For the space of a heartbeat nobody and nothing moved, then the stands exploded into motion; winged Geonosians took off in droves and those with just stubs on their shoulders pushed and shoved their way to the exit tunnels. Then files of battle droids and super battle droids flooded into the arena and the Jedi ran to meet them shattering the neat mechanical formation. The melee became general, Jedi cutting down droids all over the place - and a few of them falling as well.
A tall, dark Jedi, descended from the sky - or rather the stands above them - landing between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "Glad you could join us, Mace." the older Master said, eyes twinkling.
The Jedi, who Amidala recognized as one of the councilors from the Chancellor's office, glared at Qui-Gon. "What are you doing here? I ordered you to stay with the Queen."
"I am with the Queen." the Master replied and nodded towards her.
Mace Windu looked, and stared at Amidala in horrified disbelief. "Your Majesty! Qui-Gon have you gone mad?"
"It's not Master's fault, it's mine." Anakin put in quickly.
"No it's mine." Amidala said firmly. "I insisted Jedi Skywalker bring me here to negotiate for Master Dooku and Master Kenobi's release.
As they talked the Jedi were, almost absent mindedly, batting away intermittent blaster fire from standard battle droids, Luckily they hadn't attracted the attention of any of the super battle droids or destroyers - yet..
"This perhaps is not the best time to discuss the matter." Dooku suggested mildly.
Windu grimaced. "As ever the master of understatement, Yan." then he grinned. "Good to see you safe, old friend."
A hint of concern clouded the old Master's face. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mace, our comrades are badly outnumbered."
"Don't worry, help is on the way." Windu looked around. "Let's see if we can get Queen Amidala to some decent cover." but as they were in a gladiatorial arena there was little cover to be had other than the tunnel openings - and there was no knowing what might come out of them at any minute. And of course a wedge of Jedi holding together was bound to attract enemy attention.
Suddenly Anakin grabbed her and jumped, one of those breathtaking Force assisted leaps, they landed flat on the sandy ground some distance from where' they'd started, with him shielding her. Amidala felt rather than saw the sonic/plasma sphere many times the size of those fired by the Geonosian blasters, bounce over and past them to impact harmlessly against a trio of stubby pillars.
"You all right?" Ani asked.
She nodded, getting her breath back. "What about the others?"
Anakin looked around helplessly; between the blaster fire, dust and surging combatants it was impossible to see where their companions' own evasive maneuvers had taken them. "Looks like we're on our own."
"I hope they're all right." Amidala said worriedly.
"Incoming!" Anakin pulled her flat again as another huge sonic/plasma sphere passed just over them. This time the detonation felled some Jedi as well as a drove of droids.
"We better do something about that gun." Anakin said. "Follow me."
She did, firing her blaster as she ran. The big gun managed to get off one more shot, forcing them to drop again, before they reached it. It was manned by Geonosian warriors rather than droids and they didn't last long against Ani's lightsabre and Amidala's shooting.
Anakin pushed the gunner's body out of the seat and took its place. "Seems a shame not to get some use out of this thing."
Amidala looked around. The trouble was the Jedi, though fewer now, were so mixed in with the droids as to make a clean shot all but impossible - then she saw it. "Ani, over there!" she pointed to a file of destroyers advancing steadily as they shot down droids and Jedi with mechanical impartiality.
"Hang on." the whole top part of the gun slewed around as the muzzle lined up on its target, then shook underfoot as it fired. The line of destroyers disintegrated in flames.
"See anything else we can shoot?" Ani asked.
Amidala pointed towards a tunnel mouth with battle droids flowing out of it. "How about there?"
He grinned. "Good choice." Three shots not only closed the tunnel but eliminated most of the reinforcements.
But by then the droids had realized the gun was in enemy hands. Amidala saw a trio of super battle droids converging on them from behind, weapon arms rising to fire, and screamed, "Ani, look out!"
Anakin realized he could never get the gun around in time and jumped down, pulling her with him to take cover behind the base just as the upper part of the gun exploded above them. ordinary battle droids converged on their position. Anakin fended off the incoming fire and Amidala returned it with vigor.
"You call this a diplomatic solution?" he demanded during a lull.
She looked up at him in surprise, saw his grin and returned it. "No. I call it aggressive negotiations!" then she looked back at the battle and her grin slid off, so many Jedi were down! "We're not doing very well are we, Ani?"
"No." he agreed grimly. "I hope this help Master Windu's expecting gets here before it's too late."
Jacen spat out a mouthful of arena sand and raised his head to look around. He saw Obi-Wan picking himself up nearby but there was no sign of the others. A second giant sonic/plasma sphere detonated a short distance away felling some of their fellow Jedi. Jacen and Obi-Wan ran towards them. One, a non-Human Jacen didn't know, was dead and one, their old friend Luminara Unduli, was completely unharmed, but her Apprentice, hadn't been so fortunate.
Jacen threw himself on his knees beside her. "Barriss! are you all right?"
"Sure I am," she snapped, "I'm just lying here because I'm tired!"
