Silver-Tongued Company Devil Ch.3 (Patreon)

Tensions within the ship were high. I was relegated to staying with the Queen and her handmaidens to help keep them calm. If I didn’t already know how this would turn out, I’d have been just as nervous as them.

The ship shook around us. Pelted by Turbolaser fire, there were certainly better situations to be in. The shields wouldn’t hold out for long. Not long enough to see us run the blockade, at the very least.

We’d make it through this. Bruised and battered, but in one piece. My butterflies hadn’t affected the natural course of events that much yet. And I certainly hadn’t disrupted the main protagonist of Star Wars or the miracle he’d pull to see us out of this mess. Hadn’t even met him. He was still in sleep mode connected to the Droid rack over there.

Anakin Skywalker may have been the main character of this universe but R2-D2 was the main protagonist. Anyone who said otherwise was lying to themselves. Even as a Droid, he was more sentient than a lot of other characters could claim to be. And again even as a Droid, he was favored by the Force.

The things he pulled off could easily be classified as protagonist-level feats. And repairing a ship mid-blockade-run was just about the least of those feats. Honestly, give the little guy the ability to speak Basic and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up as Supreme Chancellor.

Poor guy… He’d probably feel suffocated by that responsibility. Not able to adventure or get himself into danger. And C3PO would likely be on his case all the time. Terrible way for an R2-D2 to go… I shook my head, feeling melancholy on his behalf despite the situation just being hypothetical.

“What’s wrong?” Padme asked.

The question pulled me out of my pity for something that likely wouldn’t happen, “Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just lamenting the consequences of power and responsibility. Heavy is the crown — and all that.”

Padme blushed ever-so-slightly, “I-I’m sure the Queen strives to bear the weight with dignity and grace.”

What? Oh, heh, she thought I was referring to her. I smiled, “And she succeeds in that effort. Queen Amidala truly does the title justice.”

Padme looked away and her body double came to her rescue, “I am curious, Prince Jackson. Are you not nervous? Afraid? How can you stay so calm in the face of danger?”

I laughed boisterously, “Because our stories do not end here, Queen Amidala! Of that much, I’m positive.”

“But how can you be sure?” She asked, hiding how much she wanted to reassure herself behind nobility and grace.

I smirked, power layering my words, “Call it intuition~ We’ll survive to see your people liberated, Queen Amidala.”

The hidden queen and her handmaidens found themselves relaxing, reassurance fueled by Essence power washing over them. I left it as that as the real hero of the moment made his way onto the wing. We couldn’t see it but R2-D2 was singlehandedly saving all of our asses. Just as expected.

The ship’s shields came back up. Everyone relaxed even more as my reassurance came true. It wasn’t long after that the ship stopped shaking from Turbolaser fire. We were through the blockade. Home free. Or at least, free enough to get to Tatooine to make some key repairs.

I excused myself as the Jedi entered to propose their plan to the Queen. They didn’t need me at the moment and I was content to let things proceed according to the canon timeline for the moment. Tatooine was an important stop on this journey.

Not in the least for the purpose of meeting Anakin. If R2-D2 was the main protagonist, there through all six mainline movies, Anakin was the main character. Hero to villain and then to redemption, Anakin Skywalker’s canon fate was inextricably tied to the galaxy’s.

Of course, I couldn’t let it play out exactly as it should happen. For one, I had plans for Padme. There weren’t many better options for getting myself started on the galactic political scene than her. Unfortunately, the Queen of Naboo was an elected position so I’d have to find someone else to marry if I wanted to officially become royalty. Still, she was cute and I’d enjoyed our interactions so far.

For another, Anakin’s Fall would lead directly to the rise of the Empire. Something I was trying to avoid. And the best way to avoid that was to get into the running for influence over him early. Before Palpatine, even. Having Force Jesus on my side would certainly be beneficial in many ways.

I found a discreet corner of the ship to rest in as I plotted. Digging around in my pocket, I produced a very specific packet of cigarettes. Mab had given them to me before my insertion.

