Chapter 9
Padme had gotten up early and Sabe came into the bedroom and helped her get ready for the day.
Once she got Sabe dressed, Padme handed her the tablet that had her speech that she had written for the meeting that will be going on before they land on Naboo.
" You ready to do this Sabe?" Padme stepped back just as Rabe` and Eirtae came into the room.
" Yes let us do this." Sabe nodded and stood up and they went into the room that had the Throne in it.
" Then I will let everyone know to come in here for the meeting." Padme walked out of the room and went to tell everyone about the meeting.
Then she went back to the Queen's Chamber and waited with the other handmaidens for the others to come into the room for the meeting.
The last person to show up for the meeting was the Jedi Master.
" When we land on Naboo, it is my intention to act on this invasion at once. My people have suffered enough?" Amidala advised the Jedi Master after he had bowed and taken up a position next to Panaka.
" When we land, You Highness, the Trade Federation will arrest you and force you to sign their treaty!" Panaka could barely contain himself, his dark face tight with anger.
" I agree I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish by this." Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully curious as to the Queen's thinking.
" The Naboo are going to take back what is ours." Amidala looked straight at the Jedi Master before looking at everybody else in the room.
" There are only twelve of us. Your Highness, we have no army!" Panaka snapped, unable to keep silent.
Then Amidala turned her attention back to the Jedi Master and begging him to help them.
" The Jedi cannot fight a war for you, Your Highness, we can only protect you." Qui-Gon advised the young Queen.
Then her gaze left the Jedi and the settled on Jar Jar, who was studying his toes.
" Jar Jar Binks!" she called out to the Gungan.
" Me, Your Highness." Jar Jar was clearly caught off guard when he heard the Queen call out his name.
" Yes, I have need of your help." Amidala of Naboo nodded to the Gungan.
After that everyone left the room, ecepect the handmaidens, they all listen to what the plan was and that was to as the Gungan to take them to his leader, and he agreed.
Then the Queen and the handmaidens changed their clothes, they changed into trousers, tunics, boots and long waist overcoats, and their blasters were strapped to their waist belts.
When Padme stepped off the ship and a cold chill went down her spine when the scene in front of her was the same in the dream she had the night before, and she realized what was about to come.
It was the same swamp from her dreams and she was standing in the middle of it waiting for Jar Jar Binks to come back from the Gungan City.
" You look like you have seen a ghost Padme." Sabe came over to Padme and whispered in the young girl's ear.
" Oh sorry, no let's just say I had a dream, and this place was in it is all." Padme took her friend's hand and gave it a light squeeze and a smile.
" Oh not another vision?" Sabe looked very worried at her friend.
" Yes and let's just say there are two parts of it and I just hope that the second part is just a dream." was all Padme could say as she looked over to the two Jedi.
The only thing Padme could do was nod her head to the Jedi Master who looked her way.
Padme saw Anakin and then she broke away from the small group and went over to where the young boy was standing.
" How are you, Annie?" Padme asked quietly as her kind eyes looked onto Anakin's blue eyes.
" Okay, I have missed you." Anakin shrugged his shoulders.
" It is good to see you again, I am sorry that I have not had a chance to talk with you before, but I have been very busy." Padme just looked at him.
They had not spoken more than a few words to each other since leaving Tatooine, and Anakin had not seen Padme since their departure from Coruscant, and it had bothered him, but he had kept it to himself.
" I did not . . . I . . . they decided not to make me a Jedi." Anakin stuttered, looking down at his boots.
He recounted the story for her, detailing the events surrounding his appearance before the Jedi Council.
" They can change their minds, Annie. Do not give up hope." Padme listen intently, and then touched his cheek with her cool fingers.
The only thing he could do was giving her a small smile and nod his head.
" I have something to tell you. The Queen has made a painful, difficult decision – a decision that will change everything for the Naboo. We are a peaceful people, and we do not believe in war. But sometimes there is no choice. Either you adapt or you die. The Queen understands this, she has decided to take an aggressive posture with the Trade Federation army. The Naboo are going to fight to regain their freedom." Padme bent closer to Anakin so she could tell him what is about to happen.
" Will there be a battle?" Anakin asked quickly, trying unsuccessfully to hide his excitement.
" I am afraid so." Padme nodded to the young boy.
" Will you be involved?" Anakin asked almost afraid of the answer he was going to get.
" Annie, I do not have a choice." Padme smiled sadly at the young boy.
Padme stood up and headed back to where the Queen and the handmaidens were all standing and waiting for the Gungan to show up.
Ten minutes later Jar Jar surface from the water and climbed from the lake.
" Tis nobody dere! Dyes all gone! Some kinda fight, deys have, Maccaneks, mebbe. Very bombed. Otoh Gunga empty. All Gungans gone all gone." Jar Jar's eyestalks swiveled.
" Do you think they have been taken to the camps?" Panaka asked quickly, glancing around at the groups.
" More likely they were wiped out." Obi-Wan offered in disgust.
" Me no think so. Gungan too smart. Go into hiding, when dey in trubble, go to sacred place Maccaneks no find dem dere." Jar Jar shook his head.
