We are able to get past the Trade Federation ships, but not without
consequence. We have been sent way off course and now find ourselves in
the outer regions of the galaxy. Also, our ship is damaged, and we have to
land. We target the nearest planet, and make an emergency landing, landing
in the desert of planet Tatooine.
There is a city nearby, and Qui-Gon plans to go in. Padmé pulls me aside into the queen's quarters with Dormé.
"Zanni, I want to go with him."
I shake my head. "Absolutely not."
"Okay, let me rephrase that," Padmé sighs. "I will go with him."
"My lady...Padmé, it is so dangerous to do so. If you insist on going, then I'm going too."
"But how would that look, you leaving me behind?" Dormé asks.
She's right. I can't go with the queen posed as a handmaiden, and leave the apparent queen unguarded.
"Please, Padmé, don't."
"I know Qui Gon will take good care of me, don't worry," she says soothingly.
"He doesn't know you're the queen. He might easily sacrifice you if there is a chance it might better protect Dormé," I persist.
"No, he wouldn't do that. I am going, Zanni." Padmé looks me sternly in the eye.
I sigh with resignation. "All right. But be careful, and get back here at the first sign of trouble."
She nods, and we join the others again.
Dormé tells Qui-Gon that Padmé will be going with him. At first, he refuses, but as Dormé insists, he has no other choice, and finally accepts her. They also take the droid R2-D2.
I give Padmé a direct communicator for her to contact me at any time, and they leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zanni and I remain on the ship while Qui-Gon, one of the queen's handmaidens, and the droid R2-D2 go into the city to try to find the parts to fix our ship so we can get to the Senate.
Zanni and I spend a lot of time just talking, telling stories and remembering things from our childhood. We also communicate a bit with Qui- Gon, and he seems to have found a boy with extraordinary talents. He's having trouble getting the parts for the ship, however. Due to a sandstorm, he and the handmaiden and R2-D2 are having to spend the night in this boy's house.
The queen seems a lot different than she did before. She's probably just subdued from all the excitement about leaving Naboo. Zanni's also a little on-edge, but that's understandable.
Qui-Gon works out a way to get the parts, and also is very interested in taking the boy back with us to possibly train him as a Jedi. He does sound extraordinary from what Qui-Gon has told me. They obtain the part for the ship, and free the boy from slavery, and now they're headed back here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Qui-Gon, Padmé and the droid return, and we set to fixing the ship. Qui-Gon is on the outside installing the part, and the droid is also working on it. Obi and I are at the computers checking the settings to see if the part takes. It doesn't seem to be working, but we keep trying.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Suddenly, Zanni stiffens. Her eyes glaze over and she turns and stares off into the distance, and her eyes slowly turn green. Obi-Wan doesn't notice, and keeps trying the computer. It finally responds. "Hey, it worked!" he radios to Qui-Gon. "Zanni!" He turns and looks at her. "Zanni?"
She ignores him and continues to stare into the distance.
Qui-Gon starts heading towards the entrance to the ship when he is suddenly bowled over by a sort of hover-craft. He automatically activated his light saber, and stands to see what just hit him. Coming towards him, double-bladed light saber in hand, is Darth Maul.
Zanni, still entranced, starts walking towards the door of the ship, Obi-Wan watching curiously after her.
Qui-Gon and Darth Maul battle for a while, as Zanni approaches the door. Obi-Wan quickly catches up with her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Zanni? What are you doing?"
I look outside and see Qui-Gon and Darth Maul, and quickly draw my saber and dash out to my master's aid. He warns me back, and I stay a little ways away, saber ready, in case he needs my help. Suddenly someone walks past me, and I see that it's Zanni.
"Zanni! Get out of here!"
She's already walked right up next to them, and is simply standing there, staring at Darth Maul, who doesn't seem to pay her any attention. The Qui-Gon and Darth Maul continue to battle around her, and suddenly Qui- Gon's saber accidentally strikes her in the side. She lets out a yelp and falls, and I run up and pull her away.
"Get her into the ship!" Qui-Gon yells, and I follow his instructions. Two of the queen's handmaidens run up to me, looking at Zanni with confusion.
"Take her! She's injured in her side!" I yell above the engines of the ship starting. They take her away.
Qui-Gon is slowly backing towards the ship, still fighting the Sith Lord. He yells to me to take off, and I run to the controls and do so. As the ship starts to lift and the door close, the leaps inside, leaving the furious Darth Maul pacing on the ground below us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I slowly open my eyes, and squint in the bright light of the infirmary. I sure seem to do this a lot. I hear hushed, anxious voices around me, and I move my head to see who's in the room. I see Padmé and Dormé standing right next to my bed. In the corner I make out Obi, leaning against the wall staring worriedly at his feet.
