Chapter 7 - The Battle of Naboo (Naboo Crisis Part II)
It had been a quick trip returning to Naboo, and they had been pleasantly surprised to find that the blockade had indeed ended, with only one Lucrehulk Battleship remaining, acting as the Droid Control Ship. They easily slipped past it and made it to the planet.
Once there, they'd sent Jar Jar to the Gungan cities to find his people and plead for their aid, leaving Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon waiting for him on the beach.
"Do you think the Queen's idea will work?" Obi-Wan hesitantly offered up, deciding it was time to make peace with his Master before they went to war.
"The Gungans will not be easily swayed," Qui-Gon answered, "and we cannot use our power to help her."
Obi-Wan nodded before he finally decided to throw out an olive branch and apologize. He didn't like his attitude, knowing it was unbecoming of a Jedi.
"I'm sorry for my behavior, Master," he began. "It's not my place to disagree with you about the boy. And . . . I am grateful that you think I am ready for the trials."
For a long moment, Qui-Gon just stared at him, and then he smiled.
"You have been a good apprentice," he replied warmly. "You are much wiser than I am, Obi-Wan. I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight, and I'm not the only one who thinks so."
"If I do, it will be because of what you have taught me," Obi-Wan replied.
The surface of the lake bubbled and then Jar Jar emerged and explained that the Gungun cities were empty.
"Do you think they have been taken to the camps?" Captain Panaka asked.
"No," Jar Jar said. "Mesa no tink so. Gungans hidden. When in trouble, go to sacred place. Mackineeks no find them dare."
"Can you lead us to them?" Qui-Gon asked.
Jar Jar nodded, and then they were off.
It wasn't a long journey before they found themselves surrounded by Gungan warriors and brought before the Gungan council.
Obi-Wan watched as Queen Amidala stepped forward.
"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo," she said. "I come before you in peace."
The head Gungan snorted. "Naboo biggen. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks. Day busten ussen omm. Yousa all bombad. Yousa all dien, mea tink."
Obi-Wan felt no concern or sense of danger, but he could see the Queen's guards did not share his and Qui-Gon's attitude as they shuffled nervously.
"We wish to form an alliance," The Queen continued uneasily until she was cut off.
"Your Honor!" Obi-wan glanced over to see the Queen's favorite handmaiden, Padmé stepping forward.
"Whosa dis?" Boss Nass demanded.
"I am Queen Amidala," Padmé said, and Obi-Wan felt a small sense of surprise, but it did make sense. She had always seemed too involved. Qui-Gon didn't seem surprised at all, though he could feel extreme shock and a sense of loss flowing off from Skywalker. "This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard," Padmé continued, gesturing to the decoy queen.
"I am sorry for my deception, but under the circumstances, it has become necessary to protect myself," Padmé said before pausing and looking up at the Gungans. "The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. You are in hiding; my people are in camps. I ask you to help us," and then she hesitated. "No, I beg you to help us."
She dropped to her knees, causing Panaka and all her troops to gasp in shock, but she ignored them.
"We are your humble servants," Padmé told the Gungan council. "Our fate is in your hands."
Slowly, all of her troops joined her on a knee, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon followed suit.
After a moment, Boss Nass begane to laugh. "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans!" he said. "Mesa like dis. Maybe wesa bein friends."
Queen Amidala and her troops rose to their feet, smiling in relief.
**The Will of the Force**
After a brief discussion with the Gungan leaders, Captain Panaka was sent to find out the status of everyone on the planet, and when he returned, he brought with him the leaders of the underground resistance, one familiar face catching Obi-Wan's eyes.
He and Qui-Gon, with Anakin following, walked over to where Queen Amidala was being briefed by Captain Panaka.
"Almost everyone is in camps," Panaka said. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground movement. I brought as many of the leaders as I could. The Federation's army is much larger than we thought . . . and much stronger."
He hesitated.
"Your Highness, this is a battle I do not think we can win."
Amidala smiled.
"The battle is a diversion. The Gungans will draw the droid army away from the cities. We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side. Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion so that we can enter the palace and capture the viceroy. Without him, they will be lost and confused."
She turned to Qui-Gon and himself.
"What do you think, Master Jedi?"
"The viceroy will be well guarded," Qui-Gon pointed out.
"The difficulty is getting into the throne room," Captain Panaka said. "Once inside, we shouldn't have a problem."
"Many Gungans may be killed," Qui-Gon said, looking at Boss Nass.
The Gungan leader shrugged.
"Wesa ready to do are-sa part," he said.
