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DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based FICTION
All Installations of Star Wars are owned by Lucasfilm and Disney. All Installations of Dune belong to Herbert Properties, Legendary Entertainment, and Warner Bros. And any other references to other works all belong to their respective authors/companies and whatnot.
Chapter 8:
Unveiling the Culprit
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
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Location: Colo Claw Cantina
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 7:01 P.M
Police landspeeders surrounded the cantina on all sides, their lights flashing rhythmically against the grime-covered streets of the district. Officers clad in blast-dampening maroon leather armor with yellow underclothes moved through the area, interviewing shaken witnesses and keeping curious civilians behind hastily erected barriers.
The atmosphere outside the Colo Claw Cantina was tense, loud, and chaotic.
Beneath the cantina, however, the hidden basement felt almost unnaturally still.
Two Royal Guards and two Winged Shields accompanied Cade and Padmé as they searched through the underground meeting chamber. The place reminded Cade of a church more than anything else. Rows of pews lined the room, all facing a central podium at the front. The walls were plastered with slogans and banners, some hand-painted, others professionally printed.
"A Future Without War!"
"No More Armies! No More Lies!"
Cade's eyes drifted across each one as he walked slowly down the aisle between the pews. The idealism behind the words was obvious, but after everything that had happened, all he could see was hypocrisy layered beneath self-righteousness.
He glanced sideways toward Padmé and barely suppressed a wince.
She looked devastated.
Not angry. Not fearful.
Heartbroken.
Like she genuinely could not comprehend how her own people could descend to this point. These were Nabooians. Citizens she ruled over. People who claimed they wanted peace, yet had resorted to bombings, assassination attempts, and murder.
Cade climbed the short set of steps leading to the podium before moving behind it toward a cluster of tables. Datapads, portable computers, and stacks of papers covered every available inch of space. Some contained schedules, others propaganda drafts, supply lists, coded communications, and financial ledgers.
Leaning over the tables, Cade quickly began sorting through them, searching for anything useful.
"We'll need to confiscate all of this and go through it immediately," he said firmly. "These people need to be found before they hurt anyone else."
Silence answered him.
Cade frowned slightly and glanced back over his shoulder.
Padmé stood motionless near one of the hanging signs.
THEED BEFORE THE THRONE.
"Padmé?" Cade asked softly.
He stepped beside her and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. Beneath his palm, he could feel the tension in her posture, the weight of everything pressing down on her all at once.
"Are you alright?"
Padmé kept staring at the banner for a few moments longer before finally speaking. "I… I don't understand." There was genuine sorrow in her voice. "How can they preach peace and justice, then turn around and murder innocent civilians?"
Cade opened his mouth to answer but stopped.
Honestly… he didn't know.
How did people convince themselves that terror and murder were acceptable so long as they believed their cause was righteous? How did people stand beneath banners calling for peace while planting bombs and gunning down civilians in the streets?
For once, Cade genuinely had no answer.
"I…" He paused, searching for something comforting or wise to say, but nothing came.
Thankfully, the silence was broken before he had to force a response.
"My lord!" one of the Winged Shields suddenly called from across the room. "I think I found something!"
Both Cade and Padmé turned immediately.
The Winged Shield stood near one of the portable computers farther back behind the podium, one gloved hand resting against the side of the monitor while the other waved them over.
Cade gave Padmé's shoulder a small reassuring squeeze before stepping away with her toward the soldier.
"What do you have?" Cade asked as he and Padmé stepped up beside the Winged Shield.
"A recording," the soldier replied. "Looks like they recorded every meeting held down here. Probably so they could edit the footage later for propaganda pieces."
"And how exactly did you figure that out?" Padmé asked curiously.
The Shield pointed toward a datapad resting beside the computer terminal. "This datapad mentions editing meetings for future propaganda videos. And on the computer itself, there are dozens of audio files and recordings stored."
"Can you play one?" Padmé asked.
The Winged Shield nodded and selected the first file.
For a few seconds, there was only static and muffled movement. Then a firm, older female voice echoed through the underground chamber.
