“I don’t know why Malorum is interested,” Ferus said. “I only know he must be stopped.”
Typho nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help you. What do you need?”
“Do you know where he is right now?” Ferus asked.
“He’s no longer in Theed,” Typho replied. “We just got word from the Director of Essentials, who said that Malorum forced him to reveal the whereabouts of Senator Amidala’s maternal grandmother. We’ve been trying to contact her, but she lives in seclusion and hasn’t answered our comm signals.”
Ferus stood. “You’ll have to direct us there. But first, I need to speak to Queen Apailana.”
Ferus and the others were ushered into the Queen’s presence in the throne room in the palace. She was wearing her ornate ceremonial robes -deep blue with a matching headdress. Her face was painted white, with a red slash on her upper lip, called the scar of remembrance. Captain Typho introduced each of them, and they all inclined their heads in a short bow. Typho then gave the queen a brief explanation of why they were on Naboo.
“I’m honored to meet so many distinguished guests,” the Queen said in her soft voice. “I offer you welcome.”
“Queen Apailana,” Ferus said, bowing his head again. “I have come to ask you something I have no right to ask you.”
“Yet here you are,” Queen Apailana said.
“I request that on my signal, you shut down all comm systems on Naboo. Internal and external comm systems.”
The Queen looked startled. “That is quite a large request,” she said.
“Queen Apailana, the Jedi as we knew them are no more,” Ferus explained. “Jedi Master Solace and I are among the last left alive. You were once a friend of the Jedi and the Republic. Please trust us once more. Malorum is dangerous not only to Naboo but to a peaceful future for the galaxy. I know what I ask is difficult.”
“I am reluctant,” the Queen said slowly. “Yet you are right - our history with the Jedi has led me to trust what they say. I never believed the official story of Senator Amidala’s death. I have encouraged Captain Typho to keep searching for answers, even though it seems there are none to be had. Near the end of her life, the Senator still had faith in the Jedi. We were in constant contact, so I am sure of this. I still think of the Jedi as friends - no matter if there is one or one thousand.”
“Then you’ll do it?”
“On two conditions,” the Queen said. “One, that you send the signal only out of the most dire necessity.”
“That of course would be the case,” Ferus answered.
“Two, I will shut communications down for one hour only,” Queen Apailana continued. “I cannot endanger the citizens of Naboo for longer than that. We can fake an outage for a time, but the Imperial presence will become suspicious if the outage lasts any longer.”
Ferus inclined his head. “That should be all I need. Thank you.”
“Thank you for your service,” the Queen replied. Now it was her turn to incline her head in a gesture of respect to Ferus and the others. “Thank you for not giving up.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ryoo Thule had been up before dawn. She had walked down to the lake to see the sunrise. She had noticed on the way to her home, as she climbed the steep grade back to the house, that she was out of breath. Yet she didn’t feel winded, exactly.
She pressed a hand to her side, then against her heart. She was an elder now, but she was still surprised when her body told her so.
She remained robust and strong, still capable of walking the steep, winding paths of the cliffsides along the lake. She just had to learn to walk slowly, not scamper up the way she had when she was a child.
That must be it.
On those early morning walks her family strolled beside her. Not the family who still lived, her daughter Jobal, her son-in-law Ruwee, their child Sola and her children, her own namesake Ryoo and her sister Pooja. Not her sister and her children.
It was her husband, long dead, who walked beside her. Her good friend, Winama Naberrie (how they had plotted to marry off their children! How surprised they’d been when they’d actually fallen in love!) and her beloved grandchild, Padme. In some ways Padme felt closer to her now that she was gone.
From an early age Padme had been on her way to somewhere else. Oh, she had been the most loving granddaughter possible, but her visits had been respites from a busy life. She’d never suggested, by word or look, that this was the case. Her whole heart had been in those visits. Ryoo had felt it just the same, because she was closer to Padme than any of her other granddaughters.