5 Chapter 5 - Naboo.
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[Sion Wells. POV.]
The sunlight blinded me as I stepped out of the ship onto the busy streets of Naboo. Merchants hawking their wares, droids whirred past, and the crowd struggled around me. I blinked, adjusting to the sudden sensory overload. Naboo looked just like the movies had described, it was beautiful.
I honestly couldn't believe I was… well here.
As I walked around, leaving the ship port, I noticed something. Brightly colored posters plastered on almost every wall, pillar, and pole, with two names on them: Padme Naberrie and Sanandrassa.
"Vote Padme Naberrie for Queen!" a man shouted, thrusting a poster into my hands.
I studied the image of a young girl with an earnest smile. Padme Naberrie. The name tugged at my memory. Was she the same as Padme Amidala? She certainly looked like her movie counterpart, just younger.
It was hard to tell, nothing really looked like in the movies, I mean, certain things did, but in a general point of view, the movies now felt like a loose frame of reference, like a badly edited Wikipedia page, where you knew the information was probably accurate just not how accurate.
"Don't listen to him!" Another man elbowed the first aside. "Sanandrassa's got Naboo's best interests at heart. She'll bring prosperity through good business!" He tried to hand me a poster of a sharp-eyed woman in opulent robes.
I waved him off, intrigued.
An election campaign.
I guess that would certainly explain the uproar and fervor in the streets.
I can't help but wonder if this is the election that made the Padme I knew Queen of Naboo…
On that subject, now that I think about it, I have no idea at what point in time I am. All I know is Palpatine is still around, and in Naboo, but that didn't give me an exact answer.
[New Quest: What year is this?
Objective: Learn at what point of time you are.
Rewards: 1 LV.
Penalties: Nothing.]
Well shit, that's a first… a quest that doesn't have as a penalty my inevitable demise.
With a happy smile, at the fact I was finally free, I weaved through the dense crowd, dodging pedestrians and street vendors. My destination a glowing blue sign marked an information kiosk. Which was just what I needed to get some general information about this election, in order to confirm if this Padme was the Padme I thought she was.
I quickened my pace, sidestepping a droid. A few quick taps on the kiosk screen brought up data on the election.
As I scanned through the information, details on the candidates jumped out.
Padme Naberrie the fourteen year old daughter of a prominent Naboo family. This young girl is campaigning for peace and unity, her youthful optimism shining through in her speeches and promises. Sanandrassa, on the other hand, looks to keep Naboo secluded for the rest of the world, deeming interplanetary deals or connections too dangerous for the people of Naboo.
Well, this Padme certainly looks like she's the Padme from the movies.
Meaning that if I'm correct, I'm currently in a time before Anakin is recruited into the Jedi. Which also means, Anakin is still in Tatooine.
[Quest Completed: What year is this?!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have five stats points to allocate.]
I smirked, for a moment there I'd forgotten about the reward this quest had. Now I had to consider how to allocate my new points. But that was a problem for later. Now, I needed a place to rest my head, and hopefully the remaining amount of credits I had would be enough to secure that.
A simple inn would do for now.
[New Quest: Find an Inn.
Objective: Find an inn before the night comes.
Rewards: 300 credits, 20 EXP.
Failure: Nothing.]
Ignoring the quest, I walked down the busy streets of Naboo, looking for an inn, or something that looked like an inn. Most of the signs or advertisements were in a language I couldn't understand, while other things were written in my native language, it was confusing.
As I walked, the smell of fried food and fresh fruit wafted from the market stalls, making my stomach grumble, reminding me I needed to eat. I hadn't eaten anything since Tatooine, and that was slave food, meaning it wasn't nearly enough to fill my stomach, just barely enough to keep me alive.
Eventually, as I continued exploring, I found a small, unassuming building huddled in a quieter sector of the city. A wooden sign hung above the door with an image of a comfy bed. An inn.
With relief, I pushed open the creaky door, stepping into the warm glow of the lobby. It was filled with the clattering of dishes and the chatter of patrons. The smell of cooking food wafted from somewhere in the back, making my stomach rumble once more, this time with more strength.
"Welcome!" The innkeeper, a sturdy woman with a kind smile, greeted me from behind the counter. "You look like you could do with a room and something to eat."
[Lara Moris - The Innkeeper.]
Her assumption was spot on.
I was indeed in need of a room, and something to eat. More the eating part, but the room was also necessary.
"How much the night?" I asked, smiling at her.
The innkeeper looked me up and down, sizing me up. A calculating gleam in her eyes.
"Eighty credits for a room and a meal," Lara replied.
Eighty credits.
The night?
Well… that's surprisingly cheap, considering how expensive everything else has been so far.
Deciding to pay for a week, I dug into my pocket and handed her the required amount. She slid a key card across the counter with a nod and gestured towards an archway to the side.
"Dinners served at seven," she said, before moving onto the next customer in line.
With that, I picked up my key card and headed towards my room. The hallway was narrow and lined with wooden doors, each marked with a number. My room was near the end of the hall, under a flickering fluorescent light.
Room 11.
Pushing open the door, I was greeted by a small but clean room. A bed, a tiny desk, and a window looking out onto the busy streets of Naboo completed the picture. A bit barebones but it would do for now. It was certainly more than what I had a few days ago…
I tossed my bag onto the bed, sinking down onto its surprisingly soft mattress. Not bad for eighty credits.
A cursory glance at the time told me dinner was not far off. Two hours or so till seven. Till then, some rest might be a good idea.
As I laid back on the bed, eyes closing against my will, I sent up a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening that this all wouldn't go sideways in some way or another during my time on Naboo.
I still had no idea how Gardulla would react to what I did, or if she would try to hunt me down for it. I doubted she cared too much about me, in particular, but I had disrupted her business, and that was something the Hutt's cared about, their business. Depending on how much money I made her loose, I might have to look out for some bounty hunters I suppose.
'Stats' I muttered.
[-Status-
Name: Sion Wells.
LV: 4
Class: N/A
Health: 100%
Strength: 23
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 17
Charisma: 8
Force: 4
Unspent Points: 5
Credits: 3574.]
I still have five points I haven't allocated. I might as well use them before heading to sleep, considering my thoughts of bounty hunters weren't exactly calming.
Deciding where to put them was the question.
Strength would make me more formidable in a fight, agility could make me harder to hit, intelligence could increase my knowledge and understanding of things around me, charisma could help with... well, people. Negotiations, persuading people to do things, getting them to like you, that sort of thing.
And then there was the Force.
I wanted to use the force, but seeing the stat was so… low, I imagined it would take quite a few stat points to even begin being useful. So right now, putting points into felt like it might help with that... or it might not. It seemed more like a gamble than an investment.
After some consideration, I ended up putting two points into strength and three into agility. If I was going to have bounty hunters on my tail, I reckoned it was within my best interest to be able to run.
[New Stats:
Name: Sion Wells
LV: 4
Class: N/A
Health: 100%
Strength: 25
Agility: 24
Intelligence: 17
Charisma: 8
Force: 4
Credits: 3574.]
Feeling somewhat satisfied with my decision, I shut down the holographic stat screen and prepared for dinner. I needed to rest before having something to eat. I was due for a long nap.
