Hi guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. The summer was quite a busy time for me as the only time I had off of work was to see my friends at University. I meant to upload sooner but got struck down with a sickness bug so I've decided where my life is so busy I'm just not going to say when I aim for the next part to be up because I never meet them anyway and I just end up stressing myself out and forcing ideas which is when my writing goes bad.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter 6 - A Bit of Confusion

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Padmé was on her way to Rodia to see if the people were still with the Republic. She had Jar Jar and C-3PO with her and it would be just them. They were flying her new ship where the old one had been destroyed on the Malevolence. Anakin had already given it a once over and had fiddled around and made some improvements that if she was being perfectly honest, she had no idea what they are.

She was so lost in thought that it took her some time to notice that she had an incoming transmission from the Chancellor.

"Senator Amidala, I just received word that you have ventured through enemy territory into the Outer Rim."

Padmé fought the urge to sigh. You would have thought fighting at the Battle of Geonosis and people would have stopped seeing her as a damsel in distress and more as someone who is more than capable of taking care of themselves.

"Farr requested me personally, Chancellor. His planet is in crisis. His people are starving." She thought back to when her home planet was under siege and how helpless she felt. She wasn't going to let that happen to other planets. "He's a very old family friend. I could not refuse his plea for help."

"I understand," yet it was said in such a way that Padmé knew he was still going to argue with her. "But in these dangerous times, you should be accompanied by a clone escort."

Padmé was just about ready to scream. She was not going to scare the people into staying loyal to the Republic. If they started doing that then they would be no better than the Separatists.

"This is a mission of peace!" Padmé said, her frustration starting to leak into her voice. "I put my faith in diplomacy. We can't solve all our problems by throwing troops at them."

Jar Jar began to sense that an argument could be close to starting so he quickly stepped in.

"Yousa no needing to worry, Chancellor. As resempative of Nab-" He was cut off as he tripped over 3PO's leg and fell towards the centre console hitting a button causing the ship to suddenly dive downwards.

Padmé quickly grabbed hold of the control stick and moved the ship so it was back on course, secretly thanking Anakin for the extreme flying lessons he once did with her.

Once the ship was back on track Padmé turned back to the hologram of the Chancellor.

"May I recommend that only those who are qualified for these delicate peace talks participate in them."

Padmé hoped that Jar Jar hadn't made the connection and said, "I will follow your advice, Chancellor."

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The ship touched down on the landing platform and Padmé mentally prepared herself for the first task - getting Jar Jar to stay behind. He had come leaps and bounds since she had taken him under her wing and she hated leaving him out of anything, but the Chancellor was right. This mission was a delicate one and there was no room for error.

Turning round she realised that this would be much harder than she anticipated. The planet of Rodia was swamp like with protective domes around the buildings not unlike the protective barriers around the Gungan city where Jar Jar had grown up and one look at him showed that he was excited to explore a planet which closely resembled his own home.

"Meesa have to get going!" he exclaimed as Padmé shook her head slightly to clear it.

"Jar Jar, you would be doing me a great favor by staying with the ship," she told him.

His happy expression faded. "Meese knowing meesa be big help with the negotiations," he tried to plead his case.

It took all her doing not to give in to him. She hated it when she had to do things like this, they never sat right with her.

"I need you to watch over 3PO," she told him in a soft voice. "You know how he always gets himself into trouble." She watched as his expression fell even more. She put a hand under his chin lifting his head slightly to offer comfort and to get him to look at her. "I won't be long and if we're successful, I give you a tour afterwards," she told him. She knew how homesick he was and a quick look round after the negotiations couldn't hurt.

Jar Jar's spirit lifted a little and she gave him a small nod as she left the ship to get the negotiations underway.

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She couldn't keep the small grin off of her face as she saw Ono standing in front of her. She bowed and offered the native greeting which he returned.

"I've missed you so much," Padmé said as she took in the sight of the old family friend.

"I was afraid you might not come," Ono told her. "We are such a small and humble system."

Padmé cut him off. "Uncle Ono, you are very important to me. We've been friends since I was a little girl, when you were my father's strongest ally in the Senate. Rodia is very important to the Republic, and of course I'd come to help you."

