Star Wars: Episode 1—A Retelling
The Phantom Menace
By: Tellemicus Sundance
#02: The Blockade of Naboo

Orbit above Naboo
Trade Federation Droid Control Ship,
Vuutun Palaa

Viceroy Nute Gunray was enjoying a rather exquisite meal in his personal quarters aboard his flagship. Despite his initial fear and reluctance, Gunray had to admit that his Sith master and 'adviser' was once again managed to formulate a very profitable scheme for the Federation. The amount of profit that they'd made on the black market by selling the stole merchandise and goods that were meant for or from Naboo was as surprising as it was considerable.

The blockade had only been in effect for about a month. Since then, his battleships had commandeered almost 200 freighters, 150 transports, redirected numerous tourists, and even shot down several dozen ships that were either too stubborn to otherwise uncatchable. Most of those numbers had occurred within the first week, before the news of the blockade really started to spread to the rest of the galaxy. After that, things started to taper off until only an occasional smuggler or freighter ship would try to run the blockade, believing that the commanders had been lulled into a sense of complacency.

As he was taking a drink from a rather smooth Coruscanti wine, a holo-image of a cloaked man suddenly sprang to life at the opposite end of the table. The image startled Gunray, causing him to choke slightly on his drink. Clearing his throat quickly as he jumped to his feet, Gunray hurried over towards the hologram. "My lord, I wasn't expecting a call today. How may I be of service?"

Lord Sidious frowned, hissing faintly in disgust at the Neimoidian before him. "I have just been informed that the Supreme Chancellor has sent some diplomatic envoys to force a settlement. Be ready to greet them warmly. There's a chance we may have to accelerate our plans."

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Gunray stammered fearfully as he bowed slightly. His newfound faith in his master due to the quick wealth his federation had been making in recent times was suddenly shaken yet again. What his master was alluding to was treasonous to the Republic and could very well end badly for him if it didn't succeed, the Viceroy's powerful allies notwithstanding.

Just as Gunray was about to ask a question, he felt slight tremors through the floor of his quarters. Turning to look around in nervous curiosity, Gunray hit his comlink as he demanded, "What's going on?"

"We have another freighter trying to run the blockade, sir," the attendant answered dutifully. "But this one's proving to be difficult to capture or shoot down."

"Why haven't our fighters destroyed it yet?" Gunray demanded, flinching fearfully when he saw that Lord Sidious was scowling quite visibly in displeasure at being ignored. "I want that ship shot down now!"

"Yes sir!"

"Having troubles, Viceroy?" Sidious asked in an almost casual tone that seemed even more dangerous than his angry one.

"Some pilots are a bit more skilled that others, my Lord," Gunray stated in a carefully controlled voice. "It sometimes takes a little time for my men and fighters to catch them."

Sidious's frown was even more prominent that before. Without another word, his image faded as the hologram connection was severed. Nute Gunray couldn't restrain the sigh of relief at the man's disappearance. Truly, that man was going to be the death him one day, Gunray was sure of it. Turning back to his meal, he frowned in annoyance and slight anger when he saw that his food had gotten cool at some point during the conversation.


Approaching the Blockade
Early Harvest

Like a ring of asteroids, the massive circular battleships hung around the blue and green planet of Naboo. The ships were far larger than any Anakin had yet seen before. Even from the distance, he could spot the armaments that bristled from every port and bay. Trade Federation droid fighters circled the big beasts like gnats. The Early Harvest was a large ship by the standards of the civilian market. But by comparison to the titans ahead of it, it was little more than a fragile tin toy.

The overwhelming firepower and the malicious intent that he could feel in the Force quickly set the young Force sensitive on edge. Anakin was seated in the lounge of the Early Harvest with Ahsoka. Since they weren't pilots and too young to help on the bridge during flight, they often found themselves either playing in the lounge or in their respective quarters during hyperspace jumps.

"Anakin, I'm scared," Ahsoka whispered fearfully as she cuddled up next to him for comfort. She had also subconsciously detected impending danger and nervous energy that was approaching them rapidly.

"Yeah, me too," he admitted quietly, not taking his eyes off the hologram that was displaying the current situation ahead of them. "But remember, Ahsoka, fear is not evil."

"I don't think this is the time for wise words," Ahsoka pointed out dully.

Chuckling embarrassedly, Anakin nodded as he climbed to his feet, "You're right. Come on, Ahsoka. Let's go see if Captain Havoc needs us for something."

It was a short walk from the lounge to the bridge since they both located on the bracing arm atop the entire ship. Opening the bridge door, Anakin peeked in to be sure he wasn't interrupting Captain Havoc unnecessarily or at a bad time. Thankfully, the only other one on the bridge was Havoc's copilot droid 'Jarvis'. Not that that was surprising since only Jarvis and the two of them had volunteered to accompany Havoc on this 'suicide mission' as Hector the mechanic described it.

"Hello, Master Anakin," the silver droid greeted, turning its head towards the two children upon noticing their entrance.

"Good timing, kids," Havoc said without turning to face them as he piloted the ship towards the blockade. "Skywalker, take Ahsoka to the starboard turret and show her how to work it. After that, you man the port turret."

"Are you expecting trouble?" Anakin asked wearily. While he loved flying and the danger of combat, he didn't have a good feeling about it this time.

