The Stroke of Midnight (OP and Allies)

[Owain]

Night time on Naboo was relatively peaceful and even pleasant. No sirens, no prowlers. It was all so...pleasant. Owain grimaced as he walked, hands in his pockets as he approached the gates to the palace grounds. He sent an idle salute at the guards on duty, who eyed him with suspicion and some dislike. Like he cared. He snorted to himself once past the gate, rolling his shoulders as he wandered between the shadows. There were a few guards on patrol, so he didn't push his luck, and pulled out his communicator and recalled Felicity, leaving her a simple message stating he was waiting outside the gardens. Personally, he thought she should have left the garden and gotten changed, but maybe she had done that? He no longer knew what to think of the girl. She never failed to confuse him.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

There was no way she could get back inside to change. Not with the both of them wandering the palace! Even she wasn't that sneaky. If she went back inside, she'd be expected to stay with Mother and then she would never be able to sneak out.

When the message came, she looked behind her one more time, making sure that nobody had spotted her. They might still be looking for her. Especially that Glyph idiot. He was still convinced that she was some... cousin of hers. Some cousin that didn't even exist. How could he call himself her body guard if he fell for something that obvious?

She stood up, dusting herself off, pulling pins out of her hair, letting lock after lock fall down her back. Loose. Wild. She stepped through the garden gates, pulling off her gloves as she went to meet him.

"Oawin. Thanks for getting me out of here. Things were getting... awkward."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Hmph. You could've just walked right out the gates yourself you know," the youth pointed out with a roll of his eyes. "What, need me to hold your hand all the way there, sweetheart?" he asked sweetly. "Afraid of the dark?" Owain smirked as he looked her up and down and nodded. Not bad, not bad at all. "Well, you look good," he grudginly admitted. "Shall we be off?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

He was a jerk even when he was complementing her. She had the urge to walk back inside and spend the rest of the night with... anybody else. But when was she going to get a better chance to sneak out and see a 'real party'? Probably never.

"Stuff it up your beak, crow," she mumbled, walking out, "I couldn't just do that. I would draw too much attention. I don't want him finding me."

She didn't explain who. No. Now she was just concerned about getting away from the palace before anyone noticed that she was missing.

"Yeah. Let's go."

[member="Owain"]

 

[VlPER]

Meanwhile, Viper had put his hood up again to at least make it seem like he is trying to hide his face. Unfortunately, he had no time to get a costume ready, so he just "came as a Jedi". Seeing a server walking past with a tray of full wine glasses, he reached out with the force. A glass lifted up and floated into his hands. A guest nearby who had clearly been availing himself of much wine, blinked his eyes and rubbed them. He couldn't believe what he just thought he saw.

Viper noticed his stunned expression and shrugged. "Just a magic trick my friend." He said with a friendly smile. "Remember, we're at a masquerade party. You don't think I'm really a Jedi do you?" And before the man could answer, Viper walked away farther into the crowd and closer to the stage. He now was sitting in the perfect spot to see the Queen of his home planet give her address to the people.

He had been reaching out through the force to keep an eye on Felicity. But she was now leaving his limited sight. "Please stay safe...", He mumbled under his breath as he looked front toward where the Queen was expected to appear.

[member="Feena Mason"]
[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Ah wesa had bad times before," he replied. "But lotta good Gungans died, whole city overrun. Many warriors lost."

He lifted his broad shoulders up in a shrug and took a deep breath. His stomach tied in knots. Jaani tried not to let his deep discomfort show, the shame of having capitulated so readily was still raw.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Bad times. Gunagna died. City overrun. Warriors lost.
People lost.
This was her failure. This was hers alone. She was Queen. Even if she had no control over the Gungan people, they were still people of Naboo. She had sworn to protect Naboo. All of it. And she failed.

Wordlessly, she reached out to place a hand gently on the gungans shoulder. She would not be forgetting this. The invasion had been a lesson. A terrible lesson, but a lesson none the less. If she was to be an effective leader, she was going to have to adapt with her people.
At the stroke of midnight, she looked up. All about her masks were coming off. She swept through the crowd, up the stairs, to the balcony. At the top, she reached behind her head, untied the mask, and pulled it away. She looked out at them all. Citizens, soldiers.
Heroes.

"Thank you, all of you, for appearing. On this world, this tiny little speck in the wide Galaxy, a battle was fought. For many, it was just another small conflict in a wide, wide Galaxy.
For us, for those of us who call Naboo home, it was everything.

When our world was at it's darkest, when it seemed our hour had come, when the very way of our world seemed to be in peril... That is when hope shines the brightest. That is when heroes march forth."

She clicked her pale fingernails against her wine glass, pausing to smile.

"This night, we honor those heroes. Those who are here with us, and those who gave their very lives to save ours," she raised her glass, pausing for the others to do the same.

"To the Protectorate. To our heroes. Never will we forget."

[member="Jaani Doosun"] [member="VlPER"] [member="Glyph"] [member="Kaiden 'Papa' Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

"To an endless cycle of war."



He raised his glass, speaking in the small murmurs that followed the Queen's speech. He stared up at her, not hatred out of her, or the protectorate, but conflict itself. It had taken it's toll on Kaiden, and everyone in the room. War. War never changed, but it changes everything around it. War was like a disease that affected everything, everything it's black fingers touched, changed and could never go back.


"And here's to freedom."