Dim lights gently illuminated the dark cabin of the aquatic transport. Its engines hummed with a rhythmic sloshing of turbines jetting the transport through murky water. It was the only sound that could be heard within the cabin as its pilots sat in utter silence. Ben tried his best to keep his eyes on the viewport that lay in front of him but could not help his eyes from wandering toward her. She held her posture straight against the pilot's chair, her hands resting on the controls, tapping with anticipation. Her gaze remained un-wavered as she stared out into the waters, waiting for signs of the gungan city. While her face was unchanged, Ben could see a difference in her eyes. Sadness overtook the soft irises, though no tears fell. A slight twitch to her lower lid told Ben that it would not take much for her to come undone.
Ben closed his eyes, trying his best to focus on the task at hand. He quickly opened them again when he realized that the only thing he saw when they were closed were the fiery images of Mustafar burning into his closed lids. He crossed his arms across his chest to get comfortable. The truth was, no matter what he did he could not get comfortable. Ben's chest puffed out and he let out a sigh before casting his gaze back toward Padme.
She broke her stare from the viewport to look toward Ben. "You didn't have to come along." She stated in response to his shifting.
"I know. I wanted to." Ben responded with a gentle warmth creeping into his smile. "You forget but I also have a rapport with the gungans."
"I did not forget." Padme said, a very small grin forming on her lips. Her posture remained rigid, and she returned her gaze back to the viewport.
"I thought us to be above this." Ben started. "You don't have to be Amidala for me. You are the strongest person I know, but even the strong can crack eventually."
She turned her head toward Ben, her eyes began to moisten, her lower lip quivering as she spoke. "If I let myself be Padme…" She paused, her voice cracking slightly. "I will no longer be strong."
Ben nodded, fully understanding how she felt as it was exactly how he felt for the past decade. He had been trying to be normal, act as though none of it had happened and move on with his life; his life as a normal citizen who would check in on the boy every now and again who he thought of as his nephew. The truth was, he wasn't moving forward. He was staying stagnant in his own personal purgatory, waiting for his life to end.
A light clanking could be heard from behind the seats in the transport's cabin. Ben quickly turned his head to search behind them, a single hand resting on the hilt of his lightsaber. "Wait!" He heard as a pair of small hands appeared from the shadow, raised in surrender. Ben relaxed his hand off the saber once he saw the little girl stand up into the dim light.
"Leia?" Ben gasped. "You were supposed to stay in Varykino."
"I know." She pouted. "But I wanted to see the Gungan city." Her mouth was left open as Leia cast eyes upon the glowing orbs that made up the underwater city. Padme and Ben both watched the awe-struck face of the child, enjoying the small moment before they reached their objective.
A blinking light appeared on the transports console as they approached the heart of Otoh Gunga. Padme reached for the small button which opened comms to the gungan's security. A male gungan spoke through the comm in an indiscernible language. "If only we had a protocol droid." Ben muttered.
Padme leaned toward the comms speaker as she kept her hands steady on the controls. "Forgive me, I do not speak gungan." Padme started. "My name is Padme Amidala, your Boss and I previously united for the common cause of saving Naboo. I come to you with this same plea."
The gungan spoke into the comm again, this time in perfect basic. "The queen perished long ago." He stated.
"And Boss Nass attended my funeral. I can assure you that I am very much alive. I've been awakened to my home being oppressed by a dictatorship that stands for everything I am not. My people cower as their militia marches the streets. My home is your home too, it is only a matter of time before the empire reaches Otoh Gunga. I must speak with your boss." Padme pleaded, waiting for a response from the gungan guard.
There was a pause before the gungan responded. Padme now sat toward the edge of her seat, anticipation causing her body to tense. "You may proceed to the center building; we will search you for weapons." The gungan announced.
Padme piloted the transport slowly to the dock of the center building as she was instructed. The transport emerged from the water from underneath the dock. A few clicks of buttons on the console and the hatch for the cockpit was lifted. Ben clambered out the side of the transport and turned around to lift Leia onto dry land. Her head was tilted up as she watched various fish swim past the opaque ceiling. She spun around, her green jacket twirling around her as she danced across the dock. A brilliant smile was painted across her face as she followed Ben and Padme toward a few gungan guards.
Padme turned toward Ben. "Follow my lead, I'm not interested in spoiling my connection with the gungans." She whispered to him.
"I am just as much a negotiator as you." Ben whispered back.
"Good. Then you will be able to back me up if this goes poorly."
Padme and Ben stood with their arms stretched out, a gungan guard patted them down while another had a spear pointed toward them, waiting to strike. The guard took a small blaster from Padme's belt which she relinquished without a fight. The gungan hesitated when he came to the lightsaber that hung from Ben's belt. He held the heavy saber for a moment. "Your weapons will be returned to you upon your departure." He explained and moved aside to let the small group up the stairs to the large open room that housed the throne.
