style, but apparently it made her eyes stand out or something. At least, that’s what Rabé said when she did it. “I’m kind of afraid that he won’t take his helmet off.”

“He’s going to have to trust us eventually,” her friend replied, “but I think that this relationship with you might be just the thing to help.”

Sabé frowned. “I don’t want to push him into anything. Force knows he doesn’t get to have many choices to begin with.”

“I know, and if he seems too uncomfortable, we can leave you two with only one chaperone. The girls would be disappointed, but they’d understand.”

“Oh,” Sabé said, mischievous glint in her eye, “and what makes you think that you’re the one who would stay?”

“Please, I’m your best friend. I’m going to stay whether you like it or not.” With a huff, Padmé pushed her out of the kitchen. “Now go freshen up and get changed. I’ve got things under control, and the heat is making your makeup run. You’re officially banned from the kitchen.”

Knowing it was no use, Sabé just laughed and put away her apron. “How benevolent you are, my lady. Truly, it is an honor to serve you.”

“Aw, get out of here,” Padmé grinned, pointing with her spoon. “We’ve got a commander to impress.” She turned to Aran, who was taking her post by the stove very seriously. “Don’t we, my sweet girl? Tell your mother to leave us alone.”

The massif barked excitedly, and Sabé shook her head. “My own massif, turned against me.”

“What can I say? I’m extremely persuasive.” Padmé grinned, then turned back to the pots and pans.

Still laughing, Sabé went to her room. As Chief, she was able to have her own space away from the other handmaidens, which was very much appreciated on nights like this when she needed some time alone.

Theoretically, picking out a dress should’ve been easy. Thanks to the perks of being a handmaiden, she had plenty to choose from. But she couldn’t seem to find the right one. With a groan, she sat on the bed, six outfits thrown around her.

That was when someone knocked on her door. “Chief? Are you alright?”

“Fine, Dormé. Just can’t seem to figure out what to wear.”

Then, all hell broke loose as a small army of handmaidens invaded her room. “What the kark?” she asked as everyone (with the exception of Padmé, who was cackling from the kitchen) began to sort through her wardrobe, arguing and pushing like they were children.

“We’ve been waiting for you to ask for help for the past hour!” Versé groaned, holding up a golden gown for inspection. With a flick of her wrist, she threw it in what was quickly turning into a mountain of rejects. “Nope, too gaudy.”

“Yeah,” Eirtaé added from her claimed spot in the middle of the shoes, “no offense, Chief, but you’re really bad at picking out clothes.”

Before she could take offense, Saché jumped in. “Which is why we’re extremely grateful that you let Rabé choose our wardrobe.”

“Well, she is the disguise expert,” Sabé grumbled, resigned to be stuck sitting in the middle of the hurricane. “It just makes sense.”

“I’m glad we agree.” Pulling a dress out of a bag that had definitely not been in her room before, Rabé grinned. “Because I picked this out as soon as you and the commander began your courtship, and I’ve been dying for you to wear it.”

With a sigh, Sabé gently grasped it and began her inspection. The dress was white with red accents, matching the Guard’s colors perfectly. The sleeves were made from a sheer fabric, and she could already tell the skirt would drag the floor.

“Well?” the handmaiden asked, biting her lip. “What do you think?”

Sabé took her time, looking over the dress carefully. The neckline was how she preferred (not tight enough to make her feel like she was choking), and the cut of the dress would show off her figure. But the sheer material of the sleeves would show off her scars, as well. With a smile, she looked up. “It’s perfect.”

“Then put it on!” Versé crowed, pushing her towards the bathroom. “Rabé still has to touch up your makeup and he’s going to be here in twenty minutes!”

As she held up the dress in the mirror, Sabé grinned. Maybe everything was going to be alright, after all.

----------------

The next twenty minutes passed by in a blur of makeup and shoes. But they were ready, and so was dinner. Now the only thing they had to do was wait for the commander.

“So,” Dormé began, sitting primly on the couch, “what does he look like?”

Deciding to be as vague as possible, Sabé grinned. “Like a clone.”

“Come on! You have to give us something to work with.”

Padme grinned from her chair. “With any luck, we’ll all know what he looks like soon enough.”

“How much longer till he’s supposed to be here?” Saché had given up on waiting patiently and was sharpening one of her blades.

“Oh, he’s been waiting outside for the past ten minutes.” Versé looked up from her datapad with a poorly hidden smile. “It’s been fun watching him pace.”

“Versé!”

Sabé stood, quickly making her way to the door, only to be stopped by Padmé. “Allow me. It wouldn’t do for you to answer your own door.”

Without time to blink, the other handmaidens maneuvered her to the middle of the room and out of sight. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes,” they all answered in unison.

She could hear the door slide open. “Good evening, Commander. Would you like to come in?” Fox gave a muffled answer before Sabé heard the tell-tale sound of boots on tile. “You’ve arrived just in time. We finished cooking dinner just a few minutes ago.”

The echo of the commander’s boots matched the beating of her heart. Then, he turned the corner and froze, Padmé going a few steps ahead before realizing that she had left Fox behind. His visor was locked onto Sabé, and she blushed as she brushed her hands down her dress. “Hello.”

Her words seemed to break him out of whatever trance he was in. “Hi.” Crossing the room in three quick strides, he held out a package. It was wrapped in black fabric that looked suspiciously like the Guard’s undersuit and tied with a piece of string. “I read that it’s customary to bring a gift.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Sabé grinned as she unwrapped it.

“It’s not much,” Fox began as she held it up. It was a tug of war rope made out of torn blacks that had been braided together. “Just a toy for Aran.”

With a glance at the massif, who was practically vibrating in place, she tossed it in the air. Aran caught it then took it to her pillow, where she happily began to try and tear it apart. “I think it’s safe to say that she loves it. Thank you.”

Leaning into Sabé’s space, Saché loudly whispered, “He’s adorable.”

Ignoring her, Sabé grabbed the commander’s hand and led him to the kitchen. “We’ll fix our plates in the kitchen then eat in the living room.” After a moment, she added, “If that’s okay?”

“That’s fine.”

Conscious of him watching her, Sabé put a little of everything on her plate, explaining what everything was and what it tasted like. “Just do what I do, and if you don’t like something, you don’t have to eat it.” He nodded, quickly making his own plate before following her to the living room. The other handmaidens hurried to make their own, not wanting to miss a thing. At least they were nice enough to let Sabé and the commander have the couch.

Glancing at Fox, Sabé sent him a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, commander. Even though they’re certifiably insane, I trust the girls with my life.”
He watched her for another moment before nodding. With a slight shake in his hands, he slowly took off his bucket, setting it on the small table beside him. “Then…my name is Fox.”

Padmé smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander Fox.”

Gaze shooting up to the senator, Fox blushed. “The pleasure is mine, Senator.”

“Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s eat before the food gets cold.” She began to dig in, the others following suit soon after.

They were granted a few minutes of silence before Saché cleared her throat. “So Commander, we have to ask: what are your intentions with our Chief?”

Slowly, he laid his fork down. With a guarded look, he answered, “Intentions?”

“Yes,” Rabé spoke up. “Your intentions.”

“Rabé-” she hissed.

“Because if you hurt her, I don’t need to tell you what will happen.” Rabé’s grasp on the knife had slowly morphed into a saber grip.

Sabé was about to step in, but then she noticed the commander’s face. For some reason, he actually looked calmer, more in control. “I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to courting, I’m not sure what I’m doing. I’m going to mess up, but I will never do anything to intentionally hurt her.”

“Glad we understand each other.” Rabé settled back into her chair, convinced. “Now then, tell us about yourself.”

“This is not an interrogation.” Sabé stepped in.

“I don’t mind,” Fox said, leaning forward with a focused expression. “Fire away.”

She looked at Padmé, trying to get some help. Instead, the senator flashed a few hand signs: Slow down. Friendlies. Watch.

Trusting that her friend knew what she was doing, Sabé did. And she watched as Fox fielded questions (some more intrusive than others) one after the other, slowly growing more comfortable as time went on. The tense line to his shoulders had almost disappeared, and the beginnings of a real smile had started up a few minutes ago. She should’ve guessed that he would’ve felt better in a somewhat hostile situation.

“So what’s your idea of a perfect date?” Eirtaé had asked this question, dinner forgotten.

Fox, on the other hand, had cleaned his plate and looked perfectly in control of the situation. “If money wasn’t an obstacle?”

“Obviously.”

Not put off at all, the commander nodded. “Thire told me about something called a botanical garden. I would take Sabé there. Then, we would go to the top of the senate dome and eat more of this cake.”

“It’s an old Veruna family recipe.” Sabé grinned, taking another bite of her own piece. “I’m glad you like it.”

He gave her an answering grin. “Clones are notorious for their sweet tooths.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to start making more desserts.” Taking a chance, she leaned into his side, fighting a smile when she felt him tense. In front of them, Saché mimed putting an arm over Rabé’s shoulder, and getting the hint, Fox copied. Slowly, he relaxed.

Versé grinned from where she lounged against Padmé’s chair. “Fox, you are now my new favorite clone.”

Raising an eyebrow, he asked. “Why’s that?”

“Because if Sabé starts making desserts, we get to taste test them. And her cookies are literally to die for.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They’re just cookies.”

“I don’t know.” Fox stole a small piece of her cake. “If they’re better any better than this, I think I might agree with Versé.”

She laughed. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to make a batch for you to try.”

Padmé shook her head, a small smile on her face as she watched the new couple. “You two are perfect for each other.” Before they could argue, she continued, “Really. And I’m glad that you decided to come, Commander. It’s been good to get to know you outside of work.”

Fox looked at Sabé, squeezing her hand. The rest of the room seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them, the background noise growing quiet until all Sabé could hear was the beating of her own heart. “Agreed.”

Chapter Text

Resting her forehead in her hand, Sabé tried to hold in her groan. “Padmé, this has to be one of the worst ideas you’ve ever had. And you’ve had some doozies.”

The senator looked up from where she was carefully packing far too many outfits. “You know as well as I do that no one is making headway in this war, and if I can convince Mina to introduce peace talks, maybe we can end this once and for all.”

“And you’re bringing a jedi padawan with you because…”

“Because she needs to learn that not everything is as black and white as she and Anakin would like to believe.” Padmé put in her last pair of shoes with a shove, and Sabé silently moved to sit on top of the suitcase, giving her friend enough slack to zip it up.

Crossing her arms may not be as effective while sitting on top of luggage, but Sabé tried, anyway. “So you had a fight with Anakin, and in response to this, you’re going to take his padawan on an unsanctioned fieldtrip to Separatist space. A place where, if caught, both of you would end up in maximum-security prison at the least?”

Padmé rolled her eyes and pushed Sabé off the suitcase. “Mina and I have been friends for years. She won’t turn us in.”

“Mina’s not the one I’m worried about.”

“We’ll be fine.” Pulling her bags off the bed, the senator began to make her way to the door. “Saché and Dormé are coming, and Ahsoka has been on many battlefields.”
“Ahoska is a teenager.”

“A jedi teenager,” Padmé countered. Resting her stuff by the couch, she sighed. “Look, I know you want to come, but I need you here. Now that Cordé’s gone, you’re the best body double I have.”

“And you have several important meetings this week, I know.” Tactically, this was the best plan Padmé could’ve come up with. (With the exception of going to Separatist space.) That didn’t mean that she had to like it.

Knowing Sabé for as long as she had, Padmé picked up on her feelings. “It’ll only be for a few days, and we’ll check in every six hours. We each have four different trackers on our person, so you’ll know if something goes wrong.”

“Still.”

“I know.” She sighed before giving Sabé a tired smile. “Stay here and run interference. If no one knows that I’m gone…”

“Then no one will be looking,” Sabé finished. It was a phrase they had picked up during handmaiden training, and one that still held true years later.

Wrapping her friend in a hug, Padmé squeezed tightly. “You’ll have to let me know if your commander figures out our ruse.”

“He will. The question is how long it’ll take.” Reaching down, she absentmindedly patted Aran’s head. The massif rumbled happily. “If you die, I’ll kill you.”

“If I die,” Padmé returned, “I’ll let you.” With a smile, she walked to the door, Saché and Dormé coming out of their room to flank her on either side.

Sabé and the other handmaidens stood opposite them. They all hated when they had to separate. Sometimes it was inescapable, but it hurt every time. Not having your sisters at your back always gave Sabé an itch that she couldn’t scratch until she saw each of her girls march back into the apartment. “Stay safe,” she ordered.

“You’re the one having to deal with Burtoni,” Dormé said with a tense smile. “Our mission will practically be a vacation.”

Saché clasped Sabé’s hand one last time. Cheekily, she smiled. “We’ll see you soon, Senator Amidala.”

“You’d better.”

-----------------------

“And that, Senators, is why it would be a moral travesty to deregulate the banks.” Sabé stood in her pod, head held high as she did her best to kill this bill. Organa had already spoken, but there were still too many Senators who were on the fence. Hence why she had decided to take the risk and make a speech of her own. “Think of the power and influence they have already. What benefit will it have for us? For our constituents?

“I stand here today to tell you that the only ones that will benefit from this legislation are the heads of the banking clans. They will be able to increase the interest rate for not only our government, but everyone.” Time to go in for the kill. “In a galaxy where it’s hard enough for a family to put food on their table, how can we willingly enable the banking clans? If this bill passes, we are giving them free reign to legally oppress the people we are sworn to protect.”

“Your claims are completely unfounded, Senator.” Nix Card’s pod shot into the middle of the room. “You are out of line.”

“No Representative,” Sabé refused to be cowed by some sniveling man who would rather die than get his hands dirty, “you and your company are the ones who are out of line. You fill your pockets while the people of the galaxy starve!”

Unfortunately, Palpatine stepped in before Sabé could really eviscerate the banking clan representative. “Gentlebeings please! I motion for a recess to give everyone time to calm down. We will resume tomorrow.”

As her pod moved back to the wall, Sabé shot Card an unimpressed glare. Let him focus on her, that way he and his cronies wouldn’t even think about what was happening on Raxus.

As soon as the pod docked, Sabé looked down at Aran. “Shekemir.” The massif immediately followed, the other handmaidens close behind.

“Was that really necessary, my dear?” Senator Organa asked, quickly catching up to their small group.

Sabé smiled sweetly. “Someone has to give the news something to talk about tonight. And if more people are talking about the injustice caused by the banking clans, maybe something will be done to stop them.”

“You may be right, Padmé, but you’re painting a target on your back.” The older man sighed. “I’m worried for your safety.”

“There’s no need to worry, Senator. My handmaidens and the Guard are perfectly capable of keeping me safe. Especially from sniveling cowards like Nix Card.” She said the name with disgust, almost spitting it out.

Organa shot a glance in her direction. “But even cowards like him can hire bounty hunters and assassins. Aurra Singh’s attack on your life was not that long ago.”

And oh did Sabé remember that. Rabé had been forced to cover that scar with a special type of makeup before she could impersonate the senator. “I understand, but I refuse to stop speaking out against corruption in all of its forms.”

By this time they had reached her office. “Thank you for walking with me, Senator, but I’m afraid I have a meeting I must get to.” Sabé was perfectly capable of impersonating Padmé with anyone for any length of time, but the senate session had made her angry, and she was ready to pull off the mask, even if it was just for a second, so that she could gripe and complain freely with the other handmaidens.

“I will see you tomorrow, then.” Organa gave her a slight bow, then moved to enter his own office a few doors away.

As soon as the door slid shut, Sabé groaned. “Are we sure that we can’t just kill Card? It would save us so much time.”

“Unfortunately, murder is still illegal.” Rabé grinned as she began to fix a few strands of hair that had fallen out of the complicated style Sabé wore. “Even if the idiots deserve it.”

Before they had time to do anything else, the doorpad chimed. “Really?” Sabé grumbled. “It had better not be someone I hate, or I may do something I won’t regret.” 

Versé looked up from her ‘pad. “It’s the commander.”

“Then I guess it’s time to see how long it takes for him to notice that I’m me.” Sabé pulled back her shoulders and pasted on her best ‘Padmé’ face. “Send him in. I’ll be in my office.”

She could hear the mumblings of conversation as she moved to sit behind the desk. Aran took her spot in the bed beside her, immediately grabbing a toy and giving it a good squeak. Pulling out a datapad, she smiled at the message Eirtaé had sent. He asked where you were. We told him you were getting lunch for everyone.

How generous of me, she answered.

She got a response a few seconds later. He wants to talk to Padmé.

Well, she texted, send him in.

The commander entered the private office soon after. “Senator.”

“Commander.” She smiled. “How can I help?”

He paused for a moment, and Sabé couldn’t be sure if it was because he had made her or if he was building up the courage to speak. Finally, he sighed. “I have a question about courting.”

“Oh, of course. What seems to be the problem?” She shifted in her seat, giving him her full attention.

Suddenly, he huffed. “It’s silly.” He clenched his fists and then turned. “I’m sorry for bothering you, Senator. I should go.”

“Commander.” Her voice stopped him in his tracks. “What’s wrong? I told you that I would help in any way I can, so please don’t turn me into a liar.”

“It’s nothing,” he answered, visor pointed towards the ground. “Really.”

“If it’s gotten you so worked up, then it’s not ‘nothing’.” It hurt her to ask, but she had to do it. “Does it have something to do with Sabé?”

“No!” His answer was immediate. “She’s perfect.”

Well, that was a good sign. “Then what’s the matter?”

Fox sighed before turning back around. “I just don’t know if I’m doing this ‘courting thing’ right.”

“You’re doing fine, Commander.” With a raised eyebrow that was all Padmé, she added, “Trust me, Sabé will let you know if you’re not.”

“Really?” There was finally a bit of hope in his voice.

“Really.” She smiled as the commander finally began to relax. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No ma’am, but thank you for your help.” He opened the door and left.

Versé sent her a message a few seconds later. Did he notice?

Not yet. To be honest, she was kind of sad he hadn’t figured it out. There were still times when she felt like a fill-in for Padmé, so it would’ve been nice to be recognized for the first time while in disguise. But then again, this was the first time he had seen her while acting as a decoy, so it may take one or two more tries for the little differences to sink in.

Picking up a datapad, she began to work through the influx of messages Padmé had gotten in the past few hours. There were far too many, in her opinion.

But suddenly, the door slammed open. (In the back of her mind, she was a little impressed. She didn’t know that they could even do that.) Filling the entire doorway, Commander Fox exclaimed, “Sabé?”

-----------------------

A few days later….

Padmé had finally returned, and Sabé couldn’t be happier. And it definitely didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Fox had recognized her when even Padmé’s oldest friends couldn’t tell the difference.

Her friend began to reorganize her desk to her liking. They had already gone through the post-mission debrief, so right now it was just the two of them in the private office. “So it only took him a few minutes?”

“Yup. And I was in full white makeup.” She couldn’t stop her grin. “No skin showing.”