"There's always a chance that something'll go wrong," Havoc said as he began typing something into one of the consoles. "Get to it, Anakin. Chop-chop! We're nearing the blockade's firing range."

Just as he'd finished speaking, an alarm beeped as the computer detected an incoming transmission. Anakin pulled Ahsoka away from the bridge and guided her towards the laser cannon turret that Havoc had instructed him. As the kids were leaving, Havoc was busy communicating with the blockade.

"Identify yourself, your ship, and your business here," came the mechanical voice of a droid. Just from the voice alone, Havoc grinned triumphantly. That somewhat slow, drawling voice told him that he was dealing with a low-level AI. Sneaking past them would be incredibly easy, especially with the passcodes that he'd purchased from one of his correspondents back on Ryloth.

"This is Captain Alder Havoc of the supply freighter, Early Harvest," Havoc answered quickly and calmly. "Requesting docking authorization aboard the Trade Federation battleship, the Gol'den Scepr."

"Early Harvest, transmit passcodes and await clearance," the droid stated dully.

"Transmitting now," Havoc replied as the preloaded data were beamed to the battleship. Now, the true moment of faith had arrived and he and Jarvis waited in tense silence.


After showing Ahsoka the ropes of how to control, aim, and fire the laser cannon (which were of incredibly simple designs), Anakin was making his way to the other turret of the ship. But just as he was about to enter the turret and climb into the chair, a sudden wave of unease washed over him. Stepping back out into the hallway, he glanced down both towards the bridge and then to the crew quarters.

He could feel it. The Force was communicating with him again. He could feel so many twisted and churning emotions and plots unfolding all around him. There was greed and fear thick in the Force. Something was brewing, trouble was approaching, and Anakin's unease quickly grew.

Giving in to the Force's call, Anakin turned and hurried back into the crew quarters. He made a quick stop into his quarters and pulled out a box that was hidden under his mattress. Opening it, he withdrew two narrow objects and clipped them onto his belt. Once that was done, he suddenly felt his sense of unease lessen considerably. It was still there, but he just felt…better about his situation. At least whatever happened now, he wouldn't be defenseless.

"Skywalker!" a loud voice yelled from down the hall. Poking his head out of his quarters, Anakin spotted Hector approaching from down the hall with a glare on his face. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"Hector? What are you doing here?" Anakin asked, slightly returning the man's glare with his own. He didn't like Hector one bit. The man was a boisterous and arrogant drunk who's loud mouth and self-righteous opinions greatly exceeded his actual worth as a mechanic. Anakin far surpassed the man's mechanical skills and was in good graces with Captain Havoc as a result. Were he a few years older, Anakin could've easily replaced Hector, something that both of them knew. "I thought you were staying on Ryloth while we took the Naboo run?"

"I was gonna but I—I—I got sidetracked!" the man stuttered lamely. He was staggering in his walk, wincing and covering his eyes slightly whenever he approached or passed a light, and he was gently messaging his temples from a massive migraine he was having. Not to mention the disgusting stink of alcoholic beverages on his breath that Anakin quickly caught the scent of as the man neared him. In short, he was recovering from a massive hangover.

"Let me guess," the young Skywalker said somewhat angrily as he realized the obvious. "You noticed that the captain was bringing along a few crates of beer and medical spices, decided to 'sample' a few—again, and passed out in the cargo bay until just now."

"Shut it, boy!" Hector snapped loudly before wincing and rubbing his head even harder to ease his pain. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"We're approaching the blockade," Anakin answered, taking a spiteful delight in watching the man's expression change from confusion and lack of understanding to sudden clarity and overwhelming fear. "If all goes well, we'll be on Naboo in a few minutes. I'd suggest waiting in the lounge until we've landed."

"Sithspit!" Hector cried, turning and bumbling to the nearest viewport, spotting the ring of warships quickly. "No! I didn't sign on for this!"

Ignoring the man, Anakin turned and ran back to his laser cannon turret, buckling the belt and activating the weapon system in preparation. These next few minutes were going to be very tense. Activating the comm unit, Anakin called out, "Ahsoka, you still there?"

"Where else would I be, Skyguy?" the little Togrutan asked in reply. "What kept you? We're almost to the ship!"

"I got distracted," he said, eyeing the bulk of the massive warship. "It seems we have a stow away named 'Hector' onboard."

"Oh nooo," Ahsoka groaned.


"Early Harvest," the droid voice suddenly spoke up, startling Havoc slightly. "You are cleared for docking aboard the Gol'den Scepr. Proceed on your present course."

"Roger, roger," Havoc replied, grinning triumphantly as he closed down the comm. channel.

"What incredibly stupid droids," Jarvis stated bluntly. "I still do not understand why the Neimoidians insist on using such simple things."

"It's their ego, Jarvis," Havoc answered as he boosted the Early Harvest's engines, quickly picking up speed as he aimed towards the battleship that was directly ahead of the freighter. "They can't bear to have their servant droids being smarter than them. So, by programming them to be so inferior, it helps to put the Neimoidians at ease knowing that they're the smartest beings in the room. Plus, stupid droids are way cheaper than smart ones."

"But this is just too stupid," Jarvis insisted, trying to convey it's angry annoyance through its words and body posture. "Any droid worth its weight in circuitry should've noticed that our ship was not on the schedule, despite having 'authentic' passcodes."

