The Phantom Menace

by Terry Brooks

  His mentor glanced at him. "Maybe we can hitch a ride with our friends down there." "It's the least they can do after the way they've treated us so far." Obi- Wan pursed his lips. "You were right about one thing, Master. The negotiations were short." Qui-Gon Jinn smiled and beckoned him ahead.

  - ====4====== =-

  A twilight that was misty and seemed perpetual lay in silvery gray layers over the green lushness of Naboo as the Federation landing ships descended out of the black infinity of space to settle slowly planetward. One set of three moved away from the others, dropping silently through clouds that hung still and endless across the world's emerald surface. Ghostlike as they passed through the haze, double wings shaped like a giant I, they materialized one by one near a vast, murky swamp. As they gently landed next to the dark waters and clumps of trees and grasses, their metal bodies parted to allow the bulbous-nosed transports to offload onto the surface and begin forming up. Some distance away from the closest of the landing craft, Obi-Wan Kenobi's head broke the swamp's still waters. A quick breath, and he was gone again. He surfaced once more, farther away, and this time took a moment to look back at the invasion force. Dozens of transports filled with battle droids and tanks were moving into place in front of the landing craft. Some hovered above the swamp's waters. Some had found purchase on dry ground.

  Far to his left, he caught sight of a shadowy form running through the mist and trees. Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan took another deep breath, submerged swiftly, and began to swim.

  Qui-Gon Jinn slipped wraithlike through the swamp, listening to the sounds of heavy rustling and snapping branches behind him as the Trade Federation transports began to advance. Mixe-d With the deeper, heavier whine.of the transport engines was the higher pitched buzzing of STAPs-singie trooper aerial platforms-small, individually piloted mobile gun units used to transport battle droids as scouts for the main army. The STAPs whipped above the watery terrain ofNaboo, fleeting shadows as they surged in front of the larger transports.

  Animals of all shapes and sizes began to scatter from their places of concealment, racing past Qui-Gon in search of safety. Ikopi, fulumpasets, motts, peko pekos-the names recalled themselves instantly to the Jedi Master from his preparation for this journey. Dodging the frightened creatures stampeding around him, he cast about for Obi-Wan, then picked up his pace as the dark shadow of a transport appeared outf the mist directly behind him.

  He was running out of firm ground and searching for a way past a large lake when he saw a strange froglike creature before him. It was squatting in the water, its rubbery body crouched over a shell it had just pried open, its long tongue licking out the insides with a quick whipping movement, its throat swallowing. Casting aside the empty shell, it rose to face Qui-Gon, its long, flat ears dangling from its amphibious head in broad flaps, its ducklike snout working thoughtfully around whatever delicacy it had removed from the shell. Eyes that protruded from the top of its head blinked in confusion, taking in Qui-Gon and the animals about him, then seeing clearly for the first time the massive shadow from which they fled.

  "Oh, oh," the creature muttered, the syllables clouded, but recognizable.

  Qui-Gon broke left past the strange creature, anxious to get out of the path of the approaching transport. The creature dropped the shell, eyes wide and frantic, and grabbed onto Qui-Gon's robes.

  "Hep me, hep me!" it cried plaintively, rubbery face contorting in shock and desperation.

  "Let go!" Qui-Gon snapped, trying in vain to break free.

  The transport thundered toward them, skimming the surface of the swamp, flattening grasses and stirring up water spouts in the wake of its passing. It bore down on Qui-Gon as he fought to break free of the creature that clung to him, dragging it sideways in a futile effort to escape.

  Finally, with the transport only meters away and looming over him like a building about to topple, the Jedi Master pushed the creature into the shallow water and sprawled facedown on top of it. The Trade Federation transport passed over them in a wash of sound and shocked air, the vibrations hammering into their prone forms, flattening them into the mire.

  When it was safely past, Qui-Gon pulled himself out of the mud and took a deep, welcome breath. The strange creature rose with him, still clinging to his arm, cloudy water dripping from its flat-billed face. It gave a quick glance after the departing transport, then threw itself on Qui-Gon, hugging him ecstatically.

  "Oh boi, oh boi!" it gasped with a high-pitched, warbled sound. "I love yous, love yous forever!"

  The creature began kissing him.

