Beneath the surface of Lake Paonga lies the Gungan capital. Otoh Gunga is constructed in such a manner that leaves the Gungan city trapped beneath water pressures—potentially fatal to the denizens should the city be breached—converging on the lake’s vertical center and floating between the surface of the lake and the lakebed. Its location makes the capital difficult to find without knowing its precise location, remaining untouched during the Separatist occupation of Naboo.

Water-breathing species would be able to swim easily to its bubble-shaped buildings; however, those unable to remain submerged without air would find the distance impossible to swim. Therefore, breathing apparatuses are essential for those determined to make the journey themselves and without the aid of Gungan bongos. Its bubble-like buildings are hydrostatic force-fields that contain breathable atmospheres for their occupants and have special portals that allow the inhabitants to enter and exit. Since the Gungans actually grew the building material of their cities from the natural plasma of Naboo and bubble wort extract, the structure of Otoh Gunga is a hub and spoke design. Each of the bubble-like buildings are compartmentalized units, able to be sealed off at a moment’s notice.

The Gungan Grand Army utilizes patrols that make regular visits between the compartments. Favouring spears, atlatls, Electropoles and cestas for throwing boomas, these soldiers are the staunch defenders of Otoh Gunga. Sometimes armed with distributed Gungan personal energy shields capable of turning aside blaster bolts, these warriors are too-often underestimated, lending to their victories over the Trade Federation.

The first Gungan bongo smashed through the bubble-like structure of Otoh Gunga. It tore through the shield, letting water from Lake Paonga pour through until it quickly sealed back up. The vehicle collided with the ground, skidding to a halt in the middle of the large, level floor. The hatch to the bongo opened and out hurried Koda Kendis, a tall, muscular red-headed Human male wearing heavy Mandalorian armor. His feet clanged on the hard ground, and he rubbed the back of his neck tentatively.

"I've had better landings… those things are impossible to steer!" he said. The native city inhabitants recoiled upon seeing him. They were clearly not used to seeing visitors, so, in typical Koda fashion, he gave them a thumbs up. "Hey, relax! I mean you no harm."

A small gathering of Otoh Gunga soldiers, mounted on three kaadu, surrounded him, each pointing a spear at his throat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys. I'm not your enemy!" Koda held up his hands defensively.

"We'sa decides that!" one Gungan soldier called out. "Who'sa are you'sa, and why you'sa here? Take da helmet off."

Koda obeyed the command and removed it, revealing a handsome face and a head of fire-red hair beneath.

"My name is Koda Kendis. I… borrowed… one of your craft from the surface. I'm with the Crusaders," Koda said, half-hoping they would at least have heard of the organisation he was a part of.

The Gungan soldier cooked his head to the side. "Crusaders? We'sa know no Crusaders. You'sa coming with us!"

Koda went wide-eyed. "No! You don't understand! I'm being followed and…"

Right on cue, a second Gungan bongo tore through the bubble shielding around the city. Water once again poured onto the intricately designed floor. The subterranean vehicle landed on the smooth floor, however, this landing was much smoother than Koda's. The hatch dissipated, and the sound of whirring flames echoed in the room. A man in bright-red Mandalorian armor with an ostentatious lightning bolt on his chestplate shot out of the bongo and into the air, slowly descending with the aid of his jetpack until his feet gently touched the floor.

Koda rolled his eyes and huffed. "Show off…"

One of the Gungan soldiers broke from the rest of the group Amidst murmurs from the local populace of the strange man's arrival. The soldier strolled up to him, spear pointing at him just like he had with Koda.

"Who'sa are you'sa!?" the Gungan soldier said, the demand in his voice obvious.

"Appius Taldrya Wight, Taldryan Consul, at your service. I'm here for that one," Appius pointed at Koda. "Apologies for the grand entrance. I had to… borrow one of these from the surface. Now, I'll be taking him and we will be on our wa-"

Appius was halted when the tip of the Gungan's spear grazed across his armor. Koda heard the scrape, and could see the scratch on the armor's paint job.

"You'sa going nowhere! You'sa gonna see da Big Boss!"

Koda saw it, the moment he was looking for. He broke free from the two Gungans attempting to threaten him with pointy sticks and ran forward, placing his helmet back on his head, then brandishing his trusty power hammer, Atlas, in his hands. He swung the weapon, attempting to bring the weapon down on Appius' skull, but the Taldryan Consul quickly stepped back, allowing Koda to strike the floor instead. The impact cracked the intricate work of art that had been created decades prior, causing gasps of horror to come from the onlookers.

Koda brought his weapon up again, but Appius flicked his wrist, sending Koda careening back across the large, circular room with a telekinetic blast to his chest. He rolled to a stop at the far end of the room and stood tall, gripping his hammer firmly in his hands.

