They stood out on a platform that was suspended in mid-air. Five large Gungans faced them, all robed in glory and wealth with heads held high. The 'bosses' as they were known were incredibly large and Catrina wanted to know how someone as skinny and lanky as Jar Jar could be in anyway related to the Big Boss Nass that sat glaring down at them with beady eyes.

Boss Nass clicked, his whole body lurching forward as he met Qui-Gon's eyes.

"Yossa canot be here. Dis army of mechanics up there is you wessa."

Qui-Gon placed his hands on his waist and stared firmly back at the Boss.

"A droid army is about to attack the Naboo," He said slowly, obviously trying to get them to understand, "We must warn them."

"Wessa no like the Naboo." The boss fired back his low voice echoing around the small bubble, "The Naboo think they so smartie. Dey think their brains so big!"

Obi-Wan stepped forward, his arms crossed.

"Once they take control of the surface they will take control of you." He tried to reason.

The Boss sat back and lifted his head in what appeared to be disgust.

"Mesa no think so. They not know of usen." He stated proudly, putting a hand to his chest.

Obi-Wan turned to glance at Catrina. She gave him a small nod of encouragement before he turned back to the Boss.

"You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle, what happens to one will affect the other, you must understand this." He said.

The Boss sat up straighter, his eyes widening.

"Wessa no care about the Naboo."

Qui-Gon sighed before he raised his hand.

"Then speed us on our way." He said firmly.

"Wessa gonna speed your way." The Boss replied, now smiling.

Catrina smirked. She hadn't thought to use Jedi mink tricks, it was a clever play.

"We could… use a transport?" Qui-Gon asked lightly, trying to look casual.

"Wesa give yousa un Bongo." The Boss replied with a nod before his smile became almost evil, "The speediest way to Naboo is through the planet core… Now go."

His raised a large green hand and pointed for them to leave.

"Thank you for your help, we leave in peace." Qui-Gon said cheerfully before turning.

"What is a Bongo?" Asked Obi-Wan quietly.

"Some kind of transport I reckon." Catrina replied with a small shrug, "Guess we'll find out soon."

As they reached the stairs, Jar Jar pulled away from his guards.

"Theysa setting yousa up. Goin' through the planet core? Bad bomin'." He said before staring down at his hands and then looking up at them with a smile, "Any help here would be hot."

Qui=Gon turned back around to look at the bosses. Obi-Wan quickly stepped moved to follow him back but Catrina frowned.

"Master we are short on time." She said leaving her silent words hanging.

Qui-Gon gave her a small smile as if understanding her.

"Well… We will need a navigator to get us through the planet's core." He said to her rather bleakly, "This Gungan may be of help."

Catrina sighed as Qui-Gon walked back to the platform to talk to the bosses.

"What is to become of Jar Jar Binks here?" He asked.

Boss Nass stirred and gave th Jedi a smile.

"Hes to be… Puwnished."

Jar Jar groaned, looking down at his feet in despair. Obi-wan sent him an almost pitying glance which made Catrina roll her eyes.

"I saved his life, he owes me what you'd call, a life debt. Your Gods demand that his life belong to me now." Qui-Gon said loudly with another wave of his hand.

"Binks?" The Boss turned to Jar Jar looking rather surprised, "Yousa have a life play with thisen hisen?"

As Jar Jar nodded Boss Nass lifted his head and shook it from side to side, a deep rumbling coming from his mouth as saliva sprayed everywhere. Catrina winced as Qui-Gon stepped backwards ever so slightly to avoid the spray. Disgusting.

"Be gone with him!" The Boss yelled.

Qui-Gon turned and walked back towards the young Jedi.

"Count me outta ths one." Jar Jar was saying as the guards took off hs restraints, "Better dead here, than in the planet core!"

Catrina sent him a funny look to which he began to grin almost sheepishly as he exclaimed,

"Ye Gods! What is messa saying?"

Catrina held in her groan as she and Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon and the talkative Gungan to wherever the transports were kept.

"You don't like him?" Obi-Wan asked her quietly.

Catrina lifted her head to look at Obi-Wan.

"He's scared of his own shadow, he won't be of much use to us in the planet core."

"But he did show us the way to Gonga City." Obi-Wan replied.

"After you basically forced him to with idle threats." She said with a raised eyebrow.

Obi-Wan chucked and nodded.

"Touché."

When they reached the docking bays they were taken to a small yellowy ship that looked to be sturdy enough to take them through the core. Obi-Wan climbed into the piolet seat as Jar Jar sat next to him. Which left Qui-Gon and Catrina to sit behind them. When the hatch sealed over them, Obi-Wan started the engine and dove down into the darkness of the lake. The continued flying downwards through the water in a stiff silence, aside Jar Jar's occasional exclamations, until Obi-Wan turned to Jar Jar.

"Why were you banished Jar Jar?" He asked.

Jar Jar looked at him and waved his hand rather aimlessly.