Padme almost couldn't believe the sight of Boss Nass nestled high atop the gungan throne. He glared down at the former queen, Jedi, and princess with skepticism, shaking his jowls in a gungan greeting. "My advisor tells me you claim to be the former Queen Amidala of Naboo. The very same queen who we laid to rest a decade ago. So, tell me, how does the dead stand before me?" Boss Nass's voice boomed throughout the bubble beneath the swamp.
Padme knelt on one knee, glaring toward Ben and Leia to follow suit. As soon as they met her gaze, the duo dropped on to their knees. She turned back toward the gungan boss and continued her plea. "I know not how I survived. I come here before you as but a humble friend asking for a favor. Long ago, I knelt before you, asking for your help in reclaiming my home. Right now, in this very moment, I do the same." She waited for a response, when none came, she continued. "The empire will not spare you the courtesy of a clean surrender. This enemy is unlike any we have ever seen. Those who we thought were friends stand across from us on the battlefield. None of us know who to trust anymore. I have come to represent a small force, standing side by side to fight against this oppressive dictatorship. All I ask is for aquatic transports. Enough to get my troops into the capital unseen, so that we have a chance to reach the palace and take down Quarsh Panaka."
Boss Nass let out a big booming laugh which startled Leia as she listened closely to her mother's dealings. "Only Amidala would kneel before me and claim to be nothing, when in fact, she is the one true Queen of the Naboo." Boss Nass leapt down from his throne and bounced twice upon the ground before landing in front of Padme. He held out a smooth green hand, waiting for her to take it. There was only a short pause before she brought her delicate hand to the Boss's and was pulled up into a standing position. "Good it is, to see you alive. It brings hope to a tired old gungan."
"Agreed." Padme stated with a diplomatic smile. "Good it is to be among old friends." They both looked toward Ben and Leia who stood up once the situation became less formal. "You remember Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi." Padme gestured toward Ben who bowed his head toward the Boss.
"Kenobi." Boss Nass exclaimed before pulling Ben into an uncomfortable hug.
"Good to see you too." Ben gasped. He dropped the Jedi back onto his feet. Ben quickly straightened his tunic before crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for the negotiations to continue.
Padme gestured toward Leia before introducing her as well. "This is Leia, she is…" Padme paused trying to figure out a lie that would be believable.
"My padawan learner." Ben quickly interjected. Leia beamed up at him, pleased with her undercover persona.
Boss Nass nodded his head toward the young girl before turning back to Padme. "Transports is all you need." He stated but seemed to know that it was not the truth.
Padme remained calm and collected as she further explained the situation that she had awoken to find herself in. "Transports is all that I am asking for. I have nothing to give in return but the hope that we may coexist yet again on a peaceful planet. Even that future is uncertain." Padme watched the various sea creatures swimming past the building and seemed to be lost in thought for only a moment. She snapped herself out of it and turned back toward the Boss yet again. "I fear that the fighting will not end with Naboo. While I wish for my people to prosper on this world, there are many worlds where so many are suffering."
Boss Nass placed a gentle hand on Padme's shoulder. "Always fighting for others. In all the years I have known you, not once have you talked about what you want for yourself. That is why I will follow you. You may have as many of our transports as you need." Boss Nass announced. Ben and Padme shared a victorious smile. "The gungan army will be at your disposal. Any weapons or provisions you need shall be yours. We shall stand united against this threat." Boss Nass shook his jowls again, pleased with the outcome of his talks with the former Queen. A raised eyebrow gave way to the gungan's inquisitiveness, his sight unwavering from his old ally. Padme tensed at the analytical gaze. "Please forgive me, my Queen, for I have never asked. What is it that you want? Just you and no other."
Padme's face softened and a small smile touched her lips. "What I want remains out of reach, I'm afraid." She responded.
The gungan leader nodded and turned around to yell at one of the gungan guards on duty. "Tarpals." He commanded and a gungan guard stood alert waiting for orders. "Escort the Queen and her Jedi to our military hanger. Allow them to meet with the generals and plan their attack."
"Yes sir." Tarpals responded and waived Ben, Padme, and Leia to follow. They trailed closely behind heading toward the clear barrier of the building. "We will have a short swim to the barracks." He explained.
"I only have one spare rebreather." Ben stated taking the devices out of a small leather pouch on his belt.
"We don't get many visitors at Otoh Gunga but we do keep rebreathers here just in case." Tarpals said as he pulled the small device out of his pocket and handed it to Padme.
"How come you don't need to use one?" Leia asked Tarpals.