Thankfully, she was giving them to me for my mother. If they were actually a gift from the Fae, I wouldn’t bother even trying to smoke them. I’d still hold onto them but I definitely wouldn’t indulge. Gifts from the Fae were never worth the risk. The best course of action was to hold onto them until you could gift them back.

Opening the pack, I found a short note from Maki-Mom, “A little something to make you seem cooler than you actually are~ Love from the Devil.”

I snorted, allowing my persona to drop slightly. Maintaining it was practically effortless thanks to my Essence and prior skills. But since I was alone right now, I didn’t feel the need to bother keeping it at 100 percent.

I dropped into this universe with nothing to my name. Both an advantage and disadvantage. I had nothing. No background and no resources except what I had on me. But that just meant I could reinvent myself however I wanted.

I’d kept my backstory relatively vague for now. Just ‘a Prince without a kingdom’. Combined with my Essence, that was enough to infiltrate Naboo’s Royal Retinue. I could expand on it later as needed.

Considering my goals in this universe, I was basing my persona on one of the greats: Bruce Wayne. Pointedly, that didn’t mean Batman. Just Bruce Wayne’s public identity. In my opinion, that persona was more impressive than Batman’s.

Part unassuming playboy, part man with more money than sense, Bruce Wayne’s persona was perfect for deflecting attention. And it did that by doing the exact opposite. Instead of trying to lurk from the shadows, Bruce was always in the center of things. He was a very public figure, famous and rich beyond sense or reason.

No one suspected the rich playboy of being Batman. To a lesser extent, that was what I was going for here. I wanted people to notice me and then dismiss me as a threat. But even after they’d dismissed me, I’d be in their circles, moving and schmoozing as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

Fun-loving and worry-free, I would be hiding in plain sight. Pulling strings with the puppets none the wiser. Poison in a champagne flute at a party. Plots and schemes that would be dismissed due to people’s tendency to view me as a simple eligible bachelor or playboy. The Bruce Wayne persona wasn’t so much a knife in the dark as a feint in broad daylight.

It also played into this universe’s slight preference for the charming rogue archetype. Han, Lando, Dash Rendar, Bo Katan — well, there was a precedent. And that precedent tended to do very well for itself.

The persona would be especially effective against Palpatine. His arrogance would lead to him dismissing me as a threat. Or even better, lead him to think he could use me as one of his many, many pawns. He would never imagine such a simple-minded-seeming prince would be the death of his grand plan.

I was still working on my overall plan for that. Sheev Palpatine was not an opponent that could be underestimated. Not when he had so long to dig himself in. Going up against him as I was — in his preferred arena, no less — was comparable to storming the beaches of Normandy. Naked.

Palpatine was a ruthless, patient, and wickedly intelligent villain — setting up plans, strategic sacrifices, and pyrrhic victories years or even decades in advance. Worst of all, he was adaptable. As shown by how he twisted decades of planning to include Anakin after the young boy played a deciding role in ending the Invasion of Naboo.

Even before becoming Chancellor, he had his hand firmly entrenched in the ass of galactic politics. While his master experimented with the Dark Side of the Force in pursuit of immortality, Palpatine — Darth Sidious — cultivated power of a different kind.

The entirety of the Galactic Senate danced in the palm of a Sith Lord’s hand. That was what I was going up against. But they didn’t know it yet. They didn’t even know someone was pulling the strings. But after Palpatine became Chancellor, he wouldn’t just be the hidden power behind the Senate, he’d be its public face.

Preventing Palpatine from becoming Chancellor was a long shot. That plot had too much momentum behind it by now. And expecting immediate results in my situation was always a pipe dream, one I only loosely held onto.

But I did still hold that pipe dream in mind. Blocking Palpatine’s public power grab would give me some much-needed room to work with. It wasn’t essential but it was heavily preferable.

If I wanted to play it safe, what I needed to do was develop a powerbase of my own, one that could exist alongside Palpatine’s. Slowly, I would sway loyal allies, profitable situations, and Favors Owed until Palpatine found key pieces missing from his board.

