A single Consular-class ship slid through space, gliding towards its destination: a Trade Federation droid control ship. In the cockpit, a pair of cloaked men stood behind the pilot and copilot.
"Request permission to dock, Captain," one of the cloaked men said calmly. The other shifted slightly.
The captain, a middle-aged human woman with cropped brown hair, nodded, "Yes, Master Jedi."
She toggled a control that opened a channel to the control ship, "Attention, Trade Federation vessel. The Chancellor's ambassadors are requesting permission to board."
There was a brief period of silence before a nasally voice came back, "Permission granted. The ambassadors will be escorted to the conference room."
The Jedi exchanged a glance and then the elder of the two said, "Agreed. It will be good to resolve this matter."
"I hope so, Master Jedi," the co-pilot chimed in, looking back at the two.
Meanwhile, while those two Jedi prepared to begin their negotiations with the Trade Federation's Viceroy Gunray, a disturbance rocked the Force.
On the surface of Naboo, in a damp forest, a strange anomaly of sorts appeared, leaving the air swirling with power for several minutes before disappearing and leaving a new arrival.
The process was repeated on Tatooine, Coruscant, and in the city of Theed, also on Naboo. Each of the four disturbances left an individual behind, a very confused and disoriented individual. Save for the individual in the forest, who knew exactly what had just transpired.
That individual stood carefully and stumbled briefly before straightening.
"That was interesting," the human woman said, looking down, "But hey, I'm alive. That's a definite plus. The minus… where did my clothes go?"
She looked down at herself and looked around, completely unabashed by her current state of undress… until she spotted a very odd creature looking at her.
"Whosa are yousa?" it asked.
The woman yelped and went to cover herself, just as the creature realized a certain detail.
"Oh! Are yousa otay?" the creature scratched one of its long, floppy ears and watched as she looked around, desperately.
"Just embarrassed, severely so. This isn't how I usually walk about in a forest with who knows what in it."
The creature came closer and said, "Meesa be back."
It scampered away and the woman cursed softly, "Why is this my luck? I bet the others had clothes on and weren't completely naked…"
She brushed a lock of black hair away from her tanned face, her green eyes scanning her surroundings as the creature came back, holding something.
"Here! For yousa!" it grinned and held out articles of clothing.
"Thank you. You're very kind," she smiled, accepting the clothing and quickly donning them, ignoring the knowledge of where they might have been. She'd find the nearest city and procure something else, she'd worn worse than this before.
The pants seemed to fit okay, but the shirt left quite a bit of midriff exposed, but she didn't comment. The creature looked very happy to have helped and she didn't want to ruin that, she always liked it when people were happy, unless they'd just killed someone to make themselves happy. That was a different field.
"So, tell me, where could I find the nearest village or town? I'm afraid I'm horribly lost."
The creature tilted his head, "Otoh Gunga… but mesa afraid my has been banished…"
"I'm sorry," she said, "Well, I'm sure there's someplace else. I don't mind walking. I'm…, uh, Nidora, but the way. Nidora Saru."
"Meesa Jar Jar Binks."
She made to take a step, heading north, when she froze and swore for several moments.
"Jar Jar, we need to run!" she called out, pointing up.
Above them, there were landing craft slowly descending upon the forest, a loud hum splitting the air as their engines strained to lower the craft perfectly to the ground.
"Whosa are they?"
"Bad. Run!"
She grabbed his arm and took off running, adrenaline heightening her instincts as she pulled Jar Jar along, ignoring the sharp pain in her feet as sticks and rocks cut her soles.
In one of the landing craft, a Jedi hid amongst the tanks and droids, making sure to stay out of sight. He could sense his Padawan in one of the nearby craft, doing the same.
His thoughts were briefly interrupted by the faint jarring sensation of landing before the bay doors hissed open and started releasing droids and tanks. He used the Force to aid him as he leapt out and started running, disappearing into the trees.
He hadn't gone far when he caught sight of a human woman dragging a native being along, running from the droids as well.
