Age of Republic - Padmé Amidala 1

Age of Republic - Padmé Amidala 1 is the eighth one-shot in the canon comic book anthology series Star Wars: Age of Republic. It was written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Wilton Santos and Cory Smith, and published on March 6, 2019 by Marvel Comics.
==Publisher's summary==
A DESPERATE DIPLOMATIC MISSION FOR SENATOR AMIDALA! PADMÉ sets out in secret to try to bring a neutral world into the Republic fold. Is this a genuine offer of alliance, or another trap for the outspoken Senator? And will rejecting the help of the JEDI be a deadly mistake?
==Plot summary==
On Coruscant, Anakin walks with his secret wife, Padmé Amidala, inside of the Senate Building, and asks if she’s sure that she doesn’t want him to accompany her on her next diplomatic mission as she’s become a target. Padmé explains that she can’t have a Jedi protector all of the time, and while she wishes that they could see each other more, they each have jobs to do as long as the Republic is at war. In a private room, the two share a room but are interrupted by one of Padmé’s handmaidens, Moteé, who informs her that the ship is ready to depart. Anakin tries to come up with an excuse as to what was happening, but Padmé explains that Moteé is aware of the two of them, and so Anakin says that they’ll talk after she’s back from Duro. 
On their way to the ship, Moteé questions why Padmé lied and told Anakin that she was going to Duro, and Padmé explains that Anakin can be protective and has close ties to the Chancellor. Because the Chancellor has made his stance on neutral worlds clear; if they are not allies or enemies, then they are to be ignored, Padmé has told no one her true destination. As the two board the ship, Padmé says that she knows she’s taking a risk but it’ll be worth it if they can bring another system into the Republic. In the cockpit, Padmé relieves Dormé of her piloting duties and takes over as she wants to be responsible in case anything goes wrong when flying into hostile territory. Later as the ship travels through hyperspace, Moteé asks Dormé in private if she knew about Anakin, and Dormé says that Padmé isn’t subtle about things, and Anakin is even less so which is perhaps why they get along so well. As handmaidens, sometimes protecting Padmé means protecting her secrets, and when she gets so few moments of happiness, they can’t begrudge this. 
Arriving at the planet Clabron and touching down on a landing platform, Padmé starts to worry and believes that something’s wrong as there isn’t anyone to greet them and they haven’t received any transmissions. Padmé informs her handmaidens to be prepared for anything in case of a trap, and when they descend from the ramp of their ship, they spot a man inside of the building ahead of them. Padmé introduces herself and explains that her presence was requested by Grand Master Stin, but the man only tells them to leave immediately as there can’t be any Republic. Just then, Moteé is shot in the shoulder by a sniper shot from the roof, and Dormé quickly takes to action, defending Padmé and firing back at the shooter. While Dormé provides cover fire, Padmé assists Moteé and brings her to safety in the entrance of the building which is out of the sniper’s line of sight. The man, Second Minister Tarmin, reluctantly lets them inside after Padmé convinces him to let them get Moteé some medical help, and he leads them to a med bay. Inside, they see another patient being tended to, and Tarmin explains that Grand Master Stin was shot and gravely injured by an assassin whilst waiting for Padmé. Stin has his medical droid attend to Moteé instead of himself, and informs Padmé that many of his people wished to stay out of the conflict, but knowing that the Republic would more easily forgive a neutral world, he knew which side to choose. Gripping Padmé’s hand, Stin uses his dying breath to ask her to prove that he wasn’t wrong about the Republic. 
With the Grand Minister’s passing, Second Minister Tarmin becomes the new leader, and he immediately starts to chastise Padmé for coming to Clabron as she’s the cause for Stin’s death. Padmé connects to him as she too is a politician, and explains that not all of them are in this for personal gain, but guesses that he’d be in that category. She goes on to say that she wants the war to end and see a galaxy where systems aren’t forced to choose a side out of fear. She’s spent most of her life in public service, first on Naboo and then in the Galactic Senate, and she’s always argued for peace to try and prevent suffering in the galaxy. While today isn’t her first time being shot at, trying to serve the greater galaxy doesn’t make one that popular, and this war breaks her heart and has deep run wounds. However, she still believes in what the Republic stands for and everything that it’s worked hard to build as she’s given it her whole heart and life, and believes that the Republic will emerge united. With this speech, Tarmin comes to see Padmé’s side and agrees to work with her, allowing them to move on to the problem of the assassin on the roof. Shortly after, Padmé and her two handmaidens exit the building and approach their ship, causing the sniper to take aim, but the real Padmé sneaks behind the assassin and shoots her in the back, as the one down below was only Tarmin acting as a decoy. With the situation dealt with, the assassin, Lis Mohles is placed in custody aboard Padmé’s ship as she is wanted by the Republic for numerous charges. Padmé speaks with the new Grand Minister, Tarmin, and he says that while he can’t promise he will make the same choices as Stin in this conflict and won’t fight, there are other ways of aid that they can provide and will discuss further. Shaking his hand, Padmé says that all they ask for is a chance - a chance to prove that their hope for a better galaxy isn’t unfounded. 
==Media==
===Editions===
*UPC 759606091980; March 6, 2019; Marvel Comics
**00111; Cover A; Paolo Rivera
**00121; Cover B; Guru-eFX, Mike McKone
**00131; Cover C; Lucasfilm Ltd.
**00141; Cover D; Iain McCaig
===Cover gallery===
==Appearances==
==Collections==
*Star Wars: Age of Republic — Heroes
*Star Wars: Age of Republic HC
==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Category:Star Wars: Age of Republic issues