Author's Note 1: We have now arrived at Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, and perhaps the tragedy on the landing platform will be avoided if a Medic is nearby. It might be best to reread all of the previous parts otherwise you may get confused.

Author's Note 2: By the way, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

..........

In the upper atmosphere of the capital of the Galactic Republic, Coruscant, two N1 starfighters flew above the dense clouds. Following them was a J-type diplomatic barge, the Naboo Royal Cruiser. Two more N1 starfighters followed behind it.

The five ships skimmed across the surface of the city landscape. The sun glinted off the chrome hull of the Naboo Royal Cruiser as they navigate between the skyscrapers, making their way towards a four-leaf clover landing platform.

The two lead starfighters landed on the closest two leaves. Seconds after they touched down, the Naboo Royal Cruiser passed over to land in the center of the platform. The last two N1 starfighters landed on the furthest two leaves.

A well-dressed Jar Jar Binks, a member of the Galactic Representative Commission, and Dormé, Senator Amidala's handmaiden, were amongst the dignitaries there to greet the Senator.

One of the N1 starfighter pilots jumped from the wing of his ship and removed his helmet. His rank and insignia identified him as Senator Amidala's Security Officer, Gregor Typho. He moved over to two female pilots, who were using the step ladders to exit their ships.

"We made it. I guess I was wrong," Captain Typho said with a smile as the Cruiser's ramp lowered. Two Naboo Royal Security Force guards took point, followed by Senator Amidala with her handmaiden, Versé. Four NRSF troopers brought up the rear.

"There was no danger after all." As the last syllable left Typho's lips, he, the two pilots, and the dignitaries were knocked over.

Two explosions; the first blowing through the main body, the second detonating the portside engines, sheering off the wing. Some of the debris clipped an N1 starfighter, sending it and its screaming pilot to the surface below. Klaxons began to blare as Captain Typho and the two female pilots got up and feared the worst.

However, rising from the wreckage was both a symbol of hope and fear.

He wore a completely black uniform, his greatcoat flowed in winds high above Coruscant.

The figure's helmet had a rectangular sniper brow plate and a skirt that extended around the ears and nape of the neck. The torso was fully enclosed in plating with an armored collar, loadbearing equipment, and various other pouches and loops around the waist and abdomen. Additional protection included armor plating on the axillary, elbows, right forearm, thighs, and a groin protector. His left forearm had what looked to be an arm-mounted computer along with a thick serrated knife about 30 centimeters (1 foot) long.

The sniper brow plate, the breastplate, and the left shoulder guard's bottom piece were all painted in white. Each had a red cross painted in its center. He had shoulder boards with round ends near the buttonholes, a square end near the strap loop, and edged with dark blue piping on three sides. The top piece and middle piece of the right shoulder guard had the numbers 713 in white lettering and the (in)famous "Korpsman banner", respectively. The top piece and middle piece of the left shoulder guard had the "Korpsman's cross" and two silver-gray diamond braided chevrons on a dark green upside-down triangle that was edged with dark blue piping respectively. A golden pip, in the shape of a pyramidal star, was placed in the crevice of the upper chevron. His collar patches were bottle green to contrast with the dark green collar of his greatcoat, had two light gray braided parallel facings, and a dark blue cord in the center strip of each facing and bottle-green padding between the braids and the patch.

In his right hand was what appeared to be a blaster carbine. It was sleek yet bulky. Its features included an adjustable stock, a cross between a vertical and angled grip, and a reflex sight. On his right side, clipped to one of the loops on his waist, was an oddly shaped weapon with a clear cylindrical case filled with syringes filled with a red liquid.

On his left side, clipped to one of the various metal loops was a weapon straight out of a mad scientist's laboratory. It was a cleaver-like blade fixed into a handsaw grip. Its most prominent feature is a large syringe filled with red, glowing liquid and the needle protruding out of the front of the weapon.

The figure shouldered his carbine and withdrew his syringe gun. Aiming, he fired one syringe into Senator Amidala, her handmaiden, and the eight downed NRSF troopers. He holstered the unconventional weapon and brought up his arm-mounted datapad/knife.

He gave the screen a few taps with a stylus. A voice speaking in a garbled and intimidating language came from the speakers of the device. The figure responded in the same dialect with a gravelly and tired tone. The voice in the device replied, and the screen went dim.

There was a loud bang and above the empty landing leaf that was previously occupied by an N1 starfighter, a portal appeared. Dropping from the portal were a dozen mechanical horrors that seemed to break so many ancient laws with their mere presence.