"Hurry, Jar Jar!" she called out, "Because they will paste you!"
"Meesa not gonna die today, nosa!" the being yelped, picking up the pace.
The Jedi could feel the tank behind him and he shouted, "Get down!"
The woman looked back and dropped, dragging Jar Jar with her. The tank rolled over all of them, the anti-gravity repulsors battering them before it left them behind.
The Jedi sat up first, looking over at the strange pair. Jar Jar was wailing slightly, clearly very frightened. The woman swore in Huttese and gingerly stood, her feet leaving smeared red stains on the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked, helping Jar Jar to his feet.
"I'm fine. Um… where exactly did you come from?"
"I snuck down aboard one of the ships, I'm-"
A pair of droids on aerial platform vehicles appeared and the Jedi pulled out his lightsaber, brandishing it as he deflected blasts back at them. His Padawan appeared at that moment and cut down one of the droids as a bolt was deflected into the other.
"Excellent timing, Padawan."
"Thank you, Master. Who are your new friends?"
The woman gave a faint smile, "I'm Nidora Saru and this fellow is called Jar Jar Binks."
"I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
She nodded slightly, "Could we possibly sit for a moment?"
Obi-Wan blinked and moved to speak, but Qui-Gon silenced him, "Come. Your feet are injured, it isn't safe for you to just leave them be. Not to mention the infection risk."
Nidora nodded, "Thank you."
Qui-Gon helped her over to a newly felled tree and helped her sit while he examined her feet.
"What brings you to be in the Naboo forests in this state?"
"I got lost… you know what, that's a load of poodoo, it's a very long story that will probably be explained later but we really don't have the time for now."
"I see," the Jedi chuckled, "You seem quite calm, considering the circumstances."
"This isn't my first war zone, my dear Master Jedi. You'll find I'm all too familiar with these sorts of places."
"Master!" Obi-Wan called out, "The Gungan knows of a city where they may help us."
"Otoh Gunga," Nidora nodded, "But Jar Jar has been banished, he can't go back."
"Uh-huh," the Gungan nodded, ears flapping.
Qui-Gon mused, "If you can direct us to the city, Jar Jar, you can remain outside while we go in. You wouldn't be breaking any rules then, you'd simply be waiting for us as our escort. We can return to the surface once we've completed our business to retrieve you."
"Okee-day," Jar Jar nodded, seemingly happy with the compromise, "Meesa no wanting ouch time!"
"Excellent," Qui-Gon nodded, "Miss Saru, you should stay here as well, your injuries would make it difficult to reach the city."
She looked down at the ground for a moment and sighed, "Very well. But if there is fighting, don't expect me to stay down."
"I would prefer if you did. I won't be dragging a civilian into danger."
She just looked at him coolly, "Your mistake is thinking I've never been in a fight before."
"And yours is forgetting your injuries. Now, Jar Jar will lead us to the city and meet you back here once we have gone to meet with his people."
"It's an underwater city, the Gungans are an amphibious people. We'll wait on the lake shore. Shall we?" she stood, wavering slightly. Qui-Gon checked that his makeshift bandages were holding before even allowing her to take a step.
"Be careful," he admonished her when she tried to step over a branch and onto a rock.
Nidora muttered something unkind and stalked over to join Jar Jar, who led the way.
The trek to the lake was short, but arduous with the multitude of fallen trees and other flora.
When they reached the shore, Qui-Gon helped Nidora find a seat to wait while Jar Jar led them into the lake and to the underwater city.
So, she sat and waited, taking this opportunity to lightly meditate and try to get a grasp on the full situation.
When Qui-Gon and the others returned, in a submersible craft, she rose, "About time. I was thinking they'd just killed you."
"Unfortunately, they almost killed Jar Jar," Obi-Wan replied, "He decided to come in with us to help convince the bosses."
"Jar Jar… you shouldn't have done that. These two kind Jedi are very good at convincing on their own."
"Yousa right," the Gungan admitted sheepishly.
