Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (E0-06)

by GVJ

This is the sixth of 13 TV serial teleplays that re-imagines The Phantom Menace as a TV serial. The reader will note some spelling changes to some of the names (notably Quigon has been re-imagined as a more Chinese style name - Quigong and Jedi has been made more phonetic as Jeddai). There are a number of other changes to the setting.

TITLE CARD: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title, followed by a roll up, which crawls up into infinity.

SERIES 0 THE PHANTOM MENACE

The Boonta Eve Classic Pod Race has begun.

After a stalled start, young Anakin Skywalker is working hard to catch up to the other racers.

All the while the sinister Sith Lord Darth Maul has come to Tatooine to stalk Anakin's owner, intergalactic banker Hego Damask II.

Elsewhere, Jeddai Master Mace Windu has assembled a tiny band of three Jeddai Knights and seven Padawan apprentices to accompany him to aid the Naboo…

EPISODE 0.6 Retrograde Motion

INT. REPUBLICAN BATTLECRUISER PALADIN – BRIDGE (ESTABLISHING)

Jeddai Knight Sidon Ithano and battlecruiser commander Captain REJACK ALGHAR are crowded around the bridge's comminucations operator. The holographic figure of Jeddai Master Mace Windu shimmers in front of them.

MACE: (sound fading in) …making the jump to hyperspace in just a few minutes. We should arrive at Naboo in about seven hours, just before nightfall in the local capitol.

General Ithano, I want you to coordinate with the Naboo to evacuate a high-level planetary representative. The Senate must be confronted with an eyewitness account of what is transpiring on Naboo before they can be galvanized into taking action.

SIDON: I see your plan Master Windu. Once the arrangements have been made we'll sortie from our position and confront the raiders' fleet in order to cover both your arrival and the witness's departure.

MACE: (to Sidon) I foresee that you will one day become a very perspicacious Jeddai Master.

Despite that, don't take any unnecessary risks. You're to escort the witness's ship back to Coruscant.

SIDON: (incredulous) But that would abandon the forces on the ground to their fate.

MACE: That's why my team and I will be arriving.

REJACK: (also incredulous) Forgive me Master Windu, but is that really going to work? Won't you and your Jeddai just be marching to your deaths?

MACE: I'm counting on you to get that witness to Coruscant and for the Senate to send you back here at the head of the Home Fleet before that happens Captain Alghar.

Sidon and Alghar glance at each other in alarm.

SIDON: We'll have all of the preparations ready when you arrive Master Windu.

MACE: I'm expecting it. May the Force be with you both.

SIDON & ALGHAR: May the Force be with you.

The hologram flickers and winks out of existence as Mace terminates the connection.

ALGHAR: Your orders General?

SIDON: (to communications operator) Are we still jamming all of the signal traffic on Naboo?

PETTY OFFICER JEFFRIES: Sir, there's still four of our disruption satellites in far orbit. At the rate the raiders are locating and destroying them I'd estimate that signal traffic will be restored in all areas in fifteen minutes or so.

ALGHAR: Thank you Jeffries.

(to Sidon) Should we dispatch a snub-nosed fighter craft as a courier?

SIDON: The enemy patrols will prevent it from getting too close to the city and a ground approach will take too long. No we'll orbit to the horizon's edge and expose ourselves to the enemy fleet just long enough to send a tight-beam message.

ALGHAR: (nodding in resignation) All hands, battle stations. We're going in again.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN (EXT. TATOOINE – GARDULLA'S RACE COURSE)

Darth Maul sits astride his speeder bike observing the race course from a relatively safe vantage point. He is accompanied by his two spherical black probe droids.

ANGLE ON the race course as seen from Maul's perspective. We can see several of the racer's approaching the stands from the desert to the west but we can't be sure which lap they're on.

ZOOM OUT so that Maul is back in frame. With his droids preceding him, the Sith Lord pushes the bike off the edge of the cliff and rides down towards the race course.

CUT TO the stands where the race leaders have just passed through. Among them is Ody Mandrell who has stopped near the stands so that his pit crew can service his racer's engines.

BODE: (in the background) …must be a problem with Ody's engines. Otherwise he wouldn't have stopped in the pit so early in the race.

ZOOM IN on Ody where, one of his small droids is checking one of the engine pods. It chirps and wags a wrench at one of the others. Beyond them we can one of the Sith probe droids making its way around the stands.

FODE: (in the background) Yes, at this rate he's going to let the Countess have her number five spot back. Here's hoping that pit crew can fix whatever's ailing his craft.

ODY: (to the droid with the wrench) Hey! Hurry it up!

The droid glances at him then turns back to chirp more loudly at another droid posted near the front of the engine.

BODE: (in the background) Speaking of spots, I'm amazed, astounded even that the little human who got off to a slow start has advanced all the way to the number sixteen position.

CUT TO the droid near the engine's air intake. It repeats the urgent string of chirps to it's a third droid which is standing next to large dumpster like box of tools.

FODE: (in the background) Well said Bode. That little guy has moxie. Even as we speak he's giving "Bumpy" a hard time.

The third droid clambers into the dumpster and emerges with a huge wrench that is more or less as big as it is.

BODE: (in the background) Woah. Are you seeing this?