I didn’t want to play it safe. Those who dared won. Palpatine… No, Darth Sidious may have had momentum on his side but I had something just as potent. The element of surprise. And even a pebble in the path could throw off a rolling boulder.

All of this was still hypothetical. I needed to get a feel for the situation of the Galactic Senate in person before deciding on the specifics. But I had a firm goal and my preferred course of action was set. If it was at all possible, I would make sure Palpatine never saw the Supreme Chancellor’s office.

I leaned against one of the ship’s internal bulkheads, lost in scheming thought. One of Maki-Mom’s gifted cigarettes hung from my lips. Interesting substance, these cigarettes. I’d never smoked before but I could still tell they weren’t normal.

They didn’t quite burn, just smoldering in a non-distinct manner. Like a combination of burning, vaporizing, and melting. And while I was getting a buzz, I didn’t think it was from nicotine.

The packaging called them ‘Status Sticks’. Made by a company simply called ‘Drugs Inc’. I’d heard of the brand. It was a multiversal cartel company. If it existed, they dealt it. They could get you anything you wanted, anything you needed.

Below the branding, the packaging said ‘Everfull, Everchanging, Choose Your Own High-venture!’ A tab on the inside of the pack told me the Status Sticks were currently set to ‘Based and Rizz-pilled’. Which, uh… yeah.

Effective though. Despite this being my first time smoking, I hadn’t felt the need to do something unsightly like cough or choke. With my new Essence, I was much more in touch with the Concept of Charisma. And with that sensitivity, I could feel the status bonus from the substance inside my cigarette smoothing out my movements and setting an aesthetic vibe around me. Smoking’s cool, kids!

I exhaled a bit harder than usual, smoke pouring out of my nostrils at that thought. Maki-Mom’s sense of humor, no doubt. Still, it was a pretty nice gift. Supernatural cigarettes to help me cultivate my roguish persona. I’d have to see what else these little things could do.

A sort of choked whimper pulled my focus back to my surroundings. Padme stood in the doorway to my right. Her eyes were locked on me, specifically the Status Stick hanging from my lips. Inhaling, I watched her eyes track my every movement. I could practically hear the thoughts running through her head just from the expressions on her face.

‘Ah… he’s smoking. Why is he smoking…? Why is it hot?! Mmm~ Bad boy image fulfilled~ Ah! No, focus! Smoking is bad! Even when it’s done by the stupidly hot older boy who saved your life from Battledroids! No, don’t smirk at me like that with a cigarra in your mouth!’

But smirk, I did, “Hello, Padme. I wasn’t expecting company.”

I really wasn’t. I had sequestered myself away near the back of the ship, standing in the honestly minuscule cargo bay. Mostly to have some space to myself to think. Also, this way I wasn’t disturbing the rest of the ship’s crew by smoking. That latter reasoning obviously didn’t work when one of them went looking for me.

Recovering and barely suppressing her blush, Padme’s nose scrunched up in disapproval, “Must you smoke on the ship?

I blinked, “Sorry, didn’t think it would bother anybody if I did it here. I can stop if you’d like. I just… needed a moment to unwind.”

Despite her apparent disapproval of my new choice of habit, Padme came closer to me. She leaned up against the wall by my side. She didn’t say anything immediately, staying silent as she leaned. Her position suggested relaxation but she still carried a certain tension in her posture. So I stayed silent as well, letting her enjoy my presence and waiting for her to feel ready to speak whatever was on her mind.

When she did speak, it was in a soft voice, almost a whisper, “… Were you scared?”

I chuckled, my expression and voice softening to match her tone, “Terrified. Even if I was confident we would make it out of there in one piece, I was still terrified. Especially since we were at the mercy of fate. Not much we could have done to change anything if it went wrong. I’m not terribly comfortable with feeling so helpless. Hell, I’m sure even the Jedi were feeling a bit useless there.”

