All right. Now, if I kinda divided my story into three seperate arcs in my head. The next couple chapters would be the end of the first arc, and the beginning of the next. So, here it is, the Fall of Naboo.

Semreh stood stock still, his blade humming besides him. For a moment, he considered lashing out with it, scything through the heavy repeater and the shadow holding it. Then, he stopped. There was something, a signature in the Force he had not noted till now. A familiar feeling no less.

"Habler?" Semreh murmured, not lowering his lightsaber. The figure took a step back, as though he'd been shot, then seemed to glance over Semreh's shoulder at Apailana.

"Have you taken to showing where we are?" A familiar voice said to the Queen. "You know better than that?"

"He is a friend. One of you."

Semreh stepped forward, brushing Halber's weapon aside with the side of his hand. His eyes had adjusted now and it was definitely him. He looked much thinner, as if his muscular frame had shrunk, than the last time Semreh had seen him, and had grown a wild beard to match his long hair, but it was definitely him. For a moment, he looked confused, then he lowered his repeater, and looked Semreh over.

"It is you Semreh." He murmured, reaching to his right. There was a click, and the room was flooded with light. Semreh shielded his eyes for a moment, then blinked. Gradually, the room came into focus.


The room itself was plain stone. Literally, nothing more than a cot and a few chairs to sit on. There was a vent in the corner, but that was the only thing that marred the surface of the almost air tight room. Inside, there were maybe a dozen people of various species, sexes, and condition. He knew several of them, though most only through their reputations.

Elena was there, sitting behind Halber, looking as though she'd just woken up. She was wearing a set of rumpled robes that looked like they'd been worn for days, but otherwise looked okay. Her eyes were wide in shock for a moment, but then her face cooled to a mask of calm happiness.

Behind her was Ulu Ulix, a padawan who Semreh had known from his days as a youngling. He looked okay, except two of his three eyes were wounded; one of them swelled shut and purple, while the other was covered with a ragged cloth. There was also a long blaster burn scar beneath his horns along his scalp.

Ulu Ulix took a step forward to greet Semreh, but stopped when his master put a stern claw on his shoulder. His master, a Bothan named Glynn-Beti, was known for her severe attitude and strict discipline. Still, even she smiled slightly. Semreh saw that on several places across her body, her fur was singed and burned, and she was walking with a limp.

Standing off to the side was Voolvif Monn, another Jedi master. He was a Shistavanen, a type of canine species that gave him the appearance of a wolf-man. The master, famous for his extreme attitude to nonattachment, looked uncomfortable in the crowded room. Still, he'd been a skilled Jedi general, fighting under Kenobi during the Battle of Muunilist and many other battles. He had also mastered a rare Force talent, the projection of shields through the Force.

There were only four other Jedi Semreh recognized. One, Master Sha Koon, was the niece of Master Plo Koon. She'd fought during the Stark Hyperspace war and again in the Clone Wars. Most of her face was obscured by the black mask all Kel Dor were forced to wear in oxygen, but here face seemed as serene as always.

Hanna Ding, a female Arkanian padawan who had fought in the Clone wars, was leaning against the wall, looking exhausted. Thinking back, Semreh vaguely remembered Scout talking about her fight with Hanna. A little haunty, she fixed Semreh with a cool stare, eyes analyzing him beneath her white skin and hair. She was younger than Semreh, and had never even spoken to him.

At her feet was Lena Missa, another fellow padawan from the temple. Semreh had never been close to her, and knew next to nothing about her. She'd been a padawan, but younger and therefore there was not a lot of interaction. A Chagrian, she was missing her left lethorn, a type of horn that hung from a fleshy stretch of skin hanging from her neck. It ended in a charred stump.

Finally, there was Bant Eerin, a Mon Calamari master. Her salmon colored skin was pale, probably from the lack of moisture in the room, but her bright round eyes were focusing on Semreh as she tended to a wounded Jedi that was sprawled out in front of her.

The wounded Jedi was another Arkanian. Her white head was twisted in pain as Bant continued to operate, working the blaster burn on her leg. Also nearby was a bald man, dressed in the rags of his Jedi robes, another man, who looked unharmed, but had a smear of blood across her blond hair, and finally a grey skinned Ithorian.


