Queen Kylantha often mets here with her handmaidens to discuss matters of global and galactic importance. Visitors must be announced and led by the Queen's guards.

The Alderaan company arrived in Queen Kylantha's Throne Room. Breha quickly rushed to Kylantha, giving her a strong embrace, as though they were good friends instead of acqaintants.

"Are you alright?! When we heard the news just now, I feared the worst" Breha spoke.

"I am alright, there was no attempt on my life. It is strange, the only purpose seemed to be to steal information from my library, but it was nothing of significant value...... Just old documents from the days of the Old Republic, quite peculiar...."

"Indeed.... But I think it is a blessing that you are safe..... I have something for you..... A gift, although, I really should give credit to the one who found it for this visit........ Jin-Ho...... Please, come forward with the gift, and tell Her Highness of it's history and cultural stance......"

Saiya nodded and helped Jin-Ho, staying always by her side to be there if she needed her.....

Jin-ho slowly stepped forward from where she was standing amongst the other Handmaidens. Even though her walk appeared normal, one look on the girl's face would do little to convince anyone that she was feeling completely at ease. It felt like being called before Queen Breha for the first time all over again...

Still, she felt reassured by her previous experience, and tried to draw courage from the fact that she had done quite well. After all, if she hadn't, she wouldn't have been chosen to join the Queen in meeting Queen Kylantha, would she?

- "W-well, umm... I figured it'd be kind of fitting t-to ehh... choose something that wasn't made by anyone famous. I MEAN-- not that that'd be too much, but more like... something by unknown artists. With people feeling more related to imperfection, i mean..." ^^;

Jin-ho stammered through her small speech. Although she was feeling quite a bit of nervousness, she felt certain she wouldn't become as dazed as back in Queen Breha's throne room. Though it should be mentioned that she was grasping for the right words, trying to keep herself talking for fear of mentally blacking out entirely. Nevertheless, she believed -- or hoped, at least -- that she was getting across what she was wanting to say, even if it were a little oddly phrased.

Queen Kylantha gazed at the gift Jin-Ho presented.

"It's beautiful, I've never seen anything quite like it...... You have impecable taste, young handmaiden......"

Queen Breha smiled proudly.

"I thank you for your gift and I shall always treasure it......"

She bows to Jin-Ho, and also to Queen Breha and Princess Leia.

The two Queens and the Princess left on their own for a tour of the palace.

Saiya walked over to Jin-Ho with a smile on her face.

"Well done Jin-Ho..... That was your final test...... You are now officially a Handmaiden of Alderaan Royalty......"

From behind her she presented a box and handed it to Jin-Ho. Inside lay a matching Handmaiden robe as of the rest of them.

"This is for you....."

Jin-ho sweatdropped, her cheeks reddening slightly under the praise. She didn't think she would ever get used to a Queen praising her, and to be completely honest, she didn't intend to. It felt good to be praised, but she'd need to be careful not to get arrogant, or spend too much time with her head in the clouds. She WAS on a Mission after all.

However, the thought went straight out the door when she noticed Saiya handing her the official Handmaiden robes. She looked around the room for a place to change before mentally slapping herself, and closing the box again in order to carry it better. Changing into the Handmaiden uniform could wait until she'd be dismissed, and she could get back on the ship to change, leaving her old uniform on board.

With a smile that couldn't be beaten off of her face with a sledgehammer, the red headed girl got back into the group of Handmaidens again. She'd definately need to take Captain Antilles up on those blaster lessons one of these days too, now.

Saiya smiled as she watched Jin-Ho's expression of happiness over her promotion.

"Well the Queens and the Princess will be discussing matters in private. So you are free to explore the palace, but I would be careful, due to the break in, things have been quite edgy for some time...... You may even go into the plaza to have a shop around. Our services will not been needed for some hours, besides, I will be staying with the Royals as their assistant."

She paused for a moment and seemed a little sad.

"This will be my final trip with the Alderaan Royal family, I am to be Princess on Onderon....... A pleasure but it also brings me great sadness....... So the new decoy will be Roona, she will be taking my place here...... That is her there......"

She pointed to a blonde lady, dressed in the same handmaiden robes, she seemed nice enough.

"So if you have any further issues, she is the one to speak with.......... it almost sounds like I am saying goodbye already, although I will be with the company more days still, but I just wanted you to be sure of where you stand........ But who knows, you may not be with this household for long...... your image and details have been sent to other Royal households and Senators....... if you have a good physical match then you may be offered a job with them....... But don't worry, Queen Breha will always see you as one of her own, she will always be there to help you if you need it......"