Obi-Wan piloted the craft closer to the shore so she could gingerly step out and make her way to side of the craft to board it and take a seat right next to Qui-Gon. The Padawan sealed the canopy and dove quickly underwater, heading deeper. Nidora caught sight of the city in the distance.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"We're going through the planetary core to Theed, where we'll try to find the Queen… and maybe find a medical kit and some better clothing."
Nidora looked down and flushed slightly, "To be fair, it wasn't my plan to wind up like this. The universe has a strange way of telling me it loves me."
"At least your sense of humor is apparently intact."
"It was never intact," she scoffed, "I just make really bad jokes and hope that someone laughs."
"A rather positive outlook," Qui-Gon observed.
Silence fell over the small submersible as they glided through the dark waters, dodging natural formations and the occasional example of local fauna.
"I must say, I've never seen such hostile wildlife before. And I've run into rancors on several occasions," she mused aloud at one point.
"Really? I thought gundarks were worse," Obi-Wan replied.
"Meh, they're not so bad if you don't fall into their nests or something like that. Rancors… they don't care, you're food if they see you."
"Dealt with Hutts before, have you?"
"Unfortunately."
Silence descended once more until the water grew lighter and Jar Jar pointed up, "There-sa da Naboo."
The Gungan had been mostly quiet during the trip, occasionally panicking when a particularly nasty form of life appeared and tried to devour the craft, which was perfectly acceptable circumstances under which to panic.
"You've been very helpful, Jar Jar. Come on, let's go and help these Naboo people," Nidora rose as Obi-Wan deactivated the canopy field.
As they were making their way into the city, the Queen and her retinue were being forced along the streets and towards a camp.
The Queen was a young woman with a heavily painted face and elaborate attire. Her handmaidens were simple sunset-colored garb and her guardsmen wore crisp maroon and black uniforms. As the spindly droids marched them along the streets, one of the handmaidens noticed something on one of the overhead walkways. Four pairs of eyes gazed down at them as two men suddenly stood and leapt down, brandishing lightsabers.
"Jedi! Blast them!"
"Roger roger."
"Roger roger."
The Jedi sliced through the droids with ease, their plasma blades sliding through the metal like a knife through hot butter.
As the last droid fell, the other two individuals stepped out. The first was a gangly Gungan, his large ears flopping as he moved. The second was a woman, her attire clearly makeshift and her feet bandaged.
"Thank you, Master Jedi," the Queen's lead guardsmen, Captain Panaka, said.
"We need to leave," Qui-Gon said, urgency coloring his tone.
"We can't," a rounded man with a white beard protested, "They'll kill the Queen."
"No, they won't," Nidora retorted, "They need her, I know they do. Is it to control the people by using you as a hostage?"
The Queen straightened, "They need me to sign a treaty to make this legal."
"Ah, so they're going about it that way… Qui-Gon is right, we need to go," the disheveled woman replied, "If there's no treaty, this isn't legal and maybe someone will come along to help make those mir'shebs go away."
Obi-Wan flicked a strange glance at her as Panaka spoke up, "The Jedi are right, we need to leave. We need to go to the Senate."
"Excellent idea," Qui-Gon nodded, "Where can we find a ship?"
Panaka gestured, "The main hangar is this way."
The trek to the hangar was quick, the group moved at a brisk pace to avoid droid patrols.
They stopped outside the hangar and briefly looked inside to see the pilots and mechanics kneeling, surrounded by droids.
"Your Majesty, you need to come with us."
"I need to remain here, with my people."
One of the handmaidens leaned forward to whisper something to the Queen. The sovereign closed her eyes and sighed softly, nodding once.
The two Jedi thought the exchange to be strange, but Nidora just chuckled, "You are a wise leader, Your Highness. Only a fool declines advice from those close to them."
Panaka seemed to heave a sigh of relief as the Queen straightened, "We will go."
Obi-Wan looked into the hangar again and then looked at Qui-Gon, "The droids are ours."
