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"I had already anticipated further trouble with Jinn's execution, but I will make certain Maul understands and has enough resources on hand to deal with Windu as well my master," Sidious replied, bowing from his chair before standing and leaving the chamber.
OOOOOOO
The mission to Naboo had gone well, if not the way Mace would have preferred. While he respected Qui-Gon's ability with the Force and his pragmatic view of the universe, his ability to simply let events happen was bizarre to Mace. Yet given what had happened with Aayla, Mace was beginning to question his own opinions in a way that he would never have before. So when Padme had decided to go to the Gungans, like Jinn, Mace went with it. The overall strategy was decent enough and the Gungan's defensive position in the swamps had made Windu happier than he had previously been about possibly sacrificing such a number of sentients on what amounted to a decoy mission.
But then the infiltration force had started to run into problems the moment they entered the palace. Finding traps with the Force was relatively easy for the two Masters given they were on alert as they were, but finding a way into the palace without tripping an alarm was far harder given the fact Padme had insisted she come along, and of course captain Panaka had demanded he and her guards come too. Mace would have given the young queen a dressing down that made her ears ring for that bit of idiocy, but Jinn had reasoned that she might be helpful.
And then Jinn had decided to bring Anakin along too. There at least Mace could also feel the Force saying they needed Anakin along, and reasoned it was for his piloting skills. Watching Jinn attempt to explain this to Padme, who insisted on leaving 'the little boy' behind was amusing, as was the number of faces Anakin made at Padme's back at her apparent betrayal. The boy would need much training to stop letting his emotions dictate his actions, that was certain.
To Windu's surprise, her knowledge of the palace, and her retinal scan, did. Now they were passing through the connecting terminal between an outlying energy plant and the temple, moving toward the palace unseen and Mace decided he needed, for the second time in as many days, to apologize. "I have to apologize your highness, I did not honestly think your knowledge of the palace would be needed. But the number of traps and the way they are arrayed would have made our attempts to enter the palace unseen near to impossible."
"That is fine Master Windu, we're all learning things lately, believe me." Padme replied, her mind on other things. She was speaking about how she had learned that slavery was so prevalent in the Outer Rim and how it felt to be powerless to protect her people, though Mace didn't know that.
He still nodded however, then twitched around, his lightsaber activating between one breath and the next, the snap hiss of the plasma blade appearing just barely beating out the sound of the blaster bolt hitting it. "Ambush, droids incoming," the Master of the Order intoned and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan moved forward to join him.
Rolling along the floor towards them came four droidekas. These were expensive droids based around a spherical chassis and head which the droid pulled in as it rolled around, along with two arms with much the same ability and two lasers embedded into each arm. It also had a personal shield, hence the things expense.
Padme's guards immediately opened up firing around the three Jedi, but the droidekas shields popped on, absorbing the bolts before returning fire. The Jedi in turn deflected their blasts, and Qui-Gon shook his head. "The time for stealth has passed I fear. Padme, where are we in relation to our targets?"
The targets in question being her thrown room, which Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation, had taken over, and the palaces prison cells. The majority of the planet's starfighter pilots were apparently being kept there. Indeed, despite the number of reports Padme had seen to the contrary, the number of deaths and atrocities committed on her people had been noticeably few. The amount of personal property stolen was another story.
Looking around Padme determined where they were and pointed straight up and then to the side and forward. "We've already reached the palace's basement levels, so the throne room is up a few levels from here, the prison cells will be in the west wing of the palace a level above us."
"Very well. I will draw as much of the defenders attention down on me as I may, to allow you both to move as quickly as possible. Your tasks will be to avoid combat from here on. Qui-Gon, take the queen and find Gunray. Obi-Wan, take Anakin and a few of the queen's guards with you, free the pilots and get them up into space. Anakin, you know what you have to do." Mace stated.
Anakin gulped but nodded. After having snuck away from the temple and boarding the ship bound for Naboo he had convinced Master Jinn the Force wanted him here, and with his help had convinced the far more intimidating Master Windu. But the Jedi in turn had felt he was here for his piloting skills, and he couldn't argue with them despite a desire to aid Padme however he could. "Yes Master Windu."
"Good, now off with you." At that Obi-Wan looked at Qui-Gon, who nodded to state he agreed with Mace's order. Obi-Wan turned and, letting the two masters take up his portion of the defense he began to cut a way through the wall and the electronics beyond it. From there he cut upwards, and the guards and Anakin followed.
An instant later Qui-Gon too fell back, allowing Mace to see to the now smaller group's defense on his own. One of the droidekas rolled to close, and Mace quickly reached out with his hand grasping it at it. That close the thing's energy shield was no match for the Force, and his Force Crush, shattered it's cylindrical body.
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