"My name is Iayabella Estrange. Many of you already know me, but for our four newest members, allow me to introduce myself. I was the proud owner of the Queen of Theed Orphanage before the invasion. During that invasion, a stray shot from a Trade Federation tank destroyed my business. My husband was killed. Four children under my protection died with him."
A wave of gasps, muttered curses, and sympathetic voices filled the recording for several moments before the woman continued.
"I believed that once Queen Amidala forced the Viceroy to answer for his crimes, our people would enter a new era of peace." Her tone sharpened noticeably. "But that new Guard Captain of hers, Mariek Panaka, has corrupted her. Led her astray from the peaceful beliefs of our people!"
Voices throughout the room shouted their agreement.
"We must fight back!" Iayabella declared passionately. "We must free the Queen from the clutches of this militaristic influence!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"They will try to stop us," she continued over the noise. "But remember why you fight. You fight for your families. For your people. You fight for a better tomorrow!" Her voice rose into a near shout. "For Naboo!"
"For Naboo!" dozens of voices roared back in unison.
Then the recording ended.
Silence settled heavily over the hidden chamber.
Cade slowly folded his arms across his chest, his expression unreadable as he processed what he had just heard. The woman genuinely believed what she was saying. Despite how utterly idiotic it sounded.
He genuinely felt sympathy for the woman's losses. Losing her husband and children under her care during the invasion was horrific, and no one deserved that kind of pain. But what she was doing now was reckless, extreme, and dangerous. Not just for herself, but for every frightened, angry person she was rallying behind her cause. Her movement had already crossed the line from political activism into outright terrorism.
People were dead because of them.
Innocent civilians.
Royal Guards.
People who had nothing to do with the political fears these fanatics obsessed over.
"Do we have anything that tells us where they might be meeting now?" Cade asked, forcing himself to refocus on the situation at hand. "There has to be a backup location somewhere."
One of the Winged Shields immediately began going through more datapads while the Royal Guards searched through filing crates and loose papers scattered around the tables.
"How?" Padmé whispered suddenly, drawing Cade's attention back toward her.
She still stared at the signs around the room, her expression filled with sorrow and disbelief.
"How could she lose her husband and those children… and decide more violence was the answer?"
"I…" Cade started, only for the words to catch in his throat.
Again, he honestly didn't know what to say.
How could people who preached peace justify murder? How could men and women stand beneath banners demanding a future without war while planting bombs and carrying out drive-by shootings that killed innocents? The contradiction was so obvious that part of him wanted to dismiss them as insane.
But he knew it was more complicated than that.
Slowly, Cade let out a breath.
"Because somewhere along the way," he said quietly, "they convinced themselves the people they killed either deserved it… or were acceptable losses for the future they wanted."
Padmé lowered her gaze toward the floor, visibly pained by the thought.
"It's easier for people to justify horrible things when they believe they're morally right," Cade continued. His eyes drifted across the banners hanging around the chamber. "Especially when fear gets involved. They saw the invasion. Saw guards being armed, new weapons being developed, soldiers increasing in number…" He gestured around the room. "Instead of seeing protection, they saw the beginning of something they feared."
"But that still doesn't excuse this," Padmé whispered.
"No," Cade replied immediately. "It doesn't."
A few seconds later, one of the Winged Shields suddenly looked up from a datapad.
"My lord," the soldier called. "I think I found another location."
"Where?" Cade asked immediately, walking over to the Winged Shield and looking down over the soldier's shoulder at the datapad screen.
"Well, apparently these people have ties to crime boss Rhyul."
"And here I thought they couldn't sink any lower," Padmé muttered as she stepped beside Cade and read the information herself.
Cade glanced sideways at her, confusion briefly crossing his face.
"Rhyul is the crime lord I told you about," Padmé explained. "The one who runs the Kaadu Casino not far from here."
"Ah." Cade nodded before returning his attention to the datapad. "And how exactly are these fanatics tied to him?"
The Winged Shield scrolled farther down through the records. "According to these logs, most of the blasters used by the Anti-Armament Movement were supplied by Rhyul. Same with the credits used to rent and refurbish this place from the…" The soldier hesitated briefly. "…the now dead Quarren upstairs."
Padmé's expression dimmed slightly at the mention of the Quarren.
"But why?" Cade asked, frowning thoughtfully. "What does he gain from funding these people?"