Ono looked almost sad but let his anger show as he said, "You speak of friendship I have not witnessed of late."

Padmé went to defend herself but she was cut off.

"Where was the Republic when our supply ships were destroyed by pirates? Where was the Republic when my people starved? We have been stranded out her without any help at all!" He took a breath to calm himself. "I know it is not your fault, but my people starve all the same."

She understood where he was coming from. After all it was only 10 years ago she found herself in the same position, pleading a very similar case to the Republic for her own people because nothing seemed to be happening. She had taken matters into her own hands but not everyone was like her, but she had at least hoped that the Republic had learnt from old mistakes.

"I'm sure the Republic will approve a relief effort. The vote was postponed, but you will get your food," Padmé promised.

Ono hung his head. "I am sorry. It is too late, my sweet. The Separatist leader Nute Gunray has promised to support us with a very generous relief effort. He is giving us food, ships and protection."

Padmé couldn't believe what she was hearing. He knew Nute Gunray was the reason that Naboo had suffered 10 years ago and yet here he was siding with the people who hadn't really tried to hide the fact that they wanted her out of the picture. It was a betrayal, one that she swore she physically felt break her heart.

"Nute Gunray cannot be trusted," she argued, the anger she felt making its way into her voice despite her best attempts to hide it. "He will bring war to your system just as he did to mine many years ago!"

If anything Ono looked even more broken over the reminder. "I am afraid I have already done what I must for my people."

In a blink of an eye, battle droids surrounded Padmé, all of them holding their weapons at her. Ono pulled out him com and faced it towards her.

"Viceroy, I should have known."

"You won't get away this time, Senator," he told her, looking very smug with himself. "Your friend made a deal with me, and you are part of it."

Not wanting to go down without a fight and seriously hoping that the Viceroy wanted her alive, she quickly whipped her com out of her belt, which had been hidden by her cloak and yelled into it hoping that 3PO and Jar Jar would get her message.

"Stop her!" Viceroy shouted. He was determined for her to not slip through his fingers again.

A battle droid reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly making her drop her com and then the droid stepped on it causing it to break.

Gunray breathed a sigh of relief. "No one can help you now."

Ono looked heartbroken. "I am so sorry, my sweet. I had no choice," he told her as he tried to make her understand.

"There is always a choice!" Padmé told him desperately. "To live in fear is no life at all!"

"Take her away," Gunray ordered.

"Please, Uncle Ono," Padmé pleaded for the last time, "Don't do this!"

But all she saw was his dejected form listening to whatever it was Gunray was telling him.

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Padmé had been lead to a tall tower where she had guessed they keep prisoners. Ono had caught up with them after he had finished his conversation with Gunray and the party had been moving in silence ever since. She knew her time was running out now. Even if the others had managed to get her message she was pretty sure they'd be captured by now and she knew once she was in the cell it was very unlikely that she would be able to escape.

She tried to turn to Ono once more to try and convince him once again. "Uncle Ono, you can stop this madness," she pleaded. But he seemed lost to his thoughts and hadn't seemed to have heard her. All she got in return was a nudge from one of the battle droids to tell her to keep moving.

Once inside she was lead into one of the cells and told to put her arms up so her wrists could go into the cuffs attached to the wall.

"Are those chains really necessary?" Ono asked. Surely one senator didn't need all this fuss.

"Welcome to the Separatist way, Senator," Padmé told him. She wondered if she was being too hard on him for a minute but that thought quickly left her mind when she realised that she didn't know why Viceroy wanted her.

"Viceroy Gunray's orders," a battle droid explained as they left the cell.

"I hope it's worth it to you!" Padmé shouted to Ono as the door to the cell raised, leaving her alone in the dark cell.

She had only been in the cell for a few minutes when she heard the sound of someone approaching.

She couldn't make out what they were saying but heard Ono reply, "Good. I shall meet the Viceroy when he lands. What of Senator Amidala's companions?"

