Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

People in the wider galaxy have always thought that the Houses of Naboo were a little…odd. There was always something a little too calm about their smile, something too assessing in their eyes. It was said that if you saw one of them from the corner of your eye that they looked completely different. How? No one could ever say, but that was the rumor all the same.

The new queen and her handmaidens didn’t lesson the rumors. They moved synchronously, far more than anyone ‘normal’ could. And they could sweep into a room without anyone knowing they were there.

But if someone dared to raise hand against the queen? The media in the core were still going wild about the first (and so far only) assassination attempt. No one else had dared tried to hurt Queen Amidala, and for good reason. At least, until the Sith got greedy. And then, he paid.

-----------------------

“Where are you taking us?” Sabé had given up trying to act naïve about three days ago. They were dealing with a Sith, after all, and this was a karking good one. Which meant that they were in trouble.

Senator Palpatine sneered as they continued their walk through a maze of dim hallways. “That’s none of your concern, Lady Veruna. All that you need to know is that if you don’t do exactly as I say, the queen dies.”

“I’d rather die free than live a slave, Senator,” Padmé spat, Sabé immediately nudging her to the middle of the group.

“That’s why this plan is so perfect.” the sith grinned. “You see, your majesty, you may not care if you live or die, but your body guards do. And you all seem to hold out hope that you will be able to escape. A hope that will die of starvation, I assure you.”

Saché bared her teeth, fangs glinting in the sparse light. “We’ll see about that.”

An invisible hand threw her against the wall, the other handmaidens closing ranks around her immediately. “I would suggest you save your voice. Your screams will sound much better that way.”

Sabé would’ve given anything for her dagger right about now. Not like it would’ve done much, but at least she could try and fight. “You’re the one who’ll be screaming once we free ourselves.”

Palpatine grabbed her chin, and she did her best not to flinch. “Yes, it will be delightful to watch you break.” He let it go with a small shove. “Get moving before I decide to do away with the lot of you.”

Honestly, death would be preferable than having to be lab rats. But if there was a chance of escape (and there was), then it was their duty to get Padmé out.

A door opened into a bright hallway, the walls white and sterile. A medical or research facility. Oh joy. Sabé made sure to be the first one out.

The halls were bland, and it was difficult to keep track of where they were going. Difficult, but not impossible. With any luck, there would still be a ship down in the hangar when they made their move.

After about ten minutes of walking, they were led into a prison block. “Welcome to your new home, my ladies,” Palpatine sneered, the red containment field dying with a flicker as he waved his hand. “I hope that it meets your expectations.”

Sabé stuck her nose in the air as she marched inside the cell. “Considering we won’t be here long, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Thank the force, the giant canker sore of a human being left them alone after that. “Alright girls, what have we got?”

“Nothing.” Eirtaé frowned as she examined the ceiling, looking for weak points. The tiles interlocked, which ruled that out as a means of escape. “Just our powers.”

Versé hummed. “Considering that’s why we were kidnapped, I’d bet that this cell was equipped with some nasty surprises if we tried to get out that way.”

“We had a meeting scheduled with the boy toy,” Saché said with a small smirk, everyone thinking of the single tracker Palpatine hadn’t been able to find. “He’ll come and find us.”

“But who knows how long that’ll take, especially if he has to go through all of that senate poodoo.”

Padmé spoke up from where she was kneeling by the corner of the ray shield. “I just want to know what Palpatine wants. He wouldn’t have kidnapped us if he wasn’t certain that his plan would work.”

“Just let us be taken first,” fangs flashing, Sabé tried to reign in her temper, “you’re the priority.”

“No, I’m not going-”

They were saved from further argument when the door opened. But instead of being greeted by Palpatine’s ugly face, a fishy-looking person came in. Their neck was long, and their head looked kind of like that one time Padmé had found out that she was allergic to that weird spice in pantoran stir-fry.

Sabé focused in on the people marching behind him like little ducklings who had somehow gotten enlisted into the military. They were men, boys really, and all of them looked alike. Was this what everyone else meant when they said that the handmaidens and Padmé looked too similar? She’d have to look into it more later.

The boy in the front glanced at them for half of a heartbeat, and then turned away. The one behind him, however, gaped. Somehow knowing that he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to, front guy flashed a hand signal Sabé wasn’t familiar with and the third guy subtly kicked guy two in the ankle. His mouth closed with a click.

They filed into the cell across from the handmaidens, who by this point had all gathered as close to the ray shield as possible. Fish-guy turned on the ray for the boy’s cell. “Remember, you have been chosen for a reason. Should you die, I’m sure that we could find…replacements from your batches.”

They all immediately snapped into a sharp salute. “Sir, yes, sir!”

Saché leaned over and in a not-so-quiet voice whispered, “That’s creepy. Are we like that? Is that why Rash Blowfish looks at us weird?”

That, at least, got a reaction from two of the six guys. Number two had his mouth open again, and four raised an eyebrow. These guys were well trained, but for what? To be soldiers? A sith army wouldn’t do the galaxy any good. A sith army with the powers of the Naboo houses? The Republic would fall, and quickly. Sabé didn’t even bother to whisper. “Rash looks at us weird because he’s a few bolts short of a full cartridge and keeps forgetting which one of us is Padmé.”

Fishy McGillface turned, blinked at them slowly, and sashayed out of the room.