Silence settled over the room for several seconds before Padmé's eyes widened slightly in realization. "…Destabilization."
Cade's gaze snapped toward her.
"Think about it," Padmé continued. "If this movement succeeds, then the Royal Security Force weakens even further. Public trust collapses. The government becomes distracted trying to contain internal violence while…" She paused for a moment, visibly disgusted. "…while he expands his businesses." She practically spat the last word out.
Understanding dawned on Cade almost immediately. "I see." He nodded slowly. "So while you're occupied dealing with bombings, assassination attempts, and trying to replace leadership inside a damaged security force…" His eyes hardened. "…he bribes more officers and expands his criminal empire across Naboo."
Padmé nodded grimly.
"We won't let that happen," Cade said firmly, locking eyes with her.
For the first time since entering the hidden chamber, Padmé smiled.
————
Location: Kaadu Casino
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 7:19 P.M
"What do you mean they found you?"
The voice came from behind a lavish desk buried beneath scattered Republic credits, datapads, papers, and several half-empty bottles of alcohol. Sitting behind it was a Rodian of immense size, so large that a reinforced gravity chair supported his bulk. His green skin stretched tightly across layers of fat, expensive jewelry hanging from his neck and wrists while one thick hand lazily spun a glass of golden liquor.
To the Rodian's left stood a green-skinned Kalleran gripping an FC-4 blaster rifle across his chest. On the right was a brown-skinned Arcona with a DL-18 holstered at his hip, his narrow eyes silently watching everyone in the room.
Standing across from the desk was an older woman somewhere in her late sixties or early seventies. Despite her age, there was still a sharpness to her posture and expression. Fine lines marked the corners of her eyes and mouth, but they only added to the refined maturity in her features rather than taking away from them. Her thick white hair was swept neatly back in soft waves, and she wore a dark navy-blue outfit beneath a tailored tan vest.
Behind her stood two men clad in loose white pants, dark blue shirts, and dark tan robes. Their hoods remained pulled low, hiding everything but their jawlines.
"What I mean, Rhyul," the woman replied firmly, "is that they discovered the cantina was one of our meeting places. And once they finish searching it, they'll eventually discover your involvement with our movement."
The massive Rodian slowly spun his gravity chair around, swirling the golden alcohol inside his glass before downing the drink in a single gulp.
He slammed the empty glass onto the desk.
"I would watch that tone, little Iaya," he growled.
Iayabella Estrange's brow twitched faintly at the nickname. The crime boss had started using it months ago purely to mock her age, and he clearly enjoyed every second of it.
"You should be more concerned about the Queen's forces finding you than my tone," Iayabella shot back. "The Quarren talked. I know he did. He was weak."
"Then maybe you should've killed him sooner," Rhyul replied lazily.
The two hooded men behind Iayabella subtly shifted at the remark, tension creeping into the room.
Rhyul either didn't notice or didn't care.
"You told us this district hated the Queen's militarization efforts," Iayabella continued. "You said the people here would support us openly."
"They do," Rhyul snorted. "Until blaster fire starts flying and Royal Guards kick down doors."
He leaned forward slightly in his gravity chair, his yellow eyes narrowing.
"But you're missing the bigger picture." He tapped one thick finger against the desk. "Every bomb. Every assassination attempt. Every dead guard. It weakens confidence in the Queen. Weakens confidence in the security forces." A grin slowly spread across his broad face. "And frightened people are easier to control."
Iayabella's expression hardened. "We are trying to save Naboo."
"No," Rhyul chuckled darkly. "You're trying to save your version of Naboo." He spread his arms wide. "Me? I'm just making credits while the planet tears itself apart."
The older woman's jaw tightened in disgust.
Before she could respond, the casino doors outside the office suddenly burst open somewhere in the distance, followed almost immediately by muffled shouting.
Iayabella glanced back toward the massive double doors leading into Rhyul's penthouse office, worry filling her eyes as the muffled sounds of distant shouting echoed from somewhere deeper in the casino.
Both of her robed guards immediately drew blaster pistols.
The reaction was instant. Rhyul's Kalleran and Arcona bodyguards snapped their weapons up toward the two men, tension exploding through the room in seconds.
