I apologize for taking so long to get another post up. I really thought I would have more time once summer started, but am just now getting around to a post.

Chapter 37

The covered walkway, adorned with bright red flowers and clinging ivies allowed them to survey the plaza below without being detected. Obi-Wan peeked to one side while Garen looked out over the other. The scene was the same they had seen as they sneaked their way through the Naboo capitol, citizens being herded together and taken to detention centers. Graceful architecture and peaceful scenery was marred by the presence of armored vehicles and battle droids. A usually peaceful city was gripped in the turmoil of invasion.

The sight of a small group approaching focused Obi-Wan's attention. A figure dressed in a flowing black gown and wearing a feathered headdress was trailed by four young women dressed in bright orange and yellow cloaks. An older man with graying hair and beard walked at her side and a small detachment of what appeared to be guards walked behind them all. The group was surrounded by an escort of battle droids.

"Garen," Obi-Wan whispered. "I see the queen."

He moved out of the way so that Garen could get an unobstructed view of the plaza below. Garen sighed deeply as they both slid to a sitting position on the walkway, backs resting against the wall.

"We could take out the droids easily," Garen said. They had encountered two additional droid patrols in their quest to reach Theed and both knights' comfort with sabers in something other than a duel had increased tremendously with each confrontation. "But this isn't the same as fighting droids. There will be witnesses this time. It is not the sort of decision we can make without consulting the elders."

"I know … but if we could contact someone we wouldn't be in this situation," Obi-Wan said, eyes sliding shut as he tipped his head back. The weight of ending the Jedi secrecy he was raised under pressed as heavily on him as the warning in the Force. His master would tell him to follow the Force – not conventions or expectation. "I sense they won't allow the queen to live past her usefulness to them."

"So do I."

"And this may be our only chance to get off this planet … to warn the Senate … to see if there is a Sith connection …" Garen didn't need that much convincing. For all his bravado in following protocol, he was a rebel at heart. "I think the elders might understand our situation."

"Fine." Garen exhaled in a whoosh of breath. "I'll go along with it … but you get to explain this to the elders."

"Why me?"

"They like you," Garen said as he pivoted into a crouching position. He smiled as he careful raised his saber like a wine goblet in toast. "To the end of nearly a thousand years of carefully guarded secrecy."

"May the elders forgive us," Obi-Wan whispered. "On three."

Obi-Wan gave the countdown and both knights drew on the Force, leaping over the side of the walkway, landing gracefully and already deflecting the immediate deluge of blaster fire. One by one, battle droids were cut down or flung across the plaza by the invisible hand of the Force until all that was left was a scattering of smoldering parts and the awe-stricken, slightly fearful faces of those who had just been rescued.

Obi-Wan powered down his saber, stepping forward as the guards present closed in around the queen, forming a protective wall. He executed a low, graceful bow. "Your Highness. I am Senator Kenobi from Aksu, ambassador for the Supreme Chancellor." He straightened to his full height again, directing an arm toward his companion. "My Chief of Security, Garen Muln."

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, Senator," the older man at the queen's side said bitterly. Obi-Wan recognized him from the briefing information as Governor Sio Bibble.

"The negotiations never took place," Obi-Wan explained. "Our transport was attacked in space by the Trade Federation and we crashed on the planet's surface." He paused, clenching and unclenching his hand, the pain radiating down his arm reminding him of the poorly treated blaster wound. "We need to make contact with the Republic."

"I am Captain Panaka." A dark skinned man dressed in uniform stepped forward, surveying the pair of Jedi with a guarded expression, gauging the threat they might pose to his charge. "They have knocked out our communications."

"Where are your transports?" Garen asked.

"In the main hangar. This way," Panaka said, waving his arm as he began to lead the group away. The sounds of alarms in the distance hastened their steps to the hangar.

Once there, he cracked open a side door, surveying the situation with Obi-Wan and Garen lingering over his shoulder. The ringing of alarms grew in the distance as they looked over the spacecrafts heavily guarded by battle droids.

"There are too many of them," Panaka said, nodding his head.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Garen said.

Obi-Wan turned his attention to the young queen who had remained very silent. "I would advise you to come to Coruscant with us, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Senator, but my place is here with my people," she replied in a voice devoid of any emotion or intonation. If not for the Force, her countenance would have masked both her determination and fear.

"I fear your life may be in danger, Your Highness," Obi-Wan suggested. He had no way to express how serious the threat towards her was, nor the urgency he sensed in the Force.

"They wouldn't dare," Bibble challenged.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her," Panaka continued.

"They tried to down our vessel, and have trailed us with patrols intent on killing us," Garen implored. "If they aren't concerned with a high-profile Senator's life, then I highly doubt they will be concerned with a planetary monarch."

"He's right," Obi-Wan said. "There is little logic to the Trade Federation's actions and until we understand their motivations, it is not safe for you here."

Governor Bibble met the queen's gaze, speaking firmly and gently. "Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us... Senator Palpatine will need your help."

"Getting past the blockade will be dangerous, nearly impossible, Your Highness." Panaka pointed out, true to his duty to protect. "Their transport was brought down."

"Your Highness, I will stay here and do what I can..." Bibble said. "They will have to retain the Council of Governors in order to maintain control. But you must leave."

The queen turned to the two young handmaidens near her, uncertain in her decision, and clearly torn between the two sets of advice. "Either choice presents a great risk...to all of us..." she said as though asking a question.

"We are brave, Your Highness," one of the handmaidens said. Something in the young woman's words gave the queen a confidence she didn't have before.

"Then, I will plead our case before the Senate," the queen replied as she turned to Governor Bibble. "Be careful, Governor."