Shaking her head, Rabé sighed. “That can’t be good for his hips. What species is he, anyway?”

“Kaminoan.”

They all jerked their heads to the guy who spoke up, even his friends looking surprised. Brothers? Unclear. “So you can say something other than ‘yes, sir’.”

That made him blush to the tips of his ears. “He’s a Kaminoan. We’re on Kamino.”

“Never heard of it before.” Sabé frowned. That would make it more difficult for Obi-wan to find them. “Who are you?”

Dude one spoke this time, moving to stand in front of Mr. Talkative. “I’m CC-1010. Any questions you have can be directed to me.”

Ah, so he was the one in charge. Padmé’s eyes narrowed as she focused in on the more concerning part of his statement. “You’re too young to have a service number.”

He just stared.

“It’s not a service number.” Crossing her arms, Sabé tilted her head, knowing that her pupils were probably constricting, if the sudden tensing of the men was any indication. “It’s a birth number. You’re clones.”

Padmé was quick to interject. “But cloning is illegal in the Republic.”

“We’re not in the Republic,” Sabé turned to the leader of the other group, “are we?”

The boy stared for a minute longer. “No.”

“Well, my name is Padmé, and I’m the Queen of Naboo.” She ignored the boy’s wide eyes and continued, “These are my handmaidens and bodyguards, Sabé, Saché, Eirtaé, Versé, and Rabé.”

“Your clones, you mean.” Number two glanced between all of them. “Although your guy’s accelerated aging must be insane.”

Saché laughed. “We’re not clones; we just happen to look alike. Do you really not have names?”

Number one spoke up again. “Units do not require names.”

“I’m gonna call you guy-Sabé.” Saché ignored the look the real Sabé was giving and smirked, a fang peeking out from behind her lip. “If you have another name you’d prefer, just let me know.” 

When it was clear no one else was going to say anything, guy six cleared his throat. “Umm, do all nat-borns look alike?”

“Nat-borns?” Eirtaé asked.

“Naturally born, not decanted.” Number five raised an eyebrow like he was explaining why rain was wet. “We’re decanted, you’re not.”

Padmé grinned. “I don’t know, from the way Lord Baylon talked, Sabé is an angel, untethered to this world and sent from heaven for our enlightenment.’

“Force help us all,” Sabé muttered under her breath. Then, she gave in and shoved Padmé into the bed, where she landed with a thump. “Do any of you know why they’ve brought us here?”

Three answered this time. “No clue.”

“Well, we think we do.” The laughter was gone from Padmé’s face as she came back to the front. “And you’re going to need to be prepared.”

Guy-Sabé frowned. “Prepared for what, exactly?”

By the time they had finished explaining, Guy two shook his head. “Oh, kark us.”

Chapter Text

They came for them the next morning.

Sabé looked at the other handmaidens, a silent conversation occurring while she handed Rabé her coat. There was no reason to ruin a good piece of clothing. Before Padmé could argue against it, they had put her in the back of the group, Eirtaé covering her mouth so she couldn’t draw attention to herself.

Squaring her shoulders, Sabé stepped to the front, raising an eyebrow when she saw Guy-Sabé do the same. After what she had told them last night, she had assumed that no one would want to be her partner for this little science experiment.

If the Kaminoan was surprised, he didn’t show it. Looking between the two of them, he said, “You will both follow me. If either of you attempt to escape, there will be consequences for the others.”

Sabé growled, but trailed behind the big fish. What she wouldn’t do to put her fangs in his throat. But then again, he’d probably taste terrible.

Trying to not think about what was about to happen, Sabé glanced at her new friend and whispered, “You may as well tell me your name, you know. Not like it’s going to matter.”

A frown grew on his face, and he clenched his hand. After a minute, he nodded, more to himself than anything. “Fox. My name is Fox.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Fox.” She looked ahead, at the hallway that only seemed to be getting longer. “If,” she began, then getting bolder, continued, “if you need to look at someone during this thing, you can look at me. I don’t know what I can do, but sometimes knowing that someone is there helps.”

He sent her a quick look. “Thanks. You can look at me, too.”

“Thanks.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way. When Sabé hesitated at the door of the lab, Fox nudged her shoulder and she took a shuddering breath before going inside.

Fish-dude gestured to two examination tables. But instead of looking like regular tables, the metal was cut out in the shape of a human. Restraints hung loose at the wrists, ankles, legs, and chest. A taste of the great things about to come. “Take off your outer garments, display your…abilities, and lay down.”

She growled. The members of the houses never revealed their true forms unless they trusted the people they were around, or if someone was in danger. In a way, she was in danger, although her powers wouldn’t help her this time.

Fox had already lied down on his table, the restraints clicking into place. “Sabé,” he said, gesturing with his head to the other one.

Well, there wasn’t really another option, was there? Sabé rolled her shoulders, letting two blood red wings sprout from her back. The top of them reached a foot above her head, the bottom of her largest feathers nearly dragging the ground. Talons had replaced her fingernails, and some of her teeth had elongated into fangs. Without looking at fish-dude, she made her way to the table, refusing to shudder when the restraints locked around her.

“Excellent,” fishy nodded, “now we can begin.”

Sabé bared her fangs. “Where’s Palpatine?”

“The Senator was called away on business.” He held up a scapel. “Not to worry, he has explained the procedure to me in great detail.”