"Gungans have gills and can breathe underwater." Tarpals explained.
"That's amazing!" Leia bounced in place with excitement. "I want to see."
"You will soon enough." Ben commented.
The trio followed Tarpals all the way until the barrier and paused to put on the rebreather. Ben led Leia up to the barrier and pushed his hand through the bubble, entering the body of water that surrounded the city. He kept one hand clasped around Leia's as they walked into the water and began to float in place. Padme followed close behind and they began to swim after Tarpals who already had a pretty good lead.
The swim was only moderately strenuous, each member of their small party was able to reach the floating destination without much hassle. Tarpals dove into the hanger first, followed closely by Padme who began to ring out the white poncho she wore, dripping pools of water onto the floor around them. Ben firmly grasped Leia's hand, helping her land on her feet. Leia began to ring out her jacket as well, leaving more puddles in their wake.
Many aquatic transports were lined up around the walls of the spherical building, awaiting orders. An oval table illuminated by small projection lights, stood firmly in the center of the building. The group dispersed evenly around the edges and a few gungan warriors joined them. The light upon the table quickly began to change as Tarpals fiddled with a small console. Padme explained the coordinates to the rendezvous point outside of Theed; her voice quick but she enunciated every syllable, ensuring that every word was understood by human and gungan alike. As she continued to explain the inner workings of Theed palace, the projection homed in on the digital image of a body of water outside of the city where the group would meet. With a few nods, Tarpals assured her that the troops would promptly arrive at the rendezvous point ready for battle.
When the final details of the battle were discussed, Padme was escorted to one of the aquatic transports so that she may return to the amidalans and inform them of her efforts. A gungan guard scurried over to them, their weapons in hand. Padme had her blaster returned and Ben was reunited with his lightsaber. As he grasped the cool metal of the hilt, a powerful sense of dread entered his being. His body remained rigid as his eyes opened wide to the guidance of the force. His heart began to beat faster, thumping hard against the walls of his chest cavity. His breath quickened and his throat seemed to constrict itself.
"Obi-wan…" Padme gasped, extending a hand toward the Jedi master. She rested that hand firmly on his shoulder, but the Jedi master seemed to be unresponsive. "What is it? Obi-wan?" She shook his shoulder gently, trying to break his trance. Leia took a step, wanting to leap at the old Jedi and wake him from whatever nightmare that was plaguing his consciousness.
Ben took a knee and raised a hand to his throat. After a few more gasps he raised his gaze back toward Padme. "He is here." Ben whispered. A heaviness hung in the air between them, a sense of fear entered Ben's mind. When he looked toward Padme, that same fear had entered her eyes. He could still see a gleam of hope in the dark irises that he wished he didn't have to crush.
Leia looked between Ben and her mother, neither one made a sound but from Padme's expression, Leia was sure that Ben's cryptic answer made sense to her. Leia could tell that whoever they were talking about had caused them a great deal of pain.
Padme's gaze quickly scanned around the hanger, her eyes darting back and forth as she searched for the person Ben seemed to be so terrified of. Her stance was strong and unwavering, ready for a conflict that she would not back down from.
"You need to leave." Ben said as he stood up and dusted himself off. He gathered his composure quickly. "Both of you need to leave now." He lightly pushed Padme and Leia toward the aquatic transport, a sense of urgency in his movements. Ben kept one eye over his shoulder, his body prepared to defend himself should his enemy be revealed. "It's not safe for either of you."
"No!" Padme protested. She pleaded, her hands pushing on his shoulders, shoving him back toward the building's center. Ben paused and scanned her face which seemed so determined and fierce as she held her ground against him. "You cannot face him. You should leave with us, help us return Naboo to a democracy. I can't lose you too." Her voice trailed off like she didn't want to utter the last part.
"I must face him, Padme. I must finish what I started all those years ago." Ben explained. Padme's head drooped forward, her hands on Ben's shoulders holding her up.
"Please don't kill him." Desperation now entered her voice as her true feelings were laid bare before him. Ben placed a hand below Padme's chin and raised her gaze to his.
"I will do as I must." He said grimly. Tears began to pour from her lower lids, leaving wet trails on her porcelain skin. She choked back a cry and stepped backward toward the aquatic transport. "You need to protect her." Ben gestured toward Leia. "She is the future of the Jedi order." Ben turned away from them and marched toward a small connector hallway that bridged the transport hanger to a smaller spherical building. It took all his concentration to avoid looking over his shoulder toward a grieving queen and her daughter. He could still make out the small sniffles behind him. The air grew heavy and thick the closer he was to the small round orb beneath the swamp. It was there that he would face his destiny and if everything went as planned, it was there that the Dark Lord of the Sith would meet his end.