Padme was sitting at her desk, going over some data chips, of some bills that is waiting for her sign into law or veto. There was a light tap on the door and Sabe` stuck her head into the office door. " Excuse me, Your Highness, but your family is here for lunch, which will be served in five minutes."
" Thank you, Sabe`. Please send them." Padme looked up at her head handmaiden, before rubbing her temple.
Nodding her head, " Yes, Your Highness." Sabe` turned around and headed back into the living quarters, as she headed for the door. " Please, come in and her Majesty will be with you in a moment." Sabe` said, as she let Padme's family into the Queen's private apartments.
" Thank you." Jobal nodded, as she looked around the room.
Sabe` left the apartment, so that Padme could have some private time with her family. This is the first time she has seen them, since becoming the Queen of Naboo about two months ago. Padme got up from her desk and walked into the living quarters of her apartments. " Mom, Dad, Sola, Darred Janren, Pooja and Ryoo, it's so great see you all. Please have a seat."
Padme went each and everyone of her family members and hugged them.
" It's so great to see you too, sweetie. Sorry, that we haven't been to see you sooner, but your father has been really busy at the University." Jobal coming over to Padme and hugging her youngest daughter again.
" I understand Mom. I wouldn't have been able to see you all anyway, with everything going on."
Everyone went to sit down, and talked a little bit, before there was a knock on the door. Sabe` came into the room, followed by three other handmaidens: Rabe`, Yane` and Sache`. They brought two food carts. " Lunch is served." Sabe` announced.
The family headed into the small dining room area and took their seats around the table. The handmaidens served them their food and drinks, before leaving the room again.
Hour later, the small group was hugging each other goodbye and Sabe` and Yane` came back to the apartment. Yane` led the Naberries to the outside of the palace. Sabe` and Padme went into her sleeping quarters, to get ready for the meeting that was going to be taking place in thirty minutes.
When Padme stepped out of her sleeping quarters to assemble. In her living quarters, were two other handmaidens, who were going with her down to her throne room, while Sabe cleaned the apartment up. Entering the throne room, Padme saw the Governor Sio Bibble and couple of council members sitting in front of her throne.
Padme walked up to her throne and turned to address the small group of people that were sitting in front of her. She turned to Captain Panaka and asked him to contact the Senator on Coruscant.
While she waited, her and the small council members talked about some things that was going on, in some of the villages that were around the capital of Theed.
Captain Panaka came back into the room, followed by his sergeant. Coming up to the throne and to the Padme, " I have the Senator on line now, but the transmission is a little fuzzy."he whispered to Padme.
Padme nodded her head and understood what he was saying and didn't want to frighten the people that was in the room with her. Padme stood up ,as the hologram of Senator Palpatine lit up the room.
" Senator, it is good to see you."
" The same here, Your Majesty. The captain here tells me that you guys haven't heard anything from the Ambassadors, that the Supreme Chancellor has sent to Naboo."
" Yes, Senator. That is true..." as the hologram began to flicker again.
,P> " ... How could that be true? I have assurance from the Chancellor ... his Ambassadors did arrive. It must be the ... get ... negotiate ...." then the hologram of the Senator sputtered, before he just fades away.
Padme looks at the empty space. " Senator Palpatine?" she turns to Panaka, " What's happening?"
Captain Panaka turns to his sergeant, who nods and starts working on getting the hologram back, but without any success. With a concerned look coming across his face, Panaka turned back to his Sergeant ,who was still trying to reconnect contact with Senator Palpatine. " Check the transmission generators..."
The Sergeant fiddled with the transmission generator and shook his head, when nothing happen.
There was a panic look that came to the Governor's face " A malfunction?"
Then, it dawned on him what it could be. He turned and faced Padme. " It could be the Federation is jamming us, Your Highness."
Padme just nodded her head and began to worry that something really bad was going to happen.
" A communications disruption can only mean one thing. Invasion." Governor Bibble said, as color drain from his face.
Padme faced the Governor and tried to hide her fears of what he said could be true, " Don't jump to conclusions, Governor. The Federation wouldn't dare go that far."