"We will send what pilots we have to knock out the Droid Control Ship that is orbiting the planet," Amidala assured him. "If we can get past their ray shields, we can sever their communications, and the droids will be helpless."
"A well conceived plan," Qui-Gon said, nodding. "However, there's great risk. The weapons on your fighters may not penetrate the shields on the Control Ship."
"And if the viceroy escapes, Your Highness, he will return with another droid army," Obi-Wan added.
Amidala nodded. "That is why we must not fail to get the viceroy," she responded. Everything depends on it."
"I think I can help give the Gungans the help they might need to hold out long enough for your pilots to knock out the Droid Control Ship or for you to capture the Viceroy," Kastor - Calo said, interjecting himself into the conversation for the first time, drawing the surprise of a young pilot next to him.
"And you are?" Amidala asked politely.
"Jedi Master Kastor Shan, Your Highness," Kastor said with a bow, surprising both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon as well as everyone else in the group, except for the Gungans who cared not what that meant.
Amidala glanced at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
"I thought Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi were the only Jedi assigned to me," she said in confusion.
"They were," Kastor said with a nod. "I've been undercover, investigating the Trade Federation. My cover got me involved with your resistance, where I've been providing air support. However, I'm not bound by the same rules that Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi are, since I have not been officially assigned here, and thus I feel it is time for me to shed my cover and do what I can for your planet."
"The Council will not be happy with you," Qui-Gon warned.
"Only if word spreads," Kastor said before glancing at the Naboo people, and locking eyes with the pilot that had been next to him. "I would appreciate it if you keep quiet about this and continue to think of me as Calo Jurgens, the mercenary that has been assisting your resistance at the request of Vana Sage and Rhys Dallows," he finished nodding at the young pilot in question at the second name.
"Of course," Amidala said, looking grateful. "We appreciate your sacrifice and your help, and whatever you need from us is yours. I am beyond grateful that the Jedi have done so much for my people."
"I need to confer with my fellow Jedi for a moment, if you don't mind," Kastor said, and then gestured for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to follow him, which they did.
"Isn't this going to blow your cover?" Obi-Wan asked, worried. He knew a Shadow's various covers weren't easy to set up and took even longer to make them usable for undercover operations. This particular cover of his had been in use for almost a year; a year of work would go down the drain with its loss."
"I should be fine," Kastor said. "The Naboo resistance won't be likely to sell me out, and among those I've been working with, only the pirate, Nym, is one whom I would prefer to remain a mercenary to, though him knowing wouldn't be the worst. I'm sure I could make a deal with him where he would keep my secret and perhaps even give me some further credibility as a smuggler and mercenary. Rhys is a loyal pilot of Bravo Flight, and honestly someone I hope to maybe recruit down the line. Vana and Reti are good people, and I have no worries about them knowing of my true nature."
"If you say so," Obi-Wan said, not completely believing him.
"The Council will not be pleased that you're risking your cover for this, and especially not that you are participating in a battle, one which other Jedi have been forbidden from being involved in," Qui-Gon said, though he didn't sound accusatory.
"Yes, I'm sure they won't be," Kastor said with a wane smile, "but like you, I'm rather used to being in their kath hound house. The Force is telling me that I need to be involved."
Qui-Gon nodded and he raised no further arguments.
"I actually brought you here to talk about the possible Sith warrior," Kastor said, getting serious. "Qui-Gon, can you tell me about your encounter? Obi-Wan could only describe so much."
Qui-Gon nodded and then he told Kastor about his interaction, giving a few further details than Obi-Wan had remembered passing on to Kastor himself.
Kastor nodded thoughtfully after he was done.
"It certainly sounds like a Sith Lord, though I worry it could be just an acolyte or assassin, perhaps one trying to earn its place as a Sith Lord," he said before giving them concerned looks. "If he reveals himself to you, be very wary of this possible Sith warrior. Sith tend to cloud the Force in darkness, and the more you let it bother you, the more you yield to unease and fear, the stronger they will get. Also, unless you use Form VII, do not give in to anger. It might catch a Sith by surprise for a short moment, but unless you were stronger to begin with, the anger will just eventually fuel them and lead to your defeat."
Kastor sighed as Obi-Wan and his Master nodded in understanding to his experienced words.
"I'm conflicted," Kastor told them with a frown. "The Force is telling me I need to be here and I feel like I can be the most helpful with the Gungans, but I also feel like I should be with you both. I have experience fighting Sith, but there's no guarantee the warrior will show, and I know the Federation won't expect a Jedi to be with the Gungan army."
