Incoming Transmission

From A Certain Point Of View Volume 4

Chapter 20: Incoming Transmission.

The surface of the desert planet of Tatooine was being reshaped by a violent sandstorm. Visibility was nearly down to zero. The torrent blasted the hull of Queen Amidala's Naboo Starfighter, but all personnel were safe inside. All of them, that was, save for Jedi Qui-Gon Jin, the Gungan Jar-Jar Binks, and the queen herself, disguised as a handmaiden. Young Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi had been ordered to stay with the ship. With the dramatic change in the weather, his thoughts dwelled on his master. He hoped he had found a new hyperdrive. He wondered if he was safe from the storm.

The interior of the ship was just as regal as was to be expected of a royal cruiser. Plush white benches lined each side. Rows of maroon cushions lined the seats and backs of the sofas. Captain Quarsh Panaka, the head of the queen's Royal Guard, sat beside Kenobi on the bench. He was dressed in his maroon and light blue guardsman's uniform. In the rear of the vessel, one of the queen's handmaidens sat on a silver throne lined with the same plush red cushion. She wore a long frilly black gown with gold accents and a black peacock headdress. Her face haf been painted white with dark red accents on her cheeks. To each side of her stood a handmaiden, dressed in a pale orange and yellow robe and cloak. As their party watched, the large holoprojector in the center of the room warbled to life.

Governor Sio Bibble appeared in the center of the room. From his stance, posture, and facial expression, Kenobi could tell he was greatly distressed. His voice warbled slightly as he struggled to maintain hos composure. His message was short, as though it had been recorded either in secret or against his will, but the message was all too clear.

"The death toll is catastrophic." Obi-Wan felt his chest ache. He felt powerless. There was nothing he could do to help the people of Naboo. The Trade Federation had captured the citizens and sent them to concentration camps. There they were tortured, and some were even executed. All of this violence was done to pressure the queen into g a treaty. While he sympathized with the citizens of Naboo, he also had a bad feeling about the message. It would be easy for the enemy to fabricate the recording to put pressure on them to return and help the people. As the message finished playing, the young Jedi got his answer.

As the recording finished, the governor made one final statement. "We must bow to their wishes. You must me." The message then cut out abruptly. Upon hearing this, it all became clear to Kenobi. It was unrealistic that the governor would have given up hope after so little time, or that he would even give in in the first place. Even if he had, how would he have sneaked a communication device past the endless waves of droids. The only realistic possibility was that the Federation had forced the governor to record the message in hopes of drawing them out. Even worse, their signal could be tracked. The Padawan pushed himself up out of his seat to address the group.

"It's a trick. Send no reply. Send no transmissions of any kind," he said urgently. He could not emphasize this enough. If they responded, their transmission could be tracked. They could be captured. The queen would be forced to sign the treaty, then they would all be executed. It could spell disaster for the galaxy at large. Kenobi then made his way to the cockpit, where he ed his master. He explained the incident to Qui-Gon, seeking his advice.

"It sounds like bait to establish a connection trace." Qui-Gon responded, after hearing Obi-Wan's explanation. Those had been his own thoughts as well. The Trade Federation had already proved that it would stoop as low as attempting to kill the two Jedi ambassadors, as well as destroying their frigate with their pilots inside. It would be in their cowardly nature to use the suffering civilians as bait.

"What if it's true, and the people are dying?" Kenobi emphasized the last half of his question. While he knew it was too risky to reply, he worried for the people of Naboo.

"Either way," Jinn responded solemnly, "we're running out of time."

Author's note: Many of you will know me from around the community or from my Through Imperial Eyes fanfiction. I recently ed the FAOV crew, so you can expect me to be a regular on this series from now on.

#OperationPallieSmoothie

#TeamTrandosha