Afterglow II | The Clone Wars

27 | Amari

Padmé weaved through the bustling halls of the Galactic Senate building that early morning, with Anakin and Dakota trailing behind her, trying carefully to not step on anyone else's shoes as they went. Voices pin-balled around the cluttered hallway, and familiar government faces flashed into view and disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared. Bail Organa, Senator Chuchi, Mon Mothma, among others.

With a heavy sigh, Dakota slipped between two female representatives who eyed her Jedi attire with judgement, then, as if disgusted by what they saw, turned to each other and whispered behind their hands.

She could practically hear them now, gossiping about how the esteemed 501st had been reduced to guard duty. It reminded her of her Jedi Holocron days, whereas punishment for her tongue, she'd be sentenced to guard duty for an entire rotation.

An utter bore, which was the ultimate punishment. "They seem kind," Rex mused, noticing the split-second encounter as well. He stepped closer to her side. The two women appeared to be from Taris. One had golden flecks across her caramel-colored cheeks, and the other had silver hair tied up in a neat braid.

Dakota looked to Rex, then glanced with feigned obliviousness over her shoulder, spotting the two women from Taris that continued to murmur behind their hands. Their grey eyes situated on her, with their bejeweled headpieces twinkling in the luminescence. All the Jedi did was suck her teeth and wave her two fingers in a swift, flicking motion. The Force did the rest.

The hand that the two representatives were using to conceal their conversation suddenly lurched forward and slapped the girl with the silver hair, appearing as if the other willingly, forcefully smacked her. They both yelped in shock. The freckled one stared dumbfounded at her hand, wondering how in the hell it moved on its own.

Modestly proud of herself, Dakota returned her attention to the pathway ahead, not hiding the upward tilt of her lip. "Don't tell Master Windu I did that."

Rex chuckled within his helmet. The two Taris women were left baffled, staring daggers at one another in the background.

The small group of them: two Jedi, a Naboo Senator and a Clone Trooper, made their way toward Senator Vallis's office at the far end of the curved hall. To the onlookers, it was quite the spectacle.

The polished floors gleamed beneath their boots, and the ever-watchful senate guards present in the vicinity added an air of cold efficiency to the opulence. Padmé wore a lavender gown, one she frequented for Senate meetings, like the very meeting that had just transpired. It was the official proclamation that Vallis would have his protection and support of the clone army, under penalty of law.

Rex continued to follow silently as they neared their destination, keeping to his helmet that masked his expression. He had his own opinions on the ordeal, but he kept those to himself. His pace was six steps behind his General, and she was already trudging behind the group to begin with. She clearly wasn't devoting much haste to this endeavor, and truthfully, none of them were.

"He's right in here," Padmé paused outside a tall door; the guards stepped out of the way to let them in, pulling away their staffs.

When they approached, the door slid open with a faint hiss, revealing an office that was both elegant and understated. The walls were lined with shelves of holobooks and artifacts from various star systems, and a large window at the back bathed the room in Coruscant's silver light.  Dakota caught sight of a golden statue of a krill. An actual krill, as in the side dishes they serve at Dexters Diner. She didn't linger on it for too long, but she noted it.