Many years passed, and with time came change; too many to count. Some folks passed on, but new generations were born. Legacies were carried on, or new legacies began. However, not all the changes that occurred in the Galaxy were necessarily good.

The year was 32 BBY.

Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute. Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.

While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict...

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A lone starship soared through space towards the orbit of a small planet, where there were space stations waiting for their arrival.

Aboard the ships were two hooded figures standing behind the pilots of the ship.

"Captain," said the taller man.

"Yes, Sir?" said the captain.

"Tell them we wish to board at once."

So, the captain contacted the other ship.

"With all due respect, Sir, the ambassadors for the supreme chancellor wish to board immediately.""Yes, of course," said a well-dressed Neimoidian on the screen. "As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal, and we'd be happy to receive the ambassadors."

The ship was allowed to land in the hangar, where there happened to be some droids on duty.

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The Jedi ambassadors entered through the sliding doors, where they were greeted by a silver protocol droid.

"I'm TC-14 at your service. This way, please."

The Jedi followed the droid into another room where they believed they would meet with the Trade Federation leaders.

"We are greatly honored by your visit, Ambassadors. Make yourselves comfortable. My master will be with you shortly."

As soon as the droid left, the two Jedi lowered their hoods, revealing them both to be humanmen, one with auburn brown hair and blue gray eyes who looked somewhere in his twenties, anda much older man with longer hair. Neither of them looked too excited to be here tonight.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said the younger man.

"I don't sense anything," said the other man.

"It's not about the mission, Master. It's something... elsewhere, elusive."

The two Jedi walked together to make themselves comfortable.

"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."

The younger Jedi, Obi-Wan, looked at his master, confused.

"But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future."

"But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, young Padawan."

"Yes, Master."Obi-Wan began to understand what his master was saying, but he had something else on his mind he needed to confront.

Looking out the window with his master, Obi-Wan spoke up.

"How do you think this trade viceroy will deal with the chancellor's demands?"

"These Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be short."

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Meanwhile, Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation was met in another part of the station byTC-14.

"What? What did you say?" gasped the viceroy.

"The ambassadors are Jedi knights, I believe." said the droid.

As you probably guessed, the Trade Federation did not like the sound of that."I knew it," said another Neimoidian.

"They're here to force a settlement."But Gunray believed the solution would be simple."Distract them," he told his associate. "I will contact Lord Sidious."

"Are you brain-dead?! I'm not going in there with two Jedi." he looked at TC-14. "Send a droid."

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Obi-Wan and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, sat down at a table. It seemed 'shortly' meant something entirely different to the Trade Federation than it did to the Jedi.

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan wondered out loud.

"No. I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute," said Qui-Gon.

Just then, TC-14 arrived with refreshments for the guests. The Jedi each took a drink without so much as a 'thank you.'

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Meanwhile, Viceroy Gunray made a holo-call. A hologram of another hooded figure displayed,however this one, unlike the Jedi, gave off a darker, creepier vibe.

"This scheme of yours has failed, Lord Sidious." said one of the Federation members. "The blockade is finished. We dare not go against these Jedi."

"Viceroy, I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again." Lord Sidious growled.

The Neimoidian immediately left the room, his head down in shame.

"This turn of events is unfortunate," continued Sidious. "We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops."

Gunray was surprised by this remark, however.

"My lord, is that legal?"

"I will make it legal."

"And the Jedi?"

"The chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately."

"Yes. Yes, my lord. Uh, as you wish."

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Back at the ship the Jedi had arrived in...

"Captain, look!" exclaimed the co-pilot.

Blasters were aimed at the ship's front.

"Shields up!" screamed the Captain, but it was too late.

The entire ship blew up within seconds.Of course, this didn't go unnoticed at all, especially not the Jedi.

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Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan immediately ignited their lightsabers and engaged in defense positions,startling TC-14 into dropping the tray.

Suddenly, green gas began filling the room, seeping in from the air vents.

"Dioxis." Qui-Gon concluded.

Both Jedi inhaled and held their breath, for if they inhaled enough of these toxic fumes, they would die.

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Battle droids approached the Jedi's last known location, where Gunray contacted them via hologram.

"They must be dead by now." Gunray said. "Destroy what's left of them."

Upon ending the call, the droids waited as the doors slid open, unleashing the remains of the gas.Being droids, they didn't worry about breathing it in.

Only TC-14 exited the room.

"Oh! Excuse me."

"Check it out, Corporal. We'll cover you." said one of the battle droids.

"Roger, roger." replied the Corporal.

And then... a blue blade and a green blade lit up the cloud of gas.

"Oh no," said the battle droid. "Blast them."

Hard as the droids tried, their blasts only backfired as the Jedi deflected each laser blast with their lightsabers. CLANG! WHOOSH! BANG!

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The fight was so loud the Neimoidians could hear it from all the way in the control room.

"What is going on down there?" said Gunray.

