Part 1 of the Black Hand Novels. When the Force binds two hearts together, nothing can be done to change its will. Or stop the chain of events triggered by their love, and the consequences will shake the foundations of an Order, and bring a galaxy to its knees. Rated T for later violence. AU TPM
Disclaimer: The characters and general TPM plotline belong to George Lucas and Terry Brooks, the latter from whom I've taken some elements of his novelization to heart. I do, however, own any characters you do not recognize. I am also making no money from this shameful attempt to re-create Georgie-boy's master prequel. Reviews, not flames, would be appreciated and taken seriously.
/ Text / denotes mental thought
Text denotes MindspeechThe Guise of Fate
Chapter 4
As soon as the lights of Otoh Gunga had disappeared from sight, Qui-Gon and Obi-wan looked at Jar Jar.
"Wot?" asked the Gungan, terrified of the world outside the bongo's hull, "Wotta yousa lookin at me?"
"You're the navigator, Jar Jar," his friend answered patiently, staring at the view in front of them. She'd never been this far down before, "So navigate."
Jar Jar shook his head as he looked around, mumbling to himself, "Dis'n nutsy. Oh, goba fish!"
"Why were you banished, Jar Jar?" asked Obi-wan, curious despite himself.
"Yes," said Alia, turning in her seat to look hard at her friend, "I'd like to hear that as well."
"It's a long-o tell-o," answered Jar Jar, slumping his shoulders slightly in embarrassment, "But uh, a small part would be mesa…ah….clumsy."
"You were banished because you were clumsy?"
"Uh, yousa might-en be sayen dat."
The bongo turned downward, moving through the open stretch of water between two coral shelves. Unseen by Alia, the Gungan, or the Jedi, a dark shape detached itself from the larger outcropping, using its powerful muscles to aid in tracking them. Meanwhile, Jar Jar squirmed under Alia's piercing eyes.
"Mesa cause mebbe one oo two-ee itty bitty axident-ees, eh?" he said, fidgeting, "You'd say, boom da gasser, crash der Bosses' heyblibber, den banished."
Alia groaned, sinking her head into her hands. When she looked up, it was to Obi-wan staring quizzically at her reaction.
"Trust me," she said, shaking her head, "You do not want to know."
Before Obi-wan could ask for clarification, there was a loud thump as something struck the bongo, causing it to lurch to one side.
"Oh-oh!" said Jar Jar looking back, his eyes popping, "Big gooba fish! Huuge-o ting!"
Alia could only hold on, praying silently as they were drawn back farther into the opee sea killer's mouth. Obi-wan struggled with the controls, giving the engines as much power as possible, but the grip of the sea killer's tongue was too strong. With a sudden rush, the bongo was released, and the little ship shot forward.
"Wesa free!" cried the Gungan happily.
But a quick look backward revealed that they were lucky for a different reason. The sea killer had been caught in the jaws of a much larger sea creature. The long, eel-like hunter was crunching the sea killer into tiny bits as the bongo sped away.
"There's always a bigger fish," remarked Qui-Gon offhandedly. The result was Alia turning her head back to him, incredulous, and he found himself giving her a smile, enigmatic smile, which to his surprise, she returned.
Above the blue-green planet, a figure in dark robes was being transmitted into a holoprojector on the Trade Federation command ship.
"The invasion is on schedule, my lord," said Nute Gunray, bowing his head.
The black-cloaked figure, shimmering on the projector, nodded his head slightly.
"I have the Senate bogged down in procedure," he said, his voice flat and emotionless, "They will have no choice but to accept your control of the system."
"The Queen has great faith that the Senate will side with her," remarked Nute Gunray, his hesitation apparent even to the distant eyes of the Sith Lord.
"Queen Amidala is young and naïve," he sneered, "You will find controlling her will not be difficult."
"Yes, my lord," Nute replied, bowing his head once more. As the transmission ended and the holoprojection of the Sith faded, Rune Haako looked incredulous at his superior.