“Very impressive indeed.” The senator grinned as she moved another datapad. “I’m glad he did. You deserve someone who sees you for you.” Changing gears, she said, “And how is the bill promoting bank deregulation?”

“I did my best, but unless the peace talks are successful, I don’t think it’s going to be enough.”

“Hmm.” Padmé paused, rubbing her chin. “Let’s hope that Mina comes through.”

Then, the building started to shake. “Report!” Sabé barked through her comms while holding onto the desk, doing her best to stay upright. Padmé had lost the battle to gravity earlier and was now trying to climb back up from the floor.

“Hacking into Guard channels now,” Versé answered, coming through the door. The other handmaidens had taken up defensive positions throughout the office, weapons drawn.

A sharp intake of breath caught Sabé’s attention. “What is it?”

“Explosion at the power generator. Multiple casualties.”

Looking out the window, Sabé cursed under her breath as she saw the tell-tale plume of smoke rising in the air. “Well, there go the peace talks.”

Chapter Text

The handmaidens were enjoying another late night at the Senate Dome, thanks to the banking clans and their ability to kark everything up. Because of course they had to prove Sabé right and charge the Republic insane interest rates as soon as the deregulation bill was passed.

“Who do you think can still be swayed?” Padmé asked, pulling another few dozen pins from her hair.

“Maybe Senator Christo? A visit to him wouldn’t hurt, even if it doesn’t do much good.” Dormé was practically buried in datapads, trying to get the most up to date information possible.

Rabé hummed from her corner of the room. “Not sure how much good visiting anyone would do now that the Banking Clans have hired thugs to beat up anyone that even looks at their policies the wrong way.” She looked up to Padmé with a grin. “Not everyone has us to protect them.”

“Point taken,” the senator agreed with a grin, “but we still have to try.”

“That brings up another question. With the increased threat level, should we initiate the decoy protocols?” Eirtaé moved the hairpins to a bag and tossed them to Rabé who put them back where they were supposed to go.

“Twice in two weeks? Seems a little extreme,” Padmé said with a frown.

Sabé shrugged from her perch on the back of the couch. “I agree with Eirtaé. You’ve spoken against this bill from the start, which makes you a bigger target for Card and his friends.”

“I really don’t think it’s necessary.” Her comm beeped, loud enough to grate on Sabé’s nerves. “It’s probably Senator Organa,” Padmé said with a sigh. “Let me see what he-” The blood drained out of her face as she red the message.

“Padmé, what’s wrong?” Sabé immediately reached for her pistol, the others doing the same.

It took a second for Padmé to calm herself, but when she did, there was a look in her eyes that spelled trouble for anyone who dared to cross her. “The Banking Clan’s thugs attacked Senator Farr. He’s alright and still plans to vote against the bill.”

“So I take it you’re not going to let me be your decoy?” Sabé asked with a resigned sigh.

“No. Let them try and attack me. We’ll show them what true courage looks like.” With a new predatory grin, she sent back a message to Farr. “And clear my schedule, girls, because tomorrow we meet with Senator Christo.”

Sabé shook her head at the senator’s enthusiasm and made a note to pack extra weapons. “Hooray.”

--------------------

“Well that was a bust,” Saché grumbled as they walked away from Senator Christo’s apartment.

Senator Farr had already left in his speeder, but Padmé had told him that she wanted to take a walk to ‘clear her mind’. Anyone that knew Padmé as well as the handmaidens did would know that her ‘walk’ was just an excuse to make herself bait so that they could catch the low-life scum that kept beating up random senators. Sabé had disagreed with this plan, but once Padmé set her mind to something, it was almost impossible to change it.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait for long. Their comms came to life, and Saché reported, “We’ve got a Selkath and a Patrolian coming up on our right and left. Both armed with blasters.”

“Copy that.” Sabé discreetly grabbed a blaster of her own as well as a dagger. If they wanted to hurt the senator, the scum would have to go through her, first. “Stand ready, girls.”

“Sir, yes, sir.” Dormé growled, grin firmly in place as she rolled her shoulders. “It’s been too long since I got the chance to really test out my skills.”

“Not sure if you’re going to get to do that this time, either,” Versé whispered through the comms. “These two guys are good, but not that good. Names are Robonino and Chata Kyoki. Preferred weapons: knifes and wrist blasters.”

Sabé couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she saw one of their new friends hide in an alley while the other climbed to the second story of a building. “I’m with Dormé. It’s been too long since I got to have a little fun. And this will be a good way to test Aran’s ability to protect the senator. Right, Aran?” The massif wagged her butt when she heard her name, making Sabé grin even wider.

They passed Kyoki, who was hiding in the alley, so it wasn’t a surprise when a gravelly voice called out, “Hold it right there, ladies.”

Padmé turned. “Oh dear, whatever are we to do? After all, we are but defenseless women in the undercity of Coruscant.”

“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you, Senator?” Sabé asked, eyebrow raised. Kyoki stared at the group like they had gone crazy, which was unfortunate. Sabé preferred it when they tried to run.

Padmé answered back with a feral gleam in her eyes. “You’re not the only one who needs to let out a little…aggression.”

“Point taken. Aran,” she ordered, pointing to the Selkath, “ram’or!”

As the massif charged Kyoki, Saché and Dormé shot grappling hooks into the building beside them to take on Robonino. Aran jumped a good four feet from the target, latching onto his gauntlet with her teeth, making it spark before finally dying. Kyoti had started screaming, which was nice, but Sabé had heard better.

“Sabé,” Padmé grumbled, “you’re letting the massif have all the fun.”

“Yaimpor,” she ordered, Aran returning immediately to her side. With a mocking bow, she gestured to the now cursing Selkath. “After you, my lady.”

Padmé jumped into the fray, parrying the bounty hunter’s blade with her own. And when Sabé joined the fight, it wasn’t really fair anymore. Kyoti tried to flee, but it was too late, and Sabé stunned him before he got ten feet away.

“Really?” Eirtaé asked from where she, Versé, and Rabé were standing with crossed arms and varying looks of disapproval. “Couldn’t have let us get in even one punch?”

“Gotta be quicker than that,” Sabé answered with a shrug. Then, turning to Aran, she scratched her favorite spot, the one that always made her butt wag with the force of a starfighter. “Who’s a good girl? You’re a good girl! You took down that meanie all by yourself! Wait till Hound hears, he’s going to be so proud!” The massif rumbled with a purr, and Sabé grinned.

By this time, Saché and Dormé had dragged their own target back to the group. He had been stunned and cuffed, and for some reason he was wet? There weren’t any fountains in this sector, but Sabé shrugged it off.

“Think you can call your boyfriend to pick these two deadbeats up?” Saché asked. “This one stinks like Anakin’s socks.”

Sabé took out her comm and typed in the number she knew by heart. “It would be my pleasure.”

The commander and his Guard were there five minutes later, throwing the bounty hunters into a waiting transport and taking them to jail. Where they belonged. “Really, Dooku must be getting desperate.”

“What makes you say that?” Fox asked, tilting his bucket.

Padmé answered for her. “Because those were two of the worst bounty hunters I have ever seen. Jango Fett was far more capable of trying to kill me than these two, and he outsourced his assassination attempt!”

“Wait.” One of the other troopers stopped, helmet tilted and voice colored with surprise. “You sound like you’re disappointed!”

“That’s because we are,” Rabé huffed. “Some of us didn’t even get to fight because some people were hogging all the fun.”

“If you want a piece of the action, you have to be fast.” Saché grinned, showing off her beautifully split lip. She had already pushed away the Guard’s medic multiple times, claiming that it made her look ‘cool’ and that bacta would ruin the effect.

Padmé rolled her eyes at the other’s antics before nudging Sabé towards Fox. “You know, I’m sure that the commander would like to have an in-depth report on the capture of these two bounty hunters. Surely it would be better to have that discussion somewhere more private? Maybe the Guard’s barracks?” Sabé tried to hide her blush, but the other’s laughter made it worse.

 “I doubt there’s going to be another attempt tonight,” Versé said, not even bothering to pretend that she wasn’t enjoying every minute of her boss’s discomfort. “And we’re headed back to the boring, drab, apartment, so you’re free to make your…report, Chief.”

Fox’s hand landed on her shoulder, radiating heat like a furnace. Kark, the clones really did run hot. “I think that is an excellent idea. And it would give Sergeant Hound the chance to review Aran’s response to the threat.”

“Alright,” Sabé conceded easily, knowing that the girls would be able to keep Padmé safe for a few hours without her, “but no parties while I’m gone.”

“Drat.” With a wink, Padmé began to push the other handmaidens into a transport set to take them straight to the apartment. “There go all my plans for the evening.”

As the doors began to slide shut, Sabé cried out, “And don’t you dare blackmail anyone without me!”

The transport flew away before anyone could answer, but a warm chuckle reminded her that she wasn’t alone. “Does that happen often?”

“More than you’d think.” She smiled up into the blank visor of her boyfriend. “Care to take me back to the barracks so I can give you my report?”

“It would be my pleasure, Chief.” He gently helped her into a transport of their own, and the rest of his squad quickly filed in after. Aran didn’t need any help, jumping inside and rushing to Sabé’s side just like she was trained to.

Swaying gently in the air currents of Coruscant, Fox looked down. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you and the handmaidens like to get into fights.”

“We’re highly trained operatives forced to stay in a Senate where the simplest problems take years to solve. It’s bad to say, but we all prefer it when we can just shoot or stab our issues in the face.”

She shrugged before continuing. “It’s gotten to the point where even sparring with each other has become boring. We know each other’s moves.”

“Hmmm.” Feeling Fox tense slightly beside her, she looked up, only for him to meet her eyes a second later. “Would you like to spar with me? Once we get to the base, of course.”

She felt her face light up. “I’d love to.”

----------------------

“Let me know if I’m going too hard on you.” Fox had begun to take off his armor, leaving him in only his form-fitting blacks. The bodysuit left nothing to the imagination, and to be honest, it was very distracting to see his muscles flex.

Deciding that two could play that game, Sabé shucked off her outer layers, carefully laying down each dagger, bomb, and pistol beside Fox’s gear. “Funny,” she said, “I was about to tell you the same thing.”

He huffed. “I’m a genetically modified super soldier that’s been trained since decanting to be a killing machine. It’s no-” The rest of his words vanished as he saw Sabé, who had moved on to stretching on the mats in a sports bra and shorts.

One of his brothers cackled from his own spot on the mat beside theirs. “Someone comm Stitches. The Chief broke the Commander!”

That got Fox out of his head, and he shot his brother a deadly glare. It would’ve been more effective, though, if he wasn’t blushing so hard that even his ears were red. “I’ll give you Binks-duty, Green. Don’t think I won’t.”

The trooper held up his hands in surrender. “No offense meant, sir. Just wanted to activate the medical protocols in case you had a stroke.”

Still grumbling, Fox began his own stretching routine. After a minute, he spoke up. “You’ve got a lot of scars.”

“Comes with the territory,” she quickly answered. “But I like to show them off when I can. Shows what I’ve managed to survive.” She laughed quietly. “My parents would hate them, though. Messes with the image of a perfect little lady they’ve been trying to get me to have for years. Always makes them mad to remember that I’m more at home on a blaster range than in a ballroom.” 

“I think you’re perfect just the way you are.” Fox had said it so honestly that Sabé had no choice but to believe him. “And if your parents can’t see that, they’re di’kuts.”

She wasn’t sure what the word meant, but she could use context clues. “Thanks, Fox.” Hopping up and settling into a ready position, she grinned. “Now then, are you ready for your butt to hit the mat?”

“Funny,” he said, parroting her earlier statement, “I was about to tell you the same thing.”

He got ready, and Sabé breathed out, trying to steady her racing heart. It had been a long time since she had sparred with someone that wasn’t a handmaiden, so this was bound to be fun. And it was with Fox, so that made it even better.

The commander made the first move, fist flying towards her face. She nimbly dodged, using the momentum to drop and swing a kick towards his legs. Fox fell to the ground, and Sabé jumped on top of him, pinning his arms to the mat. “Got ya.’

With a smirk, the commander rolled, reversing their positions. “You sure about that?” he asked.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, Sabé gave a sly smile. It would be tight, but there might be just enough room for this to work. She jerked her head up, but instead of busting his nose like Fox probably thought she was going to do, she planted a kiss on his lips. Just like she planned, his grip loosened, and soon she had resumed her place on top. Breathing hard, she winked. “Are you sure about that?”

The poor commander’s face was as red as his armor, and Sabé became increasingly aware that she was straddling him. She also became aware of his brothers whooping and hollering at their little…exhibition. Trying to ignore her own blush, she pushed herself off and offered him a hand. “Best two out of three?”

Chapter Text

Sabé watched Senator Burtoni leave with a carefully hidden sneer. There was something wrong with that woman, and it wasn’t just her policies and hatred for clones. Although that last point was enough to make Sabé want to meet the cloner in a long, dark alley, they hadn’t been able to find evidence of corruption. Yet. But thanks to the veiled threat she just made to Senator Amidala, it gave the handmaidens leeway to dig deeper into the good senator’s personal affairs.

Aran didn’t like the Kaminoan, either. The massif watched with unblinking eyes until the door slid shut. Then she was back to her normal happy self, observing the other occupants of the room and waiting for orders. Hound had really done an excellent job training her.

Her musings were interrupted when Senator Farr proposed a toast. “Padmé, you have truly turned the tide.”

They all took a sip of their drink, and Senator Mothma grinned. “My dear, you were brilliant.”

While they continued to talk, Sabé’s attention was brought back to Farr. He had twitched. It probably wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone but a handmaiden or clone, but fortunately Sabé wasn’t just anyone. The other handmaidens took note of her focus, and even Aran stopped fidgeting. Then, the Senator reached for his chest.

“I need a medic here, now!” Sabé burst into action before Farr even had the chance to stumble. As the man collapsed, she checked for a heartbeat. “Lock down this room!” Not finding a pulse, she began chest compressions.

Eirtaé took over for her two minutes later, and the medics arrived a minute after that. They moved Farr to a hover stretcher, but when Sabé looked to her fellow handmaiden, they both knew that the senator was gone.

--------------

“Padmé,” she began, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “I know that everyone grieves differently, but you need to take a breath. Fox says that Inspector Divo is one of the only competent CSF officers. We need to let him do his job.”

The senator sighed, her hand slightly shaking as she holstered her blaster. “We can find out who the murderer is before Inspector Divo. We’re better.”

“I’m not saying that we’re not,” she said gently, “but you’re too close to this. Not to mention that the killer may target you next. Let me and the other handmaidens do some digging, and we’ll turn over whatever information we find. We’ll figure out who the killer is and bring them to justice.”

“Okay.” Padmé shuddered before putting her face in her hands. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.” Wrapping her arms around the senator, Sabé rubbed circles into her friend’s back and let her fall apart.

Once Padmé had pulled herself together again, Sabé gave her one last squeeze. “Please try and get some sleep. I’ll get the girls on it, and we’ll let you now what we’ve found in the morning.” The senator only nodded, and Sabé left her to get ready for bed.

She sighed when the door between the bedroom and main living area closed. Dormé looked up from her ‘pad. “Padmé finally getting some rest?”

“I hope so,” Sabé answered. She crossed the room in a few quick strides, looking around at the other women. “Give me some good news.”

Eirtaé handed her a pad. “Thanks to Rabé’s quick thinking, we were able to get a sample of Farr’s drink. And thanks to your relationship with Commander Fox, we were able to get Lieutenant Charon to test it. He found traces of poison-”

“Which isn’t surprising,” Rabé interrupted.

With a glare, the other handmaiden continued, “As I was saying, the poison itself isn’t surprising. But what is, is the fact that the genetic makeup is similar to other types of poisons made by none other than the Kaminoans.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.” Sabé began to pace, tapping her fingers against her thigh. “Burtoni may be a corrupt hutuun, but she’s not an idiot. She would’ve known that someone would’ve discovered the poison.”

“Hutunn?” Saché asked with a smile. “Someone’s been spending a lot of time with her commander.”

Sabé growled. “Focus. Who would want to frame Burtoni?”

Saché shook her head and muttered, “Maybe too much time.”

Fortunately for the handmaiden, Versé held up a datapad. “That particular list is too long to worry about.” She started to scroll, names flying by faster than Sabé could read them. “I’m not even halfway through yet, and it’s been two hours.”

“So we need another angle.” She paused, looking out the window into the city. Somewhere out there was a murderer, and Padmé may be their next target. “Looks like we need to take a page out of Padmé’s book.”

Dormé cleared her throat. “Actually, I think Padmé may have taken a page out of her own book.”

“Kark!” Sabé rushed back into the bedroom, only to see the balcony door unlocked and the senator nowhere to be found. She turned back to the others. “Where is she going?”

Versé looked up from her datapad. “I have access to the street cameras. Looks like she’s heading to the docks with Senator Organa.”

“Karking di’kut Alor, going to get herself killed.” Sabé pulled out a comm.

Jabbing in a code, she impatiently waited for it to connect. A sleepy voice murmured, “Hey, Sabé.”

“Fox, I need a favor.”

The commander sounded much more awake now. “What do you need?”

“A ship to get me and the girls to the docks. Padmé’s gone crazy again and is with Organa, trying to solve Farr’s murder by herself.”

“Okay.” Some quiet banging and clattering came through the comm. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“See you, then.” When she turned back around to the other handmaidens, they were smiling like idiots. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just that you and Fox are so cute!” Saché squealed, putting another knife in her boot.

Ignoring them, she whistled for Aran. “Shekemir.” The massif took her spot by Sabé’s side, and the group went out to the balcony. “We still have a few minutes before Fox gets here. Who has a grudge against Senator Farr?”

“I’ve got one better.” Dormé had been uncharacteristically quiet since the murder, but that only meant that she had been busy thinking.

Trusting the spy’s instincts, Sabé raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Charon said that the poison was designed specifically to kill Rodians, that’s why no other senator was affected. That makes it unlikely that the murderer is someone from the opposition. Why not take all your biggest problems out at once?”

“Good point.” Starting to pace again, Sabé hummed. “So they were after Farr specifically.”

“Yes, but that’s not all.” After giving the handmaiden the signal to go ahead, Dormé continued. “If the poison was designed to kill Rodians, why didn’t it kill Senator Farr’s assistant? Eirtaé gave her a drink.”

“Alert Inspector Divo; we have our killer.” She grinned ferally. “Good work, Dormé.”

The hum of a transport’s engines interrupted their conversation, and the doors slid open. “Heard you girls needed a ride!” Commander Thorn called, holding out a hand to help them in. Already knowing what Sabé was about to ask, he added, “Fox is headed to the docks.”

“Thanks, Thorn.” She let herself be pulled into the transport, the others following close behind.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the docks, but by that time, Fox had already secured the scene. “Chief.”