It might be a good idea to play dumb. Maybe this idiot would give her information she could use. “What are you even trying to do?”

He tilted his head. “I thought it was obvious. We are going to transfer your powers to the clone.”

“But why? What’s the point?” She blinked, trying to make herself seem like a dumb idiot.

The actual idiot bought it. “A super-human army, of course.”

“The others and I were always supposed to be stationed on Coruscant,” Fox offered, a frown marring his face.

“If my experiment is successful,” the scientist gloated, “then it won’t be regulated to just the clones on Coruscant. I will be promoted, and my creations will span the galaxy.”

Sabé connected the dots. Palpatine wanted a super-human army, but why would Fox and his brothers fight for the man that was about to turn him into a lab rat? Then, the research she had done on slavery in the outer rim after their little jaunt to Tatooine paid off. Control chips.

She was forced back into reality when the Kaminoan stepped beside her. “I would say that this won’t hurt, but that would be a lie. And I do so abhor liars.”

He pressed the scapel against her shoulder, dragging it down to her elbow. It burned more than it should’ve. Sabé pulled against the restraints, back arching against the table. “When I get out of this-”

He blinked at her slowly, then moved on to adding more lines to the messed-up design he was making, completely ignoring the angry handmaiden below him. “Aren’t you a feisty one? I was told humans could be…challenging, but the clones have never shown such tendencies. How interesting.”

She bared her fangs. “Give them time.”

The scientist hummed, and then continued cutting. Once he had started on her stomach, Sabé couldn’t take it anymore and turned to Fox. His face was near-expressionless as ever, but there was something in his eyes. He nodded, then looked towards the Kaminoan. Fox mouthed the words, “Almost there.” 

Tears fell freely down her face, but Sabé took a breath and nodded back. She wouldn’t let this psycho break her.

After an eternity, she heard the sound of a scapel hitting a metal plate. “There. That wasn’t too hard, was it?”

“Go to hell,” she spat, trying to ignore the drying blood.

He frowned. “Perhaps it is females who are the emotional ones of the human species. This bears further study.”

She yanked on her restratints. “I know you didn’t just-”

“It is time to begin phase two of the experiment.” Fishy dragged his table over to Fox, raising the bloodied scapel. “Hopefully you will be more cooperative than your link.”

He was silent. Even as the doctor began to make cuts identical to the ones on Sabé’s body, he didn’t say a word. Not even a gasp of pain escaped his lips. But after about ten minutes, he bit his lip and turned his head.

It wasn’t easy, being tied down like this, but Sabé stretched out one of her wings. Hopefully the Kaminoan was too focused on Fox to notice. The tip of her feathers were just long enough to reach his hand on the far side of the table. He grasped the feathers tightly, and Sabé was grateful that her wings were near-indestructible.

Fox clenched his jaw, held onto her wing, and looked at the ceiling. And that was how he stayed until the scientist had finished. “Now then, the transformation should begin soon.” He picked up a datapad. “Of course, I will record the process, so let me know when you begin to feel something happening.”

One look at Fox’s face told Sabé that he wasn’t going to say anything. But she was able to see the second that the transformation began.

He tensed. It was almost unnoticeable at first, but then his muscles began to seize and he pulled against the bands holding him down. The bloody patterns started to glow, and Sabé gasped when she realized that hers were glowing, too. Well, that wasn’t a good sign.

The clone’s vow of silence was broken with a ragged scream, and Sabé prayed that she would never hear something like that ever again. Fox’s scream echoed as fangs and talons began to grow where they were never supposed to. The powers of the Naboo were meant to stay with the Naboo, and who knows what consequences there would be for an experiment like this.

She couldn’t take it any longer. “You can do this; you just have to get through the wings. Stay strong!”

If Fox heard her, he didn’t show it. Instead, his scream just got louder, until something like the sound of cloth ripping took its place as the loudest thing in the room. Sabé’s wing was pushed to the floor as Fox’s new ones began to grow.

They were going to be larger than hers, but the blood red color was the same. She quickly pulled her wings under her own table, giving Fox the space he needed. Even the scientist seemed to get the idea, as he and his table moved to the other side of the room.

After another minute, Fox fell limp.

“Hmm,” Fishy murmured, looking at his ‘pad. “I do hope that he survived.”

“Check, you heartless bird brain!” Sabé pulled on her bindings, not prepared for when she was suddenly released. She hit the floor in a tangle of limbs and wings, Fox also freed above her. His hand fell from the table, dangling in front of her face.

“You can do that yourself. I have observations to note.”

With a mumbled curse, Sabé grabbed his wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when she found a pulse. And thank the force it was steady.

“Is he alive?” Fishy asked, like he was commenting on something as trivial as the weather.

Sabé bared her fangs, holding back on the urge to lunge at him. “No thanks to you.”

He turned and made his way to the door. “The experiment was successful. Follow me to your new holding area.”

“We aren’t going back to the others?”  That was going to complicate things immensely.

Fishy blinked. “No. Now carry the clone or else I will have the droids do so.”

Looking at the torture devices masquerading as healthcare droids, Sabé stood. First, she lifted Fox from the table, gently gathering up his wings so they wouldn’t drag on the floor. “We’re going to need clothes.”

“They are waiting for you in the cell.” He began to walk away. “Hurry, Subject One, or else you will not get there in time for dinner.”

She growled as she followed him into the hallway. “My name is Sabé.”

