The Phantom Menace (AU)/Chapter 1

The small Corellian runner made a fast course behind the shadow of a moon, it seemed to be avoiding something, and it was. The large Trade Federation fleet in orbit around Naboo wasn’t exactly welcoming.

At the controls was Obi-Wan Kenobi, he slowed the ship carefully, hugging the atmosphere of the moon. He surveyed his read outs, they were too late, far too late, the Trade Federation had already begun their invasion. In the seat next to him his Master Qui-Gon Jinn noticed it too; he silently surveyed their scopes, clearly not perturbed.

“She didn’t tell us about this,” Obi-Wan said with a frown, after completing a mission on Samia they had received a distress call. Jedi Master Shakya Devi and her Padawan had gone to negotiate with the Trade Federation at the request of Supreme Chancellor Valorum. The details of their mission weren’t known, Mace Windu had informed them when he had contacted them several hours ago, but Shakya’s apprentice Padmé Naberrie had informed them her master had been killed and she require immediate aid. Normally in the case of the death of a Jedi Council member was sent to the scene, but since Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan happened to be near and could be there relatively quickly, an exception had been made.

“There are a lot of things we don’t know, Padawan,” Qui-Gon reminded him as Naboo loomed closer and closer in the viewport.

“I’d still like to know exactly what killed Master Devi,” Obi-Wan said rather crossly, she had been a renowned lightsaber combatant in the Jedi Order and Obi-Wan was fortunate enough to have had a practise session with her. Of her Padawan he knew almost nothing, other than the fact she was female, human and about fourteen years old.

Qui-Gon Jinn didn’t comment, he didn’t see the need nor had the desire to.

Finally the moon was behind them and they could see the Trade Federation ships in more detail, quite a few droid control ships as well as a few cruisers and many, many droid fighters. An alarm went off in the cockpit and several blips on their scope zeroed in on them, outside the viewport the blips proved to be droid fighters.

“We’ve been spotted,” Obi-Wan said, rerouting all power to the engines. “Don’t open fire,” Qui-Gon said, “we are here as peacekeepers, any aggressive actions we take won’t just reflect badly against us.”

Obi-Wan didn’t like flying. He knew some Jedi were in their element in a cockpit, got a thrill by the speed, the manoeuvring, the near possibility of death even if they were reluctant to admit it. But there were far too many variables out of his control in piloting; his attention was needed in too many places at once. That being said Obi-Wan was not a bad pilot, and given the time and need to hone his skills further he could have been quite good, perhaps even more than good. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

So any prowess shown in out-manoeuvring the droid fighters closing in behind them was secondary to something else, any pleasure that he allowed himself was for the sole reason that soon they would be on stable ground with any spaceflight postponed for the time being.



In one of the circular Trade Federation ships stood Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation and had previously been pleased that the invasion was proceeding on schedule despite the interruptions. The interruptions were chiefly the Jedi woman Shakya Devi and her young apprentice, yet somehow Lord Sidious had heard of their arrival and has sent the…necessary precautions.

“Too late, Viceroy,” said a figure in a dark hood, “there’s more Jedi.”

“That is impossible!” blurted out the Neimoidian.

This…female for the want of a better word, was Sidious’s assistance. She was taller than him, humanoid and clothed in black. Except for her face where there were several deep scratches that looked a lot like claw marks. Their aesthetic quality was nil, and Gunray had wondered more than once why she had not had her appearance corrected…unless she intended to look as threatening as she was dangerous.

And by the way she quickly eliminated Devi, the Neimoidian didn’t like to cross her. Maxah was her name, and she was looking at Gunray with the utmost contempt as she pointed out a small craft trying to blend with their invasion force.

This could mean only one thing.

“This could all be for nothing if they get to the Queen,” Maxah’s harsh, caustic tones penetrated his thoughts. “I do not fail, Viceroy.” Gunray made the necessary measures, but privately he thought there were far too many Jedi around for anything to get done.