Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One (AU/Re-Imagining)

[Jedimasterbac]

From the second saga...
STAR WARS: EPISODE I
THE CHOSEN ONE

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9625/tpmsmallerfj9.jpg
Cover art by Rowan Grimes, 2008

Star Wars: Episode I – The Chosen One is fan novel by Brandon Rhea and is the first episode of a re-imagining of George Lucas’ Star Wars Saga called the Alternative Star Wars Saga. The novel deals with the emergence of Annikin Skywalker as the possible Chosen One and the start of the Clone War. The novel also serves as the beginning of a relationship between Annikin and Padmé Naberrie, a Jedi Padawan serving at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Now, I'm sure you might be asking what the Alternative Star Wars Saga is. Brandon Rhea's Alternative Star Wars Saga, or simply the "Alternative Saga", is an epic saga of science fiction novels spanning over 100,000 years that serves as a reimagining of the Star Wars Saga. They are written by Brandon Rhea, also known as "Jedimasterbac". based upon the Star Wars Saga created by George Lucas. The Alternative Saga story employs archetypal motifs both common and uncommon to both science fiction and classical mythology, going much more in depth with the religious aspect of the Force, known in the Alternative Saga as the "Force of Others".

I was originally planning on leaving Episode I - Episode III the way they were and start with Episode IV, which I call Episode IV - A New Beginning. However, so many ideas for a new Episode I, Episode II and Episode III came to me that I couldn't pass up the opportunity, hence this novel here.

Disclaimer
Like other major works of fan fiction, Star Wars: Episode I – The Chosen One is not endorsed or license by George Lucas, LucasFilm, Ltd. or any of its subsidiaries. The novel also contains elements that may seem disturbing or inappropriate to some younger readers. Like any more mature Science Fiction novel, the novel contains sci-fi action and violence which is sometimes more graphic, though not in breach of the rules, than a traditional Star Wars story. If things like this offend you, it is suggested that you do not read this novel if you do not want to. However, it is STRONGLY recommended that you keep an open mind and read and review the novel for what it is rather than what you think it should be.

Table of Contents
Prologue - The Tragedy
Chapter One - Elusive Feelings
Chapter Two - Federation Hospitality
Chapter Three - Invasion
Chapter Four - Otoh Gunga
Chapter Five - Allusions
Chapter Six - Escape
Chapter Seven - Tatooine
Chapter Eight - Annikin
Chapter Nine - The Hermits
Chapter Ten - The Cloners
Chapter Eleven - The Ophuchi
Chapter Twelve - Prophecy
Chapter Thirteen - Bargain
Chapter Fourteen - Freedom
Chapter Fifteen - Destiny
Chapter Sixteen - Cat and Mouse
Chapter Seventeen - Coruscant

Preface:Before Romeo and Juliet
Before Tristan and Isolde
Just over one thousand, nine hundred and seventy-seven years after the birth of one savior in Nazareth, one man took it upon himself to begin the story of another savior, Luke Skywalker. Twenty two years later, the story of the father, Anakin, another savior, was told. But like all historical events, the story of Anakin and Luke is subject to interpretation. That’s the interesting thing about stories. While one might believe they know everything there is to know about legends, other accounts might arise that tell a drastically different tale. This is one of those tales. Twenty-eight years after you first saw the warship fly over the desert wastes, you were told that the saga was complete. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

The saga of the star wars is far from over.

Twelve years after the brief Stark Hyperspace War, turmoil engulfed the Galactic Republic. The outlawing of the slave trade in the outlying star systems was met with great dispute and hostility, particularly from capitalistic corporations such as the Trade Federation. Hoping to force the Galactic Senate to change their policy on slave labor, the ruthless Federation moved a large blockade of deadly battle cruiser to stop all shipping to the small, peaceful world of Utapau. But there was a more sinister plot at work, one that involved the takeover of the Galactic Republic itself. While the Galactic Senate endlessly debated the alarming chain of events, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum secretly dispatched two powerful members of the Jedi Order, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, in the hopes of settling the growing conflict as quickly and as peacefully as possible.

What he did not know was that sending the Jedi was just what his enemies wanted....

[Jedimasterbac]

PROLOGUE
THE TRAGEDY

The patter of rain was all that could be heard within the ancient Sith academy of Dathomir. Located on the edge of a deep and vast canyon containing rivers and deep, dark forests, the academy grounds were a graveyard of members of the Brotherhood of Darkness that had died defending their empire during the New Sith Wars, and of those that had failed their tests of strength before the war even broke out. Rotting skeletons still laid within the dark forests around the academy, serving as a stark reminder of the consequences of failure.

By Human standards, Dathomir was normally a temperate and beautiful planet, but the rain storm that had lasted for days on end disrupted that norm. The world had a diverse terrain that included coastal lakes, thick forests, snow-capped mountains, raging rivers and broad savannas. There were even small icecaps and rift valleys throughout the world. Even with of that beauty and wonder, nearly ninety percent of the world remained unexplored. It was for that reason that Darth Bane chose to use Dathomir as one of his training grounds when he first created the Rule of Two and the Order of Sith Lords.

Darth Plagueis contained that tradition as the Dark Lord of the Sith. He had seen many atrocities and failures in his life time, so many would have assumed that he would be used to the darkness and bleakness of Sith academies and temples. That could not have been further from the truth. Even before he became the Dark Lord of the Sith, Plagueis greatly appreciated beauty. In fact, his favorite time of day was when he would be able to catch the first glimpse of the moonlight reflecting off of the distant lakes and rivers.

Even with the normal beauty of the world, the Dark Side surged with power. He had heard an ancient legend about a rogue Jedi Knight named Allya who was banished to Dathomir by the Jedi Council. She took many of her followers with her and forged a friendship with the few settlers that were on the world. She taught them the ways of the Force, and later she taught the ways of the Force to her own children. Centuries later, Allya was credited with transforming the settler society into one led by the women who held the men as their slaves. Despite the numerous other legends about her, the end result was always the same. The society dominated by Force-using women became known as the Witches of Dathomir and their story was used to frighten children around a fire.

Plagueis had encountered those who he believed to be the Witches of Dathomir, but there was an unspoken understanding between them and the Sith where they agreed to leave each other alone. It had worked out for many years, and Plagueis had continued that. Though he would have enjoyed having numerous seductive women under his command, the doctrine of Bane clearly forbid more than two Sith. There could only be one master and one apprentice; one to embody power and the other to crave it.

Plagueis sat alone within his chambers on his bed. He was deep within meditation, reflecting on the past as he knew that it would be the last time he would be able to do so. He had lived for nearly four thousand years, but it felt as if he had accomplished next to nothing. Even so, it amazed him how far he had come and how much he had changed. To begin one’s life as a Jedi and to finish it off as one of the most powerful Dark Lords of the Sith in history was truly a rarity.

Though he had the powers of immortality, he knew that his apprentice was prepared to strike him down. Plagueis did not fear losing his power, despite what his apprentice thought, and welcomed death. There was no mystery in it for him anymore and there was nothing more he could accomplish in life. His task was finished and his apprentice held the knowledge that Plagueis was immortal. Even so, it would take great power for his apprentice to discover the secret, as well as the other secrets that Plagueis did not share with him.

At first, Plagueis wondered why he would give up his immortal life. He had fought so hard for it and lost so much. His lover had come to him with a vision of her own death, and her visions had always come true. Plagueis swore that he would find a way to stop those he cared about from dying, and after weeks he was able to. However, he discovered the secrets too late. One of his greatest friends betrayed him and his lover was killed. It was on that day that he began to walk the dark path, though he did not know it at first.

He always assumed that he would have died in battle. The great wars that he fought in always prepared him for that. He defended territories, defended the right to exist and defended the love that the son of another of his greatest friends held for the woman of a ruthless tyrant in the Unknown Regions. Even with all of that, he would die in his sleep, but he would have the last laugh.

Hours later, Plagueis slipped into the realm of sleep. Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord’s heir, prepared to make his move. Darkness crept across the marble floor and thunder could be heard outside the academy. Though night had fallen, something darker than the night’s shadows raced through the dimly lit halls. Not even a whisper escaped the heir to the Dark Lord as he made his way to his master’s chambers.

At long last, Sidious stood above his master’s bed as he slept. All remained silent and dark until a crimson blade of pure energy hummed to life. However, the light that it created lasted only an instant. In a flash, the blade pierced the heart of the Dark Lord as Sidious thrust it into his chest. Like a hot poker through the snow, it slid into the flesh of his self-proclaimed father.

In the beginning, it was as if Plagueis felt no pain. No desire caught his sadistic pursuits. However, the absence was not eternal and with a shocking scream his body lurched upright. Plagueis’ cruel eyes peeled open as his face began to turn a shade much like crimson blood. Clawed hands reached up to savage his killer and demonic hisses echoed throughout his halls. Plagueis had to keep up the disguise of feeling betrayed, despite the fact that he knew what was to come.

“You’ve become weak, my master,” Sidious said as he clutched his mentor tightly, bringing his own face within an inch of Plagueis’. “In some ways, I envy you. You will find that which I will not taste until my own death. Peace, old man.”

As Plagueis’ life-force left him, he knew that he would have the last laugh in the end and that Sidious would realize that he made a mistake. Within hours, Sidious would question whether or not he should have snuck up on his master. He would feel ashamed that he did not meet him in combat face-to-face. It would, without a doubt, make him feel as if he were a coward.

However, those emotions had not entered Sidious’ mind yet. The new Dark Lord of the Sith watched intently while his master welcomed the chilling embrace of death. It would be Darth Sidious’ duty to carry on the traditions of Darth Bane and, perhaps someday, overthrow the Jedi Order and avenge the lives of all those who had died at their hands. Sidious vowed to end their lives and not give up until he had done so. With that promise, he watched as the final spark of life left the eyes of his master.

“Until we meet again,” Sidious whispered into the night as he offered one final parting blow to his dead master’s corpse.

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER ONE
ELUSIVE FEELINGS


The small frame of the Radiant VII soared through space, its destination of Utapau directly in front of it. The Consular-class space cruiser had been painted red so potential enemies would know that it held diplomatic immunity from the Galactic Senate. The cruiser had a large salon pod attached to it to be used as a secure meeting area for representatives and leaders, and in emergency situations it had the ability to eject from the ship. That detached pod had its own sensors, life support and weapons systems to protect the diplomats that were on board it.

Even though the ship was one of great importance, its size would not have been an indicator of it. The cruiser was only big enough to hold eight crew members and sixteen passengers, far less than many other cruisers of great diplomatic importance. Because of this, a great deal of the ship was attended to by droid crew members that did not require eating facilities or sleeping quarters. Many of the droids also served as body guards, and half of the sentient crew also served as guards.

As the vessel approached Utapau, a great deal of the planet’s beauty was blocked off by the hulking masses of the Trade Federation Lucrehulk-class battleships. The battleships were nearly three kilometers in diameter overall and were shaped like flattened disks. In the middle of the disk, there was a sphere that held the vessel’s bridge and reactor core. The disk itself was broken in the front to make room for entrances to two enormous docking bays. Though the vessels were normally used for cargo, the power that they housed was immense. It would have taken a large fleet of starfighters to take one down.

In the cockpit of the Radiant VII was Captain Maoi Madakor and her co-pilot, Lieutenant Antidar Williams. Behind them stood an older Jedi Master and his younger companion, a Jedi Knight. The Republic crew knew very little about the situation that had developed. What they did know, however, was that the Neimoidian Trade Federation was outraged by the prohibition of slave labor in outlying systems and had used their battlecruisers to create a large blockade around the peaceful world. Because the knights of the Jedi Order were the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic , Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum had dispatched the two Jedi in hopes of resolving the conflict. The rhetoric of the Galactic Senate had done nothing to help the situation other than drown out the cries for help, so it was understandable to the Republic crew that Chancellor Valorum would ask Jedi to serve as ambassadors.