My answer was honest and I didn’t raise my persona from the ~40% it was resting at, letting a bit of my ‘true self’ shine through. Often, a moment of shared vulnerability was more valuable than any amount of posturing or social manipulation. The ability to be genuine was the best tool in any persona’s toolbox.

“And what about when you stood up to the Droids for us?” Padme pressed gently.

“Less scared then. More… anxious,” I nodded and hummed. “Mm, preparing myself for anything that could go wrong. But I was in complete control of that situation so I wasn’t scared.”

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that,” Padme huffed. “Convincing the Droids to let us go should have been impossible. How did you manage it?”

“Simple Charisma,” I answered honestly again, smiling at the fact Padme wouldn’t believe me. “I suppose I’m just that personable and likable.”

Padme glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, “You are rather charming…”

“Oh? You’ll believe me?”

“For now. I’m sure there’s something else at play. Something you’re not quite saying.”

I nodded, “Well, leave a man his secrets. Tall, dark, and handsome only goes so far if there isn’t a bit of mystery to back it up.”

Padme sniffed imperiously, “Very well. I’ll let you have your ‘mystery’ for now. You’ll tell me everything eventually.”

“You make it sound like this is merely the start of a long and very personal relationship between us, Padme,” I teased.

“If you think you can help save the Queen of Naboo and her people and then just flounce away, you are very sorely mistaken, Dick Jackson,” Padme just about glared at me.

My lips quirked into a smirk, “Oh? Queen Amidala must be very thankful for my aid.”

Padme froze for a moment then slowly nodded, “Yes… I’m quite positive that she is.”

“Then to the start of a long and beneficial friendship,” I said, raising my Status Stick in a mock toast.

“Hear hear!” Padme giggled.

We fell back into silence, this one much more comfortable than the first. The tension Padme had been holding leaked out of her shoulders and she let herself truly relax against the bulkhead with me.

I’m sure she’d been worried about being scared herself and that’s why she asked me. Probably felt like she had to present a strong front and was failing her subjects if she wasn’t. As if she wasn’t going so far above and beyond the calling of her position.

Most queens would have given up, giving into their fear in a much more drastic manner. And yet here Padme was, still standing strong even after being forced to surrender and still searching for a way to save her people.

Elected or not, Padme was certainly a stunning example of royalty. That’s part of what made her so interesting and useful to me. In the Prequels canon, she became a damn good politician and even when she was a Senator, she never lost her status as a symbol for peace. Attaching myself to that kind of success early in her career was only the natural thing to do.

“Did anyone tell you what we’re doing next?” Padme asked, breaking the enjoyable silence between us.

“No, not yet. Care to enlighten me of our plans?” I asked, taking a puff from my Status Stick and unconsciously letting the smoke drift from my lips in a certifiably ‘rizzed-up’ way.

Padme’s eyes tracked the sexy smoke, “Uh… W-Well, the ship’s hyperdrive is broken. We need to make some repairs if we hope to make it to Coruscant. So we’ll be making a stop on an Outer Rim planet named Tatooine.”

I hummed, “Hmm, Tatooine is certainly an interesting choice…”

“You know of it?”

“A thing here or there, sure.”

“Well, what makes it so interesting?”

“Aside from the fact that it’s a haven of Hutt-controlled space?”

Padme rolled her eyes, “Yes, aside from that. Honestly, I’m starting to think I’d take the Hutts over the Trade Federation.”

I chuckled, “That’s a fair perspective for you to take, considering your personal circumstances. In the end, they’re two different but similar beasts. The Trade Federation can be much more benign than you’ve seen from them, simply providing jobs and uplifting opportunities for uncivilized planets. But both organizations share a common language: profit. The Hutts just speak it with a dialect of crime.”

“And the Trade Federation’s methods aren’t illegal as well? It does not speak ‘crime’ just as well as the Hutts do?” Padme asked, incensed.

“Not according to the Galactic Senate,” I pointed out. “That’s why public relations are so important. No matter how immoral or questionable their methods, the Trade Federation has the Senate’s stamp of approval to exist. They even have their own representatives. That’s the main difference — maybe the only difference — between the Trade Federation and the Hutts.”

