hope.

very kind , beautiful , but sad.

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NATALIE PORTMAN  //  have you met PADMÉ AMIDALA yet?  SHE is now TWENTY-NINE years old CIS WOMAN HUMAN, originally from NABOO but typically reside on NABOO /  ONDERON.  after everything she’s gone through, she now shows loyalty to THE NEW REPUBLIC.  she is best known for being a SENATOR, & i hear she’s grown pretty COMPASSIONATE yet also RECKLESS at times; i hope she survives the galactic war. (APRIL, 24, EST, THEY/SHE)

L O A D I N G : // …  8ABY : MONTH TWO … //

shortly after the new republic fundraiser, padmé amidala goes missing.

having been kidnapped by seventh sister, aiya ren, & armitage hux, she is held in a private, off-grid facility. she endures both physical and mental torture from the hands of the force users, while the general prefers more psychological and emotional damage. the force users ultimtely pry out the location of the new jedi order’s temple from her head. they implant a device on her, that if either of the three were to die, it should kill her as well.

after a few weeks, padmé is released to be found by her children, leia organa & luke skywalker. she’s barely alive, rushed quickly to medical care.

the next month is spent primarily on naboo, recovering from the trauma. she sees anakin skywalker for the first time in three years, beginning to truly forgive him for what he has done and see the good that he has tried to repent with.

not long after her return to work, the sernpidal disaster occurs. she works closely with senator vaner shan to manage the aftermath of the crisis on sernpidal, relocating refugees and helping families reunite.

padmé was a part of those that helped bring the hapes consortium into the republic. at the disastrous event, she reconnects more intimately with anakin skywalker before being interrupted by the attack. upon seeing armitage hux and learning that aiya ren is dead, she realizes that the device inside of her can be modified.

forming and taking charge of a committee to investigate the hapan attack, padmé is now working with various others, such as hera syndulla, to try and gain whatever information they can about who has attacked.

previous update. original intro.

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skywalkcrss​   //   luke skywalker.

Luke felt his eyes droop as his head rested in the palm of his hand as he slowly sipped on the drink he had before him. He had sat in this place for what felt like days, though he supposed it was a few hours at most. He had been told that someone would meet him here with information about the ancient Jedi texts. But he was getting quite tired, and truly wished his contact would arrive soon. 

He felt someone approach him before he heard the stool scratch against the floor. He perked up slightly, looking at the person, before speaking up.

“I suppose traffic must have been bad?”

.

senate meetings seemed to run the constant threat of driving padmé insane. the tensions were different than what it had been like at the clone wars –– at least for now, it seemed like their greatest enemy truly was on the outside. the yuuzhan vong. but they were still a great unknown in many ways. what was mot prominent was their capacity for destruction, and apparent lack of being sensed in the force.

“traffic was fine. unfortunately, some of my fellow senators seemed perfectly content to keep us there all night,” padmé responded with the corner of her mouth quipping upward into a gentle smile. “how are you? are you okay?”

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therefcrmer​   //   jaster mareel.

Jaster nodded in agreement “We do. And that will never change, no matter the government in charge. I do believe the New Mandalorian’s proved that well unfortunately.” He said with a sigh “I simply wanted to moderate it.” He murmured “Hopefully Jango will have a better chance in achieving that in this era than either of us did in the past.”

.

padmé nodded her head empathetically. she was all too familiar with the tragedy of new mandalore –– a part of her still hoped to see satine, through all of the oddities... but knew that it was selfish to ask for too much. “do you think that something that jango would be interested in now?” she questioned, a brow giving a curious raise. 

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0fchandrila​   //   mon mothma.

   “I have to agree, thankfully, and this is a small thank to have but, it would seem all of our contemporaries are also at a severe lack of knowledge, meaning they are not working with these invaders. Had they made alliances then the entire New Republic would be in grave danger.” Mon let out a soft sigh, it seemed anytime things were actually starting to get better, they were hit with a massive setback that put them five steps in reverse. Nodding her head as Padmé further explained the use of their possible asset. 