"Semreh!" Elena yelled, getting to her feet and throwing her arms around him. "You're alive."

"I think so." He answered a little numbly. "Assuming you're all really here."

"It's not a hallucination padawan." Sha Koon said, her arms folded neatly in her robes.

"We all fled here from various points in the galaxy." Bant explained, letting one of the other Jedi take over her patient. "I'm assuming you were ambushed by clones as well."

Semreh shook his head. "No, I was at the Temple when the clones attacked."

Halber looked surprised, as did the rest of the Jedi. Bant hung her head. "Your master?"

Semreh couldn't meet her eyes. Bant and his master had been close companions. "Dead. Covering our retreat."

"Our?" Halber exclaimed. "Who else escaped?"

Semreh considered withholding that information. He didn't exactly know what was going on, and whether all the masters here could be trusted. The last couple of months had drained what little trust he'd had left from the wars. Still, he felt relatively safe.

"Tallisibeth." He said, looking over at Halber and Elena. "You remember? Red hair. Kinda bossy and loud."

The two nodded in remembrance. Most padawans knew each other, similar to how a class of children who had gone to school together since their first year knew each other. After all, they'd all trained together since their first year of birth. Semreh realized that he may have been a rare exception to the rule.

Looking back, Semreh wistfully regretted his many hours spent in the archives. He realized now that he'd never forged the connections growing up that the other padawans had. And after Aubrie's death, he'd refused to make any more. Elena and Halber had many memories of their fellow Jedi, but Semreh had missed his chance.

"She survived?" Elena murmured, a little surprised.

"I don't believe it?" Hanna exclaimed, before Lena reached up and elbowed her in the side. Hanna fell silent, glaring down at the Chagrian girl.

"We escaped through the sewer system." Semreh explained, now addressing the whole room. "Then, we hitchhiked our way across the galaxy and eventually made our way to Melida/Daan."

"Why hide out there?" Lena asked.

"Because Melida/Daan owes the Jedi." Bant answered, her eyes thoughtful. "And Nield, their leader, owes us personally because of an incident with Master Obi wan."

Semreh nodded, then proceeded to tell the Jedi about his planned rebellion and how it was beginning to take shape. He told them about the Commonality and the preparations they were all making. About how the Empire had been moving, invading planets like Kashyyyk and how Imperial fleets had been moving towards Naboo. Needless to say, many of the Jedi exchanged guilty glances.

"It's because of us." Ulix murmured, his face falling. Apailana, still standing behind Semreh, hesitated, then nodded.

"I gave orders for my officers to keep any Jedi a secret, but it's become increasingly clear that someone's passing information to the Empire. Someone in the upper echelons of my staff."

"Why are you so sure its Panaka?" Semreh inquired. "There are others who could be passing that information."

"Yes, but Panaka has expressed his disagreement with my order from day one. And, there is substantial evidence to suggest that he is communicating with the Empire."

"What about Typho?" Semreh asked, referring to the one-eyed former guard of Amidala. "He was pretty high ranking."

The Queen's face flashed with worry, but then regained its composure. "Gregor Typho left on a personal mission shortly after our attack on the enemy garrison. Haven't heard from him since, so I suspect the worse."

"It's possible he defected." Semreh mused, but the Queen shook his head.

"He wouldn't be able to pass information then," Apailana answered. "And the Empire doesn't really need more security officers. No, if he hasn't reported yet, it's unlikely he's still alive."

"Then… Panaka has betrayed Naboo?"

"Not Naboo." Apailana said sadly. "Me. He thinks he's doing what's best for Naboo after all. But he doesn't trust Jedi very much. Even during the Invasion of Naboo, he supposedly disagreed with many of their decisions."

Semreh looked thoughtful. Panaka, though probably not a traitor, was probably a sympathizer in a dangerously high position. If he split the RSF, then Naboo would not be able to resist.

"I suppose this is partially my fault." Apailana admitted. "He believed I shouldn't have acted so rashly during the incident with the garrison, and that hiding Jedi would only aggravate the Empire." She looked away, as if staring into the distance. "I suppose he was right."

