Unwanted Power

Chapter 4

"Padmé. Are you alone?" Anakin asked. Lamila was interested to hear the note of gentle worry in the Jedi's voice- perhaps the two were closer than she had expected.

Queen Lamila nodded. You are. She mouthed.

"Yes." The senator replied in a wavering voice. She cleared her throat.

"We are on route. Maybe another hour or so until we reach the Mygeetoan system. If the Queen is under Separatists control like you say she is, will you still try and convince her to our side?" The Jedi sounded certain, as though he was very used to being right. Lamila filed away every word for careful consideration- she would know her enemy if an enemy he turned out to be.

Under Separatist control? They wish. Why would Senator Amidala tell the council that I was a pawn for a rebel army?

"Yes. I believe she can be convinced to see the evil of Grievous's army." Padmé replied. "She is only Ashoka's age, and hasn't seen true war yet."

Lamila couldn't stop herself. Rage bristled through her mind, wiping out clear thought. She flung the communicator at the wall without a second's hesitation, watching with satisfaction as it smashed into the smooth stone and slid to the floor, crackling with sparking electricity. It was only then that she realized her mistake.

She hadn't touched it.

But there was no time to take it back. She had to divert the senator's attention, immediately, before she could process the fact that the Queen had slammed her communicator against the wall only by sweeping her hand. "You think I don't know real war?" Lamila snarled. "I was born here. Lived here while I was too young to remember anything. Then I was taken. I never even remembered this system, because I grew up on Coruscant. In the darkest depths of the Underworld. Then I went looking for my parents, when I was old enough, and a week after finding them they died in front of me. Killed by a Separatist assassin, that's my guess, who wanted me to watch. Now, Senator Amidala, tell me again what an innocent girl I am. Brought up in a big house like this one, right? Never seen real war? Never seen violence? I grew up in a war zone. Saw the sun for the first time when it was crowded with troops. That assassin killed my parents, and I'm not an idiot. I'd bet my system that it's a race between you and your enemy to see who would kill me first."

The senator was staring at me with wide eyes. "But- the King and Queen died two weeks ago."

"Are you wondering if I've had time to grieve?" The Queen taunted. "Grieving is a luxury reserved for those who don't have a system to run. Subjects to feed when they were starving before. I've had two weeks to reverse all of the wrongs done by my parents, and before that, I didn't even know that the Mygeetoan system existed."

"I'm sorry." She said. This was the expected response. The response of someone who didn't understand, even though maybe she understood better than most others. Still, with her downcast eyes, she was everyone Lamila had shook off with a fake laugh. So she laughed now, and it came easier than before. Maybe not quite real, but it felt pretty good.

"When Anakin Skywalker arrives, you are going to get in his fighter and turn right back to your precious Republic. Tell them that if a Republic ship lands in my system again, I won't destroy the troops, or the ships, but I'll fly to Coruscant and kill you myself."