  "Let go!" Qui-Gon huffed. "Are you brainless? You almost got us killed!"

  The creature looked offended. "Brainless? I speak!"

  "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent!" Qui-Gon was having none of it. "Now let go of me and get out of here!"

  He freed himself from the creature and began to move off, glancing around uneasily as the high-pitched buzz of STAP's sounded in the distance.

  The creature hesitated, then began trailing after him. "No, no, me stay wit you! Me stay! Jar Jar be loyal, humble Gungan servant. Be yous friend, me."

  The Jedi Master barely glanced at him, watching the shadows, searching now for Obi-Wan. "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. Better be off with you."

  Jar Jar the Gungan splashed after him, billed mouth working, arms waving. "Oh, bot tis necessary! Tis demanded by da Guds. Tis life debt. Me know dis, sure as name be Jar Jar Binks!"

  The swamp reverberated with the sound of STAP engines, and now two of the gun platforms burst from the mist, bearing down on a fleeing Obi-Wan Kenobi, battle droid drivers wheeling their speeders to the attack.

  Qui-Gon pulled free his lightsaber, motioning Jar Jar away. "I have no time for this now..."

  "But must take me wit yous, keep me-" Jar Jar stopped, hearing the STAPs, turning to see them bearing down, eyes going wide all over again. "Oh, oh, we gonna--"

  Qui-Gon grabbed the Gungan and threw him facedown in the swamp water once more. "Stay put." He flicked on the lightsaber, bracing himself as Obi-Wan and the pursuing STAP's approached.

  Jar Jar's head popped up. "We gonna die!" he screamed.

  The battle droids opened fire with laser cannons from their gun platforms just as Obi-Wan reached his friend. Qui-Gon blocked the bolts with his lightsaber and deflected them back into the attack craft. The STAPs exploded in shards of hot metal and fell into the swamp.

  An exhausted Obi-Wan wiped his muddied brow, gasping for breath. "Sorry, Master. The swamp fried my lightsaber." He pulled out his weapon. The business end was blackened and burned. Qui-Gon took it from him and gave it a cursory inspection. Behind him, Jar Jar Binks pulled himself out of the muddy swamp water and.blinked curiously at the newly arrived Jedi.

  "You forgot to turn off your power again, didn't you, Obi-Wan?" his friend asked pointedly.

  Obi-Wan nodded sheepishly. "It appears so, Master."

  "It won't take long to recharge, but it will take some time to clean it up. I trust you have finally learned your lesson, my young Padawan."

  "Yes, Master." Obi-Wan accepted the proffered lightsaber with a chagrined look.

  Jar Jar pushed forward, amphibious feet flopping, ears flapping, long limbs looking as if they might take him in almost any direction. "Yous save me again, hey?" he asked Qui-Gon rhetorically.

  Obi-Wan stared. "What's this?"

  "A Gungan. One of the locals. His name's Jar Jar Binks." Qui-Gon's attention was directed out at the swamp. "Let's go, before more of those STAP's show up."

  "More?" Jar Jar gasped worriedly. "Yous say more?"

  Qui-Gon was already moving, shifting into a steady trot through the mire. Obi-Wan was only a step behind, and it took a moment for Jar Jar to catch up to them, his long legs working frantically, his eyes rolling.

  "Exsqueeze me, but da most grand safest place is in Otoh Gunga," he gasped at them, trying to catch their attention. All about, lost somewhere in the mists, STAPs sounded their high-pitched
whine. "Otoh Gunga," Jar Jar repeated. "Tis where I grew. Tis safe city!"

  Qui-Gon brought them to a halt, staring fixedly now at the Gungan. "What did you say? A city?" Jar Jar nodded eagerly.

  "Can you take us there?"

  The Gungan seemed suddenly distraught. "Ah, oh, oh... mebbe me not rilly take yous...not rilly, no."

  Qui-Gon leaned close, his eyes dark. "No?"

  Jar Jar looked as if he wished he could disappear into the swamp completely. His throat worked and his billed mouth opened and closed like a fish's. "Tis embarrassment, but...me afraid me be banished. Sent oot. Me forget Boss Nass do terrible hurt to me if go back dere. Terrible bad hurt."

  A low, deep, pulsating sound penetrated the whine of the STAPs, rising up through mist and gloom, growing steadily louder. Jar Jar glanced around uneasily. "Oh, oh."

