-

As the ship descended towards the designated landing area, Obi-Wan Kenobi took in the lush landscape of Naboo. His Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, gently ran his hands over the controls of the ship to ease it into its place as the ground got closer and closer, while also casting a kind look over to his Padawan. “What is it on your mind?”

Obi-Wan blinked and looked to him, “Master?”

“You’ve got that look on your face,” he explained with a wry smirk behind his beard. “Do you not like it?”

“It’s not a matter of liking it, Master.” The young man sighed and returned his gaze back to the bright, green world. “It simply doesn’t seem to be the kind of place you’d expect a slimy criminal to hide.”

“True, and that may be the reason why we’ll find him here, don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Obi-Wan shrugged, but then caught himself, straightening and nodding. “I mean…yes, Master.”

Qui-Gon chuckled, the ship landing on the platform like a feather on grass. Motioning to the exit, he stood up and walked beside his Padawan as they left the cockpit. “This shouldn’t be too long, a day or two and we’ll be able to find him out there.”

“The Twi'lek didn’t necessarily give us the most specific location of who we’re looking for,” Obi-Wan dryly noted. “We may very well spend days looking for a needle in a—”

“Focus on the present, no need to jump to any conclusions just yet, Obi-Wan.”

“Yes, Master.” He nodded automatically, but as they walked down the ramp and into the landing bay of Theed, the capital, he couldn’t resist the urge to remind his Master, however politely, “You did tell me that you had a feeling—”

“Yes, and we’re fully prepared to defend ourselves if such a feeling turns out to be of something dangerous, but it’s no reason to deter us from our mission, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan nodded again. “Yes, Master.” After a moment he noticed the direction they were walking in and chose his words carefully. “We…are headed to the Palace?”

“Yes.”

“Are we meeting with the Queen?”

“We don’t have an appointment, but I felt it polite to inform her of our presence.”

“Polite?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be fair of us to go traipsing around her home without first introducing ourselves.” Qui-Gon looked to his Padawan and then relented (though his tone remained the same): “Besides, doing it this way will erase a lot of possible complications down the line. It’s always nice to be in the good graces of a ruler.”

Obi-Wan mulled it over for a moment. “But…there is the possibility that she won’t give us permission, Master.”

Qui-Gon smiled behind his beard, as he usually did when he was in a mischievous mood. The kind of mood that would often lead to Obi-Wan asking him if they should ask the Counsel first… “Who ever said we were asking for permission?”

-

“It’s a great honor to have Jedi in our presence.”

Obi-Wan stood just a little ways behind Qui-Gon, with his head bowed forward, as the Queen spoke in her regal tone that echoed a bit in the large, domed room. The ornate nature of her outfit, though beautiful, was quite fascinating in and of itself in that he wondered if at any moment her head might topple to the side from the weight of her headdress.

When he finally lifted his own head back up, he kept his face even as he took in the room once more, getting a feel of it. The architecture of the place was exquisite, but he couldn’t help but wonder how secure the area was.

As the Queen spoke with his Master, she imposed a great amount with just her voice, something that surprised Obi-Wan in a way…she was young, from what he’d heard of the recent election. Naboo was far enough away from the center of the trade routes not to bring too much attention to itself, but the young Jedi could remember seeing a holo-report on a young (but not the youngest) Queen winning a landslide election on a lush, peaceful planet out of harm’s way.

In all her formidable nature, sitting before them decked in regality, Obi-Wan would’ve assumed to be met with a rather robotic-like discussion with the leader. Assumptions were never a good thing to depend on, and this time was no different. Behind all her makeup, he could see a bare smile gracing her painted lips, and a small amount of warmth underlying her voice as she spoke.

His attention shifted to the large window that was positioned behind the Queen; it had a bronze trim and was aesthetic in its own right, but unsettling in how…unprotected it was. Obi-Wan stood a little straighter but stayed where he was as a slight uneasy feeling started to sneak up on him.

“We by no means intend to disturb the planet’s wildlife, of course…” His Master was explaining, but Obi-Wan had his eyes trained on both the Queen and the window.

“I understand. It greatly unsettles me that a kidnapper is roaming free, the last thing I want is for him to bring the people harm.” The Queen nodded solemnly, although it may have just been the makeup that she wore that brought on the graveness. Her voice was heavy, though; strong but burdened. “I wish you luck on your mission, Master Jedi.”

“Thank you,” Qui-Gon bowed his head. He turned to his Padawan when he noticed he wasn’t doing the same. “Obi-Wan?”

It all happened quite fast, and despite his lack of focus on the discussion, Obi-Wan was quick but centered in his instinctual movement towards the Queen. Visions, at least for him, were like a sense of déjà vu but instead it was something that hadn’t happened yet, there was a flash of light in his mind and he was moving towards her. His arm was around her waist just as a blaster bolt shot through the window, pushing her to the side and out of harm’s way as a cloud of shattered glass fell upon the room.

Once the commotion settled down, Obi-Wan slowly stepped back from the slightly startled Queen. “So sorry, M’lady…are you alright?”

Her guards and aids rushed over, past him, to ask the very same thing, so when she responded that she was okay—a little shaken but still standing tall and dignified—her eyes didn’t meet Obi-Wan’s.

A few minutes later, Captain Panaka was waving off the possibility of it being a terrorist attack. “The only way someone could get a shot through there is if they were in that wing over there, and that wing is strictly prohibited to security personnel only.”

“Interesting, to say the least.” Qui-Gon examined the mark the blaster shot had left on the marble floor. “Not a professional assassin, I believe, but he’s got a good enough shot. There’s a man who wants to harm the Queen still in the Palace or the very least still in Theed, Captain Panaka. If he managed to disguise himself as one of your guards without bringing attention to himself, then it’d be best to find him before he tries again.”

-

Obi-Wan approached his Master outside. “Are we on our way, then?”

“No, a small change of plans.”

“Master?”

“You will stay behind, Obi-Wan, and look after the Queen.” Qui-Gon kept his eyes on the green, hilly horizon just outside of the city, but his Padawan could sense him somewhat motioning in the Force to the security forces that were gathering inside. “They’ll be doing an investigation into the matter and until then, leaving her alone with a guard—who, unfortunately, may very well be apart of a conspiracy to bring her harm—is not an option until said investigation is completed.”

“And you will continue ahead with the mission?” Obi-Wan inquired and when the older Jedi nodded, he did his best to keep an even voice. “Have you…consulted the Counsel about this, Master?”

“No, there is no need,” he replied, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. “I will continue our assigned mission, and you will provide aid to the planet’s monarch while I do so. The mission will still be accomplished, so there is no need to inform the Counsel.”

“Yes…yes, Master.” Obi-Wan gave up trying to convince him otherwise, and folded his hands over one another in front of himself, turning to face the entranceway of the Palace, where he’d be spending his time for the next few days. He let out a sigh. “I have a bad feeling about this.”