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"When a piece of cloth unravels, one does not usually notice as the single strand breaks. It is only when the pattern is lost forever that one sees what has happened, and that it cannot be repaired."
Princess Amaterasu was the first to react, a small smile breaking across her face as her pale cheeks darkened in a blush.
Beside her, Sailor Domus Prime gave a mischievous giggle.
As the orchestra started to play, Prince Nazoru bowed deeply to Princess Amaterasu. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.
The air around them changed, as a single stream of light seemed to fall upon them, and a cool breeze caused her hair to sway gently.
She nodded, and he gently took her in his arms, almost as if he was frightened of breaking her, or of waking from the wonderful dream that he seemed to be in.
Moving in time, not noticing or worrying about the rest of the court, the Prince and the Princess were content, as though for the first time in their lives, they could truly be themselves and enjoy what life had given them.
'Teki had moved towards the younger Senshi as the Princess and the Prince locked eyes, giggling as she watched the two of them. As they started waltzing together, Sailor Ishta-Three flashed her a grin.
"That couldn't have been done better if we had choreographed it", Ersial gloated, with a toss of her long blonde hair. Behind them, her younger (by minutes only) twin brother Emlyn, hidden behind his full-face mask, gave a short laugh as he moved to find Palomene.
All the Senshi were dressed in their fuku, though large feathered masks had been donned in acquiescence to the mood of the evening.
"I did like the touch you added to the lighting there", 'Teki complimented Sailor Tatooine, who grinned in her normal enthusiastic way.
Marianth was perhaps the most blonde of all the Senshi, both her hair and manner. She did have some skill with light, though her control was usually terrible due to the lack of concentration she gave to everything. Perhaps it was for the Princess she had been willing to actually put in some effort.
Marianth must have spotted some cute guy, for she ran off with no care for whatever the rest of the conversation would hold.
"That cool breeze was also very appropriate", Sailor Durillion murmured to Sailor Toxtenkopp. 'Lailen nodded in acknowledgment, before turning to whisper something to one of Kako Shinwa's apprentices.
Sailor Durillion sighed, her odangoed hair moving in the breeze that 'Lailen had created. To bring a slight wind into existence in an enclosed space was no easy task, and yet the Senshi had managed it with no real effort. Sailor Durillion's talent was with ice and water, and there wasn't much she could do to create a romantic atmosphere with them, although bringing a rain cloud inside to cool the atmosphere in the ballroom would probably not be a bad thing.
"What I want to know", Sailor Alderaan said in her usual manner of self-superiority, "is who managed to call a hush down on the room at the exact right moment?"
There was suddenly a hush amongst the younger Senshi, as they all looked at each other in suspicion, trying to reason out who could have done such a thing. 'Teki looked across the ballroom to see Palomene dancing with Emlyn, the prince from Ishta-Three. The Guardian noticed Sailor Domus Prime's questioning stare, and gave her a small nod, before being swept away in the dance.
"Hey", 'Teki murmured to the others in sudden consternation, "Do you think Palomene had something to do with that? After all, no one knows what her Senshi powers are; only that she is a Senshi. But then again, why would she be plotting to get the Princess and Prince Nazoru together?"
Even Sailor Toxtenkopp stared at her after that remark. "Well", 'Lailen said, "maybe Palomene just wants Amaterasu to be happy like we do. It makes sense when you consider how much Amaterasu and the Queen have been fighting lately."
Everyone ignored Sailor Alderaan as she asked "The Princess and the Queen were fighting? Why?"
Another thought struck 'Teki, and she her eyes widened at the implications of this. "Do you think the Queen could have been in on this too? She does want the Princess to settle down and be happy."
There was a long silence as they all considered this, six pairs of eyes turning to the Queen who stood on the far side of the room talking with several of the courtiers. Even Sailor Corellia, who normally would have nothing to do with the other Senshi, found herself wondering exactly what role the Queen had played this night. In all probability none of them would ever know, but it was worth considering.
