62

Days on Pabu used to be simple. Now, they were anything but.

Finding a sense of normalcy after the tragedy they'd lived through was challenging. Not just for Saedii, who struggled with returning to a quiet life, but for the others, too. For Omega, who didn't seem to have the same curiosity that she once had, and Crosshair, who was quieter than usual. And for Hunter, who desperately tried to make everything alright.

Phee was a big help. Each morning, she had coffee and a spread of breakfast. She smiled and chatted amiably about menial things happening around the island, even if Tech was the only one who seemed truly interested. When Saedii flinched at loud noises or reached for her necklace, Phee pretended not to notice.

Kalth seemed to have the hardest time. Every time Phee or any of the others did something kind for him, he would go rigid, like he expected some kind of backlash. Some catch. He spent most of the time keeping to himself, only speaking if directly spoken to. And always responding with that edge of anger that Saedii was slowly growing accustomed to.

He wasn't always angry though. Every night that Saedii woke in a cold sweat, trembling from nightmares, he came. Kalth never spoke when he climbed in next to her. Never commented on the way Saedii's hand shook in his. And when morning came, he pretended like it had never happened.

Plo haunted Saedii's every dream. Begging her help. Sometimes, even with Kalth sleeping beside her, Saedii found it hard to sleep. Dreading hearing his voice beg her to kill him.

Hunter noticed her lack of rest.

"You want to go lay down?" he asked her nearly a week after they'd arrived on Pabu, watching the slow blinks of her eyes as the two sat on the couch.

Wrecker was there, too. Snoring. He clearly was having no trouble getting rest. The cast on his leg had been traded out for a long intricate brace, thanks to the bacta treatments that he'd received.

Saedii had finished her own rounds of bacta. Her larynx had healed within the first few days, and now even her head and ribs no longer ached. By all means, she shouldn't have any trouble getting rest.

And yet, she was. Because of her nightmares. Because of Plo.

"No," Saedii said quietly.

In the kitchen, Echo and Tech were bent over a long range comm, sending out the same messages they did every day. They hadn't given up trying to find Rex or any of the others, even if Saedii was sure there was nothing to find.

"Are you sleeping alright?" Hunter was lounging, relaxed. Or pretending to be, if the shadow of worry in his eye was any indication.

Omega was off with Phee at the market. Of all of them, she had been the most restless. The daily trips down to the market were the only thing that really seemed to quell her.

On the screen before them, some sports game played out. It was a sport that Saedii had never seen before, and after twenty minutes of watching, was no closer to parsing out the rules. Hunter didn't seem too interested, either, but so far, neither of them had made any move to turn it off.

"Well enough."

"Are you sure? Tech can give you something to help, if you want it."

Saedii shook her head.

Hunter's mouth thinned.

From the table, there was a crackle on the comms device, and Tech suddenly called out, "Hunter! You may want to see this."

At the sound of Tech's shout, Wrecker gave a snort and bolted upright, looking around with drowsy eyes. "Whatswrong?" he asked, voice slurring.

Hunter and Saedii both jumped off the couch, going straight for the table. Somewhere behind her, Saedii heard a door close and footsteps on the stairs as Kalth emerged from his room to listen as well.

"There's a message that's being transmitted on a loop to every public comms channel across the galaxy," Echo said. His scomp was plugged into the travel-sized device that Tech had brought from the ship.

"What kind of message?" Hunter asked.

Tech flicked a few buttons. "You will want to listen for yourself."

There was another crackle before a glowing blue figure suddenly appeared above the transmitter. Saedii sucked in a breath as Padme's figure shimmered before them.

"This is Senator Padme Amidala," the message said. Padme's expression was grim and determined. "Three years ago, the Empire faked my death and used it as political propaganda to further their own agenda. I am here today to tell you that they have lied to you, and are continuing to do so."

A soft scuff across the room announced Crosshair as he leaned against the doorframe, listening as well. His expression was almost as serious as Padme's.

"Emperor Palpatine illegally put himself into power, through lies, bribes, and manipulation among the Senate. He was the reason behind the Clone Wars – a hand that played both sides and stoked chaos and unease between the Republic and the Separatists, funding both sides in his bid to take power. The billions of lives lost in the conflict lie squarely at his feet."

The house was so quiet that the faint sounds of dock workers and sea birds sounded obscenely loud. Every person in the kitchen had become blocks of stone, listening intently to Padme's message.

"Palpatine has lied to every single person in the Empire," Padme's stated. "He is no savior. No leader. And he doesn't care for the wellbeing of his citizens. In fact, Palpatine isn't even his true name. Not anymore."

Saedii's breath caught. Was Padme going to say it?

"Sheev Palpatine is a Sith lord, known by the name of Darth Sidious."

"Maker," Echo muttered. Saedii felt the same shock that was reflected in his eyes. Padme had actually said it.

"It was Palpatine who was behind the systematic genocide of the Jedi Order. Palpatine who started a false rumor of their treason to justify their execution. He is a coward who feared their power and knew they were the only ones capable of stopping him, and so he destroyed them before they could learn his true identity."

Padme lifted her chin, defiant. "The Clone army that Palpatine commissioned were built with illegal inhibitor chips implanted into their brains. These chips were used to turn the Clones subservient through the execution of a classified missive known as Order 66, in which they were used as weapons to murder every living Jedi and Force-sensitive being, including children."

Next to Padme, another glowing figure stepped up. A thrill went through Saedii as she realized it was Rex.

"The Clones were created to be Palpatine's ultimate weapon. As he continuously denied them basic human rights in the Senate, he worked with the Kaminoans to implant those illegal inhibitor chips with the plan of using them for his own means. The use of these kinds of chips are a direct violation of the Myraan Accords, and the testimony of surviving Clones are enough to condemn the Emperor for these heinous crimes."