"Like I said," Havoc said, though his attention was clearly no longer on the conversation since the Early Harvest was pulling up near the Trade Federation battleship. Opening the comlink to his two young gunners, Havoc said, "Skywalker, Tano, watch those cannons on the ships. If they start to move towards us, tell me. It means that they're onto us and we're in big trouble."

"Yes, sir," they both answered, anxiety thick in their voices as they truly started to grasp the danger they were in.


Trade Federation Droid Control Ship, Vuutun Palaa

He was the Viceroy of a mighty megacorporation that spanned the entire width and berth of the galaxy. He had thousands of ambitious underlings, billions in revenue, and even made regular visits to the Galactic Republic's Senate. Thus, even as he was personally overseeing the blockade of Naboo on Lord Sidious's command, he still had many tens of thousands of things that regularly needed his attention to regulate and administer. The office and job of Viceroy was a very highly demanding one. One that many previous Viceroys couldn't leave quickly enough, despite the tremendous wealth they acquired. With that being the case, he had instantly decided to relegate the day by day operations to the central computer of the Vuutun Palaa.

Gunray was in the midst of processing the newest policy he was planning on inducting into the Federation about setting up small fees upon certain space depots, refueling stations, and business cruisers. By instating small fees, generally only 5% of the cost of the purchase, his Federation could make untold millions of untaxed profit that the Republic could do nothing to regulate, or even notice in most cases.

The Trade Federation was not a government, thus they could not tax. But they could legally impose a 'fee' for any non-Trade Federation vessel that tries to do business at Trade Federation-owned space depots, refueling stations, and business cruisers. Also the Neimodian government was also imposing on their own worlds a tariff on any non-Trade Federation exports/imports. This practically forced anyone wanting to do business with these planets to weigh whether they want to pay the fee or simply hire the Trade Federation.

As he was doing this, a small alert notice popped up on his screen from the central computer. Sighing in annoyance, he opened the alert and read its contents. A supply ship named the Early Harvest was approaching the Gol'den Scepr. It bore none of the identification colorings or markings of a Trade Federation ship yet it had the proper the security codes to enter the blockade unopposed.

Humming quietly to himself at this puzzle, Nute called up the schedule for supply ships that were set to arrive within the next week. A quick scan of the listed freighters and their captains appeared and after a few moments of searching, he realized the obvious. That freighter was no supply ship for the Trade Federation. It was trying to bypass the blockade by using clearly stolen passcodes!

Opening a channel to the bridge, Gunray glared as he spotted his captain, Daultay Dofine, answer the call. "Yes, sir?"

"Why has it come to my attention that an unscheduled supply ship is clearly trying to bypass the blockade with stolen passcodes?" Gunray demanded, uncharacteristically hotly. As much as the Federation saved money on their cheap droids and their faulty AIs, they were more often than not a burden that he dearly wished himself to be rid of.

"Sir?" Dofine asked, unsure of what his senior was speaking of.

"There is a freighter trying to pass the blockade!" Nute yelled. "I want it captured and its crew interrogated! Where did they get those passcodes from?!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Dofine responded as he quickly turned to do Gunray's bidding.


Early Harvest

The Early Harvest had actually passed the majority of the bulk of the warship and was well on its way to pushing past when things finally started going south in a hurry.

"Captain!" Anakin yelled into the comlink as he saw the turbolaser turrets suddenly swerve towards the freighter.

Reacting immediately to the boy's shout, the Early Harvest dove sharply, cleanly dodging the otherwise surprise attack. Anakin felt himself sway ever so slightly as the engines boosted to full power and the ship leapt forward in a surge of speed. He was sure that the deflector shields had been quickly brought online as well. Not that the shields would be of much help since they'd only be able to safely withstand three warship-class turbolaser hits. Still, some protection was better than none.

Swinging his turret around, Anakin quickly opened fire on the warship, aiming for the turbolaser turrets. His shots dissipated harmlessly off the warship's much stronger deflector shield. An unexpected roll of the freighter caught Anakin by surprise and sent him spinning disoriented. The roll was quickly followed by the ship beginning to shake and rock violently, almost throwing Anakin out of his seat if he hadn't buckled himself into the harness. Fear and confusion quickly washed over him, causing him to subconsciously open up to the Force. When he submerged himself into it, he found a sudden clarity of the situation around him.

Havoc was throwing the Early Harvest into a chaotic dance of dodges, rolls, and dives. He was trying not to use the same maneuvering combination twice, lest he became predictable. But as superbly as he was trying to fly his large freighter as a starfighter, the sheer bulk of the Early Harvest was working against him. The powerful turbolasers had easily punched through the shields and were not pummeling the ship itself. And while the armor of the Early Harvest was respectively thick and strong, it wouldn't stand up much longer.

Then he felt the ship jolt as its forward momentum was suddenly halted. He could feel the engines still straining at their full power but the Early Harvest was being pulled back towards the warship.

"They've got us in a tractor beam!" Havoc informed them over the comm. It was clear from his voice that he had already resigned himself to failure. Breaking free of a tractor beam was a very difficult feat in the best of cases. And the stronger the beam was, the greater the difficulty became. For a ship the size of the Trade Federation's and with its powerful shields, it was nearly impossible.