The Princess was lost in Prince Nazoru's gaze, suddenly aware of how foolishly she had acted. All her fears had been misplaced, she remembered how eager she had been to avoid him that night. And yet, now that they were together, she had no intention of ever leaving his side. She had never realised just how wonderful a man's eyes could be, and she felt completely safe in his arms.
After a time, Princess Amaterasu realised that the entire time she had been dancing she had not yet tripped over. And she knew that she would not. Somehow, all of her clumsiness had evaporated, as if she was finally everything that she could be, the Princess of the Sapphire Millennium and heir to the throne. Everything was exactly as it should be, and she never wanted this moment to end.
Palomene looked up in surprise as Sailor Tatooine gave a horrendous scream of agony and then fainted.
"Marianth!" The cry came from Princess Amaterasu's heart as she ran from Prince Nazoru's arms to catch her friend. No one ever saw how she was able to move so fast, they simply accepted it as fact. They were both engulfed in a bright flash of green light as Sailor Tatooine's fuku dissolved, leaving her in a gown of blue that no longer seemed to suit her.
A single tear fell down the Princess' otherwise cheerful face.
She became aware that Palomene was standing next to her and asked, "Is Marianth all right?"
Palomene placed a delicate hand on the girl's forehead, noticing for the first time that the sigil of Tatooine, two entwined circles, had faded almost to invisibility. But her pulse was still strong and her subconscious thoughts coherent. What worried the Guardian was that she could barely sense the link between Marianth and her planet, a link that should have been almost visible to Palomene's plain sight. And yet the cord between Marianth and Tatooine was frayed, almost severed.
Someone had the good sense to arrange for Marianth to be carried back to her rooms, and the story was circulated among the dancers that Sailor Tatooine had become overwrought at the excitement. Only the Sailor Senshi, the Queen and her daughter suspected otherwise.
No one noticed as Palomene slipped from the ballroom, for Prince Emlyn's attention had been taken by his sister, and they were whispering furiously in one of the corners.
After a time, the Princess had composed herself as she sensed that Marianth would recover. But even she knew that something had transpired to change her friend.
"What was all that about?" Prince Nazoru asked the Princess, once the music had started and they were dancing together. He was surprised at how tightly she was holding on to him, as though she was frightened, and her hand in his was cold.
"I am not certain", the Princess replied quietly, "I have a bad feeling about this."
Prince Nazoru was uneasy also; a feeling of dread lying heavily on his heart. He could not trace its origin, and when he tried searching within himself for the answer an image presented itself to him, of a black spiral winding its way inward to a central point of light. He did not understand what it could mean and put it from his mind.
Princess Amaterasu felt the last of her inexplicable fear fade away as she danced in the arms of her Prince, leaving behind only gentle concern for her friend.
Palomene stood in the communications centre of the Palace, her long fingers dancing patterns over the keyboard as she tried to contact the Palace on Tatooine. But no one would answer her call, though she did broadcast it on every known channel, including the emergency ones.
Biting her lip in consternation, she reached into her hidden pocket and withdrew from that a small commlink. Every Senshi possessed one, and although Sailor Tatooine was now asleep in her room, her mother Queen Starwatcher would be able to hear it when Palomene called her on this most secret and secure mode of communication.
And yet only silence answered her.
A large balcony adjoined the ballroom, and it was to that quiet place the Princess and the Prince went to talk.
Standing alone under the moonlight, a gentle breeze caressed Princess Amaterasu's face, the light blue ribbon on her dress dancing down her back. She sighed lightly as she looked out over the city beyond the Palace walls.
"What are you thinking?" Prince Nazoru whispered, following her gaze.
She glanced up at his face with a small smile, pushing all thoughts of Marianth and the future from her. "It is nearly ten", she said lightly, "I was supposed to meet someone in the gardens."
