Star Wars fic: "Queen's Gambit" (5: Return to Naboo)

[bedlamsbard]

Queen's Gambit (46905 words) by bedlamsbard
Chapters: 6/?
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Dooku (Star Wars), Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Mace Windu, Yoda, Bail Organa
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Parallel Universes
Series: Part 2 of Ouroboros
Summary:

Civil war threatens the galaxy. Hundreds of star systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic and form a Confederacy of Independent Systems.

In the hopes of securing a quick peace, the Jedi Council has dispatched two Jedi to capture or kill the leaders of the separatist movement, Queen Amidala of Naboo and her lover, the former Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Into this period of conflict have come four refugees from another universe, fleeing a devastating massacre triggered by the death of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious, at the hands of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker…

*

“Jedi,” Amidala spat, a wealth of disgust in the word. “So much for –” Her voice caught abruptly. “Obi-Wan?”

It was an instant of hesitation, and all Padmé needed. She shifted, slapping at Amidala’s hands to turn the blaster away from her face, twisting it out of her grip to turn on her. She had only a brief glimpse of the other woman’s face before Amidala’s fist slammed into her wrist. In the midst of the confused grappling that followed, she felt the weight of the blaster on her hip vanish; she and Amidala ended up with each other’s blasters pointed at each other, and Padmé got her first good look at the Queen of Naboo.

It was like looking into a mirror. The weight of Amidala’s hair, a good two handspans longer than Padmé’s, was arranged in a dozen braids for sleep; there was a line of neat sutures on her forehead, just above her left eye, from a recent injury. She was barefoot and wearing a white nightgown, but her grip on Padmé’s blaster was steady and her gaze never left Padmé’s face.

“Has Dooku sent you to kill me?” she asked.

She even sounded exactly like Padmé. She sounded more like Padmé than Ani had sounded like Anakin.

“No one sent us, your majesty,” Obi-Wan said.

Amidala’s gaze didn’t waver, but Padmé saw something like hurt cross her face. “You’re not him,” she said.

“No, your majesty.”

“Is he dead? Have you Jedi finally succeeded in killing him, too?”

There was a hiss as Obi-Wan’s lightsaber deactivated. “Why do you think we’ve come to kill you?” he asked curiously.