"We lost the transmission, sir." One of Gunray's men said.

___________________________

Obi-Wan slashed one more droid and pushed another three off with a throw of his hand, a little something he could do with the Force.

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"Have you ever encountered a Jedi knight before, sir?" said another Neimoidian.

"Well, no, but I don't'-" Gunray stammered before shaking to seriousness. "Seal off the bridge."

"Yes, sir." said one associate."Won't be long, sir." said another."I want droidekas up here at once!" Gunray sighed. "We will not survive this."

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Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and his Padawan continued to slash through droids as they rushed through the halls. It was beginning to look like a horror movie in there. At least, one for droids. But now,the two Jedi were at the room where they would find the Neimoidians.

While Obi-Wan kept the droids occupied, Qui-Gon began slicing a hole in the door.

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Unfortunately, the enemies could see the lightsaber cutting through the door very quickly. Gunray ordered the blast doors to be closed.

"That will hold them."

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, a circle of fire started to form in the door as the metal was melting.

"They are still coming through!" exclaimed a Neimoidian.

"This is impossible!" Gunray said."Where are those droidekas?"

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Suddenly, Obi-Wan heard something like a metal ball rolling on the floor. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Master! Destroyers!"

Quickly, Qui-Gon abandoned the door to aid Obi-Wan. Except, no matter how many times they deflected the droidekas' blasts, they couldn't hit them back.

"They have shield generators!" said Obi-Wan.

But Qui-Gon knew just what to do.

"It's a standoff! Let's go!" Qui-Gon said.

And the two Jedi sped off at the speed of sound, leaving the droids to blast the door and become confused for a moment when they vanished. Then the droidekas looked behind them and saw the two Jedi fleeing.

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The Trade Federation was sure this battle was theirs now that the droidekas appeared to have scared the Jedi off.

"They're no match for droidekas."

"Sir, they've gone up the ventilation shaft." said one of Gunray's men.

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Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan managed to escape through the ventilation shafts, and they safely made into the hangar, but they weren't quite out of the woods yet.

The two Jedi hid behind some crates and peeked out to see something terrifying.

"Battle droids. It's an invasion army." Qui-Gon said. He was worried, but also confused. "This is an odd play for the Trade Federation. We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum."

"You were right about one thing, Master." Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon looked at his Padawan curiously.

"The negotiations were short."Qui-Gon chuckled at that remark.

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"Sir, a transmission from the planet." said one of Gunray's men.

An image appeared on the screen of a young human woman in red and gold robes with very big brown hair, her face painted all white with three dots of red on her cheeks and lips.

"It's Queen Amidala herself." Gunray gasped. He was delighted to have the queen herself calling. "At last we are getting results. Again you come before us, Your Highness."

"You will not be so pleased when you hear what I have to say, Viceroy." said the queen. "Your trade boycott of our planet has ended."

"I was not aware of such failure."

"I have word that the chancellor's ambassadors are with you now, and that you have been commanded to reach settlement."

"I know nothing of any ambassadors." Gunray lied. "You must be mistaken."

"Beware, Viceroy. The Federation has gone too far this time.""We would never do anything without the approval of the Senate. You assume too much."

"We will see."And with that said, the transmission ended.

Gunray did not appear worried, but his associates were.

"She's right. The senate will never-"

"It's too late now." Gunray interjected.

"Do you think she suspects an attack?"

"I don't know. But we must move quickly to disrupt all communications down there."

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On a planet far away was a gorgeous palace of brown with green marble towers. The royal palace of Theed, the home and workplace of the queen of Naboo. Naboo was one of the most beautiful planets in the Galaxy, famous for its peaceful communities, encouragement of pursuit in arts, as well as the beautiful bodies of water that existed on it. Hence, the gorgeous waterfalls surrounding the palace.

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In the palace throne room sat the queen, and she wasn't alone. Via hologram, she informed Sheev Palpatine, senator of Naboo, of her conversation with Gunray.

"Negotiations haven't started because the ambassadors aren't there?" Senator Palpatine said, confusion in his voice. "How can that be true? I have assurances from the chancellor his ambassadors did arrive."

However, Palpatine struggled to continue his speech, as the transmission started to glitch.

"Senator Palaptine," said Queen Amidala. "What's happening?"

The queen didn't get an answer though. Instead, one of her guards ordered the transmission generator to be checked.

"A communications disruption can only mean one thing: invasion." said a man with a white beard.

"The Federation would not dare go that far." The queen insisted.

"The senate would revoke their trade franchise and they'd be finished," said the guard.

"We must continue to rely on negotiation."

"Negotiation?" said the bearded man. "We've lost all communications. And where are the chancellor's ambassadors?"

Anyone could see things were beginning to get serious, but the queen was adamant that they had to continue with negotiations. As nice as that would be, though, it was not that simple anymore, if it ever was.

"This is a dangerous situation, Your Highness." The guard said seriously. "Our security volunteers will be no match against a battle-hardened Federation army."