“Commander,” she replied. Looking at the shipping container that had fallen on the walkway, she sighed. “Thank you for rescuing my senator.”

“Anytime, but let’s try to not make it a habit,” she could hear his smile under the helmet. “She’s with Stitches, but other than being a little shaken up, she’s fine.”

She risked a little nudge against Fox’s side. “Thanks. CSF will be here in a few minutes with Divo. Senator Farr’s aide Lolo is responsible for his death, and I assume that we can add a few charges of attempted murder to that rap sheet.”

“Good.” The flashing lights of the CSF’s ships began to bathe the area in red and blue. “I’ll handle Devo. You get the senator back to her apartments.”

“I’ll take Organa, too.” With one last smile, she gave him a two-fingered salute. “See you soon, Commander.”

When she reached the senators, they had blankets wrapped around their shoulders. The handmaidens quickly established a defensive perimeter around them, and Stitches was in the middle of a stern lecture. “And another thing, neither of you let your security details know that you would be coming here. Do you know what kinds of things happen at the docks? How many smuggling and human trafficking rings the Guard has stopped this month alone? I can only imagine the things that some of those beings would do if they caught you.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Sabé gently interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If there’s nothing else you need to check, I’ll take custody of these two troublemakers.”

The clone nodded. “They’re all yours, Chief.” With a sigh that rattled through the vocoder, he strapped on his medical pack. “I’ve got my own group of di’kuts to deal with.”

“May the force be with you,” she answered with a smile. “And give me a call if he gives you too much trouble.”

The answer was immediate. “Oh, I will.”

Then they were alone. Sabé adopted Stitches’s stance, crossing her arms and giving the two senators her best disappointed stare. “I hope that you two are proud of yourselves.”

Padmé glared back at her defiantly. “We had to find out who murdered Uncle Ono, and you weren’t helping.”

“I wasn’t?” She stared at the senator until she huffed, some of the anger disappearing. “Dormé,” she said, eyes not leaving the senator, “could you please tell Senator Amidala what we discovered from the safety of the apartments?”

“Of course, Chief.” Dormé slid in beside her. “We discovered that Senator Farr’s aide Lolo was responsible for his death. And apparently your attempted murders.”

“Add Senator Deechi’s name to that list,” Inspector Devo said, striding up to their group. “He was found in his office with a knife through his chest. And guess what? Lolo’s fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.”

“Is she in custody?” Organa asked, letting the blanket slide down his shoulders as he leaned forward.

Inspector Devo’s unimpressed glare was almost as good as Sabé’s. “No, but I have squads of men searching the area. We won’t stop until we have her in custody.”

Versé leaned over, showing a live camera feed to the inspector. “She’s hiding out in an abandoned warehouse two blocks from here.”

“How did you get this?” Devo asked with wide eyes. Then, he shook his head. “Actually, never mind. Thank you for this information, Handmaiden.”

“You’re welcome, Inspector.” With a demure bow of her head, Versé resumed her position at the perimeter.

“If there’s nothing else, I’d like to take these two back to their apartments.”

Sabé shared a commiserating look with the inspector, who nodded. “Of course. If I need any more information, I’ll contact you.”

“Thank you.” Organa stood, putting his blanket back in the transport before looking at Sabé. “Handmaiden, if you’d like to lead the way?”

“Of course, Senator.” She brought them to a waiting transport. “Get us out of here ’34,” she called, the ship lifting off a second later. “Senator Organa, I’ve already contacted your security team. They’ll be waiting for us on the landing platform. And I’ve been informed that her majesty wishes to speak with you.”

He sighed. “I assumed as much. Thank you for your assistance.”

Sabé nodded. “We’ll arrive in three-” she paused as the ship lurched. Crackpot was piloting, and although she appreciated how quickly he flew, she was becoming increasingly grateful that it was difficult for her to get motion sick. “Make that two minutes.”

They dropped Organa off, his head of security giving him a glare that promised a heated lecture about safety and idiotic decision-making. Sabé chose to save her own for when they made it to their own quarters. “Thanks, Crackpot.”

“Anytime, Chief!” The ship dove into the Coruscant night, scaring several pedestrians and drivers. Eirtaé closed the balcony door, and Padmé was left defenseless.

“What the kark is wrong with you?” Sabé demanded, unsuccessfully trying to keep her anger in check. “Do you realize what could’ve happened if we hadn’t shown up? If I hadn’t commed Fox?”
“I know, Sabé! I know!” Padmé yelled back. “But what else was I supposed to do?”

She saw red. “Trust us! Trust that we can keep you safe while figuring out who killed Farr, which we did! Do you understand what would’ve happened if you had been killed tonight? What would’ve happened to us, knowing that we could’ve protected you but didn’t? Knowing that it was our fault that you were dead.”

“But it wouldn’t-” Padmé began, but Sabé cut her off.

“You are our responsibility. It’s our job to keep you alive, no matter what the galaxy might throw at us. If you’re killed, it’s our fault.” She took a shuddering breath. “I can’t let you die.”

The fight left Padmé all at once. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”

“Senator, just let us do our jobs.” Saché frowned as she began to disarm herself. Sabé was a little impressed by the number of shivs she was pulling out of random places. “It’s hard enough when you aren’t trying to sabotage us. Please, just let us protect you.”

“Okay,” she said with a huff. “I’ll do better.”

“Good.” Rabé nodded, like that would solve everything. “Then I suggest that we celebrate our success with a movie night.”

It was an offer of truce, and they all knew it. Padmé looked back at Sabé with a small smile. “Only if it’s a rom-com.”

“Nope,” she answered, calmly walking towards the living area, “you’ve been placed on probation, which means we get to watch an action flik.”

Two wrestling matches later, a very satisfied Versé was busy eating mantell mix as the handmaidens buried themselves under blankets to watch an old children’s movie. It was going to take time to get over Padmé escaping…again, but as the senator offered Sabé some Hoth chocolate as an apology gift, she knew that this would only make them stronger. That, and the trackers that she had slipped into every single pair of the Senator's shoes. 

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry that not everyone could be here.” Sabé surveyed the preparation area of the training room. “Padmé had a surprise meeting with the Chancellor, and that means Eirtaé and Versé had to go with her.”

“That’s okay.” Fox was busy replacing all his lethal weapons with dummy versions. His blasters were already set to stun, but Sabé wasn’t sure they would see any action. From what she knew of him, the commander preferred for his fights to be up close and personal. “I think I’ll have my hands full with the others.”

“The Trial of Courage is usually just a formality. In our case, not so much, but that doesn’t mean that the girls won’t let you win.”

Fox speared her with an unimpressed glare. “I don’t want them to ‘let’ me win. I want to win you fair and square.” He sheathed the last rubber knife before rising. It was times like this that Sabé was greatly reminded of the height difference between them, as she was stuck looking at his chest.

With a huff, she met his eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant. You’ve already won me.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, grinning when it made him blush like a teenager. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon.”

Fox slid on his helmet, bringing their foreheads together in a gentle keldabe. “Yes, ma’am.”

Sabé quietly left the prep area and entered the training room proper. Fox had been able to book the room when he had finally told the Handmaidens that he was ready to complete the Trial of Courage.

Saché was busy playing with her own rubber knife. With a raised eyebrow, she tossed it in the air before catching it by the handle. “So? Is lover boy about to come out?”

“Soon, and don’t call him that.”

Ignoring her, Saché sheathed the dagger and threw an arm around Sabé’s shoulders. “Then it’s time to get you ready.”

A rope was thrown over her shoulders and the other handmaidens had her tied to a chair within a minute. “There we go,” Dormé grinned. “One Chief wrapped up and tied with a bow.”

“You guys don’t have to act so smug about it,” Sabé said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

Rabé tried to hide her smile, but it wasn’t very effective. She readjusted her belt as she said, “It’s not often that we get to be the ones to administer the trial, so we’re going to make this one count.”

“Don’t go too hard on him,” she said. “We’re not trying to land Fox in the medbay.”

“I think his CMO would kill us.” Dormé shuddered. Even after meeting Stitches only one time, she had gained a healthy fear of the Guard’s medic. It was probably a good thing, too, considering what they were about to do.

Saché laughed, way too happy for someone about to get into a serious spar with a man twice her size. “Don’t worry, Chief, we won’t break any bones, but we have to make sure that the good commander is capable of defending you. Now let’s get this party started.”

“Informing the Commander, now.” Rabé sent a quick comm message before taking up position beside Dormé.

The trial was supposed to test a suitor’s ability to keep his lady safe in the face of any and all dangers. Like Sabé had told Fox, this test was usually just a formality. You get a few cousins to show up, the suitor ‘rescues’ the woman, and then everyone goes home.

But the handmaidens had their own version of the trial for Commander Fox. First, he would be forced to fight Rabé and Dormé, assessing his ability to fight multiple opponents at one time. Then, he’d go up against Saché, the best hand-to-hand fighter they had. If he beat her (which he would), then he’d untie Sabé and then they’d get ice cream or something. So Sabé tried to get as comfortable as one could while tied to a chair and got ready to watch the show.

Fox entered the room, armed to the teeth with fake weapons. He surveyed the area, visor landing on Sabé for a moment before looking at the immediate threats. Dormé extended her preferred bow staff, getting into a ready position. Beside her, Rabé pulled out two daggers.

The commander pulled out two daggers of his own. Without a word, Rabé began the attack, cutting and slicing with precise strokes that Fox was able to parry easily. Then Dormé joined the fray.

Fox blocked her staff before letting it slide off his blade, moving to cut off Rabé’s blow, which had been aimed at his stomach. Dropping a knife, he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, turning her into a human shield. Dormé stopped her bow staff right above Rabé’s spine, which gave Fox enough time to drop the handmaiden, grab Dormé’s staff, and ‘stab’ her with the rubber knife. He had already gotten Rabé, so that left only one handmaiden left between him and his goal.

Saché whistled, completely at ease. “You’re doing well, Commander. Maybe this will be a better fight than I thought.”

In a move that surprised everyone, Fox reached up and took off his helmet, tossing it to the side of the room. With a feral grin, he growled, “Why don’t you come over here and find out?”

What followed next was a flurry of blows and blocks that was almost impossible to follow. Somehow both of them had lost their daggers, and they ended up grappling on the floor. The two fighters took their fair share of hits, but in the end Fox ended up on top. Saché grinned, spitting out a glob of blood from where an elbow had collided with her face. “I yield.”

“Thank the force.” Fox rolled onto his back, breathing hard. “I should get you guys to spar with my brothers. See them get knocked around for a little.”

Saché grinned, still not willing to move from her spot on the floor. “If they punch as hard as you do, we’d be thrilled. Now if you don’t mind, I think the Chief is getting antsy.”

With a groan, the commander stood, quickly untying the ropes around her. “Sorry it took so long,” he said as the last rope fell.

Behind him, Dormé laughed, holding onto her side where he had gotten a good hit in. “Long? Fox you’ve gotta be kidding.”

“You did amazing, ner karta.” Wrapping her fingers around his chest plate, she pulled him in for a kiss. Instinctively, he brought his arms around her. For a moment, they were the only people that existed.

Then, his comm went off. With a sigh, he pulled away, flicking the comm on without his eyes leaving Sabé’s. “Fox here.”

“Commander,” the clone sounded scared and out of breath, “the zillo beast’s escaped. He’s headed to the Senate Dome. We’re trying to evacuate the senators, but we won’t get them all out in time.”

“I’ll be there in five.”

Dormé silently handed the commander his helmet. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry that I have to leave so soon.”

“Why? We’re coming with you.” Before he could argue, Sabé continued, “Padmé’s at the senate building. That means we’re going, too.”

Defeat was in his eyes. “I’m not going to stop you, am I?”

She patted him on the chest plate. “Glad we understand each other. Now let’s get going. I’ll comm Padmé while we run.”

The others had swapped out their dummy weapons for the real things within a minute, and then they were running through the tunnels under the barracks. Sabé commed the senator, who picked up quickly. Like the Guardsman from earlier, she sounded out of breath. “Did he pass?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be running away from a monster right now?” Trust Padmé to ignore the immediate threat and focus on her love life.

“I can multi-task.” The sound of shattered glass echoed through the comm, after a muttered curse, Padme asked again, “Did he pass?”

“Of course he passed.” When she began to hear tearing metal, Sabé put on a new burst of speed. “Where are you?”

“Running with Anakin and the Chancellor.”

“We’re here, too, Chief!” Thank the force, Eirtaé and Versé were okay. They’d keep the senator safe.

But everything went out the window when she heard Padmé curse louder. “Zillo found us. Gotta go, see you soon!” Then the comm cut off.

“Kark!” She tried to run faster.

Fox was talking on his comm, keeping pace beside her. Once he got off his call, he huffed. “Zillo seems to be focused on the chancellor. This is already a mass casualty event, and the numbers are only expected to climb.”

“The crusty raisen should’ve never brought that thing to Coruscant,” Saché panted beside them. “I hope it eats him.”

“Let’s not talk about wanting the chancellor to die when he’s near Padmé.”

They reached the access door to the senate, Fox sliding to a stop before slapping the door pad. With a metallic screech, the doors slid open halfway before stopping, revealing a tangled mess of bent metal beams and duracrete.

For a second, no one said anything. If the zillo beast was able to do this, it could easily level the entire building. “Kark,” Fox whispered. “I need to get into contact with my squads.”

“Is there another exit?” Sabé tried to look through the rubble, but there was no way that anyone was going to get through. She’d do whatever she could to help Fox look for his men once this was over, but they had to focus on the living.

Fox shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Yeah, it’ll put us out two blocks over. It’s opposite the direction where the zillo is, so it may still be open.”

They made it to the other exit in a few minutes and waited with bated breath, hoping it would open. Thankfully it did, although for a second Sabé wondered if it would’ve been better if it had stayed shut.

The city was in chaos. Emergency vehicles flew overhead, and screams echoed through the rubble. “Alright girls….and Fox,” Sabé said, rolling her shoulders back, “let’s get going.”

----------------------

 Sixteen hours later….

Sabé collapsed in the chair beside the two hospital beds. Eirtaé and Versé were expected to pull through, thank the force, but it had been close. If the jedi hadn’t been there, she’d be writing condolence letters right now.

“Chief?”

She dragged her head up, eyes landing on a Guardsman with a medpac. “Yes?”

“The commander asked me to check in on you.”

Oh yeah, she had to leave the commander a few hours in so that he could lead his own rescue efforts. Dozens of Guardsmen were still missing, and it was going to take weeks to find all the bodies. Not to mention how long it would take for the injured to recover.

“Chief?”

She must really be tired if she had forgotten that someone else was in the room. “How’s the commander?”

“He’ll be okay once he gets some sleep. Same as you.” He came deeper into the recovery room. “May I scan you? That way I can report back to the commander before he gets worried.”

She gave the young clone a tired smile. “Well, we can’t have Fox worried, can we?” The medic pulled out his scanner, running it over her quickly before humming. “What?”

“With sleep and a little bacta, you should be fine.” He pulled a tube of the stuff from his pack, along with a roll of bandages. “Do you mind if I wrap your hands?”

Looking down, she noticed that her hands were bloody and cut to haran and back. Pieces of her nails were torn off, and she remembered pulling rubble from the wreckage of the Senate Dome. Screaming at the top of her lungs for help as the other handmaidens joined her, trying to get to two of their own. Fox comming for heavy equipment to help with the recovery efforts, his voice cracking as he gave the orders.

Then a hand landed on her shoulder, and Master Kenobi gently pulled her away. “Allow us, my dear.” Then the jedi raised their hands, stones lifting in the air and falling away safely, revealing two very-still bodies.

“Chief.”

“Sorry.” Sabé shook her head, trying to get herself away from the memories. “Go ahead.”

The medic did his work quickly before rising, Sabé’s hands now basically immobile in their white bandages. “Get some rest, ma’am.”

She tried to dig up a smile. “I’ll try. Tell Fox I’ll see him soon.”

The clone nodded. “Will do.”

Looking at her two girls, her gaze roamed over all the wires and tubes attached to different parts of their bodies. It was going to take a while for them to recover, and the blankets dipped where Versé’s leg was supposed to be. But they were alive, and they wouldn’t face a single day alone.

Chapter Text

“Chief?”

Sabé immediately looked up. Versé had finally been released from the hospital after over a week and a half of going stir crazy. Now she sat on the couch, looking over options for different prosthetics. Anakin had said that he’d build her one, but it was always good to have a spare that definitely wouldn’t explode. “What’s up?”

The younger girl couldn’t meet her eyes as she continued to scroll through the datapad. “Do you think that I’ll be able to be a handmaiden again?”

Sabé could only blink. “What do you mean? You’re a handmaiden now.”

“Chief,” she huffed, “I can’t walk, let alone fight.”

Oh, this wouldn’t do at all. Sending a quick comm to the others, thankful that the senate was still in recess until a few vital areas were repaired, she put her plan into motion. Eirtaé was with Rabé doing PT, but they would be able to join them in an hour or two. “Versé, are you telling me that you don’t want to be a handmaiden, anymore?”

“Of course not!” She quickly sat up as straight as she could. “This job is my life, but how can I do it like…like this.” Gesturing to her leg, she sighed. “Chief, face it, I can’t do anything until I get my prosthetic. And even then, you’ll have to wait too long for me to be any help.”

She frowned, her mouth set in a firm line. “You’re coming with me.”

“What?”

Sabé grabbed the hover chair they had gotten from the hospital. And then Anakin ‘improved’ it. Honestly, it was either let him do that or have him start working on a prosthetic in the middle of the living room, so Sabé let him mess with the chair. Pulling up the armrest, she placed it at an angle to the couch. “Get in the chair.”

“Chief-” she began, but Sabé wasn’t going to hear any excuses.

Her arms were crossed, and her tone brokered no argument. “Do you need help?”

Versé seemed to realize that her battle was lost. “No, Chief.” It took a little effort, but she was able to successfully transfer herself to the chair. “Where are we going?”

“To the kitchen. We’re going to help Fox with the Feast of Plenty.” Sabé let the handmaiden steer herself there. It would be a good way for her to build up endurance.

Versé raised an eyebrow. “But isn’t he supposed to be the one to prepare the meal?”

“The cloners didn’t teach the men how to cook. And considering that they’re running low on food and medicine, we’re going to help them out.” She tied an apron around her waist before throwing one at Versé. “Specifically, you and I are going to cook while the others go out and buy what we need.”

The handmaiden looked at the purple frilly thing. “Chief, you know I’d burn a pot of water.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re not boiling water. Put that on, then wash your hands.” Sabé washed her own, then leaned against the counter. “What are you waiting for, an invitation?”

“I can’t reach the sink.”