“Very well, I shall support any decision you make. I am here for anything you may need on that front. As for Rae Sloane, no I have not actually met her, but I have read enough about her to hope that she is the best leader we could wish for the Empire. From what I understand, she at least has honor, and is a dignified leader. She won’t try and pull any tricks, not when working together would save more lives.” 

it was a shared vulnerability, one that was hard to have any gratitude for. perhaps it was good that the empire or first order was not directly working with these named vong, but even if they had –– surely there could have been an advantage there, some kind of spy work, or something... but they were all sitting in the dark. “we will count what few blessings we have,” padmé agreed with a small nod of her head, offering a polite smile that did not meet her eyes.

mon seemed to have some degree of faith in grand admiral’s sloane ability to show up. padmé was not entirely sure that she shared it, but she trusted mon’s judgment. “i hope that what you have heard is true about her. many who work for her do not share the same beliefs.” there was no guarantee that they would not have their own plans, either. “it will be a massive security concern, regardless of who that threat may be coming from.”

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therefcrmer​   //   jaster mareel.

“Oh I knew it, I suppose I just didn’t expect it to come from one of my own men.” Jaster said, frowning a little as he recalled Montross turning his back on him as Vizsla shot him down and Jango explaining his second’s betrayal. “There are far too many willing to kill for those reasons. You’d think that not wanting to the return of the Mandalorian Empire was an insult to the Ka’ra themselves with how Death Watch reacted.” he snorted.

“i unfortunately can empathize with that. people rarely do.” padmé had been suspicious of palpatine, sure –– thought that the power had gone to his head, but she would have never accused him of being a sith lord. he had been her mentor as a girl, something that she could never forget. “your people have a long history of violence. it’s... tragic, from an outsider’s perspective, at least.”

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mvchinery​   //   depa billaba.

“they are. i’m honestly quite proud of how well the order has begun to pull things together. it’s … a very challenging thing to come back from.” she didn’t like to think about order 66, but it was impossible to avoid it. she could run it over in her mind as much as she liked, & it didn’t become any easier to grapple with it. “thank you, padmé. & the same in return, of course. i would — appreciate it if you would let me know if you hear anything about mace. long odds, i know, but i am trying for some optimism.” that was far more like him than her.

“yes, it seems to be quite impressive. more so, i’m sure, with you a part of it again.” challenging was an understatement, certainly. padmé was not sure if it was easier to come back at the beginning of the rift or now. there’d been more confusion perhaps then, but now –– those who could relate, well, had months or years to adjust ahead of her. the words about mace pulled at her heartstrings, brows wrinkling together empathetically as she nodded her head. “of course. i haven’t heard anything about him yet, but... well, at this point, stranger things have happened.”

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@malastres​   //   rava raxus, from here.

wry smile twists bitter lips upwards , quirking into a painted semblance of amusement. “ well , that's not quite true. ” they study the senator for a moment , sharp blue eyes piercing and dividing , as if dissecting , analyzing , targeting with view alone. “ the people celebrated your coronation and mourned your death , did they not ? ” the duchess hesitates , as if choosing her words , although it shines in her features that is a falsehood. “ or are you suggesting you are the exception to this rule ? ”

her death was something that she had given much thought, looked through all she could find about what had happened, what the public had believed. naboo was not a culture of gossip, privacy of the dead and their family was respected. yet her own religious beliefs had not been respected at the public procession. “dying in childbirth is a tragedy to be mourned, convenient for those who wanted me dead. had i lived even a few days longer, i would have likely been publicly executed like many of my colleagues, and it would’ve been a celebration,” she stated simply. 

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@therefcrmer​    //   jaster mareel, from here.

