Chapter 1
Negotiations
Have you got room for one more troubled soul?
Sometimes I wish I wasn't destined for this life.
I wait at the window wearing a face that I keep in jar by the door.
Can you help me, my friend?
She wasn't feeling herself this time.
She finished applying the white paint to her face and pulled her second hood over her head.
As Master Jinn had told her before they left, the negotiations should be short.
"Captain?"
The young Jedi turned her head towards the respectable elder. It wasn't unknown that her Master wasn't with her, but this time she felt uncomfortable without them.
"Yes, sir?"
"Tell them we wish to board at once."
"Yes, sir."
The doors of the Republic cruiser opened allowing the Ambassadors to step off the ship. There to greet them was a silver protocol droid.
"I am TC-14 at your service. This way, please."
The Ambassadors followed the silver feminine droid down the hallways and into a conference room.
"I hope you honoured sirs with the most comfortable here." TC-14 said. "My masters will be with you shortly."
As soon as the droid left, one of the Jedi noticed that the other two immediately removed their brown hoods and turned to face out the large viewing window.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Obi-Wan, a twenty-five year old Padawan, looked grim about the whole situation.
"I don't sense anything." Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan's Master, spoke next.
"It's not about the mission, Master." Obi-Wan corrected. "It's something... elsewhere... elusive."
Nadae finally lowered her first hood, revealing her face which was covered in face mask, and traditional Naboo markings were painted on her face, keeping her home world obvious. Her first hood always remained in place, kept in place with the gold headpiece. It was clear that no actual flesh was displayed, as her black robes and gloves covered all besides her face. The only hair that could be seen was the white Padawan plait that stuck out from her robes at her neck.
Her looks deceived many beings, as she may appear older, she was only an eighteen year old Padawan.
"Don't centre on your anxiety, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon instructed Obi-Wan as Nadae took stance next to the window next to her friend. "Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs."
"But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future..." Nadae smiled at her old friend at the mention of the Grand Master.
"...but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan."
"Yes, Master."
Nadae examined the pristine conference room they were situated in. Every single detail about it was absolutely perfect. "Now that I'm here, where am I?" she took her stance next to her friend.
Obi-Wan wasn't sure whether to take Nadae's words with seriousness or humour.
"Perhaps it will be more believable that we're at Naboo if we descend." Qui-Gon replied. "But for now I think the view will be enough."
"... How do you think the Trade Viceroy will deal with the Chancellor's demands?" Obi-Wan asked his Master.
"These Federation types are cowards." Qui-Gon put forward simply. "The negotiations will be short."
Qui-Gon moved to sit at the conference table. Nadae kept her gaze out the window to her home planet of Naboo.
Obi-Wan placed a hand to her shoulder. "The Master's say we shouldn't be pondering on the past." He warned, then sat down opposite Qui-Gon.
Nadae nodded. It wasn't that she was pondering on the past. She wasn't on Naboo long enough to remember it.
She had always wondered what growing up on Naboo would have been like.
"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan complained.
The door to the conference room slid open, and TC-14 entered with a tray of drinks.
"No..." Qui-Gon shook his head and accepted a drink from the droid. "I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute."
Nadae took a drink for herself and sniffed the rim. "I sense there's a much bigger motivation to this than we thought." She deemed her drink safe and took a small sip. "Don't suppose it's because we're Jedi?"
Qui-Gon turned his gaze to Obi-Wan and narrowed his glare, warning Obi-Wan that Nadae may be right.
TC-14 entered the room again with a tray of drinks, offering one to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon who both took one. Nadae took one out of politeness, sniffed the rim and placed it on the table without taking a sip.
The three Jedi could feel it in the Force, as well as in the ground. Our ship… Nadae confirmed in her mind. All three leapt up and pulled out their lightsabers. TC-14 became startled and dropped the drinks at the close proximity of Obi-Wan's blue sword.
Nadae only found it necessary to activate one end of her lightsaber, the green blade at the ready in case anything threatening entered the room.
