Raiko opened her eyes as she slid down a chute, a bemused smile on her face as it emptied onto a pile of plastic sheeting. The landing hurt, but the fact that she was in the hangar after all was worth it. She couldn't see Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan anywhere, but she knew, some part of her still in the dark, calm place she had used to find her way there, she had to be patient. Hide and wait.
She did, curling up small inside an overturned cart, her back to the wall, and holding her breath whenever a droid walked by. There was something unsettling about the battle-droids patrolling, something evil in their very creation. She didn't want to be found by them. She huddled into her robes, pulling her head up, and closing her eyes again, straining to find Qui-Gon. Find me.
Soft thumps made her open her eyes, to see Obi-Wan land in a crouch in front of her hiding spot, sweating slightly, eyes wide and wild. A second later, Qui-Gon landed next to him, eyes finding her instantly. "Raiko." He breathed, relief clear in his eyes. Obi-Wan's gaze flew to her as she crawled towards them, and to her surprise, she saw the same warm emotion in his blue eyes.
"The Force…" she began, and Qui-Gon just looked at her, a knowing look on his face that made her blush. "Wow." She finished dumbly, and turned to survey their surroundings. They were trapped, and their ship was destroyed. Her heart panged for the crew they had left onboard. They hadn't deserved to die.
"Battle droids." Qui-Gon noted.
Raiko watched the military-like lines form within the ranks of the droids. "It's an invasion army." Raiko realised with no small sense of trepidation.
"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon mused, "We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum. Let's split up, stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet."
At the notion of splitting up, Raiko felt her heart stutter. Obi-Wan seemed to sense her anxiety, and put an arm around her. "You were right about one thing, Master." He said, with a faint smirk. Raiko looked up at him, "The negotiations were short." Despite herself, Raiko smiled slightly. "I'll take Raiko with me. We'll take up less space then you will, Master."
Qui-Gon nodded wordlessly, and as Raiko stood up, legs shaky – he reached out and touched her hand. "I will not let anything happen to you. I promise."
"Please don't – the end of the trials are soon and I really want to build my lightsaber before Choi does." She tried for a joke. Qui-Gon humoured her, and laughed quietly.
"I will get you back, little tooka." Raiko felt that same Force shield spread over her again as Obi-Wan took her hand, drawing her away from Qui-Gon, and towards the unguarded entrance to a droid ship.
Obi-Wan made her hide first, crawling in the tiny concealed space behind a rack of blasters afterwards. This close to the older boy, she could see the grey in his irises and the worry in his eyes. He seemed to notice her examination of him, and attempted to smile. "Everything will be fine, Raiko, don't worry. Qui-Gon and I will keep you safe." Raiko nodded, and when he didn't move to stop her, curled into him, burying her face in his robes and trying to muffle to breathing, heart pounding in her chest as the droids began to board the ship. She felt his arms raise hesitantly, encircling her tentatively at first – but then, as the ship shuddered to life around them, he held her firmly. She closed her eyes, and in the darkness tried to find that calm place. She couldn't.
At first, Raiko thought they had made it away undetected – but as they were hurrying through the brush, Obi-Wan's grip on her hand tightened. "RUN!" he cried, and the bush nearest them burst into flame as a blaster shot went past her.
Raiko ran.
Raiko ran so fast that her knees went like jelly and her breath came out loud, but she didn't dare slow down because the droids were behind her. But she wasn't fast enough, her legs were too short, and then Obi-Wan was behind her, snatching her up like she weighed nothing and running with her to his chest like she was a ball.
She saw Qui-Gon before Obi-Wan did – blind in his panic, and squirmed in his grip as Qui-Gon raised his lightsaber. Obi-Wan seemed almost surprised at the resulting explosions as Qui-Gon deflected the plasma bolts back at the droids. He was panting, staring between Qui-Gon, and the Gungan that was looking at them all with confusion. He didn't seem to realise he was still holding her, and she grimaced as a drop of his sweat fell on her forehead. "Let go!" she whined, and he dropped her, startled. She landed on her feet, and looked up at the Gungan towering over her. This, she was prepared for. Her study of Naboo and Arcturia had also included the other races sharing the planets, none more extensively than the Gungans and their underwater cities. "Hello. It is nice to greet you." She said clumsily, in Gungani, and watched delightedly as the Gungan grinned, holding out his hand.
"It is even nicer to be meeting you! What do you call yourself? I am Jar Jar Binks, miss!" She shook his hand vigorously.
"My name is Raiko Omari! This is Obi-Wan, and this is Master Qui-Gon Jinn." She introduced them all. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were watching her curiously, clearly aware of their names being spoken. "This is Jar Jar Binks, a local." She said sunnily. Qui-Gon smiled slightly.
"We'd better get out of here before more droids show up." Qui-Gon said, and beckoned Raiko towards him. She went obediently, Jar Jar following them at a loping run.
"Ex-squeeze-me, but the mostest safest place would be Gunga City!" Jar Jar's accent made her want to giggle. "Is where I grew up! Is a hidden city!" he said. Raiko knew what he was talking about. There wasn't much on the actual Gunga City itself, because as Jar Jar had said, it was hidden, but from what she had read – it seemed to be heavily guarded. Probably the safest place for them.
She tugged on Qui-Gon's sleeve. "It's safe. And it might have communications we can use." She said quietly, just loud enough to be heard over their pounding feet. Qui-Gon looked down at her thoughtfully, before he stopped, turning to look at Jar Jar.
"A city?" he asked. Jar Jar made a sound of assent. "Can you take us there?"
The Gungan's bright expression dimmed. "On second thought… no." he muttered something in Gungani about rude, banishment, and sneaky pricks.
Raiko pursed her lips. "Jar Jar." She said, gaining his attention. "If you don't take us there… then all the horrible things will get us." She gestured towards the sounds coming from the droid army. Jar Jar blanched. "They will get us, and hurt us and kill us!" Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, though not understanding exactly what she was saying, caught the meaning of it, and formed an intimidating wall around the Gungan. She herself wasn't exactly imposing, standing at 4"4 and ten years of age. The Gungan's eyes widened, and he turned to look at the sound, large ears twitching.
"Ah hah. Well. Letsa getting going then!" he said hurriedly, after a loud explosion. Qui-Gon gave her a wink, and as the Gungan began to scurry off, they followed, hope rising in Raiko's chest.