Episode I Journal_ Anakin Skywalker Part 5

For a moment I didn't understand what was happening. Padme, the Queen? It didn't make sense.

But then she explained that the girl dressed as the Queen was actually one of her handmaidens. They had traded places for protection.

I'm glad Padme wasn't looking in my direction because she would have seen my mouth hanging wide open!

I didn't know what to think! Ever since the day Padme and Qui-Gon stepped into Watto's shop, my life had been changing in ways I would have never dared to imagine.

In some strange and secret way, I was connected to the Queen! That made me feel sort of important. It made me wonder.

Who was I?

Who was I destined to become?

Padme went on to explain to Boss Na.s.s why she had come. It was pretty obvious that even though the Naboo people and the Gungans had lived together on this planet for a long time in peace, they weren't exactly friendly.

Now, Padme explained, they were both threatened by the Trade Federation. Unless the two groups banded together, they would both be destroyed.

Boss Na.s.s listened to her with a frown on his face. You could see that he wasn't sure he believed her.

Suddenly Padme dropped to her knees before the Gungan chief. She begged him. She said the Naboo people were his humble servants and their fate was in his hands.

From the gasps of her handmaidens and the Naboo guards, I knew that this was the last thing they had expected her to do. But then, slowly, the guards bowed, too. And then the handmaidens and the Jedi.

Boss Na.s.s began to laugh. He seemed very pleased. He'd felt the Naboo people had thought they were better than his swamp-dwelling Gungans. Having the Naboo Queen on her knees begging him finally equaled things out.

He was starting to think that maybe the Gungans and Naboos might be allies after all. Once again I saw Padme in a new light. Not only was she brave, she was also a skilled leader.

To me, she was even more than an angel.

After Boss Na.s.s accepted the Queen's plea, he and his generals began to form a plan with Padme and the Jedi Knights. I was still having trouble believing that Padme was the real Naboo Queen. How could I call her Amidala? She would always be Padme to me. She would always be that person I first felt a special connection to.

I wanted to talk to her in private, but she was busy saving her planet.

The leader of the Naboo guards and some of his men were sent to scout the activities of the Trade Federation troops. A Gungan sentry was stationed high up in the ancient temple to watch for their return.

When the lookout yelled that the guards were coming back, I let Padme and the others know. Everyone was eager to hear what was happening between the Naboo people and the Trade Federation troops.

The news was bad. Most of the Naboo people had been thrown into prison camps. There was a small resistance movement made up of Naboo police officers and palace guards. But it was insignificant compared to the size of the Federation forces. They had a droid army that was larger than Padme's advisors had expected.

From the grim expressions around me, I began to understand what we were up against. We would be totally outnumbered in battle. What could I do to help?

Then I heard some of what Padme and the others had been planning. The Gungan troops would go to battle against the Federation droid army. It was doubtful that they could actually defeat the army, but hopefully they could draw them away from the city.

Meanwhile, a handful of Naboo troops would get into the city through secret pa.s.sageways. They would attempt to enter the Royal Palace and capture the Trade Federation viceroy. He was the leader, and without him, the Trade Federation wouldn't know what to do.

Qui-Gon warned Padme that the Trade Federation viceroy would be well protected and difficult to capture. He was also worried about the Gungan battle with the Trade Federation droids. Even though it was nothing more than a diversion, he feared that many Gungans might be killed.

Boss Na.s.s bravely insisted that his people were ready to do their part to save the planet. Padme pointed out that the enemy troops were controlled from a Trade Federation command center orbiting the planet. While entering Naboo airs.p.a.ce earlier, they had spotted a lone Trade Federation battles.h.i.+p: the Droid Control s.h.i.+p. Part of the plan would be to also send Naboo fighter pilots to knock out the Control s.h.i.+p. Then the droids on the surface would be helpless.

Qui-Gon agreed that it was a good plan, but again warned that it would not be easy. The Trade Federation Droid Control s.h.i.+p was undoubtedly protected by deflector s.h.i.+elds. If the Naboo pilots were unable to get through those s.h.i.+elds, they wouldn't be able to disable the droid army below.

Then Obi-Wan pointed out an even greater danger. Everything depended on capturing the Trade Federation viceroy. If their plan failed and he escaped, he would no doubt return with an even bigger droid army - one that the meager Naboo and Gungan forces would have no hope of defeating.

Padme nodded slowly and said she was aware of that risk. That was why the plan must not fail. The fate of all the beings on Naboo depended on capturing the viceroy.

With a risky plan and a thin thread of hope, we were going to war.

Twelfth Entry

A Greater Enemy Appears.

There can be nothing more serious than going into battle. Especially a battle where many might be killed. But at the same time it is hard to imagine anything more exciting. The Gungans may have been an odd and peculiar-looking people, but watching their soldiers rise dripping wet out of the swamp dressed in metal and leather body armor and riding powerful kaadu was really something.