"You didn't tell him about the missing Jedi," he accused
"No need to report that until we have something to report," replied the Viceroy, terrified at what the Sith Lord might do if he found out that the Jedi were alive and on the planet he was supposed to be controlling.
The blades of the Gungan ship spun, as they propelled downward into the chasms that led to the planet core.
"Where wesa go-en?" asked Jar Jar, somewhat recovered from the sando aqua monster scare.
"Don't worry," replied Qui-Gon confidently, "The Force will guide us."
"Ooh, maxi big, da Force," scoffed Jar Jar, "Well dat smell stinkawhiff."
All at once the controls began to blink and fade. Taking his concentration from where they were going, Obi-wan glanced down at the readout screen, his annoyance rising as he discovered the source of their problem.
"We're losing power."
"Oh, no," Jar Jar moaned, putting his head in his hands, terrified of the horrors that might be lurking in the shadows.
"Look what you did," hissed Alia, jabbing him in the stomach as Obi-wan set them down at the bottom of a cave.
"Don't worry; we're not in trouble, yet," Qui-Gon said reassuringly, confident in the guidance of the Force.
"Wot yet?" Jar Jar retorted as his hands thumped onto his lap, his eyes swerving around, "Monsters out dare, leakin in here, all sinkin and no power? When-a yousa tinken wesa in twubble!"
Sparks flew suddenly as Obi-wan rerouted the power circuit, bypassing the main coupling, and the controls blinked back on.
"Power's back," he said.
The exterior lighting came on suddenly, illuminating the long, sharp teeth of a colo claw fish that had been sleeping nearby. Opening its eyes, it snarled at them, its eel-like scales glinting iridescent in the water-fractured light.
"Right about now," Alia whispered, as Obi-wan gunned the engines and Jar Jar convulsed in his seat, shrieking into her ears, nearly ripping through his restraining bolt in his panic as the underwater predator gave chase.
They sped through the caves, the sea monster gaining on them until Alia suddenly pulled Obi-wan toward her, causing the controls in his hands to swerve to the right. As the younger Jedi shook her off, he realized where she had taken them as a creature even larger than their pursuer loomed before them, the decibel level of the sando aqua monster's roar causing the little ship to tremble. Trying to compensate for the amount of thrust, he pulled back hard on the controls, forcing the bongo upward, just managing to clear the mouth of the water predator, whose jaws clamped down hard on the tail of the claw fish.
Following the trail of their inadvertent savior's spine, Obi-wan sent the ship farther downward, leveling them out as they passed through yet another part of the cavernous environment. He cast a glare in Alia's direction, which she promptly ignored, the shock of their escape still running through her system. Jar Jar didn't seem to be holding up too well, either, as he continued to shriek and spasm despite their escape.
"Just relax," Qui-Gon said calmly, invoking the Force as he placed a hand upon Jar Jar's shoulder, sending the Gungan into a deep state of relaxation, promptly knocking him unconscious.
"I think you over did it," remarked Obi-wan, still feeling a little resentment at the girl's sudden taking of the controls.
As Qui-Gon was about to place a hand on Alia's shoulder as well, she grabbed his fingers tightly in her own, turning back to stare at him with wide, shaking eyes.
"You don't need to do that," she said, the adrenaline still pumping in her veins.
A jolt of electricity passed between them as she snatched his hand, and almost without realizing it, Qui-Gon reversed their positions, and caught her fingers in his own grip. She looked back at him uncertainly for a long moment, before he realized what he was doing and immediately released her. As she turned back to the front of the ship, he was wracked by the familiarity he sensed in her. She knew him, and he knew her, but he couldn't remember how. Shaking his head to himself, he caught his Padawan's questioning glance.
Master, are you alright? Something had disturbed him, and Obi-wan was certain that it had something to do with the girl they had brought along.
It is nothing, Padawan. I will speak of it later. Now was not the time to explain his misgivings, not when they had a mission to complete. If they didn't reach the Naboo in time…Qui-Gon did not care to think of what would happen to the young Queen.