FODE: (in the background) There must be something really wrong with Ody's racer because that's the mother of all wrenchs.

The small droid dashes towards the intermediate droid with huge wrench in hand. Unfortunately it passes too close to the engine intake and gets sucked into massive dynamo.

ANGLE ON the back of the engine as it erupts in fire and smoke. The small droid, minus the big wrench gets spit out of the back of the engine. Other than being soot blackened it seems to be no worse for wear as it unsteadily gets back to its feet and shakes its head.

CUT TO Ody who passes a moment in shock at the scene as the rest of his pit droids run amok in panic.

ODY: (palming his face) Oh no…

CUT TO the announcers who grimace in sympathy for the disqualified racer's problem.

BODE: There goes his number five spot and any hopes he had for finishing this Boonta Eve.

FODE: That's got to smart.

CUT TO Maul who has parked his bike at the base of a low sandstone ridge a short distance from the course's buildings. The sound of the announcers' voices carries to his new position but we can no longer make out the individual words over the dull roar of the crowd in the stands.

ANGLE ON a compact display screen situated into the speeder bike's controls. We can see what the probe droids are seeing through the screen. Not only have they marked Hego's distant position in the observation turret but they are also busy mapping out the race course's defenses which to Maul's surprise include a turbo laser emplacement behind the announcers' box and a heavy laser cannon on the arch projecting a holo of the distant parts of the race. The second probe droid is reporting the positions of dozens upon dozens of mercenary guards. In the background of these scans five more racers zip past the start arch.

ZOOM OUT to bring Maul back in frame. The Sith Lord looks in the direction of Hego Damask II and frowns. A sudden uproar from the crowd causes Maul to look back at his display screen.

CUT TO the massive holo-display being projected by the starting line arch. It is focused on the smoking wreckage of one of the Pod-Racers.

FODE: (in the background) Oh my. It looks like the Tusken Raiders on the exterior wall of Seeder Canyon actually hit one of the racers.

BODE: (in the background) Was that Teemto Pagalies?

The image on the screen cuts to a replay of the five racers as they approach the gorge just few miles away. The shapes of several humanoids in dusty tan clothing, bearing long rifles can be seen along the edge of the canyon. As the racers approach, the humanoids start to shoot.

The image on the screen changes angle so that the audience in the stand can see the racers better. Several sparks splash from their Pod-Racers as the sand people pepper them with rifle fire. As Teemto's Pod-Racer starts to fill the screen a massive hole suddenly appears in one of his engines and both of his engines disintegrate into arching fireballs. His wheel-like pilot pod hits the ground and rolls into the bottom of the canyon where it finally smacks into a rock outcropping and tumbles onto its side.

FODE: (in the background) Wow. That was just brutal. Did he survive?

BODE: (in the background) It's hard to say Fode. But between that and the problem with Ody's pit crew, the third lap has gotten off to a one doozy of a start.

FODE: (in the background) Yes Bode. It makes you wonder how many racers will still be standing by the end of the race.

CUT TO Darth Maul as he first thoughtfully looks towards where Hego, Watto, and Shmi are watching the race and then, turns his face towards where the Sand People are lying in wait for the next group of racers. The Sith Lord puts his speeder bike in gear and races away from the race course's start line.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN (EXT. NABOO OCEAN)

Princess Amidala and her escorts are approaching the Gungun capitol of Otoh Gunga through the ocean depths. The city drifts in the water like a huge glass globe filled with twinkling white lights. Smaller light-filled glass globes are connected to it through delicate looking strands, linking it to smaller subsidiary settlements.

In the distance, the light from additional Gungun cities penetrates the murky depths providing a backdrop similar to the night sky as seen from a well-lit urban area, where only a handful of the brightest stars can still be seen against the glow of civilization.

PAN AND ZOOM with the Naboo submersible as it steadily closes on the city.

CUT TO the submersible's cockpit.

PADMÉ: This is where your from Jarjar?

JARJAR: Yessin.

PADMÉ: It's beautiful.

QUIGONG: Obiwan, land in that second from the last outlying globe. If memory serves that should be the city's port.

Obiwan glances over to Jarjar who nods in confirmation of the Jeddai's statement. Without another word, the Padawan turns the craft towards the designated globe.

ZOOM OUT so that the submersible is back in frame.

PAN with the submersible it enters the globe. We see it move through a tunnel before arriving at a pier-like construct.

CUT TO Padmé and her group as they disembark from the submersible. The globe they have entered is half filled with air and several other submersibles of varying sizes are also moored to the set of piers that they find themselves standing on. Dozens of Gunguns stop what they are doing and stare in surprise at the appearance of three humans accompanied by one of their own kind.

As the group moves towards the primary pier a trio of Gungun guards mounted on bipedal duck-faced beasts (like medium-sized hadrosaurs) approach them. Each guard bears a long, spear-like force lance.

Padmé moves to the front of the group as they reach the main pier but the leader of the guards momentarily ignores her and focuses his attention on Jarjar.

CAPTAIN TARSAL: Ah noessa. Nah agin Jarjar. Dee bosso habbin youssa killt forah dissin.

PADMÉ: (shocked by the threat to Jarjar) Killed? But he's innocent. He's only here because we needed a guide.

TARSAL: (looking incredulously at Padmé) Guidin youssa?

