The Young Republic | A Star Wars Story

Chapter 8

A warning from death

"Facing all that you fear will free you from yourself"

It kept ringing. And ringing. Then dead.

Xena pressed again. It kept ringing.

Xena pressed her fist to her mouth, teeth biting into her forefinger, silencing herself. She refused to make a sound, too afraid of giving her position away. Behind the crates and luggage on a cold metal platform where all the Senators dumb their stuff between missions and meetings. A perfect hole for Xena to hide in, away from the world. Even with the raging sounds of speeders in the Coruscant sky grinding in her ear, Xena could find comfort in the little space she allowed herself to fit in. The crates pressed her body tightly into itself, holding the girl when she wanted to unravel.

The line stopped. Xena wanted to try again. She just needed someone good to be there. And who else but her mother? 

But as always, her mother didn't answer.

"Hey... are you alright?"

Xena sniffled, wiping the hair flying all over her face away, clearing her vision to see the Angel in front of her. The goddess herself!

"Xena..." Padme asked, reaching out to Xena. Padme had just returned from Naboo, where the attempted assassination of the Chancellor took place, landing on Coruscant shortly after Anakin, Ahsoka, and the now-alive Obi-Wan did. With barely any energy left, Padme had to strut to the pile of luggage herself, determined to have herself and Threepio carry it back to her apartment. The droids would take too long for Padme to wait any longer on her already tired feet.

"Who are you trying to call?" Padme asked, noticing the unanswered Holocron disk.

Xena shook her head, a little too violently to be convinced it was nothing. She should just be left alone. She should leave Xena alone so that Xena won't bother anyone or-

"Xena, is something wrong?" Padme asked, deeply concerned about how awful Xena looked. Padme had rarely seen a Jedi or anyone like this before. Only on the nights when she woke during one of Anakin's nightmares. Her husband had seemed very much like Xena was now. Tear-stained cheeks, bitten lips to keep the cries in, a tremble in their hands.

But Xena shook her head, denying it all. A clear lie. But she didn't know what to do. Xena didn't know what to say. She wanted to send the angel away, but there was a certain comfort that Padme carried that Xena sought from her mother.

"Threepio," Padme addressed the gold droid. "Alert my handmaidens that we will have a guest tonight."

"Right away Madam. Should I also arrange for Master Sk-"

"That is all Threepio." Padme finalized.

Threepio, the poor droid, wobbled away. Padme shook her head, always wondering exactly how she ended up with Threepio as her constant companion. An order from Anakin, most likely. Padme endured the whirring of the anxious droid for his sake.

Padme reached down, extending a hand for Xena to take hold of. "Come on, I will need the extra hand if we want to be home soon."

Xena glanced between the Holocron and the extended hand, conflicted. She couldn't trust her judgment anymore. She didn't know what to do anymore. Even the simple decision of staying or going seemed impossible for Xena to make.