The Battle of Theed had begun.
Across the grassy plains outside Naboo's capital, thousands of Gungan warriors stood shoulder to shoulder behind shimmering shield generators. Their booming war cries echoed across the battlefield as they prepared to meet the endless ranks of the Trade Federation's droid army.
General Jar Jar Binks raised his spear high.
"For Naboo!"
The Gungan army answered with a thunderous roar before advancing together.
From the opposite side of the field, the mechanical army marched without fear or hesitation.
Columns of B1 battle droids moved in perfect formation while AAT tanks rolled behind them, their cannons slowly rotating toward the Gungan shields.
High above, Trade Federation control ships loomed in orbit, waiting to reinforce their occupation should the opportunity arise.
The battle for Naboo had finally begun.
But the fighting on the plains was never meant to decide the war.
It was only a distraction.
A sacrifice made to draw the Federation's attention away from the true objective.
Deep inside Theed, another battle was about to unfold.
One that would decide the fate of an entire world.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Hidden beneath the cover of the city's ancient waterways, Queen Amidala's strike team quietly emerged into one of Theed's lower maintenance corridors.
The sound of distant explosions echoed faintly through the stone walls above them.
Padmé adjusted the blaster at her side before looking toward the Jedi accompanying her.
Master Yoda.
Master Dooku.
Padawan Khan Kage.
Each carried a calm that contrasted sharply against the tension filling the tunnels.
Padmé took a slow breath.
"This is it."
Dooku nodded.
"The Viceroy will not expect an assault while the Gungans hold his attention."
Khan closed his eyes briefly.
The Force flowed quietly around them.
He could sense movement throughout the palace.
Most of the droid presence had shifted toward defending the outer city.
The infiltration route was nearly clear.
He opened his eyes.
"This way."
Without hesitation everyone followed.
The small force moved swiftly through narrow corridors before emerging inside the palace itself.
The once elegant halls of Theed now felt cold.
Battle droids patrolled intersections where Naboo guards had once stood.
The Republic banners had been torn down and replaced with Trade Federation insignias.
Padmé quietly clenched her fists.
"This is still my home."
Khan noticed the pain in her voice.
"And today," he answered softly, "we take it back."
She nodded.
Together they continued deeper into the palace.
A pair of battle droids rounded the corner.
"Halt!"
Before either droid could fire—
Snap-hiss!
Three lightsabers ignited almost simultaneously.
Green.
Blue.
Blue.
The hallway flashed with brilliant light.
Within seconds both battle droids collapsed into smoking piles of metal.
The strike team continued forward without slowing.
After several more corridors, they finally reached a junction overlooking the Royal Hangar.
Khan carefully looked over the balcony.
Only a handful of battle droids remained guarding the entrance.
He turned back.
"Our first objective is the Royal Hangar."
Padmé nodded.
"Once we secure it, we can prevent the Federation from trapping us inside the city."
Dooku looked toward the opposite corridor.
"The Naboo pilots are being held nearby."
He rested a hand upon the hilt of his lightsaber.
"I shall retrieve them."
Yoda nodded.
"Go, you should."
Khan looked between them.
"We'll secure the hangar."
Without another word Dooku disappeared down the adjoining hallway.
The remaining group moved.
The moment they entered the hangar—
"Intruders!"
Blaster fire erupted.
Khan surged forward.
His lightsaber became a blur.
Bolts reflected back into the advancing droids as he closed the distance.
Master Yoda moved with astonishing speed despite his size, leaping from one battle droid to another while effortlessly cutting them apart.
The Naboo security force advanced behind them.
Within moments the first defensive line had fallen.
More battle droids emerged from side corridors.
"Left side!" one Naboo captain shouted.
Khan immediately pivoted.
His blade swept through two droids before using the Force to send another crashing into a nearby transport.
Metal scattered across the floor.
The final battle droid attempted to raise its weapon.
Padmé calmly fired once.
The droid collapsed.
Silence returned.
Khan slowly lowered his lightsaber.
"The hangar is secure."
The Naboo soldiers immediately spread throughout the facility, checking entrances and defensive positions.
Padmé exhaled.
"Good."
She looked toward Khan.
"Now we wait for Master Dooku."
Only a few moments passed before footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Dooku appeared alongside a group of exhausted Naboo pilots.
"The detention block has been cleared."
Several pilots immediately rushed toward their starfighters.
Dooku addressed them.
"Launch immediately."
"Your objective is to intercept any Federation reinforcements before they can reach the city."
The lead pilot saluted.
"Yes, Master Jedi."
Without delay the pilots climbed into their Naboo starfighters.
One after another the sleek yellow fighters lifted from the hangar floor.
