Beside him, Jar Jar’s voice climbed in panic, but Obi-Wan had no time to soothe the frightened Gungan. Then Qui-Gon’s quiet voice said, “Stay calm. We’re not in trouble yet.”
“What yet?” Jar Jar yelled. “Monstairs out dare! Leak’n in here, all’n sink’n, and nooooo power! You nutsen. WHEN YOUSA TINK WESA IN TROUBLE?!”
Obi-Wan could see Jar Jar’s point. He twisted the last wires, wondering whether he would ever attain his Master’s unshakable serenity, or feel the Force as clearly and constantly as Qui-Gon. “Power’s back,” he said.
The lights flickered on as he spoke, revealing yet another enormous fish right in front of them.
“Monstair’s back!” Jar Jar countered. “Wesa in trouble now?”
How many more of these things are there? Obi-Wan grabbed the controls and swung the ship around. The giant fish-creature darted after them. Obi-Wan increased their speed. The sub shot out of the tunnel—straight toward the huge, eel-like monster that had eaten the first fish!
Jar Jar shrieked again as the monster snapped at the bongo. Obi-Wan dodged, hoping his makeshift repairs would hold. The monster’s teeth missed by inches. It snapped again, and its jaws closed around the fish-creature that had chased them through the tunnel. Taking advantage of the distraction, Obi-Wan sent the little sub zipping away.
For what seemed like hours, they wove and ducked and dodged past dozens of huge sea monsters, all of which had one thing in common: They were hungry. At last the water grew lighter, and the monsters fewer. Soon the sub was rising toward the surface.
In a cloud of bubbles, the bongo broke out into open air at last. The engine died, and the sub began drifting with the current. Obi-Wan switched off the bubble canopies, glad to be back in fresh air. He hadn’t been entirely sure the sub’s power supply would last long enough. They’d even come to the right place—the city of Theed, capital of Naboo, stretched along the shoreline.
Beside him, Jar Jar heaved a sigh of mingled relief and amazement. “Wesa safe now!”
But as they climbed onto shore, a mechanical voice behind them said, “Drop your weapons!”
As one, the Jedi turned. A skeletal Neimoidian battle droid stood threatening them with its lasers. “I said, drop your weapons,” it repeated as Jar Jar joined them.
Qui-Gon lit his lightsaber and slashed the droid in half. Obi-Wan stared down at the sizzling wreckage. They got here before us, he thought. This is going to be harder than we hoped.
The elegant throne room of the Naboo palace was crowded with Trade Federation battle droids. The sight made Amidala want to weep. I won’t cry, she thought. I won’t give them the satisfaction, even if the guards aren’t paying attention to me. Once she knew that the Trade Federation was really invading, she had switched places with one of her handmaidens. Now her friend and handmaiden Sabé wore the white face paint and the black feathered gown and headdress of the Queen, and Amidala was just…Padmé, who wore the same flame-colored robes as the rest of the Queen’s handmaiden-bodyguards. “Padmé” did not exist…except when Amidala was in disguise. I hope this works, she thought. The use of a decoy was established by the rulers before her, but Amidala had never needed it until now.
As they worked their way through the palace, the battle droids brought their captives into the throne room. Amidala could see Governor Bibble and Captain Panaka, along with several of the palace guards. The smug Neimoidian viceroy examined his prisoners with barely concealed satisfaction. He didn’t seem to have noticed anything odd about “Queen Amidala.” Yet.
“How will you explain this invasion to the Senate?” Sio Bibble demanded when the viceroy looked at him.
“The Naboo and the Federation will sign a treaty,” the viceroy said. “I have…assurances that the Senate will ratify it.” He smiled at the “Queen.”
“I will not cooperate,” replied Sabé. She’s doing well, Amidala thought. She’s got my tone of voice down perfectly.
The viceroy did not seem suspicious. “Now, now, Your Highness,” he said patronizingly to Sabé. “You are not going to like what we have in store for your people. In time, their suffering will persuade you to see our point of view.”
Amidala ducked her head to hide her expression. What is he going to do to my people?
Turning to a nearby battle droid, the viceroy said, “Commander, process them.”