“It’s a grave injustice. Corruption, plain and simple,” Padme fumed.

I nodded, “I don’t disagree with you. Just by having their own representative on the Senate, the Trade Federation removes the chance for their ‘corporate colonies’ to have their own voices. It goes against the spirit of the Republic.”

“Exactly!” Padme exclaimed. “Something must be done! These megacorporations can’t get away with doing something like this again! They must be disbanded! For the good of the Republic!”

I chuckled, “It’s not as simple as that. Even if you ignore that they prop up a good portion of the galactic economy, how would you enforce that disbandment? These megacorporations are nations unto themselves, with fleets, standing armies, employees, and even subjects. They will not go gently into that good night.”

“I-…” Padme faltered, seeing the enormity of the task before her. “Something still must be done…”

“Perhaps,” I allowed. “But it must be done with great care and consideration. We can’t jump to the first solution that satisfies our every desire. Compromise is a necessary and rightfully hated part of politics.”

Still, Padme was nothing if not determined, “Even if compromise is necessary, something must change.”

I stopped to think for a moment. The Trade Federation could be useful. As could the Banking Clan, Techno Union, Commerce Guild, and basically every other megacorporation this galaxy had to offer. But ‘could’ was the keyword there. Those hypothetical benefits were just that. Hypothetical.

Besides that, my relationship with Padme wasn’t so hypothetical. I’d rather have a guaranteed way of getting into and staying in her good graces than the mere potential for greater gain elsewhere. And most of those megacorporations were already firmly in Palpatine’s pocket in preparation for the Separatist movement. So disrupting their operations could be just as beneficial as using them for myself.

Nodding to myself, I replied to her assertion smoothly, barely pausing, “Okay. I’ll help you.”

“You’ll… help me…?” Padme blinked in shock.

I shrugged, “Sure. Why not? I agree with your goals. And as you said yourself, this is just the start of a long friendship between us. Who am I to leave my newest friend to go up against half the galactic economy by herself?”

Padme’s beaming smile was almost enough to make my decision worth it there and then, “Really?! Oh, Dick, that’s wonderful! Thank you, thank you! I won’t forget this!”

“It’ll be something of a long-term project but yeah. I’ll help you get your revenge on the big bad megacorporations, kiddo,” I teased, lightly ruffling Padme’s hair.

Padme’s smile quickly turned into a scowl and a glare, “Don’t. Don’t do that. You can’t be that much older than me and I am Qu-…! I am old enough to be called a woman.”

I smirked, “Oh, so you want me to treat you like a woman? With ~everything~ that entails?”

Padme didn’t catch my innuendo, turning her nose up nobly, “Yes. I am more than mature enough to expect that much from you.”

I shifted my position, coming around in front of Padme. She didn’t have time to react, suddenly finding herself boxed in with one of my hands by her head and my face leaning closer to hers. A classic and perfectly executed Kabedon.

Padme’s eyes went wide and she froze like a deer in headlights. Her breath seized in her chest, gaze locked onto my face so close to hers. Somehow, even now, the smoke from my Status Stick didn’t blow in her face. The Stick just smoldered on my lips, unintrusively adding to the scene.

Smirking, I openly checked Padme out, slowly looking her up and down, “… Yes, I can see you’re plenty mature, Padme~”

“A-Athurgl fleeu-…” Padme’s tongue tied itself into knots. “M-Meep…”

The sound of footsteps interrupted me from taking my teasing any farther. Sighing, I took a step back so we weren’t caught in such a compromising position. Padme’s eyes barely left my face as I did, only briefly darting to my arm as it was removed from beside her head.

“W-W-Wha…?” She stuttered, brain still stuck on the moment that had passed.

“Padme?” One of the handmaiden poked her head through the door next to us. “We’ll be landing soon. Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“N-No!” Padme sputtered, turning a sudden glare onto me. “I was just telling Dick that smoking kills and it’s definitely not cool or sexy or surprisingly good-smelling or sexy or proper manners or sex-… Well, you should just stop it!”

