The day of the ceremony was upon them.
It was finally time for Padmé to take her place as the Queen-elect of Naboo. For days the palace had hummed with anticipation, but now the energy felt different—focused, powerful, almost reverent. The entire capital of Theed seemed to hold its breath.
Khan stood with the Naberrie family inside the grand ceremony hall. The space itself was breathtaking: towering marble columns glowing with morning light, murals of Naboo's history lining the walls, and stained glass windows casting soft, multicolored patterns across the polished floor. Those admitted to this private ceremony were the most important officials and families of Naboo, all dressed in their finest woven silks, rich velvets, and hand-embroidered fabrics.
Even Khan, normally content in practicality, had been ushered—forced, really—into formal Naboo attire. The deep navy tunic with gold trimming felt snug across his shoulders, unfamiliar but dignified.
Jobal leaned slightly toward him, her eyes already shimmering.
"I can't be more proud of Padmé," she whispered. "I just… I hope she'll be alright."
Khan offered her a small, reassuring glance.
"Don't worry, ma'am. She'll be just fine. You know how strong-willed she is."
Jobal exhaled, some of her tension easing.
"Yes… you're right. It's just a mother's worries, that's all."
Sola chimed in with a teasing grin.
"Padmé may be young, but she's the strongest one in the family. Plus, with Khan watching, I doubt she'd want to embarrass herself."
"Oh, Sola…" Jobal sighed, but there was a faint laugh behind it—her daughter's joke softened her nerves more than she'd admit.
Ruwee approached them, adjusting his ceremonial sash.
"Is the ceremony about to start?" Jobal asked anxiously.
"Yes," Ruwee said. "I just finished speaking with Palpatine and her majesty Queen Sanandrassa. We'll begin shortly."
The hall gradually settled, quieting like a body taking one final breath before the moment.
Then… the ceremony began.
Naboo ceremonial music—soft horns, strings, and gentle percussion—echoed through the hall.
Queen Sanandrassa entered first, dressed in full regal white, her face painted in the traditional pale mask with delicate crimson accents. Behind her, Senator Palpatine followed with dignified steps, his robes shimmering subtly with Naboo's royal colors.
They reached the front of the hall. Queen Sanandrassa stood tall, serene; Palpatine moved forward to address the audience.
"Today," Palpatine announced, voice rich and commanding, "we mark a sacred moment in our world's legacy. The peaceful transfer of leadership from one Queen to the next."
A soft hush fell across the hall.
"Let us all welcome our soon-to-be Queen."
On cue, the doors opened.
Padmé entered.
She walked with four royal handmaidens at her sides—silent, masked, and graceful. Padmé's dress was deep crimson, embroidered in gold that caught the light like burning embers. The gown flowed around her like living fabric, each step turning her into the center of the hall's gravity. Her hair was sculpted into an intricate style befitting a monarch, and her face bore the white ceremonial makeup passed down from Queen to Queen.
A ripple of awe moved through the crowd before applause rose, warm and proud.
Khan's breath stilled for a moment.
She didn't look like the Padmé he'd spent the past weeks protecting, guiding, laughing with.
She looked like someone destined to change systems, worlds, the galaxy.
As she passed, Padmé's eyes flicked toward Khan—only for a heartbeat.
Yet in that heartbeat, something unspoken moved between them.
Khan felt her quiet fear, her courage, her hope.
Padmé felt his calm, his strength, his silent promise that she was not alone.
Neither fully understood their own emotions—but the moment anchored itself in them both.
Padmé reached the steps. The music faded until only the echo of her footsteps remained. Each gentle tap reverberated through the hall's still air. She ascended slowly, deliberately, until she stood before Queen Sanandrassa.
The Queen removed her crown with both hands—carefully, reverently.
Padmé bowed her head.
The crown lowered.
Touched her hair.
Settled into place.
In that instant, Queen Sanandrassa stepped aside, no longer the center of the ceremony. Padmé—no, Queen Amidala—turned to face her people.
Palpatine's voice rang like a proclamation to the stars:
"People of Naboo… welcome your new Queen.
QUEEN AMIDALA!"
The hall erupted.
Thunderous applause.
Tears from families who had known her since childhood.
Fireworks bursting outside the palace windows in a celebration that swept across Theed.
Music rising anew with a triumphant swell.