"Captain, I'm gonna try something!" Anakin said, turning his turret so that he could more clearly see the tractor beam projectors. "Be ready when we break free!"

There was a moment of pause over the comm. Anakin could sense the man's surprise and uncertainty before he finally settled for reluctant acceptance. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it quickly, Skywalker."

"Yes sir!" Closing his eyes, Anakin cast his mind out and searched for the target he wanted. Following the energy projections that were pulling the freighter towards them, he soon discovered them housed in the bulging masses atop the hangar openings. Reaching out with his hands, he symbolically grasped ahold of both projectors in the Force.

Clutching his hands into fists, he tried to crush the entire array but…it was harder than he expected. Squeezing his fists harder, Anakin exerted all his willpower into his task. 'I can do this! I have to! I must! I will!' he chanted to himself. But despite his best efforts, he couldn't…dent it!

That was when he felt an unexpected presence join him. Ahsoka's Force presence descended upon his, watching, examining, and then quickly understanding. Before he even could say a word, he felt her add her own power to his struggles, trying to crush the metallic projectors. 'We can do it!' her presence seemed to say to him, singing with the complete confidence of an innocent child.

Smiling to himself, Anakin refocused his attention on the projector. 'There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.' With Ahsoka's added power, which truthfully wasn't that much at the moment, he felt his own confidence begin to return. 'There is no fear, there is power.' And, as his faith in his own power began to rise again, the 'impossible deed' that he'd unconsciously labeled it as suddenly didn't feel nearly as difficult as it had been. 'I am the heart of the Force!' After only a moment, the two metallic bulges on the warship's hull began to dent, break, and finally imploded upon themselves.

Following the implosions of the tractor beam emitters, the captured freighter suddenly leapt forward, free once again. Watching with a sigh, Anakin smiled to himself. 'Thanks for the help, Ahsoka.' He could feel her smile in satisfaction.

Caught by surprise that their tractor beam had been destroyed inexplicably, none of the Neimoidian crew were able to adequately open fire or catch the freighter within another tractor beam in time. Unopposed for the brief instant, the Early Harvest managed to bypass the blockade itself; the first ship to actually make it thus far.


Trade Federation Droid Control Ship, Vuutun Palaa

"What is going on out there?!" Nute Gunray demanded as he strode upon the bridge. Walking up to a holo-map of the situation they were dealing with, he quickly got the gist of it. "Why hasn't the freighter been disabled and captured yet?!"

"The pilot is very skilled," Rune Haako answered quickly. "Able to evade our attacks at his engines and his hull armor must be thicker and stronger than we initially believed."

"What happened to the tractor beam?" Nute asked, curiously. Last he'd heard before he left his office to journey to the bridge, the Gol'den Scepr had caught the freighter in her tractor beams. "Why haven't they been brought aboard yet?"

"The tractor beam projectors were destroyed," Rune said, looking and sounding very serious. "We don't know how, but the freighter must've done something to disable or damage them. But they're presently out of our range for tractor beams anymore anyway."

"Send our Vulture droid-fighters," Nute ordered, glaring at the glowing icon that represented the freighter. "Order them to destroy the ship and all escape pods that jettison." That order caused Rune to glance at his superior in slight surprise and uncertainty. It was an unspoken law to not destroy escape pods during times of peace, one that had saved many lives over the centuries. "I don't want the Naboo to start getting any ideas or to let the galaxy think we're starting to slack off on our blockade. Plus, it'll be far easier to destroy the freighter while it's still in flight than after it's landed and delivered its load. No survivors will show the galaxy just how serious we are about this!"

"Yes, sir," Rune responded, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment though it was obvious in his posture and voice that he still didn't approve of the reasoning or the order.


Upper Atmosphere, Naboo
Early Harvest

Of the many thousands of droid fighters that were patrolling the airspace around the blockade, only a handful received new orders. These group of six fighters swooped down upon the descending freighter like scavengers upon a kill, their laser cannons blazing furiously. The onslaught of laser fire easily breached the weakened shields of the Early Harvest and started pounding upon the armor itself.

In his turret, Anakin was jinking, swaying, turning, and swerving to the full extent of movement he could afford in the gun turret. He was trying to use the targeting computer, but the damned thing was of an outdated and flawed design. He found his lasers trailing behind his targets pitifully. 'These were meant to shoot at slow-moving capital ships and cruisers, not starfighters,' Anakin realized.

"Skyguy!" Ahsoka called over the comm. "I can't hit anything! These guns suck!"

"It's the targeting computers, Snips," Anakin answered, somewhat hotly himself given his inability to hit anything. "Use the Force! Let it help you!"

Following his own advice, he immersed himself in it, letting it play over and through his body, whispering to him as it gently guided his shot. Tracking one approaching Vulture, he grinned triumphantly as he finally hit it. One shot hit it in its portside wing, sending it spinning haphazardly to the side, right into another of his shots, blowing out its power core and destroying it. Anakin let out a shout of smug triumph at the shot. A moment later, an answering call over the comm. alerted Anakin to Ahsoka's success as well.

However, mere seconds later, the entire freighter shook violently as an explosion echoed down its corridors and through its walls. In the Force, Anakin could feel the life force of Captain Havoc suddenly wink out of existence. "What happened?! Ahsoka, did you see what hit us?!"

