Originally I was not going to have Darth Maul appear in this chapter. But an idea struck me last night, and… I want to write some suspense! And action, so enjoy the bit of action and the cliffhanger.
Chapter 7: Attack
Droid STAPs hummed in the distance as Anakin and Padmé led the group of handmaidens, security officers, and the queen along with her security captain through the dense woods away from the crash sight of their ship. Anakin and Padmé had decided it would be best to keep moving and head toward the mountain the forest covered the base of. However it was unlikely they would make it there without some sort of confrontation, they had gained maybe a mile's distance from their crashed transport, and both Jedi Padawans were sure that the droids were already searching it, judging by the humming they heard the droids had fanned out in all directions to locate them. And they had a more pressing matter still…
"We need to contact Coruscant and the Jedi!" Padmé snapped quietly to Anakin as they ushered the group under a fallen tree and then over another behind it.
"It's no good," said Panaka as he reached the fallen timber, ushering Jimila through he stood up to face the Jedi. "The communications are jammed. They still are, I tried contacting some of my security staff back at the palace, no good."
"They can't all be jammed." Anakin said thoughtfully as he, Padmé, and Panaka ducked under the tree and leapt over the next, herding the group forward through the thick underbrush (which was especially difficult because of the handmaidens long gowns and the queen's feathery, heavy dress, Jimila had already abandoned her elaborate headdress and sweat was creating lines done her painted face). "The droids need to communicate."
"You're right." Padmé agreed as she kicked past a thorny vine. "It would be impossible to invade with no communication."
"Yeah," said Anakin. "Therefore one frequency must be immune and opened."
"You could be correct Jedi." Panaka concurred, he tossed Anakin a comlink.
"Give it to me." said Padmé immediately. "I excelled in diagnostic and computer electronics in our training."
"I can fix anything." Anakin snapped.
"Yeah, but can you locate the droids open channel, piggyback onto the frequency without their noticing, and then contact the Jedi?" Padmé asked, quirking an eyebrow as the group continued to move as quickly as possible through the forest.
"No." Anakin admitted. "but still, that isn't long range, you'll need a long range transmitter to contact anyone on Coruscant."
"How are we going to get a long range transmitter?" Padmé asked, irritated.
That terrible fact had just crushed their plan like a pesky insect. However they were very fortunate, Jimila spoke next,
"I have a long range comlink." she said. Indeed, she pulled one from her robes and tossed it to Anakin. "It was broken in the crash."
"Great." Anakin said, what else was broken? "Well it looks like a I could probably get the transmitting antenna on Panaka's comm."
"Good." said Padmé, and she tossed it to him. "Once you're done I'll take it and mess with the frequency, with any luck we'll be talking to the Jedi within a few hours. Just don't break it."
"Hey," said Anakin playfully. "That hurt, it really did."
XxX
Qui-Gon stormed into his quite plain quarters, Obi-Wan hot on his heels. The Jedi Master didn't even make it and obligation to tell his former apprentice exactly what he was doing; he began to raid his closet, pulling out his lightsaber, utility belt, and various tools he thought he might need, all the while muttering to himself about Anakin and Padmé's situation along with the great mistake the Council had made. Obi-Wan watched his former master gather his things, remarking how crazy it seemed, and even more so when Qui-Gon produced a datapad out of nowhere and began to write as message. Obi-Wan watched as the muttering Jedi finished typing up the message to the Council and set it down on the table, which was basically one of the only pieces of furniture in the main room of the quarters.
It only then seemed to his the Jedi Knight that his former master was absolutely serious about leaving to save their padawans…. But Qui-Gon could not do that.
"You can't really be leaving." Obi-Wan said.
"Don't be so surprised, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon replied irritably. "You disagreed with the Council's decision."
"Yes but I was not going to disregard and disobey the Council!"
"I'm saving Anakin and Padmé at all costs!" Qui-Gon stated with determination.
"But Qui-Gon—"
"It's final Obi-Wan, I'm going. Anakin and Padmé are obviously in trouble if they haven't reported in, it's been almost a day. Negotiations were to last a few hours and now the Federation has invaded Naboo! We need to find out what's happening there now. The only question is, Obi-Wan, are you with me?"
"I… yes, I am with you."
XxX
There was an echoing boom in the empty square before the Palace of Theed as a gray starfighter settled itself upon the marble bricks. Part of the sphere shaped back seemed to drop open and a cloaked figure treaded down the ramp. His entire body was concealed by black robes, save his face which bore black and crimson tattoos, symbols of the Sith, which he was one. A longer than normal lightsaber hilt hung from his belt, and the Neimoidians, with their droid escorts, waiting for him at the foot of the ramp looked positively terrified.
"W-Welcome Lord Maul." said Nute Gunray in a quivering voice, this man was far more frightening then Sidious, and he was sure to be much angrier and more quick tempered.
"Viceroy," Maul acknowledged quietly. "I've come to find the Jedi."
"Y-Yes, and the—"
"Queen," the Sith Lord finished irritably. "I need the coordinate of the crash sight."
"I-I've prepared t-them for you." the Neimoidian replied, pulling a datapad from his robes, he placed it in Maul's gloved fingers, and then pulled his gray-green hand away as though he expected it to be bitten off.
"Good." said Maul simply, Gunray remarked how the Sith was not a man of many words, which made him slightly more terrifying. "I'll take my leave."
