Paranoia is a curious thing.

I know better than to worry. Everything is going to work out fine. The senator will arrive on Coruscant intact. Any threats I will detain. It's what I signed up for. It's what I've trained for.

Captain Typho insisted that an attack was to happen. I was with him on that one. But we weren't ambushed in our travels. The chance of attack seemed to drop the more time passed by.

I wouldn't be content, not until the senator was safe off her ship and back under even heavier security.

I hear the ship's engines begin to quiet. We're landing. I'm near the ship's ramp early, waiting for the senator and her detail. I'm not necessarily part of the detail, I'm higher up than that. I'm her personal bodyguard who follows her around all day and night.

I give a courteous nod to the senator when she and her little party arrive. The ramp lowers, and the two Naboo guards walk down first. I squeeze myself beside the senator. Ahead is Captain Typho, accompanied by one of the other pilots who flew beside the ship. A group of dignitaries are a distance away, ready to greet the senator of Naboo. There's a low fog that engulfs the landingplatform, the air feels rather muggy.

I feel it just as we reach the foot of the ramp, but I react too late.

The ship explodes behind us. Shards of debris fly in midair, along with us. More explosions follow, and I find myself kissing the landing platform with my face. I roll over, seeing the ship produce more explosions. Alarms drone in the air.

I feel a little scorched, I can't say the same for the rest of the guards and the senator.

The senator.

I push myself to my feet, just as one of the pilots from earlier runs to the senator. We both kneel down, the pilot removes her helmet. It hurts, to see Senator Amidala's decoy injured, a trickle of blood dribbling down her mouth.

In anticipation of an attack, we'd devised a plan. We had a decoy set in place, just in case. We had the actual senator fly in on a small fighter. It turns out it was a smart move.

"Cordé," the senator murmurs to her decoy. I jump as Cordé opens her eyes. The senator gathers her decoy in her arms.

"...I'm sorry, m'lady..." Cordé falls still, eyes unblinking.

"No," the Senator murmurs. "No..."

"M'lady," I interrupt the mournful moment, "you're still in danger."

The senator lowers Cordé to the ground. She rises, and I mimic her. I notice her pain, I see the tears in her doe eyes.

"I should not have come back," she chokes out.

"This vote is very important," I remind her. "You did your duty, and Cordé did hers. Now come." I inhale deeply. "M'lady, please. Don't make me force you."

The senator looks at me wearily. When I give her a gentle push, she moves. I can feel her distress in the Force, and it really bothers me. Things like this devastate her.

"Do you feel the danger still?"

"M'lady, whether or not I sense danger is irrelevant. I won't feel better until you're in good company." I grab her arm and gently pull her away. The other dignitaries are still recovering from the shock, talking among each other in terrified whispers. "Inside, now. Unless you would rather stay out in the open."

Nobody questions me. With a somber air over our heads, we leave the wreckage behind.

This is far from the last, I can feel it. 

**I've had Evangeline cast for, like, so many different fanfics, but she always got pushed away because I found someone better. There's no denying she's perfect for this role. She's finally found her home here, in the world of Star Wars.

This is honestly my shortest first chapter in any fanfic that I think I've written.**