ODD-1 hovers about excitedly. The young Queen, perhaps 14-years old, is suddenly free from the carbonite. She takes a breath and shivers, while NR-6 injects the vaccine into her shoulder. Medora places a hand on her other shoulder.
MEDORA: Your Highness...
Queen Amidala moves her limbs, adorned with her Royal lifeline tattoos, and feels the confines of the remaining carbonite bed. She wears a thin crown, a golden circlet. Her hands search the air for something, Medora takes them.
MEDORA: It's alright, we're right here. You've been given a plague vaccination. How do you feel?
AMIDALA: ...the boy...
Medora and Cricket look at each other with concern.
CRICKET: Merely carbon sickness, not to mention the plague. You will recover, slowly, Your Highness.
They help her sit up. Medora throws the flag around her shoulders as a blanket. Cold gases are still pouring out of the crucible onto the floor around her. Around the deck, everyone kneels, and the Jedi and Slate belatedly follow suit. ODD-1 looks around at the kneeling assembly, and does his level best to kneel as well, hovering down near the ground and retracting an antenna.
AMIDALA: ...Cricket...he was just here.
CRICKET: Easy, nice and easy. Just a few fading dreams.
AMIDALA: No. Not a dream. The young pilot. The one whose blood was used to cure me. I owe him my life.
There are some murmurs among the Royal Troopers. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trade confused looks. How could she know about that?
CRICKET (whispering): The sorcerer boy must have channeled his thoughts to her.
MEDORA: Mmmm...perhaps the Jedi can speak to his whereabouts. Qui-Gon?
All eyes turn to Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and they cautiously come forward. The young Queen cannot see them but her air is already one of great confidence.
QUI-GON: Your Majesty, the Jedi Council has sent us to protect you. The pilot of whom you speak of was our companion, but he recently ran away.
OBI-WAN: Was abducted, actually.
AMIDALA: Abducted? Then we must rescue him immediately.
MEDORA: Your Majesty, you'll have plenty of time to get your thoughts in order...
AMIDALA: Medora, I would speak with you privately. Everyone else, leave us.
The Troopers trade fleeting looks, then bow and go about their business. The Jedi and Slate walk off as well. The camera hovers in close as Queen Amidala pulls Medora face to face with surprising strength, seeing her with her hands.
AMIDALA: Have you ever been frozen in carbonite, Medora?
Medora, the bad-ass woman at arms, is afraid, and only barely hiding it even to a blind girl.
MEDORA: No, my Queen.
AMIDALA: It's not like sleep, Medora. It's the closest thing to death there is, except you're awake. Hour, after hour, day after day...A big, dark, wide-awake nothing.
MEDORA: I'm sorry--
AMIDALA: But then suddenly, he was there. The boy. He was alone, too. Afraid. Yet he comforted me. He told me how his blood was used to synthesize the vaccine. And I have never been so grateful, so desperate, for anything in my life. We connected. And now I must find him.
MEDORA: With all due respect, my Queen, we can't risk your life going on a wild mynoch chase...
AMIDALA: We have the vaccine. And the power of the Jedi, now, too? Then it is time to stop hiding and make our escape from Naboo. And we will rescue this wild mynoch along the way. I decree it.
CUT TO:
Medora entering the bridge area, the Pilot, Navigator, Cricket, Slate and the Jedi turn to look at her.
MEDORA (to the Navigator): Do you still have a read on that Star Courier?
NAV: Last known trajectory was escape velocity. He'll be in orbit by now.
CRICKET: This is unwise, Medora. She is under his spell.
MEDORA (taking a deep breath): Pursue that ship. Full power.
EXT. NABOO POLAR ICE SHEET - SUNSET
The ship's sublight engines ingite and it accelerates up into the sky.
CUT TO:
EXT. OUTER SPACE - NABOO ORBIT
Meanwhile, the Sith Star Courier shrieks away from the planet and toward the blockade. The Lucrehulks take notice and move to intercept.