Jacen grinned, she couldn't be too bad if she could still snap at him. Luminara, bending over them, seemed to feel the same. "Hush, my Padawan, remember your manners." her blue eyes unfocused as she used the Force to look inside her Apprentice's body. "A simple concussion wound," she said after a moment, with visible relief, "the nerves have been shocked into paralysis but that will pass. In the meantime...." she looked around for some kind of cover.
"There." said Obi-Wan, pointing to some flattened pillars.
Luminara laid Barriss gently inside the rough triangle formed by the fallen stone posts. Jacen retrieved a droid blaster nearby and offered it to her. Bariss grimaced but took it, she couldn't use her lightsabre if she couldn't stand.
"Stay here, and stay down!" Luminara ordered. "I will come back for you when I may."
Barriss nodded. "Be careful, Luminara!"
"I am not the reckless Padawan here." her Teacher reminded her dryly.
Barriss would be fine, Jacen told himself firmly. The battle droids would pay no attention to a prostrate enemy who wasn't firing at them. But if Luminara, or Jacen himself, stayed with her the droids would attack, she was safer alone. Still it was very hard to walk away from her.
"Let's try to find the Queen." said Obi-Wan.
"Queen? what Queen?" Luminara wanted to know.
"Amidala of the Naboo." he answered grimly.
"Force preserve us!" Luminara looked at the battle around them with dismay. "What is she doing here?"
"Long story." Obi-Wan answered. "I'll explain later," he fended off a series of blaster bolts from a super battle droid and felled it, "if we have a later that is."
The three of them stuck together, guarding each other's backs. Suddenly Jacen heard an all too familiar animal roar. Somehow the Acklay had found its way out of the tunnels and into the battle. It loomed over them, rearing up and preparing to strike.
"I've had about enough of this creature!" Obi-Wan said and sliced away the claw descending on him, then cut off the other foreleg with a backhand strike and stabbed the monster right through the braincase as it collapsed at his feet. Breathless he looked at the others.
"If you've quite finished killing helpless animals -" Luminara began acidly.
"Helpless animal?" Obi-Wan sputtered. "You saw those claws! The blasted thing's been chasing us all over the complex -!"
"Uh, Masters." Jacen interrupted. A trio of destroyers advancing on them brought a quick end to the argument.
"We seem to have lost the young people." Dooku observed calmly, fending off blaster fire.
"Anakin will take care of the Queen." Qui-Gon replied from behind his right shoulder.
"But who is going to take care of Anakin?" Mace wondered from Dooku's left.
The old Master couldn't see his former Padawan's smile but he sensed it. "Queen Amidala. She is a most efficient young lady."
Dooku finished his survey of the battlefield and he didn't like what he'd seen. "Mace -"
"Yes I know," the Councilor said grimly, in answer to the unspoken thought, "but Yoda should be here soon with an army of reinforcements. We'll just have to hang on somehow..." Mace closed his eyes briefly and Dooku felt his call pulse through the Force; 'Rally to me, comrades, rally to me.' "At least we can guard each other's backs." he added aloud.
'Rally to me.' Anakin's head turned sharply at the silent call, then he reached down to pull Padme to her feet. "C'mon."
"Where?" she asked blankly. "Ani, we've got some cover here -"
"There," he said pointing to a cluster of brown and cream robed figures in the distance, "Master Windu is calling us together."
They started across the arena, Anakin trying to look everywhere at once and fending blaster fire away from Padme.
A prone super battle droid suddenly sat up, right in front of them. Anakin shoved Padme behind him and brought his sabre to guard - just as the droid's head was sliced neatly from its shoulders by a flash of blue light. The torso fell to one side revealing the slender, leather clad form of a blue skinned Twi-lek, a lightsabre burning in her hand.
"Aayla!" Anakin exclaimed.
"Anakin Skywalker what are you doing here?" she answered, just as surprised. "I heard you were on assignment."
"I was, she brought me here." he looked down at Padme, she seemed to be glaring at Aayla was she jealous? She had no need to be but Anakin couldn't help feeling a little flattered. "Your Higness this is Jedi Aayla Secura who I told you about. Aayla, this is my assignment; Queen Amidala of the Naboo."
The Twi-lek's blue eyes went wide. "And you brought her here? Oh, Ani you are going to be in so much trouble -"
He pushed Padme into Aayla's arms and whirled just in time to block a stream of destroyer fire. Then he felt the Force shift powerfully and one of the stubby observation towers fell on top of the droidekaa, demolishing it.
"Thanks, Aayla." he panted.
"You're welcome, let's get to the others."
Between forty and fifty Jedi had formed a defensive circle with maybe half as many wounded in the center. Anakin was relieved to see his Master, Dooku, Obi-Wan and Jacen among those still on their feet.
The Droids converged on them forming a second ring of steel enclosing the shrinking band of Jedi. The blaster fire was incredibly intense and hits were becoming uncomfortably common, even Jedi get tired. Anakin felt all right so far, but he couldn't keep this up forever - and what would happen to Padme then?
Suddenly the firing stopped.