This is where some action starts, you can tell because of the word 'aggressive' in the title.

Chapter 3: Aggressive Negotiations

Anakin was growing impatient, and wondering why the hell Padmé was so relaxed. The Neimoidian Viceroy had not so much as sent a message that he was to be late, and Anakin along with Padmé had been kept waiting for nearly thirty minutes now. The droid TC-14 was now entering the room every five minutes and serving them fresh drink. Anakin did his best to hold his tongue and simply waited; assuming some news about Gunray's lateness would come in. However when TC-14 entered once again to serve them a fifth round of salty, tasteless drink that Neimoidians seemed to enjoy Anakin could not stop himself.

"Where is the Viceroy?" he snapped at the droid impatiently.

"The Viceroy will be along shortly." TC-14 replied smoothly in its cool female voice. "He is grateful that you keep your patience up."

"Fine, just leave, no more drinks if you please." Anakin said harshly.

"Of course, sir." the droid replied evenly, it then left the room, leaving him and Padmé alone.

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Anakin asked her.

"Honestly Anakin, do you ever listen to me, or briefing missions, or are they, or am I just uninteresting to you?" Padmé asked.

"I always listen to you, and you're interesting enough." Anakin replied playfully.

Padmé rolled her eyes. They constantly bickered like this, as did Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, except they bickered about how to handle tactical situations, and it was more like comedic arguing anyway, not how Anakin and Padmé talked at times like these… they were just… different.

"Well I suppose I have to remind you," Padmé said in feigned exasperation. "That Neimoidians are cowards. The Viceroy is probably just… building up his courage."

XxX

Captain Makakor snorted loudly in the cockpit of the Radiant VII; he was not a patient man. Lieutenant Williams looked at him in irritation.

"This is an important matter sir." Williams said, trying to sound respectful.

"I know, they were supposed to contact us when the negotiations began, obviously they have not and it's been nearly half an hour." Makakor snapped.

"You… don't think something could have happened to them… sir?" Williams asked, however Makakor was completely ignoring him. The Captain's gaze was fixed at something in the hanger; he was staring out of view ports.

"I think you need to be more worried about what is going to happen to us Williams." Makakor said gravely.

Utterly confused, the lieutenant followed the captain's gaze… to see… a turbo laser cannon lowering form the ceiling of the hanger!

"Dear Force!" Williams cried. "Shields—"

It was too late, the turbo laser fired off just two shots, and those two bolts of energy completely incinerated the entire front of the Radiant VII. The rest of the ship exploded into a mushroom cloud of fire as more shots were fired at it.

XxX

There was a disturbance in the Force. Anakin and Padmé instinctively shot up off their seats, activating their cerulean lightsabers when on their feet and holding them in a fighting stance.

"What was that?" Anakin asked.

"Our ship…" Padmé trailed off.

"They destroyed our ship!"

"I didn't think they would dare go that far."

"Obviously Gunray isn't going to come negotiate with us now."

"What are you proposing then?" Padmé asked.

"We take the negotiations to him."

However before Padmé could reply greenish, gray smoke began to pour from the vents in the room. Anakin shook his head, what a pathetic attempt to dispose of them, they would have been better off locking down the entire section of the ship and discharging it into space, then blowing it up with their turbo lasers. Anakin and Padmé exchanged glances.

"I believe it is time to employ aggressive negotiations." Anakin suggested.

"I think so," Padmé concurred. "But we have to get out of here."

The gas was now creating an ugly mist on the floor that was to their waists. Both Jedi sensed battle droids approaching.

"Hold your breath." Anakin said as the gas began to rise more rapidly, until it finally consumed them.

XxX

Several skinny battle droids approached the sealed door of the negotiation room, behind which two Jedi were likely suffocating. The droids raised their blasters slightly; they were programmed to be prepared. The apparent leader of these droids (the only one with any distinguishable or vibrant color, in this case a crimson stripe running down its head and back) drew a small comm device that seemed to have been clipped to its waist. There it waited for a moment, suddenly an image of Nute Gunray sprang to life, ready to give his orders.

"They must be dead by now." Gunray said. "Destroy what's left of them."

"Roger, roger," the captain droid replied as he cut the connection. He made an odd motion with his three fingered hand and two of his droid cronies approached the door, one on the right, the other on the left near the controls. When he motioned once more the remaining droids behind them cocked their blasters, ready to fire, he then shot his hand forward like a sharp blade slicing through the air, the battle droid near the controls responded by opening the circular doors.

They revealed a cloud of horrid looking gray-green gas, swirling around in a deadly cloud. The droids on either side of the door sprang around the corner and looking into the room, ready to fire.

It was then that two glowing, cerulean bars of energy sprang to life with electronic hums. The droids exchanged looks, one exclaimed "uh-oh" as the blue blades moved out of the gas and decapitated the droids near the door….

Two Jedi then sprang out of the cloud, on the captain's orders the droids opened fire. Their efforts were futile; the Jedi deflected every single one of their bolts into the wall. The male Jedi was the most aggressive. He leapt straight over the captain and rolled as he hit the floor, when he came out of it he was on one knee, his lightsaber thrust through the chest area of a battle droid. He pulled it to the left, tearing a gash out of the useless droid as it exited, he used it to cut the next droid in half, finally he spun and sliced the captain through his head, all the way to his groin area, effectively splitting the droid in two parts. Padmé had killed all the rest by turning their own blaster fire against them.

"I see the Viceroy employs aggressive negotiations too." Anakin commented. "What do you think, she we arrest him, or just have a little chat?"

"Both?" Padmé suggested. "I'm game."

"Okay," Anakin replied. "I'm with you."

XxX

Nute Gunray and Rune Haako were now both pacing the bridge of the Saak'ak nervously. The droids had not reported in yet, they should have by now. Finally the Viceroy could not take it anymore, he had to ask.

"Give me a report on those droids!" he shouted to no one in particular.

"They are not answering their comms." the Neimoidian in the control chair reported gravely. "Security cameras show them escaping the room! They are no match for our battle droids!"

"Noooo!" Gunray cried nervously, like a frightened child. "They must be coming… seal the bridge! Bring some droidekas over here now!"

XxX

It was a rather easy task, making their way to the bridge. Anakin and Padmé were able to cut down every skinny little battle droid in sight as though they were nothing but still, non weapon yielding trees. Both Jedi left a trail of strewn metal parts in their wake and finally found themselves at the sealed blast door that led into the bridge which was right at the intersection of three hallways. Several battle droids were sprinting towards them from the left. Anakin deflected the laser bolts as they opened fire while Padmé plunged her cerulean blade into the middle of the bridge's blast door.

The droids let out an unrelenting volley of fire and they began to approach Anakin, he effectively and easily parried all their bolts. However frail the droids might be they were programmed with semi… okay tactics. However they were stupid enough to continue walking while firing until they were in jumping distance from Anakin. The Padawan Jedi leapt forward, landing right in front of the droid group, he took the first three in front out with one slash from his blade, once they fell he stabbed the one to the right, deflected a bolt the one to the left squeezed off and then sliced its head off.

Anakin glanced back at Padmé who was still cutting away at the blast door.

"Could you hurry up?" Anakin asked as two more droids began to charge.

"Would you prefer that I took out the droids while you opened the door?" Padmé asked snappily.

"No! I like…" Anakin trailed off as he sliced one droid's head off and then used the Force to push the other into the wall where it practically shattered. He vaguely wondered why Gunray had not been… assassinated or something, employing such skimpy, frail droids as security. "These little confrontations, cutting down doors is just… dull."

"Everything to you is dull."

"You aren't."

XxX

For a moment Nute Gunray looked as though he would explode, and it seemed as though his eyes were about to shoot from their sockets as the Viceroy stared at the bridge blast doors in terror.

"They're coming through!" he cried in alarm. "Close the secondary blast doors."

The green being in the control chair gave some sort of acknowledgement and three more blast doors closed, it looked as though the end of the cerulean lightsaber that had cut a half circle in the first door was crushed. Gunray felt a slight moment of triumph, however he turned a sick pink color as the blast doors began to melt.

"They are still coming through!" Rune Haako cried in fear as a large, molten chunk of the door crashed to the ground.

"Where are those droidekas!"

XxX

Anakin killed yet another droid with its own blaster fire, Padmé was nearly finished opening the door, she could clearly see into the bridge. She was just about to employ the use of the Force when the noise of clattering metal filled the halls.

"Padmé, destroyers!" Anakin shouted.

The female Jedi Padawan turned to face three rolling circles headed straight for them from the hall opposite the doors. She held her lightsaber in a ready position as the metal circles stopped, and hastily transformed into wicked looking droids with blasters for arms that sat on three spiked legs. Sheild bubbles appeared around them suddenly and they promptly opened fire.

Both Jedi raised their blades to parry the oncoming storm of laser bolts. However they discovered that the droids shields were quite effective at absorbing continuous blaster fire, even their own which the Jedi were deflecting back at them. It was time for a new tactic Anakin decided. He took several steps toward the droid to the left which was currently pummeling him with a barrage of blaster fire.

"What are you doing?" Padmé asked in alarm.

"Testing them," Anakin replied quickly. The moment he was in reach of the droid he slashed at its shield with his lightsaber, the blow was stopped however by that evil bubble of energy.

"Results?" Padmé asked in irritation as the fire from her droid intensified, she could clearly hear a Neimoidian in the bridge shout: "They're no match fro droidekas!"

"We can't hit them." Anakin replied, but I'm not done. Padmé was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about, however he let one hand off of his twirling lightsaber, gathered the Force around it, and pushed it at the destroyer droid. The horrible machine flew into the air, shield flickering. Apparently the droids could not maintain their shields while airborne. Padmé realized this too and promptly sent her metal opponent flying. The droids did not have a chance, the moment they hit the ground cerulean lightsabers were driven through their chests. Anakin smiled from his victory and both Jedi turned to continue hacking at the blast doors; however the moment they reached them the sound of more droidekas and the marching of battle droids filled the hall. Both Jedi looked to the left, they were alarmed to see at least a dozen more destroyer droids speedily rolling towards them with an army of maybe thirty battle droids running in their wake.

"Time to leave." Anakin suggested.

"I agree." Padmé replied.

Both Padawans turned to the right, gathered the Force around them and used it to aid them in their escape, sprinting at superhuman speed down the hall. They were around the corner and out of sight before the droidekas even unfolded themselves.

The alarmed shrieks of Nute Gunray then filled the hallway.

"I want those Jedi found!"