Part 2: The Girl from Naboo
Obi-Wan emerged from the hole in the meter-thick blast door to find himself standing in an enormous room. It wasn't nearly as big as the main hall of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, but it was larger than he'd expected. Two wide pillars stood at either side of the door, while columns lined the perimeter of the elliptical chamber in even intervals. Enormous windows stretched from floor to ceiling between the columns on either side of the room. The front and back walls, however, were solid, aside from the blast door they'd cut through. The amount of natural light filtering into the room made Obi-Wan feel as if he were outside again.
Toward the center of the room was a large throne designed with the same rounded feel as the exterior of the palace. A girl in a long red and black dress sat upon it, her face covered in white makeup with dark red lipstick, as was traditional on her planet. Her dark brown hair had been put up in a complicated style, displaying her lofty political position as the planet's elected queen.
A man with dark skin and hair stood beside the throne, his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a long blue jacket covered in a dark red leatheris vest and a black belt as part of his Nabooian guard uniform. The long gloves he wore over his jacket's sleeves matched the color of his vest. His red cap had a metal band stretched across the front above the visor with an emblem in its center. The guard uniform was completed by a pair of black pants and boots.
Obi-Wan didn't have long to admire the opulence of the throne room and its occupants. Once his master had taken a step toward the throne, four turrets popped out from behind hidden beige panels in the ceiling.
"Take cover, you two," Qui-Gon shouted to the queen and her guard.
The sound of the turrets all firing at once was deafening. Obi-Wan ducked to avoid a shot he was too busy to block and allowed one of the bolts he was able to deflect to ricochet off his blade and back at the turret that'd shot it. Qui-Gon destroyed two in the same manner, drawing the attention of the fourth sliced turret. Qui-Gon reflected the blaster fire effortlessly.
Just as the last of the four turrets exploded into shrapnel, two more presented themselves from positions closer to the throne itself. These two were much larger in size and equipped with two blasters each. Red lights on the machines' underbellies blinked on. The two Jedi quickly took cover behind one of the throne room's wide pillars.
"My guess is those lights are a security alert," Qui-Gon told his apprentice.
"It's about time they realized we were here, Master," Obi-Wan said, "I was beginning to wonder how people this incompetent managed to invade this planet in the first place."
"Careful with that attitude, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, "Naboo has no army, only security officers. I'm sure they fought bravely, but they would've been no match for the sheer number of droids at the Trade Federation's disposal."
Obi-Wan nodded and waited for the stream of blaster fire to break briefly so the turrets' guns could cool. He could hear by the sound of it that one had stopped firing while the other maintained the assault. He knew it was the best break he could hope for and stepped out into the open again. Having thought the same thing, Qui-Gon joined him. The two turrets were forced to split their focus between the two Jedi and, as a result, failed to break through their defenses. They were able to deflect many of the shots, but the turrets were unaffected.
"Their armor is too strong," Obi-Wan declared.
"We'll need to concentrate the fire," Qui-Gon replied.
"How?"
Qui-Gon stretched his hand out at the one closest to him and harnessed the power of the Force. The turret's barrel whipped around to point at its fellow. Before the turret's sensors could detect the error, it reduced the other turret to a smoking wreck through a shower of bolts. Qui-Gon released the turret and it turned back around to shoot at him, which he dodged. Once he'd recovered, he brought his lightsaber up to send a series of bolts back at the turret. Again, they failed to penetrate its armor.
"Master, target its support stalk!" Obi-Wan suggested over the noise of the blaster fire.
Qui-Gon angled his blade so the next group of shots slammed into the ceiling around the turret. He adjusted his aim until one of the high-powered energy bolts obliterated the rod of metal that secured the turret to the ceiling. The machine crashed to the floor. Obi-Wan leapt forward and jabbed his lightsaber's blade through it, finishing it off.
Queen Amidala and the guard emerged from their hiding place behind the throne and the two Jedi switched their lightsabers off to meet them. Once they were in front of them, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed at their waists.
"Your highness," Qui-Gon greeted the queen. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn, Knight of the Jedi Order," he gestured at Obi-Wan, "and this is my padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Supreme Chancellor Valorum tasked us with bringing you to safety."
"Thank you for your efforts, Master Qui-Gon," she replied. She looked at the guard to her right.
"I'm Quarsh Panaka, Captain of the Royal Guard," the uniformed man informed them, "Her highness and I are indebted to you and your padawan."
Qui-Gon bowed again.
"I'm sorry to cut this short, but the Separatists must know we're here by now," he said, "our pilot should be in the hangar, securing a new ship as we speak." He turned to head toward the exit with the others on his tail.
"You don't already have a ship?" Captain Panaka asked.
"We…sort of crashed it," Obi-Wan answered, trying to smile again but only managing a crooked half smile.
"Is this pilot of yours any good? I won't trust the safety of the queen in incapable hands," Panaka declared.
"She is very talented, and motivated by a large amount of credits. She will get us off Naboo safely, if it's at all possible," Qui-Gon assured him.
Queen Amidala stopped in her tracks.
"We're leaving Naboo?" she asked.
Qui-Gon stopped and turned around to face her.
"Yes, of course. You'll be safe in the Senate Tower on Coruscant."
"I will not leave my people in their time of need," the queen insisted. She gestured around her. "When the people of this planet elected me as their ruler, I took a vow to serve them to the best of my ability. Leaving this planet during a full-on occupation would be an abandonment of that vow."
"My queen, as your guard captain, I must insist that we accompany the Jedi," Panaka argued, "it's my duty to keep you safe and you're not safe here."
"I will not abandon my people," Queen Amidala repeated.
Obi-Wan considered what Qui-Gon had said earlier about the people's loyalty to their beloved queen.
"I beg your pardon, your highness, but I'm sure your people would rest easier knowing you're safe," he pointed out.
Panaka nodded.
"Yes, the Naboo are proud. With the two of us imprisoned here, the Separatists ensured that the people would not revolt. They wouldn't risk your safety. If we were to disappear from their custody, your people would be free to resist the occupation."
The queen sighed, her consternation showing on her usually serene face.
"It's true. They would not take this assault lying down." She shook her head.
"The Senate will need to hear of your experiences here as well, your highness," Qui-Gon pointed out, "we've already seen the Trade Federation is involved. If you were to speak before the Senate, perhaps they would approve an inquiry. Once the viceroy is arrested for treason, the Separatists will be robbed of their funding."
"I would ask for more than an inquiry. This occupation must end," the queen declared.
"I agree, and you would be in a better position to demand military action were you to be in front of the Senate on Coruscant," Qui-Gon replied.
"You make a good point, Master Qui-Gon. Perhaps this is the best way I may serve my people," the queen admitted. She quickly recovered from the look of resignation on her face and straightened her posture. She pressed forward, past Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. "But before we leave, I insist that we free my handmaidens and bring them with us."
"Your highness, we don't have much time," Qui-Gon warned her, walking faster to catch up with her.
"I assure you, Master Jedi, that this is important. I would not waste our time otherwise. We will need them."
Try as he might, Obi-Wan couldn't see why. There were, of course, many things he didn't know about the life of a queen. Perhaps a handmaidens' job description on Naboo involved more than helping their mistress dress and serving her whatever she required.
"You won't win this argument," Captain Panaka warned Qui-Gon in a half-whisper.
"Very well, we'll see what we can do," the Jedi Master relented. He rushed ahead of the queen to check the hall outside. "Do you know where they're being held?"
"Approximately," Panaka replied, "I'd know more if we managed to seize the control room, but that'll be a gamble."
"Master, the longer we stay, the more likely we are to come across more of those droidekas," Obi-Wan whispered, "If they weren't shielded, I wouldn't worry, but we may not always be able to distract them like we did before."
Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again when the rhythmic metallic clacking of multiple metal feet echoed from one of the other halls.
"If we're to have any chance of freeing the handmaidens, we'll need another escape route," he said.
