On the verdant fields of Naboo, far from the glistening towers of Theed, AATs roll over tall grass and the harsh bark of E5 blaster rifles echoes out.

But this is not Naboo at the time of the Trade Federation's brutal, illegal invasion. This is Naboo today.

Not far from the swamps where they make their home, some five-thousand gungans -- supplemented by a smattering of humans -- gather with a singular purpose: ensure they are ready for the next war.

The Gungan Democratic Force, or GDF, was formed shortly after the invasion by Captain Tarpals -- the war hero that commanded the Gungan Theatre alongside now-Senator Jar Jar Binks.

The men of the GDF stand tall in uniforms of red, orange, and black -- deliberately evocative of the Old Republic's military. They line up, shoulder to shoulder, the picture of discipline.

Today, as part of their intense training, they have set their blasters to stun. The men are divided into two teams, and soon they will fight as if their lives depend on it.

"The battle drills are the most important," Captain Tarpals says. "We run through all sorts of exercises, but nothing is as primally instructive as combat."

He tells me that, after the Battle of Naboo, the traumatised Jar Jar Binks had the gungans gather as much salvage as they could. It is from here that the GDF get their weapons, including the AATs.

Ever since the battle, the volunteer men of the GDF have trained with this equipment. Tarpals says the men must train until they are as proficient in the blaster as they are with the spear or booma -- the blue ball of ionic energy the gungans use for some reason.

It is hard to imagine the Trade Federation returning to Naboo. Their invasion was, by all accounts, a disaster. It has only served to isolate them and cost trillions of credits in destroyed droids. But to these men, as long as there is even a chance, then something must be done. They watched as friends and family died beside them, facing down a modern army with spears and shields.

As an old, salvaged N1 flies overhead, locked in a mock dogfight with a battered freighter donated by a local farmer, Tarpals turns to me:

"It will not happen again. If they come, we will be ready."

-Reporting by Bleefo Clargax