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Nouk Kii, in a panicked frame of mind, aimlessly makes his way around the ship.
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Little does he know as he enters a droid repair room that it’s a dead end.
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Shortly after entering, he hears the footsteps of several Mandalorians on the hunt for him and hides behind a row of deactivated droids.
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A sinking feeling fills Nouk as three Mandalorians enter the room.
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Xain proclaims “He’s in here, find him!”
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Nouk brandishes his light saber, but before igniting it he realizes he is cornered and outnumbered.
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With all his strength, all his concentration, and all his emotion, Nouk summons the will of The Force…
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…and unleashes a powerful force wave propelling two rows of deactivated droids at the Mandalorians, knocking them down.
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Nouk quickly pounces at the surprised pirates…
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…stabbing one to death then lethally reflecting another’s shot back while Xain is knocked unconscious.
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Nouk begins to feel a sense of relief and the unfamiliar feeling of confidence.
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Understanding that he had been tracked through the corridors, Nouk summons a schematic of the ship from a feisty astromech droid to devise a stealthy route to the bridge.
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He is now determined to re-take the bridge and save the ship!
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Meanwhile on Coruscant,
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The senate is in session.
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Chancellor Dristarg concludes the previous vote “And so the bail-out of the Banking Clan is passed,” and then continues “Next, we have a complaint from Senator Sok regarding the Trade Federation’s intervention on Iktotch.”
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Senator Olb Sok from the sovereign system of Makem Te takes the floor and begins “We’ve received word that the Trade Federation has once again committed atrocities, this time slaughtering Iktotchi monks without provocation. It is time to impose sanctions to curb Viceroy Gunray’s lawless ways!”
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Neimoidian senator Lott Dod, representing the Trade Federation, smirks “The facts are not yet known Senator, but it seems our army on Iktotch was only doing what was necessary to save the lives of two hapless Jedi.”
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Annoyed, Senator Sok replies “How convenient. And what of the Iktotchi artifact? By what right has the Trade Federation confiscated it?”
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Taking a break from his re-election campaign, Senator Gloval of Naboo defends the Trade Federation “Let’s be reasonable Senator, at this point the artifact should be in a museum.”
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The chancellor expedites the end of the conversation “Let us assemble a truth commission to determine the facts,” and then moves on to the next item on the agenda.
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Meanwhile back on Naboo, the campaign to represent the people in the senate on Coruscant continues.
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A holonet political commentary programme is being broadcast, with the taller host introducing the audience to the show “Welcome to ‘Tinn’hay and Molsec’, I’m Nase Tinn’hay and tonight we discuss the senatorial campaign with candidate Professor Palpatine.”
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Tinn’hay welcomes his guest and then begins the discussion “Professor, how would you describe Senator Gloval’s shameless attempt to distance himself from his friends in the Trade Federation?”
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Palpatine responds “Well that’s a good question Nase. This is not to say that there’s necessarily anything untoward in the senator’s relationship with members of the Trade Federation, but I do find it unfortunate that he has been seen cavorting with them as often as he has. It could really give people the wrong idea.”
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The co-host Naal Molsec then confronts Palpatine “But Professor, is your campaign not in part being financed by Viceroy Gunray himself?”
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Unflustered, Palpatine retorts “Well that is certainly what the big city liberal media would have you believe, Naal. I wouldn’t put much stock in what the Theed Times reports with regards to this campaign.”
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Tinn’hay then asks Palpatine “Professor, how would you characterize Senator Gloval’s attitude towards the good people of the Gungan community?”
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Palpatine answers “Well, again, I would never want to cast aspersions on the good senator’s character, but frankly I find him to be rather condescending, I think he looks down on them. But again, I would never disparage the senator’s good name.”
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Tinn’hay concludes the show “Well there you have it folks, fair and balanced. The vote takes place on the morrow.”
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Meanwhile, on the desert planet of Tatooine…
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Professor Aristote takes advantage of the cool dawn to take a walk through the neighboring dwellings of his archaeological dig site.
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He comes across a damsel being harassed by Jawa beggars as she picks mushrooms from the moisture vaporators.
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Aristote steps in to help and chases the Jawas away.
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The young woman turns to him and says “Thank you, kind sir.”
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To which the professor replies “My pleasure, Miss…”
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So as Professor Aristote continues his multifaceted trip, far away on the crippled Trade Federation ship…
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Nouk reaches the bridge via an air duct and hears Xain giving a report to Mandalore via hologram:
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“He got away, but Fett and Bydo have the ark.”
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“Also our ship’s docking clamps were damaged in the assault, we have a crew of droid mechanics working on it.”
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As Nouk prepares to drop down onto the bridge,
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Mandalore orders “Nevermind that, Trade Federation reinforcements are on their way. Take the ark to shuttle bay two, we will meet you there momentarily.”
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Suddenly, Nouk brazenly drops from the air duct onto the bridge, with his light saber angled to fatally wound one of the outlaws on descent.
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Emboldened, Nouk sarcastically proclaims “You are under arrest, my Lord!”
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Lord Mandalore responds “How amusing,” and orders his soldiers “Kill him.”
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As the pirates fire their blasters at Nouk, Mandalore leaves the bridge and seals the blast doors behind him.
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Nouk easily deflects the blasts and kills both shooters with one stroke of his sword.
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He feels unstoppable, with The Force behind him.
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Unrelenting, Nouk begins to cut through the sealed blast doors to pursue Mandalore and prevent the theft of the Iktotchi’s holy ark.
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As Lord Mandalore and his minions head to the hangar bay with the ark,
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Nouk catches up to them.
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The confident Jedi asserts “Stop right there, Mandalore!” as he ignites his light saber.
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“Well, well. You are a persistent one, aren’t you,” the Mandalorian leader scoffs “I’ve had just about enough of you. Looks like I’ll have to take care of you myself.”
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“It would be my pleasure!” Nouk says, going from confident to arrogant.
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Lord Mandalore then sheds his staff and produces a weapon and a shield from his cloak with which to engage the young Jedi.
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Nouk makes the first move, rushing his opponent but his light saber blow is expertly parried by Mandalore’s ordinary shield.
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Having gained the upper hand by Nouk’s eager commitment to engage, Mandalore severs his opponent’s light saber with his blade.
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Nouk Kii is defeated.
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Lord Mandalore gloats “You’re not so formidable against melee weapons, are you, Jedi? Or, should I say, ‘padawan’?”
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Shocked and deflated, Nouk finds himself paralyzed with fear, unable to mount any sort of defense.
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Mandalore raises his weapon and sneers “Goodbye, Jedi!”
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