Jin-ho noticed the sad look in Saiya's eyes when she mentioned she was to leave to Onderon in a few days. In an attempt to cheer her up, the red haired girl walked up to her tutor, and gave her a hug.

- "Hey, don't worry about it. Looks like i'll be picking a gift to give to you next time though." ;)

She looked around, spotting the blonde Handmaiden a ways off. With a final smile aimed at Saiya, she walked away again, to have a talk with... Roona, was it? Much as she'd like to see what the Naboo Plaza had to offer, she figured she'd best use the spare time she had to get to know her new tutor a bit better first.

[Things To Do, Places To Be...]

Jin-ho made her way past the tourists and other visitors until she managed to get to the palace reception. Although she didn't work there, she figured the normal procedures between the Royal Courts of Alderaan and Naboo wouldn't be that far apart. She was however still aware that the visit itself wasn't supposed to be common knowledge though, so instead of talking to the receptionist, she took out her communicator again.

- "Umm... Saiya? Yeah, it's Jin-ho. I'm in the palace reception room right now, could you send someone over to pick me up please? I don't really know what to say here..." ^^;

After Saiya's reply, she'd end the transmission and wait in a corner of the room itself. She knew she couldn't exactly walk up and request a meeting with the Queen of Alderaan -- not here, at least -- since the visit was supposed to keep a low profile. There were simply too many people in the Palace Reception room that would be able to overhear, and she'd end up announcing her presence to half the city if she'd have done that.

The company began to depart, saying their goodbyes to the friends they had made during their short visit to Naboo.

Saiya walked towards Jin-Ho,

"I hope you had a nice time exploring..... Sadly our time here is up..... And also, once we return to Alderaan, I will be leaving for Onderon as I said before....... Do you have anything that you wish to ask of me before I leave?"

Jin-ho thought for a moment. Sure, she had a ton of questions to ask, but the ones about being a Handmaiden would be better saved for Roona, since she was her mentor now. The ones about Onderon, however curious she was about the planet, could also be looked up with relative ease, and the red headed girl supposed the details had already been taken care of long before the trip to Naboo took place.

- "Hmm... You know, i can't really think of anything... Oh, wait, can i send you letters about how i'm doing as a Handmaiden, or would that be considered somewhat strange?"

The fact was, she would like to send Saiya a letter every once in a while to ask how her former mentor was doing, and to talk about how she was progressing as a Handmaiden. The problem was that she didn't know if that sort of thing would be allowed, what with decoys and secrets and all. She was Royalty now after all, and there'd be a whole circus of politics swarming around her as soon as she'd assume the position.

Saiya smiled, "Of course you can contact me, Although I will be busy with my duties as Princess of Iziz, but I always have time for my friends..... And as I said before, Roona will be the best person for you to speak with concerning local politics..... She is after all taking my place..... And I'm certain it will not be long before you take hers......"

They enter the ship for their journey back to Alderaan.

OOC: If you wish to contact Saiya, just pm me in character :) Also, you can post post about the arrival on Alderaan now if you wish, you don't have to wait for me

((OOC: Okay, i posted in the Grand Reception Room thread. I also started talking to Captain Antilles again, hope you don't mind ^^; ))

IC:

Jin-ho grinned as Seiya hinted at her taking a position as a mentor not too far off. She sweatdropped at the thought, since it had only felt like yesterday she had started her training. Still, she nodded as she answered.

- "Heh, thanks. Though i don't think it'll be all that soon though. I'm still not all too sure which direction i want to go in, after all... I'm tending towards Protection though. On the other hand, i don't know enough about Politics to know if i'll like it."

She buried her hands in her red hair, looking a bit frustrated as her thoughts got stuck on the lack of information for what seemed like the hundreth time that day.

- "GAH! So hard to decide... I suppose i'll figure it out sooner or later though." >_<

Taking a deep breath, she managed a smile at Seiya again as they made their way towards the ship. Given that she'd be getting firsthand experience at the Politics branch now, there was no doubt in Jin-ho's mind what the first few questions she'd ask her would be about.

[Grand Reception Room]

Crado had arrived on Naboo as fast as he could. He feared that he was laten for the meeting, so he nearly ran into the Palace of Theed, but as far as Ithorians go, Crado was a particularly slow one. He seemed to only be walking at a normal humanoid pace, so no one payed any attention to him in particular. He waited for the guards, so that he may show them his clearance papers, and then he may finally commence with the meeting.