Nidora tapped Panaka on the shoulder and murmured, "Blaster, please."
The captain passed the request along until one of his men produced an extra blaster pistol they'd been handing on to, just in case.
"Thank you," she smiled at the captain, stepping forward, "Master Jedi, I'll cover you."
"Do you even know how to use that?" Obi-Wan asked snidely.
She smiled, "I've been trained to use this since I was three, shabuir. Don't push your luck or I might… accidentally shoot at you."
"Please don't damage my Padawan," Qui-Gon grumbled.
"No guarantees," she replied, aiming into the hangar bay.
The Jedi Master lifted his hand and then clenched into a fist, rapidly lowering it again.
The two Jedi leapt into combat, destroying droids left and right. Panaka and the guards escorted the Queen and her handmaidens to the sleek silver cruiser that rested in the hangar bay as Nidora covered the Jedi, shooting whatever they missed.
Qui-Gon's lightsaber zoomed over the head of one of the kneeling people and the person popped up, complaining.
"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!" the short blue-skinned Twi'lek woman complained loudly.
"My apologies. Miss Saru-"
"Mission!" Nidora gasped, springing forward to wrap the Twi'lek in a hug.
"You're choking me!" the girl whined.
"Oh, hush you. I'm not hugging you that tight, you've dealt with Zaalbar."
"We need to leave, now!" Panaka shouted as the Queen boarded the ship.
"Come with us," Nidora urged Mission.
Mission frowned and looked over at the pilots, "Buir… I wish I could, but I need to help them. I just… I need to, y'know?"
Nidora gave her another hug and smiled, "Trust in the Force, Mish'ika. Go."
The Twi'lek gave a huge smile and ran off, her lekku whipping behind her.
"Who was she?" Qui-Gon asked as she walked up the ramp.
"My daughter," Nidora replied as the ramp closed behind her, "The daughter I haven't seen in so long… I wish we could have stayed longer."
"We must get to Coruscant," Qui-Gon murmured softly, resting his hand on her shoulder, "But we will come back for her, and for all these people."
"Oh good, politicians…" Nidora muttered as she limped over to a crate and sat heavily.
A handmaiden appeared and dipped her head, "Miss Saru?"
"Yeah?"
"Her Majesty has asked that I aid you in finding fresh clothes and dressings for your wounds."
The girl's voice was soft and lilting, with an accent that seemed somewhat familiar to Nidora, but one that she couldn't place. She wore the usual sunset colored robes and there were a few strands of blonde hair peeking out from beneath her cowl.
"Thank you," Nidora smiled. The handmaiden gestured towards the aft of the ship as the cruiser lifted off of the hangar deck and made its way out into the fresh air and potential danger from the blockade.
Well, this is the first chapter of a new project of mine. I'm not going to say anything now about what this will really be, but I can tell you a few things. First, this is a MASSIVE AU. Movie, TV, and book content will be noticed but will not be closely followed due to some very major changes, one of which has already presented itself. Second, I'm going to do a little challenge: first person to guess who Nidora is gets a shoutout in the next chapter and maybe the chance to help me go over the next chapter (if you want, I mean, any help is appreciated).
Also, this is a new format for me, so please let me know if there's any oddities in how this flows. If you've read my stories before, you notice my usual keysmash of a scene separator is gone, replaced by my attempts at transitions. And no, I am not going to include everything from Phantom Menace. I'm specifically including the parts from Nidora's perspective, that she's involved in, because she is the main character here. Later on, I may include parts from the perspectives of other characters, but that may be a while.
That seems to be about it for news and notices. I hope to have the next chapter out soon, but knowing me, it'll be a bit. And if there are any of my usual readers here… you'll know that I should stop giving myself deadlines because I never stick to them anyway. So please, pester me. Most authors hate that, but I need the kick in the ass to get going.
Anyway, that's enough of my rambling. Let me know what you think of this and try not to be an ass about it. I'll just delete those reviews or ignore them… or, if you leave a name, I will publicly air your stupidity and my response.