All of Naboo would now know the name Queen Amidala.
Khan watched from beside the Naberrie family—not as her escort, not a Jedi—but as her friend witnessing a turning point.
Pride swelled in him, quiet and steady.
Padmé Amidala had stepped fully into her path.
And he knew, without question, that this moment was only the beginning.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After the ceremony…
The applause had only just faded from the great hall when Khan and Ruwee stepped aside to meet Senator Palpatine. The soft hum of music still carried faintly through the corridors—celebratory, regal, echoing the transition of a new era.
Palpatine greeted them with a warm, almost practiced smile.
"Now that Queen Amidala's crowning ceremony is over," Palpatine began, straightening the fine folds of his robe, "it is time for me to return to Coruscant."
"Leaving so soon, Senator?" Ruwee asked, a hint of disappointment in his tone.
Palpatine nodded solemnly. "I've been away from the central politics of the Core longer than I should. The Senate waits for no one—not even those who serve Naboo."
"I understand," Ruwee said with a sigh.
Palpatine then turned his attention to Khan, eyes sharp with interest. "You'll be staying here for much longer, won't you, my friend?"
"Yes," Khan replied. "The Council asked me to remain on Naboo for some time. They hope our presence will strengthen relations with the planet."
"That is admirable," Palpatine said with a soft nod—one that carried a deeper meaning Khan couldn't fully place.
They began walking down the palace corridors together, the faint murmur of the celebrating crowd echoing from outside. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting bright ribbons of gold across the floor. Up ahead, a large holoscreen displayed Queen Amidala preparing to address her planet for the first time.
The three men paused to watch.
Padme appeared on the projection, the royal headdress shimmering with every shift of light. She took a breath—tiny, barely visible yet full of meaning—and then began.
"My people," she spoke, her voice steady and resonant throughout all of Naboo, "I am your new Queen. Queen Amidala."
Her words spread like sunlight across the world.
"I hold the promise to protect you from the dangers that may come to us… to bring prosperity to you, your families, your way of life. Let us move forward—together, as one people."
In plazas from Theed to the smallest villages, citizens erupted into cheers. Children smiled. Elders bowed their heads. Fireworks burst once again in celebration.
Khan felt something warm in his chest as he watched. Padme spoke like she had been born to rule—not out of pride, but purpose. She radiated hope.
When her speech came to a close, the holoscreen faded. In the quiet that followed, Padme stepped off the broadcasting platform accompanied by her handmaidens. She let out a slow exhale—subtle, but telling.
Palpatine approached her first.
"You should get some rest, Your Majesty," he advised with a gentle tone. "There will be much more work ahead of you. Rest when you can."
"Yes, Senator," Padme replied politely. "Thank you for your concern."
"I shall come speak with Your Majesty before I depart," Palpatine added. "For now—Ruwee, Khan, Your Majesty." He bowed gracefully. "I take my leave."
"Thank you for your help, Senator," Ruwee said.
Palpatine departed down the corridor, his regal posture unwavering.
In his absence, the room felt suddenly quieter—more intimate.
Khan bowed respectfully. "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your ascension to Queen."
Padme looked at him with a soft sigh. "Khan… you are still my friend. You don't need to act with such formality when we're not in public."
"Thank you, Padme," he replied gently. "But as of this moment, please allow me to represent the Jedi Order."
Padme nodded.
Khan stepped forward slightly, placing a hand over his heart. "On behalf of the Jedi Order, we congratulate Your Majesty Queen Amidala on your ascension. I offer a gift from the Order—a banner bearing our sigil. May it serve as a symbol of friendship. The Jedi will always be ready to assist the people of Naboo."
Padme accepted the folded banner, her voice warm. "Thank you—and the Jedi Order—for such a gift. Naboo will always welcome the Jedi. I look forward to our cooperation."
Khan smiled. "And this…" He reached inside his robe. "This is from me—not as a Jedi. As your friend."
He opened a small box.
Inside rested a bracelet—delicate, crafted from tiny polished lake shells, with a single pearl gleaming in the center. The light caught it perfectly, casting a faint shimmer across Padme's white ceremonial makeup.
"I made it from what I found at the lake," Khan said. "I wanted to give you something to commemorate this day."
Padme's breath caught.
The thick white makeup hid her flush—but not the soft tremble of her smile. "Khan… thank you. I will treasure this… always."
