Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Chapter 9: The Meeting with the Gungans
The return journey to Naboo went quite smoothly. Padme spent the time in the ship's throne room reading, with her handmaidens flanking her. Anakin was in the cockpit again so she didn't see him.
As they approached the planet's atmosphere, Qui-Gon and Captain Panaka sought an audience with Her Majesty. At acceptance, Panaka began to speak.
"As soon as we land, the Federation will arrest you and force you to sign the treaty."
"I agree," Qui-Gon said. "I do not know what you wish to accomplish by this."
"I will take back what's ours," she defiantly stated.
"There are too few of us your highness," Captain Panaka said warily. "We have no army."
"I can only protect you," Qui-Gon said. "I can't fight a war for you."
"Jar Jar Binks!" The Queen abruptly called.
He was standing, more like hiding, behind Obi-Wan, who in turn was standing behind his master. The Gungan appeared shocked that she'd called him. "Mesa your highness," he asked a little uncertainly, clearly just to be sure he wasn't imagining anything.
"Yes. I need your help."
"My-my help?"
By now Padme was growing quite tired of Jar Jar's gaggling. "Yes. Come forward Jar Jar Binks. Let us talk."
As much as it made her cringe, the more she thought it over, the more she began to see how much easier and better life would be on Naboo if the Human and Gungan cultures got along; something which had never existed since humans started settling on the planet hundreds of thousands of years previous.
She and Jar Jar made a plan: Once they arrived on Naboo, he would go down to the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga and ask them for their help in the name of the Queen. If Padme hadn't already seen the outcome in the Force, she naturally wouldn't have gone through with this plan.
Before landing, she and Sabe switched places again. This time, however, instead of the usual orange gowns the handmaidens usually wore, they donned burgundy pantsuit outfits, which would go well with fighting.
Located in the Chommel Sector near the Outer Rim Territories was the planet of Naboo. It was the third of five planets in the system of the same name orbiting a yellow star.
Naboo's surface consisted of swampy lakes, rolling plains and green hills. Its population centers were beautiful – the planet's river cities were resplendent with classical architecture and greenery, while the underwater Gungan settlements were a beautiful display of exotic hydrostatic bubble technology.
Naboo was a generally unique world. It lacked a molten core, indicative of an ancient world. The planet was a conglomerate of large rocky bodies permeated by countless caves and tunnel networks. This caused numerous swampy lakes on the surface, which lead deeper into the planet's structure. The native Gungans had developed transports that exploit those cave networks, but even those hardy explorers pause at venturing too deep into the planet's core, for it is infested with gargantuan sea beasts with ravenous appetites.
The largest mountain chain, Gallo Mountains, bisected the largest continent and divided the great grass plains of the north from the Lianorm Swamp in the South. South of the Lianorm swamp was the Paonga Sea, where at the bottom lied the Otoh Gunga.
The Queen's ship landed not far away from this sea. Upon doing so, everything went as plan, or so only Padme knew. Jar Jar emerged from the water ten minutes after going down, and she could sense the great surprise radiating off of him.
"There's nobody there!" he exclaimed in bewilderment. "The Gungan City is deserted! Some kind of fighting mesa thinks."
"Do you think they've been taken to the camps?" Obi-Wan offered.
"More likely they were wiped out." Panaka grimly stated.
That would be nice, she silently mused.
"Mesa no think so," Jar Jar said incredulously.
"Do you know where they are Jar Jar?" Qui-Gon asked.
"When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you, come on, mesa show you." He excitedly beckoned them follow him.
As they began to do so, Padme noticed Anakin walking along by himself. Though after calling out to him, he beamed and came running over to her, throwing himself into her waiting arms. After a moment, they broke apart and began to walk together with everyone else, chatting merrily.
A few minutes later, they were suddenly halted and Padme ran to the front of the line to investigate.
Jar Jar was talking to one of two Gungans in the middle of a clearing. Both were frowning, but after conversing a few more minutes the other Gungan led them forward on its faithful kaadu, an indignant of Naboo, which reminded Padme of a disfigured horse, with a spear raised.
Soon they were led into a clearing where a large amount of other Gungans were. Everywhere you looked that's all you saw. Gungans everywhere. Padme thought she was going to be sick.