"It—It—It hit the bridge!" Ahsoka said, he could hear fear, embarrassment, and deeply apologetic undertones in her voice. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Captain!"

"What happened, Ahsoka?!" Anakin yelled over her sniffling, he could tell she was well on her way to breaking out crying. "Calm down and talk to me, Ahsoka!"

"…I hit the fighter, but it hit the bridge before it blew up!" Ahsoka answered.

The bridge was destroyed. That meant the Early Harvest was no longer flying, it was falling! And if the bridge was destroyed, there was no way Anakin could safely pilot it during reentry, not without getting incinerated from the atmospheric friction. They needed to escape!

"Ahsoka!" he called out. "Meet me at the forward escape pod! We're abandoning ship!"

"O-Okay!" she stuttered in reply. Not that Anakin heard since he was already in the process of unstrapping himself from the seat.

Out in the hall, he bumped into Hector. "What's going on?!" the man yelled, which Anakin ignored as he hurried over to Ahsoka's turret to find her scrambling out of her seat. Helping pull her out of the turret, Anakin was unprepared when the ship suddenly shook once again as another explosion rocked it.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Hector yelled, clinging to the bulkhead, having somewhat remained on his feet as the two younglings were thrown to the floor. The lights went out for a moment before returning, glowing an eerie red.

"The Captain's dead and the bridge is gone!" Anakin yelled as he pulled himself to his feet. As he did so, he noticed the distinctive red-tint of the lights. "The fighters must've hit the main reactor. We're on emergency power now!"

"Gah, that's it!" Hector yelled in panic as he turned and ran down the hall towards the escape pod. "I'm out of this falling coffin!"

"Hey, wait!" Anakin yelled, trying to stop the man. He was busy trying to pull Ahsoka back up to her feet, but the poor girl was crouched in a ball on the floor, shivering and trembling uncontrollably as her fear overwhelmed her. "Help us! Hector!"

"Every man for himself, little man!" Hector barked contemptuously as he slipped through the access way and sealed himself into the pod. Picking Ahsoka bodily off the floor, Anakin slung her over his shoulder and ran down the hall to try and stop Hector from leaving without them. Not that it would've helped him anyway.

A moment after he managed to reach the airlock, the pod had been fully powered up and ejected. With a glare, Anakin watched as the lifeboat detached and flew away. But he glare quickly disappeared into a gasp of horrified realization as he watched two of the circling Vulture droids suddenly veer off and pursue the pod, cannons blazing. The pod was destroyed almost instantly.

'They're even shooting down escape pods,' Anakin realized. 'They must be really mad if they're going that far! …It's not safe to eject. But it's not safe to stay here without a bridge or power! What do we do?!'


Theed, Naboo
Royal Palace

"Your Majesty!" Captain Panaka called as he marched hurriedly into the throne room. He was the head of security of the Queen's Palace, a powerfully built man with quick eyes that revealed his considerable intelligence within them. And right now his usually cool stone face was contorted with unease and anger. "There's a situation!"

"What is it, Captain?" Padme asked calmly from where she stood by one of the palace windows, peering out over the city of Theed.

"There's an incoming supply ship," Panaka said hurriedly. "It was trying to run the blockade. It mostly got through, but it's being pursued by Vulture droids."

"What's the ship's condition?" Padme asked, turning to face the man in curiosity.

"Last I heard, it was putting a meager defense but its shields were already down because of the battleships," Panaka beckoned her back the way he came. "Please, come with me."

A few minutes later, the pair had arrived in the security headquarters. It was filled with various types of surveillance equipment and monitors with almost a dozen people running about controlling them. Approaching the central holopad, Padme took in the pictures she could see and understand. There was a single blue icon that was descending through the atmosphere at considerable speeds, buzzing around it were four red icons that she guessed were the droid fighters.

"What's happened?" she demanded. "Have you been able to contact the ship?"

"No, your majesty," one of the controllers by the comm. answered. "We've been trying, but all we get is static."

"Based on the ship's descent angle and the increasing speeds, we believe it's bridge or engines must've been damaged," another of the security men spoke up. "We've also seen an escape pod launch, but the Vultures destroyed it before it got too far."

"The Federation's destroying escape pods now?!" Padme asked, horrified. "Why?"

"Your Majesty!" another man called out. "I've calculated the ship's descent. Unless it alters its course or slows its descent, it's gonna crash right in the middle of Theed!"

That comment brought a moment of silence and stillness to the bustling activity of the control room. Everyone in the room knew what would happen if an object traveling at those speeds hit the city's center. It would be like an atom bomb had gone off and the resulting devastation would utterly obliterate the city and everything within several miles radius.

"Order an emergency evacuation immediately," Padme said after a second's thought. "Do we have any high-altitude ships or speeders with tractor beams? Maybe they can pull the ship off course and spare the city."

"Yes, your majesty!"

"With all due respect, your majesty," Panaka said as he moved forward slightly. "We need to get you to safety also."

"Thank you, captain," Padme said, but didn't move from her position. "But my place here, helping these people coordinate the evacuation and the situation."

Panaka was torn between smiling and frowning at the Queen's response. It was little wonder why she was elected to rule the planet.