Padmé turns and hisses his name to get his attention and he looks up hopefully. She waves him over, and he approaches. She whispers to him, "I think she's waking up."
He crouches down so he's eye-to-eye with me and I smile. He responds with a relieved laugh. "Yes! She's awake!"
I try to move and feel an extreme shooting pain hit me in my side. I frown, trying to remember what the wound is. But I can't remember. "How..." Just speaking is exhausting. "What happened?" I ask weakly.
"You don't remember?" Dormé asks with concern, and she and Padmé glance at each other.
"No, I don..." I feebly shake my head and close my eyes again.
"Let her rest, she's been through a lot," I hear Padmé say.
I fall asleep again.
I wake up again, what feels like an eternity later. I decide not to open my eyes, and attempt to roll over. But I feel a hand in my hand. I open my eyes, and see Obi asleep in a chair next to the bed. He wakes when he feel the yank on his hand, and looks at me. Seeing that I'm awake, he smiles and removes his hand.
"Hey."
I smile. "Hey."
He leans forward. "How are you feeling?"
I try to laugh, but stop because it hurts so much. "Horrible. What happened?"
"You were hit in the side with a light saber. It hit some vital organs. It's amazing that you survived. You might not have had I not tried healing it some. The wound was so great, however, that I couldn't heal it completely."
I frown. "I was hit by a light saber?"
He nods.
"How? Whose?"
"I honestly don't know. Your eyes were green and you were in a sort of...trance. A Sith Lord was battling Obi-Wan and you just walked right into the middle of it. I feel terrible about it." He grabs my hand again, and looks at me with almost pleading eyes.
"Why do you feel terrible? It wasn't your fault."
"I know I could have done something to prevent it. I didn't know what was going on, so I just stood there."
Right then Padmé enters. Obi stands and she nods to him politely, and then looks at me. "Zanni, I'm glad to see that you've woken." She turns back to Obi. "Would you excuse us for a moment? The queen would like me to give her a message."
Obi bows to her and leaves.
Padmé sits down next to me in the chair Obi was just occupying. "You have yourself quite a loyal 'friend' there."
I half roll-over and stare at the ceiling. Then I look back at her. "What do you mean?"
She smiles. "He hasn't once left your side since you've been out. The farthest he's been I three feet away when the nurse had to get to you."
I frown. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost two days."
There is a city nearby, and Qui-Gon plans to go in. Padmé pulls me aside into the queen's quarters with Dormé.
"Zanni, I want to go with him."
I shake my head. "Absolutely not."
"Okay, let me rephrase that," Padmé sighs. "I will go with him."
"My lady...Padmé, it is so dangerous to do so. If you insist on going, then I'm going too."
"But how would that look, you leaving me behind?" Dormé asks.
She's right. I can't go with the queen posed as a handmaiden, and leave the apparent queen unguarded.
"Please, Padmé, don't."
"I know Qui Gon will take good care of me, don't worry," she says soothingly.
"He doesn't know you're the queen. He might easily sacrifice you if there is a chance it might better protect Dormé," I persist.
"No, he wouldn't do that. I am going, Zanni." Padmé looks me sternly in the eye.
I sigh with resignation. "All right. But be careful, and get back here at the first sign of trouble."
She nods, and we join the others again.
Dormé tells Qui-Gon that Padmé will be going with him. At first, he refuses, but as Dormé insists, he has no other choice, and finally accepts her. They also take the droid R2-D2.
I give Padmé a direct communicator for her to contact me at any time, and they leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zanni and I remain on the ship while Qui-Gon, one of the queen's handmaidens, and the droid R2-D2 go into the city to try to find the parts to fix our ship so we can get to the Senate.
Zanni and I spend a lot of time just talking, telling stories and remembering things from our childhood. We also communicate a bit with Qui- Gon, and he seems to have found a boy with extraordinary talents. He's having trouble getting the parts for the ship, however. Due to a sandstorm, he and the handmaiden and R2-D2 are having to spend the night in this boy's house.
The queen seems a lot different than she did before. She's probably just subdued from all the excitement about leaving Naboo. Zanni's also a little on-edge, but that's understandable.