Appius began to take steps towards him. "Gungans, if I may make a suggestion, leave the room and seal it behind you. This is a personal matter, one that does not need any residents to be harmed in the crossfire."

The Gungan soldiers were hesitant at first, but then agreed. "Everybody out!"

Otoh Gunga citizens fled the room, including the mounts the guards were riding, leaving Appius and Koda as the lone two inhabitants within their makeshift arena.

"Where are they?" Appius asked, his question echoing in the room. "Where are Cryo and Tracinya?"

In response, Koda steeled his eyes and bent his knees.

Appius retrieved a small emblem, a crest of a candle with wings. He threw it toward Koda. "We thought they were dead after Port Kasiya was attacked. Yet, when we investigated, we found no bodies, and no sign of a transformation into one of those abominations. All we found was that emblem, and that led me straight to you. So, I'll ask one more time. Where are they?"

Koda allowed himself a small smirk. "Tracinya is being taken care of. The one you call Cryo is with her family now."

"Her family?" Appius asked. "She has a family, a family in Clan Taldryan."

"Funny how you don't know her real name," Koda shook his head, and then went wide-eyed when he saw streaks of lightning dart towards him. He leapt out of the way as fast as he could. The lightning impacted the bubble wall behind him, dissipating into it.

"This is your last chance," Appius said. He cracked his knuckles, stopping in the centre of the room. "Tell me where they are, or you are gonna have a really bad time."

Koda stepped forward. "Try me."

Appius grabbed both of his lightsabers from his waist. "Oh well, what happens from here on in is your fault."

Koda answered the throat by dropping his hammer and quickly grabbing hold of his rotary cannon, Mettle, from his back, unleashing hellfire in blaster form upon Appius.

Appius activates his saber blades just in time to start deflecting the barrage of blaster bolts. The green blades reflected off the floor as the bolts were redirected around them. The two of them were equally matched in their opposition. The accuracy and form of the Taldyran Consul was just barely able to creep forward one step at a time. The hellfire from Mettle was focused on one thing, and one thing only, shredding through Appius at all costs.

“Give up now and I’ll forget this ever happened!” Koda shouted “You’re the one who forced me down here. Whatever happens to these Gungans will be your doing.”

“You’re the one who came down here in the first place! I could do this all day, that rotary cannon of yours can’t!” Appius snarked. Just like he predicted, the fast whirring of the final blaster shots made themselves clear. Koda quickly reattached Mettle to his backpack, took a step forward, reached down to grab his hammer with his right hand, and started to charge at Appius.

Appius deactivated his offhand saber and clipped it to his belt. As the stampeding Reek of a man charged at him, he reached out with the force to push on one of his legs to imbalance him.

Koda tripped forward and his momentum caused him to slide across the floor and right to Appius’s feet. The Consul put his right foot on top of Koda’s helmet and he lowered Kad’ua right above his neck. “Surrender. If you come without any resistance I will make sure no further harm comes to you. Cryo and Tracinya are my family, and you will not take them from me.”

“You know nothing about having family taken from you.” Koda growled. In a split second he slammed his left fist into Appius’s right knee. The Consul’s leg slid off Koda’s helmet just enough for him to roll away and push himself to his knees. Appius closed the gap by taking a step forward and raising his saber up for a strike. Koda lifted his left arm and flexed his fingers inward, activating his plasma shield. Kad’ua bounced backwards and staggered Appius. Koda stood to his full height and the two armored individuals locked visors.

“I know everything about losing family.” Appius extended his hands to unleash a storm of force lightning at his foe. Koda protected himself with his shield for a few moments before it started to fizzle out. He gritted his teeth and groaned as his forearm took the brunt of the continued storm. Appius cut off the storm while taking heavy breaths, fueled by the anger of past memories. He would watch as Koda’s left forearm twitch and spasm before staying in a clenched fist. “Seems like your family wasn’t the only thing you lost.”

Koda breathed heavily and showed no signs of surrender, lifting up Atlas with just one hand, the handle extending up his entire arm. “Then why can’t you understand that I am trying to keep what I have left safe. I don’t give a damn about who you think you know. She was a part of my family first. The person my family fought through the war with. If I have to die protecting them all…so be it…for I…am Guardian.”

Appius unclipped his second lightsaber from his waist and connected it to the bottom of his active one's hilt.

"Then fight harder, Guardian. If you want me to give up and let you go…" Appius activated the second hilt to form a saberstaff. He twirled the weapon in front of him, creating a whirlwind of humming clamour. Then, he held his weapon horizontally in front of him. "You'll have to break me first."

Koda ran forward with reckless abandon, his footsteps tapping across the wet floor, seemingly not caring for his well-being in front of a weapon that could slice through him like a hot knife through butter.

