Chapter 15 - Forging an Alliance
Swamp near the Gungan City
They landed in a field near the Gungan underwater city without trouble, but the Trade Federation was sure to have noticed their arrival. They didn't have long to forge an alliance with the Gungans and mount their attack on the royal palace. As soon as the engines powered down, the ladies exited the starship. They directed their people to unload the supplies and Sabé sent Jar-Jar to the Gungan City to ask if the Gungan bosses would deign to give their delegation an audience.
The ladies, Jedi, security officers, and pilots wandered around the swamp, waiting for Jar-Jar to return. Sabé huddled in a group with Padmé and Rabé, discussing strategy for the upcoming battles while Voraté talked with Anakin. Sabé caught Obi-wan staring at her as he conversed with Qui-Gon; she winked at him and he smirked in return.
An hour passed and the group grew restless. Then the surface of the lake bubbled and Jar-Jar waded out, shaking off excess water. Sabé straightened from the huddle and turned to the Gungan.
"Desa nobody dare," Jar-Jar waved his arms about with surprise and worry. "The Gungan City is deserted. Some kinda fight, mesa thinks."
"Do you think they were taken to the camps?" Obi-wan crossed his arms, troubled by this turn of events.
"More likely they were wiped out," Panaka replied to him.
Jar-Jar interrupted with a smug smile. "Mesa no think so."
"Do you know where they are, Jar-Jar?" Qui-Gon asked.
Jar-Jar considered this. "When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you!" Jar-Jar beckoned to the group, moving towards the trees on the far side of the swamp. "C'mon, mesa show you!"
They followed Jar-Jar into the dense foliage. Sabé muttered curses under her breath as she ducked the branches, trying to avoid entangling her hair and knocking her headdress askew. After a while, the fog and trees thinned, the land became less marshy, and Sabé could see old Gungan stone artifacts sticking out of the ground. There were sculptures of Gungan heads, presumably heroes and leaders, as well as depictions of battles they'd fought. They looked like they'd stood there for thousands of years.
Gungans appeared from the mist and Sabé assumed they had reached the Gungan's secret refuge from the Trade Federation. Guards on kaadus rode up and pointed electric spears at them. Yes, they'd definitely reached the refuge. The lead Gungan guard approached them and Jar-Jar greeted him enthusiastically.
"Hey-o Captain Tarpals! Mesa back!"
"Jar-Jar, not again," The Gungan said in annoyance, readjusting his grip on the spear leveled at them. "What yousa doing here with da Naboo?"
"Wesa here to see da bosses," Jar-Jar flapped his arms about, trying to convey the importance of his message.
Sabé sighed and stepped forward to take control of the conversation before it could devolve into a misunderstanding or a fight. "Captain Tarpals, I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo and I respectfully request an audience with the Gungan High Council. This is a matter of the highest importance."
"Very well," Captain Tarpals said after much consideration and looking between her and Jar-Jar. "Follow mesa."
He led them on a windy trail through the ruins to a clearing where an ancient tree grew out of the ground, its roots forming a cage around an enormous stone Gungan head. The Gungan bosses stood atop of the head and surveyed the Naboo retinue as they approached. Other Gungans stood around the council on stone stairs or mounted on kaadus and wielding electric spears, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Your Honor!" Captain Tarpals said gesturing grandly to Sabé's group as he rode up. "Queen Amidala of da Naboo." He stepped aside, allowing their procession to walk up to the Council.
Sabé followed Jar-Jar as he walked up to the ground directly in front of the bosses. He halted and greeted the Gungan High Council leader, shuffling his feet nervously.
"Hey-o dadee Big Boss Nass, Your Honor."
Boss Nass's deep voice resonated throughout the area. "Jar-Jar Binks. Who's da uss-en others?"
Sabé stepped forward and began her prepared speech. "I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace." She really hoped Padmé remembered to cut in soon; she hadn't prepared much to say.
"Ahhh," Boss Nass drawled. "Naboo biggen," His tone turned accusatory. "Yousa bringin da Mackineeks. Yousa all bombad."
Sabé breathed and continued with her speech, ignoring the accusing eyes of the Gungans around her. "We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance…"
"Your Honor!"
Padmé's high, confident voice interrupted her and the woman stepped around Panaka and Sabé to take the point position. Sabé breathed out in relief but kept all emotion off her face.