Jaster sighed and nodded "You're right." he said in agreement, glancing down at the Senator "Violence for the sake of violence was one of the main reasons I created the reforms in the Codex." he said before laughing quietly, rubbing a hand over his chest "Who knew wanting less violence would lead to my death?"

jaster mareel was a man that she knew by legend more than anything else. “had one of us been born in a different time, i certainly could have told you such a thing.” satine, too, without a doubt, but she did not bring up duchess kryze just yet. she had been a dear friend, still a sore spot in her own heart. “i lost count of the attempts on my life for trying to do the same. war brings money and there are too many people willing to kill for that.”

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“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.“ (From Mon)

@0fchandrila​

her own remark had been somewhat offhand, not entirely prepared for mon’s serious response –– though perhaps she should not have been, after giving it a moment of more thought. mon was no doubt endlessly grateful for the fact that she had lived through all of this herself, through the loss of so many around her, though it had to be devastating. “may your fire never go out,” padmé remarked, tipping the glass of brandy in mon’s direction.

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“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.“

the compliment is unexpected, though not unwelcome. padmé was not a woman who needed much flattery, had more than enough confidence in herself, but the last few months had left her more shaken than she would have liked to admit. especially given how much of it had been publicized. “thank you, i appreciate your kindness,” she stated sincerely, some warmth blossoming from her voice. “unfortunately too often, it seems, we’re all forced to face the opposite. it’s nice to meet someone with a different perspective.”

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I’m going to defeat you with the power of friendship! ... And this knife I found.

“well, i think you’ll find the knife to be particularly helpful for this, though i’m hesitant to ask where or how you found it.” the packaging on the box that she had been attempting to open would not come undone with the use of her nails alone, and she could not exactly shoot it off. padmé offered the young, blue-skinned woman a soft smile. “thank you for your help.”

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@finitefm sent ... for han !  📜

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queenshadowsabe​   //   sabé andierre.

Sabe played with the ends of her hair, the end of her braid which reached to her rib cage, mid back and she smiled at her longtime friend, one of her best.  It had been a long while since they had seen each other and she was more than happy to be bak aout of the Rim.  He smile grew as she got closer to Padme and hugged her tight.  She could only imagine what she was dealing with in the current status o things lately.  But it was really good to see the smile on her face.  “Oh you should hmm?  I suppose since it’s you I might even listen,” she replied in a teasing manner.  

.

it was so good to see sabé again that padmé was not quite sure that she could put it into words, taking a moment to squeeze her best friend tighter for a beat before letting her go. she didn’t stray far, of course, a hand remaining resting on her upper arm. “well, i would surely hope so,” she quipped back with an easy smile warming her lips, bringing an eztra sparkle to the earthy hue of her brown eyes. “perhaps just for a few weeks, then, i’ll command that you stay with me,” she teased. “i’ve missed you sorely, sabé.”

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vantircessin​   //   vantir cessin.

   He grinned, “Oh yes, yes it is.” Senator Amidala was good at this, he would have loved to see her down on the main floors of Canto Bight, she would have had an exquisite poker face. She could probably rob half their patrons blind if she really wanted. Vantir chuckled at the next statement, knowing all too well what she meant. “Oh normally it would yes, quite a bit, however, with these marked down prices, and with my plans to meet with quite a few more of your colleagues, we could really cut that deliberation time down to next to nothing. The ExO, and the Direx Board, think democracy, and cooperation are such vital elements to survival. That is why they would like for the Corporate Sector Authority to be allowed a representative in your Galactic Senate, not a voting member obviously, they would never presume so much power, but rather someone ideally, since I know all the Senators so well, me to just be allowed to give our input on legislation that passes through the senate.” 

Vantir was sure that she was going to hate this idea, but he also knew that right now the New Republic was in a tight position, and that position could be exploited. He also for other senators had a little promise of increased campaign contributions, but Vantir knew such a promise would never work on Senator Amidala. “Obviously, we all want to work together to get these comms up and running, and the CSA would be more than happy to dedicate a good number of our best and brightest at helping with this endeavor.” 