“Of course it is.”

Chapter Text

Thank the force for her superhuman strength, or else she wouldn’t have been able to carry Fox through the multitude of hallways they were led down. At one junction, Sabé had caught a glimpse of another Kaminoan, but they had quickly turned around and moved in the opposite direction. Good to know that she wasn’t the only one creeped out by this.

Fishy palmed open a door that looked like every other karking door on this karking planet. “This is where you will be staying. The others will join you as they finish their own tests.”

She glared at him. “Thank you for your generous hospitality.”

“These are necessary components to maintain optimum health, nothing more.” He gestured her inside.

“Oh, well then, I rescind my gratitude.” With a roll of her eyes, she went inside.

As the door closed, she heard the Kaminoan say, “Noted.”

Now that he was finally gone, Sabé examined her new prison. Well, her and Fox’s, not like he was conscious to enjoy the new amenities.

The room was large with multiple rows of bunks, enough for all of them once they had been moved in here. If they all survived.

Sabé shook the thought out of her head. Think positive, and focus on the next step. Which was clearly to look after Fox. She laid him on the closest bunk, arranging his wings so that they wouldn’t get pinched or cramped, then set off to find whatever passed as a refresher.

The curtained-off corner tipped her off. And look, they were even kind enough to leave them towels. How nice.

She filled the sink with water and wet all of the rags they had. Next, she grabbed a dry towel and returned to Fox’s side. “When I finish patching you up, I’m going to hit you for making me worry,” she murmured, gently dabbing the dried blood from his skin. “I don’t even know you, for force’s sake.”

Unfortunately, they weren’t given any bandages, and she didn’t want to rip up their sheets just yet. There may be someone else who needs them more, and hopefully her speedy healing had also been passed on along with everything else.

After dealing with Fox’s wounds, she began to work on her own. Finding the clothes that they had been left, she slipped on the light blue scrubs. Snaps allowed the shirt to be buttoned on the top of her wings. Looks like they were wanting her to keep them out. Fine, she could play that game. It would be easier to help Fox navigate this new normal, anyway.

A small opening in the wall slid open, depositing two trays of mush before closing again. “Yummy,” she said, poking at the grey pile with the spoon. Of course they couldn’t have given her a fork to stab someone with.

She took the trays over to Fox and set them on the floor. Although she hated to do it, he needed to eat. Gently, she grasped his shoulder. “Fox, food’s here.”

He groaned, wings fluttering the slightest bit, but didn’t move. Sabé rolled her eyes and shook him a little. “Fox.”

“Wh’t?” he asked, wrenching his eyes open. 

Sabé held out a spoonful of mush. “Dinner’s here, and you need to eat.”

He tried to prop himself up on his elbow but wasn’t used to the weight of his wings and flopped right back down on the bed. Lifting up one of his wings with her own, Sabé tried to smile. “You have to swing your legs over at the same time or else you’re never going to build up enough momentum.”

Fox still looked like he had been hit by a speeder, but he was at least able to sit up. He nearly overbalanced but was able to get a hand out just in time. He looked down at himself, getting distracted by his talons before turning his attention to his cuts. “You cleaned these.”

“Couldn’t let you get blood all over the new bed.” She glanced behind him. “Or at least, any more blood.”

“Sorry.” He took the tray she offered and began to eat, only pausing when feathers accidentally got in the way of his food. “How do you,” he began, pushing them away, “how do you deal with these?”

“I was born with them, which helps. Scoot over.” Sabé sat beside him, using her wing to push at least one of his out of the way. “Pull your shoulders back, that should help.”  

Fox did and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Why is that so much better?”

“According to Versé, it puts less pressure on your lungs.” Wincing at the taste of the mush, Sabé continued, “How are you dealing with this so well? Most people would be freaking out right now.”

He shrugged. “What else am I supposed to do?” The top of his wings flew into his face, and he shoved them back with a sigh. “I’m going to need you to teach me how to not be a liability, though.”

“Of course. This happened because of me, the least I can do is help.”

Fox glanced at her. “What happened isn’t your fault. If it wasn’t you, they would’ve found somebody else.”

“Still.” She pushed the gruel around the plate. “How do you eat this crap?”

“I try not to think about it.”

“Mmm.” Sabé tried to suffer through another bite. “Good for you, not sure if I can manage it.”

He set his now-clean plate to the side and began to touch his feathers. “They’re softer than I expected.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t believe that they’re blaster-proof, would you?” She grinned and nudged his shoulder. “Don’t tell the others, but I think that my abilities are the best, no question.”

“What else can you do?” he asked, a bit of curiosity finally peeking through.  

Sabé shoveled the last bit of mush in her mouth and tossed the tray away. She put her hand where Fox could see it and flexed it, talons extending. “There are the wings, obviously. I can use my talons to climb walls, which is nice when we’re doing anything covert. Fangs, good for ripping out throats, eating tough steaks. Oh, and I heal very quickly, which is why we’re not both hunched over in pain right now.”

He hummed. “That’s useful.”

“Very.” Sabé stood and looked around the room. “There’s not enough space to teach you how to fly, but once we get out of here I’ll show you.”

Fox huffed. “You sound like you actually believe that.”

“I do.” She turned and crossed her arms, wings ruffling in slight agitation. “We’re going to escape, and we’re going to take your and your brothers with us.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to need a bigger ship.”

“Why’s that?”