But as nothing did, the Jedi turned off their lightsabers, listening intently at another faint, hissing sound.
"Dioxin!" Obi-Wan confirmed as a gas slowly entered the room.
"Well… great." Nadae rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I hate it when I'm right."
And soon she felt a hand cover her nose and mouth.
"Stop breathing!" Obi-Wan stressed.
"Check it out, Corporal." A Trade federation battle droid ordered his inferior. "We'll cover you."
"Roger, roger."
The droid walked closer towards the gas filled room, inspecting to find three dead flesh bodies on the ground.
Instead, the Corporal was confronted by four laser blades out of the deadly fog.
"Uh-oh, blast them!"
The three Jedi began cutting down the Battle Droids as they fired at them. Obi-Wan jumped into the air and did a flip as he defected the laser bolts firing at him. Qui-Gon remained humble about his manoeuvres, keeping them simple, while Nadae had both blades of her double-bladed lightsaber out and twisting the hilt in her wrist, slicing through droids while deflecting bolts at perfect precision.
Just like Master has taught me… she always thought in every battle. Exactly what Master has taught me…
Qui-Gon defeated several more Battle Droids, creating a shower of sparks and metal parts as he fought his way towards the bridge door.
Nadae and Obi-Wan raised their hands, lifting up several Battle Droids and smashing them together mid-air.
"Our finest." Obi-Wan grinned as he held out his hand for Nadae to high-five, before turning around to defeat more droids.
Before Qui-Gon could make it to the bridge door, three blast doors shut before it. Not like that would stop Qui-Gon, as he recklessly pierced the doors again with his green lightsaber, melting the metal.
"Need help, Master?" Nadae left the battle scene to help Qui-Gon with the door, sending one end of her own lightsaber through the door.
"Quite fine, but your help is always a pleasure." Qui-Gon replied with strain.
"Nadae, Master, destroyers!"
Two ugly droids rolled down the hallway and stopped before the Jedi. As Qui-Gon and Nadae stopped penetrating the blast doors they began shooting laser bolts at the three, as a blue, clear shield appeared around them.
"They have shield generators." Obi-Wan observed.
"Well that defeats the purpose of being here." Nadae grumbled.
"Spelling it out isn't mandatory." Obi-Wan sassed back.
"It's a standoff." Qui-Gon said before the two broke out into a series of wars. "Let's go!"
Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Nadae left the hallway just outside the bridge with a Jedi's speed as the two destroyer droids turned around and continued shooting. The Jedi materialized at the far end of the hallway and dashed through a ventilation shaft that slammed shut. The droidekas continued to blast away at the three Jedi.
The little, merry band of Jedi appeared out of a large vent in a loading hanger of the ship. Thousands of Battle Droids were being loaded onto landing craft.
"Battle Droids." Qui-Gon confirmed.
"It's an invisible army." Obi-Wan said.
"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon educated the young Padawns.
"Don't suppose there's a hidden force behind the Trade Federation?" Nadae suggested. "What's their objective in this? Why Naboo?"
"I'm afraid you may be correct again, Padawan Dravvaadas." Qui-Gon considered Nadae's theory. "But we don't have enough time to talk tactics yet. We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum. Let's split up. Nadae, stay with Obi-Wan though-"
Obi-Wan playfully elbowed her. "Great quality time!"
"- I will stow aboard a separate ship and meet you down on the planet."
"You were right about one thing, Master." Obi-Wan stopped everyone before they could make their next moves. "The negotiations were short."
Qui-Gon rolled his eyes while Nadae's whole palm went to her forehead.
"If you do that too often," Obi-Wan pointed at Nadae. "You hit an eye out someday."
I'M BACK.
All I really gotta say is read. The reason I did prequels before sequels is because it'll make much more sense and introducing OC's at the right times (THERE'S A STASH MORE OF 'EM COMING) and I can do some real nasty foreshadowing.
- yoda-is-cool