Queen Amidala turned around to gesture at the throne room's back wall.
"There is an escape tunnel, in the back wall," she explained.
Captain Panaka rushed out into the hall and paused by the fallen guard droids to pick up their blasters, then retreated back inside the throne room. He tossed one to the queen and started back toward the throne.
"This way," he said. Once he'd reached the throne, Panaka stopped and reached toward a console built into the arm of the chair. He flipped a switch and a small panel just behind the console slid open. He pointed to the wall. "Go; it won't stay open long," he said, "you'll need to hold it open from the panel on the other side to let me through after you."
Qui-Gon nodded at him respectfully and led the others to the wall. Once they were before it, the hidden door revealed itself and they slipped through. Queen Amidala stopped just inside the door and slid her hand along the wall until she found the panel.
"Now, Captain," she called.
Panaka released the hidden button and joined them on the other side of the wall. Once he was through, the queen took her hand off the panel and the door slid shut behind them. They found themselves in a dimly-lit tunnel that continued forward for five meters before ending in what appeared to be a dead end.
"This tunnel isn't on any blueprints or maps of the palace," Panaka informed them as he pressed onward, "only the monarch and the guard captain are aware of its existence. It will take the Separatists a while to find us again."
"We'll need every second," Obi-Wan muttered.
"The control room will be heavily guarded," Qui-Gon pointed out.
"Yes, and I would rather not risk the queen's life in that manner," Panaka replied.
"We shouldn't need to take the control room," the queen interjected, "the Separatists have converted some of the larger ballrooms into prison camps. One of their officers tried to taunt me with it."
"Right, I'm sure they'd be holding the maidens in one of those camps," Panaka concluded, "my assumption would be somewhere in the left wing. All the rooms are connected to one hallway, so it'd be easy to guard."
"Then that's where we're headed." Qui-Gon stepped out into the open of the next hallway, Obi-Wan close behind him.
As they might've expected, the hall was empty after the patrols were drawn to the throne room. Panaka took the lead and escorted them to the left. They worked their way through the palace quickly, unhindered by guards or patrols until they got nearer to the left wing of the palace, where the captain claimed the prison camps were located. They stopped before entering the last hallway, where they could hear patrolling droids as well as the sound of boots on the stone floor.
"How many camps are there to search?" Qui-Gon inquired in a whisper.
"There are three sizeable chambers connected to this hallway that the Separatists might've used," the captain whispered back. "They'll still be guarded, but I'm sure most of the droids were sent out to search for us. Judging by the size of the rooms, my guess would be about four or five droids per chamber, and perhaps four more in the hallway, accompanied by at least one Separatist commander to relay orders and communications from their 'general', or whatever they want to call that treacherous-," he stopped himself from finishing the thought and glanced at his queen. "Wretch," he concluded, though it was obvious the insult wasn't his first choice.
Qui-Gon stepped around Captain Panaka to peek down the hallway ahead of them. He quickly drew back.
"Only two droids in the hall ahead, and one Twi'lek," he quietly informed the others, "perhaps that commander you mentioned?"
"They sent more off after us than I thought, then…odd," Panaka murmured.
"I sense an unusual amount of fear, Master," Obi-Wan commented.
"As do I, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, "it's very possible they may know we're Jedi by now."
"I'm not sure it's us they fear," Obi-Wan continued, "I've never sensed this much fear directed toward us before."
"We've also never faced a full rebellion before," Qui-Gon reminded him.
"Yes, you're right, Master," his apprentice conceded, "but I can't erase the feeling that something very wrong is going to happen in the future."
"Keep your thoughts on the present for now, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon warned him. "You can bring your worries to Master Yoda when we get to Coruscant."
"Is it wise to ignore something like that, Master Jedi?" Queen Amidala asked.
"There is nothing we can do to address it at this moment," Qui-Gon replied.
"We should focus on the task at hand," Panaka added.
The queen gave Obi-Wan a quick nod, then turned her attention to Qui-Gon.
"Master Qui-Gon, if the commander were to realize we are accompanied by Jedi, he may order his droids to surrender," she suggested.
"Yes, and with him alive, he may spread the news of the Order's involvement," Panaka pointed out, "the Separatists' morale will take a serious blow."
"The Jedi do not deliberately use fear to force submission," Qui-Gon replied, "neither are they soldiers. We cannot resolve this war for the Republic."
"The Separatists don't need to know that," the captain argued, "besides, with power like yours, you can hardly expect people not to fear you."
Qui-Gon sighed.
"If it will help to stop this rebellion without further loss of life I won't condemn it," he admitted.
"Are you sure, Master?" Obi-Wan murmured, "the Council would be furious if they heard you say that."
"I understand your trepidation, Obi-Wan, but unless we were to cut the man's tongue from his mouth, we can't control what he might say about us."
Obi-Wan nodded, feeling just a little foolish for not realizing that himself.
Qui-Gon reached under his cloak and unhooked the hilt of his lightsaber from his belt.
"Stay behind us," he said, "we will be able to keep the blaster fire away from you if they resort to it." He looked at Captain Panaka. "Both of you."
"I won't argue with you on that," Panaka replied.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan kept their lightsabers hidden under their cloaks as they turned the corner. The two droids and their Twi'lek commander only stared, obviously unsure what to make of the two oddly-dressed men approaching them so brazenly. Their hesitation ceased when Captain Panaka and Queen Amidala fell in behind them.
"Halt!" the Twi'lek shouted at them, brandishing his blaster pistol.
"I am a Knight of the Jedi Order," Qui-Gon told him sternly, "stand down and there will be no need for violence."
The Twi'lek shifted his footing, but didn't lower his weapon.
"I…don't believe you," he stated, obviously trying to appear more confident than he really was.
"Then perhaps you will believe this," Qui-Gon replied, lifting his lightsaber hilt out from under his cloak. He ignited it. "Stand down."
The commander continued to point his blaster at Qui-Gon. He was obviously panicked, trying to think of something to say. Obi-Wan decided to help him along by switching on his own lightsaber. The Twi'lek blanched and dropped his pistol.
"Stand down," he ordered the droids, raising his hands.
The droids raised their blaster carbines in Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's direction.
"I said stand down!"
"Negative," the droid to his left replied.
The Twi'lek backed away, his hands still raised, until his back hit the wall behind him. The droids began to advance.
"We'll disable the droids, that's all," Qui-Gon said to Obi-Wan, "try not to hit the Separatist."
"Yes, Master."
The droids opened fire, but none of their shots got past the two Jedis' lightsabers. The queen and Captain Panaka stepped slightly to either side in order to shoot around their defenders. The two droids went down almost immediately. Obi-Wan was surprised to see how accurate a shot the queen was, despite her age and position. With the droids taken care of, the group of four advanced quickly and stopped in front of the Twi'lek commander.
"I'm sorry, Master Jedi," the Twi'lek sputtered nervously, "I don't know why they didn't follow my orders! I wanted to surrender!"
"Calm yourself," Qui-Gon told him, "we won't hurt you."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Master Jedi! I didn't want to hurt these people, I swear."
Queen Amidala stepped around Qui-Gon to face the Separatist.
"Tell me where my handmaidens are being kept and perhaps you might redeem yourself," she said.
The Twi'lek nodded and pointed to the door in the middle of the hallway that led to the second chamber. Captain Panaka stepped forward from behind Obi-Wan.
"I'll keep an eye on him," he said.
Qui-Gon gave him a quick nod and rushed off to the middle door with Obi-Wan and the queen. He pressed his hand to the panel on the wall and, this time, the door opened without complaint. Inside, five droids turned their backs on the group of approximately fifteen well-dressed prisoners they'd been guarding.
"Halt," one of the droids ordered.
