Star Wars - Episode I Journal - Queen Amidala

by Jude Watson

  A chill ran through me. They were right.

  “That is why we must not fail to get the viceroy,” I said. “Everything depends on that.”

  We leave for Theed in an hour.

  LATER

  I know the route through the waterfalls well. We reached the plaza without being seen. Battle droids and tanks were clustered in the wide square.

  “We’ll split up here,” Panaka said in a low tone. “I’ll keep a squad on this side and create a diversion. Your Highness, your group will head for the main hangar. We’ve got to get those pilots in the air.”

  I nodded. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Artoo, Eirtaé, and I headed for the hangar. Sabé, still in royal dress, stayed with Panaka’s squad.

  It felt so strange to creep around the plaza I had once strolled across so freely. Now I crouched, blaster in hand, ready to do whatever I had to.

  We heard the sound of blaster fire behind us. Panaka had begun the diversion.

  Qui-Gon urged me to hurry.

  When we burst into the hangar, we received immediate fire from the battle droids. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan deflected the laser fire with their lightsabers. I threw myself behind a wall and looked around anxiously for Anakin. He was crouched behind a fighter. Safe for the moment.

  I took aim at a battle droid and fired. I have been trained in weapons handling, but it was the first time I’d aimed at an enemy. The battle droid went down.

  My instincts kicked in. With the Jedi beside me, I wasn’t afraid.

  I called to the pilots to get to the ships. Two pilots were able to take off. But the droids were able to position a tank to blast them with laser cannon. One of the ships exploded.

  But one got through.

  Captain Panaka burst into the hangar, blasting laser fire. The last of the droids went down. More pilots rushed to the remaining ships.

  “We’ve got to get to the palace!” I called to Qui-Gon. He nodded.

  He turned to where Anakin was hiding behind a Naboo fighter. “Stay here, Annie!” he shouted.

  We began to run toward the exit. But before we reached it, a dark-cloaked figure filled the opening. He did not reach for a weapon. He just stood there.

  His evil aura invaded the hangar like a creeping, foul mist. It was the dark warrior who had fought Qui-Gon on Tatooine. The one who almost destroyed him.

  “We’ll handle this,” Qui-Gon said tersely.

  I felt fear for the first time that day. “No,” I whispered.

  His eyes met mine for a brief moment. That vivid blue sent me his thoughts, as clear as if he’d spoken them.

  This is how it must he. You have your own part to play. Go.

  I didn’t want to leave him. But I obeyed him, one last time. I ran out of the hangar with Captain Panaka, my handmaidens, and the rest of the Naboo soldiers.

  I headed for the palace. And I left Qui-Gon behind.

  The palace entrances were heavily guarded by battle droids. It would be suicide to attempt to enter that way. Plus it would be better to invade as near to the throne room as we could.

  We hurried to the side of the palace that overlooked the waterfall. The sound of rushing water thundered in our ears, and I felt the spray on my face. Captain Panaka and some of his soldiers shot out cables that hooked onto a high ledge.

  We scaled the exterior wall of the palace. Captain Panaka blasted out a window. We swung inside. The throne room was only a few feet away.

  “Everyone stay together,” Panaka warned. I exchanged a look with Sabé, and she drifted toward the rear of the group. It was the only part of the plan I’d kept secret from the others. I took a position next to Panaka.

  Suddenly, destroyer droids appeared in front of the throne room doorway. Their blasters were pointed directly at us. We looked to the other end of the hall. Another group of destroyer droids appeared.

  Trapped!

  “Throw down your weapons,” I said. I let my blaster fall from my hand. It clattered on the ground. “They’ve won this round.”

  Captain Panaka stared at me, incredulous. I ordered him and his officers to throw down their weapons. Reluctantly, they did.

  The droids surrounded us. They brought us into the throne room, where Nute Gunray was waiting. He stared for a long moment at me, and I met his gaze coolly. I saw the start of recognition in his eyes. And then the contempt.

  “Your little insurrection has failed, Your Highness,” he said to me, using my title like an insult. “It’s time for you to sign the treaty.”

  From behind me, I heard Sabé’s voice.

  “I will not sign any treaty, Viceroy. Because you have lost!”

  Nute did a double take. The Neimoidian guards looked from Sabé to me and back again. Before they could react, Sabé turned and fled.

  “After her!” Nute screamed to the guards. “This one is a decoy! Get the Queen!”

  Six of the droids rushed out after Sabé. Our odds were improving.

  “Your Queen will not get away with this,” Nute hissed to me.

  I staggered back, as if defeat had dissolved my muscles. I slumped down onto the throne behind me. While I pretended to be overcome, my fingers frantically searched for a hidden security button.

  I found it! A panel in my desk slid open silently. A cache of blasters was concealed there. Although Naboo had discouraged weapons, it was deemed that the Queen would need a last line of defense. The blasters were kept in perfect working condition.

  I tossed one to Panaka, and one to his first officer. Then I blasted the last battle droid. I activated the security throne room door, which slid shut. Panaka’s officer jammed the controls near the door.

  I leveled my blaster at Nute while I tossed more pistols to the Naboo officers.

  “Now,” I said, “I think it’s time we renegotiated, Viceroy.”

  Nute laughed. “Don’t be absurd. You’re still outnumbered. Battle droids will blast through that door in minutes.”