"Are you that desperate to escape me again?" he asked in all seriousness, or so it seemed to her as she blinked in surprise.
"Of course not", she said before she realised that he was teasing her.
They both started as they heard a muffled giggle behind them, and spun around to find seven of the Sailor Senshi crowded in the shadows to the side of the doorway.
"Now look what you've done, Alarion", Sailor Domus Prime said as she thwacked the back of Sailor Sheychell's head. The youngest of the Sailor Senshi did look rather dismayed as the last of a concealment spell faded away, her usually pale blue cheeks tinted a soft purple.
"I told you I could only keep the mist in place if you were all silent", Sailor Toxtenkopp grumbled with her hands on her hips. The red of her fuku skirt offset her black hair, and the high heels on her boots made her seem much taller than the other Senshi.
"I can't believe you spoiled things for me", Sailor Alderaan stomped one sandalled foot dramatically, running one hand through her long blonde hair.
"And they say I'm clumsy", Sailor Durillion muttered angrily.
"You blew it big time", Sailor Corellia said, turning away.
Tears appeared in Alarion's eyes.
"It's too late for complaining now, the damage has been done", Sailor Ishta-Three said gently, making Alarion meet her gaze. The smallest Senshi nodded.
"What are you all doing here?" the Princess said finally asked in aspiration, as the Prince started to laugh.
Seven Senshi turned around in surprise, suddenly forgetting their squabble as they remembered what had caused it. Identical blushes appeared on seven faces.
"Umm", Sailor Durillion started, one hand raised behind her head embarrassedly.
"Well", Sailor Toxtenkopp began, her face as red as her dress.
"We just thought", Sailor Domus Prime said, not knowing how to continue.
There was an awkward silence as the Princess stomped a foot delicately, the Prince laughing softly behind her disturbing her mood. "Do you mind?" she snapped, turning to him. "You are not helping matters."
"Sorry, Highness", he murmured, trying to control himself.
She looked back to the Senshi, raising one hand loftily and saying over her shoulder to Prince Nazoru, "That is all right, I forgive you".
Sailor Ishta-Three stepped forward, curtsying gracefully before her Princess. "We did not mean to interrupt, Your Highness", she said in a musical voice, "But we Senshi are your protectors, and we thought it best to keep an eye on you. If we had known that you wished for privacy we would not have followed you."
"That was it", Sailor Sheychell murmured.
"We were protecting you", Sailor Durillion continued.
"We thought you might be in danger", Sailor Domus Prime elaborated enthusiastically.
"I suspected you could have need of my unique services", Sailor Alderaan smiled politely, one hand reaching up to touch her perfectly placed mask.
Sailor Toxtenkopp rolled her eyes skyward, and Sailor Corellia walked back inside, no longer interested in what might transpire next.
"Have you all gone mad?" Princess Amaterasu asked in exasperation. "I hereby order all of you to"; she paused to think about it for a moment, "just", she took a deep breath before continuing, waving one hand in the direction of the ballroom, "go away."
Sailor Sheychell, Sailor Toxtenkopp and Sailor Alderaan all nodded and walked inside, 'Lailen throwing a backwards smirk at her Princess. Sailor Domus Prime smiled, and Sailor Durillion showed no signs of leaving.
"Well?" Princess Amaterasu demanded, still shaking her head.
"Couldn't we stay and watch?" Sailor Domus Prime asked politely. "Just for a little while?"
"We'll be very quiet," Sailor Durillion added.
"You won't even know that we're here", Sailor Domus Prime nodded earnestly, blinking her eyes in an innocent way.
"Leave", the Princess cried, pointing towards the ballroom. Sighing exaggeratedly, the two Senshi did so, both looking mournfully back over their shoulders.
By this time the Prince had collapsed in helpless laughter. She rounded on him trying to hide the smile on her own face.
"You could have supported me there", she said, hands on her hips in mock-consternation. "What are you laughing at?"