Lower Atmosphere, Naboo
Early Harvest

Barely a minute into the fall and Anakin knew they had to move. No freighter was designed for rapid reentry, anything over 1,000 kilometers an hour risked the tearing off of the control vanes and external sensors. And the Early Harvest was already doing in far excess of that. The ship shook and thundered. Strange screeching noises ran from nose to tail, as though it might tear apart at any moment. It would physically hold together long enough, he was sure of that.

Once he'd decided to remain aboard the doomed ship for as long as possible, Anakin used one of the consoles in the hallway to hack into the bridge's computer. He'd managed to reroute what was left of the system and had gained some control of the ship. But they were already approaching useless. The main display was full of static because of the fast-dwindling power supply from the back-up reactor. He could barely make out the planet ahead, let alone the location they were heading towards. He needed a better vantage point if he was going to pull this off.

Ahsoka was clutching tightly to his waist, terrified of letting go for even an instant. That they were effectively riding in a giant metal coffin was an additional thought he tried to suppress.

The ship could fly itself for a short time. He had patched the navicomp into what remained of the targeting computer, leaving him reasonably certain that it could point and thrust effectively while his hands were off the controls. Once that was done, he hardwired the repulsorlifts to activate once they navicomp judged the ship to be low enough in the atmosphere for them to be of any use. It'd slow the Early Harvest, but at these speeds it wouldn't be nearly enough to stop the ship from crashing.

"Come on, Ahsoka!" Anakin yelled as he left the console and hurried to the emergency locker near the bridge. The metal around the locker and the wall closest to where the bridge had formerly been were starting to turn red and molten from the atmospheric friction. They'd have to be quick! Opening the locker, Anakin grabbed two spacesuits that'd fit their small statures. Forcefully pulling Ahsoka off of him, he shook her lightly to try and bring her back into the moment. "AHSOKA! Put this on!"

"I don't wanna die!" Ahsoka yelled fearfully.

"You won't!" Anakin yelled back, already in the midst of pulling his own suit own. "I'll protect you! Just put that spacesuit on!"

After a second of staring at Anakin's serious face, some of her fear started to disappear and be replaced with courage. If nothing else, Ahsoka trusted Anakin to do what he said. If he said he could protect her, he could and he would!

With some help from Anakin, she managed to pull her suit on fairly quickly, locking its helmet in place just as the wall to the bridge started to really turn red. Grabbing her hand, Anakin rushed down the corridor a short way, slamming every single blast door and ray shield he could as they rushed to the turbolift to the cargo bay. It wasn't a moment too soon.

As the doors to the turbolift closed, Ahsoka glimpsed liquid metal and fiery plasma suddenly rocketing down the hallway towards them. The closing blast doors did little to stop the conflagration and the ray shields were easily destroyed as the metals of the corridor were flash-heated. The turbolift dropped them down towards the cargo bay just seconds before the fiery death reached them.

Anakin all but shoved Ahsoka out of the turbolift with him as it reached the bay and its doors opened. But that proved to be a mistake, they'd rushed into a new situation blindly. The cargo bay was on fire, the many different supplies Havoc had been hoping to sell had not taken the battle well. Part of the reason it was so consumed with fire was that highly-pressurized and highly-flammable liquid Tibanna gas had been among the supplies.

Before she could panic, Ahsoka felt Anakin grab her from behind and pick her up. With a mighty jump that she could only assume was Force-powered, Anakin leapt them both over the flames towards the cargo bay doors. Perhaps ironically, that portion of the bay was the only one that wasn't on fire. Landing heavily, Anakin and Ahsoka both tripped and collapsed onto the hot, bucking floor.

Quickly pulling themselves to their feet, Ahsoka looked around fearfully. "What do we do now, Anakin?!"

"Ahsoka, do you trust me?" Anakin asked from where he was gazing at the bay door.

"Uh—Yeah, why?" she asked, uncertain and suddenly feeling a lot more scared.

"You're not gonna like this," he said bluntly as he reached down and grabbed her, wrapping her around his back. "But trust me! And, no matter what happens, don't let go of me!"

Before she could formulate a reply or protest, Anakin suddenly hit the bay door released. Once its pressure had been compromised, the powerful winds wrenched the doors clear off the ship. This also created a powerful vacuum that pulled Anakin, Ahsoka, and the flames outwards. The two younglings were safely pulled far enough away from the doomed vessel that the flames had no effect on them.

Despite the fact that they were falling at tremendous speeds, Anakin couldn't stop the slight smile of relief that crossed his face. They had finally fallen far enough through the atmosphere that he and Ahsoka wouldn't be burned from the friction. He had figured that out when he saw the lack of molten metal on the bay doors.

But his relief was short-lived as he spotted two Vulture droids swinging around to fly towards him and Ahsoka. 'They shot down the escape pod!' he remembered. 'They must not want any survivors to reach the surface!'

As the two droid fighters were bearing down on them, Anakin's fear turned into anger. He didn't want to die here. He didn't want Ahsoka to die here! They still had so much to do! He wouldn't let them die now! Reaching out with the Force, Anakin commanded it to lash out, to attack, to destroy the approaching machines. With his anger as fuel, his focus upon the droid fighters, he pointed his hands at each of them and unleashed the powerful attack forces upon them.

