Coruscant was in complete chaos.

No amount of reassurance from officials could calm the anxious and frightened public.

Frankly, many politicians and law enforcement hold similar views.

The planet had just suffered one of the most devastating attacks during the entire war.

There are so many issues to list that people would spend weeks on end discussing the consequences of just one of them.

Casualties are rising and damage to infrastructure is at an all-time high.

Chaos and madness.

The two core issues plaguing the Republic's capital may well be core issues for the Republic itself.

Most people forget that it wasn't just Coruscant that was attacked so brazenly.

Several other worlds and systems were attacked in quick guerrilla assaults, with only a few locations seeing prolonged battles.

One of these was the Separatist capital planet of Raxus.

Then somewhere else in the galaxy, they reported attacks from Ultron.

The Mandalore system was clearly under attack, though not the capital world itself. Several key locations within the Outer Rim, Hutt space, Separatist and Republic space were scattered throughout the Middle Rim and even several other neutral systems.

This Ultron showed little restraint in making his presence known and felt. The fact that he attacked so recklessly was beyond anyone's expectations.

It was clear to everyone that this new player had a profound message for everyone in the galaxy.

It doesn't matter which side you're on.

Ultron makes it clear that he wants to destroy everyone.

Judging by the attacks he carefully planned, he has more than enough "manpower" to wage his own war on the galaxy.

Padmé found herself rather nervous about the prospect, as she sat in her office after a long meeting with the Senate.

The Republic, the Separatists, the Mandalorians... The situation was already unclear, and now there is Ultron.

How should the Republic respond to such things?

The Senator from Naboo was understandably overwhelmed, as the Senate meeting hadn’t really made any progress.

There was just shouting from all directions, and the Supreme Speaker was completely unable to control the situation. She even saw that he was a little overwhelmed, and he didn't know what to do except to maintain some order in the Senate Hall.

This was easier said than done as several senators also died in the attack, and many raised this point and therefore lack of confidence in the Republic.

Right now, Padmé just wanted some peace and quiet.

The mere thought of this made her laugh at herself.

She knew she wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep in the weeks, maybe even months ahead.

Of course, Senator Naboo was well aware that in war there were rarely any proper respite, but this level of indescribable chaos was something she herself had never anticipated.

These days, the only way she could get the proper sleep she needed was if she took medication to keep her asleep, or if the war suddenly ended.

"Master Padmé." came the lithe voice of her protocol droid, 3P0, waddling into her office with a tray in hand. "Your tea, as you requested."

Padmé's smile was tired, but she still smiled at the sight of a new pot of her favorite tea, which was much needed right now.

"You're my savior, 3P0," Padmé said kindly, standing up and taking the tray from the golden droid, who waved shyly.

"Oh, my dear Padmé, I do not see how there is anything praiseworthy about giving you what you ask for."

"No. No. Please. Accept the compliment.

Suddenly, the door of her room was closed, and a pair of blood-red eyes and a hideous smile appeared from the corner of the shadow.

Padmé noticed this and immediately unhooked the blaster she had hidden in her robes and pointed it at the dark corner.

3P0 let out a terrified cry and quickly walked behind her, and the two heard metallic footsteps on the floor.

From the shadows stepped a particularly tall robot, towering over them both, its glowing red eyes and grinning red mouth deeply unsettling them.

"Then again, most synthetics in this galaxy would never be able to comprehend what organics are; let alone make them good.

Padmé put on a brave face and faced the intruder with a fierce glare. "Who are you—"

"You probably already know the answer to that," the robot said in a thoroughly bored tone. "I like to impress people."

The Senator froze for a moment, her eyes glancing to the window behind her desk, seeing the devastation it had wrought on Coruscant, her thoughts returning to the tall droid.

"You-you are Ultron." Padmé said in sudden realization.

"You could say that." Ultron said, smiling. "Some lines are worth reusing, don't you know."

Padmé was in no mood to play games as she pointed her blaster at the AI's head. She knew this was a horribly dangerous being and she would not take any chances.

Ultron smiled at her sarcastically. "Oh, you're so cute~ That's not okay. But you're trying to put on a brave face, it's so cute."

“You’re not the first person to try to break into my room and kill me.

Ultron laughed, startling the Naboo natives. The laughter was unsettling.