"'Lailen was right", he said, trying to still his laughter, "The Senshi really are the worst gossips in the Palace. I can't believe they did that."
"Believe it", she said, "they are hopeless."
"Still, you have to wonder why they did it." Prince Nazoru's eyes were suddenly serious. "What were they hoping to see?"
"I do not know", Princess Amaterasu murmured softly, looking down at her hands held in front of her.
Prince Nazoru walked over to her, lifting her chin with one hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Now that we no longer have an audience", he began, wondering at how nervous he felt, "I can feel free to do this."
Standing over her, her beautifully expressive eyes never left his as Prince Nazoru kissed the Princess for the first time.
Though she had tried every avenue available to her, Palomene had yet to make any form of contact with anyone from Tatooine. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and she had a terrible sense of foreboding. But Mau was currently on the far side of its star and, because of the secrecy involved in it's location, no relay stations had ever been set up to ensure continuous contact with the jungle world of the Guardians. It would not be another three days until she could contact her sister.
Maybe that was all the problem with Tatooine was. The twin suns did throw out a lot of interference, maybe that was why she could not reach them.
Without conscious thought of the matter, Palomene consulted a scientific satellite that had been set in place to monitor the behaviour of the binary stars Tatoo 1 and 2. But all of the readings it was transmitting were normal.
More worried than ever, Palomene turned the satellite's sensors towards Tatooine, and was suddenly terrified at the information it presented to her after a few moments. She sought confirmation from a number of other sources before she could accept what her feelings told her to be true.
Kako Shinwa's position in the court had never been truly defined. He was the Queen's chief adviser, he was also the Princess' trainer in the ways of the Spirit Force, a close friend to Palomene and had once attempted to be taught to become a Guardian, the first human ever to learn of their skills. But though his duties became more varied than ever in the days that followed his love for his Queen never changed.
This night he was her escort, standing by her side constantly. They had carefully been watching the behaviour of Prince Nazoru, until the moment when the Queen's daughter had arrived in the ballroom. Then both he and the Queen reached the same conclusion that things would turn out fine, and they both relaxed. He knew that the sight of Princess Amaterasu dancing in the arms of Prince Nazoru was more than it seemed; the course of history in the Kingdom had changed at that moment.
At the sound of Marianth's scream, things had seemed to shift in his vision, a blurring became apparent around certain people, as though Time had somehow managed to change in his vision. He tried to understand why the Spirit Force would show such a thing to him.
He stood and watched the Princess and the Prince as they continued to dance then he felt an almost painful jolt as the music ended for a moment. The shift in destiny was complete then.
As he clearly saw the Princess and the Prince slip quietly from the attention of the court, headed for the balcony, his altered sight also showed him two figures in their place that started to dance again. But as these ghost figures faded away, the haze around the Royal Court faded and his sight regained its usual clarity.
Kako was confused, wondering what it was that he had seen. But though he tried to settle his churning thoughts, to find clarity and comfort in the Spirit Force, but his heart refused to listen. He had the terrible feeling that something unbelievable had just taken place and there was nothing he or his Queen would be able to do to repair the course of the future to what it should have been.
The Princess took a step back from Prince Nazoru, her eyes a little wild.
For a moment she was confused, not knowing what to think. Everything she had thought about herself was turned upside down and inside out, and as she looked in his eyes Princess Amaterasu realised that all she would ever need to know was in his eyes. There was no more confusion.
He had noticed that she had pulled away, but before he could react she smiled at him in joy, and this time their kiss lasted a lot longer.
"Princess", Palomene's voice was barely a whisper from the doorway.
The moment lasted a little longer than perhaps it should have, but when the Princess' lips broke away from Nazoru's and she turned slowly, she saw that Palomene was standing in the light of the doorway.
There was an ache in the Princess' heart that hadn't been there before. He was holding her hand, but she found herself wishing that he would kiss her again. She wondered why she felt this way.