Qui-Gon works out a way to get the parts, and also is very interested in taking the boy back with us to possibly train him as a Jedi. He does sound extraordinary from what Qui-Gon has told me. They obtain the part for the ship, and free the boy from slavery, and now they're headed back here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Qui-Gon, Padmé and the droid return, and we set to fixing the ship. Qui-Gon is on the outside installing the part, and the droid is also working on it. Obi and I are at the computers checking the settings to see if the part takes. It doesn't seem to be working, but we keep trying.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Suddenly, Zanni stiffens. Her eyes glaze over and she turns and stares off into the distance, and her eyes slowly turn green. Obi-Wan doesn't notice, and keeps trying the computer. It finally responds. "Hey, it worked!" he radios to Qui-Gon. "Zanni!" He turns and looks at her. "Zanni?"
She ignores him and continues to stare into the distance.
Qui-Gon starts heading towards the entrance to the ship when he is suddenly bowled over by a sort of hover-craft. He automatically activated his light saber, and stands to see what just hit him. Coming towards him, double-bladed light saber in hand, is Darth Maul.
Zanni, still entranced, starts walking towards the door of the ship, Obi-Wan watching curiously after her.
Qui-Gon and Darth Maul battle for a while, as Zanni approaches the door. Obi-Wan quickly catches up with her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Zanni? What are you doing?"
I look outside and see Qui-Gon and Darth Maul, and quickly draw my saber and dash out to my master's aid. He warns me back, and I stay a little ways away, saber ready, in case he needs my help. Suddenly someone walks past me, and I see that it's Zanni.
"Zanni! Get out of here!"
She's already walked right up next to them, and is simply standing there, staring at Darth Maul, who doesn't seem to pay her any attention. The Qui-Gon and Darth Maul continue to battle around her, and suddenly Qui- Gon's saber accidentally strikes her in the side. She lets out a yelp and falls, and I run up and pull her away.
"Get her into the ship!" Qui-Gon yells, and I follow his instructions. Two of the queen's handmaidens run up to me, looking at Zanni with confusion.
"Take her! She's injured in her side!" I yell above the engines of the ship starting. They take her away.
Qui-Gon is slowly backing towards the ship, still fighting the Sith Lord. He yells to me to take off, and I run to the controls and do so. As the ship starts to lift and the door close, the leaps inside, leaving the furious Darth Maul pacing on the ground below us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I slowly open my eyes, and squint in the bright light of the infirmary. I sure seem to do this a lot. I hear hushed, anxious voices around me, and I move my head to see who's in the room. I see Padmé and Dormé standing right next to my bed. In the corner I make out Obi, leaning against the wall staring worriedly at his feet.
Padmé turns and hisses his name to get his attention and he looks up hopefully. She waves him over, and he approaches. She whispers to him, "I think she's waking up."
He crouches down so he's eye-to-eye with me and I smile. He responds with a relieved laugh. "Yes! She's awake!"
I try to move and feel an extreme shooting pain hit me in my side. I frown, trying to remember what the wound is. But I can't remember. "How..." Just speaking is exhausting. "What happened?" I ask weakly.
"You don't remember?" Dormé asks with concern, and she and Padmé glance at each other.
"No, I don..." I feebly shake my head and close my eyes again.
"Let her rest, she's been through a lot," I hear Padmé say.
I fall asleep again.
I wake up again, what feels like an eternity later. I decide not to open my eyes, and attempt to roll over. But I feel a hand in my hand. I open my eyes, and see Obi asleep in a chair next to the bed. He wakes when he feel the yank on his hand, and looks at me. Seeing that I'm awake, he smiles and removes his hand.
"Hey."
I smile. "Hey."
He leans forward. "How are you feeling?"
I try to laugh, but stop because it hurts so much. "Horrible. What happened?"
"You were hit in the side with a light saber. It hit some vital organs. It's amazing that you survived. You might not have had I not tried healing it some. The wound was so great, however, that I couldn't heal it completely."
I frown. "I was hit by a light saber?"
He nods.
"How? Whose?"
"I honestly don't know. Your eyes were green and you were in a sort of...trance. A Sith Lord was battling Obi-Wan and you just walked right into the middle of it. I feel terrible about it." He grabs my hand again, and looks at me with almost pleading eyes.
"Why do you feel terrible? It wasn't your fault."
"I know I could have done something to prevent it. I didn't know what was going on, so I just stood there."
Right then Padmé enters. Obi stands and she nods to him politely, and then looks at me. "Zanni, I'm glad to see that you've woken." She turns back to Obi. "Would you excuse us for a moment? The queen would like me to give her a message."
Obi bows to her and leaves.
Padmé sits down next to me in the chair Obi was just occupying. "You have yourself quite a loyal 'friend' there."
I half roll-over and stare at the ceiling. Then I look back at her. "What do you mean?"
She smiles. "He hasn't once left your side since you've been out. The farthest he's been I three feet away when the nurse had to get to you."
I frown. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost two days."