Six young women in identical orange robes stood up behind the droids. The girls each reached into the folds of their dresses and produced short rods. The five closest to the guard droids strode up to them and pressed the ends of the rods to their backs. The droids convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground with a series of loud clacks. The six young women walked over to the two Jedi and their queen, then bowed. Obi-Wan had to admit to himself that he was impressed by their efficiency. The girls all wore orange scarves over their heads, partially hiding their features, but Obi-Wan noticed they all appeared about the same age, all with dark brown hair. He didn't know whether to think of it as a coincidence or not. The other well-dressed nobles who'd been held prisoner in the room sensed the danger was over and got up to flee the room.
"Your highness, I hope you are unharmed," the foremost of the girls said once they'd moved away from the crowd rushing through the open door.
Queen Amidala approached the young women and nodded.
"I'm fine, Sabé. Are any of you injured?"
"No, your highness," Sabé replied, "the Separatists didn't see us as a threat."
"They didn't even think to search us for weapons," one of the other girls added, smiling.
"Good," Amidala replied briskly. She turned to gesture at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "These Jedi Knights are taking us to Coruscant. We need to hurry."
The six girls bowed their heads in unison.
"Contact Miss Vostana, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said as he turned toward the door.
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon and the seven young women out into the hall as he reached into his robes to retrieve his comlink. Captain Panaka awaited them, standing next to the Separatist, who'd been securely tied up. Obi-Wan watched five of the handmaidens pick up the blaster carbines littered around the deactivated droids before raising the comlink to his face. "Ruta? This is Obi-Wan."
"Shh!" the comlink hissed back at him, "more patrols here than I thought."
Panaka handed the last handmaiden the Twi'lek's blaster pistol.
"We have the queen with us," Obi-Wan whispered, "but I'm guessing you don't have the ship yet?"
"Is that a jab?" Ruta demanded in a hoarse whisper.
"No, no, just…a poorly-phrased question," Obi-Wan replied quietly.
"Well, I'll have a ship soon, but I won't be able to linger at all," Ruta explained, "the droids here are flitting around like a swarm of mynocks. You must've really stirred them up. Anyway, it was hard enough sneaking in here by myself, so I suggest you two get the queen out of the city where I can pick you up safely."
"I'll let my master know." Obi-Wan put the comlink back on his belt.
Qui-Gon approached him.
"I take it things aren't going well," he said quietly.
"Ruta said we should escape the city, where she can pick us up without the Separatists around," Obi-Wan replied.
Qui-Gon glanced at Captain Panaka, who was heading toward them.
"It shouldn't be too difficult," the Jedi Master said.
Panaka stopped next to them and looked at Qui-Gon critically.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"We're going to meet our pilot outside the city," Qui-Gon replied calmly, "somewhere the ship can land to pick us up."
"I'd suggest the plains, but it'd be easy to follow us there," Obi-Wan muttered.
"The jungle, then," Panaka contributed," at least, to lose the droids. We'll find a clearing once they're off our backs."
"How far have you mapped the natural caverns?" Qui-Gon asked.
Captain Panaka nodded.
"Far enough. There's an entrance to the underground tunnels in the palace courtyard. That'll be the closest one."
"Then we'll follow your lead." Qui-Gon stopped talking and turned around when the whirling sound of something heavy and metal rolling across a stone floor echoed out from one of the other hallways nearby. He immediately plucked his lightsaber off his belt and gestured down the opposite end of the hall.
"Droidekas," Obi-Wan warned the others, taking his lightsaber out as well.
"Obi-Wan, get the queen and her people away from here," Qui-Gon ordered him.
"Master Jedi, the lift to the courtyard is in that direction," Panaka pointed out urgently.
Obi-Wan stepped in front of him, between the captain and his master and ushered him away.
"We'll find another way, Captain," he assured him, walking him back to the others, "for now, we need to vanish."
Captain Panaka nodded his acknowledgment and took the lead. Obi-Wan, the queen, and her handmaidens hurried after him.
"There's another lift toward the center of the palace," he said as he walked, "we'll head toward the rear and the living quarters, then around to the front. That should get the droids off our tail long enough for us to escape into the courtyard."
"There's a tunnel entrance near the throne room, Captain," Obi-Wan reminded him, "that'd be the closest one now that we're cut off from the yard."
"True, but I'm sure the Separatists will be combing that area thoroughly," Panaka replied, "they'll want to know how you two got in here without being spotted."
"Fair enough."
Queen Amidala interjected, "he won't be able to hold off the Separatists' droids indefinitely."
"My master knows his limits; he'll escape the droidekas as soon as he's sure he's given us enough time," Obi-Wan promised her.
Captain Panaka turned his head back to look at the queen.
"Your concern for others is one of your greatest virtues, your highness, but right now you must think about your own safety first," he cautioned her.
Queen Amidala glanced at Obi-Wan briefly, just long enough for him to see concern wrinkling the features underneath her heavy makeup, then turned her attention back to the guard captain. She started walking faster to better keep up with him. Obi-Wan smiled, despite their desperate surroundings. Although he'd been around politicians often enough while living on Coruscant, it was the first time he'd found himself starting to genuinely like one of them.
[NEXT]
Qui-Gon Jinn positioned himself between the approaching droidekas and his allies as they made their hasty retreat. Mere seconds after the group had disappeared from the hallway, two metal balls rolled into sight at the other end of the hall. The orbs rapidly unfurled themselves, transforming into two droidekas a split second before their shield generators kicked into effect. Qui-Gon took a mental note of the time gap between transformation and shield activation. He ignited his blue lightsaber just as they began to fire on him.
From a distance, the droidekas were noticeably less accurate. Of the many blaster bolts they fired in Qui-Gon's direction, very few actually managed to reach him. He deflected them with ease. As they fired, the two droids slowly crept toward him on their tiny legs. He estimated he had several minutes before they would pose any real threat. He could spare those minutes for the sake of the queen and her escorts.
Qui-Gon allowed the Force to guide his blade as he took quick glances around him to survey his options for when it came time to escape. The wall to his left held all the doors leading to the prison camp chambers. If the rooms were identical to the one they'd pulled the handmaidens from, there was only one door. To his right, the wall was lined with tall, wide windows with decorated frames. Through them, he could see they led to a sheer drop. He made his decision and returned his gaze to the coming threat. He heard one of the prison camp doors slide open beside him and decided it was time to leave.
While the droidekas where still too far down the hall to keep him from turning away, Qui-Gon sidestepped closer to the nearest of the large windows and slashed his blade through the transparisteel, causing it to crack. He paused briefly to deflect fire from the guard droids that'd entered the hallway, drawn by the noise. Once he had the chance, he took one hand off his lightsaber to shoot his palm out in the window's direction, sending a wave of Force energy into it. The transparisteel burst outward and the Jedi Master rushed out onto the ledge just outside the window frame, where he sidled over to the solid wall between the broken window and the one right next to it. He stowed his lightsaber back under his cloak.
Below him, another side of the enormous cliff he and Obi-Wan had scaled to reach the natural caves continued straight downward before ending in the grassland's rolling hills. The wind whipped his hair and his robes about him violently, but he ignored the annoyance. Qui-Gon carefully leaned forward to look down and saw another line of windows, revealing another hallway on the floor below.
The droidekas' blaster fire shattered the window beside him and he threw his arm up to shield his face from the shrapnel. He felt several pieces pelt the outer layer of his cloak's loose sleeves, but nothing managed to cut through to his flesh. Without delay, he stepped off the ledge.
The air protested against him as he fell freely. He held both arms out in front of him and caught the ledge, abruptly halting his fall. He placed the soles of his boots against the wall beneath him and pushed up, launching himself high enough to get a knee onto the ledge. He pulled himself up to safety and stood on a precarious edge as he drew his lightsaber again. He rapidly cut his way through the window, then jumped through and onto the solid surface of the palace's bottom floor.
Three droids, accompanied by one gray-haired, angry-looking man, turned to face him, their blasters ready. Qui-Gon shoved them against the wall with a burst of Force energy, knocking the man's weapon out of his hands. Lacking traction on the slick stone floor, two of the droids fell down while the man's knees buckled and he had to regain his balance. The remaining droid, which had managed to stay on its feet, fired at him. He sent it back with a flick of his lightsaber blade and the droid's small head burst into debris.