In the cockpit of the courier, Darth Maul handles the controls with cold finesse as the blockade ships grow in the viewport. In the co-pilot seat, Ransom stirs, wakes up. He quickly finds he is bound to the chair and cannot move.
ANAKIN: What are you doing? Let me go! You hear me? Let me go, now!
DARTH MAUL: I suggest you use this time to listen.
ANAKIN: I'll say what I want! You're the dumbest, lousiest space scum alive!
Darth Maul winces slightly at the insult, but he expected as much. He aims a gloved hand at Anakin and makes a strange mudra with it. Suddenly Anakin's mouth starts closing against his will. What's more, the skin of his lips has started to grow over his mouth! In strands at first, which widen until his entire mouth is subsumed! Anakin screams in horror, but the sound and capacity of even his scream is stifled within his mouth and nose.
DARTH MAUL: Better.
CUT TO:
INT. COMMAND BATTLESHIP - THE BRIDGE
BRIDGE CREWMAN: The visitor Star Courier approaching from the surface, Viceroy.
Yinray limps into the frame, A3PO and two IG-4 guards on either side.
YINRAY: It's that blasted Sith back to finish me off. Well, he's in for a surprise. Lock on, and fire all weapons!
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. OUTER SPACE / STAR COURIER COCKPIT
The gun towers on the three nearest Lucrehulks turn and open fire. From Darth Maul's viewport, the green shots bloom, but he easily evades them. He grins with satisfaction, not at all surprised to see the new Viceroy's betrayal.
DARTH MAUL: Yes, listen now, young Anakin Skywalker, and learn. Learn who you are. Learn what you did.
Anakin looks equally terrified at the return of the strange name and the approaching laser bolts.
CROSS CUT WITH:
The Star Courier leaning in to an acrobatic charge. Battleships converge on all sides. Swarms of precisely coordinated Vulture droid fighters pour once again from their launch ports. All of them open fire indiscriminately. It suddenly seems like there's a lot more laser than space.
CROSS CUT WITH:
Maul uses the Force to activate from afar an external auto-turret which aims backward, firing rapidly and dropping several Vultures.
DARTH MAUL: You were branded a sorcerer by your own people, like me. And you rebelled against your people, also like me. It was you who single-handedly allowed the Trade Federation to take the Naboo Capitol.
Ransom is horrified, unable to blink at the steely Sith Warrior, who's attention remains coldly focused on the way ahead.
DARTH MAUL: Your family was sick with the plague, and dying, so you struck a deal with the invaders. You showed them a secret entrance into the inner city that only the farmers knew. It allowed them to break the siege. In return, they inoculated you and gave you doses for your entire family.
A tear of rage and regret spills down Ransom's cheek, but he's transfixed. Cross-cutting with the space-chase continues.
DARTH MAUL: But your parents, brothers and sisters would not take your ill-begoten medicine. They rejected you, and died off, one by one. You were left with nothing, alone, and so you returned to the Trade Federation. It was you who asked to have your memory wiped. You did not want to remember the faces of your dying family as they cursed with their final breaths. It was only then that the Trade Federation recognized your powers, and alerted us to your presence. You see now your true self, don't you? You belong among those who understand you.
Ransom closes his eyes now. He knows it's true. Tears flow down his face.
The ship gets farther and farther from the planet, the pursuers falling behind but still firing.
Suddenly the ship shakes badly after a direct hit. A siren starts wailing. Anakin opens his eyes once more with a look of rage-filled determination, to see Darth Maul's cool-headedness show just a sliver of worry. A hyperdrive readout is flashing from the console.
A voice fills Darth Maul's head.
RANSOM (telepathically): The hyperdrive's damaged. You'll kill us both if you try to jump too far.
Darth Maul looks at Ransom. The boy's mouth is still completely missing. But his eyes blaze with intensity.
RANSOM (telepathically): Something nearby is our only escape.