(pointing at Quigong) Butta dissin onessa knowin da wayssa.

Heesin knowin datta Jarjar bein banishda.

PADMÉ: Jarjar is an advisor to the royal house of Naboo. As a member of my entourage, he is under the protection of diplomatic oblige.

TARSAL: (laughing outright) Whossa youssa?

OBIWAN: This is her highness, Princess Amidala, representative of the royal house of Naboo.

TARSAL: (still snickering) Royas houssa obda Naboo. Youssa hassa nossa powwah herein.

QUIGONG: Jarjar is still pledged to me. Where I go, he goes. That should be good enough for Boss Nash.

TARSAL: (snorting with derision) Weessa seein. Youssa gonna beah comin widda meessa. Bosso Nash, heessa decidin whassa weessa gonna doin widda youssa.

Tarsal and the two soldiers step their mounts to the side so that Padmé and her entourage can move past them. The Gungun captain gestures towards the end of the main pier where a passage leads to Otah Gunga's main sphere.

Under Tarsal's watchful gaze the group exits the port and enters the city proper where they draw even more stares from passersby on the bustling streets. Some of them seem to recognize Jarjar or Quigong and react with shock at their appearance.

PADMÉ: (as they move down the thoroughfare) General Jin, I think it's time you told me exactly how Jarjar came to be in your employ and precisely why he was banished.

Quigong glances at Jarjar as though seeking permission from his friend to relate the story. The Gungun hunter gives a silent nod but otherwise keeps his peace.

QUIGONG: As I mentioned I confronted the head priest of the Order of Grenn in the swamp east of Galmorrow. Despite being used with a lightsaber, the priest and his acolytes possessed a fighting technique that stymied me. One of them pierced my side with a hunting lance and I was only able to escape by throwing myself into a swiftly running river.

Jarjar found me not long after washed up on the shore a few miles downriver. He patched up my wounds and used his knowledge of the local horticulture to bring down my fever.

For my part I was surprised to come across him. Boss Nash had sent him weeks before me to put down the priest and his acolytes. He'd been watching them for a long time, just waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Unfortunately Boss Nash was impatient. In the days it took me to recuperate he decided to take matters into his own hands and at the head of an army, along with his brother, he headed for the ruins where the priest and his acolytes had taken up residence.

By the time Jarjar and I had caught up the priest had routed Nash's army and cornered the Boss, his brother, and a handful of their elite bodyguards.

(glancing back at Tarsal) Tarsal was one of them.

The Gungun Captain grunts in acknowledgement but otherwise also remains silent as Quigong continues the story.

QUIGONG: Jarjar and I intervened. However during the fight one of the acolytes struck Jarjar, who hit me which caused my lightsaber to strike and mortally wound Nash's brother. In the end we won but Nash considered Jarjar responsible for his brother's death. And so Jarjar was exiled, never to return on pain of death and I took him in as part of the life debt I owe him.

Obiwan looks shocked and confused at this confession.

OBIWAN: (beginning a question) How…?

TARSAL: (interrupting as them come to a stop) Noa moah. Weessa herein.

The quartet and their mounted escort have arrived at a squat dome flanked by four narrow spires in the center of the city. Another pair of mounted Gungun guards flank a wide set of thick stone doors that stand open at the bottom of a set of broad stairs. The darkness beyond them reveals nothing of what might be contained within the building's depths.

TARSAL: (calling down to one of the guards) Mefpen, goin an tellin da Bosso Nash datta Jarjar bein backin. Heesin gotta Naboo widdin heesin.

MEFPEN dismounts and hurries into the building. Meanwhile Tarsal dismounts from his own steed and hands its reins to one of the other soldiers. He says something inaudible to them that causes them to move off back into the city. The Gungun captain then muscles his way through the quartet to the head of the stairs.

An uncomfortable silence settles on the group as they wait for the guard to return. Padmé spends her time glancing at the buildings around them.

ANGLE ON the city as seen from Padmé's perspective.

PAN across the city scape as Padmé turns to see it better. Many of the city's buildings are taller than the government building they have arrived at. However while they are ornamented and in several cases quite brightly colored compared to the squat government building's ochre and olive color scheme, none are as subtly ornate. The government building is covered with carved frescoes featuring scenes from Gungun history and mythology.

ANGLE ON Padmé as she examines the building's exterior from the top of the steps. After a couple of minutes the Princess looks like she is about to ask Jarjar about the frescoes but the guard, Mefpen, suddenly returns from the building's dark interior.

MEFPEN: Da Biggah Bosso Nash wanssa dem.

TARSAL: (nodding) Okeeday din.

(gesturing that they should follow him down the steps) Dissah wayya.

The group descends the stairs and enters the dark building. Mefpen and Tarsal take them down a corridor that leads to another broad stairway that leads down. The light slowly comes up as the group descends signaling us that their eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the building's interior. After several more moments of descent they arrive at a landing that terminates in another large door. Another pair of Gungun guards, on foot this time, rigidly stand flanking this door too. Deep throaty voices can be heard rumbling out of the chamber before them.

Having delivered them to the Boss's chamber Mefpen breaks off from them and walks back up the stairs to his waiting post. Head held high, Captain Tarsal proceeds to lead them into the dim chamber from which the Boss and his court rule the Gunguns.