Nothing changed on the queen's face, but she did have something else to say.

"I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war."

___________________________

Meanwhile, ships began to fly down into Naboo's atmosphere. Enemy ships swarming with battle droids ready to burn Naboo to the ground. The droids spread out, arriving by ship, scouting the perimeter on hover-scooters, and by marching on the ground. Viceroy Gunray contacted one of the droids with a message. According to him, the ship had been searched, and there was no trace of the two Jedi whatsoever.

"They may have gotten on one of your landing craft," said Gunray's associate.

"If they're down here, sir, we'll find them." said the droid captain.

"Use caution." Gunray warned. "These Jedi are not to be underestimated."

___________________________

The droids began their ambush within the forest, frightening all the animals as their crafts knocked down the trees.

Qui-Gon ran amongst the snorting and squawking creatures, big and small. He was running as fast as he could, but the crafts were catching up quickly! He nearly got hit as he tripped on a root,but he continued to run. But he wasn't fast enough, and the crafts were gaining on him!But Qui-Gon soon discovered he wasn't the only biped in danger, and he came across an amphibious creature he'd never seen before. A Gungan. But the creature froze in fear as Qui-Gon ran toward him.

"Get away! Get out of here!" Qui-Gon exclaimed.

With no time to think of anything else, Qui-Gon tackled the gungan and lay flat on the ground on top of him until the craft flew by. Well, almost all the way, as Qui-Gon accidentally bumped his head at the last second.

"Ouch!"Qui-Gon got up and winced as he rubbed his head."I better not be bleeding."

Qui-Gon checked his hand. No blood, but he was probably going to have a nasty bump to ice later. The gungan got up too as Qui-Gon started to walk away.

"Was'n dat? Hey, wait!"

The gungan began to follow Qui-Gon.

"Oh, mooie-mooie! I love you!" said the gungan.

"You almost got us killed. Are you brainless?" Qui-Gon huffed.

"I spake."

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."

And Qui-Gon knew that all too well. The nonsense he'd heard people say when they were drunk,talked in their sleep, or downright spewed whatever came in their mouth without any thought whatsoever... sometimes he rolled his eyes so many times he got dizzy.

"Now, get out of here.""No, no, mesa stay." The gungan said. "Mesa culled Jar Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant."

"That won't be necessary."

But the gungan, apparently Jar Jar, continued to follow Qui-Gon.

"Oh, but it 'tis. 'Tis demanded by the gods, it 'tis."Suddenly, there was blaster fire.

With a yell, Jar Jar ducked to the ground while Qui-Gon took out his lightsaber and deflected the blast, hitting a battle droid on its hover-scooter who'd been chasing after Obi-Wan, who just managed to catch up with his master.

"You saved my again." Jar Jar said.

Obi-Wan looked at Jar Jar curiously; he'd never seen a Gungan before.

"What's this?" he asked his master.

"A local." Qui-Gon answered. "Let's get out of here before more droids show up."

"More?" Jar Jar gasped. "More did you spake?"

Jar Jar ran as he followed the two humans. If more droids were on the way, things were definitely going to get more dangerous around there, and as Qui-Gon's religiously appointed servant, he believed he had a sworn duty to protect him.

"Ex-squeeze me, but de mostest safest place would be Gunga City." Jar Jar explained. "Is where I grew up. 'Tis a hidden city-whoa!"

But poor Jar Jar tripped and face planted onto the ground, spitting out a dandelion that got into his mouth.."Mesa okay."

Qui-Gon helped him up this time.

"A city, you said?" the human inquired.

"Uh-huh." Jar Jar nodded.

"Can you take us there?"

Suddenly, Jar Jar got worried, like he'd just remembered something important.

"Uh, on second thought, no. Not really, no."

"No?" Qui-Gon became confused but also frustrated.

He was tired from fighting, Force wielding, and running, and when Qui-Gon was exhausted, he got cranky.

Jar Jar, on the other hand, looked mortified.

"'Tis embarrassing, but, uh, my afraid my've been banished." Jar Jar explained awkwardly. "My forgotten. Da bosses would do terrible tings to me. Terrible tings to me if me goen back dare."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound echoing through the air.

"You hear that?" Qui-Gon said seriously.

"Yah." Jar Jar replied.

Qui-Gon looked at Jar Jar with an almost murderous look in his eyes because he was pretty much ready to kill that poor gungan if anything bad happened to his padawan, or worse they were unable to save the rest of Naboo because he was more afraid of getting punished for trespassing than the impending invasion.

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

Soon, Obi-Wan joined in on practically threatening Jar Jar.

"If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion."

Suddenly, facing the bosses of Gunga City didn't sound so terrifying to Jar Jar anymore.

"Oh. Yousa point is well seen. This way. Hurry!"

And so, Jar Jar Binks began leading Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn through the forest to find Gunga City.