“Captain,” the elder Jedi Master said, “tell them we wish to come board immediately. Then contact Chancellor Valorum and tell them that we’ve arrived.”

Madakor nodded and within a matter of minutes she received the confirmation signal from the bridge of the lead Trade Federation vessel. She shared her co-pilots thoughts about dealing with a group as ruthless as the federation, and she could only assume that their Jedi passengers felt the same sense of disgust. The rumors about the slave camps and punishment tactics of the Neimoidians appalled most within the Republic, but some people, both within and outside the Republic, turned a blind eye to it.

The Trade Federation was a shipping corporation and cartel. It had made deals with numerous technological and manufacturing plants within its sector of the galaxy to build up its own battle droid army. Because of the army, the federation managed to maintain a corporate monopoly over many trade routes and gained a great deal of influence in the Republic because of this. With that influence, they were able to buy a seat in the Galactic Senate. Senator Lott Dodd of the federation was the only member of the senate that did not represent a world, but rather a massive corporation.

Originally, the federation was controlled by a directorate, with a viceroy at the center of it. Neimoidians had always been very influential on the directorate, though by the time of the Utapau crisis they had not had a monopoly for very long. They only gained the monopoly due to the murder of six other members of the directorate were murdered, leaving only Viceroy Nute Gunray alive. From there, he appointed his own puppets such as supposedly trusted right arm Ruune Haako to the directorate.

The Trade Federation was outraged at the prohibition of slave labor in the outlying worlds, hence the blockade of Utapau. The blockade was meant to be seen as an example to the Galactic Senate and other worlds, but after a month many believed it had little chance of succeeding. Many of the member species of the federation had pulled out of the alliance, as they believed the blockade would lead to the downfall of the federation. To some, that was only a pleasant hope for the future.

After a few minutes of docking procedures, the Radiant VII entered the small gap that led to the docking bay. The larger vessel’s tractor beam took hold and guided the cruiser into the bay where the magnetic clamps locked the vessel into place. Not wasting any time, the two hooded Jedi made their way through the bowels of the Republic cruiser towards the main hatch. When the light turned green, the guard at the door released the locking mechanism and lowered the ramp. At that point, the Jedi stepped out into the bright light, which proved to be ironic considering the situation they were in.

At the bottom of the ramp, a silver protocol droid stood waiting for them. The two Jedi looked at each other with grins, as they both found it somewhat surprising that such a sophisticated droid would be used by the Neimoidians. The Trade Federation was never known to favor elegance or beauty, and protocol droids had a great deal of both, but rather they were known to favor simple droids such as their lethal B-1 battle droid series. Knowing how arrogant the Neimoidians were towards the language of Galactic Basic, the elder Jedi Master pulled out a translation device so they would be able to understand what the droid had to say.

“I am TC-14 at your service,” the silver droid said in Neimoidian before motioning towards the large door that led into the halls. “This way, please.”

As they moved towards the hall, the two Jedi made sure that they paid close attention to their surroundings. The docking bay was sparsely populated with actual life, but it was greatly populated with many forms of droid technologies. B-1s roamed the bay, guarding whatever their masters felt was necessary to guard. A few droid starfighters also rested overhead, though there were not as many as the Jedi had expected. The docking bay itself was a mesh of silver and gray, though they could not see the entire bay as it curved around and seemingly spanned the entire outer portion of the vessel. Considering the forces that the Trade Federation had amassed, that did not surprise the Jedi in the least.

The halls of the docking bay were very similar in appearance to the docking bay. The separations between the white, silver and gray pieces of metal plating were clearly evident. The nuts and bolts of the vessel were visible, which did not surprise the Jedi as it was common knowledge that the federation was not known to spend a fortune on anything. Circuits and computer consoles also lined the walls, and bright white lights hung from the ceilings.

When the Jedi followed the droid into the empty conference room, the Jedi recognized how similar it was in design to the rest of the vessel. Most vessels kept the same design for every hall, bay and room for continuity purposes, but the federation did not even seem to go anywhere remotely out of its way to put some sort of variety into different parts of their ship. Though it wouldn’t have meant anything to any normal person, it was able to tell the Jedi one very important thing: the Neimoidians did not like change and they would not bend over backwards to make even the slightest change.

“I hope your honored sirs will be comfortable here,” the droid told them in Neimoidian. “My masters will be with you shortly.”

The droid turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind it. When they were certain that there was no one else in the room, the Jedi removed their hoods to reveal the faces of the elder Jedi Master Jard Dooku and his Jedi Knight companion, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Dooku was the taller of the two and he was at least in his late sixties and perhaps early seventies. Obi-Wan, however, did not look to be a day over thirty standard years old. Though they both had beards, Obi-Wan’s golden-brown hair had grown out longer while Dooku’s was nearly white and combed back in a dignified fashion.

Obi-Wan continued to look around the room to make sure that they were not being watched in any way. Since the Radiant VII had dropped out of hyperspace nearly a half hour earlier, something had not felt right to him. Something in the very near future did not feel right to Obi-Wan, as if the future held some sort of phantom menace that no one could stop. Though he knew he would be chided for doing so, Obi-Wan could not help but raise his concerns to his superior.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Obi-Wan said.

“I sense nothing,” Dooku told him coldly and without hesitation, leading Obi-Wan to believe that Dooku had not even tried to see the situation from the Jedi Knight’s point of view.

“It’s not about the mission,” Obi-Wan continued. “It’s something...something elsewhere. Something elusive.”

“You’re centering on your anxieties again,” Dooku scolded. “Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.”

“Perhaps if you had taught me to be mindful of the Living Force when I was your apprentice,” Obi-Wan shot back, “I wouldn’t have to focus on my so-called anxieties.”

“Know your place, Obi-Wan,” Dooku said coldly.

Obi-Wan wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew that it would only worsen the situation between the two of them. As the two Jedi awkwardly walked side by side to the view port where the maze of battleships and the lush, green and blue sphere of Utapau hung against the heavens, Obi-Wan could not help but think about the tense relationship he always had Dooku when their relationship was that of a master and an apprentice.

Obi-Wan remembered nothing about his life before the age of five standard years. The Jedi Archives indicated that he had been born on Dantooine to two young settlers. What he did remember was training under Jedi Master Yoda alongside many other padawans of his age such as one of his good friends, Quinlan Vos. When he was thirteen years old, he also became attracted to fellow padawan Siri Tachi, but nothing was able to come of it as Siri and her master were transferred to the School of Hidden Wisdom on Baltimn. After she left, Obi-Wan continued his pre-apprentice studies with notable masters such as Cin Drallig, one of the greatest lightsaber duelists of all time. His abilities with the Force and the blade made him somewhat arrogant, but under Yoda’s guidance he was able to become more humble and reserved.

Despite his power and potential, when Obi-Wan neared the age of thirteen standard years, it had appeared that he had little chance of becoming a Jedi Knight, as younglings who were not selected by a master to be trained by the age of thirteen were assigned to the Jedi Service Corps. One afternoon, Obi-Wan found out that Jedi Master Jard Dooku would be visiting the Jedi Temple to find an apprentice, so Obi-Wan fought against one of his competitors, Bruck Chun, to draw the attention of Master Dooku. However, the fierce offensive made Obi-Wan appeared to be too dangerous for training, so Dooku did not select him.

Because of his rejection, Obi-Wan was assigned to be a miner on Bandomeer for the AgriCorps. However, Obi-Wan believed that fate had given him a second chance, as Dooku had also been assigned to a mission on Bandomeer and they traveled together on the same voyage. En route to the planet, Obi-Wan and Dooku realized that Dooku’s old padawans, Xanatos, had set a trap for him and was plotting to assassinate him. This helped Dooku realize that Obi-Wan was worthy to be his padawans and after the successful completion of the mission, Obi-Wan officially became Dooku’s apprentice.

Over the years, Obi-Wan and Dooku had very different views on the nature of the Jedi Order and its relationship to the Supreme Chancellor and the Galactic Senate. This caused a great strain in their relationship, and Obi-Wan’s training often became awkward to the point of downright tension and ferocity. Even so, the Stark Hyperspace War that had ended seven years before the outbreak of the Utapau crisis proved that, when necessary, they could be each other’s strongest ally and that they could work together under any situation.

The Stark Hyperspace War was a small regional military conflict fought in the Quotile system, and it was one of the many minor conflicts that the Republic faced after the Ruusan Reformation. The Republic and the Jedi were forced to fight against the forces of the Stark Commercial Combine, a fierce group of pirates, mercenaries, bounty hunters and assassins that had united together under the leadership of Iaco Stark. The Combine received some aid from the Trade Federation during the conflict.

The conflict began with a series of raids in the Outer Rim and was solved by peaceful negotiations by the Republic’s diplomats, most notably Senator Finis Valorum and Jedi Master Tyvokka. The conflict escalated into a full scale war through the aggressions of Senator Ranulph Tarkin and the actions of the Combine and the Trade Federation. The entire war was fought in five battles that took place around Troiken, except for one battle on the planet Thyferra. At the end of the war, Stark decided to defect and help the Republic end the war. Soon after, the war official ended.

Obi-Wan, Dooku and Quinlan Vos had been a member of Tyvokka’s negotiation team and were forced to fight in the Fourth Battle of Quotile, a conflict in which Obi-Wan risked his life to save the life of Dooku. It was at that point where they proved that, despite their differences, they could work together. It was also during that battle that Obi-Wan’s friendship with Vos grew, and they came to consider each other the best of friends.

The war had numerous consequences for the Republic. Tyvokka and Ranulph Tarkin were both killed, and their seats on the Jedi Council and the Galactic Senate, respectively, were left vacant and had to be filled. Nute Gunray also used the position to solidify himself as Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Finally, because of his handling of the negotiations during the war, Finis Valorum was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic by his colleagues in the Galactic Senate.

Despite the fact that Obi-Wan and Dooku were able to prove that they had a somewhat strong relationship of trust as master and apprentice, the tensions between them continued to grow until their relationship became one of bitterness. Obi-Wan confided in a Jedi Council Member named Qui-Gon Jinn, and Jinn advised him on the situation. Though he was on the council, Qui-Gon was somewhat of a maverick Jedi and believed deeply in the Living Force while others did not. Qui-Gon attempted to teach Obi-Wan its philosophies, but Dooku became aware of it and demanded that the lessons be stopped. Qui-Gon complied, but that did not stop him from being a mentor to Obi-Wan both before and after Obi-Wan passed his trials and became a Jedi Knight. From that point on, Obi-Wan simply saw Dooku as a teacher rather than a master. He continued to hold that idea even while talking to him on the federation ship.

“How do you think this trade viceroy will deal with the chancellor’s demands?” Obi-Wan asked, finally breaking the silence.

Dooku thought about his former padawan’s question for a moment. The Jedi Master had been born as the count of Serenno, though he was forced to relinquish that title when he was taken in by the Jedi Order. Like all Jedi, he was trained by Master Yoda as a padawan until he became the apprentice of Thame Cerulian at the age of thirteen. Cerulian shaped Dooku into an immensely powerful Jedi, causing Yoda to take notice of it and help train him in the later years of his Jedi training. During this time, Dooku became close friends with padawan Qui-Gon Jinn, though their relationship later became somewhat strained when he learned that Qui-Gon was attempting to train Obi-Wan in philosophies that Dooku did not believe in.

During his time as an instructor on Coruscant, many other Jedi Knights and Jedi Padawans took notice of his teaching methods and many of his principles were well-received, though many of his others were not. He told students that acceptance of others was not a guarantee and, like everyone else, a Jedi would be accepted or not accepted based on their behavior. He said that a Jedi who believed that he was more important than others would only demonstrate that his opinion should and would be ignored.