  "You hear that?" Qui-Gon asked softly, placing a finger on the Gungan's skinny chest. Jar Jar nodded reluctanrly. "There's a thousand terrible things heading this way, my Gungari friend..."

  "And when they find you, they will crush you into dust, grind you into little pieces, and then blast you into oblivion," Obi-Wan added with more than a little glee.

  Jar Jar rolled his eyes and gulped. "Oh, oh. Yous point very good one." He gestured frantically. "Dis way! Dis way! Hurry quick!"

  In a rush, they raced away into the twilight mist.

  Sometime later, the Jedi and the Gungan emerged from a deep stand of swamp grass and thick rushes at the edge of a lake so murky that it was impossible to see anything in the reflection of twilight off the surface. Jar Jar bent double, three-fingered hands resting on bony knees as he fought to catch his breath. His rubbery form twisted this way and that as he looked back in the direction from which they had come, long ears flapping with the movement. Obi-Wan shook his head at Qui-Gon Jinn in faint reproval. He was not happy with the Jedi Master's decision to link up with this foolish-looking creature.

  Somewhere in the distante, they could hear the steady, deep thrum of Federation transport engines.

  "How much farther?" Qui-Gon pressed their reluctant guide.

  The Gungan pointed at the lake. "We go underwater, okeday?"

  The Jedi looked at each other, then extracted small containers from their clothing, releasing portable breathing devices the size of the palms of their hands.

  "Me warning yous." Jar Jar's eyes shifted from one to the other. "Gungans no like yous outlanders. Yous not gonna get warm welcome."

  Obi-Wan shrugged. "Don't worry.,This hasn't been our day for warm welcomes. "

  "Get going," Qui-Gon motioned, fitting the device between his teeth.

  The Gungan shrugged, as if to disclaim all responsibility for what would follow, turned back to the lake, performed a wild double somersault, and disappeared into the gloom.

  The Jedi waded after him.

  Downward into the murkiness they swam, the Jedi following the slender form of the Gungan, who seemed far more at home in the water than on land. He swam smoothly and gracefully, long limbs extended, body undulating with practiced ease. They swam for a long time, angling steadily deeper, the light from the surface fading slowly away behind them. What light there was came from sources beneath the surface, not all of them visible. The minutes slipped away, and Obi- Wan began to have second thoughts about what they were doing.

  Then suddenly there was a new light, this one a steady glow that came from ahead. Slowly Otoh Gunga came into view. The city was comprised of a cluster of bubbles that connected to one another like balloons and were anchored to several huge rock pillars. One by one, the bubbles grew more distinct, and it became possible to make out the particulars of the structures within and the features of the Gungans as they moved about their business.

  Jar Jar swam directly toward one of the larger bubbles, the Jedi close on his heels. When he reached the bubble, he pushed at it with his hands and it gave way to him, accepting first his arms, then his head and body, and finally his legs, swallowing him whole and closing behind him without rupturing. Amazed, the Jedi followed, moving through the strange membrane, entering the bubble without resistance.

  Once inside, they found themselves on a platform that led down to a square surrounded by buildings. Light emanated from the bubble's walls in a steady glow, brightening the space inside. The Jedi found the air breathable. As they descended to the square below, water dripping from their clothing, Gungans began to catch sight of them and to scatter with small cries of alarm.

  In short order a squad of uniformed Gungan soldiers appeared, riding two- legged mounts with billed faces not entirely dissimilar to their own. Kaadu, Qui-Gon recalled-swamp run^ners with powerful legs, great endurance, and keen senses. The Gungans carried long, deadly-looking electropoles, which they used to motion back the distraught populace at the same time they advanced on the intruders.

  "Heyday ho, Cap'n Tarpals," Jar Jar greeted the leader of the squad cheerfully. "Me back!"

  "Notta gain, Jar Jar Binks!" the other snapped, clearly irri^tated. "Yous goen ta Boss Nass. See what he say. Yous mebbe in big trubble dis time."

  Ignoring the Jedi, he gave Jar Jar a quick poke with his elec^tropole, sending a shock through the hapless Gungan that lifted him a half meter off the ground. Jar Jar rubbed his backside ruefully, muttering.