“There are a couple million of us,” he said with a shrug.

Well, that did change things. There’s no way that they’d be able to get that many clones out without mass casualties, or the control chips being activated. “Then we’ll take over the city. We have to outnumber the Kaminoans a hundred to one.”

“More like three hundred to one, but that won’t matter.” His wings drooped. “The second we try something, they’ll just kill the tubies.”

She thought for a moment, a plan slowly forming in her head. “We’ll get Versé to help with that, then. There are options.” Smirking, she added, “The handmaidens have a saying: Nothing is impossible when we’re together and undercaffeinated. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s no caff in this cell.”

He shook his head. “You’re crazy.”

“Just figuring that out now?” Sabé took the chance to pop him in the head with her wing with a grin. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

Chapter Text

So Fox and Sabé waited. And waited. And one by one, the others were brought into the new cell.

First came Saché and Hound, the man sporting new fangs and talons. He seemed to have less trouble understanding his powers than Fox, but considering he already had fingernails and teeth, it wasn’t a very fair comparison.

Someone who didn’t handle the transformation well was Thire. Versé had to all but drag him inside the room, Fishy nowhere to be seen. Electricity cracked and fizzled over both of them. “Get out of the way,” Versé panted with the clone’s arm slung over her shoulder. “He’s about to go off.”

Before the other men could get in the way, Sabé spread her wings and pushed them back. “Trust me, you don’t want to be close when that happens.”

“You’ll taste static for weeks.” Saché agreed, tugging Hound backwards.

As she passed one of the beds, Versé grabbed a blanket and tossed Thire into the corner. She threw the blanket over him and then did her best to cover him with her own body, absorbing as much of the electricity as she could.

There was a flash of light as the electricity discharged. “Well,” Saché said, peeking through her fingers, “that went well.”

Sabé pumped her wings once and then extended her talons so that she was perched on the wall beside one of the security cameras. “Very well. This is fried.”

With a raised eyebrow, Versé freed Thire from his soft and fluffy prison. His hair was an absolute mess, standing straight up. “Think they’ll come back to replace it?”

“Would you?” Sabé answered, pulling her hand back with a hiss when a residual charge zapped out at her.

“Nope.”

It seemed like the Kaminoans wanted a break, because the next people to come in were Rabé and Stone. Stone, who was having difficulty keeping his face set. They came in, Rabé quietly coaching him. “You’re lucky, you have a lot of people around that look just like you. Remember what they looked like, and make yourself look like that.”

The door slid shut just as the clone scrunched up his face, his nose finally returning to the way it was supposed to look. “There you go,” Rabé said with a grin and a pat, “you’re a natural.”

“Of course he is,” Thire agreed, “he’s a clone.”

Ignoring his brother, Stone turned back to the handmaiden. “How do I keep from shapeshifting when I don’t want to?”

“It takes practice, but you’ll get used to it.” She took a second to look at Sabé. “It helps that you’re around family, they’ll help you.”

“Of course we will.” Fox stood, the veracity of his statement dampened by the fact he slapped himself in the face with his own wing.

“Keep your shoulders back, Foxy, shoulders back.” Sabé did her best to hide her smile, but she wasn’t sure if she was successful, if the clone’s glare was any indication.

Eirtaé and Stitches were next. Like Versé, Eirtaé had to carry him into the room. Unlike Versé, he wasn’t about to explode. “What happened?” Fox asked, immediately coming to the medic’s side.

“Lost a lot of blood. He should be fine in a few hours.”

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Sabé watched as Eirtaé settled the clone in one of the bunks. “You looked worse.” When he raised a judgmental eyebrow, she shrugged. “Just trying to make you feel better.”

When Stitches woke up, it was with a rush of wind and burst of rain. “What’s happening?” he yelled, the torrent making everyone and everything soaked within seconds.

“You need to calm down.” Eirtaé grabbed hold of his hand. “Big breaths.” The man’s eyes only got wilder.

“I don’t think it’s working!” Thire yelled, bits of lightning arcing over his arms as he held onto a bed post.

Fox got the chance to finally use his wings, pushing himself forward one step at a time. After a small eternity, he got to his brother. “Close your eyes.” When Stitches didn’t immediately comply, Fox bopped him in the head with a wing. “Close. Your. Eyes.”

He did, and Fox continued, “Picture your DC-15A. Imagine yourself disassembling it.” When the man scoffed, Fox grabbed his shoulder. “Do it, Stitches.”

It was more effective than the breathing, and slowly, the room began to return to normal. “There you go, vod’ika.” He grinned, then wrapped his brother in a hug. “You’re gonna be alright.”

Stitches basically collapsed against Fox, who didn’t need Sabé to teach him how to bring his wings around his brother. “What happened?” He gasped. “Why did they do this to us?”

“They wanted to make us weapons,” Fox answered, looking over Stitches head at Sabé, “but we’re not going to let them get away with it.”

The medic sounded dejected. “There’s nothing we can do.”

The older clone pulled away a little, just enough for his brother to see his smirk. “I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

Then, there were only two people missing. The handmaidens all looked at each other, anticipation evident. Padmé’s powers weren’t exactly the most unpredictable, but they were by far the most deadly.

Which is why Sabé barked out a quick order as soon as the door opened again. “Get to higher ground!”