Qui-Gon rushed forward and chopped vital pieces off the other two droids, rendering them useless. He stopped in front of the man, who'd finally managed to keep his footing. He was already crouching to pick up his blaster. Qui-Gon put the lightsaber to the side of his head, singing the ends of his gray hair.
"Surrender and no harm will come to you," he stated clearly.
"I'd rather feed you my blaster, Republic dog," the man hissed at him.
"Very well."
Qui-Gon whipped the blade up and thwhacked the man's skull with the base of his hilt. The man toppled face-down on the floor, unconscious. Qui-Gon kicked his blaster away for good measure and rushed onward in the direction he assumed would lead him to the palace's main entrance.
[NEXT]
Obi-Wan sliced through a line of droids that'd positioned themselves between the queen's entourage and the central lift. Panaka, the queen, and the handmaidens opened fire with their stolen blasters, clearing away the droids that were too far from the Jedi's lightsaber. Once they'd dealt with the enemy machines, Obi-Wan advanced to press the button that would summon the lift.
He counted twelve droid bodies, much more than he would have liked. Either the Separatists had figured out where they were trying to go or they'd started stationing larger forces at all possible escape routes. He knew Qui-Gon could handle twelve of the standard Federation battle droids on his own, but he couldn't help but worry for his safety. He sincerely hoped his master was right about how expensive personal shield generators were; they would have few places to run and hide if more droidekas awaited them in the courtyard. He turned around again to stare at the lift's door, willing it to move faster.
"Master Jedi!"
Obi-Wan flicked his lightsaber back on as he spun about to see a squad of seven battle droids and eight armed Separatists running toward them from the far end of the hallway. He leapt in front of Captain Panaka and the seven young women, his weapon at the ready. The droids continued to run toward him as the Separatists stopped to begin shooting. Once the droids were closer, they began to fire as well. Obi-Wan was too busy deflecting the shots away from the people behind him to direct any of them back at the shooters. Luckily, those he protected began to fire back at their attackers.
Once four of the Federation droids had been dealt with, some of the Separatists began taking nervous steps back. One of them pulled out a comlink. Obi-Wan wanted to stop him, but he didn't have a hand to spare.
"General!" the Separatist shouted into the unit, "General, it's a Jedi!"
"Where!?" the comlink shouted back.
Obi-Wan heard the lift door behind him slide open.
"Go!" he yelled.
The queen and her entourage quickly retreated into the lift. From inside, only three of them were able to continue shooting through the narrow door. Obi-Wan glanced back to make sure there was room, then backed up into it.
"The central lift! They're trying to escape!" the Separatist shouted into his comlink.
The door was almost closed completely when a stray bolt flew through the shrinking opening and grazed Obi-Wan's arm. He clenched his teeth and groaned through his nose, but kept his guard up. Once the door had closed and they were on their way down, he lowered his lightsaber and tugged on the sleeve of his cloak to get a glimpse of the hole.
"Are you hit?" Panaka asked quietly.
"No, it's alright," he replied.
"That was impressive work out there."
Obi-Wan looked back at the captain and bowed his head.
"Once we exit the lift, it'll be a straight shot to the courtyard," Panaka continued. He sighed and checked his blaster. "With luck, they haven't consolidated their forces yet."
The lift stopped and the door opened of its own accord. Obi-Wan stepped out with his lightsaber in front of him and the others close behind him. They were in a small room, dedicated solely to the lift. Directly across from it was a set of double doors and on either side of the room were long planters with exotic plants growing in neat rows. Obi-Wan would have expected to see blasters waiting for them, but the closed doors ahead said it was still a possibility. He signaled for the others to wait while he stepped up to the doors and placed his hand on one of them.
"I'll lock the lift," Queen Amidala offered as she moved toward the lift's control panel, "we don't want anyone coming at us from behind."
Panaka nodded his agreement and the queen quickly pressed a series of buttons.
Obi-Wan turned his attention to the door under his palm. Sensing the Force through manmade objects wasn't necessarily more difficult, but it definitely felt different. Luckily, he'd had plenty of practice on Coruscant; finding something that wasn't manmade on the Republic's enormous capital planet was quite a feat. What he sensed beyond the door was stillness, but he could feel the movement of breath. Someone awaited them on the other side. Whether they were friend or foe was impossible to tell. He knew one thing, however: it wasn't his master. He would have recognized the feeling if it were. Obi-Wan assumed it wasn't a friend; they didn't have enough friends in the palace.
"Get ready," he murmured.
"Can you tell how many there are?" Panaka whispered.
Obi-Wan shook his head.
"I know there's someone biological out there, but nothing's moving. They may have droids with them."
"Well, there's no turning back now," the captain muttered as he changed out the energy clip in his blaster with a fresh one.
Obi-Wan glanced backward to see if the others were prepared to face whatever waited for them on the other side of the door. The handmaidens and the queen took cover behind the planters, the barrels of their blasters resting atop the edges as they prepared to open fire. Captain Panaka and Obi-Wan took positions on either side of the door. Once they were as ready as they could be in the face of the unknown threat, Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber in one hand and pressed the door's control panel with the other. The door swiftly slid open.
The rattle of multiple plasteel clicks greeted them. A collection of ten battle droids, three human Separatist troops, and two shielded droidekas all raised their blasters at the opening. Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to block the fire from all of them at once, not with their close proximity almost ensuring pinpoint accuracy. With no clear shot at them, however, the Separatists refrained from firing immediately.
"Surrender the queen to us, Jedi!" one of the humans, a middle-aged woman, shouted at the open door, "the Republic's sad run is over! They'll never organize fast enough to stop us. Now is your chance to abandon a failing government in favor of a brighter future."
"Are they trying to recruit me?" Obi-Wan muttered to himself in disbelief. He shook his head and peeked around the doorframe at the Separatists. "I have my mission," he told them, trying to mimic Qui-Gon's calm tone, "and it doesn't involve harming any of you. But if you wish to continue being a hindrance, you will force my hand. Go home while you're still able."
Even as he said it, Obi-Wan doubted he'd convince them to walk away. They were devoted to their cause, devoted enough to invade a planet, and they already knew he was a Jedi. If that wouldn't frighten them away, he was out of peaceful tactics. Besides, the droids had already proven they didn't always take orders from their biological commanders. Whoever was responsible for their programming didn't have surrender in mind.
"Alright, start moving in," he heard the woman tell her comrades.
The queen's handmaidens began to fire on the advancing droids. Captain Panaka took quick peeks from behind the doorframe to fire as well, but he was forced to duck back to safety every time. They could eliminate as many of the battle droids and Separatist soldiers as they wanted, but unless they could deactivate the droidekas' shields, they'd be trapped in the tiny room until they were forced to surrender.
One of the women yelped when a blaster bolt struck the metal planter, sending sharp debris in her direction. Obi-Wan listened as he waited for the droids to come closer. He heard one of the droids clatter to the floor after a well-placed shot by one of the handmaidens. Once the clacking of their feet sounded just outside the doorframe, he whipped around, through the open door, and sliced the two closest droids in half. He shoved two others aside with a wave of Force energy and advanced toward the Separatist troops, cutting more droids down as he ran. The droidekas flanked the troops on either side. They began to fire on him, forcing him to stop and block the blaster fire. He wouldn't be able to hold them long, he knew, but it would at least allow his allies to get a clear shot at the armed humans.
Captain Panaka rushed out behind him and blew the heads off the two droids the Jedi had knocked to the ground. Two of the queen's handmaidens leapt over the planter and stood where Obi-Wan and the captain had been before continuing to fire at the droids, finishing off the last of the battle droids.
"Focus on the shields!" Panaka cried over the din of battle, "we'll wear them down!"
