Review Reply: Usernames Are Irrelevant: Possibly, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of Leia/Han, but really Luke/Mara, and Anakin/Padmé are the only ones relevant to the plot I think, of course more than manipulated love for Mara will turn Luke to the Dark Side, you'll just have to see, plus I didn't actually have room for anymore things to list, I wish they'd allow you a few more characters…. Oh, and Jar Jar's not hear to stay, unnecessary.
Chapter 5: Invasion
The forests in the immediate are around Theed (most likely clicks away) were think with trees and underbrush, however as Anakin ran through them in search for Padmé who he could faintly sense before him he came upon paths where trees had been literally snapped by the droid transports, and underbrush was so torn and twisted it was impossible to tell if one plan was mingled with another or if it was just a singular plant by itself. Everywhere the buzzing of droids STAPs and droid transports filled the air; Anakin avoided most with use of the Force. The army had amassed in a gigantic field somewhere at the edge of the forest, and then they had begun to plow straight through the place, crushing trees, plants, and killing animals as they went, this forest, to Anakin's be estimate from what he had seen at altitude was several clicks west of Theed, there was another to the east below the beautiful mountains that surrounded the city which was also several clicks away. Once the droids reached the end of the forest Theed would be in sight, and they would regroup and invade. There was no way to stop them, as Anakin tore through the dense underbrush he could scarcely believe the Federation would dare go this fare.
Finally he came upon another path that droid transports had squashed into existence and looked to his immediate left. According the Force Padmé was—
A massive copper colored droid transport was plowing its way down the path, Padmé was sprinting ahead of it as were several other wild creatures and some floppy eared humanoid type thing, and Padmé appeared to be chasing it. Thinking fast Anakin sprinted at her and lunged into the air, tackling the creature first, he jumped and latched onto a confused looking Padmé and forced her to duck too. For several moments the hovering transport zoomed over them, Anakin could not see a thing, his face was buried in Padmé's sweet smelling hair, and suddenly he realized he was still clutching her tightly, not to mention he was basically on top of her, his heart fluttered slightly, feeling crept into his head… things that a Jedi should never think, he was too busy trying to block them out that he did not notice Padmé was also feeling something similar, not to mention the transport was about a twelve feet past them now and the floppy eared creature was busy tugging at Anakin's robes.
Finally after they got a hold of themselves both Jedi stood up and turned to face the creature.
"What the hell is that?" Anakin blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Mesa wanna thanka yousa for saving mesa life!" the creature cried happily, vigorously shaking Anakin's hand.
"I don't believe it," said Padmé. "Are you a Gungan?"
"A what?" asked Anakin.
"Ya! Mesa Gungan." the Gungan replied.
"Gungans," Padmé explained. "Are a native species to Naboo. They usually aren't seen on land though; they're supposed to live under water in some huge city."
"I'll skip the lesson on Gungans." Anakin said. "Padmé, we need to contact the council and get to Theed to assess the situation."
"Right now that's the least of our worries, we've still got the army coming through here and we've got no way to get off Naboo. Theed is the only city around here and right now it's about to be besieged. Plus it's about a day's walk, this forest is huge."
Then as if on cue two droids mounted on STAPs came zooming down the trail at a much greater speed then the transport had come. This could be a solution to their walking problem.
"OVER HERE!" Anakin cried, waving his arms up and down. The two droids exchanged looks and most likely exchanged a 'roger, roger' before boosting up the speed on their STAPs and flying towards them. Anakin smiled and activated his cerulean lightsaber, using the Force he called Padmé's to his other hand before she could stop him and activated it as well.
"What are you doing?" Padmé cried in alarm, half from the annoyance that Anakin had taken her weapon half… no… she wasn't actually worried about his well being… in fact she was scared to death something would go wrong… and that he would die… this almost brought tears to her eyes. What would she do if…
Anakin leapt into the air and flew in between the droids, slicing their heads off as he passed; he landed be hind the STAPs which slowed to a halt, the droids headless bodies still clutching the handles. Padmé let out a sigh of relief and barely caught her lightsaber as Anakin tossed it to her.
"Problem solved." said Anakin smartly whilst shoving off the droids body on the right hand STAP and mounting it, the thing was not made for humans to ride so it was a bit uncomfortable and didn't have a lot of room. Padmé mounted the other. The Gungan eyed them quizzically as they powered up the repulsorlift craft once again.
"Wait! Yousa savin' mesa, mesa owin' yousa a life debt." the Gungan stated enthusiastically. "Mesa Jar Jar Binks at yousa service!"
"You owe me nothing." said Anakin. "Just be safe and get out of this forest and as far away from every city as possible."
The Gungan opened his mouth to protest, Anakin had never met a creature so eager to hand over its life to him. Padmé, however, stopped it.
"Before we leave, how will the Gungans fare in all of this? Will they be able to help us?"