The Queen's Captain and head of her security walked over and took the papers from him. He gave the Ithorian a quick look up and down.

"He's here on behalf of Senator Naberrie...... Show him in...."

The Captain walked behind as he was escorted to the large Throne Room, and there on the throne sat Queen Kylantha of the Naboo. She sat straight and tall in her noble pose, raising her hand slightly as a greeting to the visitor.

"Welcome..."

"This is Crado Frond, Your Highness..... He is here on behalf of Senator Naberrie...." The Captain spoke as he took Crado to his seat.

"Ah! How nice to meet you.... I assume you are some what of a prodigé of hers? If so, then you are in good hands.... I can't think of one that she instructed that did not sour to great heights in the powers of the Senate......" Kylantha spoke.

Crado bowed graciously.

"Yes, your highness. My name is Crado Frond, political student at the University of Coruscant. I come on behalf of Senator Naberrie. She was unable to meet with you today, so she has instead sent me."

"Now, what is it that you wished to discuss?"

Crado reached into his bag, and produced all of his materials necessary for filling out a report of the meeting for Senator Naberrie.

"It is concerning Ryll Darkell... I'm not sure if you know anything about him... It has been a popular topic on the HoloNet.... He believes that I 'bought' my place as Queen.... And despite the fact I offer to have another election to prove that I won my seat fairly, he refuses.... The only thing to make him happy is if I stand down and am replaced by him.... It is a situation that has plagued our people for quite some time..... Anyway.... I have reason to believe that there may be an attempt on my life..... Some think it is a little extreme to believe such things but..... I have evidence to show that it is a likely possibility... And I have no way of protecting myself apart from the security I have here......"

She sighed a little before continuing,

"This meeting today was concerning my links with.... Imperial Officials..... If I am able to..... Discuss this matter with them, and see if they will be able to help me..... Well.... You can see where I am going with this.....If I had Imperial Security, no one would touch me.... And the Darkell following would be too scared to upset the Empire.... They are not that foolish..... So I wanted advice from Ms Naberrie...... What is... Your opinion on it Mr Frond.... I know you do not know much of the subject apart from what I have detailed, but I am interested in your insight as an outsider...." She smiled.

Crado was quite shocked to hear this news from Queen Kylantha. "Would you mind terribly if I took a seat?" Crado sat, and closed his eyes and folded his hands, as he always did when he went into deep thought. Several minutes later, he opened them and spoke. "Your highness. I do think it would be best if you would get Imperial aide... to some extent. The good people of Naboo would be devastated by the loss of their fair queen."

"Hmmm... The last Queen was too taken from them, at the hands of the Jedi..... Queen Apailana, also Padmé Amidala, who was both Queen and Senator of this planet was taken at their hands....... Yes..... I will seek Imperial Aid..... If you return to Senator Naberrie and explain the situation to her, and my intentions...... She will be able to deal with it from there...... Thank you Crado Frond...... I will remember you..... I will see to it that you will be rewarded....." She stood and nodded her head to him.

"It was my honor, your highness. I shall go to Coruscant at once, and inform Senator Naberrie of the situation that is at hand."

Crado had just finished up his report on the meeting, and was organizing it into a leather case. "I shall bring my report to Senator Naberrie as soon as possible." He sealed the case, and bowed once again before heading out.

Amelia stood for what seemed like an eternity outside a huge set of doors. She'd been told by the woman at the university to come here, but now that she was here, it felt...strange.

Glancing down at the form again, she triple checked that she'd filled in everything correctly, then taking a deep breath, stepped up and knocked on one of the doors - hoping that this wasn't all a big mistake. She could get into a lot of trouble if it was.

The knocks - although not that loud - echoed around the corridor that she was standing in, making her cringe. Again, an eternity seemed to pass, and in her mind Amelia began to doubt if she'd made the right choice after all.

Two of the Royal Guards walked to meet with her,

"What business do you have at the palace Miss? Do you have clearance?"

"I've just come from the university," Amelia told them, handing over the forms she'd been given. "I was told to fill these in and bring them here."

She tried to stand tall and not let her appearance betray the fact that she was so nervous. There was just something about the guards that seemed to intimidate her. Maybe it was their armour? She always seemed to associate armour with bounty hunters - and bounty hunters always reminded her of her murdered father.

