The Naboo Royal Starship, a modified J-type 327 Nubian starship, was a ship always at Amidala's disposal for formal state visits to other planetary representatives, and for royal events on Naboo. Even as the aircraft entered into space and headed
Iris began her journey to the cockpit once the Queen was safe, she bumped into Obi-Wan. On the way and greeted, "Mr. Kenobi."
"Iris," Obi-Wan said, a kind small on his face toward the young woman.
"Where's Master Jinn?" The female wondered. The girl did not see the Jedi Master alongside his Padawan.
"He went on ahead." Obi-Wan answered.
Iris gave a small nod.
Then the two Padawan's went toward the cockpit to meet up with Qui-Gon, who already entered the ship's cockpit through a sleek and white shiny circle doorway, the Oldest Jedi among the three moved forward to speak with Captain Panaka, whose leather gloved hands were gripping a leather bound seat, eyes carefully watching out the window for the Trade Federation blockade ships. The pilot of the ship was named Ric Olié, who was already making sure the ship was ready to fly out into space because he was the personal pilot for the Queen of Naboo and labeled one of the best flyers by the Naboo government.
The moment the Royal Naboo Starship center the dark abyss of space was the moment the three men could see the massive attack force of the Trade Federation.
"There's the blockade," Ric stated, eyes going wide at the massive group of ships the Trade Federation brought with them because it was very different from seeing ships on the ground from a planet which made the Blockade look like small stars, but now seeing them in space the ships were the size of moons.
At the window the hundreds of Trade Federation ships look to still be in a circle formation, guarding the planet. Only the droids would have already sent a signal to the ships not to watch for a signal cruiser leaving the planet's atmosphere. Obi-Wan and Iris entered the room, both staring at Qui-Gon with concern within their eyes. Then the Trade Federation ships chose fire laser bolts toward the Naboo starship.
A deep red volley of lasers were blasted from a signal ship. The Starship was able to avoid most of the shots without trouble until one laser hit and skinned the metal around the ships shield generator, starting a small fire outside of the ship.
"At this rate," Iris huffed into the open air. "We're going to be vaporized." Of all the ways Iris had imagined herself meeting a very terrible end within the galaxy-she never once thought about being blasted by Trade Federation ships in the middle of space and being turn into space dust would be the way she died.
The young female Jedi always pictured death by lightsaber or by a droid with a blaster. Never this.
But at the end of the day maybe it doesn't matter rather your end will be by laser fire or lightsaber considering death was death.
Either way, they were all going to die.
The whole ship's control system began to flash an orangish-red. The beeping alarms sounded as well as the ship warned the Captain what damage had been done to the ship. "The shield generator's been hit!" Ric stated with wide eyes. This wasn't going to be very good.
Without the shields the ship was going to be done in by laser fire.
Droid's were quickly sent out to fix the problem caused by the laser fire.
"I have a really bad feeling about this," iris admits. Nothing was going as planned and now the shields were gone. The mission was going to fail
"Don't worry, Padawan," Jinn spoke in a calm manner. "Relax and trust the Force."
Obi-Wan gave his Master and sideways glance which worried Iris and made the female's stomach drop to a darker pit of uneasy thoughts. Her Master used to say the same thing. Only Jinn might end up being wrong.
Trust the Force.
Trust the living force in the here and now or just the Force.
That was the problem along the Jedi Knights. Trust the here and now or be mindful of the living Force.
Jinn seemed to be in the here and now when it came to the Force, while Iris' Master had always taught the living Force.
Iris looked up at the small circle screen into the ship's cockpit and watched as the golden droid unit was shot by a red laser of enemy fire and was sent flying off the ship and into the void of space. This did not look good. The main problem with the shield was not fixed and the droids were being picked off by enemy fire one-by-one.
"We're losing droids fast," Obi-Wan stated to everyone in the room, then glared back down toward the screen to watch the remaining two droids try to fix the shields.
Qui-Gon remained slight and continued to stare straight ahead. Obi-Wan was not remaining calm within the situation. A knew that his student really didn't like flying, especially when one was being shot at which makes Kenobi lose his patience.
Panaka used a leather gloved hand to grip onto one of the walls. "If we can't get the shield generator fixed, we'll be sitting ducks."
Yes, Iris realized, looking down toward the ground for a moment. We'll be sitting ducks and my Master died for nothing.
At the end of the day. If they failed in their mission in protecting the Queen from the Trade Federation, than Iris' Master died for nothing.
On the view screen the blue R2 unit could be seen working furiously to connect a series of wires exposed by a damaged hull plate. Laser fire continued to dance around the two remaining droids, but both droid units continued their work without being phased. The red droid, the one working in front of the blue one, disappeared in a cloud of shattered metal and brilliant laser fire, sending it backwards into space.
"The shields are gone," Ric announced in despair. Not one droid could fix the shield all alone. It was over.
Iris felt herself pale, losing all color within her skin. Then it is over.
The lone and remaining R2 unit remained, still busy amid the onslaught of the Trade Federation starships laser fire. The droid gave a small beep before connecting the right wire into the system, bringing the shields back on line.
"The power's back!" Ric said in disbelief.
"What?" Iris said, shock. Her eyes went toward the blue R2 unit that was giving off happy beeps on the screen. "That droid did it." That droid deserved a good oil bath when this battle was over with because that unit saved their lives.
"He bypassed the main power drive," Ric explained, grinning.
The wildfire of lasers from the Trade Federation ships were still coming at full force upon the Naboo starship which will survive the incoming fire thanks to the newly fixed shields.
Ric hit the center button on the control panels. "Deflector shields up at maximum."
The Royal Naboo Cruiser was able to make it over the main control ship, gliding over the laser cannons, turning to the side to stay out of the laser. The thrusters of the ship were put on full force forward by the pilot, and the transport rocketed away from both the battleship and the starfighters, leaving the Trade Federation blockade and the planet of Naboo behind.
"Master, we did it," Iris whispered to the Force, bowing her head, slightly in respect.
The ship quickly burst into open space, flying at top speed away from the Trade Federation ships, making it impossible for them to track with their tech for the time being. Once Ric was positive they were a great distance between themselves and the Trade Federation, did the captain make a thorough check of the controls, assessing their damage, trying to determine what needed to be fixed or done to the ships main power cells to get Naboo fighter flying with the darkness part of space.
"There's not enough power to get us to Coruscant. The hyperdrive is leaking." Ric explained, watching the main outline of the hyperdrive begin to fall away. This was not good.
Iris watched Kenobi sit in the copilot's seat on the other side of the room, looking for a safe planet to land on by using the star charts on the ship's data bases. Panaka sat down in front of the chairs, looking at the damage.
Qui-Gon stood in the center of the room, arms folded underneath his robes. "We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." Then the Jedi Master turned his attention toward Iris, a curious look on his face. "You are very good with a lightsaber blade, young one."
Iris gave a small nod. "Thank you."
"It was orange," Jinn stated.
Iris gave a small nod. "Yes."
"You know what that means, correct?"
Iris understood what the Jedi Knight was talking about. "The prophecy is at hand." She heard the tales and stories from her Master about orange lightsaber blades bring forth the destined prophecy of the Force, a chosen one. "My Master told me about it."
"You're Master?" Jinn questioned, concern filling his eyes.
The young female looked down sadly.
"Here, Master. Tatooine." Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke as Qui-Gon moved forward and looked at the screen.
Iris could seem the look within Jinn's eyes and knew him and herself will have more words in the future when it came to the young female's fallen Master. Plus, Iris would have to go to the Jedi council and find out what they wanted to do with her.
The young girl was not ready for the Jedi test or trails.
Would she be given another Master or be thrown into the medical, crow growing, or exploring the galaxy with other Jedi from the other three branches that built up the temple. She did not know the answer and her fate was a mystery.
"Small, out of the way, poor." A desert planet out in the middle of nowhere. Far from any of the core planets. Not in the republic. "The Trade Federation has no presence there."
Panaka, having listened in on what was being said between the Jedi, spoke up. "How can you be sure?"
Iris looked at the Captain and the older Jedi with concern cross her face. She still had her deceased master's mission to complete and didn't wish to take too great of risk. "The Trade Federation could be anywhere, especially out in the middle of the outer rim planets. A perfect place to hide and do illegal blockades on planets where senate's rules and regulations don't exist."
"It's controlled by the Hutts," Qui-Gon answered, barely glancing Panaka's way, expression graved.
The Hutts. Iris thought, brown eyes looking toward the ground.
The Hutts. Iris head a lot about the Hutts from her late mother. The young girl's mother had been a slave before being freed.
Panaka looking at the Jedi with alarm and shouts; "The Hutts? You can't take Her Royal Highness there. The Hutts are gangsters." Slavers. The Hutts enslaved everything and everyone that crosses them or brings the beings interest. Jabba had his eyes for a very beautiful female woman to be his dancing girl within his palace. If Jabba the Hutt learns about a royal Queen of Naboo being on the planet, then chaos would surely follow? "If they discovered her-"
"It'd be no different than if we landed..." Qui-Gon began to interrupt, turning his attention to Panaka. "On a system controlled by the Federation." Landing on the desert planet gave them a small advantage.
The Hutts were not looking for the Queen.
Iris knew in that moment Master Qui-Gon Jinn was correct "Captain," the young female called out, brown eyes on Panaka, "The Hutts aren't looking for the Queen of Naboo, which gives up the advantage." It was better to have the advantage than disadvantage.
Panaka took a deep breath. Frustration was still etched across his smooth dark skinned face. He gave a small nod "Do what you have to do, Master Jedi?"
Qui-Gon gave a small smile before looking at Ric. "Set course for Tatooine."
Ric gave a nod and began to type in the course toward the desert planet. "Yes, Master Jedi."
Iris looked out at the stars from the ships window and felt something calling to her. The Force was singing a song of fate. Everything that was about to occur was destiny.