They looked human, as sick as it was to refer to them as such. However, they were heavily augmented with machinery. Slowly, the bio-mechanical monstrosities began to shuffle towards the fallen and began using what tools their hands, and sometimes entire limbs, had been replaced with to treat the wounded.

Only a scant few managed to work up the courage to approach the Medic and his—servants—while they worked.

Padmé comforted her decoy double and handmaiden.

"Cordé... Versé... I'm sorry..." Padmé whispered as caressed the parts of their faces not covered by the oxygen masks.

..........

The Galactic Senate was in chaos. The tension generated by Count Dooku's Separatist Movement and the controversial Military Creation Act. Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine had voiced his concerns that such an act may spark a war, rather than prevent one. The cries of the war hawks in the wake of Senator Amidala's assassination had resulted in the Supreme Chancellor's majordomo, Mas Amedda unable to bring order.

Things only calmed when Senator Padmé Amidala's pod maneuvered into the center of the vast arena.

"My noble colleagues," Padmé began, "I concur with the Supreme Chancellor. At all costs, we do not want war!"

The Senate goes quiet, then there was an outburst of cheering and applause at the revelation of Senator Amidala's survival.

Chancellor Palpatine had a mask of shock and faux happiness, "It is with great surprise and joy the chair recognizes the Senator from Naboo, Padmé Amidala."

Padmé nodded at the Supreme Chancellor, "Less than an hour ago, an assassination attempt was made against my life. Four Naboo Guards and the entire crew of my ship were ruthlessly and senselessly murdered.

"It was only through the timely intervention of Senior Staff Exemplified Medic and his... medical servitors," Padmé gestured to Medic, who ignored the stares from the Senate, "that both my bodyguards and two Royal Guards were saved.

"I was the target but, more importantly, I believe this security measure before you, was the target. I have led the opposition to build an army... but there is someone in this body who will stop at nothing to assure it's passage..." Many of the Senators began to boo and yell at Senator Amidala; she was undeterred.

"I warn you, if you vote to create this army, war will follow. I have experienced the misery of war first-hand and I do not wish to do it again." Padmé's statements were met with sporadic yelling in support and opposition. It was at this moment that Aurick chose to give these hapless sheep a piece of his mind.

"WAKE UP! Wake up, Senators... you must wake up! If you negotiate with the Separatists through violence, they will only show you violence in return! Many will lose their lives and all will lose their freedom. The way you vote today could be the final crack that destroys the crumbling foundation of your rotting Republic," Aurick paused for a few seconds as complete silence reigned in the arena.

"I pray you do not let fear push you into a disastrous decision. If I were you, I would vote down this security measure, which is nothing less than a declaration of war! Does anyone here want that? I have witnessed the true carnage and slaughter that war brings. I have far too many paradise worlds like Naboo reduced to blasted wastelands. The place where I came from suffered from a galactic-level civil war, and even 10,000 years later, has not yet fully recovered. Please do not vote in favor of this act, there is still time to stop the match from lighting and douse the powder."

At first, there was silence, then an undercurrent of booing and groaning which grew into angry shouts as many started to insult the soldier. Senator Orn Free Taa moved his pod next to Senator Amidala's.

"My motion to defer the vote must be dealt with first. That is the rule of law," said the large blue Twi'lek as he looked at the soldier with admiration.

Chancellor Palpatine gave Senator Amidala a sympathetic look before he addressed the Senate, "Due to the lateness of the hour and the seriousness of this motion, we will take up these matters tomorrow. Until then, the Senate stands adjourned."

..........

Aurick along with Padmé, Dormé, Emily, Captain Typho, Jar Jar, Senator of the Alderaan sector, Bail Organa, Senator of the Raioballo sector, Horox Ryyder, the Senator of Ryloth, Orn Free Taa, and Mas Amedda followed two Red Guards into the office of the Supreme Chancellor.

When they entered, four Jedi was rising to leave. However, Grand Master Yoda, if he remembered, came over and tapped Senator Amidala with his walking stick.

"Senator Amidala..." Yoda began, "Your tragedy on the landing platform... terrible. Warm feelings to my heart, seeing you alive brings."

"Thank you, Master Yoda. If it were not for Medic, the loss of life would have been greater," Padmé said with a smile, which faltered as she continued her train of thought, "Do you have any idea who was behind the attack?

This time it was the ebony Jedi Master Mace Windu that addressed the Senator, "Our intelligence indicates that it was dissatisfied spice miners on the moons of Naboo."