She only raised an eyebrow before pulling out a crumpled piece of flimsy. “For safety reasons, I had Anakin write down everything he did to that chair. And then I had Padmé decipher his awful handwriting.” Unfolding the paper, she looked over it dramatically. “Oh look, it has booster rockets. That little red button on the left-hand side.”

Versé pushed the button and the chair rose a few feet. Just enough for her to reach the sink. “What else did he do?”

“The real question is what didn’t he do. There are five different compartments in that chair for knives, bombs, and blasters. And snacks.” She shook her head. “For some reason he felt that was really important to mention. You already know about the booster rockets. He was also able to make a portable shield generator with a radius of five feet. Oh, and your chair can now go 30 klicks an hour.”

“Why?”

Sabé shrugged, shoving the flimsi back in her pocket. “You and Eirtaé saved Padmé. I think he wanted to say ‘thank you’, but you know how guys are. I’m actually concerned about what he’s going to do to your leg.”

“Can’t add a booster rocket.” And there was the first smile Sabé had seen from the other woman in over a week. “I’d be stuck flying around in a circle.”

“Don’t underestimate Anakin Skywalker,” she shot back, beginning to pull ingredients from the cabinets and sending a message to Padmé about what else she’d need. “He’d just make a rocket shoe for your other foot.”

Versé grew thoughtful as her chair returned to the ground and she tied the apron around her neck and waist. “If he’s made all these upgrades…will I be allowed to return to the roster before my prosthetic is ready?”

“We’re just waiting on the doctor, who said it may be another week before he clears you for light duty.” Sabé couldn’t hide her smile. “You’ll need to take a few days off once you get your prosthetic, just to get used to it, but I have a feeling that you and Eirtaé are going to be back in the field before you know it.” Separating the ingredients, she patted the counter. “You’re in charge of cookies.”

“Chief-”

“I’m going to help you every step of the way, don’t worry. They’re going to taste delicious.” With a glare that said ‘you’re not getting out of this’, Sabé turned to her own section of the kitchen. “I suggest you start softening the butter.”

Two hours later, the rest of the handmaidens had been drafted into what was quickly becoming known as the ‘Battle of the Feast’. Eirtaé had been put in charge of organizing the deliveries, arm still in a sling and knee in an unwieldy brace. She was running her portion of the operation like a general preparing her troops for war, the service droids used to ferry the food to the Guard’s barracks lined up out the door.

Versé had actually proven that she could make good cookies, much to her surprise. And thanks to the modifications Anakin had made, she was able to do everything herself, which was exactly what Sabé had hoped. She watched as the handmaiden slowly regained confidence in herself. There would be setbacks, that she knew from her own times of recovery, but this was a good first step.

“Are we ready to go?”

“Yup,” Sabé watched as a droid took out the last platter of kabobs. “Now all we have to do is get to the barracks.”

Moving her chair back to the main living area, Versé gave them all a tired smile. “I hope you guys have a good time.”

“Oh, you’re not getting out of this,” Rabé said, taking the chair and steering it towards the landing platform. “If I have to watch Sabé and the commander flirt all night, you do, too.”

“You made the cookies, so you need to be there. The men are going to want to thank you.” Sabé checked her hair one last time before walking out. “And Fox and I won’t flirt all night.”

Padmé rolled her eyes as she called the speeder up. “Of course you won’t. After an hour you two will disappear and go sparring.”

She fought a blush. “It’s good practice.”

“Mmhmm. And not just because you like to see him in his blacks.” 

The speeder finally arrived. Pushing Padmé into the middle section, Sabé took her regular spot in the passenger seat. “Let’s get going.”

Fox was waiting for them at the entrance to the barracks. “When you said you were bringing food, I didn’t think you meant enough to feed the entire Guard.”

“It’s the Feast of Plenty,” she said, rising on her toes to give him a quick keldabe before heading inside, “of course I brought enough for your brothers.”

He let everyone else file in before following. “I thought that I was supposed to be the one to make the food.”

“Make my plate and I’ll call it done,” she called back from where she had already made it halfway to the mess hall, Aran trotting happily at her heels.

The mess was absolutely packed with clones. Fortunately, thanks to Eirtaé’s organizational skills they were able to get everyone food in a timely manner. Soon, the only men left to feed were the ones still stuck in the medbay. “Everyone grab a plate and we’ll see if Stitches will let us in.”

Stitches did in fact let them in and they began to pass out food. “Thanks for this,” one of the troopers said. “This’ll be a good last meal.”

“What?” Versé froze, hand still outstretched from where he had handed the man his plate.

The trooper, who had lost a leg of his own during the chaos, just shrugged without looking up at anyone. “I’m headed back to Kamino tomorrow.”

Sabé’s voice was as cold as Hoth when she turned to Fox. “What does he mean?”

“The Republic doesn’t pay for things like prosthetics, and they don’t let soldiers who can’t do their job live.” His visor was pointed towards the ground. “I’ve done my best to keep my men here; we can hide some of the smaller injuries, but…”

“Fox, take off your helmet.” Sabé had initially thought that he had kept it on to stay in touch with the squads still patrolling, but now she was worried that it was something else. “Please.”

Slowly, he removed it, the hiss of the breaking pressure seal echoing in the quiet medbay. “Oh, Fox.”  

His face was haggard. It was clear that he hadn’t been able to shave in days, and the bags under his eyes were so dark that they reminded Sabé of the plain caff the commander liked to drink. “Fox, I want you to be honest with me. If we promise to get these men medical treatment, will the Kaminoans let them stay?”

When it was clear the commander wasn’t going to answer, Stitches spoke up. “They wouldn’t give you time to do the surgery.”

Padmé started cursing. “And if I introduce a bill in the senate, it’ll take months to pass.”

“That’s if Burtoni doesn’t drown it, first,” Saché said with a curse of her own. “She’d kick a puppy if it were in her way.”

Sabé’s eyes hadn’t left Fox’s face. With a gentle hand, she lifted his chin so that he was forced to look at her. “What have you come up with? And don’t tell me that you haven’t thought of something, I know you too well for that.”

“It’s illegal,” he murmured.

“So’s murder,” she shot right back. “What’s the plan, ner karta? I’ll help you.”

Padmé came to stand at her side. “We all will.”

Fox looked to the men lying on the medical beds, then to Sabé. “I was going to mark them KIA, then try and find them a place to stay in the lower levels.”

Slowly, a plan began to form in Sabé’s mind. “How easy is it to say that they’ve died?”

“The click of a button,” he said, still having trouble looking at her face.

She turned to Padmé with a growing smile. “Well, my parents have been wanting me to start doing more as the family’s heir. I’m sure there’s a villa somewhere on Naboo that I can buy for when I retire from the handmaidens.”

“What?” one of the injured clones whispered, fork dropping from his fingers.

Sabé turned to Versé and Eirtaé, both of whom were looking a little murderous. “Of course, I’ll need someone there to help the men settle in.”

The two handmaidens looked at each other, then nodded. “We’ll do it. Whatever it takes.”

Hands moving to grab her shoulders, Fox finally looked at her. But the look in his eyes was a little wild. “Are you seriously offering to take my brothers in? To let them live at your house?”

“Of course I am, and it’s not just because we’re courting. This is the right thing to do. The paparazzi stalks Padmé too much for her to be able to do anything, but they should overlook me.” She shook herself out of his grip and instead moved closer for a hug. “We’re in this together, you and I.”

“Thank you.” She felt his shoulders shake beneath her fingers and guided him to an empty bed. “Thank you.”

Stitches came up beside them. “He hasn’t slept in three days and hasn’t eaten in four.”

“Kark, Fox,” she muttered. “What am I going to do with you?”

With a glance, she got a plate of food from Rabé and tugged Fox upright. “I’ll see you girls tomorrow. Figure out how many men we’ll need to transport, what they’ll need, and how we’ll get them to Naboo. I’ll buy a villa.”

Padmé gave her a small grin. “You know, the mansion across from my family’s lake house was just put on the market.”

“I’ll send the realtor a comm.” Sabé breathed a sigh of relief. That was one problem solved, and she trusted her girls to handle the rest. Now, she just had to help Fox. “Come on, Commander. Let’s get some food in you.”

She was able to get them to his bunk room, which was thankfully unoccupied at this time of night. However, Fox had begun to lean against her more heavily as they walked, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he passed out.

He all but collapsed on his bunk, Sabé quickly putting his plate on his lap. “Eat up, then you can sleep.”

Robotically, he did, and he didn’t speak again until his plate was clean. “Why me?”

“Why you what?” Sabé had just sent a message to the realtor and the bank, explaining that she wanted to buy the villa as soon as possible. The poor realtor must be an insomniac, because although it was the middle of the night cycle on Naboo, she had responded immediately with a confirmation and sale agreement. Sabé signed it while waiting for Fox to string his words together.

He dragged his tired eyes to hers, and she subtly put the plate on the ground. “Why’d you pick me? I can’t buy you a villa. Force, I can’t even buy you dinner. There are so many better men out there, men that can give you what you deserve-”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” With nimble fingers, she began to take off his armor, starting with the vambraces and working her way down. “You know I hate everything that comes with being the heir to a Noble House. That’s why I jumped at the chance to be Padme’s chief handmaiden. The only good thing that’s come of it is my ability to buy this villa for the men.

“One of the things I hate the most about being an heir, though, is the men it brings me in contact with. Snooty di’kuts who’d rather watch paint dry than help the people who need it.” She shuddered at the memory of some of the more memorable balls. “It’s true that you can’t buy me things, but I don’t want you to. You’ve given me everything I could’ve ever asked for and more.”

He shook his head. “But I haven’t given you anything.”

“On the contrary,” she helped him toe off his boots, setting them to the side, “you gave me that beautiful flower, which I’ve had preserved in resin. It’s now on my bedside table, where it’s the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night.” She shifted towards the head of the bed so that she could gently guide Fox down, his head in her lap. “You’ve given me the chance to meet your brothers, who are all amazing. And you’ve given me the most precious gift of all.”

Sabé watched as Fox fought to keep his eyes open. “Wh’t?” he slurred.

Leaning down, she planted a kiss on his forehead before starting to run her fingers through his hair. He basically melted into her lap, and she smiled into the darkness. “You.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t like this. The Chancellor’s not letting me send any men with you, and Skywalker’s involved. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Sabé glanced at the clone commander currently leaning against her dresser. “I know.”

Fox huffed as he pushed himself up, moving to wrap his arms around her. “This isn’t a peace negotiation; it’s a warzone. You have to see that.”

“I do,” she easily conceded, “which is why the decoy protocols are going into effect as soon as we make it into the system.”

She felt the commander stiffen. “What?”

“I’m going to be okay. The 501^st is coming, and even though the Mon Calamari and Quarren may begin a civil war, we have exit strategies that would let us leave before it ever gets that far.”

He shook his head. “If the Republic didn’t expect a fight, they wouldn’t send the 501^st.” With a sigh, the commander continued, “Looks like I’m going to have to comm the brat.”

“The brat?” Sabé asked, pulling away just enough to see the wry smile on Fox’s face.

“My batchmate, Cody, adopted a little CT.” Fox huffed. “He’s captain of the 501^st, and although he’s as crazy as Skywalker, he can keep you safe.”

Sabé grinned. “I can’t wait to meet him. Now then, if you don’t let me pack, we’re going to be late.”

With a smirk that sent her heart racing, Fox rested his forehead on hers in a keldabe. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Ahh! My virgin eyes!”

As one, Fox and Sabé turned to glare at Saché, who had opened the door without knocking. “It’s your own fault. Now what do you want?”

“A time machine,” she answered, rubbing her eyes dramatically, “but Padmé wanted me to tell you that we need to go.”

“Ugh, fine.” Slowly, she extracted herself from the commander’s arms, throwing the last pair of shoes into the pile and sighing. “Fox, can you help me zip up my suitcase? Being Padmé means that I have to bring a lot of clothes.”

“Of course, my lady.” As he helped hold down the top, he asked, “Have you heard from Versé or Eirtaé lately?”

The two handmaidens were still recovering on Naboo. At least, that’s what they had told the press. In reality, Versé was getting used to her new prosthetic and Eirtaé was finishing up physical therapy while they helped about two dozen recovering clones get used to living in the villa Sabé had bought.

“They’re doing well and should come back in two weeks.” Leaning into him, she added, “Everyone else is settling in fine. They’re missing their brothers, but until we get enough encrypted comms, there’s not much that we can do.”

“I’m sure they understand.” Together, they finally got the suitcase zipped up, and Fox took it off her bed. They walked side by side to the landing pad, not ready to leave.

Padmé, at least, seemed to understand. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“And I’ll comm you as often as I can.” Standing on her tiptoes, she gave him a quick kiss. “Stay safe, and make sure Aran doesn’t get into any trouble.”

He closed his eyes, trying to keep her there just a little while longer. “You’re the one going into battle.”

“Won’t be my first.” With a small smile, she forced herself away. “And I’ll have your brother looking out for me. I’ll be fine. Just make sure the planet doesn’t explode while I’m gone.”

Fox’s eyes followed her all the way to the speeder, like he was trying to memorize every detail. “I’ll try.”

She climbed into the passenger seat. Then, not wanting to leave anything unsaid, she turned back to the commander. “Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.”

Before he could respond, the pilot steered them away from the platform. Leaning forward, Padmé threw an arm over her shoulders. “We’ll be back soon.”

Sabé did her best to keep her emotions in check, but it was hard when she was leaving Fox to deal with the senate on his own. “I know.”

“What did you tell him?” Dormé asked from the back seat.

With a white-knuckled grip on her comm, she answered, “I said I loved him.”

“Oh.”

They spent the rest of the ride to the loading area, and then to the venator, in silence. There just wasn’t anything left to say.

When they disembarked from the transport, there were three people waiting for them. Padmé immediately veered off to talk to Anakin and Ahsoka, while Sabé tried not to smile as the infamous Captain Rex surveyed the rest of the handmaidens.

Finally, she decided to have mercy on the poor man. “I assume you’re the brat I’ve heard so much about?”

Rex blushed, the grip on his bucket shifting. “Yes, ma’am.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Sabé stuck out her hand, hiding her laugh at the captain’s surprised look as he gently shook it. “Has Fox told you much about me?”

“Just that if you get hurt, I’m going to wish I’d never been decanted.” The man winced as while he talked, which only enforced Sabé’s previous idea that the clones and handmaidens were more alike than she had originally thought.

Walking past with their bags, Saché huffed. “That sounds about right.”

Sabé rolled her eyes. “I’m Sabé, chief handmaiden and Fox’s girlfriend. It’s nice to finally meet one of his batchmates.”

If Sabé had told the captain that she had three heads and ate loth-cats, she didn’t think that he could’ve looked more surprised. “His what?”

“His girlfriend,” she repeated. With a smirk, she asked, “He didn’t tell you?”

The captain stared blankly at her for a minute before raising his comm and taking a holo. “I’ve gotta send this to the commander’s chat. They’re not gonna believe me.”

“That Fox has a girlfriend?”

He looked up with a grin. “That Fox has any friends. How long have you two been together?”

“A couple of months. Do you mind if I see that?”

Rex wordlessly handed over his comm. The chat had already blown up, and one clone named Bly was accusing Fox of building her out of broken training droids.

Taking her own comm, she sent Fox a quick message: Can I mess with your brothers?

The answer was immediate: Force, yes.

With an evil grin that made Rex look at her with worry, Sabé took a picture, making sure to get the captain in the background, and sent it to the commander’s chat with the message: Fox, do you think I can dismantle more droids than your brother? – Sabé

No contest, Fox replied. You’ll definitely scrap more.

Without a word, she handed the comm back to Rex and made her way to the other handmaidens. This may be a fun mission, after all.

----------------------------

Sabé was wrong. She was very, very wrong. Not only did none of their escape plans work, she was stuck as a prisoner to some weird shark guy. They were in some kind of device that had their hands and feet cuffed, while the jedi were trapped in some kind of electrical cage surrounded by eels. And Rex had dismantled two more droids than her.

Oh yeah, she forgot, that shark guy had bit her helmet, thinking she was Padmé, and she was about to drown. “Don’t worry, Sa- I mean Padmé. We’ve got this.” Anakin and Master Fisto began to use the force to draw water out of her suit while the handmaidens looked on in worry.

Sabé, for her part, was just aggravated. This was an annoying way to die, and she refused to do it.

Suddenly, electricity arced through the Jedi’s bodies. The eels had wrapped around them, breaking their concentration and sending water flowing back into Sabé’s suit.

Luckily for her (and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to say that again), Jar Jar was there. “Meesa help you, my lady!” He spit a glob of snot into the hole, and somehow, that worked. Of course, it made visibility on the left side of her helmet nonexistent, but she wasn’t dead, so she’d work with it.

“Thank you, Jar Jar.” With a sigh of relief, Sabé turned to the handmaidens as the eels finally left the jedi alone. “Well then, what’s our plan to escape?”

It was Padmé who answered. “If I can get my tools out, I could pick the locks.”

“What’s the chance of that happening?”

The disguised senator huffed. “Not great. Master Skywalker, can you use the force to remove it from my gauntlet?”

The jedi nodded. “I can try.”

But before they could, their pods began to rise. “Oh look, Ahsoka and the prince are here. How nice.” Rabé helpfully observed, tone as dry as Tatooine.

They watched helplessly as Riff Tamsen circled around the prince, mocking and taunting the poor kid. Then, they began to hear blaster shots. Taking that as her cue to escape, Ahsoka used the force to get away from the droid holding her, grabbed her lightsabers, then set the other Jedi free.

While the others jumped into the fray, Anakin freed everyone else. “Thanks,” Sabé said, rubbing her wrists. “I’ve got some catching up to do. Who knows how many clankers the captain got while I was out of the game?”

With a laugh, the jedi used the force to give her a blaster. “Have fun.”

“Oh,” Sabé said with a feral grin, “I will.”

-------------------

Two days later…..

Sabé collapsed on the transport next to the captain, pulling off her helmet with a groan. “If I never have to see a water planet again, it’ll be too soon.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Rex ran his fingers through his hair. “I’d hate to survive that only for Fox to kill me.”

“He wouldn’t kill you,” she said leaning her head against the bulkhead and closing her eyes. “Fox would only make you wish you were dead. There’s a difference.”  

“Still.”

After a moment of silence, Sabé cracked one eye open. “So…how many droids did you get?”

“Really, Chief? I know what Fox said, but it’s not really fair.” He gestured to himself. “I’m a genetically engineered super soldier who’s been trained since birth to kill clankers.”

“Funny,” she answered with a grin, “that’s almost exactly what the commander said right before his shebs met the sparring mat. Now answer the question. How many clankers did you dismantle?”

“Fine, if you really want to do this, we will.” He sighed, sitting up straighter. “I got 57.”

Sabé whistled while the other handmaidens tried to hide their laughter. “That’s pretty good, Captain. Pretty good.”

Once Rex realized she wasn’t going to say anything else, he raised an eyebrow. “So? How many did you get?”