“Yes, sir,” the battle droid replied. It turned to a group of identical battle droids and said, “Take them to Camp Four.”
Camps. They’re herding my people into camps. And we can’t stop them; they have more than enough droids to overwhelm our security forces. One of the battle droids shoved her toward the other handmaidens. Keeping her head lowered, Amidala joined them. At least the switch worked; they don’t know that’s not really me. And they can’t get a legal treaty without my signature. But…but what if the viceroy is right? Can I watch my people starve, and maybe die, and not give in? Shivering, surrounded by battle droids, Amidala followed the other handmaidens and the “Queen” out of her palace.
From a balcony just outside the Naboo palace, Qui-Gon studied the central plaza of Theed. Flowering vines climbed the golden stone walls. More flowers bloomed pink and red in wrought-iron boxes beneath nearly every window. The people of Naboo must love living things, he thought. The graceful arches and domes of the buildings demonstrated their love of elegance as well. The only jarring note, thought Qui-Gon, was the mob of tanks and battle droids assembled in the middle of the plaza.
A group of Humans, guarded by battle droids, came out of the arched entrance to the palace. Several wore the gray-and-red uniforms of the Naboo palace guards. From the pictures he had reviewed at the mission briefing, Qui-Gon identified one of the prisoners as Sio Bibble, Governor of Theed. In the center of the group stood a girl, dressed in an elaborately feathered black costume and wearing royal face paint. She had to be the young Queen of Naboo. Qui-Gon smiled as he signaled to Obi-Wan and Jar Jar.
As the prisoners rounded the corner, the two Jedi jumped down in front of them. “Are you Queen Amidala of the Naboo?” Qui-Gon asked, deliberately ignoring the battle droids.
“Who are you?” the black-clad girl demanded.
“Clear them away!” the commander of the battle droids said.
Qui-Gon watched calmly as four droids stepped forward. He heard the hum of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber and ignited his own. An instant later, the droids were nothing but piles of twisted metal. The other battle droids closed in, but they were no match for the Jedi, either. In a few moments there were none left to guard the prisoners.
“Yousa guys bombad!” Jar Jar said admiringly, as the Naboo stared in astonishment.
Qui-Gon put his lightsaber away and bowed to the Queen. “Your Highness, we are the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor.”
Sio Bibble sniffed and said, “Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador.”
“The negotiations never took place,” Qui-Gon told him. “Your Highness, we must make contact with the Republic.”
“They’ve knocked out all our communications,” a guard wearing a captain’s insignia said.
They’d have been fools not to. “Do you have transports?” Qui-Gon asked.
“In the main hangar,” the captain replied. “This way.” He led them down an alley and through the backstreets, to an unguarded service door behind the main hangar. They got inside with no trouble, and they met no droids in the hallways. When they reached the main hangar bay and peered cautiously inside, they found out why. The hangar was full of battle droids.
“There are too many of them,” the captain said, shaking his head.
“They won’t be a problem,” Qui-Gon told him, and looked at the Queen. “Your Highness, under the circumstances I suggest you come to Coruscant with us.”
The Queen shook her head. “Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is here.”
Qui-Gon started to nod, then stopped as a premonition swept him. “They will kill you if you stay.”
> “They wouldn’t dare!” Sio Bibble said, shocked.
The captain nodded agreement. “They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can’t afford to kill her.”
Qui-Gon shook his head. “The situation here is not what it seems, Your Highness. There is no logic to the Federation’s move here.” Naboo was a small, sparsely populated planet; the Trade Federation wouldn’t risk losing their trade franchise by invading it unless there was something else behind their actions. “My feelings tell me they will destroy you,” Qui-Gon finished.
Governor Bibble gave Qui-Gon a long, considering look. Then, wearing a thoughtful expression, he turned to the Queen. “Please, Your Highness, reconsider. Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us. Senator Palpatine will need your help.”
“No,” said the captain. “Getting past their blockade is impossible, Your Highness. The danger is too great.”
As the Queen listened to the two men argue, Qui-Gon watched her closely. It was hard to read her expression through her face paint, but he could sense her indecision. Finally she turned to her handmaidens and said, “Either choice presents a great risk—to all of us.”