With a wave of his gloved hand a large speeder bike fell out of his ship, sliding down the ramp. Maul turned on his heel, walked toward it, and mounted it as though it were a horse. He looked to Gunray one last time before he took his leave.
"I trust you'll house my ship in the proper facilities." he said, though it was more like a cold command.
"Y-Yes," Gunray replied.
"Good." the Sith said simply again, and with that he grabbed the hanger and pulled back the throttle, taking off like a speeding bullet out of Theed, his black robes billowing behind him like a black tornado as he went to search for his prey.
XxX
Twilight was gaining upon the group as they treaded tiredly through the forest, and very soon the sun had set, leaving nothing but golden and pink light across the violet-black sky. Anakin had directed them all to the crevice in the forest floor where a stream had once run though, though now it was completely dry. There they bunked down with what they could on the soft dirt, making themselves beds of leaves and moss, though unable to build sheltering roofs as it was already too dark. The forest run had taken its told, the handmaidens' robes were ripped and torn everywhere, one had just completely ripped off her sleeves, and hood, as well as a length of her gown as it was just too shredded. Queen Jimila's black, feather gown had been completely ruined, and she had abandoned it long ago, now she was clad only in a skin tight, white suit which was like long underwear.
The Jedi Padawan's shoulder was now wrapped in white cloth, it felt a lot better now. Padmé had succeeded in making it that way…. Padmé….
The Jedi shook these thoughts out of his head. He had long since succeeded and attaching the long range antenna to Panaka's comlink, and now Padmé sat with her back against the crevice wall messing with the device's frequency and attempting to piggyback onto the open signal they knew must be there. In a vain attempt Anakin had activated his distress beacon, but the signal would never reach all the way to Coruscant, still… if the Jedi came looking they'd be able to find him.
At the moment everyone else was sleeping uneasily, or else trying to, Anakin stood near a tree, watching for signs of enemies, he had the Force, he needn't sleep.
Suddenly something loud ring through the air, Anakin jumped in a little bit of shock and activated his cerulean lightsaber…
Where was it?
What as it?
When—
"I've got it!" Padmé cried. Anakin shook his head and deactivated his lightsaber, the loud ring had just been to comlink. The Jedi Padawan hopped into the crevice and strode up to Padmé.
"Will it work?" Anakin asked as other people awoke and gathered around.
"I think so." Padmé replied.
"I'll contact them, then."
"Alright."
She handed the comm to him, and he keyed in a frequency. Once he was finished he began to speak.
"This is Anakin Skywalker, contacting the Jedi Temple, do you read me? Repeat, this is Anakin Skywalker attempting to make contact with the Jedi Temple, do you read me?" he spoke into the microphone of the device. The reply was nothing but silence. "We're trapped on Naboo, we require assistance, Padmé Naberrie is here along with me, repeat Padawan Naberrie is here with me as well. We require immediate assisstan—"
Several things happened at once.
The sound of zooming engines filled their ears. Anakin dropped the comm, which Padmé grabbed and both stood up, activating their weapons. Seconds later a speeder bike came flying toward their position, though headed straight for a free. Anakin glimpsed a dark figure fall off of it before the bike crashed, exploding into a flash or orange light as it came in contact with the trunk, vaguely the Jedi saw the outline of a cloaked figure, and a flash of a red face... Then the light of the speeder bike's explosion extinguished… nothing… nothing but a light scraping noise coming from a tree nearby.
"What… the… hell… was… that?" Panaka breathed, he, along with everyone that had a weapon drew it.
"We need to get out of here." Jimila whispered. "This could be bad; the droids would have noticed this explosion."
Anakin was not listening to any of it; his senses were fully attuned to his surroundings. He sensed nothing in the Force, whatever that thing he saw was… it was hiding its presence. He strained his ears for any sound… boots treading dirt, crushing leaves, a twig breaking… anything….
Nothing.
Total silence.
What was—
Something fell in front of him, and a red lightsaber flashed into existence, Anakin barely had time to parry the blow for his head. He was facing that black figure, and that figure was a Zabrak, with a tattooed face, red and black…. It carried a longer than normal lightsaber hilt, a double bladed one by the looks of it, though it had only activated one side which was now locked with Anakin's own weapon. What was this?
Quite suddenly the lock broke and the Zabrak spun, Anakin parried the blow flying at his waist quickly and extended his hand. Calling on the Force he pushed it forward, and the thing went flying out of the crevice, back through some trees. Taking his chance he turned to Padmé and the rest of the group.
"Run!" he snapped. "I'll hold him off."
"Anakin…" Padmé faltered.
"JUST GO!" he snapped. "Protect the queen."
From the looks of her face, Padmé did not like the idea. Nevertheless she took off sprinting with the queen and her group of handmaidens, pilots, and security officers.
Anakin turned toward the darkness, expecting to see a red glow… nothing.
He jumped to the place where he'd pushed the Zabrak, nothing. It had gone. Suddenly a terrible idea struck him. The trees… when it had attacked it had fallen from a tree.
Gathering the Force around him he crouched and leap high, landing on the branch of a particularly tall tree nearest him, he took a quick look around and tried to use the Force to locate his enemy, once more… nothing.
A rush of air, a lurch in his stomach, and both he and the branch were falling, he looked up as he hit the ground, there it was, the Zabrak, it had cut the branch out from under his feet! Without warning it too fell to the ground, and so their fight began again.
HA! Cliff hanger, thoughts please?