"Well," Sha Koon said in a slightly raised voice, charged with authority. "It seems to me as though our main goal should be to leave Naboo as quickly as possible. If there are no Jedi here, there's no need for the Imperials to attack and occupy the planet."

It made sense, but Semreh had his doubts. "Do you really think the Empire would simply leave Naboo alone if we left?"

"No," Sha Koon shook her head, "But we can't be the cause of that. Besides, with the Jedi Order in the state it's in, our duty is to survive."

Semreh looked at Apailana for confirmation. She nodded. "Don't worry. Naboo will be all right. The Empire can't afford to abuse its power this early in the game. Not unless they can present a viable reason."

"Seems like they already did at Kashyyyk." Semreh murmured, but fell silent. It felt good, to be able to relinquish command. If he was right, Sha Koon was the highest ranking Jedi, putting her in command. To be honest, handing her control was probably the best thing to do right now.

"For that, we'll need transport." Sha Koon looked at Semreh meaningfully. The young padawan just shrugged.

"Don't look at me." He said. "The freighter I took was shot to hell on the way here."

"I can provide transport." The Queen interrupted. "I can have transports fueled and ready within two hours."

"And Bravo Squadron?"

"Yours to do with as you please." The Queen shrugged. "After all, I still want your support in this war."

"Will do milady." Sha Koon said with a nod and signaled for the Jedi to begin filing out.


As they did, Semreh noticed that, despite being wounded, most of them were relatively healed up. True, most blaster wounds took a long time to heal, even with the Force to help, but they all seemed fighting fit. Lena, following Hanna out of the room, stopped in front of Semreh.

"You said Scout was okay?" She whispered. "You're sure?"

"Yeah." Semreh replied. "You know her?"

"Yeah, we were friends. It'll be good to see her again." Lena looked happier, and had a livelier bounce in her step. "Where is she?"

"She'll be here." Semreh assured. "Though I should probably tell her to meet us somewhere else now that the Imps are moving in."

She nodded and moved on. Following her was Master Sha Koon. The master looked serious and even her Force signature seemed to lack anything other than blunt focus.

"Semreh," She whispered into her ear when the last of the Jedi had left the room. "May I speak to you?"

"Of course master." Semreh obliged, bowing. "What is it?"

The Kel Dor master adjusted her mask, a sure sign she was disturbed. "What are you thinking, trying to gather the Jedi?"

Semreh was surprised by her rebuke. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you get the message from the Temple? It said to hide, not attack the Empire or band together."

"But we can't simply stand aside and let the galaxy fall to the Sith. It's our duty as Jedi to-"

"The galaxy doesn't want us to act as Jedi right now." Sha Koon said insistently. "They want us to crawl in a hole and die."

"Are you saying we should abandon them? Jedi stop injustice. Why, even when an enemy wishes to kill himself we stop it."

"This is different Semreh." Sha Koon continued. "Very different. For once, the Jedi need to look after the Jedi. Besides, starting a rebellion won't help the people of the galaxy; it will only aggravate their suffering."

Semreh felt his heat stop. Somehow, deep in the Force, he knew she was right. Was he only ruining the lives of more people, starting this war? Was asking a planet of people to sacrifice for the greater justice and injustice in and of itself. Was it the Jedi thing to do?

"You can do this if you truly think its right Semreh." Sha Koon continued, folding her hands within the sleeves of her robes. "But do it for the right reasons." The wise master left, her robes fluttering around her feet as she walked down the hallway, leaving Semreh to think.

Before she left, he turned to her. "Master." He said solemnly. "Have you heard anything about Master Plo Koon."

She stopped, then turned slowly to face him. "Yes. I felt him die."

Semreh didn't know what to say. Losing a family member was hard, even for the supposedly unattached Jedi. Feeling one slip away through the force was worse.

"I'm sorry." He managed to force out at last.

"Don't be." She replied, already continuing down the tunnel. "He's one with the Force now."


In the Queen's main Chamber, a crisis was building as Semreh left the tunnel. The Jedi were all gathered in a group next to the Queen, quiet observers to the turmoil around them. The guards of the Queen, including Gavin, several advisors, and her personal handmaidens, were all pouring over star charts and holograms brought. Apailana herself sat behind her desk, dressed in her scarlet royal robes, her face painted the white with the red scar of remembrance painted below her lips.

