Scene 7: Obi-Wan is running down the corridor, but he skids to a halt, as two destroyer droids roll up before him, unfolding to deploy their shields and weapons. They start blasting away at Obi-Wan, who scampers back behind a bulkhead, looking around desperately to figure out where and how to escape. He finally leaps straight up (maybe a bit of a somersault to it, because, hey, Jedi) into an exposed ventilation shaft. The destroyers come about, searching around for him (but not looking up). Obi-Wan jumps down between them, then rolls away. The destroyers don’t react quite fast enough, and their powerful blasters overload one another’s shields, and they both go kablooie. Brushing himself off, Obi-Wan continues down the corridor.

His head snaps around, as if he’s hearing something off in the distance, and then he makes a turn, running for a locked door. He puts his hand up to it, as if feeling for vibration, and then, nodding to himself, begins slicing through the door with his lightsaber.

Inside, we see the young Queen standing in the middle of her detention cell, a dismembered battle droid’s arm-gun in her hands, a smoking ruin of droids all around her. “My thanks,” she says, nodding to Obi-Wan. “I was wondering how I was going to get out of here.”

“Queen Amidala,” Obi-Wan says, surprised. “I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, of the Jedi Order.”

Padme: “Thank the stars… you’re here to save our world? Has the Republic fleet arrived?”

Obi-Wan: “Um… not exactly. We sort of… crash-landed here.”

Padme: “Oh.” Pause. “Well, we have to get out of here, come on!” She rushes past Obi-Wan, who hurries to follow her back out into the corridor.

Scene 8: The Federation ship’s command center, a smaller, more cramped version of Ursana’s opulent command room, is in chaos, with reports of intruders ringing out all over the place, the ship’s commander looking on the verge of complete panic.

Naturally, the doors blow open around this time, smashing two battle droids, and Qui-Gon Jin enters the room, his hands clasped, appearing as calm and regal as possible. “Power down your defenses,” he proclaims. “I would prefer not to-”

“Kill him!” the commander shrieks. The battle droids open fire.

Qui-Gon goes from a perfect image of serenity to a flurry of action, his lightsaber suddenly in his hand and pinwheeling around to deflect blaster bolts. The command center erupts in sparks and blasts as the errant bolts fly about, and Trade Federation personnel duck for cover. The battle droids don’t have quite the same level of self-preservation, so they get torn up by their own blasts pretty good. Finally, the blasters cease, and Qui-Gon sheathes his lightsaber again, appearing perfectly calm once more.

“Now,” he says. “Who, may I ask, is in charge here?”

All eyes turn to the commander, who tries to hide behind a console.

Qui-Gon’s lips twitch in a bit of a smile.

Scene 9: Obi-Wan and Padme are running for the hangar bay, but when they get there, the shadowy figure from before is waiting for them. “So,” he says. “The Jedi have sent one of their padawans to die. Where is your master, boy?”

Obi-Wan stares at the figure, confused and frightened, but he ignites his lightsaber nevertheless. “Stay behind me, your Highness,” he says. “I’ll deal with this-”

“Oh, please,” Darth Maul says, and extends his own lightsaber (just one blade, for now), and attacks Obi-Wan, a glancing, testing flurry of blows. “You’re barely old enough to wield a lightsaber.”

Obi-Wan slashes back, a wild attack which nevertheless forces Maul back a step. During the attack, Maul’s hood flies back from his head, and we are exposed to the full horror of the Sith Knight’s visage. Maul grins. The other end of his lightsaber extends, and Obi-Wan’s eyes flare with surprise and fear. Darth Maul proceeds to very nearly kill Obi-Wan several times, with Obi-Wan just barely escaping.

Darth Maul extends his hand and clenches it into a fist, Force-pulling Obi-Wan towards him, his lightsaber swinging forward to kill the young Jedi. Just as it looks like the end for Obi-Wan, Darth Maul swings his lightsaber around, in order to deflect the bolts from Padme’s appropriated blaster. Darth Maul sneers at her, and Force-smashes the Queen into a bulkhead. She is knocked out, but before Darth Maul can finish her off, Obi-Wan gets up and lays into him again, crying out to get the Sith Knight’s attention. The fight continues, but the scene shifts in the middle of Obi-Wan’s swing, leaving us on a mini-cliffhanger.