"It's a longo tale, but a small part of it be... uh… messa clumsy." He said sadly.

"You were banished because you were clumsy?" Obi-Wan repeated in confusion.

Catrina watched as Jar Jar sighed.

"uh… yousa mighta be sayin' that."

Obi-Wan nodded and plummeted the ship further down into the deepening chasm.

"Messa cause one or two maybe little bitty accidenties." Jar Jar continued, waving his hands around aimlessly, "You'd say, boom be gasser, den crash into boss headliber, den banished!"

Qui-Gon looked amused as he watched his padawan interact with the strange Gungan. Glancing quickly to his right, he watched Catrina eye Jar Jar with small amount of trepidation at his wild and erratic hand movements. Qui-Gon opened his mouth to say something when the entire ship lurched forward, before swinging wildly off of course to the right.

Catrina spun round to see a large fish biting into the ship, taking it off to wherever it would eat. She winced at Jar Jar shouted by her ears.

"BIG GOOBERFISH! HUGE OTEE!"

"Yes we can see that." She muttered, glancing at Obi-Wan and seeing him desperately trying to steer out of its tight grasp.

As she tried to come up with what she could do, the fish let go of the ship with a shrill scream as an even larger underwater monster caught it between its teeth, before ripping it apart as it stood in the bottom of the deep dark lake. Obi-Wan flew away quickly as Jar Jar breathed heavily.

"There's always a bigger fish." Qui-Gon said confidently with a knowing smile.

Catrina hoped he was right, she didn't like the idea of drowning because she was stuck inside a fish. They continued to dive deeper until Qui-Gon leaned over Obi-Wan's shoulder. He pointed to a small cave entrance that would take them even further down.

"That way." He said.

Obi-Wan nodded and flew the down inside the cave without question.

"Where is wessa goin'?" Jar jar asked.

"Don't worry, the force will guide us." Qui-Gon replied.

"Oh mercy bid, the force." Jar Jar replied sarcastically with a large eyes roll, "That smells stwinkish."

Catrina snorted at his blind ignorance, finding amusement in the disgruntled way Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were looking at Jar Jar, obviously not impressed. Her amusement vanished quickly as a warning alarm sounded around the ship before the lights went out and the engine stopped completely.

"Wesa die in here!" Jar Jar exclaimed, his head falling into his hands.

"Just relax, we're not in trouble yet." Qui-Gon said firmly as he moved look help Obi-Wan try to find the solution to whatever the problem was.

"I can't start it." Obi-Wan told his master as he pushed buttons on the control panels of the ship.

"What yet?" Jar Jar interrupted once more looking at Qui-Gon is disbelief, "Monsters out there, leaking in here, all sinking an no power! WHEN IS YOUSA THINKIN' WE IN TROUBLE?"

Catrina closed her eyes and left the force guide her around the ship. Almost immediately she released that the battery needed a kick. With a small intake of breath, she sent her energy towards to source, smiling when she felt the engine start and the light come back on. She kept them closed for a moment longer as she fed the engine small amounts of energy to keep it going.

"The powers back!" She heard Obi-Wan exclaim, before Jar Jar started screaming again.

Her eyes snapped open as a large crocodile like creature opened its mouth towards them, displaying the long pointed teeth it wanted to eat them with. Obi-Wan quickly maneuvered past it, speeding off and the creature began to follow them. He weaved in and out of rocks until the tunnels split to ways into different opening. He aimed for one, but flew out of the way as an even larger fish stuck its head in the left hole and it tried to grab the small fish chasing the speeder. As they left the fish behind, Jar Jar finally began to relax.

"Nice piloting Obi-wan." Catrina commented with a small, "You always did know how to get out of tight situations."

The padawan glanced round at her with a grin.

"Thank you Catrina, I was always the better piolet out of the two of us."

"Don't get cocky." Catrina responded with her own smile.

"It is Catrina we should be thanking Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon interrupted turning to the young girl, "She managed to get the ship started again."

Catrina felt her check redden as she accepted the compliment from the Master she had grown to look up to.

"How did you learn to fo that?" Qui-Gon asked curiously.

Catrina shrugged.

"I had a long session with the Masters of Voss once where they showed me how I could use the force to sometimes send energy into things."

Obi-Wan turned around at lightning speed.

"Masters of Voss? Why were you training with them?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Because Master Yoda said they could teach me things that he could not, things I needed to know if I were to succeed."

"Succeed in what?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"He never told me. When I asked about a month later he told me I'd understand when the time was right." Said Catrina with a sigh.

It was one of the many riddles she had gained with Master Yoda and she had still never managed to figure them out. Qui-Gon was watching the young girl curiously. Master Yoda had always kept her incredibly close but to send her to train with the Masters of Voss…He knew she was trained to be a Grey Jedi, but to send her to Voss? What hidden strength did she possess that made him send her to them?

He thoughts stopped as the ship ruptured though the surface of the lake, now surrounded by the buildings of the capital of Naboo, Theed. They had arrived.