The alarms still bellowed in the background, and Garen spoke gruffly. "If we are going to leave, we should move now."

"Do we have a plan?" Panaka said, eyeing the two Jedi skeptically.

"I say we walk right in and see how far we can get," Garen said shrugging. "You and your men protect the queen. We will handle the droids when the time comes."

Obi-Wan and Garen took the lead, followed by Panaka and two guards, then three of the queen's handmaidens, and finally Queen Amidala.

"We need to free those pilots," Panaka whispered, pointing to a group of pilots guarded by battle droids.

"I'll deal with that," Obi-Wan said.

The remainder of the group walked to the landing ramp of a sleek, silver vessel.

"Halt!" The electronic twang of a battle droid guarding the ship brought the group to a stop. Garen quickly made eye contact with Obi-Wan to make sure his fellow Jedi was in position as the droid continued to speak. "Where are you going?"

"To Coruscant," Garen said casually, as though he had every right to be there.

"Coruscant does not compute … wait … you are under arrest."

The guard drew its weapon, but before it could even point the blaster, Garen's saber was ignited and cutting the droid in two. Obi-Wan swung his own lightsaber, quickly cutting down the guards surrounding the pilots. "Go!" he ordered. They paused, all eyes locked on the glowing blade of the unfamiliar Jedi weapon. "Go!" he urged again.

They gathered themselves and ran for the ship, Obi-Wan covering them. He approached Garen. "Help them get the ship going. I'll cover you." Garen left without question. As the last person boarded, Obi-Wan backed on to the ship, clutching his wounded arm as the landing ramp door sealed into place. He slid to a sitting position as he felt the ship lift off, starting for the front of the ship when he was certain they were away from the planet's surface.

"There's the blockade," he heard one of the pilots say as he entered the cockpit. The massive Trade Federation battle cruiser loomed large on the viewpanel. The smaller vessel was already pitching from explosions that surrounded it, warning it to turn back. Obi-Wan could see Garen glancing towards the control panel, hands twitching at his side as though keeping him from taking over the controls of the ship. A burst of light hit the ship, sending Obi-Wan back into the wall. He steadied himself, and reaching into the Force, found peace and reassurance that they weren't destined to crash a second time, at least not today.

"The shield generator's been hit," one of the Naboo pilots said as he sent a small crew of astrometric droids out to the ship's hull, represented by a series of lights on the panel. At once, they began to be picked away by blaster fire, destroyed one by one.

"We're losing droids, fast," Garen remarked.

"If we don't get the shield generators fixed, we'll be sitting ducks," Panaka warned.

"I've made the calculations for our jump," Garen said. "We just need to get a little further."

"Our shields are gone."

There was a collective pause in the cockpit, a light representing one lone droid all that stood between them and certain defeat. The blaster fire stopped, vulture droids falling alongside the ship to corral it towards the battle cruiser as the occupants waited for a tractor beam to latch onto their vessel.

"Power's back! That little droid did it... bypassed the main power drive. Deflector shield up, at maximum."

Obi-Wan let out the breath he had been holding as he felt the ship pull away and soon after make a jump to hyperspace. He looked to Garen, hoping to see some sign of relief on the other Jedi's face, but all he saw were lines of frustration drawn tightly.

"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked approaching his fellow Jedi.

"There's not enough power to get us to Coruscant … the hyperdrive is leaking," he said. "We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." He turned his attention to the star chart. "Any suggestions?"

Obi-Wan looked over the chart for a moment. Most planets were members of the Trade Federation, its control over the area strong. One system caught his eye. "Tatooine... It's small, out of the way, poor... the Trade Federation has no presence there."

"How can you be sure?" Captain Panaka asked.

"It's controlled by the Hutts..."

"You can't take Her Royal Highness there!" the dark-skinned man cried out in outrage, interrupting. "The Hutts are gangsters ... if they were to discover her ..."

"Would you rather we go somewhere controlled by the Trade Federation?" Garen snapped. "The senator and I know for a fact they want both of us dead. The Hutts aren't looking for any of us."

Captain Panaka took a deep breath in frustration as Obi-Wan leaned back, still focused on the small blip that represented Tatooine. The Force swelled in approval, almost urging him on. He didn't understand any more than he was meant to go there, and that was enough.

"We go to Tatooine," he said with absolute conviction. "Set a course."

Everything was against him, or at least that was how it felt. Qui-Gon wanted to get off the dustball planet of Tatooine, perhaps to Dantooine, or even back to Coruscant, anywhere he would be able to get more information about Obi-Wan. But it was not meant to be, the Force itself seeming to halt any efforts to leave. His heart had leapt in excitement when Shmi had shared her decision for her and her son to accompany him away from Tatooine and allow the Order to train Anakin. Unfortunately, he had hit a snag.

"It is going to be a few more days," he explained to Shmi.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong with the deal I made with Wattoo," he assured her. "We have sealed that contract, but he won't accept Republic credits. I have to wait for a transfer of funds. Once they arrive, your freedom will be secured." He offered a weak smile to show his confidence. "I will remain here and then we can all leave together."

"You seem sad," Anakin said, and Qui-Gon marveled once again at how perceptive the boy was. He had shielded heavily, but they boy had seemed to draw the tension out of the Force itself.

"My son was in a transport accident. He has not yet been found."

"I am so sorry," Shmi said resting a hand on his. "Do you need to go?"

"I still feel it is too dangerous to leave Anakin." He bowed his head, cracking another faint smile. "Besides, it seems the Force wills me to stay, and that is enough to keep me here."