A red-skinned humanoid with tattoos adorning his face and many horns on his head was seen kneeling before a hologram.
"My apprentice, it seems the Force is giving you another chance, a chance of redemption. The Naboo delegation, along with their Queen and the Jedi who helped her escape Naboo, are en route to Naboo", the hooded man in the hologram spoke.
When the red-skinned humanoid heard those words, he clenched his fists in anger and determination not to let them escape what's to me.
"The Force has given you another chance, but there won't be a third chance. If you fail, you know what happens. I hope you won't fail me this time. Eliminate the Queen and the Jedi if they interfere, which is what they do. Remember it, Maul, there won't be a third chance", the figure spoke and disappeared.
The humanoid that was kneeling was Darth Maul, the apprentice of Darth Sidious, sent to deal with the escaped Queen and the Jedi on Tatooine, but failed to do so.
Once the hologram went offline, Maul stood up, with a clenched fist and anger on his face, "This time, they won't escape. I'll kill all of them", he muttered as he started to leave.
He needed to be there on Naboo when they arrived, and he knew where they would go, and Maul had the perfect way to intercept them.
---
Maul arrived at Naboo with no one obstructing his arrival. The Trade Federation was informed of his arrival, as well as about the Queen and others who would be accompanying her.
The Federation was informed to leave a gap for the Queen to enter without any obstruction. They needed the Queen alive. They need her signature to ratify the occupation as a legal move, not an actual occupation.
So, the space block appeared to be stopping anyone from entering Naboo Space, but they allowed Queen and the team to enter Naboo without an issue.
They have been stationed around the Naboo space for days. With the Technological power they had, they would have covered every piece of space, even if it was not by ships, but using sensors that would have been spread throughout the space.
The only reason the Queen and the Jedi arrived on Naboo was because they allowed it.
Space battles are unpredictable and uncontrollable.
If they fought on land, they could ensure that the Queen didn't die, and once captured, she could be used to sign the treaty, which could grant them the planet of Naboo as one of their bases.
The droids and Maul were supposed to take care of them, and the reason why the Queen and Jedi arrived on Naboo easily, and even had time to negotiate with Gungans.
It was because the Federation allowed it. They wanted to fully occupy the planet of Naboo, both land and sea.
---
Maul arrived at Theed and remained incognito.
He knew that if the Jedi sensed him, they wouldn't come his way. He knew that it was not like the Jedi were afraid of him, but because they were on guard duty. They would prioritise the Queen's safety rather than taking down a Sith.
He couldn't let that happen. His mission was to capture the Queen and kill the Jedi, but he prioritised killing the Jedi over capturing the Queen. To do that, he had to catch them unaware.
From what his master said to him, there are two Knights and two Padawans, one of whom was already close to being a Knight and the other, just a kid.
So, Maul only saw three threats, but they were more than enough for him to take precautions.
Too many Jedi could easily sniff him out. So, he hid in the Royal Palace, where no matter what the Jedi did, they would have to face him, because the Queen wanted to reclaim the throne.
Only by reclaiming the throne can she lead the resistance against the Federation, and there was something else in the throne room that she needed to retrieve. So, the Queen would go to the throne whether the Jedi helped or not.
The Jedi would have no choice but to follow her, and when they do, he would be waiting for them in their path.
When they see Maul, the Jedi would have no other choice but to face him, no matter what.
A good plan on Maul's side to make the Jedi fight him, and not escape like they did on Tatooine. As long as the Jedi were taken out of the equation, it would be much easier for the Trade Federation to capture the Queen once more, just as they did before.
It was a good plan, according to Maul, as he didn't think that the Jedi would win the fight against him, even if there were more of them.
He has no idea that he was just a pawn in Darth Sidious's plan, who would become useless, even if he survives this crisis. Everything was stacked against him, especially now that there was an unknown card that entered the game, who would not pull back from flipping the board.