EXT. NABU - PALACE - COURTYARD - EVENING

The children flee the palace through a back door with their bodyguards into a courtyard. On the grass sit two vehicles: a sleek, silver starcruiser - blackened by weapons' fire and inoperable - and a landspeeder.

The children and their bodyguards run toward the protection of the speeder, and begin to climb aboard in a hurry. Bodyguard Ric Olié settles in behind the controls.

A lone Neimoidian soldier comes from around the side of the palace, entering the courtyard. The mercenary spots the Nabu, and opens fire. Sola is hit in the back and goes down.

AMIDALA : Sola! No! Sola!

As Amidala struggles to lift her elder sister into the cockpit Panaka roughly pulls her in, and a pendant with a small aquamarine crystal snaps off Sola's neck, coming away in the Princess's hand.

CAPT. PANAKA : (to Ric Olié) Go. Let's go!

Several Neimoidians arrive to assist their comrades, opening fire as the speeder zooms off past the blasted ruin of the royal starcruiser into the safety of the swamp beyond the courtyard.

INT. NABU - PALACE - PALPATINE'S OFFICE - EVENING

Vizier Dantius Palpatine sits at his desk, asleep in his chair. Palpatine is a rather inconspicuous looking man, with bland features and dark hair, in his early sixties.

The office door is forced open, waking Palpatine as Neimoidian mercenaries swarm into the room.

PALPATINE : What? What is - ?

The lead Neimoidian seizes Palpatine's hair in a fist, toppling the chair over and dragging the vizier onto the floor. Palpatine begins to curse the soldier.

NEIMOIDIAN COMMANDER : (turning his blaster on him) Resist and I’ll put a shot in you. (cont’d) It would be preferable to keep you alive and intact for questioning, but it is not necessary.

Palpatine backs down, and the Neimoidian commander drags him from the room.

INT. NABU - PALACE - THRONE ROOM - EVENING

Two columns of Neimoidian soldiers occupy the throne room, standing on either side of the central thrones facing each other. Between the two columns crouch twelve of the palace servants, hands behind their heads, with eight armed mercenaries keeping their weapons trained on them.

Surveying the captives is the menacing Kaleesh Qymaen jai Sheelal, a Supreme Commander in the Federation army.

He looks up away from the captives as the Neimoidian leader dragging Dantius Palpatine enters the chamber from a side door.

COMMANDER SHEELAL : Ah, we shall soon be getting down to business.

The Neimoidian leader with his contingent of soldiers passes through one of the columns, pulling Palpatine down through the room to Sheelal. The Neimoidian pushes the vizier to his knees before the Supreme Commander.

COMMANDER SHEELAL : You are Dantius Palpatine - vizier to the Royal Couple and their children. You, of all on this miserable rock, should know where the brats were sent off to. (cont’d) Tell me where they can be found, and I may petiton for your release.

PALPATINE : Their Highnesses didn't put me in their confidence. I don't know where they went and can't begin to imagine where they could have gone. Regardless, I wouldn’t tell you a thing you scum!

COMMANDER SHEELAL : Very well ...

Sheelal smacks the vizier across the face, knocking him back and over.

COMMANDER SHEELAL : (to the Neimoidian commander) Send scouts out into the swamps. The children cannot have gone far. You can catch them if you move fast enough!

The commanding Neimoidian bows his head in acknowledgement, proceeding to broadcast Sheelal's orders to his fellow mercenaries waiting outside the palace.

Sheelal turns to face the throne room entrance as a Neimoidian soldier enters the chamber, a mobile holographic projector following along behind him.

NEIMOIDIAN SOLDIER : Incoming message, My Lord. His Honour Viceroy Nute Gunray wishes to hear a progress report.

COMMANDER SHEELAL : Patch it through.

A beam of light is projected from the small tripod, forming a blue 3D image of Neimoidian Viceroy Nute Gunray and his aide Rune Haako.

NUTE GUNRAY : How goes it, Supreme Commander? Have you terminated the members of the Royal Family?

COMMANDER SHEELAL : All members of House Naberrie are in the process of being tracked down and exterminated. The King and Queen along with their oldest daughter are among the confirmed dead.

NUTE GUNRAY : (surprised) The other two children aren’t with them?!

COMMANDER SHEELAL : Those brats escaped.

NUTE GUNRAY : You are to find those children and do away with them as soon as possible. One of the Royal Couple's couriers managed to escape the bombardment and make the leap to hyperspace. The heirs must be dead before agents of the Republic can be sent here to retrieve them. Am I clear on this matter?

COMMANDER SHEELAL : My men are on it as we speak, Lord.

NUTE GUNRAY : They had better be, Commander.

The image of Gunray reaches out and touches an off-screen control. The hologram disappears with a flash. Sheelal turns away from the projector, returning his attention to the captive servants on the floor.