"Are we still far from the city?" Qui-Gon asked Jar-Jar as the four of them could hear Trade Federation transport moving in the background.
"Wesa gonna go underwater, okay?" Jar-Jar replied. The three Force-users quickly took re-breather from their belt before Jar-Jar continued. "Mesa warn you. Gungans don't like strangers. Don't
expict a wern welcome."
"Don't worry, this hasn't been our day for warm welcome." Obi-Wan replied.
The Force users followed Jar-Jar who had entered the lake jumping and doing a double somersault dive into the water.
As the three Force-users and the gungan enter the city they are 'arrested' by four guards armed with long electro-poles.
"Heyo-dalee, Cap'n Tarpals, Mesa back!" Jar-Jar said while looking at an older looking gungan.
"Noah gain, Jar Jar. Yousa goen tada Bosses. Yousa in big dudu this time." Tarpals answered while slightly zapping Jar-Jar.
"Well it seems that Jar-Jar wasn't kidding." Freya said telepathically to the two jedi.
"Why?" Both jedi asked in their mind.
"Quite, simple their though are all over the place. Seems like his clumsiness nearly-killed or killed someone if you ask me." Freya responded as the four dripping figure followed the guards toward these bosses.
The four of them where lead into a high tower where the gungans officials assembled. After sometime Qui-Gon managed to convinced the gungan named Boss Nass to give them a vehicle as well allowing him to let Jar-Jar come with them much to the displeasure of Freya who could sense the oncoming headaches.
The vehicle they were given was called a bongo and it was a submarine. The travel toward the planet's core was relatively peaceful until they were attacked by a luminous sea killer.
"Well that's one way to die, I guess." Freya said with deadpanned face as she noticed the fish that had caught them with its tongue.
"Full ahead." Qui-Gon told to the gungan who Instead of full ahead, jams the controls into reverse.
"You moron that's reverse." Freya screamed at the gungan.
"Give me the controls" Obi-Wan said as Jar-Jar tried to excuse himself to the sith lord aboard.
As Obi-Wan takes over the controls and the open sea killer instantly releases the sub from its mouth.
"Wesa free" Jar-Jar said.
"Well there is always a bigger fish in the sea." Freya stated as she noticed the bigger sea killer.
Meanwhile aboard the Trade Federation battleship Nute and Rune stand before a hologram of Darth Sidious.
"The invasion is on schedule, My Lord." said Nute Gunray.
"Good. I have the Senate bogged down in procedures. By the time this incident comes up for a vote, they will have no choice but to accept your control of the system." Sidious stated.
"The Queen has great faith the Senate will side with her." Nute replied.
"Queen Amidala is young and naive. You will find controlling her will not be difficult. You have done well, Viceroy." Sidious answered.
"Thank you, My Lord." said Nute Gunray as Darth Sidious fades away.
"You didn't tell him about the missing Jedi?" Rune asked.
"No need to report that to him, until we have something to report." Nute answered.
After finally arriving in the city of Theed, the three Force-users as well as clumsy and annoying gungan made their way through the city streets. Freya was hopping for the gungans that Jar-Jar was the exception in terms of genetics.
As she was muttering curses, Obi-Wan spotted the Queen and her retinue. She was accompanied by four handmaiden as well as five of her security officer and an adviser. The group was escorted by twelve battle droids.
Freya couldn't believe how lazy the Trade where with their invasion if it was an imperial invasion whoever lead it would have been quickly executed for incompetence. "Here there's an ambush point" Freya said while pointing to a covered balcony connecting two building.
"Good thinking" Qui-Gon said understanding Freya's plan.
The droids didn't have time to react once they reached bellow the balcony. Six where destroyed by Freya use of Ataru and her double bladed lightsaber and before long the rest was dispatch by two jedi accompanying her while one was crushed by Jar-Jar weight.
The Queen and her retinue were shocked, they couldn't believe what had happen. Captain Panaka was the first to regain his wits ordering his men to take the fallen droids blaster.
Qui-Gon ushered the Queen and her entourage out of sight between two building. "Your highness, we are the chancellor's ambassador" He said slightly bowing.
"Your negotiation seems to have failed ambassadors." Sio Bibble, the Queen head adviser, pointed out.
"They never took place, your Highness. They never intended to negotiate." Freya said before continuing. "If the Trade Federation is doing a half decent job they must have jammed any form of communication, do you have any other mean to contact the republic?"
"They did cut off our communication, but we have star-ships in the main hangar, follow me." Captain Panaka replied as alarms started to wail.
Captain Panaka opened the side door of the hangar where the Naboo ships were stored. Inside he could see a group of ground crew and pilots being held captive by a platoon worth of droids.
He turned toward the jedi master, a grim look on his face. "There are too many of them."
"That won't be a problem." Qui-Gon replied before turning toward the Queen. "Your Highness under the circumstances you should come with us to Coruscant."
"Thank you for your offer but my place is with my people." the Queen replied firmly.
"They will kill you if you stay." Qui-Gon stated bluntly.
"They wouldn't dare." Sio Bibble said.
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion legal, she is to valuable." Panaka clarified.
"And once they have their treaty, there will be nothing stopping them from disposing of you your Highness." Freya stated, their idleness was getting to her because of their proximity to the enemy forces.
"Beside the Federation action are illogical. You should come with us to Coruscant at least your people would have a better chance at survival." Freya said in tone that indicated that she knew what she was talking about.