The chamber itself is a circular affair with only a single point of ingress and egress. Most of its walls are dominated by the same glass-like material that the exterior shells of Gungun cities are made from and much of the dim light here is actually filtering in from vast swaths of luminescent plankton that float in the water just beyond the transparent surfaces.

Padmé and company find themselves standing in the center of the room surrounded by almost two dozen Gunguns. Boss Nash's presence is obvious. Not only is he sitting on a raised throne, putting him nearly two heads higher than the tallest of the Gunguns, but he is also physically the biggest of them. His probably once powerful physic has grown flabby and thick with age and his distended gut sags out over his thighs.

BOSS NASH: (darkly) Jarjar Binks sah. Wassa youssa doin herein?

JARJAR: (chuckles nervously) Adah...Biggah Bosso Nash da sah. Meessa bringit da Naboo princessah forah…adah…sheah wantin toin seein youssa.

Dem Naboo bein facin bombad raidin. Dem needin Gungun hep.

BOSS NASH: (shaking his head) Jarjar, wassa youssa doin herein?

PADMÉ: Forgive me your Excellency but, Jarjar is my advisor. I needed him here with me to negotiate.

The Gungun leader frowns and focuses his attention on the Princess.

PADMÉ: Your Excellency, I've come to plead on behalf of the Naboo. As we speak a massive force of raiders is invading our capitol city. Once they have finished with the Naboo the Gungun cities will be vulnerable to them.

BOSS NASH: Meessa noah seein da probbem. Da Naboo don belongo herein anywayssa. Dis planetah, issa weessa planetah. Weessa gotta bombad armee ob weessa ownin. Weessa defendin weessa homin.

PADMÉ: (kneeling before the Boss) Please your excellency. We've been peaceful neighbors for centuries. Perhaps our two cultures haven't always communicated with one another the best but we need your help. No we beg for it.

Padmé bows her head low, touching her forehead to the ground. Sensing where she is going with her negotiation, Quigong, Obiwan, and after a moment, Jarjar too, kneel before the Gungun leader.

PADMÉ: We are your humble servants.

Boss Nash shakes his head once again and rises to his feet. He stares down at the four supplicants before him for a full fifteen seconds before finally descending from his throne. Once on the ground we can see he is actually one of the shorter Gunguns and that he moves with a lithe agility that seems contradictory to his obesity.

BOSS NASH: (leaning down to raise Padmé back to her feet) Youssa noah demandin hep. Youssa talkin toah weessa likin eqwellsah. Meesa likin dis.

Once he has returned Padmé to her feet, Nash gestures that the others should also stand up.

BOSS NASH: Tarsal, sendin scoutsah an seein whassa happnin.

TARSAL: Okeeday dere Bosso Nash sah.

The captain spares a single glance at Jarjar before taking his leave to dispatch scouts to assess how badly embattled the Naboo are.

PADMÉ: Thank you your Excel…

The Gungun leader cuts her off with an ominous laugh.

BOSS NASH: Ifin youssa rightoh an dere bein ah bombad armee outta dere den weessa Gunguns gonna need ah safin placah.

Onee one safin placah Gunguns cannah goin toah. Da oldin templah ruinin.

The boss ascends back up the steps and resumes his seat on his throne.

BOSS NASH: Rumorin habbin its thattah dem Grenn bein backin.

QUIGONG: (shocked by the news) Why didn't you send word to us?

Boss Nash answers with another ominous chuckle.

QUIGONG: (suddenly understanding) You only just learned of it. It's what you were discussing when we arrived.

OBIWAN: (adding his own insights) In fact, you thought that's why we had come.

BOSS NASH: (grinning evilly) Youssa gonna goin tah dah templah an bein securin id.

PADMÉ: (anxious not to lose the aid they've just received) We'll leave for it at once your Excellency.

BOSS NASH: Good. (gives a last evil snicker) Good.

The Boss gestures that they should go and one of the advisors near the door moves to escort them from the city.

BOSS NASH: (as they turn to the door) Ohah an Jarjar, (voice dripping venom) don bein comin herin agin. Nexxah timin meessa beah seein youssa, youssa bein kilt.

On that grim note, the quartet move towards the chamber's exit.

CLOSE UP on Jarjar, who for a single instant has a single malevolent glint in his eyes where no one can see it. The moment is past as quickly as it arrived and he returns to his usual carefree jobworthy self and we are left wondering what we saw.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. SEEDY BAR

Jeddai Master Syffo Dyas is talking to one of the locals at the bar. The room around them is seething with people drinking, socializing, and pursuing similar activities. There are several sports games playing on holomonitors throughout the crowded establishment. In one corner a dozen devoted patrons are watching the Boonta Eve Classic.

ANGLE ON Master Dyas as seen through the holomonitor projecting the Jet-Pod Race. The racers are diving into a massive, boulder-strewn tunnel. As we watch one of the racers's Jet-Pods, Ratts Tyerell's, goes out of control and slams itself into a massive rock column and explodes into an enormous fireball. As the sound fades in we first hear the race's announcers…

FODE: Oh wow, it looks like Ratts Tyerell has crashed.

BODE: Yes Fode, it looks like he might have experienced a control failure as he came out of that last turn.

