The bridge of a Consular ship is simple. It contains only the bare minimum required for a diplomatic mission. The only ornament is a Jedi Order crest, engraved on the wall. The crew always consists of two men and three astrodroids who take care of the day-to-day operations. Nothing more. Qui-Gon Jinn approaches the captain, but remains silent:
« Look, Lord knight, here it is. »
The officer indicates a tiny dot on the display. The Jedi watches, then leaves toward a porthole. Obi-Wan also looks at the screen, but notices nothing unusual:
« It's not a diplomatic starship. » Finally answers Qui-Gon.
« No, Lord knight. Such a large signature makes me think of... »
« A federal battleship. »
The captain doesn't know what else to say. The Trade Federation has a fleet of warships to protect its routes from piracy. This kind of craft contains a gigantic army. Why bring a military vessel for a routine business deal? Suddenly, a ringtone can be heard:
« Outside communication, Captain! »
A large, thin and white humanoid appears on the holoprojector:
« My respects, fellow knights, my respects! I am the Taar Missipala Tema. You are invited aboard my ship! » He said in a cheerful voice. His eyes conceal an emotion. Qui-Gon answers him with a smile:
« Taar Missipala, we naturally accept your proposal! »
« Wonderful! I am transmiting you my boarding code. » The display goes off.
Qui-Gon seems more and more perplexed. Obi-Wan asks him in a whisper:
« What's going on? »
« I feel an unusual tension for such a minor dispute. The Federation never sends a Taar without a reason. »
« What is a 'Taar', master? »
« It is their equivalent to a republican admiral. »
« An admiral? For a trade negotiation? »
« Precisely, Obi-Wan. That's where my doubt comes from. Why? What's the point? »
The captain has no choice but to lead their Consular ship towards the immense federal battleship, a monster more than ten kilometers long and probably containing several million droids. There is enough equipment on board to conquer an entire continent in a few hours. They are usually used to wipe out pirate infrastructure from the outer rim. The huge hangar gate opens, revealing an empty cargo dock. Federation ships don't bother to fill the hull with oxygen, since everything is automated. The crew begins its work in order to land the spacecraft safely. That old machinery struggles to dock properly. When does the Order finally get rid of its old Consular ships? The youngest one must be a century old!
The outer door closes, while the dockyard gradually fills up with fresh air. Qui-Gon turns to the captain:
« We are going down to meet our hosts, but I'm afraid we're locked here. »
« Indeed, Lord knight. Should we be afraid of anything? »
« No. Nothing that a Jedi cannot solve. »
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« Very well, Lord knight, we will await your return. »
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn return to their cabin to retrieve a traveling robe and then descend the rusty old ramp. The hangar is completely deserted. No noise can be heard. Suddenly, a large door opens and a silver protocol droid passes through. The machine waves its arm to indicate that it is approaching and, once in front of them, says with a female voice:
« Lords knights! Follow me! »
They follow silently. Qui-Gon notices the robotic legion stored in the drop compartments, ready for deployment. There must be thousands of droids in that bay alone. A battleship of this kind only carries this many troops in preparation for a planetary invasion. The situation is abnormally suspicious. A Jedi knight can destroy this entire army with ease. It may be required to act if needed, but only after something serious has happened. Qui-Gon does not want to risk triggering a diplomatic incident over mere doubt.
It is not without reason that the Galactic Republic can so easily keep peace. The Jedi Order is the greatest military power in the universe. A single knight would easily rival several Federation battleships. But the Republic does not yet know that members of the Order are becoming increasingly scarce. A great imbalance is stirring up the Force. Two centuries ago, the Jedis could predict future up to a week in advance. A power so immense that it allowed them to ward off all cataclysms. Today, they struggle to know what will happen in the next hour.
Three hundred years earlier, the Jedis were ten million. Today, they are only a modest million. Such a sum may seem gigantic, but it is barely enough to cover an entire galaxy. The outer rim is almost abandoned. The Hutts have taken great advantage of it, actually. The Jedi Council is now convinced that their Order will be reduced to less than a hundred thousand in two centuries. With so few people, it will be necessary to reserve its interventions for critical situations only. Small diplomatic missions, like this one, will cost so much time that they may have to be forgotten for good.
