"𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫."
2 | WELCOME TO NABOO
HERA SAT BEHIND OBI-WAN IN THE SMALL BONGO they were given to by the Gungans. Jar Jar sat next to Obi-Wan, and Demaia sat behind the Gungan. Qui-Gon sat behind the two females as they slowly glided through the water of the lakes on Naboo.
"Dis is nutsen." Jar Jar muttered quietly before noticing a familiar sea animal. "Ooo, gooberfish!"
"Why were you banished, Jar Jar?" Demaia questioned the Gungan in front of her.
"Tis a longo tales, but a small part of it wawbe mesa... aaa... clumsy." Jar Jar said in embarrassment.
"You were banished because you were clumsy?" Hera said, trying her best not to laugh.
"Ahh... Yousa might be sayin dat." Jar Jar said, glancing to the girl.
The lights of the Bongo craft turned on to show the coral reefs that are native to Naboo. Most of the coral reefs are similar to those of Selene, Hera's homeward that she always visits due to her coronation after her mother passes.
Hera's mother was fairly old and would pass in the oncoming year or maybe even days. Hera, being the oldest of four other kids, would be crowned and take over her mother's throne when her mother died. She had four other siblings, one sister and three brothers. Her sister is named Dahlia Belliane, and her brother are named Alister, Amir, and Evander Belliane. All five of them are very powerful Jedi, thanks to their father, and Hera is the only Jedi Palawan of the five of them.
"Mesa cause-ed mabee one or duey lettal bitty axadentes... yud-say boom da gasser, un crash Der Bosses heyblibber... den banished." Jar Jar rambled.
A loud crash was heard as the small bongo lurches forwards, and Qui-Gon, Demaia, and Hera all turn to see a huge, luminous Opee Sea Killer has them hooked with it's long gooey and slimy tongue.
"Uh-oh. Big gooberfish. Huge Opee." Jar Jar said when he had turned around to see the fish.
A large monster comes out of now where and attacked the Opee Sea Killer, causing the smaller fish to let go of the small ship.
"There's always a bigger fish." Qui-Gon mutter quietly to himself as the bongo began to drive off.
Obi-Wan took the controls from Jar Jar at one point and drove the small underwater craft towards a small cave.
"Where west goin?" Jar Jar questioned as he looked around them.
"Don't worry, the Force will guide us..." Qui-Gon reassured the Gungan.
"Ooooh, maxibig... "da Force"... Well, dat smells stinkowiff." Jar Jar said.
An alarm suddenly blared on the control panel s the lights flashed, and Obi-Wan leaned to look at the control panel.
"We're losing power." Obi-Wan said as he landed the sub on the cave floor and the lights went out.
"Oh, no..." Jar Jar groaned in dispair. "Oh, wesa diein here."
"Just relax. We're not in trouble yet." Qui-Gon said and Jar Jar had a confused and angered look on his face.
"What yet? Monstairs out there! Leak'n in here, all'n sink'n, and nooo power! You nutsen! WHEN YOUSA TINKEN WESA IN TROUBLE?!!?" Jar Jar said as Obi-Wan began to hot-wire the bongo.
Hera turned away and leaned her elbow on the window as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Hera rolled her eyes as she looked out the window.
She heard wires begin to spark and turned to see Obi-Wan had turned the ship on.
"Power's back." Obi-Wan told them as he closed the wire panel.
The light's flickered on, including the outside ones, which revealed an ugly Colo Claw Fish right in front of their ship. The Colo Claw Fish rears back in surprise as Jar Jar begins to scream in panic. Obi-Wan turned the sub around and sped away from the sea creature. Jar Jar began to babble incoherently and panic as they speak away from the fish that chased them out of the cave. Qui-Gon reached forward put his hand on Jar Jar's shoulder, and the Gungan passed out.
"Relax." Qui-Gon said.
"You overdid it." Obi-Wan and Hera said in unison as they looked at the unconscious Gungan.
The Colo Claw Fish leaped after the fleeing sub, and as the sub makes its way to the entrance they notice the same large fish, an Aqua Monster, from earlier in front of them. The sub managed to slip past the Aqua Monster, but the Colo Claw Fish that had been chasing them wasn't as lucky as it was munched in half by the large predator. Jar Jar began to regain consciousness as he shook his head.
"Head for that outcropping." Demaia instructed Obi-Wan as she pointed to the outcropping.