Iayabella slowly turned back toward the massive Rodian lounging behind his desk. "Why aren't you ordering your men to escort us out of here?" she demanded. "They're coming for us!"
"Why, my dear Iaya," Rhyul chuckled, his massive neck rolls jiggling as he leaned back in his gravity chair, "while I may have funded your little movement, I did not do so without a backup plan."
The older woman's face paled.
"They have no financial documents linking me to your organization," the Rodian continued smugly. "I made very sure of that. And between my friends in the Naboo justice system and several very expensive lawyers…" He spread his thick hands lazily. "All I need to do is hand the Queen's forces a convenient terrorist leader, and I can get back to doing what I do best."
"But… but what about our agreement?!" Iayabella shouted, fear and rage finally overtaking her composure. "This benefited you too!"
"Oh, it did," Rhyul admitted with a wide grin. "Thanks to you, the people in this district distrust the government more now than they ever have." He tapped a thick finger against his desk. "And frightened, desperate people are easy to recruit. When I offer them work, protection, or credits, they'll crawl right into my pocket."
The Rodian burst into booming laughter.
"You fat bastard!" Iayabella roared. In one swift motion, she drew her blaster pistol and leveled it directly at Rhyul.
"Guards!" the Rodian shrieked in panic as he slammed a hidden button beneath his desk.
Iayabella fired twice. Both crimson bolts slammed into the Rodian's massive torso, burning into layers of fat and flesh. Rhyul screamed in agony as his gravity chair jerked violently backward.
At the same time, the Kalleran bodyguard opened fire.
A blaster bolt tore through Iayabella's shoulder, spinning her sideways with a cry of pain, but before the guard could fire again, one of her robed escorts shot him square in the chest.
The Kalleran collapsed.
The Arcona reacted faster.
Three blaster shots hammered into the second robed guard's torso, sending the man crashing backward onto the floor. But even as he fell dying, Iayabella steadied her pistol with her uninjured arm and fired once.
The bolt struck the Arcona directly in the head.
Silence enveloped the room for all of five seconds.
Then it was broken by Rhyul groaning in agony behind his desk while smoke drifted through the office from scorched flesh and lingering blaster fire. The smell of burnt cloth and blood quickly filled the lavish penthouse.
Suddenly, the double doors exploded inward.
Two more guards under Rhyul's employ rushed into the office. One was a human carrying a modified DE-10 that had been converted into a brutal scattergun, while beside him charged a Selonian armed with a DL-18 blaster pistol.
The remaining robed guard reacted instantly.
Four blaster bolts tore into the Selonian before the otter-like alien could even raise his weapon properly. The guard pointed toward the connected bedroom and shouted, "Go, Saint Estrange! We still have—"
The rest of his words vanished beneath the deafening blast of the scattergun.
Dozens of pellets ripped into the robed man's torso, shredding cloth, flesh, and bone before hurling him backward across the office floor.
Meanwhile, Iayabella needed no further encouragement.
Clutching her wounded shoulder, she ducked into the lavish bedroom connected to the office. A loud boom echoed out behind her just as the door slid shut, pellets slamming violently into the metal seconds later.
She immediately hit the lock control beside the frame.
The elegant room barely registered in her mind. Expensive sheets, polished furniture, decorative lighting. None of it mattered. Her eyes frantically searched for a way out.
Thankfully, it didn't take long. Near the far left wall, she spotted a hidden panel partially concealed behind an ornate decorative fixture. Pressing against it caused an entire section of the wall to slide open, revealing a concealed elevator.
Relief flooding through her, Iayabella hurried inside and slammed her hand against the control panel, selecting the lowest floor: the parking garage. The hidden doorway sealed shut just as muffled shouting and pounding erupted from the other side of the bedroom door.
————
Location: Kaadu Casino
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 7:28 P.M
Storming through the hallways of the casino, Cade and his escort of ten Winged Shields made their way toward the penthouse office, following behind two nervous-looking thugs under Rhyul's employ. Elsewhere throughout the building, another seventeen Winged Shields and eight Royal Guards were busy securing the casino floor and locking down every exit. Outside, thirty Royal Guards and fifty police officers had the entire building surrounded. Nobody was getting in or out without Cade or Padmé knowing about it.