"No, you're making the right decision," Qui-Gon said with a nod. "If this warrior shows himself, Obi-Wan and I are up to the task, and the Gungans could use your assistance."
Kastor nodded solemnly, looking troubled, and Obi-Wan wondered if he was getting a premonition.
"If you confront the Sith, make sure you stay together," he said finally. "May the Force be with you both."
"And with you," Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon responded.
**The Will of the Force**
The Gungan army was fairly well organized, with hundreds of warriors on foot, carrying electropoles and riding wingless birds, and hundreds more on foot, some carrying handheld energy shields, some with electropoles, and others with bags of energy balls. Among the army were wagons carrying energy balls of various sizes meant for catapults or to be thrown by hand, wagons carrying catapults, and three very important military grade shield generators. The handheld shield carriers were in the front of the army, with some of the foot Gungans with electropoles directly behind them, providing a wall against whomever they fought.
The army had arranged itself and set up the catapults and spread out the shield generators, managing to get fully set up just as the Federation Army came into view. Kastor stared at the approaching army, knowing it wouldn't be long before they were in range of the AAT tanks.
He counted twenty AAT tanks, and twelve MTTs. Rough estimate meant that the Federation had brought nearly 1400 battle droids, but he suspected at least one or two of the MTTs contained destroyer droids, meaning that there were probably only 1200 or so battle droids, and around fifty destroyers, not including the twenty tanks and twelve troop carriers.
Kastor used the force to grab two of the larger energy balls and carried them with him to the front of the Gungan front line, and waited. The tanks finally stopped, and he knew they were about to open fire, but Captain Tarpal was already on it.
"Raise the shields!" he commanded, and the Gungan generators turned on.
Taking his cue, Kastor raised the two large energy balls that he'd brought, and gathering the Force, he launched both balls with great force towards the Federation Army just as the shields lowered, providing him security from the now firing tanks, save for two which were destroyed by the two energy balls Kastor had just launched.
The Gungans cheered as he felt a bit of weariness creep in from that move, but he considered the trade off worth it. The tanks continued to unleash a large barrage that impacted against the shield, and he saw many of the Gungans swallow nervously at the impressive fire.
The tanks stopped firing and the MTTs moved up, and started deploying droids. Kastor only felt minorly vindicated as ten of the MTTs produced the Federation battle droids, while two of them unrolled droidekas. That meant there were only 1000 battle droids, but probably 100 droidekas.
The droids formed ranks and started moving towards them, half of the droidekas coming with them, while the other half remained in the rear, waiting for the shields to be brought down.
"Steady!" Kastor called out, moving in front of the Gungan line, knowing the front is where he could be the most help.
"Steady!" Jar Jar, the Gungan that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had saved called out nervously.
The droids reached the shield and pushed in, firing off immediately as they did, while the Gungans also started throwing energy balls, or using the catapults to hurl them. Kastor used the force to direct some of the more wayward energy balls into five of the droidekas as he deflected bolts back at the droids.
Around him, Gungans started dropping, overwhelmed by the advanced technology, and Kastor knew that it wouldn't be long before the shield generators were destroyed. Hopefully, the other two groups were having better luck than this.
**The Will of the Force**
Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon and Amidala with Captain Panaka as she and her small group of guards, pilots, and repair droids walked through the passages behind the waterfall and into the city.
Once they reached the main hangar, Captain Panaka took most of the guards and slipped around to the far side of the plaza, while Amidala, Obi-Wan and the pilots stepped closer to the hangar door.
Qui-Gon pulled back slightly and leaned towards Anakin.
"Once we get inside, Ani, you find a safe place to hide," he told him.
"Sure," Anakin replied, a little too casually.
Obi-Wan almost wanted to smirk as Qui-Gon gave him his most stern look. "And stay there!"
He hoped the boy would listen. A battleground was no place for him, but with all hands on deck, there was nowhere safe to leave him.
Obi-Wan watched as Amidala gave the signal, and Captain Panaka's troops opened fire on the tanks that were left in the square. Battle droids and tanks made for the far side of the plaza where Captain Panaka's troops were, leaving the door to the main hangar clear.
Amidala and her forces ran into the hangar and began firing at the battle droids inside, while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon made sure to defend any shots sent at her or their way. True to their word, they didn't actively fight back, but Obi-Wan knew that he and his Master were taking down more droids just by deflecting shots than the Queen's forces were while actively firing.
"Get to your ships!" Amidala commanded and the pilots and repair droids ran for the starfighters.
Obi-Wan made sure to separate slightly so he just happened to be able to protect the pilots as they ran for their starfighters, but despite his efforts, one was shot down before he could get to his ship.
