The damage the small Nubian ship had incurred had thankfully not affected the heat shields, which remained intact as the vessel plummeted toward Naboo at increasing speed. Obi-Wan immediately sent out his awareness into the Force, searching for a clear path to an adequate landing area. The ship no longer had power and he was using all of his strength to simply steer her to the ground.
Only when they had cleared the heavy upper atmospheric cloud cover did the young woman in the co-pilot's seat cease talking, her words of caution stuttering to a stop as her eyes took in the dense forest they were quickly approaching. Obi-Wan glanced solidly at her, impressed that her face did not reveal the fear he had expected to see. Instead she wore a look of concern and confidence, and turned her head and looked straight at him in a way as if to say, 'I trust you. Our lives are in your hands.'
Once more, the Jedi Knight called out to the Force, attempting to slow the ship's rapid descent.
"Hold on." He called out to the passengers, who immediately buckled themselves into the bridge seating. The ship entered the tree line, branches slapping and splintering against the viewport and anterior hull. The knight summoned all his might and pulled back on the controls in order to hold up the nose of the vessel to prevent it from rolling over once they struck the surface.
The belly of the ship slammed onto firm ground, skidding forward with a powerful momentum, slowed only by the trees that lay in its path, a thunderous cloud of dust and debris following behind it, until it finally came to a stop, hanging precariously from the edge of a stony outcropping overlooking a substantial waterfall.
The roar of the water was the first thing that Obi-Wan became aware of. A slight ache in his head was the second. The young knight came up from his seat slowly, grasping desperately onto the Force as consciousness returned fully. From the viewport, he could see the waterfall below, but through the Force, he could tell that ship's location was apparently stable and safe.
However, the passengers were not so safe. In the distant atmosphere above, he could hear the approach of the Corellian cruiser and was amazed at their perserverance.
He quickly moved about the cabin, reviving the older gentleman who had suffered some minor scratches and head wound, and one young woman who had possibly dislocated her shoulder. The other passengers were bruised but capable of travel.
He finally came to the aid of the young co-pilot and knelt down in front of her seated form. She had belted herself into the chair, but had obviously been thrown forward during the crash against the control panel. A nasty bruise was rapidly forming across her forehead.
Obi-Wan's hand smoothed across her unconscious brow, brushing aside a stray dark curl. With just a slight application of healing Force, her eyelids fluttered open. Upon meeting the rich brown gaze, the young man was suddenly incapable of stopping the smile that spread across his face, but quickly wiped it away at the discovery that her gaze seemed to cut right through him.
"We need to get off the ship." He finally managed to say. "Are you all right?"
"My head hurts." She answered softly, squinting in discomfort.
Once more, the knight placed a gentle hand to the young woman's forehead, her eyes widening in a way Obi-Wan assumed was from relief, and indeed, the young woman was appreciative as the pain faded, but was also stunned at the way her pulse rate increased from the slight touch.
Obi-Wan stood and led them from the lopsided ship, assisting the two handmaidens down first, but before he could turn to help Lady Amidala, she had already jumped from the vessel and was brushing away the wrinkles from her skirt.
"Which way?" She asked him boldly and he revealed a surprised smirk.
Obi-Wan glanced up into the hills and could see the Theed palace in the distance. "We'll head east through the jungle, but we need to hurry." He added as the Corellian vessel came into view just north of their position. "Stay close to me."
The group maneuvered their way through the dense forest, Obi-Wan using his lightsaber to free the path of tangling vines. He would occasionally glance behind him to ensure his company was safe, and had a growing concern over the eldest gentleman in their group, who was consistently lagging farther behind.
Several more minutes into their journey and he had come to a decision, stopping the group just in front of a bubbling spring.
He turned to the darker skinned gentleman. "I want you to take everyone ahead toward the palace. I'll stay back and…detain our friends."
"But you'll be outnumbered ten to one." The Lady of Lonessa exclaimed, stepping forward from the group.
"More like fifteen." Obi-Wan replied with a grin. "Don't worry about me. I can defend myself."
"So can we." The young man he had asked to lead the group commented, to which Obi-Wan raised a brow of suspicion.
"Just because we don't believe in violence, doesn't mean we can't defend ourselves."
Both brows rose then and the young man looked smugly back at him. "All Lonessians are trained in hand to hand combat."
"Oh." Obi-Wan replied simply. He must have missed that part in his studies. "Then proceed…uhm.." He stammered, not knowing how to adress the young man.
"Panaka."
"Then proceed, Panaka. I'll catch up momentarily."
Obi-Wan watched fervently as the group filed away through the forest and then he hid himself amongst the greenery, awaiting the approach of the Corellian crew.