Shaking this thought from her mind, she focused back on the two guards again and tried to give them what she hoped was a winning smile.

"This checks out, you can proceed........"

Further ahead inside the hallway stood a small gathering of handmaidens. They were discussing something that was unclear at the moment, as Amelia approached, one looked up and walked away from the group and over to her.

"Hello there, my name is Asané. Can I help you with anything? You look a little lost...." She said in a friendly manner.

"Erm I don't mean to interupt...but I am a little," Amelia nodded, seeking refuge with the handmaiden as far away from the guards as she could without making it obvious that she was doing just that.

"I've just come from the University...signed up with the School of Protection. They sent me here, but they didn't say where to go after I'd got here."

She glanced at the handmaiden - Asané was it? - hoping the young woman would be able to direct her the right way.

Asané smiled, "Ah yes, I heard a student was being sent to us. I will be your instructor, don't worry, all this seems a little daunting at first, but you'll get the hang of it in no time. So, tell me a bit about yourself. Are you native to Naboo or are you from further afield?"

"Me? I'm a native Nubian! Born here and thought at one point I might die here too..." Amelia trailed off, looking sad for a moment, then she shook her head again and gave Asané a pleasant smile.

"I've wanted to be a handmaiden for as long as I can remember...even as far back as when Queen Amidala was on the throne. Then when she became a Senator, I decided that that's what I wanted to be instead. But over time, I don't really know what happened...but I found the idea of being a handmaiden far more interesting that being a politician."

She shrugged, as if to say that she really had no idea why she'd chosen this career over the far more lavish, luxurious Senatorial job, then suddenly remembering her manners, extended a hand.

"Asané? Nice name. And its nice to meet you too."

Hesitating for a minute, she wondered if greeting your teacher with a handshake was really appropriate and quickly bowed instead.

"The position of handmaiden is indeed different than that of politician, but it can lead you down that path also. Padmé Amidala is indeed also a hero of mine, her monument lies not far from here, I often visit it........ Well Amelia, first I will give you your uniform, though you are not yet a handmaiden you shall dress as one of us...... But you will wear a white sash at all times, it merely signifies that you are still in training, it will also mean that you are appointed more protection in the case of an emergency......." Asané walked with Amelia behind her until finally she came to a room. She walked to one of the cupboards and lifted out a box containing the uniform Amelia needed.

"Here you are...." She smiled as she handed it over.

"You will also live here in the palace, we all have our own private chambers outside the Queen's own....... Do you have any questions before we begin your basic training?"

Amelia thought for a moment. Yes, she did have so many questions, but none of them were related to the job of handmaiden...or even the training she was going to receive. The only questions burning at the back of her mind were ones about Padme Amidala.

But those could wait.

"Nope. None that I can think of," she replied.

"Excellent, well first I shall give you a tour of the palace, you will need to know it inside and out. In your chamber you will have your own terminal which will allow you access to the blueprints of the palace. There you will also have basic tutorials, mainly concerning the history of Naboo and also the timetable of what we are expected to carry out over the coming weeks...... People do not expect much of handmaidens, merely see them as dressers of the Queen, but no this is far from true....... Each of us is highly trained in combat, weaponry, self-defense, flight and yes also material designs which are beneficial to the Queen's wardrobe. Queen Kylantha is a great lady, but she has recieved alot of bad press concerning the Darkell issues, don't believe a word of what they say, Darkell is merely jealous and can't accept failure...... On Naboo itself, he and his clan are our greatest fear........ Once you have progressed to the level of Handmaiden, more options can be opened for you, for example, a decoy. I myself act as a decoy for the Queen in times of need. It is a position that can not be taken lightly, many decoys have died to protect the identity of their Queen and secure the safety of the future, you have to be ready to do such a thing for your people...... As I am..... Which area of study would you like to begin in?"

"Wow, that's a lot to take in," Amelia gasped. She'd had no idea that being a handmaiden could be so overwhelmingly confusing.

Running through each of the options in her mind, she finally decided what she would like to do first.

"I think...if it's possible...I would like to maybe start with weapons or combat training? At least that way, if anything should happen - I'm not saying that anything will...infact I'm hoping nothing will - but if it did, I would be at least a little better prepared than I am now. Although...I don't actually have any weapons yet. Is that a problem?"

"Well that problem is now over, here....." With that, she handed Amelia a Chrome holdout blaster, "It is simple and easy to use. All of the handmaidens here are equipped with one of them. You can practice with it at the firing range in the palace. Only a selected few are able to use it, including the Queen herself. Once you have tried a few rounds with the holdout blaster you can come and find me again and I will look over your results" She spoke smiling at her new protegé.