.

vantir was well aware of how to make a sales pitch, but that would have no effect on padmé’s morals which were still firmly established despite the change in time and scenery that the emperor’s rift had dragged her threw. while she did not know all who served in the new republic’s senate on a truly personal level, to be able to see what their own real priorities were, she held onto the hope that there were more now who were like-minded to herself after the empire’s rule than there had been in her own time. there was still a divide between those who wanted larger and smaller military size, but the attack of the vong made it a clear necessity for now. it would bring people together out of terror. but how an offer like this would shake things up? for now, that was quite difficult to tell.

“you would like to repeat an aspect of the old republic that caused a longer bureaucratic process.” significant slow down and corruption was what padmé wanted to say, but she withheld her own tongue, maybe the words slightly less sharp though still direct. she paused, forcing herself to consider all aspects of this despite her gut telling her to say no without any more consideration. “yes, of course, this outage effects the CSA as much as anyone else,” she murmured. “is this proposition already set in stone on your end? if so, i’m afraid the chances... are unfavorable, but i can imagine a tweak or two that would bring significant comfort to those in the senate about not repeating mistakes of the past.”

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finitefm​   //   han solo.

❛   then   at   least   one   of   us   did.   ❜   they   had   been   so   good   all   night,   they   really   had.   kept   their   head   down   and   avoided   starting   shit   with   the   politicians,   looked   nice   and   pretty   on   leia’s   arm.   coulda   been   the   PERFECT   night   –   and   then   he   got   separated   from   leia   before   midnight   and   stabbed   through   the   goddamn   side   when   he   reached   out   to   help   a   guard.   they   figured   at   this   point   he   had   a   pretty   strong   argument   for   UNLUCKIEST   MAN   IN   THE   GALAXY,   maybe.   ❛   yeah,   there   was   some   …   guy.   didn’t   catch   his   name.   think   ‘ve   seen   him   before,   though.   kind   of   a   dick,   but   it   worked   out   good   enough.   ❜

brows crinkled toward one another for a moment, as though she might say something more toward them on the matter, but the words don’t make it past her glossed lips. there’s greater concern than she could quite voice at the moment, not out of lack of how to say it, but... it was heavy and they already needed to take things easy and heal. “sometimes tragedy brings out the best in people, even those that are dicks.” in a galaxy as large as the one they lived in, it seemed unlikely that either one of them would identify who it was. “either way, i’m glad you’re alright. it’d be quite cross if i was given this whole chance to get to know my son-in-law, just to lose you.”

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beroyafett​   //   jango fett.

“I don’t know. I can’t know for sure. But I wasn’t recruited by the scientists. I was recruited by someone named Tyranus. Apparently he was a Sith.” Jango muttered, scowling a little. He hated the idea that his mind might have been tampered with. “Some of the things I allowed to happen to the clones are things that I would never agree to in my right mind.” 

padmé considered his words for a long moment, lips pressed into a flat line. it was entirely possible, which meant that at least to some extent, the decision that not been his own to make. “yes, i’m familiar,” she murmured, taking a deep breath. “it’s possible that they could have had influence over you.” for the jedi, it required an individual who was weak-willed, and she did not think that was the case with jango. but with a sith? anything was possible.

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mvchinery​   //   adenn kryze.

“in all honesty, senator, these vong are quite unlike any other species i’ve studied.” that didn’t mean that she couldn’t work something out, but — she didn’t want to get the senator’s hopes up, give her any idea that anthropology might hold the ultimate key. the vong were an interesting people. she & the rest of the department had been having an interesting time trying to puzzle them out from the limited information that they had so far.

the words did not surprise her, but they did not bring her any kind of joy, either. padmé drew in a deep breath through her nose and nodded in understanding. naboo had many brilliant, well-educated minds like adenn –– but this was outside of the wheelhouse for far, far too many people across the galaxy. “i wish i was more shocked by your answer,” she responded, her hands folding in front of her. “do you believe it’s possible they’re not from our time?”