Once more they sped toward the planet's core, this time with the Gungan half-sedated, allowing Qui-Gon an ample amount of time to ponder over his observations of the girl. Since their meeting he had been aware of the Force's presence within her, and it puzzled him. He had never seen such a concentration of power in an individual before, and was curious as to what it meant. No, not curious; the feeling was more than that, if only he could just identify what it was. But it evaded his mind, and its teasing was frustrating. Focusing his mind, he stared at the back of her head, remembering the near-electric color of her eyes.
He had wanted to know what those eyes looked like, but now, he thought that perhaps he had discovered the reason for her dodging of his questions back in Otoh Gunga, and became conscious of the fact that she had known she'd be familiar to him. The insight surprised him, and looking at her now, he felt that there was more to her than met the eye. Snapping back to reality, he realized that his fixation with her was making his apprentice uncomfortable, and sent a thought of reassurance along their bond.
In time the little group found themselves passing through the porous structure of the core, coming out the other side in relatively one piece, though the integrity of the protective hydrostatic fields was partially compromised. Flipping a switch to send more power to the fields, Obi-wan hoped it wasn't long before they reached the surface, allowing them to continue their mission and be rid of his disturbing seatmate as soon as possible.
Up the terraced steps leading from the central plaza lay the Palace of Theed, a work of art built by thousands of Nubian hands, and erected as a monument to peace. With wide windows and large hallways, and the hundreds of hand-carven, hand-painted, and hand-woven gifts of the people, to many it was held as a symbol of the Naboo culture and future legacy. But its wide windows and large hallways were no longer a place of solace and beauty; their splendor and magnificence had become a mere prison to those trapped inside. Her face expressionless, Queen Amidala and her attendants were being led through the Great Hall, its artwork and beauty seeming out of place to the prisoners. Their steps echoed off the high, vaulted ceilings, the gentle staccato doing nothing to hide the clanking of their armed escorts.
The Queen's eyes, however, were not looking at the tribute of her people, nor were her ears deafened by the footsteps of the droids; instead, her dark eyes were trained on the back of Governor Bibble, who was arguing loudly to the Neimoidian who dared invade her world.
"Viceroy, I ask you point-blank," he blustered, "How do you plan to explain this invasion of yours to the Senate?"
With growing hatred behind her expressionless eyes, the Queen watched as the Neimoidian smiled with satisfaction.
"The Queen and I will sign a treaty that will legitimize our occupation of this planet. I have assurances that it will be ratified by the Senate."
"I will not cooperate," said the stoic figure in gold and black.
A brief flicker of annoyance passed through Nute Gunray's eyes, but the Viceroy soon shook off his unease.
"Now, now, Your Highness," he purred, "In time the suffering of your people will change your mind."
He turned away, beckoning to one of the battle droids.
"Commander," he ordered languidly, "Process them."
Its metal head nodding in response, droid OOM-9 signaled to one of its subordinates.
"Sergeant," said OOM-9, its metallic voice empty and grating, "Take them to camp Four."
"Roger, roger."
Her eyes lowered to hide her helpless anger, a heavy depression settled over the heart of the young Queen as she and her companions were led from the sunlit walls of the Palace, the echoes of their footsteps serving as a hollow reminder that no time of peace could last forever.
The prisoners were taken across the plaza, empty now of all but the most persistent inhabitants, who spread their wings and took flight at their approach. Single droid platforms hummed this way and that across their path, shadows flitting along the walls as the droid sergeant turned the procession down a quiet byway, marching indifferent to the fate that was certain for the officials in his care.
Just above them, two Jedi, a woman, and a hapless Gungan were making their way to the prisoners. Making sure that Jar Jar was keeping up, Alia kept her breathing even and quiet as she followed the Jedi, wondering what on Naboo they were planning on doing, though the way they held their hands to their belts did much to confirm her suspicions. Suddenly they stopped, and peeking over the edge, Alia, fingering the sticks at her belt, watched as a woman who had to be the Queen and her entourage turned into the empty street. Qui-Gon glanced at Obi-wan and nodded slightly. Without warning they were over the edge and dropping to the ground, landing with grace and fearless as they immediately began cutting apart the armed escort.