The two handmaidens abandoned their spots by the door and fanned out on either side of Obi-Wan to shoot at the droidekas, but not far enough to expose themselves. The burn wound on Obi-Wan's armed stung as he worked hard to keep the blaster bolts from getting past him. He clenched his teeth and steadied his resolve, daring to take a step forward. The others soon joined Panaka and the two maidens as they concentrated their fire on the droidekas.
The three human agents attempted to blast Panaka, but Obi-Wan narrowly managed to send their bolts into the hallway's walls. He tried to seem confident, but he knew his endurance was waning. He appealed to the Force for strength, surrendering his will and allowing it to guide his arms.
While in touch with the Force, he sensed all things around him in an almost surreal manner. The danger he was in suddenly seemed very unimportant compared to the sense of foreboding he received. He tried to block it out, to focus on the present as his master had told him. He wished he shared Master Yoda's gift for visions and prophecy. Perhaps, then, it would all make sense to him.
An enormous concentration of Force energy ahead of him brought his thoughts back to the situation at hand. The Force had aided him in protecting his friends, but he'd made no progress through the hall. As a result, he and the others were stuck halfway between the lift and the Separatists. However, after his communion with the Force, he wasn't worried anymore. The concentration he'd sensed was familiar to him. He knew what was about to happen.
The rapid click-clack of running boots on the hall's stone floor echoed out from ahead of them before Qui-Gon Jinn whipped the energized blade of his lightsaber across the leftmost of the two droidekas, sending it to the floor in two pieces. Obi-Wan smiled, despite still being under fire from three Separatists and another droideka. Finally able to focus on counterattacking, he deflected a blaster bolt back at the human who'd fired it, nailing him in the knee. Qui-Gon quickly destroyed the remaining droideka and leapt up behind one of the last two Separatists, holding his saber's glowing blue blade near the woman's back.
"Drop your weapons," he said sternly.
The two Separatists took a second to observe the aftermath before reluctantly complying. They held their empty hands above their heads.
"He never said anything about there being two Jedi here," the woman growled in disappointment.
The man at her side slowly nodded his agreement, his face contorted in anger.
"Be glad your treasonous leaders didn't cost you your life," Captain Panaka hissed at her, "I would've killed you if I were these Jedi."
"A Jedi only kills as a last resort," Qui-Gon reminded him, extinguishing his lightsaber.
"All the same, it's what they deserve after all this," the captain grumbled.
Sabé and another of the queen's maidens brought the man with the injured knee over to his allies before binding his wrists behind his back. The captain and the others quickly secured the remaining two. Queen Amidala approached the woman.
"I want the name of the person leading this attack on my people," she declared.
"You already know General Aderonn," the woman hissed.
"He wouldn't have targeted my plant on his own, and he certainly didn't assemble this army without help," the queen persisted, "who ordered the invasion? Is there a Separatist council? Is the Trade Federation's viceroy in charge of more than your funds?"
"I don't know," the woman spat, "what, did you think they'd send one of the higher ups down here to deal with a Jedi? Besides, it doesn't matter." She looked at Qui-Gon. "We're taking this planet whether you manage to get the queen off it or not. The Republic doesn't have an army. You'll never kill all of us."
Captain Panaka glanced at his queen, then at the Separatist. He hit her with the base of his blaster.
"That's enough from you," he grunted after she collapsed on the floor.
"We should get moving, your highness," Qui-Gon stated, unfazed.
The queen nodded and started forward with her handmaidens on her tail. Panaka and Qui-Gon sped up to match her pace.
"I won't lie, Master," Obi-Wan said quietly once he'd caught up, "I feared you wouldn't make it in time."
"No one can blame you for feeling fear, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon assured him, "it's how you behave while under its influence that matters. From what I saw, you handled yourself well, if not a little recklessly."
"I'm sorry, Master."
"I didn't expect an apology from you. When there are no options left to you, sometimes you're forced to do something reckless. I think you did the only thing you could, despite the danger. Bravery is vital to a Jedi Knight. Truthfully, I think you're ready for the trials."
Obi-Wan allowed himself a small smile. He'd been working toward that point as long as he could remember. Finally hearing those words from his master was as fulfilling as he'd imagined. Nonetheless, he set his jubilation aside for another time. He'd never become a Jedi Knight if they never reached Coruscant, after all.
The group of escapees rushed down the hall, toward the palace's entrance. Beyond it was the courtyard, where they expected to enter the tunnels. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were able to deal with the little resistance they encountered effortlessly. With the central lift, the largest of the palace's turbolifts, locked the Separatists were having difficulty getting their forces down to the first floor to intercept them. At last, they could see the courtyard through the large transparisteel windows on either side of the palace's main entrance. Beyond it, they could see the long, wide street that passed under an enormous stone arch before leading out across the city. They could also see squads of droids diligently patrolling that street.
Once outside, the queen and her escorts kept close to the palace wall as they filed out into the courtyard. Captain Panaka led them to a point halfway down the length of the wall to their right, then stopped and dug his heel hard into one of the paving stones at the wall's base. The wall opened and they rushed down a steep stairway, into the dimly-lit escape tunnel. The last of the handmaidens closed the wall behind them using a panel next to the entrance.
"They'll never find us down here, even if they know about the natural caves," Panaka murmured for his allies' benefits, "without our map, they'll be lost for weeks if they try to follow us."
"Let's not drop our guard now," Qui-Gon replied, "it's still possible they may find that map."
"They won't," Panaka assured him, "the only copy is encrypted on my personal datapad. Once they blocked my access to the turrets, they didn't think to confiscate it from me. The only map of our escape tunnels is currently with us."
"Well, then, things are starting to looking up," Obi-Wan chimed in.
Panaka took his datapad from its pouch on his belt and began to plot their course as they walked.
"Here we are," he said after several minutes had passed, "it'll be a long walk, but we'll be able to emerge in the swamp near Lake Paonga. Once we reach the lake, finding a clearing large enough for your pilot to land in should be easy. I just hope the Separatists don't have enough droids at their disposal to start combing the planet."
"The Trade Federation has plenty of droids," Obi-Wan murmured to his master.
"We'll be alright if we maintain a quick pace," Qui-Gon replied quietly, "are you still able to contact Miss Vostana?"
Obi-Wan checked his comlink, but received nothing but static in return.
"There's too much interference from all the ground we're under," he stated.
"That's too bad. I suppose she'll just have to wait for us, then."
[NEXT]
Gendo Aderonn quickly strode across the palace's control room to the turbolift control terminal. He rapidly manipulated the controls, attempting to slice past the manual lock the queen had activated on the central lift. Without the lift in operation, his men were unable to move their forces freely about the palace. He let out a sigh of relief when the lift's icon on the screen turned from orange to blue.
"Now, Major," he said into his comlink, "send everyone and everything you can spare. All of the droidekas, if you must. Find the Jedi, kill them, and return the queen to me."
"Yes, General," the comlink replied.
General Aderonn sighed again and slapped his comlink on the console beside him. They still had time to fix their carelessness. He'd underestimated the Republic's Supreme Chancellor. He hadn't expected anyone to send a rescue party without the Senate's consent, not anyone with so much to lose. And yet, only the Supreme Chancellor would have the authority to enlist the help of the Jedi Order without input from the Senate.
Gendo was a clean-shaven human male with a pristinely cut and styled head of full brown hair. The Separatists had focused their funds on assembling their army, so rather than an official Separatist uniform, he wore the uniform he'd kept after leaving his post as a Republic ship captain. The Republic's emblem had been deliberately defaced and partially sewn over with the one the Separatists had designed for themselves. The symbols of his former rank of "captain" had also been replaced with those of a general.
Aderonn preferred not having a new uniform; this way, anyone who saw his modified outfit would understand how disillusioned he'd become with the Republic's leadership. The galactic superpower had grown too comfortable with peace. It favored arguing silly, insignificant issues over making real decisions on the important ones. Its political, bureaucratic ways had gotten a third of his ship's crew killed in a dispute with Trandoshan slavers. At least, as a general, he'd be able to make his own decisions.