"Oie Boie!" Jar Jar muttered as he shook his head.
Obi-Wan eventually makes it to Theed as the sub comes to the surface. Jar Jar looked around in awe, never having been in Theed before. Hera had been to Theed many times. Her best friend lived in Theed and was the Queen, so they had some royal relations.
"Oo. Dis seem uverly." Jar Jar said in awe as he looked at the architecture.
Qui-Gon and Hera stood up as they looked around. However, unlike normal, Theed was oddly quiet. Too quiet. The Jedi managed to make it to dry land as they searched for the Queen. Hera immediately picked up the her best friend's presence and led her Masters, fellow Padawan learner, and new acquaintance (maybe?) to her friend.
The five eventually come over a bridge where the Royal Group are about to walk under. The four Jedi looked at each other and nod before pulling out their lightsabers. They jumped over the ledge and ignited their lightsaber. The droids that were escorting the Royal Group raised their guns, and the Jedi immediately slashed and destroyed the droids. They disengaged their lightsabers, and the Royal Group looked at them in confusion. Hera hooked her silver and white lightsaber hilt to her utility belt as she stretched her neck.
"We should leave the streets, your highness." Qui-Gon said, gesturing for the Royal Group to follow him and Hera (who stood nearby).
Hera and Qui-Gon led the Govoner, Queen, and the small amount of guards to a small alleyway in between two larger building. One guard, who Hera assumed to be the Captain, called to the outher guards to grab the droids' weapons, to which they complied. Hera and Qui-Gon turned to the Queen and Governor with serious looks.
"We're the Ambassadors, for the Supreme Chancellor." Qui-Gon told the two.
"You negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassadors." Governor, who Hera knew as Sio Bibble from her time with the Queen on Naboo, told the two Jedi.
"The negotiations never took place." Hera said with a small shake of her head.
"It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic." Qui-Gon said, completely disregarding the younger girl's comment.
The Captain, who Hera now (after getting a good look) realized that it was Captain Panaka, stepped forward.
"They've knocked out all our communications." Captain Panaka said.
"Do you have transports?" Demaia asked from the back, and Captain Panaka nodded.
"In the main hanger. This way." Captain Panaka said as he guided the two Jedi in the front and everybody else followed him.
Alarms began to sound all around them, alerting everyone of the escape of the Queen and her retinue. They manage to make it to the Central Hanger, and Captain Panaka cracked open a side door to the central hanger. Captain Panaka, Sio Bibble, Demaia, and Obi-Wan stood on one side of the open doorway as they peaked in through the door. Hera, Qui-Gon, The Queen, handmaidens, and guards stood on the other side.
"There are too many of them." Captain Panaka told Qui-Gon.
"That won't be a problem." Qui-Gon said before turning to look at the Queen, who stood in between Hera and a handmaiden. "Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us."
"Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is here with my people." The Queen said and Hera glanced at her.
Hera began to notice the small amount of freckles that showed through the white face paint on the Queen's face, and a small look of confusion came upon her face. Hera knew The Queen always had a plan to switch places with her handmaiden if her life was in danger; Hera had the same plan with one of her handmaidens. Hera took note of this but played dit off like nothing happened.
"They will kill you if you stay." Hera told the Queen, and grabbed the decoy's hand (as Hera knew she was nervous, and the young Jedi wanted to help calm the decoy's nerves).
"They wouldn't dare, Your Highness." Sio Bibble said, as he stated her status.
Everyone around the galaxy knew of the five Belliane siblings, specifically the oldest, who would go on to inherit the crown of Selene when her mother passed on. Hera was used to people outside and inside of the Jedi Order to referring to her as 'Your Highness' or 'M'Lady'.
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of their legal. They can't afford to kill her." Captain Panaka told the young Princess.
"There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. I agree with Hera, there is not logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you." Qui-Gon told the young Queen, who was truly Sabe (or known as Tsabin for her real name), looked at the Jedi with slight nervousness.
"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us... Senator Palpatine will need your help." Sio Bibble said, knowing the Queen would do what was best for her people.
"Either choice present great danger." Sabe said, and she turned towards the handmaiden next to her. "... to us all."
"We are brave, Your Highness." the handmaiden said, and Hera now realized that this handmaiden was her best friend in disguise.
"If you are to leave, Your Highness, it must be now." Demaia told Sabe, who was still believed to be the Queen.