Captain Panaka looked at his Queen and saw that she knew that there was an invasion going to happen, but didn't know when. " The Senate would revoke their trade franchise, and they'd be finished."
Padme looked straight at the small council and showed them that she was going to be brave for them. " We must continue to rely on negotiation."
Bibble couldn't believe that the young Queen was still believing that the negotiation was going to help them. " Negotiation? We've lost all communications! ... and where are the Chancellor's Ambassadors? How can we negotiate? We must prepare to defend ourselves."
Captain Panaka leaned his head down towards Padme and whispered to her. " This is a dangerous situation, Your Highness. Our security Volunteers will be no match against a battle-hardened Federation Army."
All Padme could do was look at everyone, before turning back to the Captain, " I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war."
Before anyone could say anything else to her, she nodded her head to everyone in the room, before stepping off the delis of throne. She walked towards the door and headed back to her private chambers. Captain Panaka looked at the small group that was still standing in front of the throne,
" Everyone, the meeting is over, but I suggest that you stay here at the palace, just in case there is an invasion. That way, I can make sure that you are safe."
Everyone nodded, headed out of the room and went to the guest wing of the palace. The Captain he went to the security wing, so that way, he could keep an eye on what was going on with the Federation. He had heard rumors that there will be an invasion.
Padme was in her room, looking over some more data chips, when she heard a rumbling sound. Getting up from her desk, she went to the window and looked out.
" So, it beings."
Sabe` came into the room and came up beside her Queen and friend.
" I'm afraid so, Padme ... We should get you ready ,in case they invade the city ... We have to get you out of the city."
" Ok ... Captain, what news do you have?" Padme turned to the person, who walked into the room.
" The invasion has begun. The mountain and valley towns have already fallen, and we have to think of how we get you out of here" Captain came into the room and nodded to Sabe`.
Padme stood there looking out the window, and off in the distance, she could see explosions, where the fighting has begun.
" Ok ... let's get read,y just in case the city is taken." All Padme could do now, was wait and see what will happen.
Padme went into her sleeping quarters and saw all her handmaidens in there, waiting for her. Captain Panaka and a few of his men camped out in the living area, and they kept an ear on what's going on and kept Padme updated on what was happening.
It's was early morning, when their worst nightmares came true. The city of Theed had fallen, just shortly after dawn, but not without some resistance though.
Padme stood by the window, watching helplessly as the transport carrying Nute and Rune, lands in the plaza and they both exited their transport.
Nute looked around the area " Ah, Victory!" and a smile came to his face.
They walked into the palace. Nute saw small groups of people being hearded towards the back of the palace, and they were moved to the detention camps.
Walking into the throne room, there stood Queen Amidala, along with her Governor Sio Bibble, and five of the Queen's handmaidens (Eirtae`, Yane`, Padme`, Rabe` and Sache`). They were surrounded by twenty droids, even the Captain Panaka and four Naboo guards were also being held at gunpoint. Nute and Rune looked around and saw that they were standing in the middle of the room.
One man dared step forward and began yelling at him " It's bad enough, Viceroy, that you dare to disrupt transmissions between the Queen and Senator Palpatine, while he is attempting to argue our cause, before the Republic Senate. Bad enough that you pretend that this blockade is a lawful action, but landing an entire army on our planet and occupying our cities, is too outrageous for words."
Nute looked away from the Governor Bibble and glanced at the other captives. He saw that Captain Panaka was stone-faced and hard-eyed, as he watched the Neimoidians, which the Neimoidian didn't like how those eyes were fixed on him.
As for the Queen, she just sat upon her throne ,surrounded by her handmaidens. Nute could tell that she was barely out of her girlhood, and certainly not a full-grown woman. He was wondering why these people would chose someone so young as the Queen.
The nagging voice interrupted his thoughts " Viceroy, I asked you point-blank." Sio Bibble was concluding his oration. " How do you intend to explain this invasion to the Senate?"