The Force is changing, but no one can say why. It is no longer in its usual harmonious cycle of death and rebirth, but rather in a martial opposition where « light » and « darkness » devour each other. What will happen when the Order will be practically extinct? Who will protect the galaxy? The last millennia have been an uninterrupted period of peace, thanks in large part to the stabilizing presence of the Jedis. Before that, a bloody war raged in all major sectors. Is this return to the night really the only way?
The protocol droid guides the guests through a maze of corridors. No one is there. Not the slightest movement can be seen. No announcements. Nothing at all. Qui-Gon remembers having visited Federation ships before: they are never that depopulated! There is still dozens of robots at work. The silver humanoid suddenly stops in front of a door, which opens revealing a magnificent living room:
« My lords, if you would kindly wait here for a moment! I'm going to bring my owner. »
Qui-Gon nods his head and slightly pushes Obi-Wan to signal him that he must enter. The droid bows and leaves, while the door closes. A bottle is waiting on the coffee table, along with about ten glasses. An arrangement for a casual meeting. Nothing suspicious about it. Perhaps this is the only ship the Federation could afford to send? Perhaps it is returning from a mission or, more obviously, it is preparing to leave on an operation right afterwards? Too much can justify what is happening here to draw any definitive conclusion.
Obi-Wan falls noisily on the couch, like a tired child. The knight smiles. Six months earlier, he was supervising his training at the temple. This kid has a lot of talent, but doesn't know it yet. Qui-Gon settles down, grabs the bottle and helps himself to a glass. It's not alcoholic. The Federation prohibits this kind of drink on board its vessels. Why do he have... wait. The knight suddenly feels something very strange. He looks carefully at the bottle and notices that the droplets on its surface evaporate strangely fast. Immediately, he gets up and rushes towards the entrance. Its opening controller is switched off!
« Obi-Wan! » He shouts, grabbing the young man by the collar to force him to move.
The Jedi claps his hands and grabs the metal door, effortlessly ripping it off. He then runs into the corridor, taking his padawan with him. The room is filled with a flash of blinding light, which disappears in a second. The furniture has vanished into thin air. Part of the passageway became black. The floor was heated to white.
« What happened? » Asks Obi-Wan, coughing. It all occurred too quickly, the teenager didn't understand.
« Someone had this room sterilized! If we had hesitated even for a second... »
The walls are shaking. Qui-Gon puts his hand on one of them. What's going... the droids! The battleship is dropping its payload! The Federation has just launched its invasion protocol! An announcement goes off: « Warning. Warning. Command unit separation in twenty-five telesse! » Obi-Wan is struggling to hold himself upright, the tremor is too intense for him. Artificial gravity disconnects, letting them float freely in the middle of the corridor. The knight grabs his communicator and turns it on:
« Captain Unato? Do you read me? »
« Lord knight! Hurry up! We're under att... »
Transmission stops. A sound of explosion can instantly be heard. It comes from where their ship is landed.
« Hold on to me, Obi-Wan. » He instructs his padawan, calling on the Force to move forward in this absence of gravity.
The light on the ceiling becomes an unpleasant green flicker. An alarm starts. A new tremor can be felt. It is the command center of the battleship that has detached. It will slowly descend to the planet to serve as headquarters for the deployed droids. Voice announcement returns: « Warning. Warning. Active Fever protocol is initiated. Purge of all biological contamination in forty telesse! » The walls are starting to glow. Temperature rises rapidly. Qui-Gon reaches a rescue pod. His dress sizzles slightly due to the heat. He opens the hatch using the Force and goes inside, attaching Obi-Wan straps first, then he harnesses himself and pulls the release lever. The capsule ejects into space and moves away, just in time. The corridors should now have a temperature comparable to the surface of an old sun.
What the hell is the Federation up to? An assassination attempt on two Jedis and the destruction of a Consular ship? That's treason! The pod is slowly falling toward the surface of Naboo. In the end, it doesn't matter what motivates such madness. What matters is to put an end to it!