Darth Maul quickly checks the star chart and changes their destination from a distant point to something much closer, a binary system. He glances once more at Anakin, then confirms the destination with a final tap. The hyperdrive shows a charging meter that slowly grows from red, to yellow, to green...
CUT TO:
EXT. OUTER SPACE ABOVE NABOO
The Royal Cruiser trucks out into the stars, leaving wisps of upper atmosphere curling in its wake.
INT. ROYAL CRUISER BRIDGE
The Pilot and the Navigator study the viewport. Medora is on the captain's platform while Queen Amidala presides from a Royal sconce. The Jedi, Slate, and Cricket look on from nearby.
PILOT: The blockade's in a pincher formation. They've got their hands full.
MEDORA: Smaller ships?
NAV: There's a swarm of Vulture droids...and our Star Courier.
AMIDALA: Track it!
CUT TO:
The Star Courier takes fire but the deflector shields hold, snapping off laser bolts in pops of light. A close up of the hyperdrive going blue. Darth Maul engages the drive, and the ship streaks away into the cosmos.
CUT BACK TO:
The Navigator studies his readout.
NAV: They jumped.
MEDORA: Did you get a reading?
NAV: I think so. The signature was pretty weak.
MEDORA: They didn't go far, then.
OBI-WAN: They stayed in the Outer Rim?
NAV: Heading 157 mark 84.
MEDORA: (she punches in the coordinates on her command console). Tatooine.
PILOT: Tatooine? Only the desperate go there.
CRICKET: Their ship must have been damaged.
NAV: Now's our chance. The blockade's out of position.
Medora gives a sidelong look to Queen Amidala. Amidala locks eyes with her, raises an eyebrow.
MEDORA: Glad to see your sight's back, your Highness. Set coordinates for Tatooine. Prepare for lightspeed.
CUT TO:
INT. COMMAND BATTLESHIP - THE BRIDGE
BRIDGE CREWMAN: Royal Cruiser outbound from the planet, Viceroy!
YINRAY (apopleptic): It was a decoy?! Bring that ship down!!!
CUT TO SPACE:
The host of Trade Federation ships unfurls from its previous pursuit and starts closing in on the Naboo cruiser.
NAV: Here they come!
PILOT: Gravity below threshold. We're in the clear!
MEDORA: Jump!
EXT. OUTER SPACE
The Naboo cruiser jumps into lightspeed and disappears in a flash. The pursuing fighters pepper the area with lasers but reluctantly about-face.
INT. / EXT. NABOO CRUISER HYPERSPACE
Everyone breaths a sigh of relief. The Naboo cruiser, alone, soars through the radiant tunnel of hyperspace.
WIPE TO:
INT. CORUSCANT SENATE - DAY
The circular tiers of the Galactic Senate seats are half full, and the chamber echoes with confused and fractious talking. SUPREME CHANCELLOR DOOKU presides from a central levitating dais. He bangs a gavel.
DOOKU: Order! Order in this house. The emergency session shall commence.
A cacophony of alien voices and ridicule fills the air. Dooku beats the defeaning gavel. The Galactic Republic is an unruly democracy of exotic life forms, but a democracy all the same.
DOOKU: Order!! Master Jedi? Your report?
Yoda and Mace Windu look on from their seats as Master Palpatine and Shaak Ti rise to represent the council before the senate. A polished, green astromech droid accompanies them.
SHAAK TI: Galactic Senators. Two days ago, our council dispatched a Jedi escort to accompany an independent investigation of the Naboo outbreak by Virologist Slate Morgon--
NEIMOIDIAN SENATOR: This is an outrage! Clandestine Jedi operatives! No coordination with the brave Trade Federation quarantine...
DOOKU: Order, Senator, or I will have you censured! (to Shaak Ti) Continue.
SHAAK TI: We have received no word from them, except this...
She looks to the astromech droid, who has meanwhile interfaced with the chamber's hologram projector. A hundred-foot tall Qui-Gon Jinn hologram repeats the message once again. The outrage, laughing, and alien howling of the assembly grows as the hologram plays.