Padmé herself was only a few paces behind him, accompanied by several Royal Guards as she kept pace with the advance. The atmosphere inside the casino had become tense. Patrons had either fled or been detained, and every employee Cade passed looked terrified of being caught in the middle of whatever was unfolding.
A green-skinned Ishi Tib and an orange-skinned Gran hurried ahead of the heavily armed group, both repeatedly glancing over their shoulders with anxious expressions. Their fear only grew when sudden blaster fire erupted somewhere farther ahead.
The Winged Shields immediately raised their M1 Atreides and M2 Battle Rifles, fingers settling near triggers as they scanned every doorway and side corridor. Cade brought up his own M2 and watched as the two thugs suddenly broke into a sprint, each pulling blaster pistols from their back pockets.
Switching to his squad frequency, Cade spoke calmly into his helmet's comm.
"Mordie, Morgan, stay here. Perimeter watch. Don't let any of these thugs get past."
"Yes, my lord," both soldiers replied immediately.
The two Winged Shields stepped out of formation and took up positions on opposite sides of the hallway, their M1 Atreides rifles covering both directions.
Cade nodded once before motioning forward with his free hand. "Move up."
The squad advanced cautiously down the corridor. A few seconds later, the thunderous blast of a scattergun echoed through the penthouse level, loud enough to make several people instinctively flinch. The sound was followed by shouting, then silence.
Despite the warning signs, Cade and his men continued forward.
Turning the final corner, they came upon the source of the commotion.
The two thugs who had been guiding them were now joined by several others, all gathered around a reinforced doorway leading deeper into the penthouse suite. Some were trying to force the door open while others stood guard with weapons drawn.
Beyond them sat the man they had come to arrest. Or rather, the man they had intended to arrest.
Rhyul was slumped motionless in his oversized gravity chair behind a lavish desk covered in datapads, loose credits, bottles of alcohol, and scattered paperwork. Two scorched blaster wounds smoked from his massive torso, the smell of burnt flesh lingering heavily in the air. The Rodian crime lord was dead.
Cade's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. Whatever had happened here, they were too late to question Rhyul personally.
The sight of the heavily armed Winged Shields caused several of the gathered thugs to freeze in place. Others slowly lowered their weapons, uncertainty replacing whatever confidence they had moments earlier.
"What happened here?" Cade demanded as he strode forward, his rifle trained on the crowd of thugs while his soldiers spread out behind him. "And where is Iayabella Estrange?"
A purple-skinned Duros armed with a blaster pistol pointed toward the office and quickly began explaining. "She killed Boss Rhyul! She's here in his penthouse, and—"
Before the Duros could finish, a broad-shouldered human with a buzz cut shoved him aside.
"Who the hell are y'all?" the thug shouted. His eyes widened as they landed on Padmé's guards. "Wait, are those Royal Guards?" Panic flashed across his face. "Shit! They're the Queen's men! Blast 'em!"
The thug raised his scattergun, and two of the five armed criminals beside him snapped their blaster pistols upward.
They never got the chance to fire.
The Winged Shields reacted instantly.
A storm of crimson blaster fire filled the room. Rapid-fire and burst-fire shots slammed into the thugs, dropping them almost immediately. One crashed into the wall before sliding to the floor, while another stumbled sideways and collapsed onto a sabacc table, sending it toppling over.
The entire exchange lasted barely a second.
As the last thug hit the ground, Cade stepped forward and looked at the sealed doorway leading deeper into the penthouse.
"We need a breaching charge on this door ASAP," he ordered. "We need her alive for—"
A voice suddenly crackled over his helmet commlink.
"My lord! Estrange has escaped!"
Cade stared blankly at the door for several seconds. Then he blinked.
"What?" he asked. "How?"
"She killed some of the Royal Guards assigned to secure the parking garage and escaped on a speeder bike."
"Tch!" Cade shook his head and lowered his rifle slightly. "God damn it."
"Cade?" Padmé asked, her posture immediately tensing. A blaster pistol was clenched firmly in one hand, determination written across her face. "What is it?"
Cade let out a long sigh before raising his gaze to meet hers. "She's gone." Padmé stared at him. "She escaped."