Closing her eyes, she leaned back and trusted Saché to take a holo to send to Fox. “62.”

Chapter Text

“Well, this is better than the barracks, that’s for sure.” Sabé looked around the main entrance, the high ceilings and wide windows casting light throughout the area. Aran bounded ahead, exploring the new area with all of the energy she could muster.

Versé laughed, a slight limp the only sign that she was still adjusting to her prosthetic. “You could say that, again. The boys still aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do with all of this room.”

“Speaking of the men, where are they?” She had promised to get an update for Fox, but that would be hard if she never saw them.

“With Eirtaé.” She began to type out a message on her comm before giving Aran a pat on the head. “We needed to make sure that you were alone. Don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.”

“Excellent plan, as always.” The knot of tension in her chest had slowly begun to unravel now that she had eyes on her two missing handmaidens. Of course, this wasn’t the best of circumstances, with rumors running rampant that the Gungans were going to march on Theed, but you couldn’t be picky during a war.

As if she could read her thoughts, Versé raised an eyebrow. “How are things in the Capitol?”

“I know you weren’t going to start the briefing without me,” Eirtaé called, marching down the stairs with the former members of the Coruscant Guard close behind. “Because that’s just rude.”

“Eirtaé!” Sabé clasped her friend in a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you, Chief. Not that it hasn’t been fun hanging out with these guys,” she said with a glance over her shoulder to the men, “but I’m ready to get back on the job.”

“I bet.” She turned to the men. “I hope that you and your men have settled in alright, Sergeant Crash.”

The sergeant flexed his robotic hand before clasping it behind his back. With a silent laugh, Sabé realized he must have picked up the habit from Fox. “We’re doing well, Chief. I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to repay you for this.”

“Nayc entye. I’m just happy that I was able to help you and your brothers.” She placed a hand on his arm, which felt weird since he wasn’t wearing armor. “But, I do have a proposition for you.”

Little did the sergeant know that Versé and Eirtaé had reported that the men were going stir-crazy. There was only so much that they could do inside, and while that wasn’t too much of a problem while they were recovering, it was quickly turning into a big one. Sabé had been thinking over things during the flight to Naboo, and she had the perfect idea. Or at least the beginning of one.

Crash’s eyes lit up at the thought of something to do. “Anything, my lady.”

“The previous owners of this home were an elderly couple. From what I’ve seen in the schematics, there’s no armory, hidden passageways, or underground bunkers.”

“Yeah, it’s really boring!” One of the clones in the back shouted before being elbowed by one of his friends. “What?” he asked, rubbing his side. “It’s true.”

Sabé didn’t bother trying to hide her smile. “And that’s what I need your help with. I can provide all the materials you’ll need, and I give you free reign to do whatever you need to do to this place to make it defensible.”

She could almost feel the excitement in the air. “All due respect, Chief, but why? Surely Naboo is one of the safest planets in the Republic.”

Eirtaé snorted. “Safest? You’ve gotta be kidding, right? Do you know how many assassination attempts we had to thwart while Padmé was queen? Not all of those were because of the Banking Clans and Trade Federation, either. And that’s not to mention the subterfuge and intrigue that go on with the Noble Houses.”

Gearshift, who had lost an eye in the zillo attack, hummed. “What do you think we should add? Definitely a safe room.”

“For sure.” Sabé agreed. “I was also thinking about an armory and an underground barracks, if you guys can manage that. Luckily for us, the closest neighbors are half a mile away on each side, and Padmé’s family own the mansion across from us, so you shouldn’t have to worry about being seen.”

“We’ll wear masks, just in case,” Crash decreed with a nod. “Did I hear you say underground barracks?”

And this was what Sabé was most excited (and nervous) about. “The war isn’t going to last forever.”

Thicket peeked his head around his brother’s shoulder. “And?”

“And if everything goes well, the Clone Rights Bill will pass. You and your brothers will be free to make your own choices. And until you find what makes you happy, I thought you could stay here.” She blushed. “With me.”

His eyes widened, the scar curling around his jawline making him look almost comical. “You want all our brothers to stay here?”

“If they want to.”

She had never seen a Guardsman look so happy, and before she could blink she was wrapped in a tight hug. “Thank you!”

“Corporal!” Crash barked.

Thicket turned around, but only tightened his grip. “Yes, sir?”

The sergeant rubbed his forehead. “Please put the Chief down.”

He looked down and realized that Sabé’s feet no longer touched the floor. “Oh. I am SO sorry, Chief.” 

He dropped her immediately, and she smiled. “It’s alright, Thicket. I’m glad you like the idea.”

Then her comm rang. “Kark. It must be Padmé.” Shooing the Guardsmen out of sight, she answered the comm. “Sabé here.”

The senator got straight to business. “We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” The other handmaidens were with Padmé, but if this was as bad as she thought, Sabé may need to leave sooner than she had planned. “On a scale of one to planetary invasion.”

Even with the dire circumstances, Padmé grinned wryly. “Planetary invasion.”

“Kark.” She started checking her weapons. “Do I need to come?”

“You wouldn’t get here in time.” She sighed. “It’s up to Jar Jar, now.”

She looked up at the senator and dryly stated, “We’re all gonna die.”

“We’re not going to die,” the senator replied with a laugh. “Probably.”

Sabé rolled her eyes and pulled out her comm. “I’ll get an exit plan ready. Where should I expect to pick you up?”

“The Western Plains.” She watched as Padmé checked her blaster. “Anakin’s off to hunt Rish Loo, so who knows where he’s gone.”

“I don’t even want to know.” Sabé sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Stay alive so I don’t have to kill you. And when you get done with your little war, come to my place. I could use your advice on some renovations.”

Her friend grinned. “If you make dinner, I’ll be there.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Senator Amidala.” She rubbed her chin in fake thought. “However, considering I was going to make dinner, anyways, you have a deal.”

“See you at six.” Underneath her words were a silent promise: We’ll be fine.

“If you’re not here, I’ll hunt you down.” Sabé made a promise back: If you get into trouble, I’ll get you out.

Padmé only smiled. “I would expect nothing less, Chief.”

She probably should’ve expected the dozens of eyes watching when she disconnected the comm. Sergeant Crash looked at her with fear in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“War’s come to Naboo.” He frowned. “We’ll need to fight.”

Not knowing what else to do, Sabé wrapped the man up in a hug. “You’re not going to fight. Not unless you want to.” She looked into his eyes. “You’re free, now, and I promised Fox that you’d be safe.”

“But…we’re soldiers,” Gearshift muttered, toeing the ground. “This is what we were made for.”

Versé spoke up from where she had been watching silently. “That’s what the Kaminoans want you to think, but being a soldier is a profession, not what you are.”

“I…I don’t understand.” Klaus’s eyebrows were furrowed. “If we’re not soldiers, what are we?”

The other handmaidens looked to Sabé, letting her take the lead. And it took her a minute or two, but she was finally able to figure out what she wanted to say.

“I’m a handmaiden,” she began, haltingly, “but that’s just my job. I’m also a friend, a daughter, and a leader to these knuckleheads.” She gestured to the other handmaidens. “That’s who I am. It’s what makes me, me. My worth doesn’t come from my job, but who I am.”

Glancing up to the men, she tried to smile. “Does that make sense?”

Crash ran his fingers over his prosthetic. “So…being a good older brother is more important than being a good soldier?”

“Exactly.” Her smile became more real. “You are worthy of help, not because you’re good soldiers, but because you’re good men.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, which was growing red with a blush. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Don’t worry,” Eirtaé replied, patting his shoulder. “You and your brothers have all the time in the world.”

--------------------------------------------

Sabé groaned as she collapsed on Fox’s couch. They had just gotten back from Naboo, and between the post-battle brief and the upgraded security measures, she was beat.

“Hah,” the commander laughed, sitting beside her, “you look like how I feel.”

“Don’t mock me,” she groaned, laying her head in his lap, “you didn’t have to deal with Jar Jar Binks for two weeks.”

“You’ve got me there,” he said with a smile, running his fingers over her hair. “How are the men?”

“I’ve got them working on renovating the villa. It’ll be a bunker by the time they’re through.” She grinned at the memory of the late-night meetings they had. If the mansion wasn’t able to repel a droid invasion by the time she got back, she’d eat her skirt. Gearshift, in particular, had taken to planning out traps and hidden passageways with a slightly terrifying amount of joy.

The commander laughed. The bags under his eyes had finally started to disappear, and he looked much better than he had after the zillo attack. “Crash did mention something about an underground barracks when we talked yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about the comms.” Closing her eyes, she relaxed. “Glad we were finally able to get them to the men.”

“Hey,” Fox shook her shoulder, “don’t go to sleep yet.”

“Why not?” she mumbled, opening one eye. “You’re not scheduled for a shift until tomorrow. I checked.”

With a growing blush, he pulled a small package out of a belt pouch. “I made you something.”

It was like he had injected caff into her bloodstream. She sat up so quickly that she almost gave herself a headache. “The token?”

The blush only got darker as Fox confirmed, “The token.” Bashfully, he handed it to her. “I hope that you like it.”

Setting the box in her lap, she pulled out a little bag of her own. “I hope that you like yours.”

Gingerly, he took it in his hands. “Wait. I thought it was just supposed to be me?”

“That rule’s dumb; you need to be courted, too.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Open them at the same time?”

“On three. One, two,” and then they both ripped open the packages before Fox could get to three.

Inside Sabé’s box was a piece of plastoid. A hole had been drilled at the top, string tied to make turn it into a necklace. A red fox was painted on one side of the pendant, the Veruna family crest on the other. She immediately put it over her head. “Fox, it’s perfect.”

“So…is this.” Turning to look, Sabé had to smother a laugh. Fox was holding a piece of square cloth in the air, turning it back and forth like it was some kind of bomb.

Deciding to have mercy, she took it from his hand. “This is a handkerchief. You can use it to blow your nose, clean something, really anything. I picked it because you can hide it under your armor.”

He examined the cloth, this time with understanding in his eyes. “What’s this in the corner?”

“That, my dear commander, is embroidery. The words are written in the language of the Naboo.” She pointed to each part as she explained. “It’s a prayer for safety and a promise to always have your back.”

“Thank you.” Gently, he folded the cloth and put it under his breastplate. “I love it.”

Sabé returned to her previous spot, lying her head on his lap. “Just wait until we don’t have to hide anymore.” Closing her eyes, she patted his arm. “I’m going to get you the world.”

“You already have.”

Chapter Text

She found Padmé looking over the lake. “Do you ever feel like you’re talking to a wall?”

“All the time,” she answered, joining her friend leaning against the low wall, “but usually it’s when I talk with you. I take it that you might be getting a taste of your own medicine?”

Padmé huffed. “I’m nowhere near as bad as Anakin.” When Sabé raised an eyebrow, she smiled. “I’m not!”

“What’s he going on about this time? Did R2 get a scuff mark?” She patted Aran absentmindedly, the massif wagging her butt under the attention.

“Worse.” With a sigh, she ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to the lake. “He’s mad at Obi-wan for faking his death and then pretending to be Ranko Hardeen.”

“Mmm, I see.” Sabé looked in the direction of her villa, but thanks to a late fog, it was impossible to see anything clearly. If they were following the plan, Rabé and Saché should be over there now, checking on the men and making sure they hadn’t gone too overboard with the renovations. “Has Obi-wan talked to him yet?”

“No. You know how jedi are.” Padmé put on her best core accent and tried to imitate Master Kenobi. “Jedi can’t have healthy emotional conversations. That would only prove that we have needs that can’t be met through meditation and consuming an unhealthy amount of tea.”

She tried to hide her snort. “Really, Padmé? You know the real reason those two have trouble communicating.”

“Enlighten me,” the senator said with a small smile.

With a raised eyebrow and dry voice, Sabé answered, “They’re guys.” Once Padmé had finished laughing, she continued, “I’ll go talk with him, see if I can’t make him see sense.” She flashed her teeth in a grin. “And if talking doesn’t work, I’m sure some cognitive recalibration will.”

“Please don’t give my husband another concussion.” She sighed. “At this point, he’s collecting them like other people collect coins.”

“I make no promises.” Sabé nudged Padmé with her shoulder before turning towards the villa. “Where is our resident dumpster fire, anyway?”

“In the gardens. He said he was meditating, but to be honest he’s probably trying glare a fountain into submission.” When she saw Sabé’s amused glance, she laughed. “He always gets distracted by water of any kind. I think it’s a by-product of his time on Tatooine.”

Sabé called for Aran before moving towards the gardens. “We’ll have to be careful so that the Separatists don’t find out. Feared jedi general Anakin Skywalker can be defeated by a water gun.”

When Dormé silently took her place as primary guard, Sabé nodded her thanks. “I’ll take care of him, Padmé, don’t worry.”

“You know, the last time you said that Rush Clovis’s speeder disappeared.” She found a bench next to a trellis filled with crawling vines and gracefully sat where she could still keep an eye on the lake. “He’s still looking for it, you know.”

“Good, because I hate his guts.” Bouncing a little on her toes, she grinned. “I’ll let you know when I’ve straightened your husband out.”

“Thank you!”

Under her breath, Sabé muttered, “I signed up to be a handmaiden so I could shoot things, and now I’m a marriage counselor. What’s this galaxy coming to?”

True to her word, Sabé found Anakin staring at a fountain. She knew that he had probably sensed her through the force, but just in case, she cleared her throat before getting into saber range. “I don’t think you’re going to win the staring contest with that statue.”

The jedi blinked before turning to Sabé, a dark shadow coming over his face. “If you’re here to tell me to forgive Obi-wan, you can forget it. He made me think he was dead. That wasn’t right.”

“You’re very dramatic tonight, Master Jedi.” Sabé gently slapped the back of his head. “Stop it.”

“Hey! What the kark was that for?” He batted her hand away before moving out of reach.

She crossed her arms and did her best to project her unimpressed feelings into the force. “You and I are going to have a grown-up conversation. That can’t happen when you’re acting like a child.” Before he could argue, she held up a hand. “You are, and you’ve made Padmé upset. It’s my job to make sure she doesn’t get upset, so I’m going to fix you.”

He huffed. “Fix me?”

“Yes.” With a dramatic sigh, she draped herself over one of the statues. “It may take me years, but I swear on the life of my dear senator that I will turn you into a functional human being.”

That seemed to do the trick, and Anakin laughed, tension dropping slightly from his shoulders. “Well, if it’s for Padmé…”

“Come here, lover boy.” Sabé took him to a secluded table, hidden from the rest of the garden by tall shrubs and trees, and pushed him towards a chair. “This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to listen to your side of the story. Everything that’s bothering you, what you’re having trouble processing, all of it. Then, you’re going to let me tell you what I think. Okay?” She sat, whistling for Aran to lay down beside her.

Anakin thought for a second before nodding. “Alright. I can do that.”

They sat in silence for a minute before Sabé raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the knight. “So…are you going to start talking or are we just going to sit here and stare into each other’s eyes all night?”

He blushed. “My bad.” Taking a deep breath, he fiddled with his prosthetic before speaking. “I guess I’m just mad that Obi-wan made everyone think he was dead. Like, how could he do that to Ahsoka, to Duchess Satine? He didn’t think about anyone else’s feelings.

“And neither did the jedi council. They’re the ones that were okay with this.” He stood up and began to pace. “Ahsoka held Obi-wan’s dead body in her arms. That’s something that no padawan should ever have to do. We went to his funeral.” His voice cracked. “We thought he was dead!”

By this time, his shoulders were heaving. “Anakin, I need you to breathe. Focus on my voice. Breathe in for one, two, three, four. Hold for one, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four.”

They did a few repetitions of the breathing exercise until the jedi blew out a shaky breath. “Thanks, Sabé.”

“Anytime.” She waited until he returned to his seat before bringing her hands in front of her. “I’m going to be honest with you Anakin. I’m not going to beat around the bush, and I’m not going to try and spare your feelings. That’s Padmé’s area of expertise, not mine. But I can promise that I’m going to do my best to tell you what you need to hear.” She frowned. “It may not be what you want to hear, but it’s what you need.”

He nodded, looking a lot more uncomfortable than he did a few minutes ago. “I understand.”

“To me, it sounds like you were scared.”

“Scared? I wasn’t-” Sabé held up her hand before he could continue.

His mouth shut with a click, and she continued, “You and Obi-wan are close. The man practically raised you, and when he faked his death, you were forced to face that even he is mortal. That he’s going to die one day, and that you might not be able to stop it. I think that what you’re actually angry at is death, not Obi-wan.”

“But if he didn’t-”

This time, a glare was enough to shut Anakin up. “I wasn’t finished. Obi-wan took this mission so that he could save the chancellor, right?” Not sure if he was allowed speak, he just nodded. “Alright. So you don’t have any reason to be upset about the goal of the mission, which was to keep Palpatine safe.”

Anakin immediately agreed. “Right, we need to keep the Chancellor safe.”

“But you wanted to be informed about the plan to have Obi-wan infiltrate the group of bounty hunters.”

“Exactly!” He threw his hands in the air. “I wish that you were on the council. You’d make them see sense!”

Sabé looked at him, making sure that she had his full attention before speaking. “I wouldn’t have told you, either.” She glared, cutting off any argument he may have had. “Anakin, you are a master of many things, but lying isn’t one of them. Neither is acting. Obi-wan’s safety would’ve been put at risk if you had known.”

“No it wouldn’t!” He pushed himself away from the table. “You don’t understand-”

“Anakin!” she ordered, using the voice she reserved for when the handmaidens were being particularly crazy. Fortunately, it also worked on jedi knights. “Sit down. Now.” Grudgingly, he returned to his seat. “Thank you.”

Rubbing her forehead, Sabé sighed. “I’m going to try and explain this a different way, okay?” When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “You know that Commander 1010 and I are a couple, right?”

“It’s kind of hard not to.” The knight said, clearly not seeing where she was going. “You guys project your feelings.”

“Okay. When Padmé’s in danger, I’m usually the one that serves as her decoy. And for non-force sensitives, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between me and the senator.” She waited a minute to see if Anakin would connect the dots by himself. He didn’t.

“So when something dangerous happens, Fox doesn’t know if I’m injured, or if it’s actually Padmé. He hates being kept in the dark, but for Padmé’s safety, I have to keep him out of the loop. That’s what the council did to you. Not because they don’t trust you, or because they don’t like you, but because it kept Obi-wan safe.” She took a deep breath. “Wouldn’t you do anything to keep your master safe?”

“Of course, but I could’ve kept a secret.”

Her unimpressed look said it all. “Do you realize how much footage the handmaidens and I have had to delete because you and Padmé can’t make out somewhere without security cameras?”

The knight blushed. “Oh.”

“Anakin,” she said, putting a hand on his arm, “I respect you a lot. You’re a good general, and you’re proving to be a capable teacher for Ahsoka. But you’re not perfect. No one is. Neither is Obi-wan.