Two long arcs of Force lightning shot out of his hands, impacting the fighters once they were within range. The powerful electricity quickly overloaded the droids' systems, ignited their fuel tanks which exploded and ruptured their reactors. The two droids were destroyed within moments, sending deadly flaming shrapnel flying towards the two younglings. Anakin reflexively held his arms up in a feeble defense as the debris reached them, crying out agony as a piece of razor-sharp metal punctured his lower abdomen.

"Ani, look!" Ahsoka yelled over the comm. as she pointed off to the side, ignorant of the pain he was presently in. Gritting his teeth as he yanked the protruding metal shard from his waist, Anakin turned to see what Ahsoka was pointing at. Immediately, his own pain was forgotten as he realized just what was going to happen.

The Early Harvest was a huge, flaming wreck that was falling directly towards what seemed to be a large city below them. Racing up towards them were at least a dozen blue speeders that were probably hoping to somehow avert the imminent disaster, but Anakin could already see that it was a lost cause. 'If the Early Harvest hits at these speeds…!' "No, I won't let it happen!"

Anakin took a deep breath, reaching out and connecting with the Force. Given the circumstances, he wasn't all that surprised to find that his connection was established almost instantly. He raised his hands and spread his fingers wide. His eyes closed tightly against the fiery brightness of the plasma that was clinging to the Early Harvest's hull. With each bucking and shaking of the ship below him, he encouraged himself to ride with it instead of fighting it. He was part of the ship, not a passenger. He was the ship.

In the same way that he could feel his fingers and toes, his mind seeped outward into the metal and plastiod of the freighter. Every joint and weld, every porthole and piece of decking became part of his sense of being. There was no line anymore between Anakin Skywalker and the Early Harvest. They were one and the same being, from the perspective of the Force.

Then he sensed the arrival of a second, familiar presence immerging herself into the Force as well. Ahsoka, who remained clinging to his back, sought his calm and reassurance of their survival. He was able to spare a mere moment to 'pat' her reassuringly before returning his attention to his job at hand.

He waved his arms, and the ship followed the movement, listing slowly and heavily to the side. Some of the headlong shuddering faded, as though it were grateful to have someone at the helm one last time. Even the wind's shrieking seemed to ebb. Then he felt something tear away at the aft of the ship. Opening his eyes, Anakin spotted a large piece of flaming debris spinning dangerously back towards them. But before his concentration on the Early Harvest shifted so he could do anything to protect them from the impending death, Ahsoka reached out her hand and mind, telekinetically deflecting the fiery metal far away from them. Grinning back at her, he nodded in gratitude before returning his attention to the Early Harvest. The Early Harvest steadied itself again, finding a new center of gravity and roared on.

Confident that his vast metal charge was now under control again, he cast his mind outward. He was shocked by how far they had fallen. The Early Harvest was nearing the surface and the city below at alarming speeds. In the Force, Anakin sensed the freighter shudder as multiple tractor beams latched onto its hull and attempted to pull the flaming death trap away from the city below.

'Move,' he commanded the ship, pushing his hands outwards as he tried to figuratively and literally push the flaming freighter onto a different course. But the massive bulk of the ship didn't do anything more than shake. 'Move!' With a stronger push, he tried again. The freighter shook harder, but wasn't deterred in the least.

'I won't let this happen,' Anakin barked to himself. 'I am gonna be a true Jedi! If I can't stop a ship from crashing into a city, what good will be I be?!'

Taking several deep, calming breaths, he reached out again with the Force as he chanted his mother's philosophy in his head. 'There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.' His anger was a strong source of power, he knew. Using it, he focused it to add to his determination. 'There is no fear; there is power.' Exerting his strength, he pushed out again in the Force. He wouldn't let that ship hit! 'I am the heart of the Force.'

The Early Harvest started shaking more violently, slowly starting to inch off its previous course. As this was happening, the blue Naboo ships were finally having an effect on the ship, though not a good one. All their tractor beams had done was start tearing and bending the already weakened armor off the ship.

'I am the revealing light of fire.' But Anakin was happy with that unfortunate development, the less armor meant less mass, which made the freighter lighter and thus easier to move. 'I am the mystery of darkness.' Anakin let out a shout of exertion as his anger and impulse to save lives merged into one powerful determination. 'In balance with chaos and harmony!' With adrenaline flooding his body, acting like a stimulant, he pushed with all his might. 'Immortal in the Force!'

The Early Harvest was suddenly shoved far to the side, sent careening haphazardly through the air. Anakin had enough time to sigh in relief at his accomplishment before a sudden wave of exhaustion hit and, coupled with blood loss, he passed out.

A huge eruption heralded the impact of the freighter into the grass plains below the city and its massive waterfall. The earth and sky convulsed. A shockwave spread seemed to ripple outwards from the explosion as the fire and black smoke shot skywards.


Theed, Naboo
Royal Palace

"Wh-What happened?!" Padme demanded as she stared in surprise at the image.

She had been watching at the falling wreckage of what remained of the freighter on a holo-screen once it'd come within range. She, like everyone in the room and the city at large, had been quite certain that they were doomed to die. The speeders hadn't been able to launch as quickly as hoped, and by the time they'd managed to get their tractor beams on the ship, there wasn't much chance left of changing its trajectory. The speeder pilots reported that their tractor beams were doing nothing more than pulling portions of its melted hull and armor off of it. It was a completely hopeless situation.