Fortunately everyone listened, because a lava flow entered the room a second later, preceding the last pair. Padmé’s hair had become molten and dripped to the ground, a clear indication that she was fuming, and Thorn was resting most of his weight on her small shoulder.

“Eirtaé, Stitches, let’s cool this place off.” Sabé turned her attention back to the queen. “Padmé, you’re going to need to chill.”

Her eyes flashed. “Those monsters-”

“I know, but unless you get yourself under control the bunks are going to melt and we’re all going to die.” To prove her point, she pointed to the currently-on fire bedsheets, which Saché was unsuccessfully trying to put out with a pillow. Once the pillow caught fire, she just gave up and shoved the whole thing to the floor.

As if she was seeing it for the first time, Padmé frowned. “Oh.”

By this time, Eirtaé and Stitches had made a thunderstorm, the rain turning the lava into rock. The lightning wasn’t ideal, but Versé was quietly coaching Thire on how to direct the electricity so that they didn’t all get electrocuted. That would be an embarrassing way to die.

It took a few minutes, but eventually the fires were extinguished and Padmé had successfully calmed down enough to not make more. Thank the force Thorn wasn’t adding to the problem.

Fox moved to take his brother. “Careful,” Padmé warned, “there’s a chance he’ll start-”

“Spewing?” Saché offered.

“Spouting?” Rabé added.

Padmé opened her mouth, but Sabé beat her to it. “Erupting?”

The queen gave all of them a pointed glare. “I was going to say that he may start another fire.”

“Which is why Eirtaé and Stitches are going to take turns on watch tonight.”

“Thorn has a good handle on his emotions.” Without another word, Fox took his brother and settled him on one of the only bunks that wasn’t suffering from ‘Padmé-itis’. He was gentle as he brought blankets over Thorn’s shoulder.

Acknowledging the sleeping trooper, Padmé stood on a bottom bunk to get closer to Sabé. “So? What’s our plan for getting out of this?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I have a plan?”

Padmé rolled her eyes, a smile growing on her face for the first time since she’d gotten in the room. The blood from the cuts Fishy had done on her glinted like drops of magma. “You always have a plan. Fill me in. When are we going to make our move?”

“It’s been almost two weeks,” she said instead of giving an answer, flopping onto her back. The mattress creaked ominously but held. Did it feel good on her wings? No. But oh, was it dramatic. “Boy toy should get here in another day or so.”

Looking up from where he was checking Thorn, Stitches frowned. “I want him to sleep for at least six hours.”

“It’ll take two to teach him the bare minimum about this new normal.” Padmé closed her eyes for a moment, then pinned Sabé with a determined stare. “But who knows how long it’ll take for you to explain this convoluted plan of yours.”

“It’s not convoluted.” The argument was well-worn at this point, but it was safer than thinking about what they were about to do. “It’s a simple, 23-step plan.”

Padmé raised an eyebrow. “And where do I come in?”

“Step one through 23. I hope you’re a quicky study.”

“You know I am.” She swung herself on the top bunk, nudging Sabé over until they were side by side. “Please tell me I get to set something on fire.”

Sabé smiled, fangs glinting in the light. “You get to set something on fire.”

“Excellent.”

Chapter Text

“Get on the floor.” Fishy spoke through the door, unwilling to open it and risk letting them all out. But since all the security holos had been fried, he was forced to slip a small camera droid through the ventilation system. It was ridiculously funny, but Sabé did her best to not laugh. That would mess up the plan way too soon.

Padmé smiled at the ceiling. “No thank you.”

If Kaminoans could sigh, this one definitely would’ve. “Get on the floor or else we’ll terminate the clones’ batchmates.”

“You heard the man,” with an exaggerated groan, Sabé flipped herself off the top bunk and placed herself at the front of the group, “get on the floor.”

Eirtaé and Stitches put themselves in front of her, and Fox laid down at her side. Fishy spoke up again. “Place your hands and wings where I can see them.”

Sabé rolled her eyes but complied, the others following a second later. “What are you going to do with us?”

“Now that the experiment has been proven successful, it is time to begin the tests. First, we will examine the accelerated healing your kind seems to possess.” The camera droid began to walk around them on three spindly little legs, making sure that everyone was cooperating.

“I believe that we shall start by removing your claws and fangs.” He waited a moment, letting that information sink in. “Even if you aren’t able to recover, at least you will not be as big of a threat.”

“We’ve done everything you asked,” Padmé accused, really hamming it up. “How can you do this?”

There was a pause. “You are interesting specimens. I cannot wait for the day I am allowed to dissect you.”

That was new. Sabé had always known that they weren’t expected to make it out of this alive, but being told that they were going to be dissected? That’s just rude.

The door finally slid open and 12 clones marched through. If the gasps from the men were any indication, they knew each other.

Fishy sauntered inside. “Hold them down and place the inhibitor collars.”

That wasn’t good. They had planned to be facing Kaminoans, or droids, but not other clones. Sabé glanced at Fox, who gave her a small nod. This called for a change of plans. Sabé could only hope that the clones could keep up.

She pumped her wings once, pushing herself into the air and knocking everyone who was standing a few feet back. “How dare you?” While she spoke, she stalked forward. The new clones tried to stop her, but even she could tell it was half-hearted. Subtly, she pushed them behind her with her wings. Now there was only one left in the line of fire, and he was standing beside the Kaminoan. “The jedi will find us, and they’ll make you regret the pain you’ve put us through.”

