Old Friends Homecoming

Chapter 11 - Theed

Emi ran to the window to see the familiar sight of Naboo and its blue and green shades of water and land. Her home planet always brought the biggest smile on her face. Kit stood afar and watched her like she was the prettiest thing he saw. It occurred to him that perhaps he was also becoming too close to his childhood friend as he wanted nothing but the best for her.

I hope this is what she needs, he thought as they watched from the window as they entered the atmosphere. Emi's face lit up as she saw the glamorous rooftops in all shapes and sizes of Naboo's capital city Theed. Emi had grown up living in one of its suburbs but felt like was rarely there for her childhood before she was discovered to be force-sensitive. Each of the buildings had every type of architecture imaginable with spherical domes and triangular summits like anyone studying geometry at Naboo's schools would see it as a place of heaven.

The palace was quick for Emi to spot with its great pillars and multiple layers of its hemispherical roof and at its very foundation were the great waterfalls leading down into the plunge pools that were so far down you could not see them through the mist. Emi had never set foot in the palace but recalled that her mother once served as a handmaid for one of the queens before she was born. When that queen's term was up, her mother decided to stay at home with the hard-earned credits and raise a family. Her father on the other hand remained in politics.

Emi had never been inside the palace before, but she had heard stories that its pillars were even larger than the ones in the Jedi temple and their passageways wider. The queen's throne room was said to be not just a single room with the throne but had several other seats for other politicians that reported directly to her and the windows in every room were gigantic. I wonder how many portraits are there of her too, maybe it was easier to get lost in there than it was in the temple, she thought.

"It's been too long Kit, the last time I was here was for a mission, but I couldn't even see my family," Emi said as she gazed at the city once more as it grew larger in size during the descent.

"Refresh my memory, what mission was it?" Kit asked,

Emi turned to him, "Luminara and I were sent to investigate some bounty hunter activity on the outskirts, which is weird because you'd think after the invasion in 32 BBY, the planet would have tighter security. Apparently not. But I don't remember it very well Kit, it was just a detective mission. Grievous wasn't there, but it's another example of something Master Tiin likes to hold against me,"

"What did you do, blow up a sacred monument to a previous monarch?" Kit asked, there was a teasing tone in his voice,

She chuckled, "Very funny Kit, I caught one of the bounty hunters, he was just a rookie, said he was meant to be trained by Jango Fett himself before the latter's death. I guess the Viceroy didn't give up on his scheme to have Senator Amidala killed and this was just a new plot unfolded, so he hired a bunch of random bounty hunters out of desperation,"

"Rookies, you got to be kidding me!"

"I wish I was, but he was unarmed when I found him, I regret killing him now but I basically said he had chosen his side and he picked wrong when he pleaded for mercy. I guess it was a little too personal since this is my home after all. Even if I have only met the Senator once, but after that day, I don't want to ever kill an enemy like that again,"

Kit placed his arm around her, "It was a mistake Emi, you know that. It's the only way we learn, surely your master eventually realized that,"

Emi blushed at how close he was to her, was spending time at home really going to help her figure out her feelings, especially if she went to see her family? They didn't know that attachments were forbidden within the Order, what if they started asking her if Kit was her romantic partner or whatever phrase anyone who wasn't a Jedi used? But she didn't have time to think about that once the ship began to dock.

"Let's go," Kit said, and they gathered their belongings and headed for the exit line.

Emi descended the ramp onto the terracotta patios of Theed's docking bays taking in the fresh air of her home. It felt so good to be here again but this time, it felt more like she was at home. The only other times she had set foot on her home planet the past few years was for assignments, not for simple vacations that civilians took whenever they pleased.

Kit followed behind her and as the other travellers dispersed in multiple directions, Emi stopped to analyze her surroundings,

"So where are we going to stay Emi? I assume you have that covered?" Kit asked, catching up to her,

Emi stopped to think, visualizing the part of the city she grew up in, then the image came to her: houses covered with vines and ivy, pink flowers that never fell from the trees, and then, of course, there was the arch-double doors that opened on command. She started walking forward into the city.

The ship had landed on a massive patio with several gardens with fountains stationed in each of their central and Emi followed the path out of the gardens and down a riverside road. Several ships and speeders flew over Theed's streets but their numbers were far less than those on Coruscant. Naboo had its fair share of diversity, but it was still mainly populated by humans. Then she began to recall the same path Yoda led her down as a child when he took her to be trained. She was heading in the opposite direction, back home.

"This way Kit," she instructed and he followed her assuming she wasn't lost. Emi had not been back home, or at least not this part of Naboo's capital since she was a child. The road took her down a slope into Theed's lower levels away from the palace and the other nearby elegant buildings.

Soon she found herself in Theed's suburbs and just as she predicted, the vine-enveloped houses were in sight, roses and ivy, it was the perfect romantic getaway for any couple that brought up her confused feelings once again: did she like her best friend and what about her hidden love for Plo Koon? Things would have been a lot different if he was here with her, it would probably be less awkward, she kept walking down the sloped path to prevent these thoughts from irking her too much.

Then there it was around another corner of the stone path to her right. The familiar shape of her childhood home with rose and ivy vines climbing up the painted walls in the colour of brown sugar. The round windows were just the way they had been left with whitewashed frames. Emi remembered stepping out the door last time, still learning how to walk, her auburn hair flailing behind her down the steps to follow Yoda after she had hugged her parents goodbye, telling them in her squeaky voice that she was going on an adventure; even if homesickness struck more than once as she grew up away from what stood in front of her now.

"Not the same is it?" Kit asked, catching up to her,

"It does feel like that, it's been twenty years, Kit. How could it have possibly not changed?"

She began to climb the stairs and Kit followed still sticking to the belief that this was going to be good for her. Would her parents still be alive? There was only one way to find out, he thought as he watched Emi knock three times on the door.

Emi waited, no answer came and a few minutes passed, then Kit watched her shrug after another two, perhaps they were not home or worse. Emi was about to turn around and go back down the stairs when the door swung open and she turned to face a woman in her sixties, her auburn hair tied in two braids and she was dressed in traditional clothes Emi recognized any Naboo citizen would wear with a red shawl and black dress.

"Hi mom," Emi said smiling, truly feeling at home now.