"I will come with you master jedi" the Queen conceded albeit with reluctance.
"Getting past their blockade will be impossible." Panaka stated.
"I will stay here your Highness and I will what I can, but you must get the senate help." Sio Bibble said.
"If you are to leave your Highness, it must be now." Qui-Gon said in a firm yet reassuring voice.
"Then I will plead our cause to the senate." the Queen answered.
"Alright then, I will take care of the droids and the pilots while you make sure the Queen and her retinue to her ship." Freya said to Qui-Gon.
"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Obi-Wan asked the Captain Panaka agreeing silently to the padawan question.
"Don't worry, it's not a bunch of droid that will scare me. Beside I am sure I won't break a sweat." Freya answered in a flirtatious tone.
When Freya entered the hangar most of the battle droids immediately started going to approach her while six of them kept watch on the pilots. The sith raised her right arm as electricity started to gather along her forearm, then suddenly trust her arm forward finger outstretch and bolt of chain lightning jumped from her arm to the closest droid and then to the next until only the six guarding the pilot remain.
They reacted immediately opening fire on the sith but to no avail as Freya simply deflect the blaster bolt with the force before unleashing a second surge of lightning destroying the remaining droids.
With a single motion of her left hand she unlocked the cuff of the pilots who started to board the Queen's personal ship and prepared it for take off as the rest of the group made their way inside the hangar.
"Your Highness it is time we left – your transport await." Freya said with a slight bow.
The Royal Cruiser managed to speed away from the Federation blockade but not without damage. Its shield generator was brought down and if not for the effort of the on-board astromech things would have been very different.
Ric Olie the ship's pilot turned his chair to face the Captain as well as the three force-users. "The hyperdrive has been damaged, we don't have enough power to get to Coruscant." he said.
"We will need to find a place to repair and refuel." Qui-Gon replied with a sigh.
"Here, master," Obi-Wan said while pointing a computer screen. "Tatooine, it's small, poor, out of the way and the Federation as no presence their…"
Freya sighted before speaking. "Haven't been on this dust-ball of a world in a long time, its probably still a hive of scum and villainy since it's controlled by the Hutt, but it's our best bet since they aren't looking and as long as she is not seen things should be relatively calm."
"Freya is right. It's our best option." Qui-Gon said.
Captain Panaka sighted. "Very well Master Jedi, then we should tell Her Highness the news." He stated with sarcasm evident in his voice.
Meanwhile Nute Gunray and Rune Haako had informed Darth Sidious about their progress in the invasion as well as the disappearance of the Queen.
"This is my apprentice Darth Maul, he will find your ship and bring back the Queen." Sidious said anger still obvious in his voice before cutting off the holo-communication.
"This is getting out of hands… Now their two of them." Gunray said to his second in command.
"We should never had agree to this bargain. What will happen if the jedi discover their existence?" Rune asked.
Freya and Obi-Wan had escaped to the ships galley and were having a drinking when Obi-Wan started a conversation.
"Freya, when I talked about Tatooine, you seemed really displeased, could I know why?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Sure." Freya responded, "During my time, it was mostly under Hutt influence but both the Empire and the Republic invested quite heavily in this force forsaken wasteland. However what make me uneasy about this planet was the Rakata artifacts that where discovered here."
"The Rakata?" Obi-Wan asked surprised.
"Ah you probably never heard of them. To make a long history lesson short they were an alien race that manage to create an empire that span half of the whole galaxy with the help of dark side fueled technology. Our lightsabers as well as our hyperdrive were reversed engineered from their technology."
"Then what happen?" Obi-Wan asked not liking where it was going.
"Since I know you guessed that I am a sith, a team of imperial scientist uncovered an artifact that the Xerka Corporation had found years prior to resume what happen it was the essence or soul of rakata that had been imprisoned into a piece of rakatan tech and when he was awoken by Xerka and later the empire he tried to convert every living being in the Xerka complex into cyborg slave using nano-machines. I lost a friend and I nearly died that day." Freya replied.
"Sorry I didn't mean to bring back such memories." Obi-Wan said.
"You don't have to apologize, it's the past. I'm guessing you have another question, or am I wrong?" Freya answered.
"Yes, I had a second question." Obi-Wan replied.
"Ask then." Freya said inviting Obi-Wan to continue.
"How do you perceive the Light Side of the Force?" Obi-Wan asked.
Freya paused for a bit a thoughtful expression on her face. "I am aware of it, but I don't really know how to describe it. I always seen both side as a whole rather than two distinct entity. To me the force is like a beautiful night filled with the darkness of space and thousand of bright stars."
"Wow, I didn't except that kind of answer." Obi-Wan said surprised by Freya answer.
"I thought so." Freya replied "And to answer a question that is probably on your mind, I am not completely immersed in the dark side, some sith did immersed themselves into it but not all."
"I suppose there is ways to counter dark side corruption?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yes, there are multiple methods but the simplest is to avoid using the dark side too often or too deeply. Anyway if I am correct Sidious has fully immersed himself in the dark side of the Force and he is probably using the force to hide both his presence and his appearance which will make him harder to find." Freya answered.
After the two force user continued their conversation by talking about various other subjects. She had found Obi-Wan far more agreeable to talk to and more open minded that she had anticipated.
Unbeknownst to the two of them Qui-Gon had heard the majority of their discussion electing to remain unnoticed to see what would transpire. He was surprised by Freya answers and just as his padawan said earlier, he was certain that their mission won't be boring.