Still smirking, I put out the Status Stick and made it seem to disappear with a bit of subtle sleight of hand, “There, gone like it was never real. Better, Your Highness~?”

“W-What?! I’m not the Queen! D-Don’t be ridiculous!” Padme denied my ‘joke’ in a nervous hurry.

“Relax, Padme,” I soothed, chuckling. “I’m just teasing you. I don’t think you’re the real Queen of Naboo or something ridiculous like that.”

’I know it,’ I finished internally.

Padme laughed nervously, “H-Haha, yes, that would be rather preposterous, wouldn’t it?”

I nodded convincingly, “Preposterous and potentially useless as well. What point would it even serve? Especially with you as one of the Queen’s handmaidens. A body double? How would that help keep the Queen safe if the double and the original were always in the same place anyway?”

Padme shifted uncomfortably, exchanging a look with her ‘fellow handmaiden’, “H-Haha… We should get back to Queen Amidala. I wish to see this new planet and I’ll need to ask her permission to leave the ship.”

“Excellent idea, Padme,” I agreed easily. “I’ll join you. What’s the point of a daring escape into exile without a short planetary adventure to go along with it?”

“I’m sure the Jedi will be more than enough-…” Padme started to say.

She was cut off by her handmaiden, “Padme would love for you to accompany her! She’ll need a chaperone and the Jedi barely count. Well, other than that Obi-Wan fellow. He’s quite tasty, isn’t he~?”

“Eirtae!? Don’t you dare throw me to the wolves like this!” Padme protested.

I smiled indulgently, “I’ll leave you two to figure things out. In the meantime, I’ll find the Master Jedi and ask if we can accompany him.”

Padme turned on her handmaiden in embarrassment as I left the cargo bay. From the handmaiden’s giggles, that embarrassment wouldn’t be going away any time soon.

I shook my head fondly. That had been just what I needed. Some good scheming and some levity/bonding with Padme. A goal for dealing with Palpatine and a bit of tidy seduction progress. It certainly helped me center myself quite a bit.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, that blockade run had shaken me slightly. Not because it was the first time I’d been in danger. Finishing School had popped that cherry during my first year, even if the practical portions of its curriculum were few and far between.

No, I was shaken because it was the first time I was truly helpless, at the mercy of fate and the plot. There was nothing I could have done to help or even hurt the situation. Stuck as a mere passenger, all I could do was wait and see. And while I was confident we would make it through, it certainly hadn’t felt guaranteed in the moment.

I had a feeling I was going to avoid being just a passenger in starships in the future. At least, when going into combat. It would be pilot or nothing at all.

Finishing School had made sure I was very familiar with flying a starship. It was one of those skills that translated pretty well between universes. I would need to get a feel for the exact physics of the Star Wars universe. Every sci-fi setting had a slightly different feeling to space flight and how its vehicles worked. But other than that, I just needed a ship to call my own. With a bit of practice, I’d be an ace in no time.

It didn’t take long for the ship to shake slightly as we touched down on Tatooine. It was a bit of a shame that I didn’t get to see the planet from orbit but I shrugged it off. Instead of fretting over nothing, I just joined Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, and R2 as they prepared to disembark the ship.

“Hello again, Master Jedi,” I greeted, putting on a wide, charming smile. “I’m sure you don’t mind taking care of a couple more planetary explorers on this venture, do you?”

Despite his vaunted strength in the Force, my Charisma drifted into Qui-Gon’s mind all the same. He blinked, seeming to turn the idea over in his head.

“We won’t be any trouble, I assure you,” I pressed a tiny bit harder. “I’ll even help keep everyone on track so you can direct more of your focus to keeping us safe in this lawless haven.”

Qui-Gon nodded, “Very well. Where is the other?”

“She should be joining us any second now.”

“Wait!” Captain Panaka — Padme’s head guard — called out to us.

“There she is,” I absently commented as Panaka and Padme caught up to us.