The holomonitor switches to a close-up of Ratts in his final moments. He is clearly struggling with his controls as his massive Jet-Pod barrels towards one of the natural stone columns littering the cave. As he realizes that it won't be possible to avoid crashing his face peels back into a scream of terror and then he is consumed in the fireball.

The cuts back to normal race footage as Fode and Bode continue their banter.

FODE: Definitely some kind of control failure there. That makes the second fatality for this Boonta Eve Classic.

BODE: Our hearts go out to Ratts' missus and his little podlings.

FODE: He'd just become a father for the eighth time. It's a shame.

BODE: This is just a brutal race this year. With five crashes and one disqualification, less than three quarters of the drivers are left in the race.

ZOOM IN on Master Dyas through the holomonitor until we can hear his conversation with one of the other bar patrons.

SYFO: (in a low tone) I've heard that you sometimes drink with Rance el Dubmai.

PATRON: (scowling) What's he done now?

SYFO: Nothing in particular. I'm interested to know his whereabouts from three nights ago.

PATRON: Three nights ago? Would have down around the Fifteenth Way alley.

SYFO: (passes a bill of Republican scrip to the patron) Any idea where he is now.

The patron looks down at the bill and then back up at the brown-robed Jeddai.

PATRON: There's a death stick house around the corner. I think he's been there for the past couple of days.

SYFO: (getting to his feet) Thank you.

ANGLE ON Syfo as he makes his way out of the crowded bar. We can see that he's hardly the only patron clothed in brown-colored robes and that the Jeddai's official raiment is more concealing and less official than we might have thought.

Syfo exits out into the street where a light rain is falling hiding the true heights of the towering buildings around him. Turning to his right he moves to the next intersection and continues around the corner. He pauses a moment to examine the front of the death stick house.

A young street punk is sitting on the steps flipping a death stick through his fingers. The building beyond him is obviously run down. Except for a handful of flickering lights, it looks dark and still.

Syfo begins up the steps to the building's entryway. Intent on testing his dexterity the street punk doesn't notice the Jeddai Master until Syfo is standing right next to him. The teenager is shocked by Syfo's sudden appearance for only as long as it takes him to stand erect from where he had been leaning against the wall.

STREET PUNK: (ignoring the fact that he didn't see Syfo walk up to him) Wantta buy some death sticks.

SYFO: (waving his hand) You don't want to sell me any death sticks.

STREET PUNK: (mesmerized by the Jeddai mind trick) I don't want to sell you any death sticks.

SYFO: (waving his hand again) Your going to go home and rethink your life.

STREET PUNK: (dropping the death stick in his hand) I'm going to go home and rethink my life.

The street punk departs as Syfo looks into the building's murky depths. Narrowing his eyes, the Jeddai Master takes his lightsaber out from within his robes so that it is ready. Weapon in-hand, Syfo steps into the building.

ANGLE ON Syfo as he moves through halls littered with debris and filth. He passes several strung out drug addicts before coming to a set of stairs and a broken down lift.

Seeing that he will not be able to take the lift, Syfo begins the slow climb up. As he nears the landing for the second floor a pair of addicts attack him. The Jeddai Master's response is almost faster than we can see. His lightsaber ignites just long enough for him to destroy both of their weapons. Syfo extends his other hand and uses the Force to hurl the muggers into the wall where they look up at the Jeddai Master in dazed shock.

Ignoring them Syfo continues his climb, finally coming to a stop at the fourth floor. From there the Senate's Sergeant at Arms purposefully strides the length of the hall. Like the first floor, the supine bodies of addicts in various states of consciousness litter the hall. Near the end of the hall, by a window looking directly onto the steel and concrete of the neighboring building, Syfo stops and looms over one of the addicts.

MAN: (looking up at Syfo) Whats…whats ya wan?

SYFO: Rance el Dubmai?

MAN: (slurring his words) Yessh…thass me…

SYFO: I need to know what you saw in the Fifteenth Way alley three nights ago.

MAN: (trying to think back) Alley…alley…waz a gurl…pretty…droid dropped her off by Gil's backdurr.

SYFO: (squatting nearer to the man) Where did the droid come from?

The addict reels back from Syfo's sudden proximity and mumbles to himself.

SYFO: (waving his hand) You want to remember where you saw the droid come from.

MAN: (nodding) Droid…where it come from…tunnel…it came from the drainage tunnel.

SYFO: (sighing) I don't suppose you know from which direction?

MAN: (giggling) Drainage tunnel…drainage tunnel…all comin from the same place…the old Alpearsen Shipworks…

All goin to the same place…

SYFO: (standing) The recyclers. But why dump the body where it would be found?

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. TATOOINE DESERT WASTES

Darth Maul is sitting upon his speeder bike at the crest of a sand dune. Below him sprawls a fairly large encampment of Sand People. There are dozens of huts and hundreds of the cloth-wrapped raiders.

As he examines the settlement a warrior suddenly bursts from the sand near his feet but Maul simply unclips his lightsaber from his belt, ignites it, and bisects the foolish ambusher in a single motion before the Sand Person has done more than raise its iron pole weapon above its head. Several shots ring out as the two parts of the would-be ambusher's body hits the sand but Maul effortlessly deflects. The Sith Lord raises the weapon above his head and issues a deafening roar. The Sand People below begin to run to and fro in panic, gathering what they can in face of the the implacable foe that Maul represents.