Their engines roared as they disappeared into the skies above Naboo.
Padmé watched them leave.
"Now..."
She looked toward the palace interior.
"We finish this."
The soldiers formed around her.
Their destination was clear.
The Viceroy.
Before anyone could move—
A deep metallic groan echoed through the hangar.
Everyone turned.
The massive entrance doors slowly began to slide open.
Silence settled over the room.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The darkness beyond the doorway slowly gave way to two figures.
The first stepped into the light.
Black robes.
Tattooed red-and-black skin.
Small horns crowned his head.
Khan's grip tightened around his lightsaber.
"Him..."
The Zabrak Sith who had killed Qui-Gon Jinn.
But Khan's eyes immediately shifted toward the second figure.
A tall silhouette remained cloaked beneath dark robes.
Only fragments of pale skin could be seen beneath the shadow of the hood.
His head was long and narrow.
His presence...
It was overwhelming.
The very air seemed heavier.
The dark side poured from him like an endless tide.
Even standing several meters away made breathing feel difficult.
Khan felt every instinct in his body scream.
Danger.
Master Yoda slowly stepped forward.
His expression hardened.
"A master..."
His ears lowered slightly.
"...and an apprentice."
He glanced toward Dooku and Khan.
"Always two there are."
The mysterious Sith remained silent.
Watching.
Measuring.
Waiting.
Dooku's hand settled firmly upon his lightsaber.
"I have never felt darkness this concentrated."
Neither had Khan.
Compared to the hooded figure...
The Zabrak almost seemed restrained.
Khan slowly moved beside Yoda.
His heartbeat steadied.
This would not be another escape.
This time...
They would stand and fight.
Padmé looked between the Jedi.
Then toward the Sith.
She understood immediately.
This battle was beyond her.
Khan kept his eyes fixed on the two figures ahead.
"We'll handle this."
He spoke calmly without looking away.
"You find another route to the Viceroy."
Padmé hesitated only briefly before nodding.
"I understand."
She turned toward her soldiers.
"Everyone."
"The eastern corridor."
"We'll circle around."
The Naboo soldiers quickly followed their Queen, disappearing into a side passage while casting uneasy glances back toward the gathering storm.
Soon only five figures remained inside the hangar.
Master Yoda.
Master Dooku.
Padawan Khan Kage.
A Sith Master.
And his apprentice.
There would be no retreat.
Only victory.
Or death.
The Sith moved first.
The hooded Sith Master raised a single hand.
Without warning, the Force erupted outward.
A violent wave of invisible pressure thundered through the hangar.
Master Yoda planted his cane against the floor, absorbing the blast before springing forward.
Master Dooku ignited his curved-hilt lightsaber.
Khan's own blue blade came alive a heartbeat later.
The two Sith answered.
A crimson glow illuminated the hangar.
For just a brief moment...
Blue.
Green.
Blue.
Against two blades of crimson.
Then everything exploded into motion.
Yoda became a green blur, leaping high above the battlefield as he descended upon the Sith Master with incredible speed. The ancient Jedi's small stature disappeared beneath a storm of precise attacks, every strike carrying centuries of experience.
The hooded Sith Master calmly received every blow.
His crimson blade moved with almost effortless efficiency.
Not hurried.
Not strained.
Simply perfect.
Each movement required no wasted energy.
Every block flowed naturally into another.
Dooku entered the exchange from the Sith Master's flank.
Makashi.
Elegant.
Refined.
Every thrust sought an opening rather than overwhelming strength.
The Sith Master pivoted once.
One crimson blade redirected Dooku's thrust while another smooth rotation met Yoda's descending strike.
Three Masters.
One exchange.
Neither side yielded.
Meanwhile—
Khan met Darth Maul head-on.
Blue and red clashed violently.
The impact echoed across the hangar.
The Zabrak immediately pressed forward with explosive aggression, his double-bladed lightsaber spinning into a relentless assault designed to overwhelm through sheer pressure.
Khan remained composed.
His own blade flowed in smooth arcs.
Makashi.
Every movement economical.
Every parry deliberate.
He refused to match the Zabrak's aggression.
Instead, he redirected it.
The Sith attacked.
Khan answered.
One strike.
One deflection.
A second.
A sidestep.
A third.
A precise counter that forced the Zabrak to abandon his momentum.
The Zabrak narrowed his eyes.
This Padawan had improved.
Greatly.
Maul spun his saber overhead before bringing it down with crushing force.
Khan shifted just enough.
The blade struck the floor where he had stood an instant earlier.
Before the Zabrak could recover—
Khan's free hand shot forward.
The Force answered.
Several cargo containers ripped free from nearby racks and launched toward the Sith Apprentice.
