As Obi-Wan and Yoda made their way through the senate apartment building, Obi-Wan's mind was busy working through various possible motives for Jar-Jar's involvement in these crimes, and he was coming up a complete blank. His thoughts were interrupted by a tapping of a walking cane to his head as Yoda had hitched a ride upon his shoulders.
"Control your feelings you must, Obi-Wan. The frustration and worryI can feel in you."
"Yes Master Yoda." Obi-Wan replied as he sent his emotions into theForce,hurryingto the doorway leading to Representative Binks' personal chambers.
Obi-Wan lifted a hand to knock upon the durasteel door, but his forward motion was stopped by a clawed grip to his arm. "Wait. Something, before we enter, I must do."
Tapping his comlink on his utility belt, Yoda waited patiently before the grumbling voice of Chancellor Palpatine came across the other end of the communication..
"Yes? What is it?"
"Speak to you, I must Chancellor."
"Master Yoda. Do you realize what time it is? I have already been informed of your actions against my security forces, but I must insist that we speak of this in the morning."
"Your indulgence, I insist upon." Yoda announced strongly. "Knight Kenobi and myself, come across strong evidence supporting Senator Amidala's defense we have. Require your immediate attention, we do."
The communications channel buzzed with silence before the raspy voice once more replied. "Very well. But be quick about it."
Obi-Wan rapped upon the metallic door and waited just a few minutes before a sleep-tousled figure appeared. Jar-Jar blinked a few times before acknowledging who had come to meet him at such an hour.
"Obi! So good seeing you! " His large hands shook Obi-Wan's firmly and rapidly.
"We're sorry to disturb you at this hour, Jar-Jar," Obi-Wan replied, kneading the feeling back into his hand. "I'm afraid we have some troubling news for you concerning Senator Amidala. I know you two are friends." Obi-Wan moved through the doorway and allowed Yoda to drop from his shoulders.
The three of them walked through the apartment and seated themselves on a low green velvet sofa in the small living area opposite the chair in which Jar-Jar sat.
"Meesa heard. It's a sad-o tale. Meesa hopes the Jedi will help."
"We're doing everything we can to help her, but I need to ask you a few questions."
Obi-Wan glanced to Yoda who had propped his chin upon his walking stick and was gazing intently at the Gungan. He had not yet spoken a word.
Time, we have not. Attempt already made on the senator's life.
Master Yoda's voice seemed to speak in his mind. In other words, get to the point, Kenobi. Obi-Wan smirked before turning to meet Jar-Jar face to face.
"Jar-Jar. What were you doing in Senator Amidala's apartment two nights ago?"
Just for a moment, a flash of panic appeared in the yellow, amphibious eyes. "Meesa don't know what you are saying, Obi." He replied, quite subdued.
"We have a security recording that shows you in Padmé's personal office. You deliberately wiped some important information from her datapad and sabotaged the security recordings. Why?"
The orange nostrils flared and the large ears seemed to somehow expand in width and length, a sign of aggression he had never witnessed in this particular Gungan.
Jar-Jar stood quickly and began pacing about the room. Obi-Wan watched his movements curiously, glancing once more to Yoda, noting that the Jedi Master had not moved a muscle.
To Obi-Wan's amazement, Jar-Jar began to speak. It was not so much the tone of his voice that baffled him, it was the complete lack of Gungan phrasology and the typical Gungan lack of eloquence of Basic language that surprised him. When Jar-Jar began speaking, his words were clear and articulated.
"I suppose this comes as a complete surprise." Jar-Jar began. "You humanoids all think the same. You think that Gungans are so stupid. And we were. But we were happy to be so. Our lives were perfect you see. What is it you humans say? Ignorance is bliss? Sure, we were cut off from the outside world, but who cared. We had our gornum. The gornum provided all our happiness.." A strange smile appeared on the Gungan's face as he began talking about the mysterious drug that had killed the two senators.
"Yes, we were happy in Otah Gunga, until you came along." His wistful appearance took a hard edge as he glared at Obi-Wan. "You and that little bitch of a queen. You had to come in and ruin everything. You exposed our society to the wretchedness of Naboo. And do you know what happened?" Jar-Jar's voice raised in volume. "The Naboo people poisoned us! Yes! They poisoned us with their philosophies, their moralities. And before you know it, Boss Nass commanded everyone to stop using gornum. Stop using it! Can you believe that? He actually made it illegal to harvest it, sell it – even use it."
"Well, you see, Jedi." Jar-Jar began moving around the small apartment and Obi-Wan found himself standing to be able to follow his movements. Yoda, however, remained seated. "This Gungan isn't so dumb. I had my own stash, you see. Brought it to Coruscant with me. But my family back home. They are suffering without it. Have you ever gone days without water? So thirsty that you thought you were going to die?"
Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly in acknowledgement.
"That's what it feels like coming off the gornum. It is hell, I'm telling you. And my people are suffering – all because of your little revolution. All because of Senator Amidala."
"Jar-Jar. " Obi-Wan asked gently. "Did you assassinate Senator's Looruya and Dio?"
Jar-Jar let out a long raspberry. "What purpose would that serve? But it did help me out didn't it? The great Senator Amidala falls off her glorious throne."
Obi-Wan frowned at the heavy cynicism in the Gungan's voice.
"I don't know who framed her for that. All I did was ensure that she didn't get off the hook."
"You set the explosion in the cell."
The Gungan smiled broadly. "And you got blamed for it, didn't you? Sorry about that. Collateral damage, you might say."
"And what about the separatist list." Obi-Wan inquired.
"Sold that little piece of vital information. Gornum is hard to come by nowadays you know, and what you can find is priced pretty high. I haven't had a steady supply since a couple of weeks ago, when I lost my stash."
"You lost it?"
"Yes. I must have dropped it in the senate building somewhere. To keep up this goofy Gungan appearance, I have to use the stuff at least three times a day. Right now, I'm getting by on a cheap substitute."
"So, it not only inhibits your thoughts, but your speech as well."
"You mightn't be saying that." Jar-Jar replied with a sneer.
Obi-Wan shook his head in disbelief. All the years he had known the tall, lanky, Gungan, he would have never believed that his clumsiness and his ineloquence of speech was the result of drug abuse.
"Stop shaking your head at me, Jedi. You don't have anything on me. Sure, I admit to setting off the explosion, but you can't prove it. And I admit to stealing the separatist list, but as far as I'm concerned, that should be public knowledge. The Republic should be thanking me. The worst I can get is a few months in the slammer."
"Afraid more than that you will be getting, my friend." Yoda finally spoke, moving his hand to his utility belt and picking up his com link.
"Chancellor? Received this information, you did?"
"Yes, Master Yoda."
"Speak in the morning, we will."
"I'm looking forward to it." The Chancellor replied before the communication disconnected.
An hour later as security forces secured the Gungan representative in electrocuffs and shuffled him toward the doorway of his apartment, Jar-Jar turned back to Obi-Wan, his eyes menacingly gazing at the Jedi. "At least I managed to cause a few hours of suffering to the little Naboo wench. It doesn't quite make up for the suffering she has caused my people the last few years. Just know, that whatever happens to me, it was worth it."
Obi-Wan watched in silence as security took Jar-Jar away, the revelations of the past two hours numbing his mind and his tongue.
AN: All you Jar-Jar haters out there -- Let's hear a big cheer! ; )