She strained to hear what was said. She'd never forgive herself if something had happened to Jar Jar and 3PO. They weren't the best in a fighting situation and she feared that they were gone by now, after all it was only her that Gunray wanted. And by the sounds of that conversation she didn't have long to wait before her own fate greeted her.

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Padmé struggled once again against the wrist bindings but still could not get free. As she stopped she heard the battle droids talking.

"Better watch out," one said. "There's a Jedi on the loose."

Padmé couldn't believe her luck. The droids were partly distracted by the Jedi. It gave her some hope that 3PO and Jar Jar were alright if they had managed to get a message to someone. She quickly thought of a plan in her newly euphoric state.

"You know," she called out to the droids, "you will soon be destroyed. I can't tell you how many times I've seen battle droids sliced in half by a lone Jedi."

"Quiet you!" Another droid told her.

"All right, cut the chatter," one said, it must have been the one in charge. "I want you troops to go outside and secure the perimeter."

Whilst the droid was saying this Padmé managed to flip her legs up so they were next to her hands. She then reached into one of her boots and pulled out a device. Using this device she was then able to unlock her restraints.

"You made it!" she called out. "I'm rescued at last. Hurry before the battle droids figure out what's happening!"

"Quiet in there!" a droid shouted.

Padmé moved herself into a dark corner by the door and shook her head to herself. She had to be really obvious if these droids were going to open the door.

"Thank you," she tried again. "Let's get out of here, Master Jedi!"

"Jedi?" one of the droids questioned. They opened the door and took a few steps into the cell. "There's no Jedi in here," he said once he got his barings, then, "Wait, there's no prisoner in here!"

Padmé then chose that as her moment. She jumped out from her hiding place, bringing her leg up so as she jumped across the doorway she kicked the droid. During the droid's stumble from the kick, Padmé managed to take his blaster and shoot him, quickly moving on to the others in the room, getting them all before they managed to sound the alarm.

She then found the button on the control panel that would cause the bridge to come over to the tower. When it was across she ran, the next task finding out what had happened to 3PO and Jar Jar.

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Trying to make her way through the building was becoming increasingly difficult. Padmé found that there were droids around every corner and it was making it difficult to remember the way out. As she was trying to remember the next turn she had to take, she heard a familiar voice.

Hoping she was right she took the corner and saw droids escorting someone down the corridor. She ran towards them leaping and jumping off of the side of the wall and shooting both droids as she landed.

"Mistress Padmé!" 3PO exclaimed, obviously happy to see her. "Thank The Maker you're safe. Have you-".

"Where's Jar Jar," Padmé cut him off. She just wanted to find everyone and then deal with Gunray.

"I'm afraid he went to rescue you," she was told.

Padmé mentally cursed Jar Jar in her head. There was a very high chance that he had already been captured and they'd have to rescue him.

"What about the Jedi?" Padmé asked. Having a bit of extra help would be handy.

"There is no Jedi," and when seeing Padmé's confused look he explained, "It appears the battle droids have mistaken Jar Jar for one."

"That's not good," she said whilst puzzling over how the droids could have made that mistake.

However it happened though, it meant they had to find Jar Jar before the droids got to him and most definitely killed him. That meant that 3PO would be no good to her.

"This is our chance to capture Viceroy Gunray, but I need you to stay calm," she told 3PO. "Go back to the ship and call for help."

"I regret the transmitters on the ship are out of order."

"What?" Padmé asked.

"The ship has been destroyed."

"Battle droids?" she questioned. 3PO shook his head.

"Jar Jar," they both said.

"All right," Padmé said, racking her brain for a new plan. "Then find a communications room and send out a distress signal. Hopefully there are some clone ships within range. I'll track down Jar Jar."

And with that they both went their separate ways.

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Padmé made her way outside so she standing opposite the bottom of the detention block. She looked round the corner to find Jar Jar wearing a Jedi cloak and trying to avoid the droids blaster fire. It was then she realised why the droids took him for a Jedi. She shouted out to him and began to fire at the droids as he disappeared into the waters underneath him.

Padmé saw Jar Jar swim by her through the grating and took one more look at the droids that were quickly approaching her position. Looking around her she noticed the wall above her was easily accessible and she climbed. There was enough confusion from the droids for her to shoot a few as she took off running along the wall.