Semreh had read about the scar. Supposedly, it represented the memory of a warlike time in Naboo's past, and was a reminder of the value of peace. At the moment, Semreh found it rather ironic. Also in the room, were the Chasers, who were helping the high ranking guards and advisors read the charts, and Tara, who was standing off, alone in the corner.

"What's going on?" he asked, sideling up next to her.

"The Imperials are here." She answered without looking. "They exited hyperspace while you were talking to the Queen. You know, before a dozen Jedi just showed up." Tara turned to look at him, clearly a little put off that he hadn't trusted her with that particular knowledge.

"Hey, I didn't know about them!" He raised his hand in protest. "Besides, who'd complain about a couple extra lightsabers at their back?"

She crossed her arms, glaring at him like a mother who had caught a child playing with scissors. Funny, how a girl as skinny and wiry as her could manage to look as solid as an oak with her arms crossed. He flashed his most charming grin at her, trying to cool her icy stare. Gradually, her face fell into a smile.

"All right." She said finally, uncrossing her arms. "But what do you propose to do now, mr-"

There was a loud crash and bang, then en enormous green light lit up the window behind the Queen's desk. Semreh screamed, but he didn't hear anything come out of his mouth. Instead, he turned, tossing Tara to the ground as he did, and covered her with as much of his body as he could.

For a couple of seconds, there was just an eerie green light illuminating the dust that had risen in the room. Then, it began to clear. Through the Force, Semreh sensed the other Jedi, a cluster of pure Force energy all focused on the window where what Semreh suspected was a turbolaser blast had impacted.

When the air finally cleared, he saw Masters Bant and Glynn-Beti helping the Queen and other sto their feet, while Master Voolif Monn, standing behind them before the remains of the rapidly melting window, projected a shimmering field of Force energy. He seemed to be drawing from every Jedi in the room, even Semreh.

"They're trying to assassinate the Queen!" Semreh yelled in warning jumping to his feet.

"Everyone out." He growled, letting his hands drop and grabbing a wounded soldier. The shimmering field of Force energy dissipated. "They've got us zeroed!"

His words seemed to break everyone out of limbo, and palace guards and officers began rushing about, carrying wounded and snapping orders to their aides.

"What the hell was that!?" Lena yelled, holding her ears as she stumbled around. Semreh got off of Tara and rushed over to her, helping her walk across the room even as he pried her fingers off her ears.

"Let me see!" He said, forcing her down. He looked at them carefully, checking for damage. There certainly was, though he couldn't tell how bad it was. Semreh looked around, then waved for a wide eyed Hanna to get over here. She obliged, albeit very shakily.

"Get her down to the lower levels." Semreh said, pushing them along. The two of them hurried, running down the many steps as fast as they could. Semreh looked around, and saw that most of the Jedi and troopers were rushing towards the lower levels, where the turbolaser fire wouldn't reach them as easily.

"Why aren't they firing anymore!?" Elena yelled over the noise of troopers and officers shouting orders.

"They don't want to damage the city." Halber answered, running up besides her. "Harder to hide that kind of damage from the public." Semreh nodded in agreement, and followed the flood of people to the lower levels.

Once they reached the makeshift war room set up in the lower level of the palace, Semreh soon found the Queen, ruffled, but otherwise unhurt. The rest of the Jedi had gathered there as well, standing at comlink stations, and joining Apailana in taking command of the situation.

"Queen Apailana." One Naboo communications officer yelled from his station. "Long range sensors report three Victory Star Destroyers deploying gunships and landers."

"Are any of our fighters in the air yet?" She asked, waving away a medic who was checking her face. She looked at commander Ellberger, who was listening into a comlink.

"Alpha and Beta flights are in the air ma'am, but they're not formed up for an attack run, and those Star Destroyers are already deploying fighters."

"Can we get any type of air support to slow their landing?"

Ellberger just shook her head. "Not before those landers start landing their troops. We might be able to cut off their reinforcements, or at least slow them down, but not stop that first wave."

"Where are those landers headed?" Semreh snapped.