Without hesitation Alia followed them, with Jar Jar following her and getting his foot stuck in the process, the result being that he hung in space for a few moments before landing with a graceless thud. Eyeing the droid nearest where she stood, Alia whipped out her climbing sticks, catching the hook around the head in a swift killing blow, only to be jarred rudely as the metal casing of the battle droid clinked against the force of the blow.
A trace of panic passed through her, but she quickly forced it down as she took stock of what she had. Bringing the curved portion of the climbing stick forward with astonishing speed, she brought her foot out and slammed it into the droid's neck, severing the command-connection formed by the Central Control Computer chip housed in its brain. Returning to the fight, she watched out of the corner of her eye as the Jedi swung their blades around with deadly accuracy, often cutting two droids at a time in half. With renewed vigor and confidence, she swung the sticks in her hands again and again, bringing the droids closer to her and swiping their heads from their humanoid shoulders. Firing their range weapons proved useless as she danced around the blasts, scissoring her legs up and around the flying energy to snake around their exposed necks.
Tingles of the Force ran through her blood as she fought, the sounds of metal scraping stone confirming that the Jedi were not relying on their strength of swordplay alone. Within a few short minutes, the droids were reduced to piles of smoking scrap metal or lying headless on the ground. Switching off his lightsaber, Qui-Gon kept the blade in his hand as he glanced around the alleyway.
"We should leave this street, You Highness," he said, acting as if he hadn't just fought off a dozen battle droids.
The Naboo took his advice once the shock of being freed had worn off. Once they had been led from the open street, into the shelter offered by an alley between two buildings, the older Jedi turned to face the Queen.
"We are ambassadors from the Supreme Chancellor," began the Jedi.
"Your negotiations seemed to have failed, Ambassador," observed Sio Bibble with a snort.
"The negotiations never took place," replied Qui-Gon patiently, before turning his eyes again to the Queen, "It is urgent that we make contact with the Republic."
"They've knocked out all our communications," said the dark-skinned chief of security.
"Do you have transports?" asked Qui-Gon, never missing a beat, taking the setback in stride.
"In the main hangar," said the Naboo captain, motioning with his arm, "This way."
As Captain Panaka was speaking to the Jedi Master, Obi-wan fell behind to where Alia was standing with Jar Jar.
"That was an interesting display of skill you demonstrated for us," he murmured in a low voice.
"Shut your trap," said Alia with uncharacteristic crudeness and ferocity.
He looked at her, a smug smile on his face.
"Your weapons are impractical."
"And since when did I pretend to be practical?" she flung back at him, embarrassed enough that she'd forgotten that droids weren't as easily dispatched with a natural resource like wood as organics.
Giving the hooks one last twirl, she slid them back into the sheaths strapped to her back, and reached into her boot. As she bent down, Obi-wan was surprised to see her retrieve a blaster. Its shiny chrome surface glinted silver in the sunlight. Her sharp eyes caught the interest he paid to her weapon.
"It's a pistol," she explained, holding it up and out to him as she stood.
"I can see that!" he replied, angry at her mocking tone. He took the blaster anyway, passing a hand along the barrel. He looked up at her, surprise and slight admiration in his voice, "You've made some adjustments."
"Now, you know it's impossible, not to mention illegal, to modify Westar blasters," she answered, her eyes twinkling slightly, "Unless you happen to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a few tricks…"
He laughed at her expression, surprising both her and himself. He didn't usually laugh with someone who wasn't a Jedi; rarely did anyone else understand his humor. Controlling himself, he gave the pistol back to her, despite his desire to sit down with it and discover its added secrets. Alia hadn't missed his eager expression at the sight of her transformed Westar-34, and wondered why he shut down so quickly. His laughter had been nice; while it wasn't full-blown, it had been warm, and his slight smile had sent tiny shivers along the small of her back. Respecting his privacy, however, she decided to lighten the slightly depressing mood that had fallen.