"De Gungans no like de outsiders, theysa hate da Naboo, they hidden in secret city, but if ever found dey go to desa secretest hiding place just north of dis bery forest near some ruins." Jar Jar explained.
"Why would you tell us all this?" Anakin asked.
"Mesa afraid that mesa has been banished from de Gungans. Desa no care about poor Jar Jar, mesa gib away dere secretest hiding place because mesa… feel like it."
"I see," said Anakin uncertainly. "Well we'll be off now, be safe Jar Jar Binks."
"Mesa no worried about meself, yousa be careful, dese droids round her, bad bombin'."
"Thanks." Anakin replied, he and Padmé then took off, at a much faster pace with the STAPs, toward Theed.
XxX
Nute Gunray nervously shuttled his hands together as he sat in the back compartment of his private shuttle, Rune Haako with him, they were now descending upon Theed which, according to reports, had been successfully taken. No one had put up one bit of resistance against them, not a one. Nevertheless Gunray was nervous, this was now his time to force Queen Jimila to sign the treaty that would make the invasion of Naboo legal, and he wasn't sure he could do it. He could not fail Lord Sidious again though, not after the…
And at that moment a blue-white, transparent hologram of Darth Sidious appeared on the holoprojector between Gunray's seat, and Rune Haako's. For a brief moment Nute hoped against hope that Sidious would turn to question Rune Haako and leave him in peace, or perhaps the Sith Lord had keyed in the wrong frequency… please let it be one of those… don't…. But Nute Gunray was no a lucky Neimoidian, Lord Sidious's hologram turned to face him, and only him.
The Viceroy's cheeks turned from their usual gray-green to a sickening gray-pink color.
"Report Viceroy," Sidious commanded instantly. Nute let out a small sigh of relief. Sidious had not asked him about the Jedi, he had just asked for a report, maybe he could leave the bad news about the escaped Padawans out of his story… maybe Sidious would forget, or it would slip his mind.
"Well… my lord, the invasion has commenced, we are now in control of the capitol and all major Nubian cities. I am… right now I am heading d-down to Theed to force Jimila to s-sign the treaty." said Gunray nervously.
"Very well," said Sidious, his voice unreadable.
Gunray breathed in, he had not mentioned the Jedi! Did he forget, he must have! Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation was a very lucky Neimoidian man today, despite the unlucky circumstances he had been thrust in to…
"What of the Jedi?" Sidious asked. Nute felt as though he were about to die.
"Well… we did not locate them on Saak'ak, we… well… you know we think… I mean it is entirely possible… but maybe not so probable that—"
"Out with it Viceroy!" Sidious snapped. "What of the Jedi?"
"Well… we think they may have boarded one of our… landing craft and they are likely at large… on the planet… perhaps."
Sidious's normal frown deepened considerably, and his neck twitched.
"This is not good news Viceroy."
"I know my lord…"
"The Jedi must be found."
"I know…"
"They must be killed immediately and efficiently."
"I… I know…"
"There can be no mistakes."
"Of… well of course…"
"They must also be disposed of."
"Indeed…"
"You must not fail me Viceroy, if this invasion goes wrong, and if the Jedi are not found and killed you will pay dearly." Sidious hissed menacingly. Nute thought his heart might have already stopped he was so anxious with fear.
"Well… okay… I'll have the Jedi… killed." said Gunray, totally petrified.
"Very good, contact me when they are dead. I'll be eagerly awaiting it Viceroy." said Sidious, and without even muttering some word of farewell he cut the connection and his hologram faded away. Nute Gunray let out a huge breath of air in relief and the pink left his cheeks. He looked to Rune Haako who was sweating, but no more, even that brief contact with Lord Sidious had gotten to him, and he had not even so much as exchanged one word.
"We must get the queen to sign the treaty." said Gunray nervously.
"Y-Yes, there is no question about it, we must get her to." Rune agreed, though both of them did know how hard that would be, or how the galaxy would eventually pay, in years to come, in the form of a man named Luke, for their failure….
XxX
Anakin and Padmé were now toward the south side of Theed and creeping near the river that ran through it. They slipped into the water and dived, coming up near an empty pier and they entered the city easily and stealthily, no eyes had glimpsed them. Padmé ran before Anakin in the shadows, and he could not help but notice… how good she looked wet. Wait, no, no, no, no, no, never! Impure thoughts, thoughts a Jedi should never have, Anakin attempted to beat them from his head with his fist. Padmé turned around quickly.
"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped.
"I… beating thoughts out of my head…" said Anakin uncertainly.
"Oh…" said Padmé in a bit of a confused voice. "Well… shut keep it down from now on, we're basically in a war zone here."