Then, completely unexpectedly, the entire ship suddenly changed course as though it'd been hit by high-speed freight train. Spinning and flailing in an uncontrolled fashion as it dropped and crashed into the plains south of the city. The massive impact rocked the city like an earthquake and kicked up large cloud of black smoke and dust, but otherwise didn't affect the city.

Turning, she looked over at the holopad to see if there were anything on it that might explain the phenomenon.

"I don't know," one of the security men said. "We didn't do that! The speeders didn't either!"

"That looked like something the Jedi might've done," another said. "Using that 'Force' thing of theirs or whatever."

"Your Majesty!" a third called. "Speeder 34-8 reports to have found survivors!"

"What?!" Padme turned sharply towards the woman. "How? There weren't any more escape pods launched, were there?"

"Speeder 34-8 reports…" the woman trailed off as a look of uncertainty and incredulity crossed her face. "They report there are survivors are hanging off their portside wing! They must've jumped ship after it got low enough in the atmosphere. They're bringing them in as we speak."

"Do they have jetpacks or repulsorlifts or something on them?" Panaka asked, more than curious to the miraculous coincidence.

"They didn't say," the woman answered, still wearing that uncertain expression. "But I don't think they do."

"They must be either suicidal or unbelievably lucky," Panaka muttered to himself.

"What's their status?" Padme asked.

"Injured, badly," was the somewhat expected answer. "Speeder 34-8 reports to be heading for the hospital."


Thirty seconds earlier
Above Theed, Naboo

"Alright!" Ahsoka yelled over the comm., thrusting one arm out triumphantly at her brother's success. "You're awesome, Skyguy!" When she got no reply, she shook his shoulder, "Anakin?"

Turning him slightly, Ahsoka gasped as she saw that he was unconscious and had a blood gushing out of a hole in his waist, blowing up into the air. "Anakin, wake up!" But he didn't stir.

Looking around frantically, Ahsoka tried to find something that would help them. They were already incredibly close to the surface and would die within moments if she couldn't do something to save them. Spotting a nearby blue speeder, Ahsoka waved her hands about as she yelled over the comm., trying to get to pilot's attention. But it didn't seem to be working!

'No!' she screamed in her head. 'I don't wanna die now! Not after Ani just moved a whole ship to—!" That was when inspiration hit her.

She may not be strong enough to move whole spaceships yet, but she could definitely move both her and Anakin! With her fear and adrenaline working to amplify her strength and concentration, Ahsoka delved deeper into the Force than she'd gone previously. Grasping ahold of her and Anakin's bodies, she pulled them over towards the speeder.

Almost as if they were wearing jetpacks, the two of them shot off to the side towards the speeder. Reaching out with one hand, Ahsoka managed to grab one of the wings of the speeder. Doing so, they'd hit the thing with a considerable thump, sending a jolt of pain through her small body that made it very difficult for her to keep her hold on Anakin's body. Focusing her attention on her task and trying to ignore her pain with all her strength, she pulled Anakin up over the wing and held on for dear life.

Apparently, their impact on the wing hadn't gone unnoticed as a door on the side of the speeder suddenly opened and a man appeared, trying to move out towards them to help.


Radiant VII

"You can feel it too, can't you, Obi-wan?" Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn asked from where he was kneeling on the floor, meditating.

"Yes, master," Obi-wan answered. "One very powerful disturbance in the Force full of anger and determination, and second one full of fear. I think it's the same two I sensed earlier."

"And what do you make them?" Qui-gon asked, curious to his Padawan's response.

"I think they could be very dangerous," Obi-wan said quite seriously. "If they're not found and properly trained in the ways of the Force. They're walking down the path of the dark side."

"That may be," Qui-gon acknowledged, nodding his head slightly. "But I didn't sense any malicious intent from either of them. Only the will to survive and protect. These two are different. They feel…focused but wild, not controlled by their emotions but using them freely. What an interesting pair."

Obi-wan was quiet as he opened his eyes and looked over at his master. Qui-gon was always one to do as he wished, rarely ever obeying the wishes of the Jedi High Council. Though he kept within the limits of the Code, Qui-gon was always more willing to push the envelope of what was acceptable Jedi behavior, like his Master before him. Obi-wan didn't agree with this, but it wasn't his place to scold his master on his actions.

Turning his attention to a different topic, Obi-wan asked, "How long will it take us to reach the Naboo system at this speed, Master?"

"Five to seven days," the Jedi Master answered easily. "Depending the amount of traffic and any refueling stops the ship must make. Be patient, Obi-wan. I sense that we'll meeting those two sooner than we expect."

"Yes, master," Obi-wan said, kinda surprised at his master's comment. Did he know something that Obi-wan didn't?


(Author's Note) Big time shout-out to animefan29 for his help on this chapter. I'm really grateful for having a friend who's such a diehard Star Wars fan. I hope the rest of you enjoyed this chapter. I'm quite proud of it myself. In case any of you are curious, I was largely inspired for this from the game 'Force Unleashed II' and I'll say no more.

As for the trivia of last chapter, the answer is I used the pirate ship Early Harvest from my Gundam Seed Destiny: Kira. Looking back on it, I don't seem to treat that ship very well since I've now used it twice and destroyed it both times. Heheheh.