For a moment she simply blinked.
Then her expression hardened. "What?!" she demanded. "How did she get away? They just said she was trapped behind that door!"
"I don't know," Cade admitted, frustration creeping into his voice. Activating his commlink again, he switched back to his soldiers. "Detain every customer still inside the casino. Arrest all armed guards and employees associated with Rhyul."
"Yes, my lord!" several voices replied at once.
Padmé looked away for a moment, visibly struggling to process the situation. "Well... what do we do now?" she asked quietly. "This was our only lead, and now she's gone. What now?"
Cade didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked past Rhyul's desk and stopped beside the gravity chair that still held the dead crime lord. The Rodian's body sat motionless, head slumped to one side, his empire ending not with some grand confrontation but with betrayal from the very people he had manipulated.
Beyond the office's massive glass windows, the lights of Theed stretched into the distance.
Cade stood there for several moments, staring out across the city.
The investigation had led them here.
The Anti-Armament Movement had lost its headquarters.
Its primary financial backer was dead.
And yet somehow their leader had slipped through their fingers.
Not to mention, its members now knew they were onto them and would go into hiding. And if Estrange was smart, then she would too.
Cade felt anger, guilt, annoyance, and a myriad of other emotions at his failure to capture this woman bubble in his chest. "I don't know," he finally admitted.
The words hung heavily in the room.
Outside, the lights of police speeders flashed across the cityscape, bathing the office in alternating shades of blue and red as the search for Iayabella Estrange began anew.
————
One Week Later...
Location: Theed Royal Palace Sewers
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 10:58 P.M
"Saint Estrange... Are... Are you sure this is the right way to do this?"
The question came from one of the many men and women moving through the cramped tunnels of the Theed Royal Palace sewers. Followers clad in dark robes hurried back and forth, pulling blaster rifles, pistols, and thermal detonators from crates stamped with the faded logo of the Trade Federation.
Many of them cast uneasy glances toward the twenty stolen battle droids standing silently throughout the chamber. Their pitch-black paint jobs were crude attempts to cover their original colors, but nobody could mistake what they were. The reprogrammed B1 battle droids stood motionless with E-5 blaster rifles held firmly in their three-fingered grips, waiting for orders.
Iayabella Estrange let out a weary sigh.
This was the fifteenth person to ask her that question tonight, or at least some variation of it.
"Yes, Alecxan," she replied firmly. "The Queen has been lost to us. If that wasn't already obvious, then the fact that her Atreides hound is here hunting us with his soldiers should make it clear enough."
Several nearby followers turned toward her, listening intently.
"The Queen has abandoned the peaceful principles that once made Naboo beautiful," Iayabella continued, her voice rising with conviction. "She surrounds herself with soldiers, builds weapons, expands her security forces, and listens to warmongers like Mariek Panaka and that off-world noble." Her expression hardened. "Once the Queen and her two belligerent zealots are removed from power, we can restore Naboo to the peaceful paradise it once was!"
"Yeah!"
Several followers cheered immediately, fists pumping into the air.
"For Naboo!"
"For peace!"
However, not everyone joined in.
Among the nearly one hundred members gathered in the sewers, more than a few exchanged uneasy glances. Doubt lingered in their eyes as they looked at the weapons piled around them, the stolen battle droids standing guard, and the thermal detonators being passed from hand to hand.
This didn't feel peaceful.
It felt like war.
Iayabella either didn't notice their hesitation or chose to ignore it.
"Everyone, get ready!" she shouted. "We strike at midnight and restore peace to Naboo!"
"YEAHH!!"
The roar echoed through the ancient sewer tunnels as followers rushed to finish preparations. Weapons were checked, detonators distributed, and battle droids activated one by one. Above them, completely unaware of the storm gathering beneath the city, the lights of Theed continued to shine peacefully against the night sky.