XxX
Except for the rogue Jedi within it's borders every citizen in Theed was horribly organized into lines of cuffed prisoners, long lines, two rows standing next to one another, forming a rectangle of captives, droids guided them, one at each corner, and one midway down on either of the long sides. It was horribly organized, and horribly efficient, droids followed their programmed orders and led the captives to prison ships which would whisk them away to prison camps… or at least that was a more pleasant term for them. What they really were everybody knew, they were concentration camps, thatched up for one purpose only, to hold innocent citizens of Naboo, and to kill them should the queen refuse to sign the treaty, which Nute Gunray doubted she would, she would not let her people suffer and die. He hoped it would not come to that, because so long as the treaty remained unsigned none of this was legal, and planetary genocide was a terrible crime last he checked.
The Viceroy's shuttle touched down in the square before the beautiful and vast palace from which the queen ruled. Nute Gunray and Rune Haako disembarked the ship quickly and as Nute touched ground he breathed in the fest Nubian air.
"Ah… I smell victory." Gunray said, sounding a lot more sure than he actually was.
"I seem roses." Rune Haako commented. Nute rolled his horrible eyes and started off toward the palace, a small escort of droids accompanying him. He ascended the marble steps quickly and walked simply through the enormous threshold of the open palace doors and into to Entrace Hall, stairs leading up to a balcony directly ahead and above him lined the walls on either side. Nute smiled as his eyes caught the sight of Queen Jimila and her group of handmaidens as well as unarmed security guards, and what looked like the security captain being led down the stairs by a small group of droids. Once the group reached the bottom of the stairs to face the Viceroy the droid leading them raised a hand, calling for a halt.
"Viceroy Gunray," the droid addressed in its electronic, buzz like voice. "We have captured the queen."
"You've done well commander." said Gunray, his eyes turned to Jimila who wore a jet black, feathery robe, the perfect color for the occasion. "Now Queen Jimila we can make this very simple."
Nute reached into the pockets of his dull, faded crimson robes and pulled out a glass cylinder, in which was a rolled up piece of paper, the Viceroy stuck his thumb on the metal lid's fingerprint scanner, there was a small hissing click and the top pulled back automatically, Gunray reached in and pulled out the treaty.
"Sign this and the invasion will be made legal, neither you nor your people will need to suffer." Gunray said, and it was more of an order. He was surprised to find that he sounded very confident, surely Jimila would give….
"Well, the way I see it Viceroy, if this invasion is illegal then the Senate will surely side with us, so I believe it should remain illegal." Jimila retorted, attempting to keep the anger out of her voice.
"Very well then, I see you will have to be persuaded later." said Gunray. "Commander."
"Yes sir?"
"Take them to camp four."
"Very well sir," said the droid, he turned to face his comrades whilst making a hand gesture. They all replied "roger, roger" and set off to take the queen to her designated concentration camp.
XxX
Anakin and Padmé stayed to the shadows as they crept across a skyway between two marble buildings, just above an ally way near the palace, they stopped mid way and waited. The Force had spoken to them; it said the queen would be led down this path. Anakin and Padmé both clutched their inactive lightsaber hilts and waited. Surely enough several droids rounded the corner, escorting a group of handmaidens draped in brilliant orange, yellow, and red robes, as well as a group of security officers, a person who looked like the security captain, and Queen Jimila. Anakin held a hand in front of Padmé, signaling her to wait, and so they did.
Then, the moment the group was mere feet from crossing under the skyway Anakin and Padmé jumped down and activated their cerulean weapons. The droids immediately gathered in a line before them, unsure whether or not it would be a good idea to open fire, they exchanged looks. Anakin decided to give them a bit of advice on their decision; he swung his humming lightsaber and beheaded the droid who appeared to be the leaders. The others immediately opened fire, both Jedi did their best to deflect the bolts into the ground, or at least away from the group of unarmed prisoners, most especially the queen.
Anakin went for the three droids on the left, Padmé, the three on the right. Anakin deflected the blaster bolts out of the way as he approached his group, he neared the first one, and when he was in striking distance he neatly sliced his head off, spinning, while simultaneously deflecting blaster bolts (a flashy, dangerous, and difficult feat), he came out of his spin and slashed the next in two, the very last one he used the Force to grab on to, he lifted the skinny, metal, useless piece of junk into the air and used the Force to push it forward, it zoomed backwards, crashing into the wall and breaking into a pile of metal limbs, a head and a broken torso.
Padmé took care of hers much the same way, though she went for efficiency rather than flashiness, she simply pushed one droid into the other, knocking them over like dominoes and then beheaded each of them. The security guard gathered up the droids blasters.
"Thank you," said Queen Jimila.
"No problem." Padmé said.
"Gather the weapons," Anakin advised the security guards. "Follow us and stick close to the shadows, this is not over yet."
By the way, so you can have something to look forward to I'll say now that there's going to be some good action, and hopefully suspense in the upcoming chapters.