"General."
Aderonn didn't bother turning around to face his colonel, a zabrak woman with a fan of short horns that reached from her forehead to the base of her skull. Her face was decorated with tattoos, as was customary for her race.
"What is it, Ezna?" he muttered, folding his arms, "my job is hard enough already, so if this is something you can handle yourself, please do."
"It's not," Ezna replied curtly.
Aderonn turned around, his arms still folded.
"Alright, what is it? There isn't a third Jedi, is there?"
Ezna shook her head.
"He called. He wants to 'have a word with you', as he put it." She shrugged. "He didn't seem pleased."
Aderonn grunted his acknowledgment and unfolded his arms to straighten the collar of his uniform jacket.
"He's never pleased."
"Just tell him you're working on it," Ezna suggested, "I'm sure he'd understand."
Aderonn chuckled incredulously. Ezna nervously rubbed her palms on her pants.
"I mean…maybe he'll understand." She paused. "Or not."
"Yes, thank you, Colonel, that's very helpful," Aderonn muttered as he moved past her, toward the communication room that adjoined the control room.
In the comm. room's center was a large circular pad, a life-size holoprojector. He grunted to clear his throat and stood before the holoprojector at attention. He looked at Ezna and nodded. Ezna touched the control panel to establish the comlink connection.
The shimmering blue image of an old, hunched man in a dark robe and hood appeared before him. Though he could see little of the man's features, Aderonn could tell by the usual frown on his face that he had no good news for him.
"Lord Sidious," Aderonn greeted him, "I heard you wish to speak with me?"
"General Aderonn," the hologram replied in a slow cadence, "you have yet to make a report. Is this young girl giving you trouble?"
Aderonn shifted his footing.
"We've…encountered a setback," he replied.
"What sort of setback?" Sidious snapped, "the planet is weak and defenseless. You should have had it under your control sooner."
"She's gone," Aderonn answered after steeling his nerves, "two Jedi Knights infiltrated the palace and fought their way out with the queen. I have every resource at my disposal searching for them. They barely made it into the atmosphere in one piece, so I assure you they will not leave Naboo alive."
"Is that supposed to make me happy, General?"
"I…well….my Lord, I'm doing all that I can. We weren't prepared to handle an attack so soon, but they won't escape. I guarantee it."
"You must not kill the queen. If they manage to board a ship, you will not shoot it down."
Aderonn's brow furrowed.
"I don't understand," he said, "we don't need the queen to take this planet. It's ours already. We may not have the support of its people, but fear will keep them in line, with or without the girl."
"You will not kill the queen, General."
"If she escapes to Coruscant, she will be able to plead before the Senate. Her testimony may persuade them to take military action against our blockade."
"Be silent!"
Aderonn snapped his mouth shut.
"Were there another, more reliable piece of scum capable of leading this movement on Naboo, I would deal with your failure now," Lord Sidious continued, "as it happens, there isn't. You are getting a second chance, General. Consider it a rarity."
Aderonn nodded slowly.
"If the queen manages to board a ship, you will not shoot her down. However, you must keep her from reaching Coruscant. Damage the ship, but do not destroy it. Surely, you can handle that much, General."
Aderonn nodded again.
"Speak!"
"Y-yes, I can—I mean, will handle it. My Lord."
"Good. If she dies, I will remove you myself."
"Understood, my Lord," Aderonn replied, trying to keep his trepidation from coming across through his voice. He cleared his throat quietly. "Ah, my Lord, if I may…disabling their ship will be significantly harder than destroying it and a droid's programming can only do so much to counter a skilled pilot. There is a chance the queen might escape the system."
"If she escapes, you will do nothing more than track the ship," the hologram replied, "I have my ways of dealing with the queen and her escorts."
"Yes, my Lord."
Aderonn bowed his head before the hologram disappeared. He took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, but his muscles wouldn't relax. He'd never met the man in person, but he was certain he didn't want to anytime soon. He couldn't understand why the queen was vital to their invasion, but he wasn't the one with the plan. All he could do was follow his orders.
"Send the word out," he told Ezna, "if a ship is spotted leaving the atmosphere, we must use minimal force. Disable its hyperdrive, but don't destroy it or anyone on board."
"Yes, General," Ezna replied solemnly. She began pressing buttons on the communications panel.
"Still, I'd prefer it if we found them before that," Aderonn added quickly, "make sure we have everyone searching. Request more droids from the Trade Federation ships in orbit. I want them combing the entire planet within the hour. Triple security at all spaceports and hangars, both public and private."
"Yes, General."
"That means every city on the planet," Aderonn continued, "I know they have escape tunnels somewhere. They might travel to the next town."
"Yes, sir, every spaceport and hangar on the planet," Ezna replied, "is there anything else?"
"I'll let you know if I think of anything."
"This is Colonel Belrut to all forces with new orders," Ezna began, speaking into the control panel's microphone.
Aderonn turned on his heel and marched out of the room, past the technicians he had monitoring the control room. He tried not to blame them for the queen's escape. None of them had been prepared to face a Jedi, much less two of them. The Jedi were trouble. He hoped their leader had a plan to deal with the troublesome Order later on. If not, their revolution would be very short-lived.
[NEXT]
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stepped out into the open ahead of the queen and her entourage, prepared to draw their lightsabers at the first sign of alarm. The area around them was a dim, thick marshland. There were no droids or Separatists in sight, but Obi-Wan could see birds flying over them in flocks, all in one direction. In the distance, they heard the occasional thump and crackle. A multitude of wild animals were crying out in surprise.
"We must hurry," Qui-Gon declared, pressing on in the direction of Lake Paonga.
Obi-Wan watched the others file out behind his master before falling in after them. They navigated the swamp carefully, but as quickly as they dared to with all the exposed tree roots and low-hanging branches in their path. Obi-Wan plucked his comlink from his belt and attempted to reach their pilot.
A sudden ripple in the Force prompted him to duck before he had the chance to say anything. A STAP-1 speeder narrowly missed him, zooming over his head only a split second after he'd ducked. He stood up again and drew his lightsaber. The speeder swung around to face them. Its rider was another of the Trade Federation battle droids.
Qui-Gon had already sprung into action. He leapt toward the speeder and thrust his palm out, knocking the droid off it with the power of the Force. Obi-Wan dashed forward and sliced the droid's head off.
"Do you think it had time to transmit our location?" Captain Panaka asked.
"I'm sure they're tracking all of their scouts," Qui-Gon replied. He turned toward his apprentice. "Stay here with them, Obi-Wan," he told him, "hide, then take them to the lake and contact Miss Vostana once I've lead the droids away."
"Yes, Master."
Obi-Wan rushed back to the others and told them to hide under a fallen tree nearby, where the moss hanging off the trunk would shield them from view. He ducked between the tree's stump and a boulder, where he could still see his master.
Qui-Gon drew his lightsaber and ignited it, then positioned himself in the open. It wasn't long before another speeder came into view. Its mounted blaster fired twice at him before it sped past him and was forced to whirl around to take another pass. Qui-Gon took off running, away from his hidden allies. The speeder followed him, but was cut down once it caught up to him. Nonetheless, he kept running until he was out of sight. Obi-Wan waited as a third speeder rushed past them, in the direction Qui-Gon went.
Once it was gone, he emerged from his hiding spot and signaled for the others to follow. The group rushed through the thinning swamp. After a few minutes, they had the lake's shore in sight. Obi-Wan reached for his comlink again.
"Ruta, this is Obi-Wan," he said, "I have the queen and her people by Lake Paonga. It's in the swamp."
"I know where Lake Paonga is. I used to live on this planet, you know," the pilot replied, "I'll be there in a few."
"Master Jedi, we should get out of sight," Captain Panaka suggested, whipping his head around them to survey the area, "we're too exposed here."