Smiling evilly, Maul kicks his speeder bike into gear and, lightsaber still burning in-hand, races down towards the fleeing desert raiders. The Sith Lord skirts the edges of the encampment, punitively killing running Sand People and turning back the fleeing tide. After his fifth circuit of the camp and older Sand Person, the tribe's leader, comes to the front and actively holds the hundreds of people behind him.

Maul brings his bike to a stop before the old man.

OLD MAN: Halikae sl vali volghot?

[subtitle] «What do you want?»

MAUL: (please with himself) An army.

(to the mass of Sand People behind the old man) Serve me or I will slaughter every last one of you.

A gunshot cracks out from somewhere off the left side of the screen but Maul again deflects with no effort.

Enraged at the Sand People's tenacity, the Sith Lord spins his speeder bike around and plunges it directly into the leftmost edge (from Maul's perspective) of the tribe causing those further away to move to the right. After savaging the unfortunate Sand People, Maul again rides around the edges of the crowd, penning them into a large circle. In his wake he has killed and injured more than two dozen on the tribe's left flank. Another half dozen unfortunates who thought they could escape on the circle's opposite perimeter lie strewn in pieces on the pale desert sand.

The Sith Lord again brings his speeder bike to a stop before the old tribal leader. The old man kneels down before Maul and the rest of his tribe, more than six hundred strong kneel down behind him and touch their heads to the ground.

OLD MAN: (lifting head from the ground) Halikae vl vali kav nin sl bokencae wonoo?

[subtitle] «What would you have us do mighty one?»

MAUL: (shouting so that he can be heard by all) Gather the neighboring tribes here and together we will carry out a raid the likes of which you have only ever dreamed of.

OLD MAN: Lin vl ghey sl mak wonoo!

[subtitle] «It will be done might one!»

The old man stands and turns to look across the gathered tribe members. He signals several of them with his hands and they immediately stand run towards Banthas that blithely wait, blissfully unaware of the catastrophe that has befallen their owners, in the center of the encampment. The warriors quickly mount the ponderous looking furry creatures and take off in five directions at a pace that belies the Banthas' size.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. NABOO – GRENN TEMPLE RUINS

Ric Olié and a group of five other mesmerized pilots are levering an immense stone block up onto a series of wooden rollers. The rollers themselves are piled over additional logs that have already sunk into the swampy earth. Around them dozens of mesmerized Gunguns toil.

ZOOM OUT to see the rest of the work area. A handful of work crews under the watchful eyes of Uta'askar and Lamla Niils are digging vegetation-encrusted stone blocks and statues from the soft ground that has slowly been consuming them for centuries. Despite having accumulated a sizable workforce, the two women have made little headway in restoring the sunken temple. It is obvious that they need even more workers.

As the work continues a crude pulley that one of the work crews has rigged up suddenly breaks sending a half-raised stone block crashing downwards. It tangles in the pully's rope and twists to one side, suddenly careening at Ric and his fellow pilots. The mesmerized pilots retain enough sense to scatter before the oncoming behemoth.

ANGLE ON Ric as he dives for the cover between another pair of fallen monoliths, scraping his hands and arms as he goes. Behind him a shower of dust and gravel spray everywhere as the two stone blocks smash into each other. The former squadron leader crawls deeper into the tunnel formed by the two rocky masses on either side of him. In a short time he emerges in the swampy foliage, hidden from sight.

Finally a safe distance from the disaster, he pauses to check the injuries on the backs of his arms and hands. The superficial scrapes look red and irritated but don't seem to be leaking any blood. Realizing that his mind has been controlled all this time, Ric looks back towards the worksite to see if anyone has noticed his absence. The voices of the two Gungun women carry to his hiding place.

UTA'ASKAR: (voice faint in the distance) Dessa alloh stillah herein?

LAMLA: (voice equally faint) Onessa missinah.

UTA'ASKAR: Stonoh catchinah an smashin himin?

LAMLA: Mussah.

UTA'ASKAR: Noah stinkowith. Wessa bein ah findin himin oneceydah pullah bein rebuiltin.

(to the remaining workers) Youssa rebuiltin dah pullah. Gettsa backin tah workin.

Sighing in relief, Ric carefully sneaks off into the swamp. Careful to keep his distance from any standing pools of water and whatever predators they may contain, the stranded pilot moves away from the worksite and the witches of Grenn as quickly and quietly as he can.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. NABOO – THEED ROYAL PALACE

King Rajesh Amidala and Count Du Ku are conversing with the hologram image of Jeddai Knight and General Ithano Sidon.

SIDON: (sound fading in) I'm sorry it has taken us so long to get into a position to send you this message. We've lost the element of surprise and the Paladin is badly outnumbered.

RAJESH: We thank you for coming to our aid nevertheless General Sidon.

SIDON: Master Windu is en route with a small commando of Jeddai Knights to help the city hold. He would like to use his arrival as a distraction to get an eyewitness off planet.

RAJESH: (brow furrowing) Why do they need to get someone off-planet?

SIDON: Master Yoda and he made it clear that the Galactic Senate is paralyzed and that no relief force is going to be possible unless an eyewitness testifies.