"I hate to disagree but I think Count Dooku was behind the attack," stated Padmé.

"Highly unlikely."

Every head in the room to look at Medic, who was staring out the window overlooking the skyline.

"How so?" Mace Windu was curious to hear the Medic's explanation.

"Count Dooku is a political idealist who is leading a group of systems that want to peacefully leave the Republic. Murdering Senator Amidala would make the Separatists look like the aggressors. It may be possible that an extremist group or organization within the Separatists or the Republic wanted one of the greatest oppositions to the Military Creation Act, and galactic-wide conflict, silenced."

"While your theory is sound, Medic, everything in my being tells me Dooku was behind it..." Padmé trailed off as she buried herself in her thoughts.

After gazing out of the window for several seconds. Palpatine turned to Mace Windu.

"Master Jedi, may I suggest that Senator Amidala be placed under the protection of your graces?"

"Do you think that is a wise use of manpower during these stressful times?" Senator Bail Organa inquired as he looked to Medic as if expecting the battlefield doctor to step in.

"Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the situation is that serious." Padmé had grown tired of the stifling life that came with a protection detail.

"No, but I do, Senator," Chancellor Palpatine replied.

"Chancellor, please! I don't want any more guards!" Padmé felt like she was the Queen of Naboo all over again.

"I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you are familiar with... an old friend like... Master Kenobi..." Palpatine suggested as he nodded to Master Windu who returned the gesture.

"That's possible. She and her padawan, Annachan Skywalker, have just returned from a border dispute on Ansion," the Jedi Master recalled.

"You must remember her, M'Lady... she watched over you during the blockade conflict," Palpatine spoke with a placating tone.

"This is not necessary, Chancellor," Padmé tried one last time to get the Chancellor to change her mind.

"Do it for me, M'Lady, please. I will rest easier. We had a big scare today. The thought of losing you is unbearable," Chancellor Palpatine put on his best look of a concerned uncle

Senator Amidala surrendered to the Chancellor's gaze as the Jedi got up to leave.

"I will have Onee-Wan report to you immediately, M'Lady," Mace Windu informed the defeated Senator.

..........

Night had fallen and Aurick knew that the assassin would strike again. He had reverted to his Rifleman form and was standing in a shadowed corner of the suite. Annachan stood in the middle of the room in a meditative state. Suddenly, Annachan's eyes popped open. Her pupils darted around the room as she reached for her lightsaber. However, she hesitated and put the hilt back to her belt. Seconds later, the elevator chimed and Onee-Wan exited from the sliding doors.

"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs. No assassin will try that way. Any activity up here?" Onee-Wan informed her apprentice

"Quiet as a tomb. I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her," Annachan stated.

Onee-Wan took a palm-sized viewscreen from her utility belt. It displayed a close-up shot of the stitching of fabric.

"It would seem that the Senator has covered that camera. I don't think she liked us watching her," Annachan stated matter-of-factly.

"What is she thinking?" Onee-Wan asked in alarm.

"She programmed Artoo to warn us if there's an intruder," Annachan reasoned.

Aurick, who up till this point had remained silent, chose to step in. "I do not believe we will need to worry about intruders, for there are a plethora of ways to kill a Senator. Someone could use a high-powered blaster to shoot Senator Amidala from an adjacent tower. They could use a probe droid to dispense grenades into her bedroom. You even ram a ship or a large airspeeder into this very suite." Aurick internally sighed at the shocked expressions of Annachan and Onee-Wan.

"I-I know, but we also want to catch this assassin. Don't we, Master?" Annachan could not help the stutter that came out at the beginning of her sentence.

"You're using the Senator as bait?" Onee-Wan asked her Padawan.

"It was her idea... No harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me," Annachan said confidently, although her eyes were clouded with uncertainty.

"It's too risky... and your senses aren't that attuned, young apprentice," admonished Onee-Wan.

"And yours are?" Annachan shot back.

"Possibly," Onee-Wan retorted.

"Enough you two. Petty squabbling only distracts us from our primary objective, Senator Amidala's well-being. I believe that you should rest for a few hours, Annachan. You look tired," Aurick could make out the weariness in Annachan's eyes.

"I don't sleep well, not anymore," Annachan admitted with a sigh.

"Why?" Aurick asked with concern.

"My mother. I haven't seen her since I was little. However, I have been dreaming of her lately," lamented Annachan.

"Well, it seems that the Force is telling you to return to Tatooine. That must wait for we must focus on the current objective... hold on, something is not right," Aurick said as he looked towards the door.