When the wall ran out she jumped and swung off of a low piece of metal with one hand, kicking two droids as she landed and then quickly taking off again to put more distance between her and her pursuers.

As she ran back to where she had seen Jar Jar disappear, there was suddenly a huge explosion causing the water in front of her to splash upwards and the tremors causing her to fall. She made her way to the hole that was now in the grating and looked to see if she could see any sign of her friend.

As she was overcome by the wave of sadness that hit her, she heard a familiar voice address her. "Senator Amidala. So good to see you at last."

She turned and came face to face with Gunray with Ono standing behind him.

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Yet again Padmé found herself being held at gunpoint surrounded by droids of various designs only this time 3PO was with her.

"Mistress Padmé, were you able to find Jar Jar?" 3PO asked as he got closer.

"I think Jar Jar's dead, 3PO," Padmé told him. She felt so guilty. If she had asked for a clone escort then they would have been able to fight the droids and Jar Jar would still be with them.

She was jolted from her thoughts as she heard Viceroy say, "I want to make sure this time."

This was it then. They were going to be executed. That was the truth of the matter. She couldn't see how she could make it out of this situation alive so she cleared her mind and focused on her husband and how much she loved him. If she was going to die he was the last thing she wanted to think about.

She was forced from those thoughts as well when she hear shouts of Jedi. Jar Jar was standing behind the Viceroy in the cloak and looking very much like the Jedi everyone seemed to believe he was.

The droids opened fire with Jar Jar miracuously managing to avoid the shots. Then something very unexpected happened. The giant sea slug burst its way through the grating and started attacking the droids.

During all the commotion, Padmé had managed to find a blaster on the floor and saw that the Viceroy was escaping.

She ran after him and shot the two droids that were with him and then held him and gunpoint as the giant sea slug pushed his ship out of the hanger bay and into the waters and jungle below. Jar Jar then came up behind Viceroy making him too scared to move.

Padmé felt a presence behind her which was confirmed when Viceroy said, "Onaconda, it is about time. Blast that Jedi and shoot her!"

Padmé could see Ono was struggling and a plan entered her mind.

"Uncle Ono, I think it's time to tell the Viceroy about our little secret, how you never meant to leave the Republic and how you truly care about what's best for your people."

"What is she talking about," Gunray demanded.

"Sorry, Viceroy, she is right," he declared. "I am with the Republic, and you are under arrest."

"You will pay for this treachery!" Viceroy threatened.

Padmé looked the Viceroy dead in the eye and said "You are going to spend the rest of the war in a cell."

A shadow cast over them and they all looked up to see Republic warships making their way towards them.

Before long the clones were on the landing bay escorting the Viceroy onto a cruiser where he would find himself a cell. Jar Jar had been thanked for his bravery and heroism and supply ships were on their way to Rodia.

"Can you ever forgive me, Padmé?" Ono asked her.

"It is the Republic that should be asking your forgiveness, my old friend," she told him.

They were then escorted to some guest quarters where they were to wait so Padmé could be sent yet another J-type royal starship.

As they got comfortable, Jar Jar passed the Senator the Jedi cloak. "Meesa guessing yousa be wanting this back?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you, Jar Jar."

Luckily nothing else was said and she was pretty glad that was the way as she didn't want to have to try and talk her way out of that one. After all she missed her husband dearly when he was away and having a cloak that smelled like him sometimes helped her to calm herself or block out the stories of war and wearing it herself was almost like the way he held her, it gave her the same comforting feeling.

She hated keeping this a secret from everyone but with the Viceroy locked away hopefully the war would be over soon and they could announce their love to the galaxy for everyone to see.

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So that's that. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you have any questions or have spotted any mistakes that I've missed let me know. I'm going to start replying to reviews in the A/N at the beginning of the chapters if I feel like I can. I also put these stories on Wattpad and it's easy to respond to those comments as they come in but I personally find it difficult on here as any replies are sent via private messaging which is annoying when others may want to know the answer.

See you soon
K. Joycelyn