“The jedi may find you,” he conceded, a hint of fear in his voice, “but not soon enough.” He glanced to one of the men behind her. “Put the inhibitor collar on her first.” There was a small crackle as the collar activated, electricity running through it.

A small smile curled his fishy, fishy lips. “Perhaps being treated like an animal will teach you how to behave.”

Sabé didn’t move as the collar clamped shut around her neck. In one motion, she grabbed the clone’s forearms and spun around, pushing him towards the group.

Finally, Fishy realized his mistake. “How is this possible?”

“My wings?” Sabé asked, flexing them so that they covered everyone behind her. Eirtaé and Stiches crawled right under her, partially hidden by her lower feathers. “My powers? You should’ve done more research on the Naboo, fish-face. We’re not like the jedi, who can be separated from the force.

“Our powers are a part of us. They’re integrated into our genetic code, our personalities. They’re what drives every beat of our heart.” She reached up, grasping the collar and pulling it apart. Fishy followed its path down as it hit the floor, sparking for a few seconds before dying.

“We’re something that you can never hope to understand. Not like we’re going to give you that chance.” Sabé grinned, fangs shining in the harsh lighting. “You’re biggest mistake? Thinking that we were something that could be controlled.”

The electrical voltage that went into the Kaminoan’s body made him jerk and convulse like a puppet with a child controlling his strings. If only Sabé cared enough to feel bad.

Saché scrunched up her nose as she pushed Sabé’s wings down. “Smells like fish sticks.”

Ignoring that, Fox moved forward, another clone at his side. “I think the plan can stay the same, we just need to add a few more people.”

“I assume these are the batchmates I’ve heard so much about?”

The man beside him had a long, curling scar around one eye, and the look he gave Fishy’s body was as murderous as Sabé’s had been. “We are.”

Fox sighed. “Cody, he’s not going to get any deader.”

One of the other clones kicked the body. “Doesn’t hurt to make sure. You know what Fordo says.”

“Just because they look dead doesn’t mean they are.” Thorn shook his head and pulled his batchmate away from where the body. “I don’t think that really applies to this situation, Colt. He’s deader than Prime’s braincells.”

“Let’s get back on topic.” Padmé peeked her head into the hallway. “We’re on the clock.”

Sabé picked up the Kaminoan’s fallen datapad. It sparked once, then began to smoke. She dropped it on its previous owner and turned back to the others. “The plan stays the same. Take your batchmates with you as extra backup. Alright?”

Thire’s batchmate scoffed. “Why should we take orders from a nat-born?”

Before she could say anything in her own defense, Fox’s feathers puffed up. “Because, Neyo, she isn’t just a nat-born. She’s the Chief of the Handmaidens of Amidala, and I trust her.”

Cody shot him a shocked look. “You what?”

“You heard me,” he answered back, crossing his arms. “We need to get moving. Chief?”

“Great idea, Fox.” She looked at each man and woman. “May the force be with us.”

“And may the blood come out of our clothes,” the handmaidens echoed back.

She nodded. “Let’s go.”

They split up almost immediately, each person going to their respective objectives. Sabé and Fox were joined by Cody, who kept sending questioning glances her way when he thought she wasn’t looking. “What?” she grumbled.

“Just curious.” They ducked into a room when a Mandalorian got too close for comfort, then resumed their walk. “Fox doesn’t trust easily. I wonder what makes you so special.”

“You know I can speak for myself, right?” Fox had been grumpy since this whole thing started, which left Sabé with more questions than answers. Although, it probably had to do with the fact that his brother had been brought into this mess.

Also realizing this, Cody nudged Fox’s shoulder, unfortunately misjudging and getting his wing instead. “Sorry, vod. This is just…a lot.”

“That’s an understatement.” The man huffed. “Look, Codes, I don’t know how to explain all of…this,” he said, gesturing at himself, “but she does. Sabé’s been helping me through all this stuff. She and the others, they’re nothing like the trainers. They actually care.”

Cody was silent, measuring the words to make sure that they were actually true. Finally, he nodded. “That’s good enough for me, but Wolffe’s going to want more than that.” When Fox gave a small grin, he continued. “What’s our part in this plan, anyway?”

“Oh,” Sabé answered, grinning, “it’s easy: we get Lama Su.”

He stopped, jogging to catch up when he realized that she was serious. “Well, at least it’s easy.”

They made it to the right hallway without running into anyone else. But of course that luck couldn’t last. They turned the corner, and Fox froze. “Prime.”

Jango Fett tilted his head. “Told them that this experiment of theirs would backfire. Nice to see I’m right.”

At those words, it was like a switch had flipped. Fox bared his fangs, talons up and ready to fight. “You let them do this to us?”

He shrugged. “Of course I did.”

“Why?” Cody growled, looking like he was a second away from fighting the fully-armed man.

The fully-armed man who apparently didn’t have much sense. “Why not?”

That was clearly the wrong answer. Fox snarled, the sound more animalistic than a human had a right to make. Unfortunately for Fett, Fox wasn’t human. Not anymore. The Mandalorian barely got a single shot off before Fox was on him. It wasn’t like that shot even mattered, since Fox brought a wing up to block it.

Fett hit the ground with a metallic clang. Fox ripped off his helmet and threw it into a wall, where it stayed lodged three feet in the air. Attempting to struggle, Fett finally looked afraid. “What are you?”