Even more amazing were the Gungan soldiers atop the fambaas. I'd never seen creatures like these before. They were huge and looked like giant scaly salamanders. Each fambaa was outfitted with a s.h.i.+eld generator that would (hopefully!) protect the Gungans from the battle droids' weapons.

While the Gungans marched bravely off toward the gra.s.sy hills beyond the swamp, Padme, the Jedis, a small number of Naboo troops and fighter pilots, and I headed for the city. I knew Qui-Gon didn't want me to go, but with the whole planet about to go to war, there was no safe place to leave me.

We quietly entered the main city of Theed through secret pa.s.sageways. For a moment I was struck by the beauty of the domed buildings and towers, but one look at the central plaza sent a s.h.i.+ver down my spine. Among the rubble of a recent battle, there were Trade Federation tanks and battle droids everywhere!

The sight of the enemy and the destruction it had already done made my throat grow tight. This wasn't a game. It wasn't a fight that could be settled with fists, or even a Podrace where someone wanted you dead. This was much, much bigger - an enemy of hundreds, maybe thousands of killing machines. And in the blink of an eye each one could vaporize a creature into a small heap of smoking ash.

My feet felt like they'd turned into lead. Suddenly my heart was pounding and I was having trouble breathing. What was I doing here? I'd gone along with Qui-Gon in the hope of learning to become a Jedi. I was nine years old! I didn't want to die.

As if he'd read my mind (maybe he had!) Qui-Gon turned and gave me an encouraging nod. I think he understood what I was feeling. But the look in his eyes said it was too late. There was no going back.

Our immediate destination was the central hangar complex, where the Naboo starfighters were kept. The hangar was connected to the Royal Palace. We had to get the Naboo pilots into those fighters and send them up to disable the Trade Federation Droid Control s.h.i.+p. The lives of hundreds of Gungan soldiers depended on it.

As we divided into two groups, Qui-Gon took me aside and whispered that once we got inside the hangar, I should find a safe place to hide and stay there. I wanted to help him, but I had to follow his orders.

We waited while the other group of Naboo guards snuck across the central plaza. Padme sent them a signal and the guards began to fire on the droids.

Instantly, the Trade Federation battle droids and tanks in the main plaza returned fire. Meanwhile Padme's group rushed into the hangar. About a dozen bright yellow Naboo starfighters were inside. There were more droid guards in there and they started firing.

My ears were ringing with explosions and sirens as a battle began for control of the Naboo fighters.

Following Qui-Gon's orders, I ran under a fighter and hid there. The air sizzled with blaster bolts and lasers being shot back and forth. I couldn't take my eyes off Padme. She led her troops well and fought bravely, ducking laser blasts and taking out droids with her blaster.

A laser blast blew a hole in the floor just inches away from me. So close I felt its scorching heat. A s.h.i.+ver ran through me. If that blast had hit me, I'd be nothing more than a few chunks of charred flesh. Feeling light-headed, I backed deeper into my hiding place.

The fight continued with the Jedi Knights, Naboo guards, and pilots. They were pus.h.i.+ng the Trade Federation droids back! Padme gave the signal for the Naboo pilots and R2 units to get into the fighters. The next thing I knew, a Naboo pilot jumped into the fighter I was hiding under. He yelled at me to find a new place to hide, and before I knew it, the fighter was lifting off. I was in the middle of the hangar, totally unprotected!

With random laser blasts still rocketing over my head, I searched for a new place to hide.

I heard a whistle and turned to see the droid Artoo-Detoo in an unmanned fighter. He looked safe in the starfighter. In the middle of the battle, with no place else to go, it sounded like a good idea. I climbed in.

By now lots of Naboo starfighters were zooming out of the hangar. Out in the central plaza, a Trade Federation tank wheeled around and fired.

Ka-boom! I winced as a starfighter burst into flames and crashed. Luckily, the others managed to take off unharmed.

Having freed the starfighters, Padme, the Jedi, and the Naboo guards turned toward the palace. The next part of the mission was to capture the viceroy. As they started out of the hangar, I began to climb out of the starfighter I'd been hiding in.

Suddenly Qui-Gon saw me and shouted that I was to stay inside the c.o.c.kpit. I tried to argue with him, but he insisted that it was the safest place for me. I can't say I was happy about it, but I did as I was told.

I watched as the rest of the group headed for the doors leading out of the hangar. Suddenly they froze. In the doorway, blocking their path, stood the Sith Lord!

Thirteenth Entry

The Battle

His yellow eyes were intense, his red-and-black face terrifying. Padme and the Naboo guards quickly backed away. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan threw off their capes and ignited their lightsabers. For a split second I wondered how any warrior could fight off two Jedi. But then the dark warrior lit his saber. Both ends glowed ominously. His lightsaber was double-sided!

They started to fight. The fury of their battle was like nothing I'd ever seen. The Sith Lord could spring twenty meters in the air and do a flip while still fighting both Jedi. I was so amazed that I didn't even notice the other battle brewing behind us. Artoo whistled and I turned just in time to see three new Trade Federation droids roll into the hangar behind us. At first they looked like s.h.i.+ny metal wheels. But they quickly unfolded into heavily armed battle droids.

Padme and the Naboo guards were trapped. The Sith Lord was fighting Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon at one end of the hangar and the destroyer droids were firing from the other end.

It looked bad. I knew I had to help and started hitting switches. Suddenly the starfighter lurched up and began to rise!

I steered the fighter toward the destroyer droids. I was going to get those three-legged death machines. All I had to do was find the trigger for the laser guns.

I stared down at the banks of brightly lit switches and b.u.t.tons. Which one? Which one?

Oops! I pushed a b.u.t.ton, but instead of firing lasers, the starfighter bucked. I must have tripped a stabilizer.

Meanwhile, the destroyer droids were moving in on Padme and her team.

I tried another b.u.t.ton.

Zap! Boom!

The nose lasers fired and a destroyer droid burst into smoke and flame.

All right! Artoo let out a whistle-cheer and I blasted another droid, and then another.

With the droids out of the way, Padme and the Naboo guards hurried into the palace. Meanwhile, the Sith Lord and the Jedi were locked in deadly combat.

Wham! My starfighter took a shot and heeled over. I jumped around. More droids had entered the hangar.

And now they were firing at me!

Suddenly we were in a storm of explosions. Artoo-Detoo was beeping at me like crazy. Of course I wanted the fighter's s.h.i.+eld up! I just wasn't sure which...

Whoa! I hit a switch and we went from zero to sixty in a nanosecond. Artoo didn't have to tell me I'd accidentally flicked on the afterburners. I could feel it!

The good news was that I managed to steer the starfighter out of the hangar without cras.h.i.+ng into any walls.

The bad news was that we were now rocketing upward and I still didn't know how to pilot a fighter!

We shot out of the city and over a vast gra.s.sy plain. Below us the Gungans and the Trade Federation battle droids were fighting fiercely. The plain was littered with shattered droids and wounded Gungans and kaadu. Lasers and energy b.a.l.l.s were rocketing back and forth. The air was filled with explosions and smoke.

Artoo kept beeping at me, something about the autopilot searching for other s.h.i.+ps. But I couldn't see any.

Something was bothering him about those other s.h.i.+ps. I told him if he didn't like where the autopilot was taking us, he should try to override the system.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright explosion. There were s.h.i.+ps out there! Na-boo starfighters were battling Trade Federation fighters that had been sent out to protect the s.h.i.+p controlling the droid armies below.

In fact, the autopilot was steering us straight toward the enemy!

For a moment, I froze with disbelief. Equal parts of fear and excitement shot through me. What was I doing? A slave kid from Tatooine sitting at the controls of a lightspeed-fast star-fighter hurtling toward an enemy battles.h.i.+p? If only Kitster could see this!

Out of nowhere a laser blast rocked my starfighter. I screamed at Artoo to get us off autopilot and he beeped back he just had. I grabbed the controls and swung the starfighter. It went left! Artoo had done it!

He beeped again, reminding me I had to go back. But I told him, no way. Qui-Gon had insisted I stay in this c.o.c.kpit and that was exactly what I intended to do.

A Trade Federation fighter made the mistake of crossing into the airs.p.a.ce ahead of us. I got on his tail and had him in my sights. Blasting that guy out of the sky was going to be a cinch.

I just needed to know where the trigger for the fighter's laser cannon was!

Artoo beeped and I did what he told me to do.

The starfighter shot forward with a jolt. Instead of firing on the enemy fighter, I shot right past him. Now he was on my tail!

"Darn it, Artoo!" I yelled.

Artoo beeped a meek apology. The Trade Federation fighter now had us in his sights.

And that wasn't the worst of it. The really bad news was that we were headed straight for the Droid Control s.h.i.+p!

I put the Naboo starfighter into a spin. And not a moment too soon. A laser blast from the fighter behind us shot over our left wing, barely missing us!

But we were still headed straight for the Control s.h.i.+p. I yelled at Artoo that the only way out of this mess was the same way we'd gotten into it.

He beeped back and I hit a b.u.t.ton, hoping this time it really was the starfighter's reverse thrusters.

It was! With a jolt, the starfighter slowed down. Now it was the Trade Federation fighter's turn to shoot past us.

Ka-boom! It crashed into the Control s.h.i.+p.