"I suppose it meets your expectations?" she said, slipping her fingers around the handle.
Dismissing him from her mind, she pulled up the hand holding the blaster, rotating it as she measured the sight, squinting slightly as she did so. Looking up, she found him staring at her, an unfathomable expression on his face. Flustered, she managed to cover her discomfort with false bravado.
"Let's go, Jedi-boy; I think we're the rear."
His eyes snapped back into focus, and she almost regretted seeing their color change from that intense crystal blue-green to a just as intriguing shade of grey. He grabbed her free arm and pulled her with him. Offended, she wrenched her arm free, smiling sweetly at his glare.
"You need both hands for your lightsaber, don't you?" she said, switching on the energy cell that powered her blaster. / Yep; kind of need that. /
They quickly made their way back up to their group, the Captain leading them through a series of connected buildings that dominated one end of a broad causeway, each one domed and cavernous, the central structure warded by arched entrances and low, flat-walled buildings. Despite their haste, Alia was able to admire the workmanship that must've gone into their creation; they were works of art as well as sound in structure. Battle droids were stationed everywhere, weapons held at the ready, but the Captain was able to find an unguarded approach down a narrow corridor between adjoining buildings. At a side door to the main hangar, Captain Panaka brought the group to a halt. / Damnit, what now/ Alia wasn't tired, but she could see the difficult time the governor appeared to be having. Not a surprise, considering the weight of the formal robes he was wearing; no small feat to be able to carry that amount of cloth and keep up with two fast-paced Jedi.
She watched as Captain Panaka nudged open the door, and saw him peer inside, the older Jedi glancing over his head. A handful of Naboo ships were grouped together at the center of the hangar, sleek gleaming transports with their noses facing a wide opening in the far wall.
"There're too many of them," said Panaka, taking in the number of the battle droids positioned across the hangar interior.
"That won't be a problem," replied Qui-Gon confidently, turning to face the young woman dressed in black, "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."
She shook her head, the black feathers of her headdress rustling softly. Holding his gaze, she replied:
"Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is with my people."
"They will kill you if you stay," Qui-Gon responded, locking eyes with her.
"They wouldn't dare!" exclaimed Governor Bibble.
Alia looked at him and wondered at his having acquired such a political position, yet somehow retain his innocence.
"They need her to sign a treaty, to make this invasion of theirs legal," Panaka added, "They can't afford to kill her."
/ Ah, so that's it, then. /
"There is something else behind all this, Your Highness," pressed Qui-Gon, "There's no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."
His words carried a greater magnitude than he probably realized, Alia thought, looking around. A shadow of real alarm had fallen across the governor's face as the Jedi Master finished.
"Perhaps you should reconsider, Your Highness," he said slowly, "Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us. Senator Palpatine will need your help."
Alia was surprised to see the Queen look away from the governor, her chief of security, and the Jedi, turning toward the handmaidens who were pressed close about her.
"Either choice presents great danger," she said slowly, looking into the eyes of each attendant, "To us all."
Both Qui-Gon and Obi-wan glanced at each other, puzzled. What was the Queen looking for? Alia admired the young woman's compassion, and watched as the handmaidens looked at one another, their faces barely visible within the confines of their orange-hooded robes. Finally, one spoke:
"We are brave, Your Highness."
Alarms continued to sound, and Alia's foot began to twitch. / Let's go already, before we're found and fried. /
"If you are to leave, Your Highness, it must be now," said Qui-Gon, his patience growing thin.
"Then I will plead our case to the Senate," was the Queen's reply before glancing at Sio Bibble: "Be careful, Governor."
The Jedi moved through the side door and into the hangar, leading the way for Jar Jar, Alia, and the Naboo. Obi-wan noticed that the woman stayed close to the Gungan, and a thought strayed across his mind, too quick for him to grasp. Captain Panaka moved next to them, his dark face intense.
"We'll need to free those pilots," he said, gesturing to where a group of Naboo were being held captive by a squad of battle droids. Qui-Gon noted that the insignia on their uniforms marked them as a mix of guards, mechanics, pilots, and even medics.