However, others noticed that, despite his lessons, Dooku felt he would become the greatest Jedi in history. Because of this, many of his other theories were not accepted. Dooku believed that one could draw from both sides of the Force equally to achieve perfect balance. He told many of his fellow Jedi that as long as one was not tempted to one side or another, one would be able to maintain a balance and harness the powers needed to alter the face of the galaxy for the better. However, many took note that his own pride, expressed in his very goals, brought him closer and closer to the Dark Side when attempting to study both sides. It was one of the reasons that Dooku was not a member of the Jedi Council, something that Dooku could never forgive the order for.

“The Neimoidians may be ruthless and heartless,” Dooku said, “but they’re still cowards. The negotiations will be short.”

--------------------

CHAPTER CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

The bridge of the federation vessel was massive. At the very front, six large windows that kept a watchful eye on the fleet and the planet sat just before a line of computer consoles where droids and Neimoidians worked. Behind the consoles was the large seat for the commander of the vessel, and two seats sat beside that for his first officer and honored guests. The rest of the bridge was a pit of computers and lights where dozens of droid workers sat and controlled the guidance and weapons systems.

Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray stood on the main walkway of the bridge just beside his main advisor, Rune Haako. Gunray joined the federation years earlier as a trade officer, though he quickly found an opportunity to be promoted when he helped force the Pulsar Supertakner Corporation out of the directorate and, eventually, the federation itself. Because the directorate had a vacant seat, Gunray lobbied for the role and won out. With his position, he served as the senator in the Galactic Senate and supported a Republic offensive against the Stark Commercial Combine after it began to attack federation bacta transports. Gunray ultimately demanded the federation be granted the right to expand its army and later met with Ranulph Tarkin to try to bring a quicker end to his enemy.

Many suggested that Gunray acted as a coward when he fought in the Stark Hyperspace War, though others gave him the reputation of being a ruthless and cold-blooded killer when he ordered his droids to assassinate Jedi Master Tyvokka. However, Gunray denied that he had anything to do with the assassination and there was no official proof as the droids that had been used to murder the Jedi Master were “mysteriously” destroyed.

Because of his role in the conflict, Gunray was appointed Viceroy of the Trade Federation, though he did not have complete control due to the powers of the directorate. Two years before launching the blockade of Utapau, Gunray was contacted by a man named Darth Maul who claimed to be a Lord of the Sith, though Gunray did not truly believe his claims as the official reports said that the Sith had been destroyed during the final battle of the New Sith Wars. Though he was wary of Maul’s initial claims, Gunray decided to become allies with him when Maul promised to make him the sole leader of the Trade Federation. Maul also promised that the Trade Federation would be able to create a much larger droid army.

One year later, during a summit on Eriadu, the federation battle droids unexpectedly opened fire on the members of the directorate, all of whom were not Neimoidian, killing each one except for Gunray and Senator Lott Dodd, who were both conveniently absent from the meeting. Under Maul’s guidance, Gunray filled the seats with Neimoidian puppets such as his head advisor Rune Haako and other associates such as Daultay Dofine and Hath Monchar, thereby establishing Cato Neimoidia’s monopoly over the corporation.

Shortly thereafter, Senator Malus Palpatine of Utapau proposed that the slave trade be abolished in the outlying star systems. After several months of debate, Palpatine’s bill was signed into law by Chancellor Valorum and all worlds and corporations in the outer reaches of the Republic, including the Trade Federation, were forced to free all of their slaves. Outraged, Gunray requested Maul’s help in forcing the Republic to overturn the law. It was then that they plotted the blockade of Utapau. Gunray and the directorate had help from Maul during the process, as well as a man named Fett who served as Mandalore of the Mandalorian Clans. However, Gunray never was able to find out why a Mandalorian, especially Mandalore, would be helping them in their cause.

Despite his reservations about the help he was receiving, the blockade was launched and Gunray felt that it had been a tremendous success. The words that came out of his protocol droid, however, nearly made his jaw drop. For the first time, he began to question whether or not the blockade would be a success or if it would be an absolute, humiliating failure.

“What?” Gunray asked the protocol droid in Neimoidian. “What did you say?”

“The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, I believe,” TC-14 responded.

“They said they could keep the Jedi out of this,” Rune Haako, Gunray’s assistant and member of the directorate, reminded them as he stepped up beside his superior.

“Distract them,” Gunray shouted at Haako. “I will speak with Lord Maul.”

“Are you insane?” the Neimoidian puppet asked his viceroy. “Those Jedi can twist your minds and turn your own thoughts against you. Send the droid.”

“I feel obligated to point out - ”

“Just get in there,” Gunray shouted, cutting the droid off mid-sentence. After watching the droid leave, Gunray turned around and made his way to the holographic generator. He always hated having to contact the supposed Lord of the Sith who spent most of the time in the chambers that they had constructed for him on the lower levels, but certain times called for the advice of their self-appointed superior officer.

Within moments, the generator kicked in and the shrouded and hooded face of Darth Maul appeared as a blue, computer generated image. Very little was known of the Sith Lord Darth Maul, but his face told the Trade Federation everything they needed to know: he had no ideals, simply hatred. He was someone else’s pawn, to be sure. His face was covered in red and black tattoos, and the bulges coming out of the top of his hood indicated that he was a horned Zabrak. To some, he looked like the devil of Hell from Corellian mythology.

“I told you never to interrupt my meditations,” Maul told them. “This had better be important.”

“It is, my lord,” Gunray said. “The chancellor has sent two Jedi ambassadors to force us into a settlement.”

“Yes,” Maul said, “I know.”

“You knew,” Haako shouted. “You didn’t tell us they would be Jedi. You’ve betrayed us!”

“You seem more worried about the Jedi than you are of me,” Maul laughed. “I am amused.”

A subtle smile crossed over the shrouded face of the supposed Lord of the Sith. Even though it was known if Maul was truly a Sith Lord or not, Gunray understand that he was a man who was to be feared. He turned towards his chief associate with an angry look in his eyes as he motioned for him to leave the area. As Haako stepped into one of the computer pits, though remaining close enough to hear the conversation, Gunray turned back to Maul.

“What will you have us do?” Gunray asked.

“They’ve arrived earlier than I expected,” Maul said. “We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops.”

“Is that legal?” the viceroy asked.

“I will make it legal,” Maul told him coldly and without hesitation. “Let the Jedi continue on their way. They are crucial to our plans.”

As the hologram disappeared, Gunray had other motives in store. Though he would surely follow the order to begin landing troops on the surface, as he had been waiting one standard month to do so, he would not let the Jedi live. His concerns were with regaining the right to own slaves in the outlying systems, not with the concerns of someone with delusions so great that they believed they were actually a Lord of the Sith. Sith or no Sith, he would not simply sit by and watch as his own interests were threatened.

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER TWO
FEDERATION HOSPITALITY


The large conference room began feeling colder than it had as Obi-Wan anxiously awaited the arrival of the Trade Federation viceroy. Normally, he would have been somewhat more patient, but the files they had been given on the Neimoidians before beginning the mission had clearly stated that the hierarchy of the federation may have been ruthless, though they were also extremely cowardly when it came to external threats. Obi-Wan would have assumed that the viceroy would have been there moments after they had arrived, leading him to become more suspicious of someone tampering with their files or, even worse, the elusive sensation he had felt when they first arrived on the ship.,

“Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No,” Dooku told him. “I sense an unusual amount of fear and deception for something as trivial as a trade dispute.”

As he took a drink from the tray that TC-14 had brought for them, Obi-Wan could not help but agree with his former master. He doubted very highly that someone would have deliberately misled them in regards to the nature of a race as despised as the Neimoidians, leaving only the possibility that there was a much deeper plot in the works than had met the eye. He could not help but wonder what the Jedi Council would think when they heard of his suspicions, as the twelve member council did not usually take criticisms of their initial investigations very well.

Obi-Wan’s fears were seemingly confirmed as he felt a strange disturbance within the Force, its source clearly being very close to him. He looked over to Dooku who also had a somewhat distressed look on his face, but his old age and experience had allowed him to mask it far more effectively than Obi-Wan was able to. Within seconds, both of the Jedi knew what the other was thinking and quickly stood up from their chairs.

Both of the Jedi pulled their blades off of their belts and quickly ignited them. Because he was a Jedi who had nearly mastered the art of Soresu, the more common form of defensive lightsaber combat, Obi-Wan had a standard hilt with an azure blade. The hilt, like many other lightsaber hilts that had been used by Jedi throughout the years, was primarily a silver shaft where the crystals that operated the device were placed. There were black areas throughout the hilt to give it some character, and the red activation button rested three quarters of the way up the shaft. At the bottom of the hilt were six cubical spikes that Obi-Wan felt added additional character, symbolizing that he, as a Jedi, was peaceful and elegant yet unpredictable as well.

Dooku, however, used a far less common and nearly unused style of hilt for his emerald blade, something that made him somewhat more well-known throughout the Jedi Order. The curved hilt of old-style fencing had been used thousands of years earlier during the true golden age of the Jedi Order. It allowed more precise movements as well as increased flexibility during lightsaber combat. It also proved to be a challenge to opponents, as the user of the blade would be able to strike at different angles than a normal hilt allowed. However, those who decided to construct such a lightsaber would have found that it was far more complex and far more difficult to construct, as it provided more of a challenge while aligning the crystals.

Obi-Wan and Dooku both looked around the room as they heard a slight hissing noise. At first, they could not ascertain where it had come from, but as they turned around they watched as gas began to slowly flood the room. The flow of gas increased as more came out, and it was clear to them that they were not about to be the victim’s of a malfunction, but rather a desperate assassination attempt. Obi-Wan knew that they had to survive to report such events to the Jedi Council, as it would prove that there was more to the situation than had originally met the eye.

“The viceroy -,” TC-14 began to say.

“Shut up,” Obi-Wan shouted, interrupting the droid as more gas flooded the room.

“Dioxis,” Dooku said, causing the two Jedi to immediately turn off their blades and take a deep breath. As they held the breath, the yellow-green smoke completely overtook them.

Just on the other side of the door, a group of B-1 battle droids formed up throughout the area. The heads of the B-1 line of Trade Federation battle droids were designed specifically to look like the skull of a dead Neimoidian. The intent of the Trade Federation was to use them to frighten an enemy, though most of the galaxy only feared their capabilities rather than their looks. Their looks did, however, bear a striking, if not exact resemblance to the OOM-model of battle droids, the B-1 series’ immediate predecessor. Unlike the OOM-models, however, the B-1s were not colored-coded based on their positions or functions.

The lead battle droid, designated Green One for the assassination of the Jedi Knights, reacted as the holo-emitter it was asked to carry lit up and beeped. At first, the droid raised its blaster, thinking that it was one of the Jedi. However, it quickly realized that it was coming from its own device. As it activated the holo-emitter, the shimmering blue holographic image of Nute Gunray appeared.

“They must be dead by now,” Gunray said. “Destroy what’s left of them.”

“Acknowledged,” Green One said in Neimoidian as the hologram faded away. “Check it out, Green Three. We’ll cover you.”

Green Three acknowledged the order and slowly began to make his way towards the door. As the droid approached it, it activated its bio-scanners so that it would be prepared for when the door opened and the Jedi, if they were still alive, emerged. As it cautiously opened the door, the deadly yellow cloud flooded into the hall. While the smoke moved through the corridor and eventually into the air-processing shafts nearby, the droids cocked their weapons as a figure stumbled out of the smoke. However, it was merely TC-14, still carrying the tray of drinks that it had brought for the Jedi ambassadors.

“Oh,” TC-14 said, noticing the battle droids, “excuse me.”

The battle droids lowered their weapons, all assuming that the protocol droid would have said something if the Jedi were still alive. However, after watching the droid leave, the battle droids quickly turned back towards the door as the heard a humming noise. When they were facing the door once again, they had just enough time to see two blades, one green and one blue, light up within the smoke.

“Blast them,” Green One ordered.

Within seconds, the droids raised their weapons and shots rang out into the room. However, each shot was deflected back with ease and skill as Obi-Wan and Dooku deflected the attacks. They emerged from the smoke and quickly began cutting down the droids in front of them. One by one, the droids fell to their Jedi assailants. Green One attempted to back away from the fight, as it knew that the viceroy was watching its transmissions from the bridge of the ship. However, the droid quickly realized that his chances of being destroyed were very high.

On the bridge of the ship, Gunray and Haako watched in horror as the droids were sliced down as if they were nothing. The Trade Federation battle droid armies had fought against numerous enemies during its time in service, but none were able to cut down the droid troops as quickly and easily as the two Jedi attackers had. Gunray knew that it was a testament to their immense skill and command over the Force, but that did not make it any less tolerable for him.

“Something’s wrong, Viceroy,” Green One told him over the transmitter. “Not exactly sure what’s - ”

Before the video transmission on the main viewscreen ended, Gunray and Haako had just enough time to watch as Obi-Wan’s blue blade sliced into the droid and destroyed it. Haako looked around the bridge in horror, hoping that one of the technicians monitoring the droids would tell them that something had simply happened to the transmitter. Based upon the look on his viceroy’s face, however, he knew that it wasn’t so and he could not help but feel great anger at his superior for defying Maul and putting them in such a precarious situation.

“Sirs,” one of the technicians from the pit shouted, “we’ve lost Green One.”

Gunray stopped dead in his tracks. He could not believe that he had been so foolish to think that a group of battle droids would be able to stop two clearly determined Jedi Knights. He was not concerned with Darth Maul, but he was concerned with the Jedi making it onto the bridge and arresting him for the assassination attempt, thereby putting an end to the work that they had put into the blockade. However, his concerns would were no matter. He had a backup plan in mind, and he knew exactly how to implement it.

“Close the blast doors,” Gunray shouted. “I want droidekas up here at once!”

“You arrogant fool,” Haako said as he shook his head. “You’ve just murdered us all.”

As the blast doors on the bridge sealed shut, Obi-Wan and Dooku had cut down nearly all the droids in the hallway leading to the bridge. Sparks flew everywhere, and the clattering of metal pieces was heard by the two Jedi as the droids fell down to the ground limp. Dooku backed away towards the bridge as Obi-Wan continued to fight off the droids and forced his green blade into the bridge doors in the hopes of cutting through it.

Other than simply emitting a colored light of pure energy, the blade of a lightsaber was essentially was a form without a mass that did not give off any heat, nor did it give off any energy until it came into contact with another solid. The power of the resulting energy was so great that it was able to cut through nearly anything, though Dooku knew full well that the speed through which it cut was heavily based upon the density of the object.

The bridge crew became tense and nervous as sparks started to fly out from their side. When chunks of molten metal began to fall from the metal’s wound, the Neimoidian crew attempted to move into the far back corner in the hopes of getting as far away from the Jedi as they possibly could. Gunray and Haako, however, were not about to look like cowards in front of their men, so they stayed where they were, albeit in a state of panic.

“They’re still coming through,” Haako shouted.

“This is impossible,” Gunray said. “Where are those damned droidekas?”

Just outside the bridge, two large droidekas, otherwise known as destroyer droids, rolled down the hallway at full speed. They were far more formidable than the typical battle droids used by the Federation, as their ability to transform into a wheel-like configuration allowed rapid movement and compact storage. When they came across an enemy, they were able to unfold into walking tripods with built-in twin blasters and, at times, personal shield generators. Such shield generators were somewhat powerful and were capable of deflecting or absorbing any type of blaster attack aside from high-powered blasters on starfighters.

The droidekas design was based off of designs made by the insectoid Colicoids that lived on Colla IV. The Colicoids were displeased with the limitations of the typical B-1 battle droids which were manufactured there, so the Federation was able to trade raw meats with the carnivorous insectoids as a means to get special rates on the normally costly droidekas. One main difference between the droidekas of Colla IV and the droidekas utilized by the Federation, however, was that the Federation linked them to a central computer, generally found on the bridge of a Federation command ship.

Just before the two droidekas reached the bridge, they were met by two more of the same class just before stopping and transforming into their tripod battle configuration. The droids unfolded their mechanical arms, and from on top of them their twin blasters unfolded on each arm. Dooku and Obi-Wan noticed them and immediately turned to react to their presence.

“I’d say this mission is past the negotiation stage,” Obi-Wan quipped.

Before he could even finish his sentence and Dooku could roll his eyes once again, the droidekas rushed their position and immediately began firing on them. Obi-Wan and Dooku deflected the blasts with ease, but were surprised to see them rebound off of the blue, bubble-like shields that were protecting the destroyers. They were forced to duck to avoid some of the rebounding blasts, as they had hit and bounced off of the ceiling, walls and floor.

“It’s a standoff,” Dooku said. “Let’s go.”

Dooku and Obi-Wan thrust their hands forward as if to grab hold of the air around them and made their way into a deep, albeit brief, concentration. Subtly twisting their wrists, they drew the powers of the Force into them like a waterfall flowing freely into the rivers of Alderaan. When the power reached its peak, they manipulated the Force and the universe around them and unleashed its power as they ran supernaturally fast through the halls, leaving the droidekas to attempt to ascertain their location.

On the far side of the hall, Obi-Wan and Dooku crawled into a ventilation system. The dusty shaft was cramped, which made it difficult for the tall Jedi Master Dooku to maneuver through it, but the two Jedi were able to make their way a short distance until they found a hangar bay adjacent to the one that they landed in. Not paying as close attention as they should have, they jumped down from the vent and landed behind a group of cargo crates only to thousands of battle droids and dozens of hover tanks and troop transporters being loaded onto troop transports.

The Multi-Troop Transports immediately caught their attention. The carriers, also known as MTTs, were manufactured and designed by the Baktoid Armor Workshop and were capable of carrying one hundred and twenty-two battle droids in a hydraulically powered deployment rack. The rack extended out from the face of the transporters, allowing the droids to be deployed directly into combat when necessary. The face of the transport was reinforced with case-hardened metal alloy studs and was designed to smash through enemy walls to reach its destination.

“It looks like an invasion army,” Obi-Wan said.

“This is an odd play for the Trade Federation,” Dooku decided. We’ve got to warn the Utapau and contact Chancellor Valorum.”

“We’d better do it somewhere else,” Obi-Wan told him. “The least they could do is let us hitch a ride with our friends over there.”

“Agreed,” Dooku said, much to Obi-Wan’s surprise. “We’ll stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet. Maintain communication silence until we’re on the surface.”

Obi-Wan nodded his head and began to stand up, but he immediately spotted a passing battle droid and dropped back down behind the cargo crates. He could sense Dooku’s disappointment, and the look on the Jedi Master’s face only reinforced it. Despite the fact that it annoyed Obi-Wan, he always tried to look past it and see that his former master only wanted what was best for him, though he always looked back on their time together and realized that it was only wishful thinking on his part.

“You were right about one thing, though,” Obi-Wan told Dooku with a smile. “The negotiations were short.”

“I’m sorry,” Dooku said, “but were you trying to be funny?”

“What?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Save your humor for someone else,” Dooku said as he rolled his eyes.

Not waiting to see Obi-Wan’s reaction to his comment, Dooku stood up and quickly ran towards a transport ship. Obi-Wan was not far behind him as he too ran towards one of the transports, albeit somewhat defeated by the fact that his former master had brushed him off once again. Regardless, Obi-Wan knew he had to concentrate on the mission and put his disappointment behind him as he slipped past the rack of battle droids and found his way into a small, cramped compartment to hide in.

--------------------


The damaged doorway to the command ship bridge slid open to reveal Darth Maul standing within it. Gunray did not even notice, as he continued to pace the bridge while waiting for word on the Jedi. Had he been paying attention, he clearly would have seen that Maul was displeased with him. Maul was, pure and simple, a tool and weapon of absolute hatred and corruption. The young Zabrak from Iridonia was marked by tattoos that covered his entire muscular body. No one knew exactly where he had come from, and some did not know if even Maul knew where he had come from. Despite that, it did not matter to anyone. All they needed to know was that death would have surely fallen upon anyone who wronged him.

“Viceroy,” Maul said and watched as Gunray jumped as he spoke, “I thought I told you to let the Jedi go on their way.”

“Yes, you did,” Gunray told him, “but I just thought - ”

“You are not here to think,” Maul reminded him. “You’re here to do what I tell you to do, and for betraying my trust you will be punished.”

Maul raised his hands, and his guards immediately stepped towards them and forcefully grabbed the viceroy by the shoulders. Maul had specific punishment techniques that he used for certain levels of failure, and he was to be sure that Gunray received one of the more severe ones for nearly derailing a plan that had been in effect for almost one century. Though he despised command, Maul knew that Gunray’s stupidity would force him to take command of the fleet for the time being.

“My lord,” a crew member said from the bit below him, “there’s an incoming transmission from the planet.”

Maul nodded his head and the viewscreen before him came to life to reveal the face of Utapauian Queen Arcadia. The queen, twenty-five standard years old, was tall and slender. She was dressed in a long, red gown and her long brown hair fell freely from her head to just below her shoulders. Normally a woman who always had a smile on her face, the tense situation had wiped the smile off and replaced it with a grim look of determination.

“Queen Arcadia,” Maul said as he bowed, “I’m honored that you’ve graced me with your presence. It is a great pleasure.”

“You will not be so pleased when you hear what I have to say, Lord Maul,” Arcadia told him. “Your blockade of our planet is over.”

“I am not aware of such a failure,” Maul said with a smile.

“I have word that the Senate is voting on the blockade,” Arcadia told him.

“And you know the outcome?” Maul asked. “I wonder why your Republic even bothers to vote then.”

“Enough of this pretense!” Arcadia shouted before regaining her calm. “I am aware that the Chancellor’s ambassadors are with you now and that you’ve been commanded to reach a settlement.”

“I know nothing of any Jedi,” Maul told her, noting her surprised reaction at his purposely-made slip of the tongue. “You must be mistaken.”

“We’ll see,” Arcadia said, “but the Federation has gone too far this time.”

The queen ended the transmission from her end, and as the picture faded away Maul turned away from the screen with a grin. However, he could tell that the crew did not share his amusement. With the queen’s suspicion, however, Maul had what he wanted and was prepared to give the Federation what they wanted: an invasion of Utapau. First, they would have to disrupt all communication. Only then would the planet be cut from the rest of the Republic and only then would the planet be his for the taking.

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER THREE
INVASION


Utapau was the sectorial capital of the Chommell Sector, located just outside the Outer Rim Territories. A largely unspoiled planet, it was well known for its large plains, forests, oceans, lakes and immense, flowing waterfalls. Though many other worlds had the same surface features, the interior of the planet was a mystery to astrophysicists as its porous, plasma rich interior and a lack of a molten core was unlike any other known planet in the galaxy.

The surface of Utapau was covered with swamps, rolling lush plains, seas and mountain ranges. The largest mountains, the Gallo Mountains, divided the great grass plains of the north from the Lianorm Swamp in the south. Just south of the swamp was the Paonga Sea, the bottom of which contained the seat of the Gungan Empire, though the Utapauans rarely had contact with or spoke to the Gungans, the race believed to have been indigenous to the planet.

The culture of Utapau was well known throughout the region. The Humans of the planet were renowned for their peacefulness and being enlightened and artistic. Being highly aristocratic, the planet developed into a classical feudal society with a hereditary noble class and a hereditary monarchy, along with a common class. There was not, however, a lower class which proved to be a testament to the enlightened culture. It was also proven by the fact that, unlike most other worlds, adulthood and the right to vote was not based on biological age, but rather it was based on intellectual maturity. Such a policy came about when monarchs were forced to take the throne in their teenaged years, as many did not feel it to be appropriate that there could be a teenaged monarch without teenaged voters for the legislature.

In the north was the capital city of Theed. In the city’s early history, it was simply one of the many city-states on the planet. However, one thousand years before the Federation first laid their treacherous eyes on the planet, the city became engulfed in a long and difficult civil war with the other city-states across the planet. It was not until the reign of a monarch named Jafan in Theed that the conflict ended, the city-states unified and Theed became the capital.

The unified and harmonious architectural style came about after strict planning and extensive rebuilding from the ancient past of the planet. If one was to have stood in the highest point at the center of the city of Theed, which was the location of the royal palace, one would have seen that the buildings of Theed stretched out towards the horizon. The city was a vast architectural triumph with high stone walls, green gilded domes, peaked towards and sculpted archways. Sunlight reflected off of the surface of the roofs and the architecture was a companion to the lush green planet. The immense flow of the waterfalls kilometers away allowed for a soft and distant backdrop to anyone who took the time to listen.

Inside the royal palace, Queen Sabé Arcadia sat on her throne in a tense discussion with her advisors and the holographic image of Senator Malus Palpatine. Arcadia was the daughter of King Veruna Arcadia, the former ruling monarch that had imposed tyrannical rule across Utapau before he was assassinated. Arcadia did not like to talk about what her father did, nor did she try to think about it frequently. Her concern was doing what she believed was right to serve the people, not her own interests. As far as she knew, the people continued to trust her after two years as queen, despite the fact that they could not elect her.

The House of Arcadia had ruled Utapau for centuries. They had originally been a house of warriors, some of which had fought against the Gungan Empire of the great lakes centuries earlier. It was not until three hundred years earlier that they decided to become politicians, and one of Arcadia’s ancestors thrust herself into the void left by a late heirless monarch to become queen. The House of Arcadia ruled Utapau ever since and always had the love and respect of the people, aside from when Veruna had ruled with an iron fist.

Veruna’s reign became unpopular when Utapau became a player in the interstellar plasma energy market. High grade plasma veins were discovered below the streets of Theed, so Veruna and Palpatine decided to build a plasma mining and refining center in the heart of the city. Because the Utapauans were not fond of actual trade, they agreed to allow the Trade Federation to purchase the refined plasma at a fixed cost, though the Federation sold Utapau short by selling the plasma for marked up prices. The Utapauans immediately recognized that the Neimoidians had taken advantage of their lack of experience in interstellar commerce.

It did not take long for the people to protest and demand to be free of the contract. Veruna never wanted the trade agreement to begin with and sensed that there would be a military confrontation. Therefore, he expanded the role of the Space Fighter Corps, which was a division of the Royal Security Forces, and founded the N-1 starfighter squadron. The move was unpopular to the Utapauans, as they perceived them to be a provocative move towards the Trade Federation. Veruna quickly began attempting to suppress the dissenting opinions and expanded the size of the security forces twofold to spread them across the planet in an effort to create a police state.

Shortly thereafter, Veruna was assassinated and his daughter rose to power. The new Queen Arcadia quickly began to reduce the size of the security forces once again, but she decided to keep the starfighter squadron for protection if the need arose. Because of that, there were death threats early on in her reign, so her Head of Security Captain Panaka insisted that she and her numerous handmaidens go through extensive combat training. After a short time, the threats subsided and Utapau seemingly returned to peace, at least until the Federation blockaded the planet.

During her tenure as queen, Panaka insisted that Arcadia make the unprecedented decision to cultivate a group of handmaidens. The handmaidens were all women of similar age and they all bore a striking resemblance to the queen. The handmaidens acted as bodyguards, decoys and confidants to the queen, all roles which were designed by Panaka and approved by Arcadia.

The current conflict worried her more than anything else had ever worried her before. When she came to power, she assured her people that she would not allow any violent conflicts to take place, but she began to realize day after day of the blockade that she could have little choice in that matter. She had been a strong supporter of the Galactic Senate’s decision to ban slavery in the outlying systems, which was undoubtedly one of the reasons that the Trade Federation chose to blockade Utapau. While she did not regret freeing the thousands of slaves that were freed by the banning, she could not help but wonder if Utapau would have been targeted had she not voiced her support.

“Your majesty,” Theed Governor Sio Bibble said, causing Arcadia to look up from her thoughts, “the senator has asked you a question.”

“I’m sorry,” Arcadia told him and those who were seated around her. “Please, go ahead Senator.”

“I was asking how what the Federation said could be true,” Palpatine repeated. “I have assurances from Chancellor Valorum that his ambassadors did arrive. It must be the...get...gotiate...bassadors...”

The blue holographic form of Senator Palpatine began to sputter and fade away, but for a moment it appeared that the transmission was gaining strength once again. However, the image became further corrupted as the seconds passed by until, finally, it faded out altogether. Arcadia hid the worried look on her face as best as she could, but she could see it on the faces of her advisers. It was as if their worst fears were coming true.

“What’s happened?” she asked.

“Check the communications array,” Captain Panaka told one of the guards. The guard saluted and waited until Panka returned the salute to walk out of the throne room and carry out his orders.

“A malfunction?” Governor Bibble asked with a suspicious look on his face, one that he knew was shared by Panaka.

“We just finished a diagnostic two days ago,” Panaka told them. “The array is most likely being disrupted by the Federation.”

“A communications disruption can only mean one thing,” Bibble reminded them. “Invasion.”

“I can’t believe that even the Federation would go that far,” Arcadia said.

“The Senate would revoke their trade franchise altogether,” Panaka told them.

“Then we must continue to rely on negotiation,” Arcadia decided.

“Negotiation?” Bibble asked, almost with a laugh. “We’ve lost all communication. We have to be prepared to defend ourselves.”

“This is a dangerous situation, your highness,” Panka added, “and our security volunteers are no match for the Federation army.”

Arcadia sat still for a moment, forcing herself to go through all of the possible alternatives and all of the possible consequences and outcomes in her head. She did not like any of them, but she particularly despised the idea of having to wage a war against the Trade Federation. If she was forced into doing it, she would protect her people. She had told her people long ago that there were things she could not do, but there were things she would do if necessary. However, until that time came, she would only prepare to defend the people through non-violent means.

“I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war,” Arcadia told them.

--------------------


On the gray, twilight side of the planet hundreds of kilometers from Theed and any other city, three landing crafts slowly descended through the cloud cover of the planet. Their starfighters escorts split off from the main group and made their way kilometers into the distance on what would become a routine reconnaissance mission to ensure that no one had witnessed their arrival and to destroy anyone or anything that did. The Federation had a great deal at stake in the outcome of the invasion, and the last thing they needed was for a settler to tip off the government about the arrival of the Federation forces. Had they not disrupted communication, sensors also would have been online so everyone on the planet would have undoubtedly known about the invasion before the Federation ships even entered the atmosphere.

As one of the landing crafts began to slow and wobble in mid-air a few meters above the surface, a blue beam of energy sliced through the metal hull on the craft’s underside. The blue beam cut a man-sized circular hole in the bottom and a group of battle droids plummeted towards their imminent destruction. However, another figure emerged from the hole, revealing itself to be Obi-Wan. Putting his lightsaber back onto his belt, he jumped out of the craft and dove smoothly into the lake below him. A kilometer away, the landing craft plowed into the swampy ground, smoking as it broke off a wing.

One after another, the warships landed in the eerie swamps. Battle droid scouts rode back and forth through the mud on their armed and hovering one-man STAP vehicles, as they were the first ones out of the ships as the main doors opened. They continued to scan the area, looking for some indication of a possible assailant, as they did not believe that the crashed landing craft hit the ground due to a minor malfunction. However, they could find no sign of a saboteur, so they moved on to scan yet another area of the swamp.

As the battle droids flew off, Obi-Wan’s head emerged from the mud of the shallow lake. He wiped off his eyes, clearing the scum from within them that had irritated him while under water, and as he did so we could immediately see the activities of the invasion forces far into the mist. Though he did not know where Dooku was, he knew he could not have been far away. Annoyed that he had to continue his brief underwater escape, Obi-Wan took several deep breaths before disappearing again under the muddy swamp just before several more large, troop transports emerged from the nearby landing craft.

Just beside the landing craft, the droid commander known as OOM-9 looked out over his vast army of transports rolling across the swampy plains and into the forests. Though his programming did not allow for any form of emotion, he seemed to have felt pleasure at the sight of his invasion force making its way towards the plains of the planet, as it would not be long until they would arrive at Theed and occupy the entire planet. However, OOM-9 was distracted from his scanning as a small hologram of Darth Maul appeared before him on the tank.

“Yes, Lord Maul?” the droid commander asked.

“The Jedi are no longer aboard this ship,” Maul told them. “If you come into contact with them, let them go on their way.”

“Yes, sir,” OOM-9 immediately responded. The droid commander did not know why Lord Maul would have wanted two Jedi assassins to be allowed to continue on their way in what would quickly become a restricted military zone, but he was programmed to follow all orders and intended to carry out that one as well, despite his ignorance as to the reasoning behind it.

Kilometers away, Dooku ran as fast as he could through the strange landscape, barely stopping only once to glance back as the monstrous troop transports emerged from the mist. Animals began to run past him to avoid the titanic figures, but Dooku was barely able to keep up. He was one of the older Jedi Masters and had only been sent on the mission due to his skills in negotiation, not for the combat skills to be used in actual action that had disappeared every year he grew older.

As he ran, he could feel his joints snapping and rubbing against one another, the friction brought about by it causing him pain, albeit a minimal amount. Regardless, he found himself regretting his agreement to travel with his former padawan, as he had no intention of seeing action. He knew that Obi-Wan, on the other hand, more than likely would have no trouble making his way through the swamp and defending himself against the droid army, and it was the one thing that Dooku envied him over.

He had known Obi-Wan even before they became master and apprentice, and even then Dooku was not all that fond of him. When Obi-Wan first became his apprentice, he felt that he was reckless and arrogant, even more so than most students. Because of that, Dooku tried to transfer Obi-Wan to another master multiple times during the early years of their training, but each time it was rejected without so much as a reason for it. He had no choice but to train Obi-Wan to the best of his abilities, but the Padawan Obi-Wan always seemed to resist his teachings.

Obi-Wan once told him that he considered their mutual friend, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, more of a mentor than Dooku. It did not bother him until he found out that Qui-Gon was teaching him his own philosophies, but he refrained from saying anything as he wanted to spend less time with Obi-Wan. Even with Qui-Gon’s trainings, Dooku did not believe that Obi-Wan would pass his trials and become a Jedi Knight, as he felt he became more reckless and arrogant with each passing day. Despite his reservations, the Jedi Council knighted Obi-Wan, but Dooku still considered him his greatest failure as a teacher.

A few meters from Dooku, a young creature squatted down on the ground. The creature, a Gungan, held in his had a clam that he had retrieved from the murky swamp. As he ripped it open with his bare hands, the shell dropped to the ground and the Gungan took the clam out from within it. Before he could put it into his mouth, he looked up to see Dooku running towards him, followed closely by the large troop transports that sought to run him down. The Gungan’s eyes opened wide and realized that it was his chance to gain favor from someone and escape the murky swamps, so when it appeared that the machines were going to overrun the aging Jedi the creature dove onto him and held him to the ground as the troop transports passed over them and continued on through the swamp.

“Damn,” the creature said in his native tongue as he stood up.

The Gungan reached out his hand to help the Jedi Master up, but Dooku swatted it away. The creature did not know why Dooku would have done such a thing after he saved his life, but either way he knew what his gods demanded of the occurrence. He would not let his first opportunity for freedom in two years pass by him faster than the troop transports that nearly killed him in the process.

Before the creature could even speak, Dooku stood up once again and watched as the war machines made their way off into the distance before he started back on his way. It angered him to no end that some frog creature had to save him when he should have been able to run from the transports himself, though he would never admit it. He was too proud to admit that he had been saved by what he immediately perceived to be a lower life form.

“Hey, wait,” the creature said, albeit in Galactic Basic that time. The Gungan was nearly startled by how fast Dooku turned back around to look at him. The Gungan prepared to speak once again, but Dooku grabbed him by his clothes and slammed him up against a tree.

“You almost got us killed,” Dooku shouted. “Are you brainless?”

The Gungan did not take kindly to being pushed around, nor had he ever. He grabbed the Jedi Master by the wrists and pushed him back into the mud, becoming angry that he ever decided to help such a stubborn person. Then, adding insult to injury, the man dared to question his intelligence, despite the fact that it was the Jedi Master who was unintelligently trying to make his way away from a troop transport instead of simply ducking to the ground.

“I’m talking to you,” the Gungan said, “so obviously I’m not.”

“The ability to speak does not make you intelligent,” Dooku said angrily. “Now get out of here.”

“No, no,” the Gungan said, “you have to come with me now. I saved your life. You owe me a life debt!”

“You saved my life?” Dooku said with a laugh, despite the fact that he knew what the creature had said was true.

“I pulled you down away from that machine,” the Gungan reminded him. “You would have been killed. Your life debt to me is demanded by the gods.”

CONTINUED IN FOLLOWING POST

[Jedimasterbac]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST

Before Dooku could argue the existence of whatever gods the creature believed in, which he fully intended to do despite the mission at hand simply to get rid of him, two STAPs emerged from the mist while chasing after Obi-Wan. Dooku immediately recognized that Obi-Wan had his lightsaber in his hand, though he was not using it. Rolling his eyes, Dooku threw the Gungan into the mud and pulled his own lightsaber off of his belt. Immediately after activating it, the droids fired at him but he deflected their fire back to them and the STAPs fell from the air in flames.

“Sorry,” Obi-Wan said after he stopped running. “The water fried my weapon.”

“You forgot to turn the power off again,” Dooku told him. “It won’t take long to recharge it, but you can’t keep making these careless mistakes. You’re a Jedi Knight now, not a padawan.”

“Now you saved my life!” the Gungan shouted, not giving Dooku or Obi-Wan any time to react to the problem with the lightsaber. “Our life debt it settled!”

“What’s this?” Obi-Wan asked, almost in a disgusted manner.

“A local,” Dooku said coldly. “Let’s get out of here before more droids show up.”

“Wait,” the Gungan said before they could get on their way. “If you’re looking for refuge, then the safest place would be Otoh Gunga City in the lakes. It’s where I grew up.”

“A city?” Dooku asked, suddenly intrigued by what the Gungan had to say.

“Could you take us there?” Obi-Wan asked.

“It’s the least he could do after what he just put me through,” Dooku said, clearly annoyed.”

Obi-Wan gave Dooku a hand gesture as a subtle way of telling him to back off. He knew that his former master became easily irritated by those that he looked down upon, and it was clear to him that he looked down upon the Gungan. While the creature did strike Obi-Wan as being rather odd, in both looks and attitude, he recognized that he had something to offer them and that it was not a coincidence that they found one another.

“On second thought,” the Gungan said, “no. I can’t take you there. I’m afraid I’ve been banished from my home. The council has every legal right to execute me if I return there.”

All of them turned as they heard a rumbling in the distance. They looked upwards and could see the tops of trees falling and crashing to the ground as the Trade Federation war machines continued to make their way through the swamps. Obi-Wan and Dooku both turned to each other and shared the mutual surprise of seeing so many Trade Federation forces moving through. It was clear that they were not simply planning on invading the planet, but rather they were planning to occupy it indefinitely. They would need safe refuge in order to survive.

“Do you hear that?” Obi-Wan asked the creature.

“I do,” the Gungan responded.

“That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way,” Obi-Wan told him. “If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into the oblivion. Is that what you want?”

The Gungan considered what the Jedi Knight had to say. The creature had planned to return to his home with Dooku to show that he had saved the life of another in the hopes that he would once again be able to gain favor with the council of his people, but Dooku saved his life as well which cancelled out the life debt. With no justification for returning to his home with outsiders other than helping them, which his people never had any interest in doing, he feared that he would be killed. However, he could not ignore the fact that the two Jedi were in trouble. It was noble enough to know when to put aside his own desires in order to help other people.

“Your point is well seen,” the Gungan said. “I’ll take you to Otoh Gunga.”

“Before we leave,” Dooku said, “what’s your name?”

“Jar Binks,” the creature said with a smile, “Crowned Prince of the Gungan Empire.”

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER FOUR
OTOH GUNGA


Jar Binks led the two Jedi through the swamps, and while doing so he tried as hard as he could to block their demeaning comments out of his mind. It was typical Human arrogance, one of the many reasons that the Gungan and the Humans of Utapau were unable to get along with one another. It was strange to him to see that two Jedi, the supposed guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, would quietly, albeit not quietly enough, mock another sentient life form simply based on looks. As a Human would say, they were judging a book by its cover without actually opening it to see what was inside.

Humans and Gungans had had issues with one another for centuries. The Gungans were the indigenous species of the planet, the Humans having colonized the planet years later. The Humans arrived at the end of the Jedi Civil War when the Crizmalltian monarch Elsinore den Tasia sponsored the Republic explorer Kwilaan who discovered the planet. Utapau became known in the neighboring sectors as a world suitable for big game hunting, though it was not until fifty years later that permanent Human settlements were established. Shortly thereafter, cultural differences between the Humans and the Gungans caused great tension, though open conflict was rare amongst the two peoples.

The Gungans had lived in rivaling cities for many years. Nearly three thousand years before the arrival of Federation forces, a Gungan warlord named Rogoe destroyed an ancient Gungan city, and to combat Rogoe another Gungan leader called Councilor Gallo united the Gungan tribes under a Gungan Grand Army. They then conquered Spearhead, Rogoe’s capital city, and renamed it Otoh Gunga. The Council of Otoh Gunga, which included Gallo’s descendant Councilor Rugor Nass, continued to maintain hierarchical leadership over the councils of other Gugan cities.

While there was always tension amongst the Humans and the Gungans, they were forced to cooperate in trade agreements outside of what the Humans referred to as respectable society. One Human city, Kaadara, came to depend on a Gungan security force to protect it from the wild beasts of the planet. However, such a tradition eventually died out over time due to the prejudices between the people.

One hundred and fifty years earlier, the Humans and Gungans fought, for the first time, in an all-out war. Hundreds were killed on each side, and both sides came to lose the war as neither gained the upper hand over the other. However, it did unify the Gungan cities more than any other conflict had, though it also created a great deal of additional resentment towards the Humans of the planet.

“How much longer?” Dooku asked, as they emerged from the fog on the shore of an immensely vast lake.

“We have to go underwater,” Jar told them.

Jar took a deep breath before stepping into the cold water. While it was freezing to most, to someone like Jar who had spent most of their life in the deep it was cool and refreshing. In a sudden move, his head quickly dropped below the water as the shallow sand ended at the edge of an underwater ridge. He swam back up to the surface of the lake to look back at his Jedi companions, who were preparing to go underwater themselves with two breath masks that appeared to convert water into air without the use of an air tank.

“I’m warning you two,” Jar said, “my people don’t like outsiders. Don’t expect a warm welcome from them.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Obi-Wan replied, with a hint of sarcasm. “This hasn’t been our day for warm welcomes,” Obi-Wan said, looking back on the troubling day he’d had.

When they too dropped off of the ridgeline after making their way into the water, Obi-Wan and Dooku swam closely behind the Gungan. Obi-Wan immediately noticed how hard it must have been for Jar being banished, as he seemed to be at home in the water for the first time in many years. He could tell by the look on his master’s face, however, that he was not amused with their situation. Obi-Wan only wished he would be able to lighten up and trust in the direction that the Force took them rather than despise it for carrying out its will.

As he turned away from looking at a school of fish swimming by him, Obi-Wan saw the Gungan city directly in front of him. It was an underwater city made up of large, glass-like bubbles that became more distinct as they moved closer, a definite contrast against the black, murky depths. The city itself was anchored to a massive cliff deep within the lake and was a mass of hydrostatic force-field bubbles that kept the water out while allowing the Gungans to enter through them.

As they approached the strange, art-noveau habitat, Obi-Wan and Dooku looked at one another and shared a look of mutual intrigue and worry as they were unable to see where and how they would enter the city. However, their looks of worry changed to looks of surprise as they watched Jar swim right through one of the bubble membranes, which immediately sealed behind him. Following the Gungan’s lead, they swam through the bubbles and emerged standing on the other side, only slightly damp.

“Home sweet home,” Jar said in his native tongue while watching the Gungans in the massive square mumble between themselves and scatter as they saw the outsiders. His tone resonated both happiness and worry.

“Hey, you!” a voice called out before Jar could even admire his home. “Stop right there!”

Jar and the Jedi turned to their left to see four guards armed with long, electrically charged poles ride up to them on large, two-legged creatures. The guards immediately jumped down from the creatures and activated their electric poles. From behind the creatures came Tarpals, the Captain of Otoh Gunga Security, with a grim and determined look on his face. His father had been killed by an outsider, so he despised them more than most. Seeing the two Jedi did not bring up warm memories, instead making him angrier than he usually was.

“Captain,” Jar said, “I demand that you - ”

“You’re not in a position to demand anything, Binks,” Tarpals said, with a sharp and angry tone. “You’re going to the council and you’re looking at a lot more than banishment this time.”

Obi-Wan and Dooku looked at one another, realizing that the reception was colder than they had expected. While Jar had warned them not to expect any warm welcomes, they did not expect to be arrested by the guards and brought before the Gungan Grand Council in such a manner. While the council was their destination, they had hoped to arrive more peacefully than being escorted by armed guards. It did not necessarily put a kink in their plans, though it significantly altered their perception of the Gungan’s views on outsiders.

--------------------

The bruised and bloodied Nute Gunray stumbled and fell back onto the side of his desk from the sheer force of Maul’s fists. Gunray coughed and slowly tried to make his way back to his feet. Blood flowed down from his face and his right eye was swollen from the seemingly unending torture. As he struggled to get back from his feet, Maul picked him up by the shoulders and struck him in the gut with his knee, which sent the Neimoidian to the ground once again where he could only look up and see Maul towering over him. Gunray wailed in pain as he grabbed at his aching muscles.

Maul stood firm and resolute, the tattoos that covered his body exposed by his shirtless attire. The torture session had caused him to break a sweat, and he found the Neimoidian to be surprising resilient. All Maul wanted was a simple, albeit forced, apology from the viceroy, yet Gunray seemed to be reluctant to do so. Maul did not know why, but it was no matter. He was amused by torture and was always disappointed when a session had to end, and he was particularly pleased to be able to torture Gunray.

Maul looked down at the Neimoidian and saw in his eyes the fear that he saw in so many victims before him, and in order to let that fear manifest itself he always need a dramatic display of force and a mock psychological imbalance. To do that for the viceroy, Maul gripped the edge of Gunray’s desk with all of his strength and threw it into the air and against the wall. The display let out a very loud and ear-piercing crash as its metallic surface impacted against the wall, thereby knocking portraits and ancient relics off of the cold, silver plating. Gunray put his hands to his ears, displaying annoyance and pain simultaneously.

“You surprise me, Gunray,” Maul told him as he knelt down to Gunray’s level. “You Neimoidians are usually cowards. I would have broken any of your men an hour ago, but you’ve held on. Why?”

“I don’t fear you,” Gunray replied, his voice croaked from the beating.

“You’re a liar,” Maul told him. “I can see it in your eyes. What you don’t know is that all eyes tell a story, and that story is fear. Fear attracts the fearful and those foolish enough to believe that they are fearless. It brings out the strong, the weak, the innocent and the corrupt ones just like you. Fear is my strongest ally, as it tells me everything I need to know about a person. Would you like to know your story, Gunray?”

“Go to Hell,” Gunray said weakly, barely able to get the words out through his bloodied mouth.

Maul smiled and gave the viceroy a remarkably out-of-character pat on the shoulder before standing up once again. However, the smile quickly faded. Maul lifted his leg and brought his foot crashing into Gunray’s face. The viceroy fell to his side and let out a loud and deep moan as the pain began to become unbearable, though Maul doubted the surprisingly resilient viceroy would tell him such.

“I am Hell, Viceroy,” Maul said with a grin accompanied by his yellow-red eyes that served as a sinister look into his mind and story. “Never forget that.”

--------------------

The Gungan guards led Jar and the Jedi through the city, and the two Jedi looked in awe of their surroundings. They had seen many advanced civilizations before with remarkable architecture, and some of them were under water. However, they had never seen anything quite like the architecture and the surroundings of Otoh Gunga. How anyone, even an aquatic species, was able to build such structures underwater was a mystery to them, but they did not dare to ask.

As the Jedi looked in awe of their surroundings for the first time, Jar had a feeling of nostalgia. He had not been to the city in two years, and it felt refreshing to be in his home once again. He had been raised only a few kilometers from where they were walking in the monarchial residences as the son of the High Councilor Gorgr Binks. However, his father had been killed and Jar had been deemed to young to rise to the seat of High Councilor, so Rugor Nass took his place and always looked down upon him. While Jar’s banishment was his own fault, he always suspected that the punishment was due to the fact that Nass had no desire to ever see him again.

Otoh Gunga was founded by Boss Gallo, nearly three thousand years earlier on the remains of the Gungan city of Spearhead after the unification of the Gungan tribes. When the unification came, the Gungan populations from Otoh Jahai, Otoh Langua, Otoh Mandass, Otoh Raban, Otoh Sancture, Otoh Urs and Rellias came together and all decided to live in Otoh Gunga, a name which meant “One Gungan” in the native Gungan language. Throughout the years, the population skyrocketed into the millions, all of whom lived in harmony with one another.

Jar looked up as he saw that they arrived at the door to the High Council chamber. He did not expect a warm welcome from the council, though he knew that the Jedi had an important mission to complete and he would do what he could to help them. However, he knew that the council would be sure to see his execution, so whether he would be able to help the Jedi would remain to be seen.

The Gungan soldiers led them through the door and into the chamber. A long, circular bench sat all across one side of the bubble with one seat higher than the rest for the High Councilor. Each seat was occupied by a Gungan official, each in their official robes of their respective council positions. The higher seat was occupied by a heavier Gungan, Rugor Nass, who looked like he had never been as thin and muscular as Jar was. His neck was nearly nonexistent, as he head and shoulders seemed to merge together from the fat. The Jedi could immediately tell from the look on Nass’s face that he was not pleased to see outsiders.

“You cannot be here,” Nass told them, not wasting any time. “This army up there is not our concern.”

“As you seem to already know,” Dooku said as he stepped forward from the guards, his voice cracked from the amount of energy he had been forced to exert, “a droid army is about to attack the Utapau. We must warn them.”

“We don’t care about the Utapau,” Nass said, his tone that of someone who had been in a fair share of disagreements with the Utapau, “and they don’t care about us. They stole our sacred crystal, but they refuse to even acknowledge that they took it. They can’t be trusted.”

“We sympathize,” Obi-Wan said as he too stepped away from the guards, “but once those droids take control of the surface they will take control of you.”

“I don’t think so,” Nass said with a grin.

“You and the Utapau are from a symbiotic circle,” Obi-Wan told the High Councilor while scratching his beard, intrigued that a person of power would reject such an obvious fact. “What happens to one of you will affect the other. You have to understand this.”

“We don’t care about the Utapau,” Nass shouted in anger, “or your problems!”

Dooku had no patience for what he perceived to be the arrogance of an insignificant person. He placed his concentration away from the discussion with the Gungan leader and focused on channeling the Force around him in the hopes of briefly and subtly influencing the minds of the Gungan leaders. When he felt that he had successfully grabbed enough of the figurative universe around him, he subtly waved his hand and hoped that the Gungans were truly as weak-minded as he believed.

“Then send us on our way,” Dooku told them, his voice highly suggestive.

“We will send you on our way,” Nass echoed mindlessly.

“We could use a transport,” Dooku continued.

“We will give you a Bongo,” Nass decided, not noticing Jar’s confusion behind the Gungan guards. “The fastest way to the Utapau is to go through the ocean core.”

“Thank you for your help,” Dooku said as he and Obi-Wan bowed. Dooku resonated satisfaction from his successful trick, though he was not particularly thankful for the attitudes of the Gungan leaders as he and Obi-Wan made their way towards the door.

“What’s a Bongo?” Obi-Wan asked, whispering to his master.

“Hopefully a transport,” Dooku replied.

“Wait,” Jar shouted, causing the Jedi to turn from the door and notice that he was still chained and held by the Gungan guards. “They’re setting you up. You’ll never survive the core without my help. Get me out of this and I’ll go with you.”

Dooku appeared to be ready to head for the door, as he was not prepared to allow Jar to travel with them to Theed. However, Obi-Wan knew better. He had heard stories of the dangers within the oceans of Utapau, and they did not know where they were headed. Jar would undoubtedly prove useful to them and they would need to bring him along, lest they be killed before they even reached the capital.

“We’re short on time,” Dooku said, annoyed by the Gungan."

“Time spent here can help us later,” Obi-Wan reminded him, “and we need a navigator to get us through the core.”

“You’re losing focus,” Dooku said pointedly.

“Your sensitivity to the Living Force isn’t your strength,” Obi-Wan told him as he turned back towards the council, a hint of annoyance within his voice. “What is to become of Jar Binks?”

“He was exiled from here,” Nass said, “and he broke our laws by coming back. He will be...punished.”

“He’s been a great help to us,” Obi-Wan informed them, “so I hope the punishment isn’t going to be to severe.”

“Pounded until dead,” Nass said with a grin, expressing no concern for the life of Jar, only satisfaction in the thought of the Gungan’s brutal death.

Obi-Wan could barely keep his eyes from showing his surprise and worry. He had expected a simple execution, but not a rather elaborate and painful death. He turned around and saw the look of defeat on Jar’s face, as well as the look of concern that had actually manifested itself on his former master’s face. Both looks only made him more determined to save the Gungan’s life. However, he would have to stretch the truth somewhat, and he knew that he would have to let Jar know that he was not trying to embarrass him.

''Just play along'', Obi-Wan told Jar in his mind. Jar heard the call and looked around, confused as to where the voice came from until he looked back down at Obi-Wan who nodded his head to let him know that the voice was his.

“We saved his life,” Obi-Wan said. “He owes us a life debt. Your gods demand that his life belongs to us now.”

“Binks?” Nass asked in surprise, noting the surprised looks that crossed the faces of the other members of the council. “You have a life debt with this outsider?”

Jar nodded his head, realizing what Obi-Wan meant when he told him to play along. Had he not heard the voice, he would have undoubtedly protested simply to clear his name. However, it did not matter. He had sworn to himself that he would help the two Jedi in whatever way he could, and if that meant navigating through the ocean core, then that was exactly what he would do.

“His worthless life is yours, outsider,” Nass decreed, rolling his eyes and flicking his wrist towards Jar. “Now be gone with him.”

--------------------

CONTINUED IN FOLLOWING POST

[Jedimasterbac]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST


Twenty minutes later, the Bongo that the council had given them made its way out of the Gungan docks and immediately headed for the nearby ocean core. Jar sat hunched over at the controls, re-familiarizing himself with their functions and abilities. He had not driven a Bongo for some time, but he had always been skilled in their operation, so it did not take long for the necessary knowledge on how to pilot one to come flooding back to him.

The Bongo was a small underwater craft that was mostly an electrical generator, as there was no other way for the Gungans to ensure their effective operation underwater. It appeared to have been designed off of some form of squid species, but Jar had never taken the time to familiarize himself with Gungan naval history to know for sure what it was based off of. The Bongo was able to move due to having flat fins and aft metallic tentacles that rotated to produce the energy needed to propel the craft forward through the water.

Obi-Wan sat next to Jar, watching intently at the waters ahead to ensure that the Gungan did not miss any of the dangers lurking within the murky deep. Dooku, on the other hand, felt that the entire operation was a disaster waiting to happen. Why Obi-Wan decided to bring the Gungan with them was a mystery to him, as he had not even seen the slightest display of talent from him. However, he knew that Obi-Wan constantly went out of his way to try to help people if he felt that they would be of use to them later. Jar was simply another “pet project” that Dooku would have to deal with.

“Why were you banished, Jar,” Obi-Wan asked, highly intrigued by the fact that a crowned prince would simply be banished.

“I don’t like to talk about it,” Jar told him, brushing off the question as if it had never been asked, as his tone hinted at embarrassment.

“Please,” Obi-Wan said, hopeful that the Gungan would share the secret with them. “If you tell us, we might be able to help you.”

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Jar conceded after taking a few moments to think over whether or not he wanted to share his story with them.

“You were banished for not paying attention?” Dooku asked, trying to hold back his laughter at the admittance.

“I was guarding an ancient relic,” Jar replied, “when a female colleague approached me. Needless to say, she distracted me for too long and when I went back to my post the relic was gone.”

Jar saw the empty case of the orb as if it was right in front of him. He had seen the colleague on numerous occasions and felt that she wanted to mate with him, which was why he had allowed himself to become distracted. However, when he returned and saw that the relic was gone, he realized that the colleague had purposely distracted him and that she was working with the Utapau. She was immediately executed for treason, but Jar was banished forever from Otoh Gunga and stripped of his title of Crowned Prince of the Gungan Empire.

“What was the relic?” Obi-Wan asked.

“You Humans would call it the Kaiburr crystal,” Jar told them. “We believe that its healing powers come from our gods, but the Utapau say that it was brought to this world by a minion of a Dark Jedi called Xendor. Whatever the truth is, the Utapau wanted it badly enough to manipulate one of our people into letting them steal it.”

Obi-Wan and Dooku glanced at one another and shared a mutual look of concern at the story. They had heard the tales of Xendor Taral, the first Dark Jedi who broke away from the order only a few centuries after the formation of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant. While information on Xendor was limited, it was known that he was the most infamous Dark Jedi in history. Originally, he was a Jedi Knight from Kashi, but he was expelled from the Jedi Order due to his unorthodox methods and his intent to practice the Dark Side of the Force. After his exile, he made his way into the Unknown Regions, and all that was known about him during the decades that followed was that he gathered a group of Dark Jedi and created the Legions of Lettow. He then attempted to destroy the Jedi on Coruscant, but the legions were destroyed and Xendor was killed. No one knew what happened to his minions after the battle, though it was possible the story of the crystal was routed in fact.

Before Jar could continue his story, there was a loud thump on the stern of the Bongo. Seconds later, they realized that something struck the craft as it lurched sharply to one side. They turned back and watched as a massive sea creature with multiple legs and a massive jaw hooked onto them with a massive tongue, which caused them to move quickly towards the mouth of the immensely large creature.

“Hit that red button,” Jar shouted at Obi-Wan, who immediately complied.

A rear weapons system activated when Obi-Wan pushed the button and a massive canon emerged from the metallic structure of the ship’s stern section. As Jar pushed the throttle of the vessel forward, he fired an array of torpedoes at the creature’s midsection, causing it to collapse onto a rock face in pain. However, the creature was only momentarily stunned, as it stood back up and charged at the Bongo once again.

“Well this is fun,” Dooku whispered from the back of the ship, placing his hand on his forehead, realizing their trip was becoming a disaster after all.

Before Obi-Wan could comment on his former master’s annoying tendencies and how they were not helping the situation once again, another larger creature emerged from the shadowy depths and caught the first creature in its jaw, crushing its skull with its teeth so it could devour the large creature that it dwarfed. The long, eel-like predator grabbed the first creature with its claws and crushed it into tiny bits before swallowing it without even noticing the Bongo continue to move past it.

“There’s always a bigger fish,” Obi-Wan quipped, and the comment was one that even Dooku was forced to smile at given its irony.

With the threat of the creature gone, Jar banked hard to the left and took the vessel deeper into the abyss. The light in the Bongo became darker the deeper they moved, though that was to be expected. It did not affect Jar, however, as he continued to look for the correct route to Theed. When he found it, the vessel dove further into the deep and made its way through the entrance to a cave that, so long as they did not encounter any additional sea-killers, would bring them to the rivers that led to the capital city. All they could do was hope for the best. Dooku, more so than the others, certainly did.

[Jedimasterbac]

CHAPTER FIVE
ALLUSIONS


For thousands of years, Coruscant was a name that had been synonymous with the Galactic Republic, as it had always been known by the citizens of the galaxy to be the central planet of not only the government but of most economic centers that the galaxy had to offer. It had always been a planet of prosperity and poverty, as well as freedom and corruption. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer all thanks to the efforts of the Galactic Senate. However, things had changed over the thousands of years after the centuries of the Great Wars.

Most historians throughout the millennia agreed that Coruscant was the most politically important world in the galaxy. At various times, it was the capital of the Galactic Republic and the Third Sith Empire. The vast majority of the planet’s wealth was due to a number of galactic trade routes making its way through the planet, including the Corellian Run. It was one of the numerous reasons why the rich continued to become richer throughout the centuries.

Coruscant was the site of many important events throughout the history of the galaxy. The Galactic Charter was signed by Jonathan Bac, the first Supreme Chancellor twenty-five thousand years earlier, and other founding members of the Republic in what later became the Galactic Senate building. The fierce yet perhaps mythical confrontation between the minions of Xendor and the Jedi Order also took place in the capital city. The world also became the home of the Jedi Order, as well as the home of Sith Lords, such as Darth Viea and Darth Invidius, during the two instances when the Third Sith Empire was able to take over Coruscant.

One of the most recognizable landmarks on the surface was the legendary Jedi Temple, a structure that stood over a kilometer from the surface. With its unique architectural style, it was constructed around an ancient Force nexus located in a natural mountain to house the members of the legendary Jedi Order. When it was built after the end of the Great Rim Lines War, the Jedi knew that they would need to make it as reassuring to the people as the Great Jedi Pyramid had been before it was destroyed by the ancient Third Sith Empire. Because they wanted the citizens of the galaxy and their own members to feel comfortable with it, the Jedi Temple was built as a fortress yet with the appearance as a symbol of peace and justice. The exterior was a titanic ziggurat that sat upon a large empty plain, which was crowned by four spires. In the center of the four spires was one large, central spire that housed the Jedi High Council.

The spires on the temple symbolized the climb a Jedi would have to take to reach enlightenment. Each of the four smaller spires stood upon a different quarter of the Jedi Temple and each quarter represented a different purpose. The First Knowledge quarter was important in regards to the training of younglings, whereas the High Council quarter was an area in which many conference areas were built. The area around the Reassignment Tower was dedicated to the public entrance, while the Reconciliation quarter had many gardens and garages. Each were used by many different Jedi, and each served their purposes well for thousands of years.

Within one of the spartan and metallic chambers in the lower levels of the First Knowledge quarter, two blades crossed in combat. One purple and the other blue, the blades danced around the room in a spectacle of light and prowess as their combatants held them tightly. Mace Windy and Ki-Adi Mundi trained with each other often, and sometimes many even watched. They were two of the better swordsmen within the Jedi Order, and everyone knew it. It was for that reason that they enjoyed sparring with one another, always seeing who would be the victor of the day.

Mace was from the planet Haruun Kal, and after the death of his parents he was turned over to the Jedi Order. Since he was taken when he was six months old, he remembered nothing of his parents or his homeworld. Like all Jedi, Mace was trained by Jedi Master Yoda when he was a smaller learner. When he was thirteen years old, he became the padawan learner of Master T’ra Saa. During his training, he became aware of his rare ability to detect shatterpoints within the Force and how they would affect all of his future actions. With his unique ability, he was able to glimpse parts of the future, including the building of his unique violet lightsaber. Because of his unique abilities, he was appointed to the Jedi Council at the age of twenty-eight standard years, making him the youngest Jedi to ever sit on the council.

Ki-Adi Mundi was also something of a legend within the Jedi Order. He entered the Jedi Order at the age of four, far later than most, and was able to mature into a well respected Jedi Knight under Yoda’s guidance. When he was in his fifties, he had not yet taken on an apprentice as he had been busy with his assignment as the Jedi Watchman over his home sector. Despite being a Jedi Knight, the Jedi Council decided to give him a seat on the council. A Jedi Knight serving as a Jedi Council member was unprecedented and he was honored by it, if not somewhat confused. Despite serving on the council for five years, he had not yet been given the rank of Jedi Master as he had only begun to train a padawan learner after his appointment.

In the match, Mace stepped forth and swung his violet blade into the high guard. Mundi took one step backwards, angling his wrists so that his lightsaber was held horizontally in front of him. Both Jedi gave each other a smirk before Mace rushed his opponent with amazing speed. The Jedi Knight barely had time to sidestep and flick away the violet blade before mounting his own attack. He thrust his lightsaber forward towards Mace, aiming at a spot in his chest region. The Jedi Master flawlessly avoided the lightsaber by stepping to his right, and quickly stuck his foot forward, which hit Mundi on his left shoulder, knocking him backwards.

The Jedi Knight managed to tuck and roll, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he rolled. His face scrunched up in annoyance, not at his opponent but at himself for allowing himself to fall into the Master’s trap. Within a split second, Mundi had already rose from his knees and held his lightsaber in defense once more. This time he knew he had to remain more reserved and hold up his defenses before attempting to strike back. As he predicted, Mace immediately attacked once more, again with amazing speed and aggression. This time, however, Mundi’s plan changed. Instead of blocking any attack, he leaped backwards towards the wall directly behind him. He barely avoided Mace’s downward strike, which hit the gymnasium floor and left a fresh, bright red, and fiery slash imprinted.

As Mundi’s feet landed on the wall, he instantly launched himself forward into a leap, soaring over and above Mace’s head. In the sudden change of course, Mace spun around with his lightsaber ready, giving Mundi a smirk, signifying that the Cerean had made a smart move. Mace had expected such a move, however, and he too made his own leap forward with a thrust from the Force. His boots lifted from the ground, leaving a small cloud of dust where he stood, and he soon came eye to eye with Mundi. Their lightsabers clashed once more, in a rhythmic motion. Mace slashed upwards, and Mundi followed with a parry. Mace slashed downwards, and Mundi again followed.

As the two Jedi dueled, a short, green skinned Jedi Master entered the gymnasium. Standing at less than a meter of height, it would astonish any who was not a member of the Jedi Order to know that the small sentient before them was the Grandmaster of the entire Jedi Order. Yoda pressed on his wooden walking stick as he watched Mace Windy and Ki-Adi Mundi train with one another. Yoda knew that Mace was probably the best swordsman of the Jedi Order, although he greatly admired Mundi’s resolve to win the duel. Yoda simply watched on with a smile on his face, waiting patiently for the dueling Jedi to finish their training session.

The duel continued in the same pattern it had been for the last minute, with Mundi defending against each of Mace’s attacks. However, Mundi saw an opening in the Jedi Master’s pattern. He sensed that Mace was readying himself to lunge forward, and the instant it came, he sidestepped and immediately responded by slashing his lightsaber towards his right where the Jedi Master stood.

For the split second it took to side step, Mundi thought he had the victory. His confidence sparked and he couldn’t help but smile as he thought victory was imminent. Just before his strike reached his target, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his right ear. It took him a second to realize he was falling down towards the floor, and that his lightsaber was a few inches in front of him, out of his hand. When he smacked against the ground, he caught up with the situation. He realized Mace had duped him into believing that he had a chance of a successful attack, and instead easily defeated him with a simple strike from the elbow to his right ear. When Mundi looked up at his victorious foe, the Jedi Master had extended a hand out to his opponent. Mundi graciously took it and rose up from the floor.

“You did well, Ki-Adi,” Mace said with a smile, “but you’re too overconfident. You can’t always take shortcuts, remember.”

The Jedi Master winked at his defeated opponent. Ki-Adi knew that the Jedi Master was right, so all he could do was simply nod as he rubbed the side of his head. Still groggy from the fall, he knew that his day to beat Mace would arrive soon enough. For five years, they had practiced against one another every two weeks. For the entire length of the five years, Mace was always the victor. Ki-Adi had always come close, but he was simply never close enough.

“Yes, Master Windy,” Mundi said, his tone having resonated with clear embarrassment. “I’ll get you next time.”

Mace laughed at the comment in good fun, but as he and the Jedi Knight turned around his laughter immediately turned into a serious look of respect when he caught site of Yoda. Mace and Mundi approached the diminutive Jedi Master and bowed in respect. Yoda nodded his head to return the gesture, but quickly gave Mundi a look that signified that he wanted to speak with Mace in private. Mundi immediately caught the gesture and nodded in respect once again before turning to head towards the refresher.

“Still compete, do you?” Yoda asked, his tone curious and approving as it was refreshing for him to see two of the more senior members of the Jedi Council continuing to spar as if they were young Jedi Padawans.

“Every two weeks,” Mace replied. “He’s determined to beat me.”

“Great resolve, Master Mundi has,” Yoda reminded him, though his voice was distant as if he was thinking of something else. He slowly turned around, leaning on his cane for balance, and began to walk back down the hallway that he had come from.

“I agree,” Mace said, slowly following his Jedi Master, “but I don’t think that’s why you wanted to speak with me.”

“No,” Yoda told him, his voice concerned, “it is not.”

Mace stopped walking when he detected the worry in Yoda’s words, and Mace’s abrupt stop caused Yoda to quickly cease walking as well. For a moment, Mace believed that the conversation would be about his padawan learner, but Yoda’s worry told him otherwise. Mace knew that there could be only one explanation for it, as it was a topic that he two had given much thought in previous days.

“Is this about the report from the armed services committee?” Mace asked, with a highly curious tone in his voice. He wondered what else could’ve been bothering his master so much.

“It is,” Yoda told him, pausing to think back on his resources. “Dangerous and disturbing are these rumors in the Senate. What of Kamino, do you know?”

“It’s a world near the Rishi Maze,” Mace said. “They conduct cloning experiments that are considered illegal in the Republic. However, we can’t do anything about it because it’s not under our jurisdiction. Now they’re supposedly creating a clone army to prepare for an invasion of the Republic.”

“Heard these rumors as well, I have,” Yoda confirmed, though he could tell that Mace took the rumors as nothing more than such, “but more of the puzzle there is to discover. Investigate this matter, we must.”

“I agree,” Mace said, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ll travel to Kamino and investigate the matter. With luck, I’ll be able to get the Senate whatever information it needs to stop these cloners.”

Yoda nodded, agreeing to Mace’s desire to travel to Kamino. While an invasion of the Republic did not seem out of the ordinary, considering how many times the Republic had been invaded over the years, Yoda believed that there was something more sinister behind the creation of an army. While he did not know what it was, he knew full well that the Dark Side of the Force had been clouding his ability to see through the Force lately, as it had many Jedi Masters. It was as if they were bordering very close to the end times once again.

“Very well,” Yoda said, agreeing to what Mace planned on doing.

“I’ll notify my padawan,” Mace told him. “She’ll remain here while I’m on assignment.”

“How is her training?” Yoda asked curiously, his voice more upbeat than it had been while discussing the clone rumors.

“It’s going well,” Mace told him. “Padmé is learning quicker than I had imagined she would. She’s the best apprentice I’ve ever had.”

“An exceptional student, Padmé is,” Yoda said. “A great Jedi, she will become.”

Mace nodded in agreement. He had taken Padmé Naberrie as his apprentice five years earlier when she had just turned thirteen standard years old and from that moment he knew he had an exceptional padawan. It was not often than an apprentice would master the ways of the Jedi so quickly, but every few years there was one. Normally, such quick learning was a good quality as one would easily be able to adapt to different situations. Other times, however, it could lead down a path that the Jedi did not intend to take.

The path of darkness.