Chapter 4: Army
Saak'ak Bridge
Mayhem had broken loose, the Trade Federation flagship Saak'ak was in chaos now that the Jedi had seemingly disappeared. As far as they knew both Jedi had entered the ventilation system and completely disappeared, it was entirely possible they were off the ship and back to Coruscant by now so that they could report their findings to Supreme Chancellor Valorum who would in turn shut the Trade Federation down faster than a Force aided human could snap their fingers. This of course worried Nute Gunray to the point of sickness, and he nearly fell over and died when Rune Haako made a suggestion.
"Should we perhaps… contact Lord Sidious?" Haako asked. At this Rune received an audible gasp from Nute Gunray who looked at him as though he had just proposed to stab Nute with a knife and plunge the Trade Federation into shambles until it collapsed upon itself and no longer existed.
"Absolutely not!" Gunray cried.
"Sir!" the Neimoidian in the control chair called. "The Jedi have been spotted, our intelligence points to the fact that they may have went down a garbage chute!"
"Into which garbage masher?" Nute inquired hurriedly, he wanted this dealt with a soon as possible because, though he did not want to face him, Sidious would want a report.
"We're not sure sir." the other replied.
"Then close them all!"
XxX
Padmé scowled as she took a look at all the garbage around their feet, floating in mucky water that smelled like a cesspit. Plus she covered in tiny specs of food and disposed items, not to mention she was soaked with the grimy water and her hair was greasily matted on her head. Anakin was not in much better shape.
"Superb idea Anakin!" she snapped angrily. "Just brilliant, it was a wonderful idea to just jump into a garbage pit!"
"Well what would you have done?" Anakin asked sharply as he tinkered with the controls to the sealed door.
"I would have kept running."
"It was a dead end!"
"How do you know?"
"I used the Force."
"Well that's something new."
"Whatever." Anakin replied as he crossed two wires together, producing sparks but not results. He shook his head angrily and then his gaze snapped towards the walls, there was a loud creaking lurch and slowly they both began to move in. Anakin looked to Padmé; she just seemed even more irritated.
"Well now we're done for." Anakin said.
"Stop being so dramatic." Padmé snapped. "Move."
Anakin did so as she extended both of her hands and used the Force to push at the sealed door, the sound of ripping metal filled the room and the door, along with its frame, and several chunks of metal from the wall flew outwards into the maintenance hallway that was originally blocked by the door. Padmé wiped her hands together as though she had just finished a task which involved something filthy.
"What did you do that for?" Anakin cried. "Now there going to know we were here."
"So?"
"Padmé, you're the strategist, wouldn't it be better to cover our trail?"
"Why bother, clearly they knew we were here because they turned the thing on."
Anakin glanced around at the moving walls and then back at Padmé.
"Anyway, I think we should leave."
"There's a good idea."
XxX
"All garbage mashers have successfully closed." the Neimoidian who occupied the large control chair stated.
"Are the Jedi dead?" Gunray asked hopefully.
"It is unlikely sir. We have just found garbage masher C-447's door blown open. We suspect it is the one the Jedi were in and that they escaped."
Nute Gunray gave a half irritated, half fearful groan. Was the entire universe out to stop him from just killing those Jedi?
"Organize a deck by deck search!" Gunray ordered. "Start with the one garbage masher C-447 is on. Begin landing the droids on Naboo, jam their communications!"
"Yes sir," the Neimoidian replied.
"Are you sure we should not contact Lord Sidious now?" Rune Haako insanely suggested once more.
"Not unless you want to end up buried on Naboo, Tatooine, and… Utapau!" Gunray snapped.
"What?" Rune Haako asked.
"Think, do you want to end up buried on Naboo, Tatooine, and Utapau?"
XxX
In some large hanger bay aboard the Saak'ak two dark figures fell out of a ventilation duct and fell to the hard floor behind several crates in a corner. The legion of droids occupying the place failed to notice as they boarded one of seven copper colored transports. The two figures who were in fact Jedi Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala crouched low, peeking around the pile of crates at the army of droids that were loading themselves onto racks that extended out of the transports.