"Your mother wishes to speak with you and Prince Nazoru", The Guardian said, and it was not until much later that the Princess realised just how sad Palomene had been at that moment. At the time all Amaterasu felt was resentment at being pulled away from his magical kiss under the moonlight.
Nazoru squeezed her hand reassuringly, and the Princess was surprised as a shiver flowed through her body radiating from her fingers. She let go of his hand before returning to the ballroom; it would not be proper, but she sorely missed the comfort his touch had brought her. All too suddenly she remembered Marianth's strange fainting fit.
"What does this mean?" The deep male voice echoed in the stillness of the hidden meeting place. It was poorly lit, but neither of them needed light to see anymore. Their other gifts assured the safety and concealment of their location.
"The Queen has taken steps." Her voice was also deeper than one would expect from her appearance. Bright eyes flashed in the darkness, betraying her deeper emotions.
"Tatooine has been taken care of." The grey military uniforms worn by the two seemed only to heighten the bleakness of the atmosphere around them.
The girl nodded in agreement. "We must be doubly cautious. No one must suspect."
"The Queen must be told of what has transpired tonight. She has plans for Prince Nazoru that will not be disturbed, no matter what the pretty Princess wants." His voice was full of contempt for all that he had seen this night.
"The Princess will be dealt with when the time is right. For now we must prepare for what will happen next." The woman smiled chillingly, so that even her companion shuddered.
"Our forces are moving on to Toxtenkopp. It will be interesting to watch what the Senshi will do to try and stop us."
"It is too late for them to do anything. It is far too late." She blinked once, her blue eyes shining with what could almost have been mistaken for tears.
"Do you regret your choice?" His eyes shone with sympathy.
"Never. The Queen offered peace or destruction, what choice could be made? Our people will fight alongside hers and we will have a place of honour when she controls the entire Galaxy. There is no regret, only hatred of those who could not give us the choice to fight. They will all suffer at the hands of the Queen, and then they will die."
"The powers of the Senshi are insignificant next to those we now wield." He could not understand the tone of her voice, though her words made sense.
"And that is why they will fail to defend their worlds. It is our task to see if we can turn some, to prevent bloodshed." She smiled, eyes flashing maliciously again. "Are you going to return to the Queen's side?"
He nodded to her. "I am required to control the youma, so that they do not drain too much energy from our people. Any deaths at this time could be catastrophic to our plans. We need a continual stream of energy, and it is essential that the people do not notice what we are doing. Their immunity from the Queen's magic was assured."
"Our people are foolish, but you are wise not to antagonise them. Will you be safe?"
"Of course. Be careful here, Amatite, the Senshi will be on guard from tonight on." He embraced her warmly.
"I am always on guard around the Senshi", she said, "you know that. Give my regards to the Queen, Hematite."
"What will you do now?" His voice was soft.
"I had better return to the ballroom, before anyone notices my absence."
There was a brief flash of crimson light, and she disappeared. Hematite gave one last look around the room where they had met before casting the spell that would teleport him back to the Queen's personal spacecraft.
"'Teki, where have you been?" Amaterasu sounded terribly put out with her friend, as her mother continued to talk with Nazoru. The Princess had been excluded from the conversation somewhat reluctantly, but although she loved the sound of the Prince's voice, the topic at hand was not terribly interesting.
Sailor Domus Prime shrugged. "I wanted to check on Marianth", she said softly, "she seems to be improving, though I doubt anything could wake her from the sleep spell Palomene cast."
"I wish I understood what had caused her to scream like that." The Princess gave a shudder as she remembered.
"It sounded so terrible, as though a part of her had died." A chill wind seemed to blow around 'Teki, colder than anything she had ever felt. For a brief instant she had the impression that someone was casting a spell on her, but none of the Senshi would do such a thing. At least, not at a time like this.
"What are they talking about?" 'Teki asked after a time, gesturing to the Queen and Prince Nazoru.
"The economic positioning of Coruscant with respect to the other major trading centres, or something like that. I was not paying a lot of attention." The Princess' eyes had glazed over slightly.
The orchestra was still playing in the background: a gentle piece that lacked a proper dancing beat. 'Teki knew that Kako Shinwa had probably arranged for the change in pace at the ball, and many couples and members of the court had already faded from the scene. In another hour, only the Queen and a few of her guests would remain.
"Excuse me 'Teki, but I wish to speak with you for a moment", Palomene said from behind her. 'Teki started, not having sensed the Guardian's approach. Even the Princess seemed a little surprised, but she gave a gentle nod, and the younger Senshi allowed herself to be led away.
"Have you found out something about Marianth?" 'Teki's voice was pitched higher than usual, surprising Palomene with its concern. They stood just outside the main entrance to the ballroom and 'Teki noticed a pale blue shimmering in the air that suggested that Palomene was casting a spell around them so that no one could see or overhear what was being said between the two Senshi.
"I have yet to understand what caused Sailor Tatooine's fainting spell." Palomene's deep voice was almost a whisper in the still air. "I wished to speak with you about Princess Amaterasu."
"The Princess?"
Palomene nodded her head, a small involuntary movement from the usually controlled and still Guardian. "I have a terrible feeling that she may be in danger, more than usual."
'Teki realised later just how worried the leader of the Senshi must have been to tell her this.
"I will protect her as is my duty", Sailor Domus Prime swore as she had so many times before, both aloud and silently in her heart.
"I fear that whatever has happened to Sailor Tatooine does not bode well for peace in the Kingdom", Palomene ran one hand through her hair nervously, a sight that chilled 'Teki. "Never leave the Princess alone, I want one of the Senshi constantly near her at all times."
"What about Prince Nazoru?"
"For the time being I want her watched even when she is with Prince Nazoru, in case something happens that he is unable to deal with." Though Palomene did not say it, 'Teki had the direct impression that the Guardian did not trust the Prince, and she wondered exactly what Palomene was afraid of.
"Are things really that bad?" In her own mind, 'Teki was suddenly filled with foreboding and a vision, of her palace on Domus Prime crumbling under attack from a black cloud of hatred, consumed her senses. She came back to herself with a start as Palomene tried to regain her student's attention.
"Princess Fuhenteki", Palomene said sharply, "You will keep any suspicions about whatever danger it is you believe we are facing to yourself. It would not do to prematurely upset Princess Amaterasu or the Queen."
"I understand", 'Teki said with a small bow.
"Good." The Guardian walked briskly back to the ballroom.
The last remnants of Palomene's spell sparkled in the air around her and 'Teki, then faded into darkness.
Princess Amaterasu sighed as she realised that she would get to spend no more time alone with the Prince this night. And from the way the other girls of the Court kept following him around, never giving him a moment's peace, she might never get another moment with him again.
She looked at him closely, wondering why exactly she was so upset by this. It was obvious why the girls liked him; the Prince was exceedingly attractive with his dark hair and eyes. Princess Amaterasu was glad that this late in the proceedings everyone had removed their masks, for although the Senshi had been easy enough to recognise in their fuku, many of the courtiers had been almost interesting as they hid behind their masks. It was amazing how some people managed to adopt a totally different personality while they were wearing a mask that hide their face.
As another of the Senshi dragged Princess Amaterasu off to a corner of the room to ask her what she thought of Prince Nazoru, the Princess found herself wondering idly if somehow the universe was conspiring to take her away from him.
Much later that night, after all but one of the moons of Coruscant had set below the horizon and the lights around the Palace had winked out, Palomene stood before her Queen, bowing formally. Her eyes were darkened with tiredness, and every muscle in her body seemed tense and ready for combat. She was dressed still in her Senshi fuku and her long hair had been braided back from her face in a manner that was too severe for her gentle features.
Kako Shinwa stood in the room as well, though he did not speak.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Your Majesty." Palomene finally spoke to break the silence.
"How could any person do this?" The Queen's voice was a shocked whisper, "Billions of people live on Tatooine, I will not accept that they might not have survived this 'blast'."
"We can hope that most were able to escape from the worst effects of whatever it was that destroyed the planet's orbit. The new orbit does seem to be stabilising as we monitor it, but the tropical world of Tatooine is no more, it has been changed too much. All that is left will gradually fade until the much-intensified heat from the twin stars until the entire planet becomes one large desert.
"It is too soon to tell if human life will be able to continue there, or if the planet will have to be handed over to another species more suited to it. Sailor Tatooine should be able to tell us in a few days."
"Then Marianth will recover?"
"It seems as though what happened to her was just shock at what happened to her planet. I suspect, though it cannot be proven yet, that her Senshi powers and abilities will be much changed by the changes to her planet."
"Is it possible that somehow a meteor or some other natural occurrence could have so upset the orbit of Tatooine? Something we could not detect because it was out of the range of the magic shields?"
Palomene only shook her head. "The stabilising of the planet's orbit is not natural, nor is whatever caused it to move from the path it has followed for countless centuries. I fear that what happened to Tatooine was intended to be a warning. It seems hard to believe, but judging by the amount of control that they used in manipulating Tatooine's orbit they could have torn the planet apart, instead they chose only to inflict a disaster that would forever change the lives of the people living there. Although we have not heard from Tatooine I do not believe that they have wiped out the population."
"Then why have we heard no cries for assistance?" The Queen's voice was still disbelieving. She would not accept what Palomene could feel was true, not without direct proof of what had happened to Tatooine. A few readings from a satellite and the screams of a hysterical teenager would never be enough to convince her.
"It is possible that the people decided to throw their lot in with the people who caused this rather than run the risk of further disaster. At the moment we should be thankful that no other planet has been attacked as well. People with the power to destroy worlds must surely have the technology to travel in hyperspace."
"You will take some of the Senshi to investigate Tatooine?"
"In a few days I will leave you and I will go to Mau to speak with my sister and the other Guardians. Perhaps we may be able to find a peaceful resolution to what has transpired at Tatooine and may be spreading to other distant worlds. I will continue to try and find what information I can from the Senshi of these worlds and their rulers, but we may have to assume that some have already given in to whoever is attacking us."
"Until we know more about what is facing us, we shall take no more action than to watch carefully and wait for information to come to us. I want your word that you will not disobey me in this."
"Your Majesty, I fear that whatever is happening is a far greater threat to our way of life than you understand."
The Queen stood and walked to a window, her manner towards the Guardian becoming cold. She was not used to having her thoughts and opinion contradicted. Her eyes were more dangerous than Palomene had ever seen them.
"Palomene, your vague feelings of doom have tormented us all often. It is enough that I have agreed to your wishes to seek information about this supposed attack, but I will not believe there is any danger until I see real evidence of what has transpired on Tatooine. You will say nothing to the Senshi and I will hear no more about this unless you have proof."
The Queen turned back to Palomene, her voice cold. "What happened to Tatooine was clearly an accident."
Trying to conceal her anger at the Queen's refusal to hear of something that disrupted the perfect calm of the world she lived in, Palomene could only bow. "Then I will take my leave", the Guardian said softly, "Goodnight, Your Majesty."
She started to walk from the room, not looking back or stopping until she heard the Queen whisper her name.
"Do you believe Chie was right?" The Queen sighed sadly, meeting Palomene's eyes and trying to consider the story presented to her. "That there is an Invasion force headed towards Coruscant?"
"I believe that we must assume the worst, Your Majesty." Palomene paused, her eyes staring at the floor as she made her terrible pronouncement. "I believe that we must prepare for war."
To Chapter Four
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