“Her Highness commands you take her handmaiden with you,” Panaka said with a pointed, frustrated glance at Padme.

“And take her, we shall,” I cut in, asserting myself over this little expedition. “I’ve already convinced Master Qui-Gon that we won’t be a bother.”

“Yes… Stay close to me. We shall not dally,” Qui-Gon was given no choice but to go with the flow.

The good captain watched us leave with his hidden queen. Honestly, with a boss like Padme and being in charge of her safety? I almost felt bad for the guy. Sure, she wasn’t as bad now as she would eventually be during the Clone Wars, but this Padme still had a healthy taste for adrenaline and adventure, shown by requesting to go along on the first trip into potentially hostile territory.

“Thank you,” Padme whispered.

I grinned, “No problem. I wouldn’t want to leave you behind.”

Qui-Gon interrupted our short, hushed exchange, addressing me, “I don’t think I ever got your name.”

“Ah, of course!” I played up my persona. “Dick Jackson, Prince Without a Kingdom and most eligible bachelor of the Tri-Parsec Area! At your service, Master Jedi.”

I finished with a flourished bow, not slowing our pace at all as my movements flowed effortlessly into the image I was trying to convey. Padme laughed and Jar-Jar clapped at my lively introduction. R2 did a little beep that sounded like he was rolling his eyes and I shot a grin at the little Droid.

“Tri-Parsec Area?” Qui-Gon inquired.

“A bit of jest,” I chuckled. “My home is known by many names locally. All of them happen to start with ‘Tri’ because of the three… — well, it’s best to call them states — that border each other and cooperate closely.

“Each state is ruled by one of my mothers and they are all joined beneath my father’s banner. My birth mother is his queen, making me the High Prince but due to certain circumstances, I have been all but removed from the line of succession.”

“You have four mothers?” Padme asked, gaping at me in shock.

I nodded, “And one father. And I’m certainly not the only child of my family. All of my siblings were born before my time and considering how long my parents have been alive, that can be saying something. My siblings have all either already left the nest, so to speak, or they’re happily ruling as my mothers’ heirs.”

“An eccentric family,” Qui-Gon noted. “But far from the most unusual I’ve heard of.”

“I’m quite happy with my situation at home,” I said agreeably. “Alas, it was time for me to strike out on my own as well. Some things happened, and I ended up on Naboo exactly when I was needed. In the end, all’s well that ends well.”

“I don’t believe I’ve heard that saying before,” Qui-Gon mused.

Padme didn’t pout but she did frown, “All of this hasn’t ended well though…”

“Not yet. But it will,” I asserted with pure confidence and utter conviction behind my words, aided by a touch of Essence. “By the time this is all over, Padme will have her planet back and the whole invasion will be revealed to have been a plot from the Sith to announce their return.”

“I’m sorry, Sith?” Qui-Gon spun his focus entirely onto me suddenly.

I blinked, pretending to be forgetful, innocent, and a bit dull, “Did I not mention that? I thought it was obvious. Who else could convince a whole megacorporation to go against their own self-interest in such a fragrantly flawed, short-sighted, and unprofitable way?”

He fell into an intense, thinking silence. I could practically see all the gears dropping and slotting into place in his mind. All his feelings in the Force, the eerily instinct that something wasn’t right, and the near certainty that he was missing something all came together just right.

I smirked on the inside. Qui-Gon would have discovered the Sith before he left Tatooine anyway. This was just giving him the push he needed just a little bit early. Maybe it would be enough for him to put together more clues than he did in canon. Maybe it was just the tweak canon needed… Probably not but I didn’t think it could hurt as much as it could help.

“What’s, uh… What’s going on?” Padme asked in a whisper.

I shushed her, “Shhh, our Jedi friend needs to have a little think about what he should have already been suspecting.”

She glared at me slightly for shushing her. I just chuckled and put an arm around her shoulder for a brief, gentle squeeze to show I meant no insult. Padme fell in at my side as we continued our trek to the nearby settlement in silence. Seeing it in the distance… This would be a long walk. A long, sandy walk…