To be completely honest with you your Majesty, the Paladin isn't even supposed to be here. Our writ of authority began and ended at Somov Rit. We simply followed the trail that led here and have been acting on our own initiative since.

Rajesh and Ku share an uncomfortable look.

KU: So what you're saying General is that you've already been ordered to abandon the system once Master Windu and his commando arrive.

SIDON: (shaking his head) Sorry for the confusion your Lordship. My orders are to make sure that the witness makes it to the Senate. Even if it takes all the lives on this battlecruiser to do it.

RAJESH: We understand General. How long do we have to prepare?

SIDON: Unfortunately your Majesty, it's taken us five hours to maneuver into a position from which we could send this message. That means that Master Windu's commando will arrive in a little less than two hours.

RAJESH: I see General. Thank you for contacting us. We'll do what we can to evacuate a representative for the Senate to depose.

SIDON: Very good your Majesty. We're going to engage the enemy fleet and keep them as busy as we can. That should dampen their air support a bit. Nothing we can do about their ground troops though.

KU: We'll make do General. May the Force be with.

SIDON: The Force be with you.

(nodding to Ku) Count. (and then the King) Your Majesty.

The hologram flickers for a second and then winks out of existence leaving the two men to brood in silence as the other officers and nobles go about their business.

Rajesh crosses from the comms station to the holotable displaying the battle for the city.

RAJESH: (as Count Du Ku joins him) Lieutenant, what is the disposition of the battle lines?

LIEUTENANT: Sir, the Fifth and Sixth companies have fallen back through Zones Twelve and Eleven and are only three blocks from the city center. The other companies have lost ground at a slower rate and have maintained a cordon at five blocks.

KU: (shaking his head) If we press for the space port it'll mean abandoning the defense of the city altogether.

RAJESH: (looking pensive) In another two hours the city will be lost anyway.

(to the Lieutenant) Have the Eleventh and Twelfth Companies fall back to the palace. Redeploy the Fourth and Eighth Companies to reinforce Five and Six. All other companies are to form up on the First Company.

(to Ku) I want you to command the delegation to the Senate. Panaka and I will get you to the Space Port. My personal cruiser is berthed at hangar seventeen.

The King pauses for a moment to lick his lips and think.

RAJESH: (to the Lieutenant) Summon our remaining reserve pilots.

KU: Your Majesty, surly you would be a better proponent for our people before the Senate?

RAJESH: (to Ku) No Du. My place is here with our people, leading the defense.

(placing his hands on the older man's shoulders) Besides, you have to make it off planet first. There's risk enough to go around.

KU: (still frowning) As you command your Majesty.

RAJESH: (stepping back to the holotable) Don't fret my good Count. Once you reach Coruscant you'll have Senator Palpatine to lead support you. If anyone can get your testimony completed as quickly as possible, it'll be him.

LIEUTENANT: (interrupting) Your Majesty, all company commanders have acknowledged your orders.

RAJESH: Very good.

The King straightens his posture and without a single glance at anything else in the room, forcefully strides towards its exit.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. MANDALORIAN FLAGSHIP – BRIDGE

Jojo Fett is studying a pair of tactical displays on the command deck of her dreadnought. The vessel's captain is at her right elbow looking at the display on the left, which depicts the disposition of the Mandalorian and Naboo ground forces.

CAPTAIN: My Lord, they've fallen back to their palace. It looks like the Naboo defense is collapsing.

JOJO: No Captain, they're merely concentrating their forces. They've been steadily giving ground this whole time. The vast majority of their force has been preserved.

(pointing at a salient on the city map) Also, they've reinforced this weak point in their defense.

CAPTAIN: Surely they don't mean to counterattack.

JOJO: Yes, I'm positive that they do.

(to the Communications Officer) Signal all ground commanders that they are to solidify their lines. An enemy counterattack is imminent.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: At once my Lord.

CAPTAIN: What of the Republican battlecruiser?

Jojo shifts her attention to the screen on the right and softly chuckles.

JOJO: The Jeddai Knight who leads them is a canny warrior, isn't he?

CAPTAIN: We could deploy the fleet in a wide net and envelop him.

JOJO: (irritably back-handing the Captain) Fool! We've already lost too many capital ships for that tactic to work. He would simply pick us apart and destroy the rest of our fleet in detail.

CAPTAIN: (carefully standing back up) But if we use the escorts.

JOJO: (grabbing the Captain roughly by his breastplate) Idiot! The escorts won't last long enough to make a difference against that battlecruiser's turbolaser batteries.

CAPTAIN: (stammering) I…I…just thought that if we could take advantage our superior numbers…

JOJO: (pushing him away) You thought!?

This is why I am the fleet commander and you are merely master of this vessel.

(angrily) Resume your post Captain, while I still deign to have you serve in that position.

CAPTAIN: (standing at attention) At once my Lord.

ZOOM IN on Jojo as she studies the right-hand display.

JOJO: (mumbling to self) What are you up to?

The Mandalorian commander stares at the screen a few moments longer and then crosses the bridge to stand next to the communications officer.

JOJO: (to the Communications Officer) Alert all commands to prepare to repel enemy reinforcements. And get our patron on the line. He probably has important information that he has neglected to pass on to us.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: At once my Lord.

