Qui-Gon and the twins ran toward the Naboo spacecraft. The last two were having a hard time keeping up.
"Qui-Gon, sir, wait, we're tired!" exclaimed Anakin.
Qui-Gon turned to answer and saw a dark-cocked figure bearing down on a speeder bike.
"Kids, drop!" said alerted the Master.
The twins dropped to the ground just as Darth Maul swept over them. Darth Maul jumped off his speeder bike, and before he had hit the ground, the Sith Lord had swung a death blow with his laser sword that was barely blocked by Qui-Gon.
Kids picked themself up. The two galactic warriors, Sith and Jedi, were bashing each other with incredible blows. They moved in a continual cloud of dust, smashing everything around them. This was a fierce fight. They got up, bewildered by the confrontation.
"Kids, tell them to take off!" ordered the Jedi.
The Jedi struggled to fend off the relentless onslaught as the twins raced to the ship.
Captain Panaka, Anakin, Mary and Padmé rushed into the cockpit where Obi-Wan and Ric Olie were checking the hyperdrive.
"Qui-Gon's in trouble!" said Mary.
"Take off. Over there! Fly low!" said Obi-Wan.
In the distance was a small cloud of dust. Qui-Gon and Darth Maul continued their sword battle. Leaping over one another in an incredible display of acrobatics, the two warriors heard the ship fly over them a few feet off the ground. Qui-Gon almost disappeared for a moment.
Before the Sith knew what's happening, Qui-Gon was on the space crat's ramp.
The ramp closed, and the Naboo craft rocketed away, leaving the Sith Lord standing alone.
The sleek spacecraft rocketed away from the planet Tatooine.
The twins and Obi-Wan rushed into the hallway to find Qui-Gon collapsed on the floor opposite the entry. R2-D2 was looking over him.
The Jedi was breathing hard, wet with sweat and covered in dirt.
They came through the door.
"Are you all right?" asked Anakin.
"I think so." answered him.
"What was it?" asked the Padawan.
"I'm not sure... but he was well trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is he was after the Queen..." replied the Jedi.
"What are we going to do about it?" asked Mary.
Obi-Wan gave the twins a "who are you?" look. They returned an innocent stare.
"We will be patient. Anakin and Mary Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Hi...nice to meet you." said Mary first.
"Hi. You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you." said Anakin.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon looked at each other.
The ship flew away from Tatooine.
☾☼
The ship was asleep. The lights were dim as Padmé walked into the main room.
She appeared tired. She sensed someone watching her and turned around with a start. She saw Anakin and Mary sitting in the corner, shivering and looking very dejected.
"Are you all right?" asked Padmé.
"It's very cold." he answered.
She went over to them. They looked up at her with tears in their eyes. He was holding his sister to keep her warm. Padmé gave them her over-jacket.
"You come from a warm planet, kids. A little too warm for my taste. Space is cold."
"You seem sad." said Mary.
"The Queen is... worried. Her people are suffering... dying. She must convince the Senate to intervene, I'm not sure what will happen." she answered.
He pulled something from his pocket. "We made this for you... so you'd remember us. We carved it out of a Japor snippet... It will bring you good fortune."
Anakin handed a wooden pendant to Padmé. She inspected it, then putted it around her neck.
"It's beautiful, but I don't need this to remember you by. Many things will change when we reach the capital. My caring for you will remain."
"We care for you too. Only we...." said Anakin.
He was disturbed about something. Tears were in his eyes.
"...Miss your mother." continued her.
They looked at her, unable to speak. She hugged them.
The ship headed toward Coruscant. The spacecraft flew over the endless cityscape of Coruscant, the capital of the galaxy.
Kids looked out the cockpit window in awe.
"Coruscant... the entire planet is one big city. There's Chancellor Valorum's shuttle. And look over there, Senator Palpatine is waiting for us." informed Ric Olie.
Supreme Chancellor Valorum, several guards, and Senator Palpatine stood on a landing platform.
The sleek Naboo spacecraft landed on the platform high above the street level of the galactic capital. The ramp lowered. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Mary and Anakin descended the ramp first and bowed before Palpatine and Valorum.