“Should he have told you about the mission? I don’t know. If he had, would it have compromised the operation? Once again, I don’t know. And we’ll never know. But what’s done is done, and the only way to move is forward.”

He was silent for a few minutes, and Sabé let him think through everything she had said. Honestly, it was good sign that he was thinking before letting random thoughts fly out of his mouth. “You think I should talk to Obi-wan.”

“I do.” She smiled. “Padmé and I have had a lot of fights over the years, but at the end of the day, she’s my sister. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for her, even when she makes me mad.” With a raised eyebrow, she added, “I have a feeling that you and Obi-wan are the same way.”

“We are,” he admitted. “I’m just not sure how to talk to him.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. “I…said some things the last time I saw him.”

“Let me have your comm.”

Confused more than anything, he immediately handed it over. Sabé quickly found the number she was looking for and started the call. “Who are you comming?” Anakin asked.

Before she could answer, the other person answered. “Anakin? Is something wrong?”

“This is Sabé, Master Kenobi. I’m with Anakin, and we’ve had a little chat.” She glared the knight into submission from across the table. “He needs to talk with you, and if I need to be there to get the conversation going, I’m free for the rest of the night.”

“My dear, that’s not-”

“Please,” Anakin interrupted. “Could you?”

Sabé sighed and sent a message to Padmé that she’d be out of commission until tomorrow. “Where are you, Obi-wan?”

“On the Negotiator, but I feel bad that you have to come up here.”

“Don’t. You guys need an impartial third party, and I’m the best you’re going to get on such short notice. We’ll see you soon; please have my favorite tea ready.” She ended the call before pushing herself away from the table. “Well, Knight Skywalker, care to escort me to the Negotiator?” She called Aran, telling the massif to follow her, and held her arm out for Anakin to take. 

And as they made their way to the venator, Sabé thought about how crazy her life had gotten. She was about to do couples counseling with a jedi master and his former padawan. They definitely hadn’t covered that in handmaiden training. But she squared her shoulders, preparing to face the battle ahead like any other: with sarcasm and verbal threats.

Chapter Text

Padmé paced her rooms, eyes flying over the datapad she held with a white-knuckled grip. “We have to find her, Sabé.”

“I know, which is why I have Versé scouring the cameras in the lower levels. But considering she’s a jedi, it’s going to be hard to find her unless she wants to be found.” Sabé propped herself up on the senator’s desk, scrolling through her own pad.

Ahsoka had been missing for ten hours, accused of treason and murdering six members of the Guard. The missing footage seemed to indicate that someone else was involved, someone that wanted to implicate Ahsoka, but it was turning out to be a harder search than she had initially believed. Whoever it was had covered their tracks and covered them well. That meant that they had been planning this for a long time.

Fox wasn’t doing well, either. He was still mourning the loss of his men, and the chancellor had forced him to lead the search for Ahsoka. He’d been running on caff and stims, and the only thing that could help him was putting Ahsoka into custody. Which would also be the worst thing for the padawan, since any trial she had would be a sham.

So Sabé was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but one thing was for sure, she needed to find Ahsoka Tano.

“I think I found her!” Versé yelled, bursting into the office like a small hurricane. “Level 1313. She’s resting in an abandoned warehouse.”

“Olaror,” Sabé ordered Aran, who came to her side. She looked at Padmé while checking to make sure that she was as well-armed as possible. If they were looking for Ahsoka, the force-user that had killed those Guardsmen might be, too. And Sabé refused to be an easy kill. “I’ll go get her. You stay here and keep trying to figure out who would’ve done this.”

Versé waved her datapad. “Hawk just gave me access to the Guard’s cameras in the prison, so maybe I can find something from there.”

“Check there, check the cameras leading to the building. This guy must’ve left something for us to use.” She pulled a long black cloak out of Padmé’s closet. “I’m borrowing this.”

“Go ahead,” her friend said with a quirked eyebrow. “Just be careful when you see Ahsoka. She’s probably scared to death.”

Rolling her eyes, Sabé threw the cloak over her shoulders. “I’m the one that’s going to the lower levels to hunt a jedi. If anyone should be scared, it’s me.”

“You don’t get scared,” Padmé called right before the door slid shut. With another eye roll, Sabé drew the hood over her head and walked out of the office and into the night.

------------------------

“Ahsoka?” Sabé did her best to be as loud as possible, both in reality and in the force. That said, she was also trying to be discreet, which was challenging when trying to avoid being shish kebabed by a lightsaber. “It’s Sabé.” When the massif walking beside her huffed, she added, “And Aran. Senator Amidala sent me.”

She definitely did not jump when a voice came from above her head. “Why?”

“We’re going to hide you.” She looked up, only to see a pair of eyes reflecting the dim light of the room. “The Senator knows that you didn’t kill those men, or plant that bomb. We’re going to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” The padawan began to laugh somewhat hysterically. “No where’s safe. Not the temple, not the prison. There’s no place that you can take me where the Guard won’t track me down.” Quieter, she said, “They think I killed some of the clones.”

“I know you didn’t, and Commander 1010 knows, too.” Deciding to take a risk, Sabé leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the dirty floor covered in things she was doing her best not to think about. Aran lay down beside her, and she stroked her hand behind the quills that were starting to grow in earnest. “We found that the surveillance video had been tampered with. 1010’s looking for you, it’s true, but that’s because he has orders. So do the jedi.”

Almost silently, Ahsoka dropped to the ground, moving to sit beside the handmaiden. “If the entire planet’s looking for me, what does Senator Amidala think that she could do to stop them?”

“Oh, we’re not going to stop them. We’re going to let them run on their wild bantha chase while you’re safe and sound in the senator’s apartment. You can help us and your master find out who really did this, and then we’ll bring them to justice.”

Before the padawan could argue, Sabé held up a hand. “The handmaidens don’t usually show off our skills, we do our best to stay undercover, but we are more than capable of keeping one padawan out of the public eye.” She stood, brushing off her pants and sending a mental apology to whoever’s turn it was to do laundry this week. “I’m not going to force you to come, but I think it’s your best chance of not being caught.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes for a minute, probably chatting with the force or whatever it was that jedi did, before rising. “Alright. Let’s go before our luck runs out.” 

They made it back to the apartments in record time, only having to dodge three patrols. Fortunately, before they left the warehouse Sabé had given Ahsoka her cloak. It didn’t fit right, being made for humans and not Togruta, but it kept her face covered. One of the patrols they passed had been led by Thorn, and although Sabé saw that he had immediately put two and two together, he only nodded and wished them a whispered ‘good luck’ before continuing on.

“Why didn’t they stop you?” Ahsoka hissed when the door to the apartment slid shut. “That clone knew who I was.”

Sabé took Ahsoka’s cloak and threw it in the laundry basket. Guiding her deeper into the room, she answered, “The Guard are good men. They don’t want to arrest an innocent padawan any more than you want to be arrested.”

“And she’s dating their commander.” Saché added from where she had thrown herself on the couch.

She rolled her eyes. “And I’m dating their commander.”

Before they could talk anymore, Padmé rushed from her office. “Ahsoka! I’m so glad you’re okay.”

While the other two women caught up, Sabé caught Versé’s eye. “Anything new?”

“You were right, Chief. I found someone in a cloak walking towards the prison, but even they couldn’t loop every camera. In one shot they’re there, the next, gone.” She pulled up the footage. It was hard to see anything specific, but the suspect was wearing a long dark cloak. Wait…

“Zoom in at the hips.” Once she had, Sabé hummed. “See that bulge right there?”

Rabé peaked over their shoulders. “Kark. That’s a-”

“Lightsaber.” Ahsoka finished. “The person setting me up is a force user.”

“More specifically, a jedi.” When Ahsoka’s brows furrowed, Versé quickly explained. “We know that Ventress is on-planet, but she’s not really trying to keep her movements hidden. We found her and cleared her hours ago. That means that the only other force-users on planet are the jedi.”

“I’ll send this to Anakin.” Padmé took the pad and began to aggressively type. “This should help narrow his search down considerably.”

Ahsoka whistled as the other women resumed their work. “Wow. No offense, but I thought that the handmaidens were just…handmaidens. Not some sort of special ops group.”

Dormé laughed from where she was hanging upside down from a chair. “Please, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

---------------------------

“So, you left the jedi order.”

Ahsoka jumped in her seat, her fingers tightening on her glass and a hand flying to a lightsaber that was no longer there. Once she realized who she was talking to, she relaxed. “Word travels fast.”

“When one is friends and de facto psychiatrist to Anakin Skywalker, yes it does.” She gestured to the open seat. “Mind if I join you?”

“Why not?” The former jedi took another sip of whatever she was drinking before raising an eyebrow marking. “Where’s your massif?”

“Getting some specialized training, but why don’t you ask me what you really want to know?” Sabé flagged down the server. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Ahsoka waited until she had her drink before speaking. “I’m not going back to the jedi, if that’s what you’re going to try and convince me to do. They didn’t believe that I was innocent and then claimed that this was all ‘the will of the force’. How could I stand to see their faces, knowing that they’d throw me out again if something else happened?”

“Well, they sound dumb.” Sabé said, wincing at the drink’s sour taste. “And I’m not going to ask you to go back. I’m going to ask if you have a plan now that you’re out.”

The former padawan swished her drink around before downing the rest of it in one gulp. It was non-alcoholic, but she had probably seen her men do it and thought it was cool. To Sabé, it just looked disgusting, and she hoped that Togruta had fewer sour taste receptors, or else she was going to have to question Ahsoka’s ability to taste anything. “I was thinking about working as a mechanic.”

“Hmm.” Sabé braced herself before taking another sip. “I know about a job offer, if you’d be willing to go off world.”

Ahsoka laughed. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a handmaiden.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to be. You’re way too high-profile. Handmaidens have to be forgettable. You, my young friend, are not.” Sabé leaned back slightly and took a deep breath. This was a risk, but Padmé had vouched for Ahsoka, and she was going to trust her friend. “I have a place on Naboo I’m renovating. You could join my team there, if you wanted. You’d have limited contact with anyone outside of the handmaidens, but it’s off Coruscant.”

“I haven’t heard of any reno project that requires this level of secrecy.”

Sabé shrugged. “It’s a unique situation. How about I tell you more back at Padmé’s?”

After searching her eyes for a moment, Ahsoka nodded. “Alright.” Pushing herself away from the bar, she left her payment and a tip. “It’ll be good to see Padmé again, if nothing else.”

“If nothing else,” Sabé agreed, following the former jedi out. She just hoped that the men wouldn’t be too thrown off by the newest addition to their team.

Chapter Text

Sabé all but crashed into the front desk. “Where is he?”

Before the vod manning the front desk could answer, Commander Thorn rushed down the hall, yelling, “Come on!” She immediately broke into a run, fear making her run just as fast as the larger clone. “He’s on the roof.”

“Kark.” As they passed one of the only entrances in the barracks, she slid, catching herself on the edge of the door.

Thorn wasn’t able to stop as quickly and crashed into a wall. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry,” she said as she ran outside, looking up at the roof. “I have an idea.” She pulled out her blaster, added the grappling attachment, adjusted the settings, and made her shot. The hook embedded itself into the ledge, and she rocketed skyward. Thanks to her quick changes to the grapple’s settings, she launched herself over the ledge and rolled, landing on the roof with a thud.

The fall knocked the breath out of her lungs, but Sabé didn’t let that stop her. She immediately jumped up and ran for the man on the other side of the roof. The one who was standing far too close to the edge. “Fox!” He didn’t even turn to look at her. “Fox!”

Before he could do anything stupid, Sabé yanked him away from the ledge, spinning and taking him to the ground. She pinned him and gave him a quick check for weapons. His pistols were still in their holsters, so she threw them as far as possible. Her own blaster had been dropped during her run. She didn’t see anything else, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a knife or something hidden somewhere.

“Fox, I need you to look at me.” She kept his arms pinned and prayed that Thorn would get there soon. Because the commander wasn’t looking good. His eyes were vacant and there was a slight shake to his hands.

“Good…good soldiers…” he muttered, shifting restlessly under her hands.

Fortunately, Thorn chose that moment to burst through the roof’s door, Stitches right on his heels. “Commander!”

“Here!” Sabé called. Moving slightly so that the medic would have easy access to his patient while still restraining him, Sabé watched as he jabbed a sedative into Fox’s neck. The tension drained from his frame, and he closed his eyes.

The handmaiden waited another second before collapsing beside the commander. Hands pressing against her forehead, she finally let herself breathe. “Has this happened before?”

“No,” Stitches said, scanning Fox and cursing at what he saw, “but then again, he’s never shot a brother before. Come on, we gotta get him to the medbay.”

Sabé looked through her fingers to see Thorn holding out a hand, an understanding look on his face. “Up you get, Chief.”

By the time she was on her feet, Stitches had gotten Fox into a fireman’s carry. She picked up the blasters as they passed, and their motley group staggered down the stairs. As soon as they got to the medbay, Stitches hooked the commander up to fluids and monitors, the other patients watching with clear worry in their eyes.

Once the medic had finished, Sabé frowned, clutching the commander’s hand like a lifeline. “He was saying something about good soldiers. What does that mean?”

The two clones looked at each other before Stitches sighed. “She needs to know, Thorn.” He gave the monitors one last glance and with a slight wince, added, “I’ll be back later to check on Fox.” As he left, he pulled the privacy curtain around the bed, giving the illusion that they were cut off from the rest of the medbay.

She looked up to Thorn. “What’s he talking about? What do I need to know?”

He gave a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“I don’t like any of this. Now tell me.”

“You may want to sit down.” So she did, for once thankful for her small size. Because that meant that she was able to fit perfectly between Fox and the bedrail. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Sabé speared him with her best unimpressed glare. “If it affects Fox, it affects me.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with the commander,” Thorn said, trying to redirect. “That look is all him.”

Unfortunately for Thorn, Sabé wasn’t having it. “Okay,” he sighed. “So we’ve been having these things called black outs. We have no memory of what happens during these missions, or who gives the orders for them.” Collapsing in the visitor’s chair, he continued. “Fox gets them the most. He’ll go to a meeting with the chancellor, and then won’t come back for hours, maybe even days later.”

The crusty raisin had just risen to the top of her hit list. She wanted to shoot something, but that wouldn’t help the Guard right now. She needed to keep a cool head and focus on what she could fix. “What causes the memory loss?” When the commander didn’t immediately answer, she asked, “Thorn?”

“I…have a theory.” If it was possible, he looked more nervous than before. “It sounds crazy, though.”

“My life is crazy,” Sabé shot back. “Try me.”

It looked like Thorn was fighting himself for a moment before he finally sighed, running a hand through his curls. “The trooper we were sent to find tonight, Fives. I heard his captain say something about inhibitor chips.”

“I’ll look into it,” Sabé promised.

“You can’t!” Thorn almost threw himself out of the chair. “If something happens to you-”

“It won’t.” She met the anxious commander head on. “The handmaidens and I have more experience than most with high-stakes black ops. And more than that, we know how to keep our heads down.”

He looked between her and Fox, the worried look still very present on his face. “But he’s the chancellor.”

“He’s just a man,” she answered. “And he’s hurt you, Fox, and the rest of the Guard. He’s not going to see me coming.”

Thorn was silent for a minute before sighing. “I’m not going to be able to stop you, am I?”

“No, no you’re not.” She looked down to the commander, who looked so young in this moment, the near-constant worry lines eased out in sleep. “But we don’t have to tell Fox that I know. He has too much on his plate, already.”

“That is one thing we can both agree on.” With one last sigh, the commander pushed the privacy curtain back. “I have to go on shift. Keep him safe for me, will you?”

“I will.”

--------------------

A slight movement jolted Sabé back awake, and she tensed, waiting to see if Fox was waking up. She felt him try to lift his arm, but it was very much trapped under her from where she had tried to get comfortable in the medical bed.

About an hour after Thorn had left, Stitches had returned to their little section of the medbay. He told Sabé that sometimes it took a while for someone to break free of the blackout mission, but that Fox should be okay once he woke up. At least, in a physical sense.

She tried for a joking tone, refusing to move from her spot. Not only did it keep Fox from doing something stupid, it felt nice. “Morning, sleepy head.”

He tensed. “You shouldn’t be here.”

In response, she cuddled closer. “This is right where I need to be.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done.” Fox shuddered, but she refused to look at his face. “I killed a brother.”

“I may not know everything about what happened,” she lied, “but I know that you wouldn’t have shot him without reason. He had a blaster pointed at you, ner kar’ta. You had no choice.”

“That’s not what Rex said,” Fox muttered, burying his face in her hair.

Her answer was immediate. “Then Rex is a di’kut. You are the best man I know. If there was a way different way out, you would’ve seen it.”

As if he was summoned by Fox waking up, Stitches pushed back the curtain and immediately launched into a rant. “Commander, if you ever do anything that idiotic again, I will kill you, bring you back to life, and then let the Chief kill you again. Do I make myself clear?” He checked Fox’s vitals, writing some down. “I said, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Stitches.” Sabé squeezed her arms around him a little tighter, and he huffed. “I’m not going anywhere, ner nau, you can loosen up that grip a little bit.”

“Nope. You’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.” Clinging to him tighter, she whispered, “You scared me.”

His breath stuttered. After a moment, he brought his hand up, caressing the back of her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t do it again, please.”

“Oh, he won’t.” Stitches glared from the end of the bed. “Your vitals look okay, but I’m not letting you leave medbay for another four hours. That’ll give you two time to talk.”

“Thank you, Stitches.” She heard the curtains rustle as he left.

Fox shifted under her, moving so that she was basically on top of him. “I really am sorry.” He tightened his arms around her. “I never wanted you to see me like that.” 

“You don’t understand, do you? We’re in this together.” With a sigh, she tried to think of a way to explain it that the commander would understand. “Your battles are mine. And my battles are yours. All of them.” She rested a hand on his cheek. “Even the ones where you can’t see the enemy.”

For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t speak. That he would insist that he could shoulder his burdens alone. But finally, he took a deep breath. “I can’t ask that of you.”

“Then it’s a good thing that you don’t have to.” She closed her eyes, wishing that the galaxy could be a little kinder to her commander and his brothers. “We’re in this together. Always.”

Chapter Text

“Padmé, why are we here, again?” Sabé looked out from the balcony into the icy mountains of Scipio. Commander Thorn and two squads of men were stationed on the landing pad below, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary. To keep everyone informed, Sabé had left Versé and Rabé with them. Aran was down there, too, running around the landing pad with unholy glee. Apparently, massifs liked snow.

The senator sighed, this argument having been revisited several times over the past few days. “Because we want to make sure the Banking Clans don’t go bankrupt.” She rose, coming to stand beside Sabé. “And apparently see what we can do about the interest rates Rush has just imposed.”

