EXT. NABU - OTOH GUNGA - UNDERWATER - LATE DAY
A fleet of fifteen submarines move on an steady course toward the glowing spheres of Otoh Gunga. They are Neimoidian S-DSTs - aquatic destroyers.
INT. NABU - S-DST FLAGSHIP - BRIDGE
A Neimoidian admiral - tall and regal - sits at his seat, his eyes trained on the image of Supreme Commander Sheelal situated on the viewscreen before him.
NEIMOIDIAN ADMIRAL : We have arrived at the Gungan settlement, Supreme Commander. Shall we commence with the bombardment?
COMMANDER SHEELAL : Yes. (cont’d) Reduce it to rubble. Leave nothing standing.
EXT. NABU - OTOH GUNGA - UNDERWATER - LATE DAY
The S-DSTs take position above and around Otoh Gunga, and begin throwing volleys of laserfire down upon the city.
INT. NABU - OTOH GUNGA - STREETS - LATE DAY
Before Panaka can begin relating the story of Kayos to Obi-Wan the weapons fire of the S-DSTs strikes the city, rocking the foundations of the city violently. The townspeople then start to scream in terror, breaking out into a stampede as they rush to find cover, trampling one another to the ground in the process.
QUI-GON : Obi-Wan!
OBI-WAN : Don’t use your lightsaber! Try to push them back!
The two Jedi attempt to keep the panicking Gungans back away from them as they pour forward. The amphibians are too numerous, however, and they manage to push through. The entourage is pushed apart, with some falling to the ground and Oeta getting swept away in the crowd.
AMIDALA : Oeta!
OETA : Ami! Help me!
Before Amidala can demand help or offer her own a second volley of lasers strikes Otoh Gunga, and the containment bubble above winks out. The bubble quickly reforms, but not before a large torrent of water falls in and hits them all, breaking the stampede apart and sweeping everyone away in all directions.
EXT. TASIA - DARK TOWER - EVENING
The light of Nabu falls upon the barren surface of its third moon, Tasia. From the barren, icy ground rises a single tower - an ancient observatory now black and pitted with age. This is the home base of the Sith Lord Maul.
INT. TASIA - DARK TOWER - BOARD ROOM - EVENING
The board room is long but not wide, with no burning lights, and houses an old metal table and a single bay window. Sitting at the table’s only chair, his back to the window, is Maul. Maul is at ease, his eyes falling upon the only item resting on the table - a crystal globe, half-filled with a pearlescent liquid.
Maul reaches out, and picks up the globe. Instantly the liquid within begins to blaze with light and colour, thrashing like something alive. Raising the globe to his face, Maul begins to concentrate on the churning liquid.
In seconds the liquid takes on a cohesive form - a hideous bat-winged reptile, blue-purple in colour. Concentrating further, the image is refined, and the winged reptile turns into a beautiful insect with delicate, iridescent wings. The Sith Lord relaxes his concentration, and the insect collapses back into formless fluid.
The Zabrak closes his eyes, and the pearlescent liquid begins to churn again, glowing with rapidly-shifting colours as half-formed limbs and faces come into being. Opening his eyes, the nebulous mass takes cohesive shape - an elderly shawled human woman in gray-brown miniature.
A slight smile creeps onto Maul’s face, and the small woman suddenly blazes with glaring orange light. Once the intensity dies down, in the place of the old woman stands a lithe Zabrak woman, nude and perfectly formed; the young beauty begins to dance in the centre of the globe, pirouetting, leaping, and bowing. Maul’s smile grows larger.
The glowing orange beauty begins to spasm, its graceful movements going jerky as secondary limps and heads begin to sprout from its body; the form writhes as the body imperfectly tries to clone itself, to separate into three separate copies of the youthful female Zabrak. In the end the attempt fails, and the form settles back into a solitary individual.
The horns of the miniature then sprout, quadrupling in length, and then the body itself follows suit; the beautiful orange form twists and elongates, transforming into an ugly electric blue beast with cloven hooves.
Maul’s smile turns to a firm line and, irritated, he closes his hand around the crystal globe, shattering it. The liquid, oxidizing immediately, turns a lustreless gray as it runs through his clenched fingers.
Disappointed, Maul throws down the crushed remains of the globe, and then rises to his feet. Turning around he walks toward the bay window, looking out at the view of the frozen landscape and the blue planet that floats above it.
INT. NABU - OTOH GUNGA - STREETS - LATE DAY
Groaning, water-logged Bail Organa rises to his feet, and surveys his surroundings. Some time has past, and the Gungan equivalent of klaxons have begun to blare. The Colonel looks down to his right, and notices for the first time Major Vaness lying
sprawled out at his feet, slowly regaining consciousness.
COL. ORGANA : You okay, Raia?
MAJ. VANESS : (coughing) Fine, just fine. (cont’d) Could I have a hand, please?
Bail grabs hold of Vaness’s outstretched hand, and helps her to her feet.
COL. ORGANA : The others ...?
MAJ. VANESS : They could be anywhere.
An explosion is heard in the distance, and the city lights dim.
COL. ORGANA : We’d better hurry and find them.
Several minutes pass, and most of the disassembled entourage is located - water logged but alive - expect for Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Amidala, Oeta, and Ric Olié, who all remain missing.
COL. ORGANA : I don’t understand this. Where could they be?
MAJ. VANESS : Colonel, maybe they’re -
COL. ORGANA : Don’t say it.
They resume the search. Eventually they come upon Qui-Gon, who crouches beside Ric Olié. Olié, the back of his head bloody, is near death’s door.
COL. ORGANA : What happened to him?
QUI-GON : He must have hit his head against something. I don’t know what.
RIC OLIÉ : I’m ... I’m dying.
QUI-GON : Just hold on. We’ll get you some medical attention.
RIC OLIÉ : Attention? For me? (laughs) Too late for that, kid, too late.
Olié’s face then goes slack. He’s dead. Qui-Gon rises to his feet, turning from the corpse to the others.
QUI-GON : You haven’t found Obi-Wan?
MAJ. VANESS : We were hoping he and the kids were with you.
OBI-WAN : (O.S.) I’m here.
The retinue spins around, and there stands Obi-Wan far to their left, the semi-conscious form of Princess Amidala in his arms.
CAPT. PANAKA : Prince Oeta ...?
OBI-WAN : I couldn’t find him. He must have fled with the townspeople.
Panaka quickly walks up to the Jedi Knight, and roughly grabs onto his arms.
CAPT. PANAKA : (shaking the Jedi) We have to find him! Before it’s too late, we have to find him!
OBI-WAN : Captain, it’s already too late. Look around you, at this city. If we stop to search for the Prince we waste precious time - we risk dooming us all. The field could collapse a second time and stay down. We would all then die - you, me, the Princess herself. (cont’d) We must concentrate on getting to a bongo while there is - if there is - still one, and from there getting off-planet with the Princess.
CAPT. PANAKA : Is the Prince ...? Do you know ...?
OBI-WAN : I know nothing. All I can do is pray for him.
CAPT. PANAKA : Alright ... You’re right. (cont’d) Let’s go.
The retinue then heads on its way, through the watery streets, toward the docks. As they do so Amidala regains consciousness, calling out for her brother as she does so. Those calls quickly turn to yells, then to screams, as they flee the dying metropolis.