"For Theed." She said, unfurling a map of the city. She laid it out on a desk, pointing at the Royal District. "Their target will be the Queen, which means they'll try to lay siege to the Royal Plaza." She looked up from the map, yelling at one of the communications officers. "We need every RSF Officer back at the Palace now. Tell them that if they're met with Imperial resistance, they should break through any Imperial barricades and join us in the plaza."

"Technician!" She yelled, and a young RSF officer hurried over. "Are Plaza security measures up and running?"

"Yes ma'am." He said, pointing at various areas in the plaza map. "We have a particle cannon set up in the main entrance to the palace, plus various smaller barricades and turrets placed at strategic points across the Royal district."

"Good, make sure every one of them is manned by at least a squad of troopers and officers." She patted him on the shoulder, then turned to the room, addressing the entire congregation. "All right, listen up; I want every squad we can find back here." She turned to another group of officers, who were speaking quickly into their comlinks. "Motor pool officer, get as many of our armed vehicles set up at security checkpoints, but hold back a few to repel whatever landing force they send, along with a squad of troopers."

The officers hurried to their assigned tasks, every one of them now carrying either pistols or rifles. Semreh watched them, and suddenly realized this, this right here, was the beginning of the armed resistance of the rebellion. If they could win here, they would show the galaxy that the Empire could and would be beat. It would be obvious and very public…And devastating for the Empire.


Seth didn't feel his gunship hit the ground, but as the doors slid back, the commanding officer yelled for them to jump out. Seth did so without hesitation and rolled as his body hit the ground. For a long second, there was only the sound of the gunship's repulsorlifts above him, then the dust kicked up by the gunship cleared, and Seth was standing, alongside a squad of stormtroopers. The commander, SC -568 was already giving orders, having his men form up for attack.

The gunship had not waited long once their ship had exited hyperspace. As soon as they entered real space, the gunship, which had been hovering in place for the whole short ride, had shot out, proceeding directly towards Theed ahead of the rest of the fleet.

""We need to secure a landing zone for any following troops." SC-568 said, waving his men into skirmishing lines. They began advancing by twos and threes, their weapons scanning for movement. "Go to helmet comms only."

The men obliged, now only whispering into their helmet's com units rather than talking aloud. The troopers made their way forward, crouching to avoid being seen by any RSF troopers. For a couple blocks, there was dead silence. Even the civilians were snug, in their beds. Then, Seth saw something small and spherical bounce and roll its way into the middle of the squad. The world seemed to stop. Then…

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" SC-568 screamed, throwing himself to the side. Seth followed suit, and a second later, he hit the ground hard. There was an explosion, and Seth felt himself lifted up, into the air, spinning. He hit the wall of a building flanking the narrow street, and felt his bones creak even as he pushed himself up.

Charging towards the disoriented stormtroopers was a squad of security officers, rifles and pistols flashing. Seth pushed himself onto one knee, firing his blaster wildly as he did with one hand. Around him, the rest of the squad was responding similarly, crouching low behind any piece of cover they could find and returning fire.

The narrow street was filling with them, and the security forces quickly outnumbered the bewildered stormtroopers. Seth advanced nonetheless, using his Force abilities to sense the security officer's attacks well before they even pulled the trigger. Seth rolled an dodged, lunging forward well ahead of the stormtroopers, and soon he found himself leading the attack down the street towards their designated landing zone; an open rotunda large enough to support the heavier landing struts of the Jadthu-class landing ships, each of which held at least sixty stormtroopers. If they were to take Theed, getting those to ground was the first step.

Seth dropped as one officer popped out from an alley in front of him, pistol raised. He tried to adjust his aim as Seth came at him, but couldn't before Seth rammed his left fist into the man's stomach. Meanwhile, his right hand raised the E-11 and sent a spray of fire through a squad that had just rounded the corner. He hit two, wounding them, and the rest turned their rifles on him. Seth ducked into the alley his adversary had just tried to ambush him from.

Seth looked around, and saw more Imperial stormtroopers were pouring into the street. Reinforcements from gunships no doubt. As they continued to push the Security officers back, Seth decided he had no reason to continue fighting them. After all, his mission was to kill the Queen, not secure Theed. Leave that to the grunts.

Firing a single blaster shot into the security officer he'd left on the ground, Seth turned and ran down the alley, leaving the stormtroopers to mop up the rest.