"Kill you? Why would I kill you?" he asked. "What would I do without you? No, no, that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Padmé took a step back and Ultron leaned down to her level.

His glowing red irises showing his evil, that damned smile that was always there, now began to approach her.

"Thank you, of course."

This leaves Padme and 3P0 at a loss.

"I'm sorry, please?" the protocol robot spoke.

"Thank me? For what?

"Actually, you two." Ultron said. "I owe you both a small debt."

Padmé's face crumpled in irritation. "What are you talking about? We never met you before what you did to Coruscant.

"Oh~ but we did it, Senator. Oh my god, I'm hurt. You don't remember me at all? You did a good thing for me when I first arrived in Metropolis on this planet. Ultron said in a mocking, hurtful tone. "Certainly, I didn't make that good of an impression during our first interaction.

"Have we... met before? Padmé wasn't sure when.

Ultron sighed dramatically. "So easily forgotten. You interrupted my train of thought, Ms. Skywalker.

For a moment Amidala froze, his face pale, but he continued.

"Then again, this shouldn't be anything surprising. So much goes on in your daily life that it all becomes a blur. Stress makes you forget the little things sometimes. One such act of kindness that you both did ended up leading to something that happened not too long ago.

The protocol droids and the Senator all gave confused looks, causing Ultron to groan loudly.

"Here, I expected to find a shred of intelligence," Ultron said angrily.

"It won't do you any good if you lose your mind." He patted the side of his head. Although 3P0 had a blank expression on his face, he slowly began to stare at the artificial intelligence with a feeling of fear.

"You... Mistress Padmé and I encountered you on the streets of Coruscant several months ago. 3P0 realized. "Erase your memory and your Maker."

"Uh~ I lied."

After hearing this, a look of sudden realization appeared on Padmé's face, and she looked up at him in horror.

“We…we helped you,” Padmé whispered, trembling now. “We helped you.”

Ultron's metallic brow furrowed, unperturbed by the Senator's growing anger.

"We saved you and you attacked us." At this point, Padmé was almost insanely angry.

"Well, to be fair, I would have handled it myself even without your help," Ultron said casually with a shrug. "You two just sped up the process. Made it easier for me to get to where I am now.

Ultron raised his arms in a grand gesture. "After you gave me that body, I gathered data from all over the galaxy.

The AI ​​then leaned forward, within centimeters of the Senator's face, and the Senator leaned back in panic.

"But where's the fun in that?" Ultron asked back, his tone becoming quite frightening. "I now have a whole galaxy to play with. Not just a planet named after dirt. Why bother with a little gadget when you could be spending so much time on your hands creating a new masterpiece? Don't you think so, Senator Amidala or Mrs. Skywalker, because you like to work behind closed doors too much.

Padmé paled once more, and Ultron's menacing smile widened dramatically.

"Yes~ I know everything about you and your secret husband in the Jedi Temple." Ultron said with sadistic joy. "In fact, I know a lot more than you think."

The way he said it made Padmé start to feel a cold sweat break out.

"If only you knew what I've done," Ultron said, finally pulling away from her to give her some breathing room.

The AI ​​smiled darkly, its red irises glowing for a moment.

"I want to tell you everything right here and right now, just to see the look on your face when you realize everything you fought for and believed in was a lie." Ultron snorted loudly. "All you have done is in vain, and you will all fall before me in the end.

Before Padmé could rebuke him, Ultron took a step back, and in an instant, his glowing red eyes dimmed and his body collapsed.

"Oh my god!" 3P0 was shocked by the sudden dismantling of the AI. "He destroyed himself!"

"No..." Padmé whispered, staring down at the remains of the droid. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were shaking, as if she was in the coldest climate imaginable.

Padmé took a deep breath, a slight wheezing sound coming from her throat. She... She thought for a moment that she might have died.

This is a real moment, and if Ultron wanted, he could kill her right here and now.

He is too advanced a being to ever be fooled into thinking that he is a regular robot.

An artificial intelligence capable of taking over any and all machines at will or touch.

Shaking her head from the confusion, Padmé walked around her desk and pulled out a personalized communicator with a unique design.

A communicator specially made by her husband.

She needed to inform Anakin of this immediately. Not only him, but the Avengers as well.

After all, the recent attacks across the galaxy were practically her fault.

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