"I'll take care of it," Obi-wan declared, and veered off toward the Naboo captives.
Alia felt a sudden sense of panic as she realized finally the danger they were in. Glancing quickly from side to side, she switched the hand carrying the pistol, leaving her right arm free at her side. / I can fire nearly as well with my left, thanks to Matis/ she thought, beginning to make slight twirling motions inside her sleeve. / I can't let them be killed before I have a chance to talk with them. / She was rationalizing, and she knew it. / I'll deal with my reasons later. / she thought, releasing the safety on her blaster; in the folds of her sleeve, her fingers curled into a circle.
Qui-Gon and the rest continued on, despite the tingling the Jedi Master felt in the back of his mind. Someone was using the Force, far differently than he had ever encountered before. Whoever they were, it didn't appear to be harmful, and they were twenty meters from the Queen's transport when the nearest of the battle droids challenged them.
"Halt."
Its mechanical voice grated on Alia's nerves; she had never liked many droids: their lack of humanity unnerved her.
"I am ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor," said Qui-Gon patiently, "I'm taking these people to Coruscant."
"Where are you taking them?"
/ This is why I don't like droids. /
"To Coruscant."
The droid seemed to mull this over.
"Coruscant, uh, that doesn't compute, uh, wait, um you're under arrest."
The droid was scrap metal in seconds, dissected by Qui-Gon's lightsaber. More droids rushed to stop the Jedi, but Alia and Panaka's men had begun firing, giving cover to the young Queen and her handmaidens as they rushed up the ramp and into the ship. On the other side of the hangar, Obi-wan had vaulted into the air, knocking down a group of droids in his descent. Swinging his blue blade in a circle around his head, he slashed at the firing battle droids.
"Go!" he yelled to the captives, bringing the blade up to block a blaster bolt.
They didn't need to be told twice; as Alia continued firing, she watched as some of the captives ran toward the hangar doors, and others raced toward their ship. Suddenly a searing pain passed through her shoulder, causing her to cry out. Qui-Gon whipped his head around in time to see her clutch her right shoulder with the hand holding onto a silver pistol. Her head twisted upward, and she looked around at the droids beginning to surround them. She switched hands, pressing her right hand to her shoulder, despite the awkward feeling. The other rose and fired: Qui-Gon's eyes followed the shot as it penetrated the droid's shielding and reduced it to smoldering metal. Blaster fire whizzing by his head brought his attention back to the moment.
Pulling her hand from her chest, Alia was startled to find that it was red with blood. She stood, transfixed, until she heard the unmistakable sound of rolling balls, and looked up to find that two new droids had entered the fight. She had never seen models like these. They were spherical in shape, attached to spindly legs that emerged after they ceased to roll, reminding her of destroyer droids. For a second neither moved, then Alia saw the running captives and reacted, firing at the droids, her shots bouncing off their charged shielding. She began to panic, and quickly increased the power voltage, firing again. One of the droids reacted, tilting its mechanical head backward, and lobbed what appeared to be a giant ball of solid particles. Narrowing her eyes, Alia, targeted the ball and fired, shattering the particle-ball and scattering its fragments, and its cargo, around the hangar, and toward the royal transport.
Hidden from the naked eye, hundreds of tiny, membrane-bound organisms washed over the woman's body, only one managing to latch onto a piece of skin that had been partially burned away, and attach itself to the inside of her wound, the combination of blood and tissue stimulating its latent programming.
With the remaining captives now behind her, she raised her blaster's power cell to maximum and fired again. At the whine that sounded in the opposite direction, Obi-wan looked up from helping defend his Master and saw that two droids had entered from what had been a side door. One of them had already been reduced to a pile of sparking parts, and the other was soon blown to pieces. Sharing a glance with the Jedi, Alia holstered her pistol in her boot, and ran to the ship, pressing her left hand to her shoulder wound. Unnoticed, the fingers of her red right hand began to curl, repeating their motions from before, until they shaped into a circle.