Outside the front of the palace there was a wide and open Plaza. This Plaza was the key for the entire battle, as the one who controlled it could move troops and vehicles across its wide surface. It was basically a three way intersection, with one street going to the left of the front of the palace, another going straight out of the palace center, and finally, another going to the right. It was quickly embroiled in a battle between the RSF and stormtroopers.

Gavin, having a wide variety of skills from the first battle of Naboo, had left for the motor pool as soon as Ellberger had given the order. He took Hollis with him, and soon, they found themselves in a Flash speeder, heading directly towards the battle.

The Flash speeder was a light vessel used during the Battle of Naboo by resistance groups, and during peace time for patrol. It had one light cannon mounted on its rear, with a small missile launcher slung underneath that. However, that was it and the Flash speeder relied on speed rather than power to get through firefights.

Unfortunately, that wasn't always enough. To his right, Gavin saw a speeder seem to stumble, then nosed down, its front crashing into the street even as its rear repulsorlift tried to keep it moving. A second later, a pair of laser bolts the size of Gavin's whole body smashed into it, disintegrating the pilots.

"Keep moving!" Gavin yelled into his com. "Don't give 'em a steady target. Gian speeders, form up into a skirmish line and lay down cover fire. Flash speeders, get up there and chase those rocket troopers out of cover."

The speeders acted immediately. The Gian speeders, heavy types of flash speeders with massive plating and three separate heavy cannons pointed front, formed into a long line. The Flash speeders sped forward, dodging the heavy missiles and rockets launcher by the heavy troopers, and returning fire with their rear mounted cannons. The streets largely cleared, the Flash speeders needed to herd any Imperials still in cover out into the open, where they could be mowed down by the Gians.

It was a good plan, save that the stormtroopers were very well trained, and that the Jadthu-class landers were already there, and pouring their contents onto the battlefield. Contents that included Imperial tanks.

The first indicator that Gavin had that something was wrong was a panicked yell over his comlink. This was followed by more yells and worried cries, and soon, Gavin saw the angled plating of a TX-130T fighter tank. He only glimpsed it however, because a second later, it open fire, and Gavin's world spun, then went black.


"We need three squads here and here." Semreh said, pointing at the map of Theed as he, Master Sha Koon, and the Queen looked it over. "Two in front, supporting each other, one in reserve. If we can keep them from landing troops in the Royal Plaza, then we can hold Theed until our fighter screen is in place." He looked over to Ellberger, who was coordinating their air units. The old woman shook her head.

"We have three flights in the air and formed up, but they're scattered and disorganized. Plus, the enemy seems to be trying to set up their own fighter screen around Theed. Our current strength of fighters can't break through." The woman, pointed at the palace, more specifically, the west wing of the palace. "All we have are whatever fighters we have in the royal hanger, and I'm not risking them in case we need to blast the Queen out of here."

Semreh nodded, understanding her reasoning. He would have done the same thing. Still, he knew that to reach the hanger, they needed to hold the plaza, otherwise they'd be cut off in the central wing of the palace, and there'd be no where to run. Semreh looked over the map again.

According to early reports, the Empire had landed a platoon of troopers in one of the outer districts, and had quickly worked their way through the narrow streets to an area wide enough to allow heavy landers to land, but also close enough to deliver troopers right to the battlefield.

Semreh had originally thought that two squads would be enough to repel the initial landing platoon that was reported, but new reports were streaming in and it sounded like stormtroopers were breaking through barriers the RSF had set up despite fierce resistance. Soon, those landers would land, and they would pour the streets with troopers. This was unacceptable.

"Master Bant." Semreh exclaimed, turning as a webbed hand touched his shoulder. The Mon Calamari master had been looking after the wounded with the rest of the Jedi.

"What's going on Semreh?" The calm master murmured to him. Semreh turned back to the map, circling two locations, the first one the Plaza where the RSF had prepared a massive particle cannon to help defend the palace gates, and the hanger, where the Queen would probably have to evacuate eventually.

"We need to keep this cannon up, and a path clear to the hanger." Semreh explained to her. "It'll be our escape route if the worst happens. For that, we need to pull all our forces back from their barricades to here." Semreh jabbed a finger at the Plaza, a large rectangular area in front of the palace. "We center our defense on the particle cannon, and dig in, make them have to fight through its fire."

Bant nodded, and looked at Master Sha Koon, who nodded. "It's a good plan, but what about the Queen? We can't just make a run for the hanger. The troopers would pour too much firepower on us."

At that moment, the entire palace shook, dust shaking from the ancient roof.

"What the hell was that?" Elena said, looking up from an injured trooper she'd been treating.

"Artillery." Master Sha Koon said aloud, not to anyone in particular.

"Queen Apailana!" One communications officer said from his makeshift desk. "Our squads are reporting TX-130T fighter tanks entering the Plaza. They're supporting an advance of infantry coming down through the main street. Our forces are falling back to the particle gun."

Semreh swore and hurried to a window of the palace. He saw a pair of the sleek tanks, their heavily armored fronts impenetrable to everything short of a rocket launcher, flash burning RSF officers with their cannons. A second later, Semreh threw himself to the side as a rocket from one of the tanks hit a wall near where he'd been standing.

He got to his feet, dusting himself off with a curse. "Those tanks could destroy any remaining resistance. Where the hell did they come from?"

"That must have been one of their reasons for finding a suitable landing zone." Glynn-Beti said, her face still locked in a stern mask of serenity, but her fur was bristling. "Can the particle cannon destroy them?"

Semreh, not knowing the answer himself, looked at Apailana. She nodded. "The particle cannon will destroy them before they even get within range of it. Even if the tanks do manage to hit it, it has almost impenetrable armor." She explained, pointing at a holoprojector of the battle. In the streets below, there was fierce fire coming from all sides of the Plaza. It was turning less into a firefight, and more into a melee.

Still, as one of the tanks progressed a little too far, it suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, and exploded, the victim of a concentrated blast from the particle cannon. The cannon began gunning down troopers too, and Semreh was pleased to see large numbers either falling back or taking cover wherever they could find it.

"How are we controlling that turret?" Semreh asked. Where's the consol?"

"Outside, on that balcony to the right of the turret." The Queen said, pointing at a raised platform connected to the ground by a set of stairs. The platform was manned by a squad of RSF troopers, who were carefully monitoring the battle. One of them was standing in front of a computer, carefully adjusting the cannon.

"We have spotters watching the battle and coordinating the gun from up there." She explained hurriedly. "They also double as a squad to protect the consol."

Semreh shook his head. "It's not enough. Get half the squads you have available to that street, leave the other half to form a perimeter around the cannon."

"But won't the stormtroopers start to break through the center then." Apailana said, her face looking alarmed, but Semreh only shook his head.

"Not if the cannons supporting them." He replied confidently. "That cannon is the only thing keeping us from defeat at this point. We can't afford to lose it." Semreh turned, looking at Apailana sideways. "Speaking of which, it's time to get you to the hanger I think milady."

The Queen looked surprised, and then filled with indignant anger. "I most certainly will not. While Naboo fights on, I will fight with it-"

"And that's exactly why you must leave." Master Sha Koon said, arriving flanked by Glynn-Beti and Voolvif Monn. The three looked battle ready and were clutching their lightsabers in their hands. Behind them, the other Jedi and padawans were readying themselves.

"If you fall, Naboo falls." Glynn-Beti explained, looking at Sha Koon, a little uneasily. She quickly mastered herself. "If you fall, the troopers will listen to the next in command, which happens to be Panaka."

Semreh jerked in surprise, and saw the Queen do the same out of the corner of his eye. Evidently, neither of them had considered that. If the Queen died, Panaka could simply order the RSF to surrender across the entire planet. It would be the perfect coup.

"This is my fault." The Queen said despairingly, sitting heavily in a chair. "I should have removed him a long time ago, but he had so much support in the ranks…"

"It's too late to worry about that now." Master Sha Koon said, her hand fingering her saber. "At the moment, you are thinking as if you're already dead. The solution," she said, raising a single finger in the air, as if enlightened, "is to not allow that to happen."

Semreh nodded. "I've been thinking, and I think we can get you out of here. Even with hundreds of stormtroopers banging on the palace gates."

Next chapter coming up soon.