————
Location: Theed Royal Palace Gardens
Year: 31 BBY
Time: 11:55 P.M
The Royal Gardens were quiet beneath Naboo's moonlit sky. The sounds of the city beyond the palace walls felt distant, muted by the soft trickle of fountains and the rustling of leaves as a cool breeze drifted through the gardens. Cade sat on the edge of a marble fountain dressed in black slacks, a black t-shirt, and a dark green vest, his eyes fixed on the stars overhead. Beside him, Padmé ran her fingers through the crystal-clear water, watching the ripples spread across the surface and distort the reflected lights above. Neither had spoken for several minutes. The silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was the sort of silence that only existed between people who had spent enough time together to enjoy each other's company without needing words.
"I should've caught her."
Padmé glanced over at him. The frustration in his voice was unmistakable.
Cade let out a slow breath and lowered his gaze from the stars. "She was trapped, Padmé. We had the casino surrounded, every exit covered, and somehow she still slipped through our fingers." His jaw tightened as he remembered the scene inside Rhyul's office. "Every time I think about it, I find another mistake. Another decision I could've made differently. If I'd moved faster, searched more thoroughly, or stationed more men in the garage, we'd have her in a cell right now instead of running around Naboo planning her next attack."
Padmé withdrew her hand from the fountain and stared down at the droplets running from her fingertips. "I know how you feel."
Cade looked over at her and immediately noticed the sadness in her eyes.
"No, really," she continued quietly. "I keep replaying everything in my head as well. Every meeting, every speech, every complaint that crossed my desk. I keep asking myself if there was a point where I could've stopped all of this before it reached this stage." Her shoulders sagged slightly. "People died because of this movement. Guards. Civilians. Innocent people who had nothing to do with any of it. I was supposed to protect them, Cade."
"You can't blame yourself for that."
"Can't I?" Padmé asked softly. "I'm the Queen. If I had noticed sooner how frightened people were after the invasion, maybe someone like Estrange would've never gained followers in the first place."
Cade immediately shook his head. "No. That's not how this works." He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "The Trade Federation invaded your world. Corrupt officials took advantage of the chaos. A crime lord funded extremists. And a woman who suffered a terrible tragedy convinced herself that violence was the answer. None of those things happened because you failed."
Padmé was silent for several seconds.
"And what about you?" she finally asked.
Cade frowned.
"You keep talking like everything is your fault too."
He looked away.
Padmé scooted a little closer. "You came here because I asked for help. You've spent weeks chasing leads, interrogating suspects, raiding hideouts, and risking your life trying to protect people you've only known for a little more than a year." A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "If anyone has the right to be disappointed, it's me. You answered my call, and I still couldn't help you catch her."
That earned a short laugh from Cade. "That's ridiculous."
"So is you, blaming yourself for everything."
For a moment they simply sat there, staring at one another. Then Padmé smiled, and some of the weight pressing on Cade's chest seemed to lessen. Without really thinking about it, he reached over and took her hand.
Neither of them spoke.
There wasn't really anything left to say.
Padmé stood first and stepped closer. Cade followed a moment later, and before he knew it, she had wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated for only a second before returning the embrace. The warmth of it, the simple comfort of having someone who understood exactly what he was feeling, made the frustrations of the past week seem just a little less overwhelming.
Eventually, they pulled apart.
Not completely.
Just enough to look at each other.
Cade found himself staring down into her hazel eyes while Padmé looked up into his. The sounds of the gardens seemed to disappear around them. Neither noticed the fountain anymore. Neither noticed the breeze. The entire world felt like it had narrowed to the space between them.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, they began leaning toward one another.
"My lord!"
"Your Highness!"
The shout shattered the moment like a blaster bolt through glass.
Both of them jumped apart and turned toward the palace. A Winged Shield and a Royal Guard were sprinting across the gardens toward them, breathing hard and visibly panicked.
Cade's stomach immediately sank.
The Winged Shield came to a stop and snapped to attention. "My lord, we've located Estrange."
At the same moment, the Royal Guard blurted out, "The palace is under attack!"
Every trace of warmth vanished from the garden.
Padmé's eyes widened. "What?"
"Armed hostiles are emerging from the sewers beneath the palace," the guard reported. "Explosions have been reported near the western wing, and multiple casualties have already occurred."
Cade and Padmé exchanged a look.
Whatever might have happened between them would have to wait.
Iayabella Estrange had made her move.
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A/N: Welcome to the Eighth chapter of my fic: Star Wars: House Atreides!