One of the girls stepped forward and gave a tiny nod. “We are brave, Your Highness,” she said firmly.
“If you are to leave, Your Highness, it must be now,” Qui-Gon put in. He noted with interest that the handmaiden’s words seemed to have ended the Queen’s indecision.
“Then I will plead our case before the Senate,” the Queen said.
Quickly, they sorted out who would come and who would stay behind. Qui-Gon was not surprised when the outspoken handmaiden was among those chosen to accompany the Queen. Several guards and the captain, whose name was Panaka, were also to come with the Queen’s party. Two of the handmaidens joined Sio Bibble, who had volunteered to stay and do what he could for the people.
Finally everything was decided. Qui-Gon nodded to Obi-Wan, and they swung the door of the hangar open and strode through. The Queen, her handmaidens and guards, and Jar Jar followed.
The Naboo sense of beauty was evident even in the main hangar bay. The warm golden stone of the walls contrasted nicely with the dark metal of the fueling cables that ran up them. A row of sleek N-1 starfighters sat in their docks along one wall. The center of the hangar was occupied by a silver J-type long-range spacecraft…and by a large number of battle droids. More battle droids guarded a group of Naboo men and women in a far corner.
“We need to free those pilots,” Captain Panaka said, nodding at the prisoners.
“I’ll take care of that,” Obi-Wan said. Without breaking stride, he ducked under a hanging cable and vanished behind a fuel vat.
As Qui-Gon led the rest of the group toward the spaceship ramp, a battle droid stepped in front of him. “Where are you going?” it demanded.
Qui-Gon raised his eyebrows. “I’m ambassador for the Supreme Chancellor,” he replied in a conversational tone, “and I’m taking these people to Coruscant.”
“You’re under arrest,” the droid said. As it raised its blaster, Qui-Gon cut it down. The Queen and her handmaidens ran past him and up the boarding ramp. More battle droids converged on the ramp. Some of them fired as they came, so that Qui-Gon had to parry the shots in between chopping battle droids in half.
More shots sounded from the corner. Most of the pilots and ground crew ran for the exits; Obi-Wan and one of the pilots made for the royal spaceship. Belatedly, alarms rang through the hangar. As soon as he was certain that everyone was safe, Qui-Gon disposed of his last few opponents and leaped up the ramp.
The ship began to move. “We did it!” one of the guards shouted. “We got away!”
“We’re not past the blockade yet,” Captain Panaka replied gloomily.
Remembering the cloud of battleships around the planet, Qui-Gon had to agree. They weren’t safe yet, but he had done all he could. As the spaceship accelerated out of the planet’s atmosphere, Qui-Gon and Panaka headed for the cockpit.
From here on, it was up to their pilot.
The royal Naboo spacecraft was the most luxurious ship Obi-Wan had traveled on in a long time, but at the moment, he had no time to appreciate it. Having sent the rescued pilot, Ric Olié, to the cockpit to take off, Obi-Wan made sure that the Queen and her handmaidens were safely in their chamber. Then he stowed Jar Jar in a hold with the astromech droids, where the Gungan couldn’t get into much trouble. As he hurried back up toward the cockpit, he felt the ship jolt. We’re already under fire from the blockade battleships! His stride lengthened.
As he entered the control area, the ship jerked again, and alarms sounded. “We should abort, sir,” Ric Olié said to Captain Panaka. “Our deflector shields can’t withstand this.”
“Stay on course!” Captain Panaka snapped.
The fat ball-within-a-circle battleships grew rapidly larger outside the cockpit windows. There seemed to be twice as many of them as Obi-Wan had seen when he arrived aboard the Republic cruiser. Of course, it always looks as if there are more of them when they’re firing at you.
The ship rocked as yet another bolt from a Trade Federation battleship exploded against the shields. “Do you have a cloaking device?” Qui-Gon asked.
Panaka shook his head. “This is not a warship. We have no weapons. We’re a nonviolent people.”
Which probably has a lot to do with why the Trade Federation attacked them, Obi-Wan thought. It’s a lot safer to invade someone who isn’t likely to fight back.
Suddenly the ship rocked. Something must have made it through the shields, Obi-Wan thought as he straightened.