QUI-GON (hologram recording): This is Qui-Gon Jinn of the Jedi Council. The Trade Federation is invading the Naboo with a droid army. -- The plague is engineered to supress the population before invasion. You must send a liberation fleet--
Master Palpatine motions fo the hologram to stop, and the green astromech complies seamlessly. One voice of unbridled rage rises above the others.
NEIMOIDIAN SENATOR: Lies! Baseless accusations! Slander!
DOOKU: Sentinels. Censure the senator from Geonosis.
Armored guards fly their skiff over the Neimoidian senator and strip his dais of its microphone. The Neimoidian Senator is apoplectic but no longer audible.
SHAAK TI: We recommend an immediate intervention to determine the true state of the crisis. Thank you.
A Jabba-the-Hutt like SENATOR DURGA issues his dais forward.
SENATOR DURGA: Tagwa, send doe jedai tah police doe Naboo, Supreme Chancellor.
SENATOR WIDNI: Yes, you would like to reduce security around the Milennium festivities, wouldn't you, Durga-the-Hutt?
Half the chamber erupts in laughter, and Durga the Hutt bellows angry Huttese back at them.
DOOKU: A simple voice vote should suffice, those in favor of sending a Jedi security force?
Durga the Hutt and a minority of other sleaze scream their assent.
DOOKU: Against?
The chamber resounds with a defeaning ROAR.
DOOKU: I'm sorry, Master Shaak Ti. The overwhelming political will is that the Jedi remain here to keep the peace in the capitol.
PALPATINE: If I may propose an alternative resolution, Supreme Chancellor Dooku?
Yoda narrows his eyes slightly at Palpatine, as Mace Windu glances briefly at the impish master.
DOOKU: Jedi Master Palpatine is recognized.
PALPATINE: I have here a proposal for a Republic expeditionary force.
The green astromech droid cues up a hologram presentation showing several large and midsize ships, a few fighters, and troops.
PALPATINE: A temporary apparatus by which the Supreme Chancellor--not the Jedi--may temporarily police the Naboo situation. Which, if we are to believe this report, must already involve a catastrophic loss of life--
SENATOR WIDNI: You would give military power to the Supreme Chancellor? That's against the founding articles.
Dooku waps his gavel and the chamber reluctantly quiets down.
DOOKU: The proposal is heard. Are you sure you want to go forward with a vote?
PALPATINE: We cannot twiddle our thumbs. If the Naboo crisis is even half as dire as our scouts report, we may already be too late. I call for a vote.
The house SCREAMS. Everyone is excited and confused by this twist in events.
DOOKU: ORDER!! I see this may be close. I require an exact vote count. Under emergency session rules, a simple majority is sufficient. Cast your votes, Senators, in favor or against launching an expeditionary force to Naboo under my command.
Around the chamber, the representatives grumble and enter their input into their voting consoles.
DOOKU: The result ... Yeas, 850. Nays 729. Master Palpatine's resolution passes.
Yoda turns to Mace Windu.
YODA: Master Windu. Accompany the Supreme Chancellor, you will. Be at his side, always, but do not serve blindly. Observe, and report.
MACE WINDU: Yes, Master Yoda.
Master Palpatine and Shaak Ti are returning from the spotlight, conversing amoung themselves.
PALPATINE: I know, I'm sorry. I didn't want to propose it, but it was our last resort. Our own agents are spread too thin...
Yoda carefully watches Palpatine and Shaak Ti walk by and turn a corner out into the outer halls of the Senate building.
WIPE TO:
EXT. OUTER SPACE ABOVE TATOOINE
The Royal Cruiser comes out of hyperspace.
MEDORA: Any sign of them?
NAV: Scanning. What a mess...this place is crawling.
CRICKET: Check the spaceports. They'll need repairs.
Qui-Gon and the others re-enter the main deck.
NAV: Focusing scans. Sabbac! Class 4 Star Courier descending on Mos Eisley Spaceport!
MEDORA: After them.
CUT TO:
The cruiser zooms toward the camera, when suddenly the Viceroy's Command battleship zooms out of hyperspace right behind them, instantly dwarfing their ship in size. It already has a stream of laser fire headed toward them and it scores a direct hit on one of the cruiser's thrust ports.
Inside the cruiser bridge, damage alarms are wailing.
PILOT: Starboard engine's hit!
NAV: They followed us! How did they hit us so quickly?
QUI-GON: They must have opened fire while still in hyperspace. A reckless tactic, I've never seen it work.
MEDORA: You have now. Can we still make it to Mos Eisley?
PILOT (wrestling with the controls): No promises!
The Royal Cruiser limps down low into the desert air. Ahead is Mos Eisley, too far ahead. The ship starts to spiral.
PILOT: Losing stabilizers...I can't slow us down!
The cruiser's dead spin straightens out, but it's still losing altitude. What's worse, there's a canyon between them and the spaceport. The cruiser is heading right for it.
The smooth underbelly of the cruiser touches down on the sand as they crash-land, sliding sideways but continuing toward the canyon. Medora sees what's going to happen.
MEDORA: Get the Queen out the dorsal hatch! NOW!
EXT. TATOOINE DESERT - DAY
The dorsal hatch pops open and Qui-Gon leaps out. The Queen is next, pushed up from below by Obi-Wan. The ship continues to slide toward the canyon, the sand kicking up in a fine dust trail behind them.
MEDORA: Get her off the ship! Jump!
Qui-Gon takes the Queen in his arms and jumps with her. He shields her as they roll to a stop. Obi-Wan turns around from atop the ship and reaches down to help Slate. ODD-1 flies up and whistles his encouragement over his shoulder.
OBI-WAN: Come on!
Their hands are just touching when the cruiser hits a hillock of sand, sending everyone crashing down. Slate falls back down into the ship, and Obi-Wan goes flying off the side, landing awkwardly in the sand. Medora and the Royal Guards go tumbling, and Slate gets pinned to the deck by a flailing NR-6.
The cruiser skids to the edge of the canyon, grinding against some exposed rocks. Qui-Gon runs forward and tries to use the Force to keep the ship from falling over. The ship teetering over the edge unnaturally. He's holding it up! Obi-Wan looks up and is amazed by the Jedi Master's power. But then the rock lining the edge breaks, and the boulders supporting it tumble away into the canyon. Qui-Gon's grip on the Force falters. The ship goes over without a sound.
OBI-WAN: No!!
The three and ODD-1 hurry to the edge of the cliff, the ankle-deep sand slowing them down. ODD-1 gets there first, alarmed on all frequencies. But there's no sound. The others join the droid, looking down, the Jedi barely keeping the Queen from slipping over.
A single dislodged stone plummets down the canyon wall, then hits the sand hundreds of feet below, and disappears, sinking into the sand. The ship is no where to be seen.
OBI-WAN: I didn't hear a crash!
QUI-GON: No wreckage either.
AMIDALA: Where did they go?
QUI-GON: ...I think they sank into the sand.
OBI-WAN: I had her...
ODD-1 whistles something, fiddling with his antenna.
OBI-WAN (brightening): Life support's intact? Are you sure?
Behind them in the sky, the Viceroy's battleship is entering the Tatooine atmosphere, dragging thunderheads of vapor and lightning with it. A powerful wind begins to sweep at them.
QUI-GON: I think they're alright for the time being, but we can't stay to look. The Viceroy's forces will be landing soon.
AMIDALA: I decide what we shall do, and when.
She gazes over the edge a little longer while the Jedi bite their tongues.
QUI-GON: Your Highness, might I suggest we go to the port city and find a place to hide you?
AMIDALA (pouts): I detest hiding. But yes, we shall go to the city. We'll enlist the help of the local government.
OBI-WAN: I don't think it's that kind of city.