The din of the fighting has not ceased. How many people have died now? Obi-Wan is hesitant. He expected to be able to find the cliff, but didn't think the vegetation would erase his tracks! Naboo's plants are intelligent and have their own will, apparently. An information that would have been useful a little earlier. Here he is, dependent on the good will of his gungan companion. This one seems to be determined to leave for the big city, certainly because he wants to fight with the droid armies. Where the hell is Qui-Gon?

Something is approaching. Jar Jar throws himself under a tree stump and invites the padawan to do the same. They remain there in silence, face down on the ground. Suddenly, the gungan gets up and waves:

« This way! » He says, as discreetly as possible.

A shape emerges from the foliage. It is a red-skinned gungan. He is dressed in a camouflage outfit, like Jar Jar.

« Jar Jar! Yousa has survived big mess! Yousa impossible to kill! »

« Death don't love mesa. Mesa too tasteless. Yousa having news of Bubble Coral? »

« Terrible news, yes! Conquered, entirely! Metal swarm destroy our submarines! Big Boss command to all gungans to take refuge in the ancestors caves! »

« They-sa monsters! »

« Yousa should come with mesa. Safe in caves. In danger here. »

« Mesa not hiding in ancestors caves. Mesa fight! »

« Yousa crazy. Body of yousa soon join with the old spirits in planet-core. »

The red gungan seems at first very irritated, but sighs and changes his mind. He opens the handmade satchel attached to his belt and takes out a beautiful silver blaster gun. It is an old republican model. An antique that dates back to the Great Sith War! What is an object like this doing here?

« Yousa taking mesa lightopistol! »

« Yousa giving family treasure to mesa? Yousa serious? »

« If yousa fighting, then yousa using mesa lightopistol! »

The two of them take each other in their arms. They look very close.

« Yousa coming back, Jar Jar. Mesa very unhappy if yousa not return. »

« Where yousa going? »

« Mesa promised to help Nubians flee their village. Mesa always keeps his promises. Remember, Jar Jar. You too keep your promise. »

The red gungan salutes and disappears into the woods. Obi-Wan comes out of his hiding place and approaches:

« An acquaintance of yours? »

« Hesa great hunter. Hesa teaches mesa everything. »

« He talked about a Bubble Coral, what is it? »

« Kingdom capital of the gungan boss! Beautiful city. Wesa very proud. If metal swarm attacks gungan city then... wesa... »

This idea visibly anguishes him. Obi-Wan puts a hand on his shoulder:

« Let's find my master. He will know what to do. »

The two of them get back on track. Their journey lasts a good hour, perhaps, before a black trace attracts their attention. It is a liquid. Jar Jar approaches and kneels down to smell:

« Droid oil, ugh! » He whispers.

They follow the greasy trail to a glade. There are robot carcasses all over the place. They have been dismembered by a weapon that Obi-Wan knows very well, a lightsaber. Qui-Gon has been there. The Federation's assault vehicles have been ripped apart and their humanoid pilots are crushed. It probably didn't take more than a minute or two to destroy everything. The Jedis like to say that they prefer the sword because it is a « civilized » weapon. In reality, it's mostly the only one that can still be used when you're moving faster than a blaster shot. The blade of a Jedi can lead an entire army to the grave.

Obi-Wan was a young novice at the time, when Knight-Master Mace Windu offered a sword wielding course to his class. An exceptional event, as the man is rarely available. He is often referred to as the best fighter in the Jedi Order. A smiling fellow, just like Yoda. That said, he is far much tougher:

« Handled by a knight, the lightsaber becomes the most powerful weapon in the universe. It can slice through any material, deflect fire even from a heavy blaster, break deflector shields and is only stopped by another lightsaber. »

« Master Windu, wouldn't a blaster be more useful than a close-combat weapon? » Asks a little Kel Dor girl. The breathing mask her people wear to survive in an atmosphere gives her a deep voice.

« Arrr arrrrr wrraaa aaaaaarrrr, wwrrraaaa arrrrrrrrr raaaaa arrr rraaa! » Immediately adds a Wookie novice.

« A cheap toy, ah! Those youngsters! You remember that Jedis move at a phenomenal speed, don't you? Our agility is such that in the eyes of normal people, we seem to appear by magic. A blaster is too slow and imprecise in our hands. Its shot will not reach in one minute the distance we travel in a snap of our fingers. A weapon unable to follow your movements is useless! Your blade will always go at the same speed as you. It is flexible and reliable. »

Today, the padawan smiles when he sees this devastation. His master doesn't even consider sword fighting to be important! He is more a sort of « spiritual Jedi », a knight who has vowed to serve the cosmic Force by giving an inspiring example. These mystics give much more to the galaxy than they receive. In the case of Qui-Gon, however, he acts more to make amends for his sins than to attain any sanctity. The man was not discovered early enough by the Order. His power has awakened in the isolation of the outer rim. He used the Force to build himself a small criminal empire, manipulating the minds of others as he pleased. The Jedi Assani Ta was his main opponent throughout his youth and finally managed to defeat him. An epiphany for the misguided teenager.

Qui-Gon surrendered himself to Justice, gnawed by remorse, but rather than a sentence the Order offered him a chance to right his wrongs. He renounced by oath the use of mental manipulation and embarked on a quest for redemption, first as the padawan of Knight-Master Dooku, then as a knight in his own right. The man often says, « A life of selfless service may not be enough to repay my debt to the Force. However, I will pay as long as it takes with gratitude and respect. » Despite his peaceful nature, he does not hesitate to fight whenever his duty requires it.

« My master has moved away in that direction, so... »

« Master of yousa crushed all those droids? »

Jar Jar almost dropped his spear from the shock. His words reveal a sincere admiration. He didn't expected a Jedi to be so powerful.