“That man is a snake, and I wish you would’ve let me shoot him. He tried to poison you, for force’s sake.” Sabé touched the edges of her fur coat, thankful for the warmth. “I don’t know why you were the one sent to negotiate.”

“Because I know him, and he still has some fondness for me.” She leaned against the balustrade. “And because Palpatine is a crusty raisin.”

Padmé had no idea, but the handmaidens were on high alert. Sabé refused to underestimate Rush, and she made sure that she and her girls were prepared for any eventually. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but Sabé didn’t get to be Chief Handmaiden because she wasn’t paranoid.

Her comm rang before they could continue their talk, Versé’s voice echoing from the device. “Chief, something’s wrong, but I don’t know what.”

An empty pit opened up in her stomach. “What is it?”

“I hacked into Rash’s comm systems, nothing too crazy, just enough to log his calls, and he’s gotten three from Serenno. This last one was a few minutes long, and right afterward, Rash ran out of his office.” There was a pause. “And now I’m picking up increased chatter on known-Separatist channels.”

That pit became a gorge. “Initiate evacuation plan snowball. I’ve got the senator.”

Having overheard the conversation, Padmé had already grabbed her go bag and was throwing on her thickest jacket. “What’s wrong?”

“I think we’re about to be invaded.” She fished a communication disk out of her pocket, activated it, then threw it in a random corner. “There. Now the Republic will know that something is wrong. I’m sure Anakin will be here within the hour.”

Putting the grapple attachment onto her blaster, Sabé hooked it to the balustrade, Padmé and the other handmaidens doing the same beside her. “Everyone ready? Let’s go.” They flew down the side of the building before landing softly on the landing pad. Without wasting a second, they unhooked the grapples so that they’d be ready for the descent from the landing pad into the snow.

But first they’d have to get to Commander Thorn and his men. “Versé says we’re being invaded?” he asked.

“It’s a hunch,” Sabé conceded.

“But she’s never been wrong.” Padmé attached her grappling hook to the edge of the pad. “I suggest you and your men follow us, Commander.”

After a moment’s thought, the commander nodded. “You heard the senator, boys. Let’s get going!”

The Guard were operating at their usual efficiency, so they were all ready to rappel down within a minute. Sabé had put Aran into a specially designed harness so that she would be able to safely make the journey at her side. With a nod to the commander, she let herself fall off the edge. Unfortunately, when the line went taut, she and the other handmaidens were still a good thirty feet from the ground. The Guard, with their larger cable holsters, were able to make it.

Padmé looked at her from where she hung. “So,” she huffed, “plan Yavin?’

Sabé nodded. “Plan Yavin.”

“Senator, we can climb back up and assist you,” Thorn called from below them.

Instead of answering Padmé just winked at Sabé before starting to swing from the end of the line, back and forth until she had built up enough momentum for the hook to release from the ledge. As soon as that happened, Padmé reached for the lines used by one of the Guardsmen, grabbing hold of it and sliding down. Thankfully she had listened to Sabé and brought gloves, or else that would’ve been a nasty case of cable burn.

Sabé and the others followed right after. “Show off,” she said as the Guard collected their lines.

“You know me, Chief. I love to perform in front of an audience.” She grinned, snowflakes gently falling on her hair.

“Umm, Commander?” One of the Guardsman, Shakes, if she remembered correctly, said. “I think we have company.” He pointed to the sky, and Sabé followed, only to wish that she hadn’t.

She had been right. A Separatist fleet was in orbit over Scipio. “Come on,” she said, breaking out into a run, “we have to leave. Now.”

“Where are we going?” Thorn asked, easily catching up with her.

She threw a look behind her, watching as the first of the droid ships were making their approach to the landing platform they had just vacated. “Away from here. But specifically, deeper into the mountains.”

“There’ll be caves there that we can hide in,” Eirtaé said from the back. She was busy making sure that there were no stragglers, keeping the Guard in line and out of sight of the Seppies.

One of the Guardsmen choked out a laugh. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Chief, but even with our thermals we won’t survive the night.”

“Good thing you’re with us, then, Dagger,” Saché said with a grin, “because a handmaiden always comes prepared.”

“Especially when dealing with Rash Cleetus.” Sabé spat his name out of her mouth as their run became a hike. They were starting to move into the actual mountain range, which while great for staying hidden, was going to make it harder to move quickly. “And don’t worry, I set up a distress beacon. The Republic knows something went wrong.”

“You and Fox really are meant for each other,” Thorn laughed. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone more prepared than him…except you.”

She shrugged before climbing over a medium-sized boulder. “I’ve had a lot of practice while guarding Padmé. Now let’s keep going. If our initial scans of the planet were right, then there should be a cave system two klicks ahead. We can make a small fire and heat up dinner.”

“Where do you think we’re going to get all that stuff, Chief. I mean, we’ve been through the survival courses on Kamino, but even then we weren’t that well off.” He helped Padmé get through a particularly nasty snow drift before returning to Sabé’s side.

“I told you we came prepared.” She grinned, baring her teeth in the harsh sunlight. “Each of us is carrying a few days’ worth of rations and a personal heater. If we all stick together for warmth, we should be fine.”

“You know what? I shouldn’t even be surprised.” He rushed to help her over another boulder. “You are the Commander’s lady, after all.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

About an hour passed, and although they were getting closer to the caves, Sabé was getting worried. Not about being caught by the Separatists, after a quick search a while back they seemed inclined to leave them alone. No, she was instead worried about Padmé. The senator had been forced to drop to the back of the group, and she was having more trouble getting over and around obstacles.

Finally, Sabé decided that enough was enough. “What’s wrong? Are you getting sick?” They had called in Padme’s personal doctor about a week ago when she had gotten a stomach bug of some kind, but Sabé had thought that she had gotten over it by now.

The senator huffed. “No, I’m not sick.”

“Then why are you falling behind? This isn’t like you.” She signaled for the others to go ahead, and the other handmaidens acknowledged the order, pushing the Guard in front so that she and the senator could have a little privacy. “Don’t hide things from me, Padmé.”

Sabé helped her friend past another rock before she decided to speak. “I was going to tell you after this mission was over, but it looks like I’ll have to move the timetable up.” She sighed. “Promise you won’t get mad?”

“Padmé, what have you done?” Already Sabé was running through different contingencies in her head. Maybe she was finally ready for her relationship with Anakin to go public? Or had she finally blackmailed Rash into submission without them knowing?

“When Doctor Tenus came a week ago, he told me I didn’t have a stomach bug.” For some reason, Padmé had begun to look ashamed, refusing to look Sabé in the eye.

She frowned and grabbed her friend’s hand. “Padmé whatever’s happened, it’s okay. We’ll get through this. Just tell me where the body is, and we’ll hide it as soon as we get back.”

“This isn’t the kind of body you can hide,” she said. Finally, pulling her shoulders back, Padmé ripped off the bandaid. “Sabé, I’m pregnant.”

Her world stopped. Was this what having a stroke felt like? As far as she knew, Anakin hadn’t even been on-planet for the past four months. When had they had the time- She shook her head, trying to refocus. Maybe she had heard it wrong. “I’m sorry, I think I’ve somehow gotten a concussion. Could you repeat that?”

“Sabé, I’m pregnant.”

“Ah, so I did hear you correctly. And I assume it’s Anakin’s?” Padmé nodded, a worried look growing in her eyes. “Does he know?” This time, she shook her head. Thank the force, she did not want to deal with that can of worms right now. “You haven’t been taking prenatal vitamins.”

The senator blushed. “I couldn’t risk the press finding out.”

“Padmé, my sister, my senator, my friend, please don’t make me do this.” Sabé latched onto Padmé’s hands. “Don’t make me do what I’m thinking of doing. Because it’s a terrible idea.”

Not knowing where this was going, but still willing to figure it out, Padmé smiled. “Sabé, you never have terrible ideas. Crazy? Yes. But not terrible.”

She tugged Padmé forward so that they could at least walk while they talked. “You need prenatal care, but you can’t let the press find out because then they’d start to guess who the father is. Doctor Nivens would keep quiet, but we can’t hide him coming and going from the apartment.”

The senator connected the dots. “Sabé-”

“We don’t have any other option,” she interrupted. “We’ll still keep everything as quiet as possible, but the press won’t go into as much of a frenzy if they think it’s one of your handmaidens who’s pregnant. We’ll tell the rest of the girls, Fox, and the Guard, but that’s it.” With a nudge, she added, “You can be the one to tell Anakin he needs to win the war in nine months.”

“Eight, actually.” Without warning, Sabé was crushed in a hug. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Die, probably,” she answered, clutching her friend tightly. “But let’s hope that you never have to find out.”

Suddenly, Rabé popped out from a bend in the trail. “Come on, guys! We found the perfect cave.” She disappeared just as quickly, probably trying to get out of the wind.

“You heard the woman, let’s pick it up.” With a grin, Sabé pulled away, moving to help Padmé up the trail. “I’ve heard walking is good for babies.”

“I’m not sure this is exactly what the doctors had in mind when recommending it,” her friend answered in a huff, but Sabé could only laugh.

And when Anakin arrived a few hours later to pick them up, she made sure that Padmé was the first in and the first to find a seat. Then, she found as many articles on pregnancy as she could, and started to make plans for the newest addition to their group. After all, with parents like Padmé and Anakin, the child was bound to be nothing but trouble.

Chapter Text

The next few months went by so quickly Sabé was left wondering where the time had gone. She was there when Padmé told Anakin about the baby (and subsequently erased all the footage because of course Padmé had done it in a very public part of the Senate Dome). And she was there again when Doctor Nivens did the first ultrasound.

His eyebrows had gone to the top of his forehead before he turned the viewing monitor to Sabé. “Do you see what I see?”

Padmé craned her neck. “What? What is it?”

“Force help us all,” Sabé breathed. “It’s twins.”

And now they were here. Dooku had been killed and Obi-wan was on his way to fight Grievous. It had been a rough few days, but it finally looked like the end of the war was in sight. Except for one small problem.

“How’s the research?” Sabé asked, sliding Versé another cup of caff. They were off today, thank goodness; the chancellor still recovering from his time as a prisoner.

Without looking away from her screen, the slicer replied, “Bad. The Kaminoans did a good job with these firewalls. I’ve only broken two, and there are at least eight more to go.”

“Maybe we should start with what we were able to find out from the public records.” Padmé maneuvered herself onto the couch, which was becoming increasingly more difficult as her due date approached. “We know that every clone has an inhibitor chip.”

“Which is probably a fancy name for a behavioral modification chip,” Eirtaé interrupted. “And it causes blackout missions.”

Dormé frowned from where she was doing her own bit of digging. “Theoretically, if we get it out, that should solve the problem of the blackouts. If we have a chip, we may be able to plug into it directly and see who’s been giving the orders.”

“That’s clearly Palpatine.” Saché had all of her knives laid out on the table in front of her, a sharpener in hand. “And we haven’t been able to get a specific location on the chips, other than ‘brain’.”

“We can’t operate on the entire brain, and a subatomic brain scan would get noticed.” Rabé sighed and moved to the window. “This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Sabé gripped her datapad with white knuckles. “Well, we need to find that needle, and I’d rather do it before the war ends. I for one don’t think that Palpatine’s going to give up all this power he’s given himself, and who better to make sure he stays in office than an army of mind-controlled clones?”

“We’ll figure this out,” Padmé promised, her hand moving to rest on Sabé’s shoulder. “We’ll save your commander.”

“What the kark?”

“Rabé, what’s wrong?” Sabé’s hand went for her blaster, and she quickly joined the other woman at the window. “Oh kark.”

“What is it?” Padmé stood, but Sabé was able to answer before she had gone too far.

“The Jedi Temple. It’s on fire.”

The senator’s eyes widened in horror. “I have to call Anakin.” And she did, but he never answered.

Sharing a look with the other handmaidens, Sabé began to gear up. “I’ll go check it out.” When Padmé’s worried eyes met hers, Sabé did her best to give her a convincing smile. “It’s Anakin. Chances are that one of his side projects has blown up and taken out a hangar.”

“You’re probably right,” Padmé agreed with a shaky laugh. “But thank you for going to check, anyway.”

“Of course.” Sabé drew the hood over her head and went to the landing pad. “I’ll be back soon.”

The flight to the temple was tense, the smoke only growing, blocking out the spires. She could only hope that Anakin wasn’t involved, although she knew the chances of that were slim. Parking the speeder at one of the back entrances Obi-wan had shown her, she began to sneak through the temple.  

The first sign that something was wrong was the fact that there were no temple guards there to stop her from entering the building. The second was the sound of marching boots and blaster fire.

Staying close to the walls, she began to clear the building, moving farther and farther in. When the sounds of boots got closer, she hid in an alcove, carefully peeking out. It was Thire, leading a squad of Guardsmen through the halls. Their movements were robotic, and Sabé realized that this was definitely a blackout mission, which meant that Palpatine was responsible for whatever was happening. Once the group passed, she continued.

But seeing the Guards only made her think of Fox. Where was he? Was he in some part of the temple, being forced to shoot at innocents? Or was he with Palpatine, the snake himself, doing his bidding? She forcefully shook her head. Those thoughts wouldn’t help anyone. She had to focus on the problem at hand. She may not be able to help the Guards, not without a surgical suite, but she could help the jedi.

When she came upon the first bodies, though, she was afraid that there may not be any more jedi left to save. She checked each one to make sure that there was no chance before moving on, hiding when needed. She was definitely going to schedule a session with a mind healer.

She was starting to lose hope when she heard a crash coming from an unopened room. Blaster drawn, Sabé cautiously entered. “Hello? There’s no need to be afraid; I’m a friend.”

“A friend?” An elderly voice gasped. “There are no friends to the jedi. Not anymore.”

She turned to where the voice had come from, still not seeing anyone. “My name is Sabé Veruna. I’m one of Senator Amidala’s handmaidens. She sent me to help.”

The older woman hummed. “The force seems keen on having me go with you, Handmaiden. Let’s hope it doesn’t end in my untimely demise.” Gingerly, the jedi came out from behind a stack of crates. With a small bow, she said, “Master Archivist Jocasta Nu, at your service.”

“It’s a pleasure, Master Nu. Have you found any other survivors?” Sabé quickly scanned the jedi for injuries, but except for a blaster burn at her shoulder, she seemed relatively unscathed.

Her voice was quiet when she stated, “Only the dead occupy the halls of the temple now.”

Trying to protect good feelings into the force, Sabé gave a pained smile. “Well, let’s make sure that you’re not added to that list.”

Their escape to Sabé’s speeder was stressful, to say the least. They had to dodge three more patrols, and there was an extremely close call with Hound’s squad. Grizzer had caught a whiff of her scent, but Master Nu was able to do something in the force to distract the massif.

Once they had made it a few blocks away, Sabé pulled out her comm. “Padmé, we have a problem. I’ll be out of contact for the next few hours to deal with some of it.”

Her friend’s voice was tight with worry. “What’s going on?”

“I think every clone is on a blackout mission to kill the jedi. That’s all I can say right now.” She dodged and weaved through the traffic lanes of Coruscant. “I’m about to contact our younger sister now to let her know.”

“Stay safe.”

“You, too.” Without looking, Sabé rifled through the various compartments of the speeder, finding a medical pack and handing it to the jedi master. “Here. Can you patch yourself up?”

“Yes.”

With that settled, Sabé made her second comm. The person on the other end picked up immediately. “Sabé? What’s wrong? The force feels so cold.”

“Palpatine’s done something to the clones. I want you to cut off all audio communications. Messages, news reports, everything. Text only. And I’m sending you a temple survivor. Their ship will land on Theed in two days.”

Ahsoka’s voice was shaky. “I’ll be there.”

“Good. Tell the men we’re going to do whatever we can to save their brothers, but I want all of you out of sight once you get our guest to the house. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to come back, but hopefully I’ll see you soon.” She pulled into a parking spot at the space port, signaling for Master Nu to get out. “Stay safe, vod’ika.”

“May the force be with you.”

The call was cut, and Master Nu stared at Sabé. “That was Ahsoka Tano.”

“We took her in after she left the order.” Guiding her through the maze of ships, Sabé continued, “She’s with a group of clones who were about to be decommissioned. I believe that Palpatine has activated the clone’s behavioral modification chips; that’s why they’re doing this. Fortunately,” if that word could be used to describe their situation, “it’s voice activated.”

“And you just told Ahsoka to go comm silent.”

“Exactly, so you should be safe.” They made it to a rickety old ship that looked like it was held together with tape and spit. “I promise it’s actually a lot better than it looks. This is the ship we’ve set aside in case Padmé needs to evacuate Coruscant discreetly, so it’s modified with the best cloaking tech in the galaxy. Go to Theed, find Ahsoka, and stay hidden. As soon as I find out more information, I’ll let you know.” She slapped the ramp controls, and the landing ramp lowered with the sound of grinding gears.

Master Nu tilted her head. “Why are you doing this? You must realize that you’re putting your own life at risk by helping me.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” she said with a shrug. “Also, I’m going to free the clones, and they’ll need to talk to a jedi once their chip is out. They’ll need to know that someone survived.”

“Wait.” The jedi’s eyes took on a far away look. “The force…it’s swirling strangely around you. Be careful, and don’t let down your guard for an instant.”

Sabé filed away those cryptic words to think about later. “Stay safe, Master Nu. I’ll see you soon.” She stayed on the landing pad until the ship flew out of sight. Then, with a deep breath, she turned back towards the senate. Time to get to work.

Chapter Text

“Padmé, this is a terrible idea.”

“I have to see him. Maybe Obi-wan was wrong.” Rabé gently shoved the senator into a seat. There was no way that this stress was good for the babies.

With a sigh, Sabé sat beside her. “I saw the temple, Padmé. It was a massacre, and if Anakin thinks that it was a good idea?” She shook her head. “I’m afraid he’s too far gone.”

Tears began to well up in the other woman’s eyes. “He…he can’t be.”

“Padmé, there were children in the temple. I saw them.” Shuddering, she added, “I saw them all.” Then, with a pointed glare at a closet, Sabé growled. “Considering Obi-wan is hiding on the ship, I think he agrees that Anakin needs to be stopped.”

Almost sheepishly, the jedi stepped out, putting the jackets and cloaks back in place before coming to stand in front of the women. “I apologize, but there was no other option. Sabé is right.” His words became pained. “Anakin has fallen, and I can’t…can’t let him hurt anyone else.”

“But Obi-wan-” Padmé began.

“I know.” Sabé squeezed her friend’s hand. “But since you want to be sure, and I’m not going to put you in danger if I can help it, this is what we’re going to do.”

--------------------

“Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can!” Thank the force her plan was working. Anakin was digging his own grave while Padmé and Obi-wan hid in the shuttle. Once the jedi master said that he could make her force presence feel like Padmé’s, Sabé knew that she could keep the senator away from this murderer. Now she just had to get out of here alive so that she could save Fox. 