The Zabrak spinning saber reduced the first two into molten debris.
The third slammed into him just enough to break his footing.
Khan surged forward.
Makashi became Shien.
His grip shifted.
His strikes grew heavier.
More direct.
The Zabrak barely caught the first swing before another immediately followed.
The Sith smiled.
Now this...
This was a fight.
Across the hangar, blaster fire suddenly erupted.
Several surviving battle droids emerged from an adjoining corridor.
Padmé's retreating soldiers immediately engaged them.
The distraction lasted only seconds.
The Sith Master lifted two fingers.
The remaining droids were violently crushed beneath invisible pressure.
Silence returned.
Yoda's eyes narrowed.
The Sith Master hadn't even looked at them.
Their duel resumed instantly.
Yoda launched himself upward once more, striking from impossible angles while Dooku circled methodically, forcing the Sith to divide his attention.
For the first time...
The three Jedi began pressing forward.
Step.
Step.
Another step.
The Sith Master gave ground.
Not because he had to.
But because he chose to.
The retreat was controlled.
Measured.
Every movement drew the Jedi farther from the hangar.
Khan noticed it immediately.
"They're leading us."
Dooku heard him.
"I know."
Yoda's voice remained calm.
"Separate us they seek."
The Sith Master said nothing.
His silence spoke enough.
The battle flowed naturally into the palace maintenance corridors.
Narrow hallways replaced the open hangar.
Steam hissed from exposed pipes.
Electrical conduits lined the walls.
The confined space favored precision over numbers.
Exactly as the Sith intended.
The Jedi adapted.
Yoda remained fixed upon the Sith Master.
Dooku shifted constantly between both battles, supporting Khan one moment before intercepting the Sith Master's blade the next.
Their coordination was nearly flawless.
For several minutes the Jedi maintained the advantage.
Until they reached the bridge.
It stretched across a vast maintenance shaft disappearing into darkness below.
Power conduits glowed beneath transparent walkways while countless mechanical platforms moved throughout the abyss.
The Sith stopped retreating.
The Zabrak glanced sideways.
The Sith Master gave the slightest nod.
The battle changed instantly.
The Zabrak exploded forward with renewed violence.
His saber became impossible to follow.
Khan answered every strike.
Barely.
Blue and crimson blurred together.
Then—
The Zabrak suddenly abandoned his attack.
Instead he drove a powerful kick directly into Khan's chest.
The unexpected strike launched Khan backward.
His feet left the bridge.
The world disappeared beneath him.
Air rushed past his face.
Far below—
A lower maintenance bridge.
Khan reached into the Force.
Time seemed to slow.
His body rotated once.
Twice.
He landed in a crouch upon the lower platform.
The metal groaned beneath the impact.
He looked upward.
The Zabrak was already falling.
The Sith Apprentice spun through the air before landing several meters away.
Their eyes met.
No words.
No taunts.
Only understanding.
This battle was now theirs alone.
Above—
Dooku immediately attempted to leap after his Padawan.
The Sith Master moved.
For the first time...
His speed changed.
One instant he stood several meters away.
The next—
He was directly before Dooku.
Crimson flashed.
Dooku barely intercepted the strike.
The impact nearly drove him backward.
His eyes widened.
Impossible...
The Sith Master had been holding back.
The next exchange came even faster.
Dooku's elegant Makashi was forced entirely onto the defensive.
Every thrust he attempted was dismantled before completion.
Every angle anticipated.
Yoda immediately joined the assault once more.
Green and blue converged against crimson.
Yet now...
The Sith Master welcomed them.
His cloak flowed behind him as his lightsaber carved wide crimson arcs through the air.
The pressure surrounding him became almost tangible.
Even Yoda felt it.
The dark side flooded the chamber like a storm finally unleashed.
Far below...
Khan slowly rose.
His breathing steadied.
He closed his eyes for only a heartbeat.
Master Dooku's voice echoed within his mind.
"The Force is your ally."
Master Yoda's teachings followed.
"Feel it, do not command it."
Then Master Plo-Koon's calm wisdom.
"Trust the Living Force within."
Khan opened his eyes.
The Force answered.
It flowed through every breath.
Every heartbeat.
Every movement.
Not around him.
Not beside him.
With him.
His stance shifted naturally.
Makashi remained his foundation.
Shien strengthened it.
Yet something new emerged between them.
The Force itself began guiding each movement before conscious thought could.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Across from him, Maul ignited the second blade of his saber.
The crimson staff spun slowly.
The Sith grinned.
Khan lowered his own blade.
The blue light reflected across his determined eyes.
For the fourth time...
They faced one another.
This time—
Neither intended to retreat.