Rumors had swirled and circulated around the Intelligence branches of the Confederacy, and that of Naboo. A rebel attack was imminent on the Capitol, dissidents who railed against the changes made to the Constitution were intent on disrupting the new government from being seated – and Kairi understood their frustration. Naboo was never intended to be a Capital world for any government, they were meant to be a peaceful world – a neutral world. Despite her private protests, meetings with CIS dignitaries to include the Vicelord himself, plans were made and continued forward. Naboo became the home world of the Confederacy. The dissidents became bolder, and more brash – now even opposing Kairi, who they believed to be a puppet ruler...but the truth was far from that.
Her home world came first, before the Confederacy, before any government.
She knew that her cooperation was paramount, so, for the best of her people and their world – she no longer protested. She accepted their oversight of the garden world, if the laws were followed as it would be on any other planet. She was pro-Confederacy for sure, as they had never displayed any ill-intent or malice to the masses which they governed. Princess Kairi, at the time, also managed to push for the Royal Houses of Naboo to take center stage once more. She argued that Naboo could not afford the agenda of term limited Kings and Queens, pointing to the history of Naboo. With some reluctance, the people voted in favor of returning to the hereditary dynasty and appointed Kairi Leidias-Naberrie, of the House Naberrie, Queen of Naboo.
And so, the coronation was planned in conjunction with the Festival of the Harvest...and the move of the CIS Capital.
The day before the ceremony, Kairi was approached by @Teyla Ee’everwest and was foretold of the coming attack, and in response she asked if CIS had a plan to ensure that the people of Naboo were safe – to which they agreed they had a solid plan in place. Kairi would swap with Sabe and become a Handmaiden for the duration of the Coronation – and Sabe would pretend to be Kairi. It was a well-orchestrated maneuver, one that had been handed down for generations. Everything was routine...but what happened was beyond routine.
“That moment when the world around you collapses, is likely not one you’ll ever forget.” The voice of @Brave Capon, her trusted Captain, echoed through her ears. He examined each of the Handmaidens with a gaze, lingering for a moment on Cordé before turning back to the Queen, bowing slightly at the waist, and gesturing to the doorway beyond. “At your leisure, your Highness.”
“Very well Captain...” Sabé played the part of Kairi well, she wore the robes just right, walked and talked to near perfection of Kairi. Handmaidens were elite trained individuals in many ways but were not battle hardened like others. They were perfect chameleons, able to replicate their surroundings and the person they were assigned to. Kairi had four reliable handmaidens and a few on reserve – should some get sick or worse, perish. Despite how it made her feel, she knew that they accepted their fate when they spoke their oath. She knew that if they had to, they would lay down their lives for her.
A notion that did not sit well with the young Queen.
Kairi walked forward with the group, trying to get closer to Sabé to tell her friend...something...anything. She would be stopped by Tyche, who merely shook her head and held Kairi back with a slower pace. The young Queen watched as the precession moved forward, through the intricate columns and out into the world beyond. The sound of thunderous cheering filled her ears, causing her to tense slightly. Brave had disembarked from the main group, bowing slightly to the Queen before he left.
She blinked rapidly, trying to force her eyes to adjust to the shift in luminosity. As they made their way out into the open, she noticed something off to the side and out of the corner of her eye – a motion, maybe a blur. Kairi did her best not to move or look, but as they moved down the stairs – the world as she knew it collapsed...
The explosion was harsh and precise.
Kairi was flung a short distance, as were the other Handmaidens and some Royal Security and CIS Droids. It happened faster than she could have ever imagined. The white-hot heat, the sensation of being weightless, and the pain of impacting duracrete and marble. All of it, in a single moment in time, bam, bam, bam.
The sound of ringing filled her ears, the taste of iron flooded her sense – and the “distant” sound of war. She tried to sit up, multiple times but nothing seemed to work, her body refused to move. The sound of shouting began to hit her, as the ringing subsided. Her head was swimming, her eyes struggling to focus as she began to crawl along the bloodied, blackened marble. She could hear screams of the injured, their crying pleas to the heavens for mercy. She blinked away tears, struggling to have any strength to reach the disfigured body of her once close friend. She continued to grasp at anything she could, dragging the weight of her body behind her.
She would grab onto the arm of one of her dead Security Forces, pulling herself up and resting her body against his. Kairi tried to climb over, to reach Sabé but the feeling of falling backwards filled her sense, the touch of foreign hands – she tried to fight against them, whoever they were.
“Cordé, no, we have to go!” She could feel her body being sat upright, she could see the dozens of security forces securing the area, and the sound of Brave shouting orders. Her mind was a fog, nothing was connected, nothing made sense. Her sapphire orbs were fixated on the corpses on the ground – more specifically Sabé . Her hands searched for something, anything to pull herself up to her full height to wander back to the body of her friend. Sporadic blaster fire rang out around them, but Kairi was in shock – nothing mattered, she did not pay attention to it. She would struggle to rise to her feet, tearing delicate fabric beneath her blackened boots as she stepped on her own dress. Blood would come forth, from various locations – mostly superficial, save for the blood that ran down the corner of her mouth. Her eyes remained staring ahead, the shock clearly overcoming her system and causing all normal functions outside of breathing to cease. They say that fight or flight kicks in, but that was not the case for Kairi, instead, shock ruled the day.
Tyché grabbed the shoulders of the young Queen, shaking her gently while yelling to her. “M’LADY!” But Kairi would not respond, instead looking through her, still in disbelief. She spoke softly, her own words sounding foreign to her. “I should have listened...” She stammered and looked at Tyche with tear filled eyes. Her voice faltered as she continued to repeat the words. “I should have listened...” It was by this time; the might of the Confederacy had swopped down into Theed City and Captain Capone, could no longer sit by, and watch the Queen beat herself over the loss of her friend. He pushed gently past Tyché and stood before her, gently placing a heavy hand upon her shoulder. He would break protocol, but in a time like this – protocol was out the window.
“Your highness, we must leave – it is still dangerous...” His words echoed through her mind, causing her gaze to break away from the carnage of the explosion, and stare at him. She could barely muster a nod before darkness swarmed her vision and she collapsed into him, a heap of bones and flesh, damaged by the unknown assailant's bomb. She would be whisked away, in the arms of those who swore to protect her, only to awaken days later...elsewhere.
News reports would flood the Galaxy that the Capital of CIS was attacked during a coronation and celebration, and the Queen had perished.
But reality was far from that, she was being kept safe – elsewhere while the Knights Obsidian, originally led by
Kyyrk
and taken over by @Teyla Ee’everwest.The investigation behind the failed assassination attempt seemed to drag on for months and months. It was not until the following year that the CIS announced suspects in the attack – to include the newly appointed Queen, who not only reversed all the Constitutional changes, but cut term limits. The changes gave her ultimate authority, even surpassing that of the Confederacy, however, before the changes could be signed and enacted – the mysterious Queen fled the planet after being named a suspect by the Knights Obsidian and the CIS.
It was then, that the Queen of Naboo, the rightful ruler and monarch made her presence known during the Festival of the Harvest, sending a scathing message to the one who tried to murder her and succeeded in killing two of her Handmaidens and sending multiple people to the hospital. She warned that there would be no stone unturned, no crevice which the woman could hide in while she was alive. A bounty was placed upon the woman, and the Knights Obsidian would be in hot pursuit. The world of Naboo would recover as time moved on, memorials would be erected, and security would be increased – ensuring that no attack on the people of Naboo, or the monarchy, which was seated in power, would ever happen again.
Anyone who is skilled with BBCodes care to make me something for the main Naboo account? Let me know please!!!