“Shield generator’s been hit,” Ric Olié confirmed.
A view screen lit up, showing astromech repair droids popping out of an air lock onto the damaged surface of the ship. “I hope they can fix it,” the pilot muttered.
Two Trade Federation fighters swept by, firing at the repair droids. One astromech exploded, then another. Obi-Wan frowned and checked the readout. Every repair droid on the ship was out there; they had no spares left. “We’re losing droids fast,” he said.
“We won’t make it,” Olié said. “The shields are gone.”
Another droid exploded. Now the view screen showed only one left, a small, blue-domed unit. It worked steadily, reconnecting wires despite renewed shots from the fighter droids. Laser blasts whizzed around the little astromech. Several shots missed by barely a hair’s breadth. Suddenly, Obi-Wan saw a spray of sparks. For one horrible moment, he thought they had lost the last droid. Then the dazzle cleared from the view screen, and he saw the blue unit heading back toward the air lock. Simultaneously, he heard a whoop of joy from the pilot.
“Power’s back!” Olié shouted. “That little droid did it! Deflector shields up, at maximum.”
And just in time, Obi-Wan thought. They were almost on top of the nearest battleship. For the next few minutes, the firing was intense, but no more shots penetrated the shields. “That’s the worst of it,” Obi-Wan said as the battleships shrank behind them.
“Maybe not,” Olié responded. He pointed at the readouts in front of him. “The hyperdrive is leaking. There’s not enough power to get us to Coruscant.”
“Then we’ll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship,” Qui-Gon said calmly. He brought up a star chart on a monitor and stared at it.
Obi-Wan leaned over and tapped the monitor. “Here, Master. Tatooine. The Trade Federation has no presence there.”
“How can you be sure?” Captain Panaka asked.
“It’s controlled by the Hutts,” Qui-Gon replied in an absent tone as he studied the screen.
“The Hutts?” The captain sounded shocked. “You can’t take Her Royal Highness there! If the Hutts discovered her—”
“—they’d treat her no differently than the Trade Federation would,” Qui-Gon broke in. “Except that the Hutts aren’t looking for her, which gives us an advantage.”
The captain took a deep, frustrated breat
h. Obi-Wan suppressed a smile. He’d been on the receiving end of Qui-Gon’s relentless logic often enough to sympathize, but this time they really had no choice. Not if they wanted to stay out of the hands of the Trade Federation long enough to get to Coruscant.
“Destroy all high-ranking officials, Viceroy,” Darth Sidious commanded. “Slowly and quietly.” He paused. “And Queen Amidala—has she signed the treaty?”
Nute Gunray had been dreading that question for hours. “She—she has disappeared, my lord. One Naboo cruiser got past the blockade.”
“Find her!” Darth Sidious raged. “Viceroy, I want that treaty signed!”
Nute fought the urge to cringe. It’s only a hologram, he told himself. “My lord, it’s impossible to locate the ship. It’s out of range.”
“Not for a Sith Lord,” the hooded figure purred. Sidious gestured, and a second hologram appeared behind him—another mysterious cloaked and hooded being. Nute caught a glimpse of bright yellow eyes, and a face tattooed all over in red and black. And were those horns, poking up under his hood? Nute shivered. I don’t think I really want to know.
“Viceroy, this is my apprentice, Lord Maul,” Darth Sidious continued. “He will find your lost ship.”
“Yes, my lord,” Nute said. The hologram faded, and Nute shook his head. “This is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them!”
“We should not have made this bargain,” Rune Haako said glumly. “What will happen when the Jedi learn of these Sith Lords?”
Nute shivered again. He had been wondering about that himself. At least I don’t have to find that ship. That’s Lord Maul’s job now.
For some reason, that worried him almost as much as the missing ship.
As soon as the royal Naboo spacecraft was safely in hyperspace, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Captain Panaka were summoned to the Queen’s chamber to bring her up to date. Panaka brought along the little blue-domed repair droid. When they arrived, Qui-Gon let Panaka describe the space battle and the droid’s heroism. At the end of his report, the security captain presented the astromech droid to the Queen.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Page 3