"It's an invasion army." Anakin stated with grim confidence in the fact that he was right.
"To invade Naboo?!" Padmé asked incredulously. "They would not dare go that far, invading a Republic planet, that's like… declaring war."
"There won't be a war Padmé." Anakin said. "The Republic has no army, we'll either be forced to allow this invasion to commence and allow the Federation to occupy Naboo, seek a peaceful resolution, or build an army."
"Well sitting here and discussing militaristic options isn't helping us proceed to matter what path we take. We need to contact the Council."
"I lost my comm."
"Great!" Padmé hissed angrily. "My comm has shorted out since I fell in that water."
"They probably could have intercepted the transmission anyway." said Anakin.
"Maybe…"
"Our best chance is to stow away on landing craft and find a way to contact the Council on Naboo. We should stow away aboard separate ships in case one of us is found." Anakin stated.
"Alright," Padmé agreed.
"You can take this one."
XxX
Gunray paced around the bridge of the Saak'ak as he had been doing for at least an hour or two now. Still no news of the Jedi, nothing at all, it was like they had just disappeared, vanished off of the ship completely. Nute's vomit-green hands here cluctched together so tightly that his green knuckles were now iron gray. As he was halfway between both end points of his pacing he froze. A ghostly figure sprang up towards his right and he turned to find himself facing Lord Sidious. His heart beat quickened from the sheer terror that took him. Now Darth Sidious was about to ask questions….
"Viceroy," Sidious addressed his voice like a bite from a deranged and blood thirsty wolf.
"M-Milord," Nute said shakily.
"I assume you know why I have contacted you?"
"N-No milord." Gunray lied. Sidious's frown, if it was possible, deepened.
"Have the Jedi been dealt with?"
This was the moment Gunray had been so desperately hoping to avoid. But he saw no way to wriggle out of this situation without dying a horrible death. Still, if he told Sidious that the Jedi had escaped and had not been found… his death might be even more terrible. What was worse, betrayal or failure? Gunray pondered this for a moment… perhaps if he told the truth he would be let off easily.
"The… the Jedi have escaped the briefing room. They survived my attack and as… far as we know are still on the ship." Gunray said, gulping for he knew he would now have to face the wrath of a Sith Lord.
"Very well," Sidious said lightly, much to Gunray's relief and surprise. "I want them found and killed Viceroy. Do not fail me."
"O-Of course not milord." Gunray squeaked, bowing deeply. "Also… it may interest you to know that the invasion is c-commencing."
XxX
Qui-Gon sat in deep mediation on uncomfortable floor of his small quarters in the Jedi Temple. He sensed he would soon be disrupted and broke the connection with the Force. Indeed, seconds later his former Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi entered the room. He slightly bowed to his former master as the man still outranked him. Qui-Gon stood up; sensing Obi-Wan had something to tell him.
"What is it?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Anakin and Padmé have not reported in at their scheduled times." Obi-Wan replied gravely. Qui-Gon did not feel this was very important. Anakin and Padmé were, after all, engaging in intense negotiations that would decide the fate of an entire planet. It did not seem very significant that they had forgotten to report in. Then again... Qui-Gon wracked his mind and even used the Force to extract a memory of a mission on which Anakin forgot to report in. He obtained no results.
"This is odd." Qui-Gon said.
"I thought it was." Obi-Wan replied distantly, probably thinking the same thing his former master was. "You don't think… they could have been killed."
"No," Qui-Gon said dismissing the idea. "We would have felt it if they died. I doubt the Federation would dare go that far anyway, the Neimoidians are cowards. Nute Gunray is especially. But still this is disturbing news."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Well we're not going to go to Naboo ourselves. We should tell the Council about this."
"Tell the Council?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. Never in living memory had Qui-Gon ever gone to the Council about a problem, no, he preferred taking matters into his own hands much to the Council's displeasure. He might even have a seat on it if it wasn't for his constant avoidance and disobeying of them.
"Yes, the Council." Qui-Gon replied.