The droids started to windle down, and he noticed Anakin had taken cover inside the cockpit of a Naboo fighter. Finally, the last of the battle droids were destroyed and Obi-Wan and his Master followed the Queen as they started heading towards the exit.
Anakin started to peek out of his cockpit.
"Hey, wait for me!" he called out.
"No, Ani, you stay there," Qui-Gon said, as Anakin started to climb out. "You stay right where you are."
"But I . . ."
"Stay in that cockpit," Qui-Gon commanded, and he turned back to rejoin Obi-Wan and the rest of the troops.
The hangar door opened, and standing in the doorway was a dark hooded figure.
"We'll handle this," Qui-Gon said to the Queen and her troops scattered.
Obi-Wan felt his nerves rise, knowing they were going to confront a possible Sith Lord, one who had nearly defeated Qui-Gon the first time they fought. He and Qui-Gon removed their robes as the dark warrior also removed his cloak revealing a Zabrak, with a red-and-black tattoo that completely covered his head.
He ignited his blade, revealing it to be a double-bladed lightsaber, and then he engaged, rushing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon with frenzied and powerful slashes. Obi-Wan didn't even notice Anakin's starfighter blasting apart several destroyer droids before taking off into the sky, preprogrammed to head for the rest of Bravo Flight.
Obi-Wan had never been in a fight like this. It was taking everything he had just to stay alive and that was with Qui-Gon there to assist. Like Kastor had said, the Sith Lord seemed to cloud the Force, making it hard for Obi-Wan to predict what the darksider would do.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon both slashed at the darksider, who led them into the Theed power generator plant and onto narrow catwalks. The Sith Lord jumped up several levels, forcing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to chase him.
It didn't do Obi-Wan much good as not moments later, the darksider kicked Obi-Wan off of the catwalk, and he fell down several levels, finally landing a bit dazed. He got up slowly to see that Qui-Gon had pushed the fight against the Sith Lord, finally landing a blow by kicking the Sith Lord off of the catwalk, causing him to fall two levels.
His Master jumped down, reengaging with the darksider, pushing him back into a slim doorway. Obi-Wan jumped up to their level and started rushing towards them, knowing he needed to get back into the fight.
Just as he reached the doorway, several ray shields ignited, splitting the corridor they were in, into several compartments, separating all three of them. Obi-Wan had four compartments between himself and his Master, and five between him and the Sith Lord.
Obi-Wan and the Sith paced impatiently while Obi-Wan's Master got on his knees and started to meditate. Obi-Wan knew how much his Master probably needed the rest and worried about what would happen if he couldn't get there in time to help.
**The Will of the Force**
Kastor rushed forward, using the Force to sling two energy balls from the ground near fallen Gungans, into two more droidekas that were turning their focus onto the Fumbaa with one of the shield generators.
He deflected several bolts of blasterfire back into another couple droids, before he cut down another two.
"Do not falter!" Kastor called out to the Gungans who were starting to panic. "Fight! Fight! This isn't over yet!"
Kastor picked up the two fallen droidekas and launched them into another droideka that had just moved into the area he occupied, crushing it before it could get its shield up. Reaching out with the Force, he could tell that the Gungans had destroyed nearly all of the first wave of droidekas and over a third of the battle droids, but they'd lost nearly the entire first line, which consisted of the shielders, and as those with shields fell, those behind them fell in greater numbers since they were unprotected against the droids' blasters.
Either the pilots needed to hurry up, or the Queen needed to capture the Viceroy. If this went on much longer, they would be wiped out.
Just as he thought that, the second wave of droidekas rolled through, half of which immediately opened up on the shield generators, destroying two of them.
"Karabast," Kastor cursed, before he cut down another three droids, and deflected a volley of blasterfire.
"Retreat!" The call went up in various places from the Gungan leadership.
The AATs opened up and started moving forward as the droids advanced easily now that the Gungan line had broken and they were fleeing. Kastor moved back slower, cutting droids down as he moved, finally reaching one of the wagons carrying the large energy balls.
Somewhere else on the battlefield, one of the wagons must have been hit as Kastor could see large energy balls rolling down the plains, luckily, one of them ramming into an AAT tank.
Kastor launched two balls into destroying another two tanks, and repeating his work when he felt pain in his right shoulder as he took a blaster shot there. Spinning left, he deflected another volley, ending the droid that had injured him, but the damage was done.
He concentrated on the Force, wondering if this might be his end, having seen possible deaths for himself at the hands of battle droids like these, when they suddenly all stopped moving and shut down.
Gungans started cheering and knocking the droids down, and he could feel triumph and joy in the air.