"I agree. Ruta, we're going to take cover in the brush. Should I leave the channel open so you can locate us?"
"The Separatists might find us first if you do that," Panaka pointed out.
"What, you don't think we're professional enough to set up a secure channel?" Ruta replied through the comlink, "the Republic's techies hooked us up, alright? A little trust wouldn't hurt."
Panaka glared at the comlink before turning around to head back to the queen and her handmaidens. Obi-Wan sighed.
"He's just doing his job, Ruta," he said quietly.
"He complains too much. Anyway, it should take me about fifteen minutes to reach you. Sit tight."
Obi-Wan silenced the comlink, but left the connection open as he placed it back on his belt. He turned back toward the others and watched the captain fill them in briefly before looking back at the lake. He knew they weren't safe as long as they remained on Naboo, but he felt they'd come to be in more danger in the last few seconds. He glanced back to make sure the queen and her escorts had safely hidden themselves, then carefully scanned the lakeshore facing him, examining the trees and bushes. He couldn't see anything important, but the Force never warned him of danger when there wasn't any.
At last, he spotted something out of the ordinary. It was cautious movement, disturbing the otherwise gently-swaying branches of the trees on the other side of the lake.
"Wait here," Obi-Wan said loud enough for the others to hear, though even he wasn't sure where they were.
He closed his cloak about him and retreated into a line of trees that separated the lake from the rest of the swamp. Walking quickly, yet quietly, he skirted the lakeshore, listening for any hint of a nearby disturbance. It wasn't easy with all the ruckus in the distance. The Separatists were certainly making their presence known. He could hear trees crashing to the ground, rocks being blasted. STAP speeders weren't the only things they'd brought to the swamp. He could only hope the firepower the Separatists wielded wouldn't be turned on Ruta's ship when she flew into view.
Obi-Wan felt the Force rush into his mind and stopped walking immediately. He knelt low to the ground and listened. Leaves were rustling nearby, much too loudly to be a result of the wind. Only a few seconds passed before the source was close enough for him to hear footfalls. Obi-Wan shrunk back into the dense branches of the bush closest to him. A leg stepped over one of the lower branches, just to his left. The Rodian it belonged to pressed on, sweeping his blaster rifle back and forth.
"How do they expect us to find anything out here?" he muttered to himself in Rodese.
Obi-Wan touched the hilt of his lightsaber, but didn't take hold of it.
"Alternatives to fighting," he whispered to himself, barely audible enough for his own ears to hear.
He waited for the Rodian to get a few paces ahead of him before emerging from the bush. The Rodian's pointed ears twitched and he turned around. The scaly ridges above his eyes where his eyebrows might have been if he were human arched sharply.
"Don't move!" he commanded in his native language, pointing the rifle at Obi-Wan, "who are you? What are you doing out here? Are you with the queen?"
Obi-Wan kept his cloak in place with one arm while he raised the other, his palm facing the Rodian.
"That's a lot of questions," he said, "is there one you want answered first?"
"Where is the queen?" the Rodian asked.
"That I can't tell you," Obi-Wan replied calmly.
The Rodian waggled the rifle's barrel in his direction.
"I will shoot you."
Obi-Wan quickly waved three of his fingers.
"You will not shoot me," he said clearly.
The Rodian lowered his rifle and shook his head.
"I will not shoot you," he repeated back at him.
"This area has nothing for you to find."
"This area has nothing for me to find."
Obi-Wan nodded.
"You will leave this place and report for further instructions."
The Rodian started to walk away.
"I will leave this place and report for further instructions," he mumbled to himself, marching off into the swamp.
Obi-Wan let a long breath out through his nose and nodded to himself. He'd taken a risk, exercising a technique he hadn't had the need to use more than twice before, but if it worked the way he'd intended, the Rodian wouldn't be back to search the lake any time soon. Better yet, it would take him a while to reach Theed on foot. Until then, the Separatists wouldn't have a reason to send another scout to Lake Paonga.
Satisfied, Obi-Wan hiked back to where he'd last seen the queen's party. Much of the swamp looked the same to him, but he knew he was at least close. He stopped when the loud roar of a starship's engines sounded from overhead. Any scouts in the area would be drawn straight to them, he knew. At least the closest of the scouts was headed in the other direction.
Obi-Wan shouted into the comlink over the noise, "did you find a clearing to land in?"
"No, but I found the next best thing," Ruta replied, "I can see you're still close to the lake. Stay put, alright?"
"Understood."
Obi-Wan looked up to see where the ship was going to land. Through the thick leaf canopy, he could glimpse part of the ship just above him. It appeared to be a small transport ship. Other than that, he knew very little about it. He hoped, at least, that it was a fast ship. It was a dull gray color with yellow, red, and black accents, obviously the property of a private citizen. With the blockade in place, the owner had no use for it, but he hoped the Republic would be able to reimburse them later, if not return it to them in perfect shape once the Separatists were finally forced off Naboo.
Obi-Wan began to get concerned when the ship continued to hover in the direction of the water.
"Ruta, what's your plan?" he asked, "you can't land in the lake."
"Watch and learn, Jedi."
The ship lowered over the lake. Obi-Wan winced, watching it get dangerously close to the water's surface, just over the reeds. That close to the shore, there wasn't much clearance between the ship and the trees. It wouldn't be possible to set the ship down there, he knew; the lake's floor would be sloping sharply, leading down into its depths.
"Are you trying to sink this one too?" he said into the comlink.
"Just get in."
The ship's loading ramp lowered while the craft still hovered just over the lake. There were just a few centimeters between the ramp's end and the shallow water lapping against the lakeshore. Obi-Wan jogged out onto the beach. The wind tossed his clothing about wildly the closer he got to the ship. Once he was out in the open, he could see Panaka and the seven girls heading toward him. The handmaidens held onto their hoods as they walked, battling against the wind's resistance to the ship's repulsorlifts. Obi-Wan kept watch while Panaka helped the queen and her handmaidens step up on the ship's loading ramp.
"Where are you?" he muttered to himself. They wouldn't be able to wait very long. His master had to be nearby, or they'd be forced to leave him.
"Master Jedi!" Panaka called.
Obi-Wan turned back around to see the captain balancing on the ramp.
"We need to leave," the man continued.
Obi-Wan acknowledged him with the wave of his arm. Panaka disappeared into the ship while Obi-Wan ran to the ramp. He leapt atop it and turned to look at the swamp once again. He grinned when he spotted Qui-Gon sprinting toward them. He backed up to let his master jump onto the loading ramp beside him.
"You cut that a little close, Master," Obi-Wan stated once they'd retreated into the ship.
Qui-Gon took hold of the latch that would manually close the ramp and yanked it. Once the ship had sealed itself, they were able to hear each other much better.
"I ran into a little trouble," Qui-Gon told him. He straightened his robes. "The Trade Federation brought more of their droids here than I thought they might've. I'm sure they have droid carriers all over this planet by now. It'd be quite the army."
"How can the Republic hope to match that?" Obi-Wan asked.
"That's something the Senate will need to address," Qui-Gon replied, "for now, we just need to avoid running into that army." He started toward the hall that would lead them out of the loading bay. Obi-Wan followed him.
"A ship this size should be quick and maneuverable, but we're still going to have a hard time of getting through that blockade a second time," he said.
Qui-Gon nodded.
"The Force has been with us so far," he replied, "our luck has had plenty of opportunities to change. Let's not start discounting our chances just yet."
Obi-Wan put on a wry smile.
"Master Windu says there's no such thing as luck."
"Allow yourself a little hope, Obi-Wan. We don't want our charges to lose faith in us, do we?"
Obi-Wan let his master go ahead of him into the cockpit, then entered and sat in one of the five chairs, behind the pilot.
"Feel free to strap yourself in again," Ruta chirped light-heartedly at him, "this is going to be rough."