The Gungan leading them stopped and spoke. "Your honor, Queen Amidala of da Naboo."
Looking up, she noticed that they'd come before a type of throne nestled on a tree ledge, where three big, fat, ugly, and elderly Gungans were standing. Jar Jar stopped Sabe from going any further and stepped forward.
"Uh hello der de big Boss Nass your honor," he nervously bumbled.
Boss Nass, the leader of the Gungans, looked less than pleased to see Jar Jar. "Jar Jar Binks. Who's dat usen others?"
Sabe answered. "I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace."
"Ah Naboo biggun." Boss Nass looked imperious. "Yousa bringing da mackennicks. Yousa all bombad."
"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance-"
"Your honor," Padme said stepping forward, interrupting Sabe.
If anyone's gonna talk some sense into these slugs, it will be I, the real Queen Amidala of the Naboo.
She could sense the startled puzzlement radiating off everyone over her sudden act, yet she was far from caring. Boss Nass frowned. "Whosa this?"
"I am Queen Amidala."
Such a simple statement, yet so much of an effect it has, she thought as she heard Jar Jar and R2 give sounds of surprise and felt the shock and mild surprise radiating from Anakin and Obi-Wan. She took it Qui-Gon had already figured it out for he wasn't at all shocked. She continued as though there had been no interruption.
"This is my decoy," she explained, gesturing to Sabe. "My protection; my loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception but it was necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree your honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace."
Boss Nass slowly nodded and grunted thoughtfully.
"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly all will be lost forever. Now I ask you to help us. No I beg you to help us."
She knelt before the Gungans, once again taking everyone by surprise, though, they were quick to follow suit. "We are your humble servants," she stated. "Our fate is in your hands."
"Hmm." Padme could tell that Boss Nass was thinking over everything she'd just said.
There were a few moments of silence before Boss Nass starting laughing, which confused her.
"Yousa no thinkin yousa greater than da gungans?" Padme shook her head no, although in thought she was envisioning herself slaughtering the entire race in hatred. Little did she know, this was also a glimpse into the future.
"Mesa lika dis," he continued. "Maybe weesa, bein friends."
He then shook his head violently, saliva flying through the air and making some weird sound. Padme smiled beside herself, she wanted so badly to scream, "Freak!"
The Gungans cheered and everyone rose to their feet.
Padme then had Captain Panaka and some of her other security personnel go to Theed to see what the situation was there and, try if they might, to bring some police and guards back with them. Afterwards, she met with Boss Nass and they came up with a plan.
Roughly an hour later, Padme heard one of the Gungan Generals yell out, "Theysa comin'!"
Anakin then came running towards them yelling, "They're here!"
And indeed about four land speeders were approaching them.
Captain Panaka debarked from the one in the front and approached. As he got closer, she asked him what the situation was.
"Almost everyone's in camps," he replied, addressing them as a group. "I brought back all the police and guards I could. The federation army also is much larger, and stronger than we thought." He turned to Amidala. "Your highness this is a battle I do not think that we can win."
The Queen held in the desire to snort with laughter. "The battle is the diversion. The Gungans must draw the droid armies away from the cities. R2?"
R2 beeped and showed a diagram of the Theed Royal Palace and capital.
"We can enter the city through the secret passages on the waterfall side," she explained while pointing to the diagram. "Once we get in sight of the Palace, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then we can enter the Palace and capture the Viceroy. Without the Viceroy they will all be lost and confused. What do you think Master Jedi?" she asked turning to Qui-Gon.
"The Viceroy will be heavily guarded," he said.
"The difficulties getting into the throne room," Captain Panaka commented. "Once we're inside we shouldn't have a problem."
"There's also the possibility with this diversion many Gungans could be killed," Qui-Gon pointed out.
Who cares!"Wesa ready to do oursa part," Boss Nass said proudly.
"We have a plan which should implicate the droid army," Padme said. "We will send what pilots we have to knock out the Droid control ship orbiting the planet."
"A well conceived plan," Qui-Gon said. "Although there's a great risk. The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields."
"And there's an even bigger danger," Obi-Wan spoke up. "If the Viceroy escapes, your highness, he will return with another Droid Army."
"Well that is why we must not fail to get the viceroy. Everything depends on it," she responded.