Rex looked like the picture of military precision. Standing at attention at Padme's side. A quiet, sturdy presence.

"In the three years since the Jedi purge, I have fought beside these surviving Clones to discover the truth. To fight for justice in a galaxy that has been robbed of it for far too long. Meanwhile, Palpatine has sought to quiet any discontent through oppression and intimidation. And only last week, arrested nearly three dozen active Senate members for speaking against him."

Padme continued, "I call upon the people of the Empire to rise up and defy this gross misuse of power. To shun the Sith lord that sits in the capital and calls himself your Emperor. I call on you to demand Palpatine be removed from power and to release the dissenting members of the Senate."

Another figure stepped up beside her. Anakin, who crossed his arms and looked damn imposing beside her.

"And I also offer you this promise," Padme finished, looking regal and powerful between the figures of Rex and Anakin. "I promise you that I will not stop fighting until this evil has been uprooted. I promise to fight for the people of this galaxy and to never give in to the oppression of Palpatine and his allies. Together with my allies, we will do what we can to free each and every person that calls this galaxy home. And we will not stop until Palpatine and his regime has been toppled."

Kalth edged in close behind Saedii. His expression was rapt. Hopeful. The hand at his side even clenched, as though wrapping around his own lightsaber which was hidden somewhere upstairs.

Padme stared forward, as though she were staring into the soul of each and every person who watched this transmission, and vowed, "The Rebellion will not be silenced. We will not sit back and allow evil to stand unchallenged. And we will keep fighting. Because we are not free until every one of us are free."

The image of Padme blinked out for a millisecond before it reappeared, and Padme started all over again, "This is Senator Padme Amidala..."

Tech switched it off.

"When was that sent out, Tech?" Hunter demanded in the silence that followed the transmission.

"The first transmission hit the public channels an hour ago."

"Where did it come from?"

"The source is untraceable. Even for me."

Hope suddenly blossomed in Saedii's chest. If the message had come out an hour ago, that meant that Padme and Rex could still be alive. And if they'd survived, maybe others had as well – Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and Wolffe.

Echo squinted as his scomp spun in the circuit, reading things that Saedii and the rest couldn't hear. "The Empire already put out a response. They're calling the transmission a fake and asking citizens to keep vigilant for any so-called traitors to the Empire."

"Figures," Crosshair muttered.

"What does this mean?" Wrecker asked the room at large.

Hunter frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Something rippled across Hunter's face. Uncertainty, maybe. Or reluctance. "This doesn't change anything. Staying hidden is the best course of action for us right now, until all the attention has calmed down."

"But if Rex and the others are alive, won't they need our help?"

"It is uncertain when this message was recorded," Tech offered. "For all we know, Padme recorded this message before Teth as a contingency plan in case the Rebellion fell."

A contingency. Just like their very own Plan 99.

That thought killed some of the hope that Saedii had felt. If the message truly was just a contingency, then that would mean everyone was dead. That Saedii and the Batch were the only ones left.

Kalth glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The spark of hope that had been in his eyes was gone, too. As if he'd realized the same thing.

"There's something else." Echo was intently focused. Listening. "It sounds like there are protests erupting on several planets – Naboo, Alderaan, Pantora, Chandrila, Lothal, and Ryloth are just a few, though the Imperial channels are reporting nearly thirty planets."

That was something, at least. As powerful as the Empire was, it wouldn't survive if the people under its command rose up to displace it. Not for long, anyways.

"People are fighting back?" Wrecker asked.

"Not yet, but they're definitely not happy," Echo reported.

Discontent was good. It would certainly keep the Empire busy until Saedii figured out what she wanted. Whether she would rejoin the fight.

Hunter seemed lost in thought. The right side of his face was pinched, furrowing the dark lines of his tattoo.

After a minute, he said, "Keep an eye on it, Tech. And keep trying Rex on his dark channels."

Tech seemed surprised by this. "I thought you did not want to get involved any further?"

"I don't, but I want to keep an eye on it. To stay informed –"

"Saedii!"

Omega rushed in through the front door, wide eyes scanning the room. When she spotted Saedii she ran to her at once.

"Saedii, did you hear?" she demanded.

"We just listened to it," Saedii said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Omega's ear.

Omega's expression went blank. "Listened to what?"

"Padme's transmission." Saedii frowned, reading the confusion on Omega's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Phee and I sent you a message. About the ship."

"What ship?"

"The one that landed twenty minutes ago."

Everyone's attention was on Omega now. At her side, Kalth had taken a protective step in Saedii's direction.

But Omega didn't seem afraid. Surprisingly, she seemed excited. Enthralled. Both hands grabbed onto one of Saedii's as she pulled her towards the door, saying, "Come on! You have to see."

Soft clicks echoed in the room behind her as blasters were drawn. Even Kalth had pulled his lightsaber, though he kept it quiet at his side.

Waiting in Phee's front garden, the pirate was talking quietly to the two figures at her side, a wry smile in place. As the group exited the house, Phee and the two figures at her side both looked up. The smaller one smiled.

"Good to see you, it is, my young Padawans," Master Yoda said as Saedii gaped at him.

Any thoughts that Saedii might have had suddenly fled. Withering at the sight of the old Jedi Master, who turned to his companion and murmured, "Safe it is, to remove your cloak."

Pale hands reached up, grasping the dark hood that hid the last figure's face. With one fluid movement, the hood was dropped, revealing a beautiful, bone-white face and golden slitted eyes. A face that Saedii, though she had never seen in real life, recognized at once.

Standing beside Master Yoda, one hand resting on his shoulder, was the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress.