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| - Nute Gunray watched the security holos of Nalanda and the Jedi making their way towards the palace. They soon managed to get to the main hangar. Soon they would be in the throne room. This couldn’t be happening! “How did they get into the city?” Rune asked him “I don’t know! I thought the battle was going to take place far from here,” he murmured. “This is too close!” “You have failed again, Viceroy,” said the menacing voice of Darth Maxah, the two Neimoidians turned as one to regard the Sith. “I don’t know why my Master trusted you with carrying out this plan, but I am going to make sure that it succeeds.” She turned and strode out of the room. “Where are you going?” Gunray asked apprehensively. “Where do you think I am going, Viceroy?” Maxah snarled. “I am going to rid you of this Jedi problem once and for all.” Running with the others through the main hangar, Anakin ducked and twisted aside as the blaster bolts kept flying. He was trying to stick close to Padmé, though it was a real job dodging the green blade of her lightsaber. They finally made it to the end of the hangar where the yellow Naboo starfighters were lined up. While Nalanda shouted for the pilots to get to their ships, Anakin ducked underneath one followed by R2-D2. The battledroids were retreating, and as for the ones left in the room they were quickly disappearing under Padmé and Obi-Wan’s combined attack. Anakin watched this with interest. Unlike Obi-Wan, whose lightsaber moved at such a speed that he seemed to be a blur, Padmé moved purposefully. Every action was almost effortless, yet she did it without making such a display as Obi-Wan was doing. Around him pilots were running into their fighters, several of them roaring off into the distance already with astromech droids behind the cockpit. A pilot rushed towards Anakin and entered the one right above him. “Better find a new hiding spot kid!” the pilot said as he readied the controls. “You’re about to lose this one!” Anakin took the hint and shot up the ladder to the next fighter, climbing into the cockpit with Artoo boosting up behind him. Yet as Anakin noticed as he glanced over the control of the starfighter, the battle seemed to be over and they were all moving on. “Hey!” Anakin stood up. “Wait!” “Anakin stay where you are,” Qui-Gon said in a voice that allowed no negotiation. “Why can’t I come with you?” Anakin whined. “Stay in that cockpit!” Qui-Gon barked. Suddenly the main doors to the hangar opened and a familiar black-cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows. She smiled at the Jedi, throwing her cloak to the floor and taking out a long-handled lightsaber. “We’ll take the long way around,” Nalanda said quickly, moving off with Panaka and her handmaidens. “Hello little Jedi,” the Sith murmured, her eyes on Padmé. “I believe we have met.” “I don’t know what you are,” Padmé whispered threateningly, “but you will not be the end of me or anyone else.” “I am Maxah,” the Sith intoned, extending her weapon before her vertically, “and you will not get past me.” The red blades ignited, dividing her form into halves. “We’ll see about that,” Obi-Wan challenged, bringing his lightsaber forward and waiting for the strike. Maxah attacked, the sabers clashed. Three against one. General Ceel winded his horn and the Gungan army proceeded up the grassy hill. Gungans shouted as they went, brandishing their weapons wildly. Fools, thought Ceel with a grin. While the Gungan warriors had some experience with fighting swamp creatures, few other than he and a few officers had any idea of what they were about to face. Over the hill, the drones of the droid army could be heard. Soon the outlines could be seen over the peak of the hill. When they came to a flat plain just before the hill steepened Ceel called the army to a halt. After all, it was better to choose your own ground rather than let the enemy choose it for you. “Activate the shield!” Ceel shouted. Long bolts of energy shot up from the generators, making a bubble that encircled the entire army. The droids kept advancing yet the Gungans stayed, content to stay beneath their shield. High above Danta lay on the back of his goff bird, head of a V-formation of twelve flyers. It was somewhat harder than an ordinary pilot, as there could be little communication between each individual flyer. Success depended on timing, the cohesiveness of the squadron as well as the capabilities of its leader. It was Danta’s first time as a squadron leader, though while he knew he was equal to the task he felt slightly afraid. But he pushed all his fears aside, instead inspecting the battle below to access the options. All they would do now was to pass overhead, scouting for targets before moving in for the kill all the while looking nothing out of the ordinary. The two armies were just beginning to meet, the Federation droids quickly seeing that their lasers did no good against the Gungan’s shields were beginning to deploy the battledroids. Quickly Danta saw where they were needed as they few over. Once over the trees again they turned around, picking up speed and closing formation. Then with a sharp cry he urged his bird into a dive, the others following behind him dropping energy balls and projectiles on the droids. In the black space around Naboo, a very different battle was taking place, though much the same as the one Danta was leading, it was the yellow starfighters that had escaped the Theed hangar and were advancing towards the droid control ship. Behind the controls of his starfighter was Ric Olié, much more at ease here than in the cockpit of the Queen’s starship for all the bravado and recognition he got from that. Here he had more freedom to move, to act and to trust himself more than ever. “This is Bravo Leader,” he said into the com, “all wings report in.” While Padmé, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were busy with that black thing, Anakin couldn’t help noticing that a trio of menacing looking droids—droidekas in fact—had advanced on Queen Nalanda and her party, forcing them to retreat behind a bulkhead. “We’ve got to do something, Artoo!” Anakin said, frantically checking the controls in front of him. “Where’s the trigger for this thing?” He pressed a large inviting metal button causing the starfighter to start forward and the cockpit to close. “Oops,” he muttered, taking the control stick and pressing a switch. “Yeah,” he cried with a grin as red laser bolts were emitted from his craft. With another smile he gunned down the three droids so Nalanda could escape. But the fighter kept moving, and try and he might Anakin couldn’t do anything to stop it. “What’s going on?” Anakin asked Artoo, the droid’s response flashed onto the control screen as the starfighter reached the end of the hangar and too to the air. “It’s on automatic pilot?” Anakin cried, yanking again on the stationary control stick. “Try to override it!” Anakin pulled on the helmet that was stowed beneath the control panel after Artoo assured him he was doing just that, hoping that they wouldn’t get in too much trouble. From the outset, Qui-Gon knew that he and Obi-Wan could hold their own against Maxah. Padmé, on the other hand, couldn’t. While she certainly had ability, she lacked the experience he and his Padawan had, experience that was crucial on situations such as this. At a break in the fighting Qui-Gon threw the Sith back with the Force, she cried out in surprise as her lightsaber slipped from her fingers. Qui-Gon took advantage of this momentary distraction, letting Obi-Wan run towards to attack the downed Sith. “Protect the Queen,” he told Padmé, pointing to the Nalanda with his lit blade. She was almost out of sight. “But I want to—” “That is an order!” Qui-Gon thundered, knowing that he was being too firm for the girl but it was for her own good. After a momentary hesitation Padmé followed Nalanda and Qui-Gon sprinted after Maxah, determined to help his Padawan. “Glad you could join us,” Nalanda said lightly as she noticed Padmé beside her, deflecting bolts with her lightsaber. Padmé didn’t answer, a part of her still wanted to be engaging the Sith. The one who had killed her Master, the one who deserved to die herself. She shuddered as the thought crossed her it was a new feeling, and not to mention unwelcome. Instead she fully submerged herself in the battle around her, feeling for the Force and the warnings and whispers it told her. They had advanced about halfway down the corridor and were engaging several droidekas from behind pillars. Even Padmé had taken cover, slipping out now and again to repel the bolts. “Captain, we don’t have time for this!” she heard Nalanda shout. Panaka glanced around frantically, his eyes resting on the window opposite. “We’ll try outside!” Panaka shouted back. He levelled his blaster at the window, firing several shots and breaking the frame and transparasteel. He and his guards covered the Queen as she raced to the window, Padmé shortly at her heels. Once through and they were at a rather dizzying height above the waterfall they used their liquid cable launchers to ascend four floors above. Padmé cut a hole in the transparasteel so they could get through, all the while the sounds of the battle below emerging through the open window. The droid army was now fully engaged against the Gungans and the battle was repeatedly one-sided. While the Gungans could repel most of the droids with their spears and shields, the blaster bolts felled more Gungans as the battledroids proceeded through the army. General Ceel could only hope his artillery would do the job, Danta’s flyers would be able to weaken the Federation and that the energy shields could hold out. For the droids were proving harder than he had expected, and they were winning.
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