« Yousa great fighter too? »

« When I'm a proper knight, maybe. For now, I'm just a simple padawan. »

« What's that, a padawan? »

« A disciple. I'm learning from my master to become a Jedi. »

« So yousa will soon be very strong! Mesa impressed! »

« It's very unnecessary... »

« Wesa winning without any trouble! »

Obi-Wan smiled politely, but doubts that Qui-Gon could « win without any trouble ». He would certainly be able to defeat armies of Droids, but does he have time to cleanse the entire continent before this planet is ruined? Worse, the Federation has a reputation for being particularly difficult to uproot when it sets up operations. They can slaughter every inhabitant one by one, launching a strike every day for decades. Many believe the federals created this technique because it would work well on a Jedi. A knight remains a living being with needs, in the end. If attacked daily, it would eventually be exhausted. Not to mention that a droid is insensitive to many of its powers, including its ability to read hostile intentions, important when it comes to avoiding an ambush or an assassination. A machine is invisible in the Force.

Robot carcasses trace a path back to the forest. Several transport ships have been smashed. At least a dozen space fighters are scattered in all directions. An arachnid suddenly comes out of the wood. Jar Jar grabs his spear and pistol by reflex. A dozen other machines soon follow. They first observe the scene, ignoring both Obi-Wan and his gungan companion. What destroyed these droids? Their sensors analyze the traces on each piece of armor and start looking for the source of the assault. A spider notices the weapon on the padawan's belt and deduces that he is responsible. The robots all start firing at him at the same time. The teenager lights his sword and pushes back as many rays as he can. Jar Jar takes cover behind debris.

The gungan fires back with his energy weapon and proves to be a pretty good shooter, as he manages to destroy a machine in just a few shots. The others quickly understand that Obi-Wan cannot attack and therefore focus on Jar Jar. The padawan runs to help him, but is blocked by a group of droids who engage him in melee combat. The characteristic noise of a fighter-bomber can be heard. This alarming sound approaches quickly. The young man does everything possible to stay alive, using the Force to turn an opponent upside down, immediately destroyed by a well-placed blaster shot.

A full-scale army emerges from the vegetation to join the others. There are too many of them! It's hopeless, they... a flash passes before Obi-Wan's eyes. In a second, the machines had been dismembered. Jar Jar extends his arm to fire, but freezes when he sees that his enemies are already lying on the ground. A solitary silhouette with a green lightsaber stands in the middle of the bodies. It splits for a brief moment. The fighter-bomber falls into pieces.

« Master! » The padawan shouts as he runs towards Qui-Gon.

The knight turns off his sword and takes Obi-Wan in his arms:

« Obi-Wan! There you are! I was afraid something had happened to you! »

« Where were you, master? »

« Droids attacked as soon as we arrived. I got you out of the pod for protection, but I had to get them away! I'm so glad you're alive. »

Qui-Gon turns his head toward Jar Jar, who comes out of his humble cover.

« Yousa master of Obi-Wan? »

« Yes. My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. »

« Mesa Jar Jar Binks! Obi-Wan strong. Yousa even more! Help mesa fighting metal swarm? »

« We'll do what we need to do to help, but I'm afraid two Jedis are no longer enough to save this planet. »

« Is there really no way to repel these droids, master? »

« I could probably put an end to this attack if I'm given six or seven weeks. I've seen these machines mercilessly kill anything that gets in their way. In one month, there won't be a single intelligent creature left on this world. We are running out of time! »

« So... what solution do we have? »

« We have to find a ship quickly and warn the republic. If we reach Coruscant, a hundred Jedi will come and burn each droid to ashes by the end of the week. »

« End of the week, millions of dead gungans! » Exclaims Jar Jar.

The knight approaches and puts his hands on the native's shoulders:

« I'm sorry for your people, but if we stay here, the ones we save today will be slaughtered tomorrow. Interstellar communications are cut off. Droids are destroying the crafts that are trying to flee. With all this unrest in the galaxy, no one will know what's going on for months! Everyone will be dead by the time an investigation is launched. We have to get help. This is our only chance of success. »

« Mesa understands. What yousa want is in Nubians capital. Mesa good friend said they-sa had emergency ships in the astroport under university. »

« Come with us! You could help to get us out of this forest faster. » Obi-Wan ask.

« Mesa wants to fighting, not running! »

« You're brave, it's admirable, but sometimes true courage consists of making a difficult decision for the good of a higher cause. Fighting in such a situation is honorable, but calling for help will save your people. » Add Qui-Gon.

The gungan hesitates. He weighs the pros and cons before finally saying:

« Mesa led yousa. Mesa wants to save my people! »

They start moving again. The sun has descended on the horizon. It is almost dark. The vegetation is terribly dense, yet Qui-Gon Jinn and Jar Jar Binks are moving as if there were no obstacles. Obi-Wan has more trouble and often has to climb on branches to avoid falling. His first field mission is considerably more difficult than expected! The three finally get out of the woods and find themselves on a road. Some landspeeders are burned on the side. However, one of them seems intact. The knight checks if it still works.

« Master, run to the city! We will catch up with you! » Suggests Obi-Wan.

« I don't want to leave you behind a second time. » He answers with a smile.

The fact that I was forced to leave the teenager behind is still worrying him. He would have preferred another solution. A better one. The gungan climbs into the vehicle and searches the trunk for something useful. The engine starts, activating the anti-gravity repeller in the process. The craft gently pulls itself off the ground.

« Let's go with that thing! We'll move fast enough. »

The knight grabs the wheel, while Obi-Wan settles in. The vehicle accelerates at full speed toward the capital.