  The Gungan soldiers took them through the buildings of the city, down several connecting passages, and into what, Jar Jar whispered to his companions, was the High Tower Boardroom. The room was transparent on all sides, and small glowing fish swam about the outside of the membrane, tiny stars against a darker backdrop. A long, circular bench dominated one end of the room with one section set higher than the rest. All the seats were occupied by Gungan officials in their robes of office, and a way was quickly made for the newcomers through Gungans already present to conduct other business.

  The Gungan occupying the highest seat was a heavyset, squat fellow so compressed by age and weight that it was impossible to imagine he had ever been as slender as Jar Jar Binks. Folds of skin draped from his body in loose layers, his neck was compressed into his shoulders, and his face bore such a sour look that even Jar Jar seemed more than a little cowed as they were motioned forward.

  The Gungan officials stared, muttering among themselves as the Jedi approached. "What yous want, outlanders?" Boss Nass rumbled at them, after identifying himself.

  Qui-Gon Jinn told him, relating what had brought the Jedi to Naboo, warning of the invasion taking place above, asking the Gungans to give them help. The Gungan council listened patiently, saying nothing until Qui-Gon was finished.

  Boss Nass shook his head, the flesh of his thick neck jiggling with the movement. "Yous can't be here. Dis army of maccaneks up dere tis not our problem."

  Qui-Gon held his ground. "That army of battle droids is about to attack the Naboo. We must warn them."

  "We no like da Naboo!" Boss Nass growled irritably. "And dey no like da Gungans. Da Naboo think dey more smart den us. Dey think dey brains so big. Dey have nutten ta do wit us cause we live in da swamp and dey live up dere. Long time no have nutten ta do wit each other. Dis not gonna change because ofmaccaneks."

  "After that army takes control of the Naboo, they will come here and take control of you," Obi-Wan said quietly. "

  Boss Nass chuckled. "No, me think not. Me talk mebbe one, two times wit Naboo in whole life, and no talk ever wit maccaneks. Maccaneks no come here! Dey not even know Gungans exist!"

  The remaining members of the council nodded in agreement, muttering their verbal approval of Boss Nass's wisdom.

  "You and the Naboo are connected," Obi-Wan insisted, his youthful face intent, not ready to concede the matter. "What happens to one will affect the other. You must understand this."

  Boss Nass dismissed him with a wave of one thick hand. "We know nutten of yo us, outlander, and we no care about da Naboo."

  Before Obi-Wan could continue his argument, Qui-Gon stepped forward. "Then speed us on our way," he demanded, bringing up one han
d in a casual motion, passing it smoothly before the Gungan chief's eyes in a quick invocation ofJedi mind power.

  Boss Nass stared at him, then nodded. "We speed yous far away."

  Qui-Gon held his gaze. "We need transport to Theed."

  "Okeday." Boss Nass nodded some more. "We give yous bongo. Da speedest way tada Naboo is goen through da core. Yous go now."

  Qui-Gon stepped back. "Thank you for your help. We go in peace."

  As the Jedi turned to leave, Obi-Wan whispered, "Master, what is a bongo?"

  Qui-Gon glanced at him and cocked one eyebrow thoughtfully. "A ship of some sort, I hope."

  They were moving away from Boss Nass and the other Gungan officials when they caught sight of Jar Jar Binks standing forlornly to one side, wearing wrist binders and awaiting his fate. Qui-Gon slowed and made eye contact with the unfortunate creature.

  "Master," Obi-Wan said softly in warning. He knew Qui-Gon too well not to see what was coming. '

  The tall Jedi moved over to Jar Jar and stood looking at him.

  "Dey setten yous up for bad fall!" the Gungan declared sul^lenly, glancing around to see if anyone else might be listening. "Goen through da core is bad danger."

  Qui-Gon nodded. "Thank you, my friend."

  Jar Jar Binks shrugged and looked sad. "Ahhh, tis okay." Then he gave the Jedi Master a slow, sheepish grin and a hopeful look. "Hey, any hep here would be hot."

  Qui-Gon hesitated.

  "We are short of time, Master," Obi-Wan advised quietly, moving to his side.

  The Jedi Master turned to face his protege, eyes distant. "Time spent here may help us later. Jar Jar might be of some use."