Captain Panaka, two guards, Queen Amidala, then Padmé, Rabe, Eirtae and more guards descended the ramp. Queen Amidala stopped before the group. The twins and Jar Jar stood to one side, looking at the huge city. Padmé smiled at the twins. Palpatine bowed before the Queen.
"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty. With the communications breakdown, we've become very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation. May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum." said Palpatine.
"Welcome, Your Highness. It's an honour to finally meet you in person." said the Chancellor.
"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor." replied Queen Amidala.
"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation. I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position." said the Chancellor.
"I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor."
Palpatine started to lead Queen Amidala and her retinue off the platform toward a waiting air taxi.
"There is a question of procedure, but I feel confident we can overcome it..."
Jar Jar and the twins followed the Queen, Palpatine, Padmé, Rabe and Eirtae to the taxi.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stopped to speak with Valorum as they watched the group headed towards the taxi.
"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately. The situation has become more complicated." informed Qui-Gon.
Queen Amidala was sitting listening to Palpatine. Eirtae and Rabe stood behind the Queen; Padmé was nowhere to be seen. Mary, Anakin and Jar Jar were waiting in an adjoining room. They could see the Queen but cannot hear what was being said.
Captain Panaka entered, then went into the room with Queen Amidala.
☾☼
Qui-Gon stood in a tall stately room. Twelve Jedi sat in a semi-circle. Obi-Wan stood behind Qui-Gon in the center of the room.
The Senior Jedi was Mace Windu. To his left was an alien Jedi named Ki-Adi-Mundi, and to his right, the Jedi Master, Yoda.
"... He was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord." explained Qui-Gon.
"Impossible! The Sith have been extinct for a millennium." answered Ki-Adi.
"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing." replied Mace Windu.
"Ah, hard to see, the dark side is." intervened Yoda.
"We will use all our resources here to unravel this mystery and discover the identity of your attacker... May the Force be with you." concluded Windu.
Obi-Wan turned and left, but Qui-Gon continued to face the Council.
"Master Qui-Gon more to say have you?" stated Yoda.
"With your permission, my Master. I have encountered a vergence in the Force." replied.
"A vergence, you say?" continued Yoda.
"Located around a person?" asked Mace.
"Two children...a boy and a girl... their cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a life form. It is possible they were conceived by the midi-chlorians." said Qui-Gon.
"You're referring to the prophesy of the one who will bring balance to the Force...but you forget that only one will succeed while the other will fail. Do you know what this means?" said Mace Windu.
"There's no guarantee that one of them will join the dark side." replied Qui-Gon.
"This is a risk that we cannot take." answered Mace Windu.
"I request the twins be tested, Master." said Qui-Gon.
The Jedi all looked to one another. They nodded and turned back to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
"Trained as a Jedi, you request for them?" asked Yoda.
"Finding them was the will of the Force... I have no doubt of that." stated Qui-Gon.
"Bring them before us, then." concluded Windu.
Anakin and Mary walked down one of the long hallways in Senator Palpatine's quarters. They stopped before a door that was flanked by a guard.
The guard spoke into his comlink as they looked around a bit nervously.
"The kids are here to see Padmé."
"Let them in." answered Rabe.
The doors opened, and they entered the Queen's quarters.
Rabe greeted them as two other handmaidens came and went into the next room.
"I'm sorry, but Padmé is not here right now."
The Queen spoke out in the next room.
"Who is it?" asked Queen Amidala.
"Anakin and Mary Skywalker, to see Padmé, Your Highness."
The Queen moved into the doorway and studied the kids. They bowed and looked down, then took a peek at her.
"I've sent Padme on an errand."
"We're on our way to the Jedi temple to start our training, I hope." said Anakin.
The Queen just stared at them.
"We may not see her again... so... we came to say goodbye." said Mary.
"We will tell her for you. We are sure her heart goes with you." replied the Queen.
They bowed again.
"Thank you, Your Highness." they said.
The Queen disappeared behind the doorway, and the twins exited.