" Sacred place, can you take us there Jar Jar?" Qui-Gon stepped forward.
" Here we go again." the Gungan sighed heavily, and then he beckoned for them to follow him.
After walking and dodging the Trade Federation's STAP's which was searching for them, they finally emerged in a clearing.
" Dissen it." Jar Jar stopped and sniffed the air speculatively, and then nodded.
Before any of the could move they were surrounded by a Gungan scouting party.
" Heyday ho, Captain Tarpals." Jar Jar greeted cheerfully.
" Binks! Notta gain!" the Gungan leader exclaimed in dis belief.
" We came ta see da Boss!" Jar Jar shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
" Ouch time, Binks. Ouch time foralla yours, mebbe." Tarpals rolled his eyes.
Herding the group together Tarpals led them deeper into the swamp.
Pushing through a high stand of saw grass, they finally arrived in a clearing filled with Gungan refugees – men, women, and children of all ages and description, huddled together.
They were led past the ruins of what had once been a grand temple that were being slowly reclaimed by the swamp.
Platforms and stairs were all that remained intact, the columns and ceilings have long ago collapsed and broken apart. The massive head and limbs of stone statues poked out of the mirk, fingers clutching weapons and eyes staring sightlessly into space.
At the far end of the ruins, Boss Nass, appeared, lumbering out of the shadows with several more of the Gungan Council to stand atop a stone head partially submerged into the water.
Amidala and her retinue approached to within hailing distance over a network of causeways and islands.
" Jar Jar Binks, whadda yous doen back? Yous suppose ta take dese outlanders and no came back! Yous pay good dis time! Who yous bring here ta da Gungan sacred place?" Boss Nass rumbled angrily before his fleshy head swiveled towards Queen Amidala.
" I am Amidala, Queen of the Naboo." the Queen stepped forward at once, white face lifting.
" Naboo! No like da Naboo! Yous bring da Maccaneks! Dey bust up our homes! Dey drive us all out! Yours all bombad! Yous all da, mebbe!" Boss Nass thundered, and a heavy arm lifted, pointed at the Queen.
Anakin noticed suddenly that they were completely surrounded by Gungans, that were armed.
Captain Panaka and the Naboo guards were looking around nervously, hands straying towards their blasters. The Jedi flanked the Queen and her handmaidens, but their arms hung loose at their sides.
" We wish to form an alliance with you." Amidala tried again to reason with the Gungan.
" We no form nutten wit da Naboo!" Boss Nass roared angrily.
" You did well, Sabe but I will have to do this myself." Padme detached herself form the others and stepped in front of the Queen, and turned to face Boss Nass.
" Who dis?" the head Gungan snapped.
" I am Queen Amidala, Sabe serves from time to time as my decoy, my loyal bodyguard. I am sorry for my deception, but given the circumstance, I am sure you can understand. Gentlemen, I apologized for misleading you." Padme straightened, then she in a loud, clear voice before turning to the Jedi, her eyes shifting momentarily to find Anakin's eyes.
Her eyes returned quickly to Boss Nass, who was frowning suspiciously, clearly not understanding any of what was happening.
" Although our people do not always agree, Your Honor, we have always lived in peace, until now. The Trade Federation, with its tanks and its 'maccaneks' has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. The Gungans are in hiding and the Naboo have been imprisoned in camps. If we do not act quickly all that we value will be lost forever." She continued, and her voice was softening.
She looked at the Gungan and hoping the she was getting her message through to him.
" I ask you to help us, Your Honor . . . No, I beg you to help us." Padme stretched out her hands to the Gungan leader.
Padme dropped abruptly to one knee in front of the astonished leader of the Gungans, and there was an audible gasp of surprise from the Naboo.
" We are your humble servants, Your Honor. Our fate is in your hands. Please help us." Padme said so that all could hear her.
Padme motion and one by one, her handmaidens, Panaka, and the Naboo pilots and guards all dropped to their knees beside her. Anakin and the Jedi were the last to join them.
For a moment no one said anything.
" Ho, ho, ho! Me like dis! Dis good! Yous no think yous greater den da Gungan!" a slow, deep rumble of laughter rose out of the through of Boss Nass.
" Yous stand, Queen Amidoll, Yous talk wit me, ok? Mebbe we gonna befriends after all!" the head Gungan came forward, reaching out with one hand, and held out for Padme to take.
Padme took the Gungan's hand and he helped her to stand up.
He then took the group out of the swamps to the grass plains that ran south to the Naboo Capital City of Theed. Any attack would be mounted from here, and the Queen had come to the Gungans with a very specific plan of attack in mind.
By the end of the day there was a huge battle took place not only on land but in space.
The Gungans fought the land battles in which they won when the droids stopped moving.
All because Anakin flew into the main control ship that was controlling the droids down on the planet, and blew it up which caused the droids to power down.
But the said thing that did happen was the death of the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. The Viceroy and his men were arrested and now waited to be taken to prison.
Now everything has quieted down and Padme finally went to bed and tried to close her eyes and go to sleep, and after three hours of tossing and turning she finally fell asleep.
*( pages 248-255 from the novel Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks)