Part Two: Saving a Galactic Senator

"Oh dear, oh dear . . . " Sid 3PO kept repeating, as he made his way down the ventilation shaft behind the two Jedi Knights.

"Will you be quiet?" Arnold whispered to the droid, who sounded to him like he was stuck in a recording loop.

"I see another opening up ahead," Stinky said.

They made their way to the vent cover and opened it to find themselves behind some canisters and boxes in one of the battle ship's docking bays.

As Arnold tried to keep Sid 3PO quiet, Stinky Kenobi glanced around the side of the crates to see that they were no more than a few yards away from a platoon of battle droids and a dozen droid dekas, very heavily armed attack droids with powerful shield generators. In front of this force was a large, mean-looking bounty hunter wearing silver and green body armor and a large helmet with a long black visor for eye holes.

"Harold Fett!" Called a voice from the doorway.

Commander Nadine entered the room and walked over to the bounty hunter, Harold Fett.

"Yeah? Is it time?" The bounty hunter asked, eagerly.

Commander Nadine nodded, "Yes, the Sith just sent us the orders to move on with the plan . . . "

From where they hid, both Stinky Kenobi and Arnold Skywalker couldn't believe what they heard. The Sith Lords were the enemies of the Jedi Knights for centuries. It was believed all of them had been destroyed long ago.

"The Sith? It can't be, master . . . " Arnold argued. Stinky held up a hand for quiet. They continued to listen in on the conversation.

"You are to go down to the planet Naboo and capture Senator Helga Amidala." Nadine finished.

"Don't worry, Commander," The bounty hunter said, "The Senator will soon be in our hands."

"Once we have her, we will deliver her to the Sith Emperor on the Planet Genosis."

"Ha! Why do you think he wants her anyway? It isn't like she's that important, or anything, even if she is Chancellor Olga's sister."

Commander Nadine frowned. "I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. Those are our orders and we will carry them out. The sooner we do, the sooner we get our rewards."
Harold Fett nodded, "Understood, Commander."

The bounty hunter began to order the droid soldiers into the nearby space ship.

Behind the crates, Arnold and Stinky began to take steps to stop them.

"We've got to warn the Jedi Council if the Sith are indeed involved," Stinky said.

"What about the Senator, Master?" Arnold asked.

"Arnold, I recon you'll have to sneak aboard that ship, get down to the planet and protect her at all costs." Stinky answered.

Arnold looked at Stinky and smiled. "Y-you're trusting me to do this on my own, master?" That was a first.

Stinky looked at his padawan. "I recon you're strong enough to do this, Arnold."

"Thanks master, I promise I won't fail you, or the Senator." Arnold said in assurance.

"May the Force be with you, young padawan."

Arnold nodded and crawled off.

Watching Arnold make his way to Harold Fett's ship and sneaking aboard, Stinky thought to himself, 'Sooner or later, they all have to leave the nest, I recon.'

"Pardon me, sir," Sid 3PO said, interrupting Stinky's thoughts. "What are we going to do here?"

"We wait until Arnold contacts me and try to stay out of sight."

Down on the planet below them, inside an office in the largest building of Theed, the capital city of the Planet Naboo, Senator Helga Amidala was sitting at her desk, surrounded by her three aids, Representative Lorenzo, Representative Sheena, and her personal aide, Li-la Binks.

They were all gathered around the Senator's office desk, discussing what Senator Helga believed to be an important issue . . .

"With the current crisis of the Trade Federation blockade of the planet, shouldn't we be discussing something more important?"

Helga Amidala scowled at him, "I think that this is important, Lorenzo."

The Gungan, Li-la Binks added her two cents. "Well, meesa thinks that wesa should look at thisa problem with an ever-so moi moi different perspective."

"I agree," Representative Sheena added, with her chipper voice. "This is an important issue, and I fear it may not be settled easily. I vote that we should do this the traditional way, Senator."

The party separates to reveal sandwich stuff on the table.

"I defiantly think we should put Swiss on it!" Sheena said. "With pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes."

"No people," Helga said, flatly. "I will not condone a course of action that will put cheese on my pastrami sandwich!"

"Well, meesa thinks . . . "

"Nothing I'm interested in hearing, I'm sure Li-la." Helga said, interrupting the Gungan.

Suddenly the alarms in the building go off.

Helga stood up. "What the he . . . " That was all she managed to get out of her mouth before the doorway exploded, sending debris all over the shocked diplomats and the sandwich stuff.

A moment later, Harold Fett walks in, flanked by a dozen battle droids, weapons all aimed at the Senator and her associates.

"What is the meaning of all this!" Helga asked, outraged.

"You're coming with me, Senator!" Harold Fett announced. He turned to the droids. "Put the Senator in chains and destroy the others!"

"Roger-roger!" The nearest droid said.

They started to advance on the frightened Senator and her aids when the window beside them shattered inwardly, sending glass all over the goons. A brown and blonde blur spun over their heads and into them. Then half of the droids went flying, as if propelled by some unseen obstruction. Then, in the mists of it all, a blue light saber activated, cutting down the remaining droids. Harold Fett was hurled against the wall, temporarily stunned.

Lorenzo, Sheena, and Li-la Binks all ducked under the table, but Helga stood there in awe of the sight before her.

The figure standing over Harold Fett was a short, boy dressed in brown Jedi robes with turfs of soft, yellow-blonde hair sticking out of his blue cap and a padawan pony tail on his right shoulder. He carried his light saber with such confidence and assurance. His eyes, which she could see from there were green, held a lot of determination and strength. It was an impressive sight.

'Wow!' Helga thought to herself.

Harold Fett recovered from the shock and fired his blaster pistol at the Jedi, only to have it deflected by the light saber, the lazer blast just barely passed by Helga's left ear by a foot. She was too entranced by the Jedi padawan's catlike reflexes to realize she was still in danger.

Arnold charged at the bounty hunter and neatly cut the blaster in two with the light saber blade.

Harold Fett turned and dived out the window next to him, igniting his rocket pack as he did so. No doubt going to get reenforcement from his ship.

Arnold deactivated his light saber and took a deep breath. Twelve droids in ten seconds, Master Stinky would be proud, he thought to himself smiling slightly.

Then he turned, and saw a rather impressive sight before him.

The girl was wearing the blue and pinkish-purple robes popular with female representatives of the Galactic Congress, obviously Senator Helga Amidala. She had a lot of strength to her, Arnold could tell from the intensity in her large, blue eyes. Her light blonde hair was set in two pigtails with a pink ribbon set in the top of her head.

'Wow!' Arnold thought to himself.

She looked him up and down and asked him, in a slightly bemused voice, "Aren't you a little short for a Jedi?"

Arnold frowned. 'Some gratitude!'

To Be Continued . . .