JOJO: (to the Captain) Captain, I'll be in my quarters. Contact me the moment anything changes.

CAPTAIN: (as Jojo departs the bridge) As you command my Lord.

WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – INT. SITH SHRINE – CORUSCANT

Darth Sidious is impatiently watching an armored figure on a holodisplay. As we ZOOM closer we see that the figure is Jojo Fett.

JOJO: (sound fading in) …don't understand why you didn't contact me immediately when you learned that the leader of the Jeddai Council was leading more Jeddai here. We've already lost three of our cruisers to one Jeddai.

SIDIOUS: The Jeddai are of little consequence Commander. What is more important is that regardless of how many ships you lose, no vessels, especially no Naboo vessels may be allowed to escape the system.

The holographic Jojo takes a defiant stance.

JOJO: I can't make such guarantees. Perhaps if you had forewarned me that the Jeddai…

Jojo's complaint is suddenly cut off as she makes a strangling noise. The hologram grasps for her throat and drops to her knees.

SIDIOUS: I don't particularly like your tone. Perhaps if you had been able to destroy the first Jeddai like you said, none of this would be happening.

Sacrifices Commander. You will have to make sacrifices if you expect to kill Jeddai.

The small hologram tries to wheeze out a word but she only manages an inarticulate croaking noise.

SIDIOUS: Now Commander, are you willing to make sacrifices?

The strangling figure nods her assent.

SIDIOUS: (releasing her from the grip of the Force) Good. I'm glad. I would hate to think that you were stopped so close to achieving your own goals.

The hologram drops forward onto her hands and knees and sucks in wheezing gulps of air.

SIDIOUS: Once you have dispensed with the Jeddai and their Republican allies, I want you to level Theed. As we agreed, any survivors are yours to do with as you will but not a single building is to be left standing.

The wheezing hologram nods in agreeance as she leans back up onto her knees alone.

JOJO: (voice strained by the strangulation) It will be as you wish it my Lord.

SIDIOUS: I know.

The hologram winks out of existence as the Sith Lord terminates the connection. As the hooded figure shifts his attention to a secondary monitor, we see an image of Syfo Dyas making his way through a tunnel.

SIDIOUS: (seemingly to no one) It appears that we are about to have a visitor. Make sure he doesn't leave here alive.

Another figure in silver Mandalorian Armor steps out of the shadows as the Sith Lord turns to leave. But Sidious pauses after only a couple of steps and turns his cowled head back towards the Mandalorian.

SIDIOUS: Oh, and Jango, I hope you will not disappoint me the way that your mother just did.

ANGLE ON JANGO FETT as Darth Sidious resumes walking away.

SLOWLY ZOOM OUT to keep the Sith Lord in frame.

As Sidious hits the mid-point of the cathedral like chamber the shrine is in – WIPE (to next scene)

WIPE IN – EXT. TATOOINE DESERT

Anakin Skywalker is carefully piloting his Pod-Racer through a thick not of his fellow pilots. The hot afternoon sun is beating down on them as they approach the cool shade of a narrow canyon. Directly ahead of him is Dud Bolt who is also carefully trying to keep the young human boxed out of the lead position.

As they pour on the speed to see who can reach the canyon first, Anakin's smaller, more efficient racer slowly pulls abreast to Bolt's heavier powerhouse as it chugs along.

CUT TO Shmi Skywalker, who is unable to pull her eyes from the display as her son enters the narrow canyon neck to neck with the larger racer.

WATTO: If he slips past Bolt that'll put him in seventh place.

(glancing at Hego) The boy's a natural. At this rate he might even win the race.

The banker says nothing but an insidious smile crosses his face.

FODE: (in the background) The middle of the pack is going into Jett's canyon now. Are you seeing what I'm seeing Bode?

BODE: (in the background) Yeah but I'm not believing it. It looks like little Anakin Skywalker is trying to put the move on Dud Bolt.

Shmi frowns.

FODE: (in the background) What's this? Bolt has just forced Skywalker onto a service ramp.

Shmi puts her hand to mouth and tries to contain her terror.

BODE: (in the background) Well, that's him out of the race.

CUT TO Anakin being pushed onto a ramp and bursting through a barrier on it. His momentum carries him and his racer high into the sky. As the vehicle hurtles higher and higher the boy is bust flipping switches and twisting nobs. Finally, as the craft's momentum begins to stall out he cuts power to the engines and shoves the controls forward, turning the craft over so that its engine intakes point towards the ground.

The racing pod hurtles back towards the ground. As it crosses the canyon's lip Anakin restarts the engines and slams the controls back bring the racer out of its dive a comfortable distance in front of Bolt who simply gapes at the maneuver.

CUT TO Shmi who visibly relaxes knowing that her son is once again out of imminent danger.

FODE: (in the background) Did you see what that crazy little human just did?

BODE: (in the background) I'm seeing it but I'm not believing it. Only one in a thousand pilots could have actually power-dived into that canyon.

FODE: (in the background) This kid is some kind of prodigy.

BODE: (in the background) Tell me about it. Only Countess Endecott stands between him and the leaders and he's already knocking at her back door.

FODE: (in the background) Yep, at this rate we might be witnessing the biggest upset in the history of the Boonta Eve Classic.

ROLL CREDITS