The knight began to pace. “Don’t you see? We don’t have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chencellor; I…I can overthrow him. And together, you and I can rule the galaxy, make things the way we want them to be.”

This was starting to get ridiculous. He was hearing himself, right? “That’s not a Republic, Anakin! It’s a dictatorship!”

“Obi-wan has turned you against me!” With a spike of fear, Sabé realized that she couldn’t breathe, her feet rising from the ground. The only thing she could hope was that Padmé would stay on the ship.

As her vision became blurry and her hearing diminished, she thought she heard someone say, “You have done that yourself!” Then, she went flying before hitting something really hard, really fast.

Something prickled at the edge of her awareness. There was something that she was supposed to be doing right now, something important. “Chief!” That voice sounded familiar. With a mental groan, Sabé decided that she should wake up. The person sounded worried, which was never a good sign. It usually meant that Padmé had done something stupid. “Chief!”

“Wht?” she slurred, vaguely wondering why speaking hurt so much. “What’s wrong?”

“Thank the force.”

Sabé cracked an eye open, only to jolt awake when the memories came rushing in. “Padmé,” she croaked, throat feeling like she had just been choked by an insane person. “Where’s Padmé?”

Rabé helped her to her feet, throwing her arm over her shoulders. “On the ship. Anakin…he choked her, too.”

“She awake?” Something was wrong with her ankle. She wasn’t sure what exactly, but pain flared up her leg every time she took a step. But that wasn’t important right now. Her focus was Padmé.

“Not yet. Master Kenobi stopped Anakin from…from killing her, but it’s bad.” They shuffled up the landing ramp, and Sabé got eyes on Padmé. Versé was running a tube down her throat, which told her enough about what Anakin had done.

She pushed herself away from Rabé, ripping off the prosthetic they had used to make her appear pregnant with shaky hands. “Where is he?”

“No, Chief.” Rabé grabbed her arm. “He’s a fallen jedi. You’ll die.”

Pulling out her blaster, Sabé checked the charge. “Where. Is. He?”

Saché came from the cockpit, having heard everything over their comm system. “He and Obi-wan are fighting over the lava flows. Looks like he needs help.”

With one last look at Padmé, Sabé pushed all of her worry and fear to the side. It was a promise that every handmaiden made to each other: that if they weren’t able to keep someone from hurting Padmé, that they would make that person pay, dearly and painfully.

Taking a pain reliever from the medical pack Versé had spread out around her, she injected it into her thigh. The effect was immediate, but she still sounded like she had gargled nails when she ordered, “Get the ship ready to leave. As soon as I’ve finished with Skywalker, we’re taking off.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Sabé stalked out of the ship, following the directions Saché had sent to her comm. After a few steps, though, she didn’t need it, the sound of screaming and lightsabers clashing enough to guide her.

Skywalker and Obi-wan were fighting and flipping on two mining platforms. Time to make things more difficult for the idiot. She lined up her shot and waited for the right moment. As soon as Anakin had gone airborne, she destroyed the control panel on his platform. It veered wildly, forcing Anakin to land on the bank of the molten river. Obi-wan jumped off, as well, landing a few yards away from Sabé.

But she was focused on Anakin, his yellow eyes glaring daggers at her. If he was trying to make her afraid, he was going to be sorely disappointed. She was beyond ticked, and she was going to let him know just how badly he had karked up. Unholstering her second blaster, she bared her teeth. “I’m going to kill you.”

The di’kut had the audacity to laugh. “Do you really think you stand a chance against me?”

Showing him exactly what she thought about that, she tried to shoot him in the face. He deflected the shots, one of them coming so close that it singed her sleeve, but she stood her ground. “You’ve injured my senator. You will pay for that in blood.”

Obi-wan moved to her side. “Anakin, give up. You can still come back to the light.”

In response, the fallen jedi snarled before moving to attack. Obi-wan blocked the saber flying towards Sabé’s face, and she used the opening to shoot Anakin in the gut. He used the force to dodge, but it still grazed him. She smiled ferally as blood dripped onto the ground. “Ready for more, demagolka?”

Anakin just growled. By dodging her blasterfire, he had forced himself closer to the lava flow below them. A calculating light entered his eyes, one that Sabé didn’t like.

Neither did the other jedi. Stepping in front of her, Obi-wan held his lightsaber in a ready position. “Don’t try it.”

As usual, Anakin ignored his former master and tried to jump over them. The sound of a lightsaber cutting through limbs would haunt Sabé forever, but she wouldn’t feel sorry for Anakin. He had done this to himself. He rolled down the slope until he was at the border between land and lava. “I hate you!” he screamed.

Deciding to put him out of his misery, Sabé shot him in the shoulder, the bolt tearing a path that would lead further into his chest. It would be a better death than he deserved, but he would be dead, and that’s what mattered. When he collapsed, Sabé holstered her blaster and put a hand on Obi-wan’s shoulder. “We have to go. Padmé’s hanging on, but I don’t know how much longer she can last.”

Numbly, he nodded. “There’s a medical station orbiting Polis Massa. I have friends there who’ll be able to help.” Stretching out his hand, Anakin’s lightsaber flew into it. Sabé didn’t say anything as he clipped it to his belt, hands shaking. “Let’s go.”

As they limped back to the ship, Sabé sighed. Even though she had never really liked Anakin, he was still important to Padmé, and Obi-wan had basically raised him. She thought about what she would feel like if one of the handmaidens had turned evil. “It’s not your fault.”

“If I had been a better master-”

“Don’t play the ‘what if’ game, Obi-wan.” She coughed, feeling like shards of glass were being driven into her throat. “You’re the best jedi I know. Anakin fell because of his own choices. You did the best you could. He fell, and it’s his own karking fault.”

He huffed as they boarded the landing ramp. “I wish I could have your confidence.”

“Use the force,” she said, the ship taking off under their feet, “if you can’t have my confidence, you can at least feel it.” She poked her head into the cockpit. “Get us to Polis Massa.”

Dormé nodded, putting the coordinates into the navi-computer. “Yes, Chief.”

Obi-wan quietly chuckled. “Has anyone ever told you how remarkable you are?”

She raised an eyebrow, discretely guiding the jedi to a medical bed. “Versé, where do you want us?”

The handmaiden took a deep breath, tear tracks clear on her face. “Just sit there.” She checked Obi-wan first. “Padmé’s stabilized, but we need to get her medical attention.”

“We’re headed there now.” Then, she asked the question that she was most scared of. “The babies?”

“They’re fine, for now.” She finished patching Obi-wan up and turned her attention to Sabé. Dormé immediately shoved a glass of bacta in her hands. “Drink that. It’ll help with your throat.”

Knowing that it was generally a bad idea to argue with a medic, she did, even as she winced at the taste. Versé dressed the blaster burn and wrapped her ankle, finally moving away after a few minutes. “There. That’s all I can do.” Pointedly, she didn’t look at Padmé’s bed as she put up her supplies.

Sabé’s throat was feeling much better, but it was still difficult to speak. However, she wasn’t going to let that stop her from helping her girls. “You’ve done an amazing job.” Gingerly, she wrapped the younger woman up in a hug. “We’re only an hour from the medical station, and you’ve gotten her through the worst of it. Padmé will pull through, she’s too stubborn not to.”

With a broken sob, Versé all but collapsed into her arms. Unable to take the weight, Sabé lowered them as gently as they could to the ground. Slowly, the other handmaidens trickled in. This was the first time that Padmé had been seriously injured. They had always been able to take the blows for her, but this time she’d thrown herself in front of something that they weren’t able to protect her from.

Obi-wan had left, heading towards the cockpit to give them some privacy. So there, in the medbay of the ship, the handmaidens broke. They sobbed because their sister had been injured, because their trust had been betrayed, and because there was nothing they could do except wait and pray that Padmé and the babies would survive.

But through it all, Sabé stayed strong. Her eyes never left Padmé, and she didn’t let herself cry. There would be time for that later, when Padmé was awake and would joke with her about being a mother hen. Right now, her girls needed her, and she would provide the support that they needed. Reaching out, she squeezed Padmé’s hand. They’d all pull through. They had to.

Chapter Text

The small medical station above Pollis Massa was receiving more visitors and patients in a day than it had in the past few decades. Not only were the members of Padmé’s ship there, but Senator Organa and Master Yoda had arrived just a few minutes after they docked.

The medical droids and extubated Padmé, doing a simple surgery to stabilize her throat. As soon as she had received word that the senator was going to pull through, Sabé deployed the handmaidens. This was going to be the most well-secured medical station in the galaxy. Obi-wan was with Senator Organa and Master Yoda, debriefing and discussing their next steps. But Sabé knew that if she needed him to, he’d be ready to defend the senator in a heartbeat.

She, of course, was with Padmé. Which was why she was the first person the senator saw when she opened her eyes. “Sabé?”

“Right here.” She commed the others, letting them know that Padmé was awake. “How are you feeling?”

The senator gave a pained smile. Tiredly, she muttered, “Like I was hit by a speeder. Anakin?”

“He hurt you, Padmé.”

And that was all Sabé had to say. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

“There’s a chance he was manipulated by Palpatine.” Sabé didn’t think he had been manipulated that much, but she would keep her opinions to herself.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Padmé closed her eyes. “Then there’s a chance that he wasn’t in control. He didn’t turn into a monster.”

She knew better than to argue with the senator, so she just nodded. “I hope you’re right.” Moving on to less stressful topics, Sabé continued, “Obi-wan is with Senator Organa and Master Yoda. They’re discussing our next steps.”

“We’ll go back to Coruscant.” The way she said it, Padmé was sure in her decision.

Unfortunately, it was a terrible one. “No, we’re not. We’re taking you and the kids somewhere safe. We’ll figure out everything else after that.”

Padmé sighed. “You’re right, as always. The children come first.”

Then, her face contorted in pain. “What’s wrong?”

Gasping, a hand flew to her stomach. “The babies. I think they’re coming.” She grunted. “Where are the others?”

“On duty,” Sabé said, flagging down a medical droid and telling him that they were about to add to the population of the station. “I’ll pull them back.”

She should’ve known better. The handmaidens had been listening in and were already on their way. Someone must have let the others know, too, because the viewing room outside the operating theater quickly became extremely crowded.

Fortunately for Padmé, only two people were allowed in the operating room at a time. “Who do you want with you?” Sabé asked, sacrificing her hand to the cause so Padmé could crush it with her frankly inhuman strength.

In between pants, Padmé gasped, “You and Obi-wan.”

Sabé nodded and signaled for the Jedi to join them. The poor man was definitely out of his comfort zone, but he was putting on a brave face. “I can…take some of the pain, if you’d like.”

The next contraction hit, making Padmé groan and kill Sabé’s hand. “Yes!” they both yelled.

Surprised, the jedi immediately put his hand over Padmé’s. Sabé had no idea what he was doing, but Padmé breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he replied, a tense smile on his face.

A few hours of cursing later, Sabé had taken a pain killer for her hand. But she had stopped worrying about her own pain a while ago. For some reason, Padmé was getting weaker, and they didn’t know why. No one mentioned it, but she could read a vitals monitor as well as anyone else, and Obi-wan seemed to have picked up something in the force, if his nervous glances were anything to go by. “Come on, my dear. The first is almost here.”

The senator groaned, and suddenly they could hear a baby’s cry. Obi-wan took it from the droid, gently cradling his head. “He’s perfect, Padmé.”

“Luke,” she said, raising a hand to touch his blond fuzz. “His name is Luke.”

“Come on, Padmé, I need a new little handmaiden to spoil.” Sabé was doing her best to be upbeat, but it was so hard when she was watching her friend’s life drain before her eyes for no discernable reason.

Padmé cursed, pain contorting her face, and a few minutes later, Sabé got her wish. When she took the infant from the droid, it was like she was holding the most precious gift in the galaxy. “Here she is, Padmé. She’s going to be a fighter; I can already tell.”

The senator’s eyelids fluttered open, her energy almost spent. “Leia. My Leia.” She dragged her eyes up to meet Sabé’s. “Take care of them, Sabé.” Turning her head, she looked to the other handmaidens, who weren’t able to hide their tears. “All of them.”

“You know I will.” She took a shuddered breath, trying to keep her composure. “I promise.”

“Good.” Padmé sighed, the ghost of a smile on her face. “And go save your commander. He needs you.”

Sabé held onto Leia a little tighter. “You need me more.”

Padmé reached out, and Sabé shifted her grip on the baby so that she could take the senator’s hand. “You’re going to need someone to watch your back, and the only person I trust for that job is him.”

“You-you’re the one who watches my back,” she stammered.

The vitals monitor began to make a strange noise as the beeping grew less frequent. Padmé smiled one last time. “Always.” Then, her eyes closed, and her hand went slack in Sabé’s.

The chief’s world shattered. Her knees hit the floor as she heaved in a great sob, and the jedi winced under the power of her grief.

------------------

 Hours later, Sabé sat at one of the conference table of the medical station. The other handmaidens were stationed around the room, the jedi and Senator Organa joining Sabé at the table. Master Yoda, ears drooping, finally spoke. “The children, we must discuss.”

“They’re staying with us.” Sabé adjusted the blanket wrapping little Leia, who slept on unaware. “It was what Padmé wanted, and thanks to the cover story we made to hide her pregnancy, no one will suspect a thing.”

Luke was still with Obi-wan, who was looking as shell-shocked as Sabé felt. “Sabé, the twins are both very strong in the force. If they stay together, Palpatine will find them. And I believe the dark side was involved in the senator’s death. If Palpatine discovered what the twin’s force presence feels like, they will be in greater danger than even you can protect them from.”

“Killed four council members, he did. Masters of the force, they were.”

Senator Organa rubbed his chin. “What do you propose, then? That we split them up?”

“Exactly.” Obi-wan turned to Sabé. “I know it’s not ideal, but this is the only way to keep them safe.”

“Who would take the other twin?” Saché interrupted, hand moving to her blaster. It was clear that none of the handmaidens wanted to give up either of the babies, but if that’s what must be done to keep them safe, then they’d make sure that they were given the best care possible.

Organa cleared his throat. “It’s not common knowledge, but Breha and I have been trying to have children for years. If one of the twins go with us, I promise that they will be safe and loved. And we’ll always be open to visits from you or one of the other handmaidens.”

Sabé closed her eyes and breathed. After a moment, she looked to Obi-wan. “What does the force say?”

Before he answered, the jedi readjusted Luke, quieting him before the baby even had the chance to cry. “Alderaan is one of the safest places in the galaxy, and I would trust Bail with my life.”

“But who goes with who?” Versé asked.

“We take Leia.” There was no doubt in her mind. Leia would be their little handmaiden, and Luke would be the darling prince of Alderaan. She could almost see it.

Sabé turned her attention to the jedi. “And who will train them in the force?”

“Failed, I have.” Yoda’s ears drooped even more. “Into exile, I must go.” That sounded like a dumb excuse to her, but jedi had always been cryptic. Maybe this was normal jedi behavior.

“The force tells me that I will train Luke. But that leaves Leia without a teacher.” He looked down at the infant, running a finger over his soft cheek. “I could split my time between the two of them.”

“That…may not be necessary.” At the other’s questioning look, she sighed. “Ahsoka Tano has been staying at my villa for the past few months, and I rescued Master Jocasta Nu when the temple burned. Maybe one of them would be willing to train Leia.”

Obi-wan smiled. “I think that’s perfect. Master Jocasta had been wanting a new padawan.”

“Then decided, it is. Go to Alderaan with Luke, Obi-wan will. Secret, the twin’s origins will be.” Yoda nodded, striking his gimmer stick on the floor.

“At least for now,” Sabé added. “I’m not going to hide their heritage from them forever.”

“Agreed.” Obi-wan rose, giving Luke to Senator Organa before coming to wrap Sabé in a hug. “Our time here grows short, and something tells me that this is the last time we’ll see each other for a while. Please stay safe.”

She leaned into the contact. “I’ll do my best.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I…I have to go get Padmé. And call her family.”

“A great loss, this is. A good friend, Senator Amidala was, and missed, she will be.” The elderly master got up from his chair to look up at the chief. “But prepared you are, for this challenge. Well taken care of, the child will be.”

“Thank you, Master.” Sabé bowed her head. “We’ll do our best.”

When the group made it to the hanger, it was time to say goodbye. In more ways than one. Padmé’s casket was the first thing to be loaded onto the ship, the handmaidens providing an honor guard for the senator...one last time. Once she had made it on board, it was time to say goodbye to the living.

Tears were shed and promises made to keep in touch. Just because Luke was going with Organa didn’t mean that Sabé expected to be left out of the loop. She wanted holos. Lots of them. Then, they each boarded their respective ships and flew away.

--------------------------

She saw Senator Organa again at the funeral a few days later. All of the other handmaidens were accompanying Padmé to her final resting place, but she had elected to stay out of sight with Leia. The fake pregnancy sham would help them one last time. “I hear you’ve adopted a new son, Senator.”

“I have, Lady Veruna.” Thankfully for all of them, Organa could act better than Anakin. “He’s been a perfect angel, barely fusses at all. And how is your little one?”

“She gets upset whenever she’s hungry, but that’s normal.” Sabé smiled at the sleeping infant in her arms. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

There was a pause as the senator thought about how to phrase his next question. “Good nannies are difficult to come by,” he said. “Have you had any luck?”

Sabé thought back to when she had first brought Leia home. The clones had never seen a baby that young and were terrified that they’d break her. Master Nu, on the other hand, had taken one look, declared that Leia would be her padawan, and whisked her away whenever she could to talk about ancient jedi texts. Apparently Leia was already a stimulating conversationalist. “I’m lucky. There’s already an army of helpers to follow the little princess’s every commands. You?”

“I think I’ve found someone. He’s a bit…unorthodox for a nanny, but Luke likes him.” He winked before something in the crowd caught his eye. “We’re being watched.”

Subtly, Sabé checked where he was looking. “Admiral Tarkin. We should probably split up before he gets any ideas.”

“A good plan, my lady.” He bowed. “May we meet again soon.”

Sabé bowed her head slightly. “And may Luke sleep through the night.”

She stayed where she was for a few minutes more before Leia started getting a little fussy. “Are you hungry, my little lady?” The baby only cried louder, making Sabé sigh. “Alright, Leia, I’m leaving.”

And when they had made it back to the villa, Leia sleeping soundly in her bassinet, Sabé couldn’t help but think of how much Fox would love her. And of how scared he’d be to hold her for the first time. She could hardly wait to see his face when she introduced the two of them. Current reports said that he was stuck on Coruscant, almost never leaving the Chancellor’s side, but that didn’t matter. Even if it took years, she was going to get Fox back, and force help anyone that got in her way.

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Far away on Coruscant, under the husk of the Jedi Temple, Darth Vader breathed.