Appius smirked behind his visor, his opponent was far too predictable. Or at least, that's what he thought.

The Taldryan Consul narrowly stepped back out of the way of a horizontal strike attempting to shatter his chest. Koda was strong, but he was slow, a fact that could easily be exploited. Appius felt the whoosh of air brush past him as Koda swung his hammer like Appius was a wall he wanted to demolish.

The Crusader swung his hammer above his head, and Appius seized his opening.

He coiled the Force into the palm in his hand and jumped. He slammed his palm into the ground, detonating the energy he'd gathered, knocking Koda off of his feet and onto his back.

Atlas had once again fallen out of his grasp. Koda pulled himself up onto his knees and was about to retrieve his weapon when the glow of Appius' lightsaber blade entered his peripheral vision. Koda paused, his pupils dilating under the intense light.

Appius inched his lightsaber closer to Koda's helmet. "I sat and watched as my Clan burned on Mandalore. I watched as everyone I knew and cared about was reduced to ash in front of my eyes. Everything I was, came from, the place that made me the man I became had become nothing more than soot under my boot. I know everything about losing family, and I refuse to let some unknown upstart from some petty organisation take anymore from me! This is your last chance. Where are Cryo and Tra-"

Koda uppercut Appius' groin, and the Taldryan Consul keeled over and let out a high-pitched whimper. Koda sprang like a sand panther that smelt blood. He rushed forward, jumped, and drove his shoulder into Appius' midsection, tackling him to the ground. He then mounted him, pinning the red-armoured Mandalorian under his weight.

Koda threw two hard right punches at Appius' helmet, and despite the power behind the strikes, the beskar in the helmet kept him protected.

"I. Will. Not. Tell. You!" Koda struck with each syllable, while Appius tried using his forearms to protect himself. "You don't understand, no-one can understand what it's like to lose the person you love most in this galaxy!" His falling tears forced him to ignore the pain in his knuckles from striking the helmet, and he grasped his foe’s helm with both hands.

Unfortunately, that was the slight opening Appius needed. He pressed his palms against Koda's chestplate and summoned the Force through his body. Koda soared across the large, circular room, crashing spine-first on top of one of the Gungan bongos they had arrived in. He let out a pained gasp as he slid limply down to the floor.

Appius could hear Koda coughing and sputtering. He slowly rose to his feet. He had ringing in his ears from when his helmet had been struck. His left leg buckled from when Koda had struck it previously. His breaths were deep. His heart pounded and his eyes were dilated. They were flickering from blue to amber as the Force coursed through his veins. He clenched his fists, and he grit his teeth.

Appius raised his right arm. "I understand better than anyone what it's like to lose the ones you love! But If this is the way you want it, then so be it!"

The second bongo became suspended in the air. With one wild movement of his arm, the Gungan vehicle careered like a missile towards Koda, who rolled out of the way as the bongos collided with each other, erupting into a spectacular fireball.

Koda lifted his still malfunctioning left arm, covering his visor from the bright blast. Once the smoke from the fireball dissipated, he turned to his opponent. Appius stood across the room from him, favoring his right leg. Koda was able to feel the Consul’s eyes piercing him, even through the armor. “You watched while your family died!” Koda shouted, slowly taking a few steps forward, “I’m the reason the woman I love died…” He lamented, getting closer to Appius, “I will not let it happen again. Let’s finish this like men.” He lifted his arms up, his fists at chin level, with his elbows tucked in.

Appius was breathing heavily, but as his opponent approached, he took a few moments to think. He raised up his arms and started walking in a circle, in tandem with Koda. Appius thought to himself that the person in front of him was broken and would not finish the fight until one of them was dead. He weighed his options. As the two circled closer in on each other, Koda took a step forward, raising his right fist up high. Appius took a deep breath and shifted his weight to the right, narrowly avoiding the strike and grabbing his shock collar off his belt. Koda’s arm was now across his chest, leaving just enough space for Appius. In a flash he forced the collar around Koda’s neck. “If she loved you, she wouldn’t want you to get yourself killed.” Appius said as Koda collapsed to the ground, gripping the collar with his right hand and groaning in pain, “We will speak once you’ve calmed down.” Within a few moments, Koda’s hand relaxed as he keeled over. Appius turned off the shocking part of the shock collar and sighed, “This is gonna be costly…isn’t it.” He looked around at the destruction they caused, walking over to retrieve his sabers from the floor. He then walked over to where Atlas was laying and he lifted it up with a groan, “Woah…heavier than I expected.” As Appius was attaching the hammer to Koda’s backpack, the three Gungan guards from earlier entered the area and approached Appius, “And this is where the fun begins…”