"Whosa dis?" Boss Nass asked exasperatedly, clicking his tongue.
"I am Queen Amidala."
There was an outburst of gasps and murmurs from the Naboo and Gungans alike at this revelation.
"This is my decoy, my protection," Padmé glanced back at Sabé as she said this and gave her a quick smile before turning back. She kept her voice open and friendly as she addressed the Gungan Council. "My loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself."
The murmuring died down, allowing Padmé's words to ring clear and true throughout the clearing. "Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace."
Boss Nass ahhhed at this point and Sabé felt hope spring within her. It sounded like he was starting to respect them and see their side of things.
"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us. No," Padmé dropped to her knees. "I beg you to help us. We are your humble servants."
Sabé immediately followed her lead and dropped to one knee, followed by the rest of their group. In her peripherals, she even saw the Jedi kneeling. Padmé looked up at Boss Nass in supplication, awaiting his judgment.
"Our fate is in your hands," Padmé humbly intoned.
Truer words have never been spoken, Sabé grimly thought.
Boss Nass took his time, considering their proposal. He rubbed his chin, looking down at the kneeling Naboo people.
"HA! Hahahaha," The Gungan joyously chuckled. "Yousa no thinken yousa greater than the Gungans! Mesa like this. Maybe, wesa being friends."
Boss Nass gargled, letting spit fly everywhere. Sabé didn't mind though. If she remembered her history books correctly, this meant the Gungans and the Naboo people were now allies. Their people cheered, overjoyed they had made new friends and their cause was not doomed.
-oOoOoOo-
Obi-wan was lost in thought as he brought readers to the speeder they had chosen to conduct their war meeting on. So much information had been dumped on him in the past twenty-four hours. He was still trying to come to terms with it all.
It had been an unwelcome shock when Qui-Gon had tried to take on Anakin as his Padawan learner. He'd felt so betrayed at that moment and had trouble controlling his feelings of anger and disappointment in front of the Jedi Council. Not only did Qui-Gon already have a Padawan, but Anakin was dangerous! The Council sensed it; surely, Qui-Gon did too. But those foolhardy emotions faded somewhat when Qui-Gon insisted Obi-wan was ready to take the Trials and become a fully realized Jedi Knight. His mentor's faith in him meant everything to him.
He hadn't had any time to confront Qui-Gon about Anakin again since they'd been summoned by the Queen to accompany her back to Naboo. And then he'd gotten distracted when he noticed a handmaiden he didn't recognize. He'd met all the handmaidens on the journey to Coruscant and he knew their faces. True, he still didn't know the name of the woman who had fallen overboard, but he definitely knew he'd never seen the unfamiliar handmaiden who had marched onto the ship with the Queen. Yet she had seemed so familiar. When he confronted the woman in the storage room, he'd never imagined in a million years she would turn out to be the woman he'd come to admire so much and even lo–
Obi-wan sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. It was tough to compartmentalize all his emotions in the wake of these revelations and he wasn't entirely successful. His face betrayed none of his feelings, but his emotional state was stuck in a swirl of shock, jealousy, happiness, and confusion.
His war with his emotions was interrupted as speeders full of the Naboo resistance fighters pulled up. He jumped a little as he felt someone take his hand. He looked to his side and saw Sabé, her face shifted back to be her own under the white face paint.
"Are you alright, Obi-wan?" she whispered quietly, looking up at him with concerned brown eyes.
"I will be," he muttered back. "I've gotten a few shocks over the past few days. I'm still trying to process it all."
Sabé squeezed his hand and gave him an encouraging smile. Obi-wan instantly felt better. Sabé dropped his hand and moved around the speeder to join the Queen and the other handmaidens. Panaka, the resistance leaders, Qui-Gon, and Boss Nass walked up to the speeder, ready to start their meeting. Anakin and R2-D2 stood by Qui-Gon's side, watching the proceedings with interest.
"Your Highness," Panaka greeted Padmé.
"What is the situation, Captain?" Padmé got straight to business.
"Almost everyone is in camps," Panaka supplied with a heavy sigh. "There are a few hundred civilian volunteers and members of the Guard who have formed an underground resistance movement. I've brought back as many of the leaders as I could. The Federation army is also much larger and stronger than we thought," Panaka lowered his voice. "Your Highness, this will be a difficult battle to win."
Padmé remained undeterred. "The battle is a diversion. The Gungans must draw the droid army away from the city. Artoo?"