"Wow, thank you so much!" Amelia replied, turning the beautiful weapon over slowly in her hands and smiling as the sun gleaming through the windows made the chrome shine and sparkle. It was a simple, yet elegant weapon, and she was honoured to now own it.

Then a thought struck her.

"Erm...the firing range...where is it? I'm not too good with directions."

"It's underground, away from the public goings on of the palace. Just follow the stairs down as far as you can go, you can't miss it, just follow your ears" She laughed a little, "And here take this comlink, with it we can keep in contact easily. If you want to meet up or want some advice, just contact me with this alright?"

"Of course, thank you so much." Amelia nodded, placing the blaster and comlink inside the box that also contained her uniform. She closed the lid carefully, making a mental note to find somewhere to change as soon as possible, and then she smiled at her mentor and teacher.

"Thank you," she said again, bowing low. She wasn't entirely sure if this was necessary, but it felt right. After all, Asané was her teacher now, and her parents had always tought her to show respect to Royalty, Elders and Teachers. "Erm...this way, is it?" She asked, straightening up again and pointing back to the door she'd come through, seeing as this was the only entrance she could see in the grand throne room.

The handmaiden nodded to Amelia before returning to her own duties for the day. Amelia now was on her way to becoming a handmaiden herself, a position of great respect.

Walking back through the way she'd come, Amelia glanced nervously at the guards as she passed them, but now that she was carrying her uniform and blaster, she felt more confident. She belonged here now. The guards posed no threat to her, and she had just allowed her nerves to get the better of her before.

Giving them a friendly smile as she walked past, she found the staircase that Asané had told her about, and started to descend, taking in her scenery in awe and wonder.

She would be living at the Palace? The Palace! If Jude could see her now, he would be so jealous!

(After visiting the firing range...)

As Amelia walked back towards the throne room, she saw the two guards still standing on guard outside, and summoned up the courage to wander over to them.

"Hi. I'm looking for Asané. Do you know if she's in here?"

She gave them her politest smile, and waited patiently for a response, her eyes darting from one guard to the other as she tried to guess which would speak first.

The guards allowed her to continue, recognising that she was in fact a handmaiden in training.

"Yes M'Lady, you can find her in the courtyard at the back of the palace." One of the guards spoke.

Asané was indeed where the guard had spoken of. In front of her she had a line of different weapons and devices that she was in the process of cleaning and tuning up. She noticed Amelia approaching her, greeting her with a smile.

"Amelia, I assume your training was successful, not that I doubted you would..... You've taken your first step to becoming a true handmaiden. Now that you have a grasp of the holdout blaster, you will need to practice with physical attack forms. We must be well trained in self defense and also protection for the Queen....." Asané gave Amelia a closer look, "You know..... You have the potential to become a decoy one day...... Your likeness is not so different from the Queen herself, and though of course looks is not the most important thing, it certainly helps with the process....."

"A decoy? I would be very honoured by that," Amelia grinned. "Anything to help the Queen. She is, after all, one of our best reigning monarchs...second only to Queen Amidala, if I may be so bold as to say."

She paused for a moment incase Asané wanted to say anything about this matter, but when she didn't, Amelia continued. "My brother used to joke that I looked like the Queen...maybe there was truth in his words...Although I think maybe I would have to do something about my hair." She twiddled a small strand of her chocolate brown hair between her finger a thumb, without even realising what she was doing.

Pausing again, she looked down at the various weapons and devices that Asané had been cleaning and tuning, and set her box on the table beside them.

"So...this self defence and physical combat stuff...do I have to learn it now, or are there other things I need to know first? I'm afraid I am a rather keen learner, and do not like to be sitting still for too long. I always prefer to be doing something...keeps my mind off other things."

Even as she said this, her fingers were once again on the move, this time tracing the elegant patterns that had been carved into the small wooden box. She decided this would be where she kept all of her most treasured items, because it strongly reminded her of Naboo - elegant and beautiful, with gentle curves and soft lines. Nothing harsh or uninviting. This box reminded her of Naboo...and Naboo reminded her of home, and where her heart truly was.

"Well the best place to learn would be with the other handmaidens. If you go to the training chamber, there you can learn everything from theory, politics, combat and so forth, merely go to one of the terminals and gain your knowledge from there....."