Ruwee watched with quiet approval, a father's pride softening his expression.
"Alright then," Ruwee said, clapping his hands lightly, "Padme, you should rest. Tomorrow begins your life as Queen, and it will keep you endlessly busy."
"Yes," Khan added with a nod. "We don't want to hold you any longer."
"Thank you both." Padme straightened, regal once more. "I shall go rest now."
Her handmaidens moved as one, falling in behind her as she left the room—still holding the bracelet box with a careful tenderness she rarely showed.
When she was gone, Ruwee exhaled. "Alright, Khan. Let's go. We'll be busy as well."
"I'm sure you have a few things you'd like me to help you with," Khan replied with a faint smile.
Ruwee chuckled as they walked out of the palace together. "More than a few."
Together, they departed to meet Jobal and Sola—while the palace behind them erupted with celebration, fireworks, and the birth of Naboo's new era.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Far from the serenity of Naboo, the gleaming bridges of Cato Neimoidia hung suspended between lush, fog-drenched canyons. The air inside the Trade Federation's high council chamber was thick—not from smoke or pollution, but from fear.
A line of Neimoidians sat around a crescent-shaped table of polished stone. Their large red eyes blinked nervously, their long, finned hands fidgeting against expensive robes.
The first Neimoidian cleared his throat, the sound wet and uneasy.
"The Republic's new taxation law…" he began, words dripping like oil, "will carve into our profits more deeply than any decree in the past decade."
Another leaned forward, his voice sharper, more indignant.
"Free trade routes were meant to protect us from taxation. Now the Senate believes it can simply tax them at will?"
A chorus of uneasy murmurs rippled around the table.
"Unacceptable… disgraceful… outrageous…"
A third Neimoidian tapped his clawed fingers against the table.
"We cannot allow this law to stand. The Federation's strength depends on our ability to operate without restrictions."
Another, younger and more anxious, shifted in his seat.
"But how? The Senate voted almost unanimously. The Chancellor supports the measure. If we protest—what leverage do we have? What can we threaten?"
Silence.
Thick. Heavy. Almost suffocating.
No one dared voice the obvious: The Republic had grown too bold. Too confident in its ability to regulate them. And they—beings who commanded fleets, wealth, and influence—had been outmaneuvered.
For a long moment, only the hum of anti-grav engines outside the chamber filled the void.
Finally, from the darkest corner of the room, a voice like a serpent sliding across glass cut through the silence.
Slow. Cold. Calculated.
"Perhaps…" the figure said, stepping forward into the pale light, "the answer is not in the Senate… but in choosing the right target."
The Neimoidians turned to see him clearly.
Nute Gunray.
Tall, commanding, wrapped in layers of dark green and black robes, his expression unreadable except for the faint, unsettling curl at the corner of his mouth.
"A new Queen has risen on Naboo," Gunray continued, his tone disturbingly calm.
"Young. Idealistic. Inexperienced."
The room shifted; some Neimoidians sat straighter, others tightened their lips in thought.
He let the tension settle before continuing.
"Such rulers… make mistakes. They trust too easily. They cling to principles."
Gunray's eyes gleamed. "Principles can be exploited."
A murmured wave of agreement spread around the table.
One Neimoidian finally spoke up:
"Alright, Nute Gunray… you've made your point. If Naboo can be pressured into helping overturn the law, we will support your plan."
Another added with a nod:
"We trust you to act in the Federation's best interests. But tell us—how will you execute this?"
Gunray's long fingers folded together, his voice a whisper of dark promise.
"I have a source… one who understands the Senate better than any of us. One who can guide our hand."
The other Neimoidians exchanged uneasy glances.
Gunray did not look at them. His gaze drifted to the massive panoramic window, where Cato Neimoidia's fog-choked bridges glowed faintly in the distance.
His voice lowered further.
"With their help… Naboo will break."
The chamber fell silent again.
Not from fear this time.
But from anticipation—dangerous, simmering anticipation.
Something was coming.
Something that would reach across the stars.
And Naboo…
Naboo would be the first in its path.
A/N: Wanted to get this chapter out as soon as I could so I can start focusing on what is coming. If you feel like there has been a lack of action, worry not, action is coming. Anyway thanks everyone who is reading, it keeps me motivated to continue this. Much love and may the force be with you!