Holding him still with one hand, Fox unholstered the man’s blaster and held it above his head. “I’m the monster you made me.”

One shot, and Jango Fett was dead.

Sabé put a hand on Fox’s shoulder. “You alright?”

He looked up at her, something broken in his eyes. “How could he have let this happen? I know he’s just our template, but-”

“Evil people are always going to be evil,” she gently interrupted. “He probably wanted to make the strongest army he could, which meant letting the experiment start. That doesn’t make it right.”

She paused. “But although I can say that I hate that this was done to you, I can’t say that I’m sorry it happened.”

“What?” he asked, the disbelief clear in his voice.

Sabé kicked Fett’s body out of the way and kneeled beside the clone, trusting that Cody would let them know if someone was coming. Or handle it himself with the blaster he had grabbed from the Prime. Whichever he preferred.

“I can’t say I’m sorry it happened, because if it hadn’t, I’d have never met you. You are amazing, and you and your brothers deserve to be free.”

His eyes were filled with an emotion that she couldn’t name. “Thank you.”

Helping him stand, Sabé then headbutted him like she had seen him do to the others. “Thank me by letting me handle Lama Su.”

“Alright.” A blush had started to creep across his cheeks, making the tips of his ears bright red.

Sabé palmed two knives she found in Fett’s pockets and made her way to the Prime Minister’s door. “I wonder if he keeps it locked,” she murmured as she tried the door. “He does not,” she added when it slid open.

The man looked up slowly, blinking when he realized who they were. “What are you-”

Sabé threw one of her knives, pinning the Kaminoan to his seat by the top of his shirt. “No questions. You’re being placed under arrest for the kidnapping, torture, and planned murder of Her Majesty Queen Amidala of Naboo. You will answer for your crimes in the Republic Senate, and your planet will now become a territory of Naboo.”

“You can’t do this!” He attempted to get the knife out, but it was no use. Realizing this, his eyes narrowed. “You can’t expect to take over the entire facility.”

“On the contrary,” she said, picking up his comm, which was now ringing, “I think we just did.”

She answered the comm. “This is Sabé.”

Padmé answered first. “The trainers are secured in one of the sparring rooms. The Nulls vouched for a few of them, and they’re helping us guard the rest.”

“We’ve got the incubation chambers under our control,” Rabé said next. “Clone medics are on the way, but the babies look fine.”

The smile was clear in Saché’s voice when it was her turn. “We had a little trouble finding some of the cloners, but some very nice Alpha clones decided to help.” In a fake whisper, she added, “They can dismember a Kaminoan in less than a minute.”

“My kind of men.” Sabé tried not to smile at the look on the Prime Minister’s face. “Lama Su is secured. Versé? What about you?”

“The control rooms are secure,” Versé answered. “We have the encryptions for the behavioral modification chips and are disabling them now.”

“Eirtaé?”

There was a slight hesitation before the handmaiden answered. “Landing pads are secured and Stitches and I have stopped the storms. Boy toy will have a clear landing zone when he gets here.”

There was a muffled yell of, “What the kark?” in the background, followed by Stitches yelling back, “I told you I had powers!”

Sabé raised an eyebrow. “Is everything okay over there?”

“I…think I need to go check on Kix. Eirtaé out.”

Sabé turned back to the Kaminoan, who was looking more fish-like than normal. “It seems like we’ve taken over your facility, Prime Minister. And I think it’s time for you to join your friends in the holding cells.”

--------------------

When Obi-wan Kenobi jumped out of his fighter on Kamino, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Politicians ready to deny involvement? Certainly. Something set ablaze? That was the handmaiden’s usual MO. Sabé grinning next to a young man who had identical wings? Not even close.

“Took you long enough,” she said, grasping his arm in a firm handshake. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up.”

He tore his gaze from the man, who was sending off a ton of ‘touch-her-and-you-die’ feelings into the force. “You know how the Senate is, and I knew you had things under control.”

“Of course.”

“Your wings are out,” he observed quietly as they began to walk deeper into the facility.

Sabé shrugged. “There’s no need to hide them here. We’re among friends.”

“Alright.” He looked at the number of ships in the landing bay. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

The man answered this time. “We needed a jedi.”

Now his interest was piqued. “For what?”

“The Council of Kamino has asked to be a Naboo protectorate.” Sabé guided him down a maze of hallways. “You’re here to serve as a witness to the signing of the official documents. Also, Sheev Palpatine is a Sith and we don’t trust comms.”

Obi-wan shook his head with a small smile. “Only you could get into this kind of trouble.”

“Says the man who once dismantled a crime syndicate while drunk.”

He huffed, then turned to the man. “I apologize, I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“Fox,” was the only answer he got.

“And what are you going to do when this is over? I assume you’re on this Council Sabé’s talking about.” He hid his grin as a flare of protectiveness from both of them lit up the force. This was going to bear watching, for sure.

Sabé answered for him. “Representative Fox and some of his brothers will be joining us on Naboo to maintain good relations between our peoples.”

“Oh,” Obi-wan said, smirking, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about ‘good relations’.”

Did he deserve the smack he got from Sabé’s wing? Probably. Did he regret it? No.

The door to the meeting room opened, revealing the nearly-identical women and definitely-identical men. And Obi-wan Kenobi heard the force sing more clearly than he had in years. The sith weren’t going to know what hit them.