"Then, I will plead our case to the Senate." Sabe said with determination, and the group began to leave as Sabe turned to Sio Bibble as she began to leave. "Be careful, Governor."
Hera stayed back a bit to look at the two handmaidens, Yane and Sache, who were going to stay behind with the Governor. Hera turned to look at the Governor with a small smile.
"Governor. I won't let any harm come to her. You have my word." Hera told the Governor, but she glanced to Yane and Sache for them to know that she was speaking to them as well.
"Thank, Your Highness." Sache said, as tears of fear ran down her's and Yane's faces.
Hera nodded to them before turning and rushing to follow with the group.
"We need to free those pilots." Captain Panaka pointed to a group of young men and women who were being held in a corner with six battle droids surrounding them.
Captain Panaka raises his weapon, but Obi-Wan puts a hand on it as it lowers back to the Captain's hip.
"We'll deal with that." Obi-Wan said, gesturing for Hera to follow him to which she nodded.
Obi-Wan and Hera walked over to the battle droids, and they paused for a minute before they got the signal from Qui-Gon and Demaia as the two older Jedi lit their lightsabers. Blue and white-blue lightsabers lit up from the younger Jedi as they took down the six battle droids with ease and elegance. Once the guards are taken out, Obi-Wan turns to the pilots who look at them in awe.
"Go!" Obi-Wan called.
The freed pilots stand up. The group rush towards the ship as Obi-Wan, Hera, part of the freed pilots, some guards, and ground crew members rush aboard before they are followed by Qui-Gon. The rest of the recently freed pilots and guards rush towards Sio Bibble, Yane, and Sache (who still stand in the doorway to make sure the group escape safely). Obi-Wan leads Jar Jar down to the lower levels of the ship before returning to the cockpit, where Ric Olie (a fantastic pilot for Naboo) sat in his chair with Captain Panaka, Qui-Gon, Demaia, Hera, and Obi-Wan stand over him as they looked at the looming battleships in the void of stars.
"There's the blockade." Ric Olie called to the cockpit crew of three other pilots.
A blockade fires upon them, and alarm sounds fill the cockpit.
"The shield generator's been hit." Ric Olie said.
Hera noticed an empty seat, so she sat in it and hit some buttons. A video camera of the worker droids show and many are being shot off the ship.
"We're loosing droids... fast." Obi-Wan said, looking over Hera's shoulder as she helped pilot the ship.
"If we can't get the child generators fixed, we'll be sitting ducks." Captain Panaka said.
The last two droids work, but one is eventually blown away, and Hera brings her focus back to helping the ship maneuver the small battle they were in.
"Shields are gone." Ric Olie said in defeat as he leaned back slightly.
Hera however did not give up and continued to maneuver the ship. Ric Olie noticed the girl's determination and skill at flying such a big ship that he became determined to help her. Hera glanced out of the corner of her eye as the last droid continued to work. Eventually, light lit up the cockpit and the alarm stopped.
"Powers back! That little droid did it... bypassed the main power drive." Ric Olie said with a smile. "Deflectors shield up, at maximum."
The camera for the droids shut off, and Ric Olie presumes his flying as they raced past and away from the Federation battleship. Hera then noticed the hyperdrive scale was slowly going down and sighed.
"There's not enough power to get us to Coruscant... the hyperdrive is leaking." Hera said sadly as she glanced at her Masters and the people around her.
"We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." Qui-Gon told the group around him.
Obi-Wan sits down in front of a star chart on a monitor and looked to see a dusty sand planet show up on the map.
"Here, Master. Tatooine..." Obi-Wan said, and Qui-Gon joined his apprentice's side. "It's small, out of the way, poor... The Trade Federation has no presence there."
"How can you be sure?" Captain Panaka questioned.
"It's controlled by the Hutts." Hera commented, having remembered from her studies in the Jedi Temple. "I remember studying about it in my free time."
"You can't take Her Royal Highness there! The Hutts are gangsters... If they discovered her-" Captain Panaka said, but he was cut off by Demaia.
"It would be not different that if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation... except the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us the advantage. Besides, Captain... you really think I would risk the life of my own Padawan learner even though she is just as if not more important the Queen. Her Highness will be fine, and she will be very well protected." Demaia said as she gestured to her Padawan learner who sat in the co-pilot seat.
~~~