The silver crescent of Naboo shimmered against the void, a world of beauty now strangled by greed. The Trade Federation's Lucrehulk battleships hung in orbit, a suffocating blockade of durasteel and droid control hubs. Beneath them, the people of Naboo waited, their freedom choked beneath false treaties and corporate fear.
In the Senate, words flew like blaster fire but words could not pierce a blockade. The Chancellor sent Jedi.
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped aboard the Federation flagship. Hooded, silent, their presence carried weight. The Viceroy, Nute Gunray, hid his unease behind layers of political doublespeak, already trembling under the distant voice of his master — Darth Sidious.
The negotiations were a lie, a trap. Poisonous gas filled the chamber, and the Jedi fought their way free with glowing blades, cutting through droids like water. The blockade was no longer political; it was war.
Queen Padmé Amidala was taken captive as Federation droids marched into Theed, their metallic steps clashing against marble streets. The Royal Guards fought, but blasters and numbers overwhelmed them.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan moved like shadows, cutting chains the Federation thought unbreakable. They freed the Queen and her entourage, guiding them toward escape. Their only chance was to break through the blockade.
Far across the stars, Darth Maul knelt before a hooded figure.
"At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last, we will have revenge."
Sidious's voice was silk and venom. "Track them. Leave nothing to chance. Naboo will be the stage, but the Jedi… the Jedi are yours."
Maul's yellow eyes burned as he rose. His twin-bladed saber hung at his side like a promise.
On Mandalore, Shepard stood within the command chamber of the orbital shipyard. Reports streamed across holo-screens Naboo's capture, Jedi interference, news of a Sith warrior.
He folded his arms, silent.
"Do we intervene?" one councilor asked.
"No." Shepard's voice was iron. "This is not our war. But we will watch. Every move, every shadow. The galaxy shifts and when it fractures, Mandalore will not be caught unprepared."
The royal cruiser blasted free of Naboo's orbit, shields burning under the fire of Federation guns. Damaged but alive, it slipped into hyperspace.
They would land on Tatooine, a desert world forgotten by the Republic. There, fate waited in the form of a boy with more power than the galaxy could imagine.
But even as Qui-Gon guided his queen toward destiny, Darth Maul's hunter's gaze locked on their trail. The chase had begun.