Star Wars - Episode I Journal - Anakin Skywalker (8 page)

Here it was so moist that you could actually feel the dampness on your skin and breathe the heaviness of the water vapor in the air!

Clouds blanketed the sky above and the mist hanging over the lake was the gray of twilight. Surrounding the lake was a swamp. In the distance I could see vast, grassy hills. All in all, this seemed an even stranger sight than the vast city-world of Coruscant.

Suddenly I felt homesick and alone. Why couldn’t Mom be here to see this? And what about Kitster? Mom would look around in wonder. Kitster and I would be running around like crazy, touching the plants and splashing in the lake.

The lake may have been a strange and exotic place to me, but to Jar Jar it was home. With a giant splash he disappeared into the water. Someone said Jar Jar was Gungan. Gungans lived in a city deep below the surface. It seemed the Gungans and the Queen’s people had never been friendly. But now Jar Jar was going on behalf of the Queen to plead for help in the battle she was about to face.

It wasn’t long before Jar Jar returned to the surface. With lake water dripping off his ears and head, he gave us the bad news. He’d gone to the city, but it was deserted. I saw the worry in the faces around me. Obi-Wan feared that the Gungans had already been wiped out by the Trade Federation forces, but Jar Jar said it was more likely that his people had gone into hiding.

Jar Jar thought he knew where they were and began to lead us through the swamp. As we followed in a line behind him I kept my eyes on Padmé and Qui-Gon. I would have been glad to speak to either of them, but both seemed lost in thought.

Meanwhile, I could tell by the grumbling around me that not everyone believed that Jar Jar knew where he was going. After all, this was the creature who seemed incapable of staying out of trouble no matter where he went.

It wasn’t long before he stopped, sniffed the air, and said we’d arrived. I looked around, but to me it still looked like a swamp. Jar Jar made some strange chattering sounds and suddenly, out of the dense green undergrowth, half a dozen Gungans appeared wearing uniforms and riding two-legged creatures I later learned were named kaadu.

They were armed with spearlike weapons that looked like long stun guns or electropoles. I assumed they were on patrol. And they didn’t look pleased to find Jar Jar. I was starting to wonder if anyone was ever pleased to run into him. Even worse, when Jar Jar explained that we were there to speak to the boss of the Gungans, the leader of the patrol rolled his eyes and warned him that if we went to the boss Gungan, we would all be in serious trouble.

But Jar Jar insisted, and the leader of the patrol reluctantly agreed to lead us onward.

We followed the patrol leader to a place of ancient gray stone ruins, partly covered by green vines and brush. Jar Jar said this was a secret, sacred place for the Gungans. I looked around, amazed, as we passed groups of Gungans. They stared at us with their big eyes. Jar Jar whispered that they were refugees seeking shelter. They had been driven from their city at the bottom of the swamp by the forces of the Trade Federation.

We came to the remains of a huge stone temple that was covered with vines and moss. All that was left of it was crumbling columns and steps. Everywhere you looked were giant Gungan heads carved out of stone. Again, I wished Mom was there. It was all so strange and different.

We stopped before a heavy, sour-looking Gungan seated on a stone. Jar Jar whispered that this was Boss Nass, the chief Gungan. When Boss Nass saw Jar Jar and the rest of us, his broad forehead wrinkled, and his mouth frowned. After all, he was the guy who had banished Jar Jar.

Even when Queen Amidala stepped forward to say that we’d come in peace, Boss Nass shook his head. He warned Jar Jar that he’d made a mistake by bringing us to him, and that he was considering putting us all to death.

In a flash we were surrounded by Gungan guards. They lowered their electropoles at us. I heard the sharp intake of breath among those with the Queen. Realizing we were outnumbered, the Queen’s guards looked around nervously. For a moment I went stiff, wondering if I’d come all this way just to die. But I was surprised to see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan watching calmly, seemingly unbothered by the threat. If they weren’t worried, I knew I could relax.

The biggest surprise was still to come. Queen Amidala began to say something about forming an alliance with the Gungans. But Padmé stepped forward, cutting her Queen short.

When the Gungan chief asked who she was, Padmé said she was the Queen!

For a moment I didn’t understand what was happening. Padmé, 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 Padmé 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 Padmé 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?

Padmé went on to explain to Boss Nass 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, Padmé explained, they were both threatened by the Trade Federation. Unless the two groups banded together, they would both be destroyed.

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

Suddenly Padmé 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 Nass 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 Padmé 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 Nass 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 Padmé was the real Naboo Queen. How could I call her Amidala? She would always be Padmé 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 Padmé 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 Padmé’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 Padmé 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 passageways. 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 Padmé 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 Nass bravely insisted that his people were ready to do their part to save the planet. Padmé pointed out that the enemy troops were controlled from a Trade Federation command center orbiting the planet. While entering Naboo airspace earlier, they had spotted a lone Trade Federation battleship: the Droid Control Ship. Part of the plan would be to also send Naboo fighter pilots to knock out the Control Ship. 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 Ship was undoubtedly protected by deflector shields. If the Naboo pilots were unable to get through those shields, 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.

Padmé 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.

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 shield generator that would (hopefully!) protect the Gungans from the battle droids’ weapons.

While the Gungans marched bravely off toward the grassy hills beyond the swamp, Padmé, 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 passageways. For a moment I was struck by the beauty of the domed buildings and towers, but one look at the central plaza sent a shiver 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 Ship. The lives of hundreds of Gungan soldiers depended on it.