The Neimoidian's flat, reptilian countenance managed a small flicker of humor. " The Naboo and the Trade Federation will forge a treaty that will legitimize our occupation of Theed. I have been assured that such a treaty, once produced, will be quickly ratified by the Senate."
" A treaty?" the governor exclaimed in astonishment. " In the face of this completely unlawful action?"
Amidala stood up from her throne and stepped forward, surrounded by her cloaked and hooded handmaidens. Her eyes were very sharp with anger. " I will not cooperate."
Nute Gunray exchanged a quick glance with Rune Haako. " Now, now, Your Highness," he purred at her. " Don't be too hasty with you pronouncements. You are not going to like what we have in store for your people. In time, their suffering will persuade you to see our point of view."
He turned away from her. " Enough talk.." He beckoned to the Battle droid.
" Commander?" a Battle droid OOM-9 stepped forward, narrow metal snout, lowering slightly in response. " Process them," the viceroy ordered.
" Ye,s sir!" before turning to his sergeant. " Take them to camp four."
Then, sergeant turns to the prisoners and marches the group out of the throne room, along with a dozen battle droids. The Queen looked around the plaza and all she could see was Federation tanks and battle droids. As they pass on their way to the detention camp, little did they know, that they were being followed and watched by two men and a Gungan.
The droids had just turned their prisoners down a quiet byway, when their sergeant, who was leading the procession, brought them to an abrupt halt.
Two men stood directly in their way, both wearing loose roves, over belted tunics. The taller, with his hair worn long, the shorter, with his cut to then braided pigtail.
The taller man stepped forward. " Are you Queen Amidala of the Naboo?" he asked the young woman in the feathered headdress.
The Queen hesitated. " Who are you?"
" Ambassadors from the supreme chancellor." The Jedi Master inclined his head slightly. " We seek an audience with you, Your Highness."
T. hen the droid sergeant suddenly seemed to remember where he was and what he was doing. He gestured to his soldiers. " Clear them away!"
Four of the battle droids moved to obey, their weapons shifted into firing position, when the Jedi activated their lightsabers and cut them apart.
Then, the droids shattered and collapsed. The Jedi moved quickly to dispatch the others. Before anyone knew it, the remaining droids were reduced to scrap metal.
The sergeant turned to flee, but he didn't get anywhere, when he was lifted up into the air. Then, he laid in ruins, along with his command.
The tall Jedi faced the Queen. " Your Highness, I am Qui-Gon Jinn and my companion is Obi-Wan Kenobi. We are Jedi Knights, as well as ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor."
" Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," Sio Bibble observed with a snort.
" The negotiations never took place." Qui-Gon kept his eyes directed toward the Queen. Her painted face showed nothing. " Your Highness," he continued, " we must make contact with the Republic."
" We can't" Captain Panaka volunteered, stepping forward. " They've knocked out all our communications."
An alarm was being given from somewhere close, and there was the sound of running. Qui-Gon glanced towards the street, where the battle droids lay. " Do you have transports?"
The Naboo captain nodded quickly ,to see what the Jedi intended. " In the main hangar. This way."
He led the small group to the end of the alleyway, where they crossed to other passageways and backstreets, encountering no one. Once they reached the hangar, they fought the battle droids that were guarding the pilots. Once they were free, they ran to their ships. The Queen and her small party, along with the Jedi, made it to her private transport. The Queen locked herself up, with her handmaidens in her quarters, while the others went in different directions of the ship.
Padme was sitting next to Sabe`, when there was loud explosion and the ship rocked in response to a series of near misses. Then, the lights began to flicker, and the transport shook violently. Padme got up, went for the door, and opened it up. " I'll go see what's going on. Be right back."
Finding the Jedi Master, she learned that they were hit and the hyper-drive was badly damage. They had to find somewhere to land and try to fix the ship, before they could continue to Coruscant. They found a planet, that was close by, but the only problem with that was that it was controled by the Hutts. However, they really didn't have a choice. So, pilot Ric Olie made their way to the desert planet of Tatooine.
* (pages 80-90 of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks)