Chapter Nine
Much later, Sarali woke with a start to a hand being laid on her shoulder. She opened her eyes quickly to see Obi-Wan standing over her. "We're about to land," he said.
She nodded and stretched for a second before jumping to her feet, unaware that Obi-Wan had been watching intently. After all, it was not often he could witness someone stretching when they were so inhumanly flexible.
"Lead the way," Sarali said, bringing the padawan's attention back to the present. Quickly, he obliged, leading her to the ramp and thence to the planet.
Immediately, Sarali was entranced by the moist atmosphere, the prolific amount of trees, and the swamps that were probably teaming with life. This world was better than any she had dreamed could be, even after visiting her homeworld when she was young.
Sarali walked over to one of the huge trees. She could sense that each tree was a definable part of this magnificent forest. It was as beautiful as it was natural.
"Mesa comin' back all quickin'," Jar Jar said, breaking her concentration on the trees. He awkwardly walked over to the lake-like swamp. A second later, he dove into the water.
"And now we wait," Obi-Wan said to her, attempting a stab at humour.
Sarali merely looked at him with raised eyebrows before she turned and walked back over to the tree. She sat cross-legged there and let her mind sink into the flow of power of the universe.
Obi-Wan watched her for nearly an hour, studying her carefully. He hadn't noticed before just how small she really was. With her stature and build, she couldn't possibly be very strong, even with the help of the Force. On the other hand, he had already seen for himself just how agile and quick she was. After all, she had surprised a Sith lord and managed to chop off one of his fingers.
That thought only brought up more and more. Where had she gotten that knife? Why did she have it? It was obvious that she had kept it sharp, so perhaps she only had it to defend herself. But where could a slave get a blade like that? From what he had seen, she and the Skywalkers barely had enough to live on, and nowhere near enough to be purchasing weapons.
At the same time that Obi-Wan was having his internal monologue, Qui-Gon had gone over to sit beside Anakin. For some time, they merely waited in silence, though the greater portion of that silence was spent with Qui-Gon watching his padawan with amusement. The apprentice's expression changed every few seconds based on what he was thinking. It most definitely was a lapse in his Jedi training, but it was amusing nonetheless.
Finally, Qui-Gon broke the silence by asking, "Does she meditate often?"
"Who, Sarali?" the boy asked. At the Jedi's nod, Anakin explained while picking at the grass, "She'd sit out on the ledge at night and just stare at the stars. I went to sit by her one time, but her eyes were glazed over like she was asleep."
Qui-Gon nodded and, mimicking his padawan, studied the half Cathar, though not for nearly as long. He could easily sense the Force flowing through her, a testament to her apparent experience with meditating. If she had no one to teach her, she must be very good at figuring things out for herself. Perhaps she had taught Anakin a few things. He had a feeling she had never taught him meditation. He probably wouldn't sit still long enough to calm his mind.
Hours later, Jar Jar resurfaced and said simply, "Theysa nobody dere. Da Gungan city is deserted. Some sort of fight, mesa thinks."
By that time, Obi-Wan and Qui-gon were standing near, with Anakin coming over at somewhat of a run. The Queen, her handmaiden, and Panaka were there as well. Sarali sighed and jumped to her feet. There would be no more peace. Now was the time for decisions. Even if she was not to partake of those decisions, she had to know what would happen. Her future depended on finding some way, somewhere to live.
"Do you think they've been taken to the camps?" Obi-Wan asked his master.
"More likely, they were wiped out," Panaka said.
"Mesa no think so," Jar Jar said.
"Do you know where they are, Jar Jar?" Qui-Gon asked.
"When in trouble, Gungans go to Sacred Place. Mesa show you. Come on, mesa show you," Jar Jar said. By the time he was finished, he was rushing to show them the way to this Sacred Place. All they could do was follow.
ooooooooooooo
Some time later, a few Gungans riding some type of native beast stepped out in front of them. They looked at Jar Jar, the Jedi, and the Queen before walking in front of them, guiding them hopefully to the Sacred Place. As they continued to walk, a row of Gungans seemed to almost appear on either side of them. They appeared to be quite stealthy creatures when the occasion called for it.
Finally, the Gungans leading them stopped in front of a very large tree. One of them said, "Your Honour, Queen Amidala of the Naboo." He stepped aside, allowing them, Jar Jar and the Queen in the lead, to step forward.
Jar Jar stepped in front of them and said nervously with a wave, "Eh...Hello, dedy Big Boss Nass, Your Honour."
A very large Gungan stepped up onto the tree roots from behind the tree, showing himself. Behind him stood two advisors. "Jar Jar Binks, u-sta usen bein' this?"
"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace," the Queen said.
"Ah, yusa bringen the Makaneeks. Yusa all bom-bad," Boss Nass said seriously.
"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance," Amidala said.
"Your Honour," one of the handmaidens said, stepping forward. Sarali side stepped slightly and saw that it was Padme.
Boss Nass made a clicking noise before asking, "Whosa bein' this?"
"I am Queen Amidala," Padme said. What? "This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself." Well this explains a lot. "Although, we do not always agree, your Honour, our two great societies have always lived in peace."
"Ya," Boss Nass said.
"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us. No, I beg you to help us," she said, kneeling on the ground. Well, if she's kneeling. We should probably all kneel. With that, everyone else in their group began to kneel. "We are your humble servants. Our fate is in your hands."
Boss Nass was silent for a few seconds before he began to laugh. Sarali tensed, unsure if his amusement was a good thing or a bad thing. "Yousa no thinken yousa than da Gungans!" he said merrily. He continued to chuckle before he said, "Meeeeeeee-sa lika this. Maybe wesa bein' friends." He then proceeded to wiggle his face from side to side in an odd motion that most likely meant something to them, but not to the humans.
At that points, the humans were smiling, while most of the Gungans were cheering and otherwise celebrating this historic moment, this wonderful success.