Obi-wan stepped aside a little and R2-D2 rolled up and projected a 3D layout of the Theed royal palace onto the speeder's surface.
"We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side," Padmé pointed to the layout, outlining the passages. "Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion. Then we will enter the palace and capture the Viceroy. Without the Viceroy, the Federation will be lost and confused."
Obi-wan folded his arms, mulling over the plan. He agreed with her logic. It was a good plan, but highly risky.
Padmé turned to Qui-Gon. "What do you think, Master Jedi?"
"The Viceroy will be well guarded," Qui-Gon reasoned.
"The difficulty is getting into the throne room," Panaka supplied. "Once we're inside, we shouldn't have a problem."
"There is a possibility with this diversion, that many Gungans will be killed," Qui-Gon cautioned Boss Nass.
Boss Nass proudly thumped his chest and declared with resolve. "Wesa ready to do ousen part."
"We have a plan to immobilize the droid army," Padmé assured Boss Nass.
To Obi-wan's surprise, little Voraté stepped forward. She looked even smaller without her large, billowing handmaiden robes.
"I will be leading what pilots we have to destroy the droid control ship orbiting the planet," Voraté's small frame barely reached Padmé's shoulders.
Boss Nass looked down at her in surprise. "Yousa so tiny. What can yousa do?"
Voraté took offense to this and puffed up in indignation. "I'm tougher than I look. When I was eight years old, I ripped out my slave chip, stole a freighter and flew from Tatooine to Naboo, blasting apart the bounty hunter ships they sent after me. I have been flying starships all my life. I'm more than qualified to do this."
Boss Nass looked surprised and hmmed. Obi-wan added this to the ever-mounting list of shocking information he was accumulating. Who would have thought this tiny girl had been through so much?
"It's a well-conceived plan," Qui-Gon broke the silence. "Though there is great risk," He cautioned Voraté. "The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields."
"And there's an even bigger risk," Obi-wan pointed out as he thought of something. "If the Viceroy escapes, he will return with another droid army."
"Then we must not fail to get the Viceroy," Padmé replied simply. "Everything depends on it."
"We won't fail."
All eyes turned to Sabé. Her eyes were full of fire.
"We have a good plan and the Trade Federation has underestimated us thus far. They won't be able to predict our movements."
Padmé nodded at her handmaiden's support and turned back to the 3D layout. "Indeed. We shouldn't face much resistance once we break into the palace and overpower the few droid squadrons left behind to protect the Viceroy."
"I'm afraid it is not going to be that easy," A deep male voice rang out behind them.
Everyone turned about and withdrew in shock as they saw a pair of people dressed in black robes with deep hoods. The taller of the pair lowered his hood, revealing a familiar sharp, angular face with red and black skin and a horned head. Obi-wan drew his lightsaber as he recognized the creature he'd battled on Tatooine. Qui-Gon also activated his lightsaber and stepped in front of the Queen. Panaka and the guards trained their blasters on the man, ready to shoot if he so much as stepped forward an inch.
"Peace," The man held up his hands, pleading with them to give him a chance. "I can help you."
Obi-wan didn't disengage his lightsaber. These people had obscured their life signatures and snuck up on them. He didn't trust their motives.
"We don't want your help!" Rabé viciously spat out behind him. "You killed our friend!"
"Get out of here!" Voraté coldly demanded, disdain and sorrow coloring her voice.
The other figure lifted a hand. The guards' blasters were tugged out of their hands and tossed to the ground. Obi-wan blinked in shock as his and Qui-Gon's lightsabers deactivated. His Kyber crystal called out to him in confusion. What was happening?
"Calm down, everyone. We really are here to help."
Obi-wan jerked his head up and stared at the other hooded figure. Delicate feminine hands rose and drew down the hood, revealing a face he knew from his childhood.
"Starré?" Obi-wan breathed, barely able to believe his eyes. How could he have not seen it sooner? The nameless handmaiden he'd met was a younger version of the former Jedi Master standing before him.
"Starré?"
"Starré, is that you?"
"Stars above, you're alive!"
"Terry? Rae?" Qui-Gon whispered, almost covered by the handmaidens' cries of joy. "How can this be?"
Starré opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a soft query.
"Mother?"
Everyone blinked in shock as a relieved Sabé ran forward and hugged the woman.
A/N: Oh my. :O Did anyone see that twist coming?