Kastor smiled in relief. The Droid Control Ship had been destroyed. Suddenly he felt pain and grief cry out through the Force. Kastor rushed over to one of the wingless birds that was without a Gungan, jumped on and turned it back towards where he had hidden the Ebon Hawk. He sent a signal to Scrappy, knowing the little astromech could get the ship up in the air and to him sooner than him just riding back.
He needed to get to Obi-Wan as quickly as he could and only hoped he arrived in time.
**The Will of the Force**
The deadly laser walls cycled off and Obi-Wan raced down the corridor towards where his Master and the Sith Lord were already exchanging terrible blows. He needed to help Qui-Gon.
Just as he was about to reach the melting pit that the two combatants were fighting around, the laser walls switched back on, stranding Obi-Wan away from his Master and the Sith Lord, leaving him with nothing to do but watch on anxiously.
The Jedi Master and Sith Lord continued to trade blows, Qui-Gon fighting more fiercely than Obi-Wan had ever seen. Obi-Wan could feel the Force charged in the air, and he could tell that this duel meant more than it seemed. He didn't know how, but this duel's outcome might determine the future of the galaxy. He also knew that it was supposed to be him in there fighting, not his Master.
Qui-Gon parried two fierce blows before the Sith Lord smashed his lightsaber's hilt into his Master's chin, staggering the man, making him unable to block the Sith Lord spinning around sending his second blade through Qui-Gon's chest.
"NOOO!" Obi-Wan screamed, grief filling him.
He barely had time to process anything before the laser walls came down and he rushed forward to fight the Sith Lord, alone.
Obi-Wan smashed the Sith Lord's blade away, dealing vicious blows, anger coming to his side. Then he kicked the Sith Lord in the face, and managed to land a blow on the lower part of the dark warrior's hilt, destroying his lower blade.
They continued to trade vicious blows, Obi-Wan doing everything he could to keep up, but whereas he was tiring, his anger leaving him as exhaustion and grief moved up front, the Sith Lord seemed as fresh as ever.
That's when he remembered Kastor's warning about using anger, how it might give him a small boost, but eventually it would lead to his defeat. He felt horror grow, realizing he'd done exactly what he'd been warned not to do, and this battle was too important to lose.
Just as he thought that, the Sith Lord landed a kick, which caused Obi-Wan to drop his lightsaber and fall into the melting pit. He managed to grab onto an input nozzle, and hold on for dear life, desperately trying to think of what he could do, feeling like the fight was now over, and him the loser.
The Sith Lord was taunting him, slashing at the floor, likely hoping the sparks would cause his grip to fail. Despair rose up, thinking of his Master, dying above, a Sith Lord too powerful to destroy, the Naboo people probably too weak to beat the Trade Federation.
'I'm sorry, Master,' Obi-Wan thought. 'I'm sorry, Kastor. I'm sorry, Siri, I've failed you all.'
That's when he felt the Force come to him, helping to calm him and chase away his fears and despair. He heard his Master tell him to trust in the Living Force. He felt Kastor's strength come to him. He felt Siri's love and support. Finally, he heard Yoda telling him to 'do or do not, that there is no try,' and he knew it was time to stop trying to beat the Sith Lord, trying to use and embrace the Force. Now it was time to do.
Obi-Wan used the last bit of his strength to fling himself upward and flip over the Sith Lord, calling his Master's lightsaber to him and catching as he landed.
The Sith tried to intercept the blow, but he had been caught unaware and was unable to maneuver his larger hilt to deflect Obi-Wan's blow that cut the dark warrior clean in half, all of which tumbled backward and down the melting pit.
Obi-Wan felt the Force shake as the warrior fell, and he knew that it was now over. Turning off the lightsaber, he rushed to his Master.
"Master!" he called, kneeling by the man, and pulling his head into his lap.
"It is too late," Qui-Gon gasped out, his face filled with pain.
"No," Obi-Wan protested, feeling like he was back on Yinchorr, only this was much, much worse.
"Promise me," Qui-Gon said weakly. "Promise me that you'll train the boy."
"I promise, Master," Obi-Wan said solemnly, seeing how much his Master was trying to fight the call of the Force to get out his last words.
"He . . . is the chosen one. He will bring . . . balance," Qui-Gon said, before his last breaths fled his body and he grew still.
Obi-Wan wanted to deny the death, wanted more time with the closest thing to father he had ever had, but no matter how much the tears fell, he couldn't escape the fact that Qui-Gon was gone.
Obi-Wan wept quietly as he started hearing the sounds of celebration outside.