  I settled myself back on the throne and kept the blaster aimed at his chest. “We shall see.”

  “This would be amusing if it weren’t so pathetic,” Nute said. “Come, come, Your Highness. You are playing at war like a child. I have an army out there.”

  “And I have a blaster leveled at your chest,” I said calmly.

  He looked a little nervous. “Now, I didn’t say we couldn’t negotiate. The treaty—”

  He was interrupted by the sound of droids blasting at the door outside. His expression cleared, and he smiled. “There. A word from me either way, and they will cut you in two or spare you, Your Highness. Your choice.”

  The door shook under pressure. Panaka gave me a slightly nervous glance. Another laser blow caused the hinge to melt.

  “You see—” Nute began. He stopped. All was silent outside in the hallway.

  “What—” Nute stared at the door as though it could talk. “Keep blasting, you idiots!”

  Hope leaped in my chest. I leaned over and punched up the view screen.

  The lead Naboo pilot appeared. He looked exhausted. Triumphant. “We did it. Mission accomplished, Your Highness. Look!”

  The cockpit camera was now trained on the burning hulk that used to be the Droid Control Ship. The cheers of the pilots resounded through the throne room. I closed my eyes for a moment. Naboo was free. The battle droids had all shut down. When I opened my eyes again, Panaka was grinning at me.

  “It’s impossible,” Nute whispered. His voice rose to a whine. “Impossible!”

  I reached over to the desk and picked up the treaty. I tore it in two and flung the pieces in his face. “There is your treaty, Viceroy! Sorry I can’t sign it.”

  Naboo is free. Joy has sent the people into the streets. But I’m not among them. I will visit the family of every Gungan and Naboo soldier who lost their lives. I will not wear ceremonial robes. I will come as a person, not a Queen. And with every step I take, I will mourn my own private loss.

  Qui-Gon is dead.

  He died bravely. Of course he d
ied bravely. Obi-Wan told me the details. How they fought Darth Maul down into the bowels of the power generator next door to the hangar. How Qui-Gon came back again and again to strike the dark warrior. But it was Qui-Gon who took the killing blow. It was left to Obi-Wan to kill Darth Maul.

  It was hard for Obi-Wan to tell me these things. I will always value his kindness in coming to see me, knowing I would want to hear about the terrible event from him.

  Anakin suffers. In the midst of my sadness, I am proud of him. He bears his sorrow bravely. Anakin is the hero of the great battle for Naboo. I was shocked to hear that it was he who struck the Federation ship and annihilated it. He had never piloted a fighter before, only a Podracer. Yet he flew into space, to the Federation ship, directly into its hangar, and blew its reactor.

  Well. Maybe I’m not so surprised after all.

  Today is a day for mourning. I must stop now. Today, we celebrate Qui-Gon’s life.

  THE NEXT DAY

  Qui-Gon’s funeral was attended by many Jedi Masters and as many people of Naboo that could crowd into the plaza. Afterward, I went to see Obi-Wan.

  The people have called for a victory parade, and one has been scheduled. I wanted to call it off. A joyous parade felt wrong, with Qui-Gon gone.

  Obi-Wan’s face was etched with sadness. Qui-Gon’s death has affected him deeply. But he seemed to soften as he took in my grief.

  “Qui-Gon was a Jedi Master,” he said. “Which means he was a serious man. Maybe you even found him—a little too solemn at times?”

  I smiled through my tears. “At times.”

  “What you may not know is that he not only valued celebration, he enjoyed it,” Obi-Wan said. “He believed in your cause, Your Highness. He would want you to march at the head of that victory parade. And he would want you to enjoy every minute of it.”

  I thought about Obi-Wan’s words. Finally, I nodded. “Then I will go. But only if you ride beside me. It’s your victory, too. Yours and Qui-Gon’s.”

  Obi-Wan considered this. “If you wish it, Your Highness,” he said slowly, “then I shall be honored.”

  “Then we’ll celebrate his victory tomorrow,” I agreed softly. “And we will mourn his loss forever.”

  CELEBRATION

  Children threw flowers, and Gungan and Naboo marched side by side. The streets are full of singing and laughter again.

  Palpatine joined us for the parade. He has been appointed Supreme Chancellor. I hope that this position will ensure Naboo’s future.

  Anakin has told me that he will study with Obi-Wan as a Jedi apprentice. Apparently they are breaking every rule for the boy. That’s how much promise he shows.

  Before the parade, Anakin and I snatched a private goodbye.

  “I’ll see you again,” he promised me in that fierce, serious way he has.

  I touched his cheek. “I have no doubt that you will,” I told him. “Our fates are bound together, Anakin. That I know.”

  During the parade, I looked out over the cheering crowds of Gungans and Naboo. My beautiful emerald world is free. We have made peace. The camps have been demolished. The people have returned to their homes.

  I turned to Obi-Wan. “I’m glad it’s over,” I told him. “I’ve gone to war, but I value this above all.” I gestured at the crowd. “Peace.”

  “Peace is what we strive for,” Obi-Wan agreed. “And I hope you will never have to do battle again. But I’m not sure how completely we can choose our fates.”

  Those Jedi and their wisdom! I’m smiling now, remembering Qui-Gon. He had that same infuriating habit of being right.

  Yes, Obi-Wan. I hate to admit it, but you’re right. Who knows what lies ahead? Fate is a tangle. We can only follow a thread.

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