"I sense it too," Onee-Wan whispered as the three raced to the Senator's bedroom.

The door and lock stood no chance against a Korpsman running at full speed. As the trio burst into the room, Aurick saw Artoo shining a light on Pad-Senator Amidala's bed. The creatures were arthropods with segmented bodies, roughly thirty centimeters long, and white. The two creatures reared up and hiss as the Senator awoke.

Aurick withdrew his no. 38 laspistol and was about to blast the two creatures when Annachan lept onto the bed, ignited her green lightsaber, and sliced the creatures in two.

The shattering of glass caused Aurick to turn his head towards the window. Onee-Wan had flung herself at the probe droid who had unleashed the arthropods. The probe droid sank under the Jedi Mistress's weight as it began to fly off, with Onee-Wan hanging on for dear life.

Aurick, Annachan, and Padmé stared at the sight of the Jedi Master carried off thousands of stories above the surface. Annachan turned to Padmé who was pulling her nightdress around her shoulders.

"Stay here," Aurick told the Senator as he began to drag Annachan out of the room, "Let's go find a speeder and catch your mentor."

..........

Aurick and Annachan raced out of the apartment building and into lines of parked airspeeders. This time, Annachan dragged Aurick over to a four-seat open-top. Both vaulted in, with Aurick in shotgun and Annachan in the driver's seat. Within minutes, the girl had hacked into the airspeeder's systems and gunning it towards the lines of traffic.

After a few minutes of flying through traffic at break-neck speeds, Annachan spotted her Mistress plummetting through the air.

The Jedi apprentice maneuvered the speeder to where the Jedi Mistress softly landed in the back seat.

"What kept you two?" The Jedi Mistress asked with a groan.

"Oh, you know, Master, I couldn't find a speeder I really liked, with an open cockpit... and with the right speed capabilities... and then you know I had to get a really gonzo color..." Annachan trailed off as she accelerated upwards in hot pursuit of the assassin's airspeeder. Said assassin was firing out the open window at the trio with their laser pistol.

"If you'd spend as much time working on your saber skills as you do on your wit, young Padawan, you could rival Master Yoda," admonished the Jedi Master as she tried to get up again.

"I thought I already did?" Annachan sent her Mistress tumbling down again with another hairpin climb and turn.

"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice. Careful! Hey, easy!" The Jedi Mistress finally sat up, she was holding her fingers. The digits were slightly bleeding from being cut by the fins of the droid.

Seeing this, Aurick switched to his Medic form and began to treat Onee-Wan's wounds. Both Jedi had only seen Aurick change forms once, in the suite. Onee-Wan was astonished when her hands were wrapped up in flexible gauze within one minute.

"Leave that on for a few hours," ordered Aurick as he switched back to his Rifleman form.

"Okay," The Jedi Master said with a slight blush on her face.

The pursuit took them all throughout Coruscant.

They weaved through oncoming traffic, barely missed commuter trams, raced through columns of cargo trucks, and went through a tram tunnel only to race back out with a tram hot on their afterburner's.

They skimmed over rooftops, a flag got caught in one of the front air scoops, forcing Aurick to climb to the front and wrench it free.

They chased the assassin to a power refinery and the assassin used their pistol to shoot one of the pylons. It was only through the decisive actions of Aurick that they missed the high-voltage electricity.

When the assassin drifted into an alleyway, Annachan scraped the bottom of the former's speeder. The trio's speeder collided with a few pipes underneath the building and went wildly out of control. Annachan struggled to maintain control, only just missing a crane, barely clipping two giant struts. Finally, a burst of fire from a smokestack caused Annachan to slam into a building, stalling the airspeeder.

As the began to plummet to the surface below, Annachan struggled to get the airspeeder started. Aurick reached out, pulled out a blood bag, poured it down the fuel-boost funnel, and caressed the dashboard of the airspeeder. He uttered litanies and prayers to the newly-awakened and distressed Machine Spirit. After a full minute, the speeder roared to life once more and Annachan pulled out of the dive.

The trio would not have to search for the assassin's airspeeder, for blaster bolts flew all around them. Soon the assassin's airspeeder roared over them.

The chase was still on.

..........

Version History:

Version 1.0, 3/15/2020: First Published.

Version 2.0, 3/25/2020: Changed Medic's uniform.

Version 3.0. 5/29/2020: Minor edits, changed Obi-Wan to Onee-Wan and Anakin to Annachan.

Version 4.0, 12/24/2020: Minor edits.