Obi-Wan was glad to see her in a mood light enough to tease him, but didn't appreciate the teasing itself. He put his elbows on the chair's armrests and crossed his arms over his abdomen.
"Take us out of here, Miss Vostana," Qui-Gon said.
"Aye, aye."
The ship rose rapidly above Lake Paonga, then angled upward before speeding off.
After exiting the atmosphere, the ship flew toward the Separatists' blockade orbiting Naboo. Once they'd been noticed, the battleships and star cruisers near them released their vulture droids, but the turrets held their fire. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he should think of that as a good or bad thing. The droid fighters weren't capable of heavy firepower. If the Separatists wanted them dead, they'd need to try harder than that.
"Master, the ships aren't firing at us," he pointed out.
"Yes, that is strange, isn't it?" Qui-Gon mused aloud.
Captain Panaka entered the cockpit to join them, taking a seat beside Obi-Wan.
"Queen Amidala and her maidens are secure. How are things looking?" he asked.
"Better than they could be," Qui-Gon replied.
"That's the weird part," Ruta added.
"I'm sorry?"
"They're not unleashing their full firepower on us," Obi-Wan explained.
Panaka shook his head.
"They want the queen alive, obviously."
"At this point, recapturing her alive will be more of a hassle than it's worth for them," Obi-Wan countered, "getting her to surrender would be a shortcut for them to gain control over the planet, but it's not the only way. They have a droid army at their disposal; forcing the planet's surrender wouldn't be impossible at this point."
Panaka watched the fighters approaching them through the cockpit window and nodded.
"When you put it that way, it is strange," he muttered.
"It's unsettling, but once we get to Coruscant, whatever plans they may have for her highness will be destroyed," Qui-Gon pointed out. He glanced at the pilot. "Let that be our primary concern."
"Agreed," Ruta replied through clenched teeth, "get ready, boys; here they come."
Three vulture droids buzzed overhead and Ruta increased the ship's speed to full. They whirled about, narrowly dodging a second squad of fighters.
"Well, that's not good," the pilot grunted.
"What isn't good?" Panaka demanded.
"I think the droids got new programming," Ruta replied, "they're not as easy to dodge this time around."
Obi-Wan clung to the arms of his chair when the ship shook violently.
"What did we just hit?" he asked.
"More like 'what just hit us?' One of those vulture droids slammed into our rear deflector shield!" Ruta gestured at the diagnostic screen.
"Why would they do that? They have blasters!"
"No blaster can tear through a shield as quickly as that droid did!"
"They're trying to disable our engines," Qui-Gon stated.
"It's almost annoying how calm you are at a time like this, Jedi," the pilot grumbled as she desperately maneuvered the ship around the swarm of vulture droids chasing them.
"Panicking doesn't help anyone," Qui-Gon retorted, "focus. You must keep the droids from hitting us again."
"Master, the ships," Obi-Wan spoke up.
"Yes, I sense it too," his master said. He pointed at the closest of the blockade ships. "Keep your distance, Miss Vostana."
"I can't believe this is actually worse than when they were trying to kill us!"
The small ship quickly veered away from the cruiser, passing between two of the blockade ships at an equal distance. The diagnostic screen began flashing erratically.
"So, they do remember how to use their blasters," Obi-Wan murmured, half to himself.
"Plot a course for Coruscant," Ruta told Qui-Gon, "we're going to jump to lightspeed as soon as we're clear."
Qui-Gon began setting the coordinates in the astrogation computer. Captain Panaka got off his chair and braced himself while holding onto the back of Qui-Gon's to get a look at the screens. He pointed at one of them.
"Our power readings. I know that can't be normal," he said.
Ruta glanced at it.
"I think that last shot damaged the engines' fuel line," Panaka continued, "we won't be able fly anywhere if we keep losing power like this."
"Look, I checked to make sure this ship had an astromech droid aboard before I took it," Ruta declared, "it should be trying to fix it by now, but I'm not getting any replies from it."
"They've jammed our communications," Qui-Gon explained, "I'm sure it's interfering with the droid's activation commands."
Obi-Wan stood up and tossed his cloak on the back of his chair.
"I'll see if I can activate it manually," he said before heading toward the cockpit's exit.
"Brace yourself!" Ruta exclaimed.
Obi-Wan backed up against the doorway and gripped its edge just in time to mitigate the shock of another direct blaster hit. Once he was able, he released the doorframe and rushed down the hallway. The ship's layout appeared standard, meaning the droid storage bay should be a short distance and, perhaps, a short flight of stairs from the cockpit. He headed in the direction he assumed would lead him there. He was pleased to see he'd guessed right. Inside, he could see a single blue and white R2 unit in a charging station, obviously still in hibernation mode. He gasped, nearly thrown off his feet when the ship rocked suddenly. After catching himself on a nearby crate, he dashed over to the charging station and smacked a large gray button. The charging station shut off as the astromech droid whirred to life. He gripped the station's console when the ship shook again. The awakened astromech droid beeped anxiously at him.
"We're in trouble, my little friend," Obi-Wan answered, "it's time you got to work."
The R2 unit's head swiveled around in a full circle as it beeped its acknowledgment. The droid rolled out of the charging station and into the chute that would transport it to the ship's engine room. Once the droid had disappeared, Obi-Wan carefully made his way back to the ship's intercom panel beside the storage bay's entrance, sensing the ship's internal gravity had been slightly disrupted. The astromech certainly had its work cut out for it. He pressed the speak button.
"The droid should be working on the damage now, Ruta."
"Yes, I see a change on the power monitors now," the pilot replied through the intercom, "good work, now get yourself back up here before you fall and hit your head on something sharp."
Obi-Wan quickly climbed the steps out of the droid bay and down the hall. The ship shook roughly, accompanied by the sound of groaning metal. His boot slipped and he fell against the wall as the ship's alarm began to blare.
"Well," Obi-Wan breathed as he got back to his feet, "that's not a good sound."
He finally managed to stumble his way back to the cockpit, where he threw himself back in his seat. Panaka had retreated to his chair as well.
"That alarm means something's broken, doesn't it?" Obi-Wan asked, already aware of the answer.
"The hyperdrive isn't responding," Qui-Gon replied.
"We're sitting ducks until that droid gets it fixed, if it even can," Panaka grunted.
"Sitting ducks can't do this," Ruta stated proudly just before pitching downward, flying the ship under a swarm of oncoming vulture droids. The droids collided with those behind them in a blast of debris. "But let's hope whoever owns this ship didn't tamper with the astromech's programming," she said, "just in case."
The engines whined louder as the ship began to vibrate.
"Oops!" Ruta chirped, "uhm, got a little too close to one of the ships. Don't worry! The tractor beam isn't strong enough to hold us at this distance." She quickly pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches on the ship's console. "Just need a little more power. Any time, droid."
Qui-Gon watched the power monitor's screen.
"We're not losing power anymore," he said, "but we're going to need to divert some energy from some of the ship's other systems."
"They want our engines destroyed," Obi-Wan pointed out, "we don't need the front deflector shield."
"Good idea, Obi-Wan," his master complimented him. He made the necessary adjustments.
"Alright, breaking free now," Ruta declared.
The ship rocked as it sped onward, out of the tractor beam's pull. Ruta accelerated the ship back to full speed and they rocketed off into open space with a collection of vulture droids on their tail. She managed to dodge most of the blaster bolts as they left Naboo and the blockade behind. They only needed to wait for the R2 unit to repair the hyperdrive. With it, the fighters would have no chance of catching them. After several minutes of waiting and high-speed dodging, Captain Panaka leaned forward in his chair, his eyes wide.
"The hyperdrive! It's back online," he exclaimed, "we can make a short jump."
"Well, by the Force, that little droid did it!" Ruta pointed at Qui-Gon. "Closest system, hurry!"
Qui-Gon rapidly set a new course and punched the button that would lock it in. The ship whined as the hyperdrive powered up. Finally, they roared off into hyperspace.