We had barely arrived at Lantilles and landed at the spaceport when the delegation of senators appeared, leaving us no time for anything else. Moments later, a massive Corellian Star Shuttle descended in front of our ship. Ahsoka and I stood by the gangway, waiting for the senators to finally grace us with their presence.
Fortunately, they didn't keep us waiting long.
Hmm. Politicians. I had already seen Amidala once—on Geonosis—though I hadn't spoken to her. Others I had seen (the old me, I remembered the numerous recordings of Senate sessionsthat my Master and mentor, Nhon Arto, used to show me when teaching me about the peculiarities of galactic politics) only on television, and some of these faces I was seeing for the first time.
Of course, no one would deny that Amidala is beautiful—it's no wonder Skywalker fell for her. Still, the fact that she's an outspoken idealistic democrat doesn't make her any more appealing in my eyes. A fanatic, in a word.
Amidala approached and began polite small talk, introducing her companions. The tall, dignified, and arrogant Organa immediately provoked a feeling of… disgust in me? Yes, that was the word. All those practiced smiles and warm words reeked of insincerity. The other senators were no better. My memory, ever helpful, identified their species: Cosian, Human, Sivorian, Chagrian, and Frenk.
The delegation was accompanied by two of Amidala's handmaidens, Organa's personal secretary, and six protocol droids—among them I spotted a golden C-3PO.
And then came… her.
A girl of short stature, dressed in an elegant yet simple dominated by all shades of blue and gold. Her skin was sky-blue, her hair a soft shade of violet. When our eyes met, I felt myself drown in those golden eyes….
It was only an instant, but it stretched on endlessly.
It was… I can't even find the words. No, I'd liked girls before, but I'd never felt anything like this. I wanted her—not merely in the physical sense, but as something more. She looked so fragile that I wanted to shield her from the whole galaxy. It took all my strength to keep my emotions in check.
Honestly, I'd never had a serious relationship in my life. I wasn't particularly handsome or rich, and my personality wasn't anything to boast about either. And in GFFA, I was essentially a Jedi—for whom attachments are taboo. But now… it seems I've fallen. Could it be that I'm destined to meet my fate here, of all places?
Until now, I hadn't really given much thought to my personal life—there had always been more urgent matters to deal with. But now, everything felt different.
Am I in love? It seems so. But do I even have a chance? And how could I explain all this—especially with the Code… though, come to think of it, what's really stopping me? Nothing, it seems. But how will she react? We barely know each other. Damn, it's complicated.
Shaking my head to clear away the tangle of thoughts, I made my way to the bridge to inform the crew that we could begin our flight.
***
Senator Riyo Chuchi stepped out of the shuttle and breathed in the crisp air of the planet. Though a polite smile was fixed on her face, her thoughts were far less cheerful.
She hailed from Pantora, a moon orbiting the icy planet Orto Plutonia in the system of the same name. Located in the southern part of the galaxy, deep in the Outer Rim, not far from the Wild Space, it was hardly a hospitable place. Yet, long ago, the Pantorans' distant ancestors—fleeing from war—had settled there and gradually adapted to its harsh conditions.
Pantora was a relatively small moon, its surface covered mostly with marshlands and in some places, also with tall grass. Its cities were built in an unusual architectural style: soaring towers topped with domes and needle-like spires.
Riyo Chuchi loved her homeland and had always sought to contribute to its political life—to bring her people prosperity and hope. Her parents, both politicians themselves, supported her choice wholeheartedly. At the age of sixteen, Riyo became a member of the Pantoran Assembly, the moon's governing body, where she introduced several bills that earned widespread public approval.
Pantora's government resembled a parliamentary republic, though with its own distinct characteristics modeled after the Galactic Republic. The supreme ruler of Pantora was elected democratically as Chair of the Assembly—though the same body could remove the chairperson at any time.
Riyo's dream had always been to become Chair, but three years ago, the Assembly appointed her as Pantora's senator, granting her the honor of representing the Sujimis sector in the Galactic Senate.
Pantora had long represented the Sujimis sector in the Republic. The icy inhabitants of Alzoc III had no interest in politics; Maryx Minor, a fiery world, was home to some outcasts; and distant Karazak had become a den of pirates.
So, at just seventeen, Riyo Chuchi took her seat in the Senate three years ago. Her dream had, in a sense, come true—though reality proved far less kind. No one was in any hurry to help Pantora, offering only polite but meaningless assurances. The young senator had to struggle mightily, maneuvering between factions that cared nothing for her world—only for her vote. To the rest of the galaxy, Pantora was a remote backwater. Yet Riyo remained convinced that her people deserved better.
Since childhood, her idol had been Padme Amidala. Riyo admired the strength of this woman from Naboo, who had led her planet through crisis and earned respect throughout the Republic. Once merely a local ruler, Amidala had ascended to the pinnacle of galactic politics and held her place with grace and conviction.
But now, after all that had happened, Riyo found herself confused—and perhaps disappointed.
It seemed that Amidala had achieved everything: she was an influential senator, an ally of the Chancellor himself. Naboo could have become one of the galaxy's major political centers, she could have easily pushed through the laws she needed that could have strengthened democracy. Yet instead of consolidating power, Amidala suddenly became confrontational with the Chancellor, and later moved into open opposition.
Riyo realized, with quiet bitterness, that such glory was beyond her reach. Pantora lacked political weight and influence. Her entire "army" consisted of a single regiment that acted as both police, honor guard, and army, equipped with a few dozen speeders fitted with light blaster cannons, and thirty Dagger-class fighters—some of which were merely training models. The planetary budget barely covered maintenance. Pantora had no valuable minerals, lay far from major trade routes, and drew few visitors or traders to its frigid surface.
Yet, despite all this, Pantora still commanded a measure of respect—something not all frontier worlds could claim. And that had nothing to do with power or politics.
Blo'ku. Since ancient times, the Pantorans had cultivated this crop, which was once bred with the help of the Jedi AgriCorps. Indeed, blo'ku were considered the crown of Pantoran agriculture—frost-resistant, blooming even when there was snow, these small trees were Pantora's treasure. Their red-pink, juicy fruits were the pride of Pantora and a staple food for much of its population. These low, unpretentious trees grew almost all along the planet's equator, climbing far to the poles, where huge plantations provided work for millions of Pantorans.